ends.”
“So you would have been killed?”
He lifted one shoulder, hoping to shake off the tension that
clung to every muscle. “Reese and Logan, and others, too.”
“Everyone—except for your sister.” In deep thought, Alice
whispered, “He would have kept her alive so he could sell her.”
Rage ignited, so bright Rowdy couldn’t speak, couldn’t answer.
He gave a barely perceptible nod.
Attuned to him in a way that he wasn’t used to, Alice touched
his arm. “It’s a very good thing that he’s dead.”
And therein lay the crux of the matter: her easy approval of
such things, a mind-set that death could be the answer to a problem.
He decided to focus on Alice and tune out everything else.
Glad that she’d helped him with that, he covered her hand with
his own. “Hell of an outlook, honey.” With alacrity he moved on to the purpose
for his visit. “How does a buttoned-up gal like you get that indifferent about
death?”
She tipped her head. “Buttoned-up?”
“Prim. Proper.” At her look of confusion, he gave her a nudge.
“Come on, Alice. You’re a shrewd woman. I’m not telling you anything you don’t
know.”
Distracted, maybe even a little insulted, she moved away from
him to sit.
When Rowdy joined her, Cash crawled over to rest between them
and gave a lusty sigh of contentment. She pushed her fingers into the dog’s fur
in a gentle stroke that could mesmerize.
“I’m worried for you, Alice.”
Lost in thought, she said absently, “Don’t be.”
Not good enough. Yesterday, when she’d walked into the middle
of the chaos, the death and the blood, he’d perceived something damaged in her
persona, the same type of hopeless acceptance he’d seen in his sister—before
she’d hooked up with Logan.
It bothered him because, almost instantly, he’d recognized
Alice as a woman with dark secrets and a fair store of fear. How could any man
turn a blind eye to that?
Measuring his words, hoping to reach her, Rowdy said with
utmost seriousness, “The thing is, Alice, I know women, so I know—
She laughed. At him.
A little irate, he waited for her humor to subside. “That’s
funny?”
“Absolutely.” Her smile was teasing—and made her look really
pretty. “You’re so incorrigible and untamed.”
“Untamed, huh?” What the hell did that mean? She made him sound
like a wild animal.
“Definitely.” Leaning closer, looking into his eyes, she
pretended to share a secret. “You’re also incredibly big and undeniably
handsome.”
Ears burning a little, he tried to lean away from her without
looking too obvious. It wasn’t often he dodged a woman. Like maybe never. But
this couldn’t happen, so he tried to be gentle but up front. “You know I’m only
here as a friend, right?”
Another of her silly laughs escaped, and damn, it sounded so
sweet, it almost made him smile.
Her chastising look forewarned him. “We’re hardly friends,
Rowdy.”
“We could be.” If she’d stop laughing at
me.
Now she sighed. “I’d like that, actually. Thank you.”
The truth struck him. He was both relieved and a little
embarrassed. “You weren’t coming on to me, were you?”
“No, I wasn’t. I’m sorry, but honestly, I wouldn’t even know
how.”
He wouldn’t tell her that she’d done a damn good job without
trying.
She rubbed the dog’s neck, then around and under his chin. “You
and Reese share a similar look.”
“Yeah?” Since Reese was polished, with a witty perspective on
life, Rowdy didn’t see it. Well, except that they were both blond and tall.
“You’re big.”
Since a statement like that had all kinds of connotations, he
had to cough to keep from making a joke. With any other woman...but, yeah, this
was Alice.
“And you really are handsome.” This time it was his hair she
tunneled her fingers into. “I’m sure women appreciate the ‘bad boy’ guise you’ve
cultivated.”
Bad boy? Guise? His neck stiffened.
“I haven’t
“So you would have been killed?”
He lifted one shoulder, hoping to shake off the tension that
clung to every muscle. “Reese and Logan, and others, too.”
“Everyone—except for your sister.” In deep thought, Alice
whispered, “He would have kept her alive so he could sell her.”
Rage ignited, so bright Rowdy couldn’t speak, couldn’t answer.
He gave a barely perceptible nod.
Attuned to him in a way that he wasn’t used to, Alice touched
his arm. “It’s a very good thing that he’s dead.”
And therein lay the crux of the matter: her easy approval of
such things, a mind-set that death could be the answer to a problem.
He decided to focus on Alice and tune out everything else.
Glad that she’d helped him with that, he covered her hand with
his own. “Hell of an outlook, honey.” With alacrity he moved on to the purpose
for his visit. “How does a buttoned-up gal like you get that indifferent about
death?”
She tipped her head. “Buttoned-up?”
“Prim. Proper.” At her look of confusion, he gave her a nudge.
“Come on, Alice. You’re a shrewd woman. I’m not telling you anything you don’t
know.”
Distracted, maybe even a little insulted, she moved away from
him to sit.
When Rowdy joined her, Cash crawled over to rest between them
and gave a lusty sigh of contentment. She pushed her fingers into the dog’s fur
in a gentle stroke that could mesmerize.
“I’m worried for you, Alice.”
Lost in thought, she said absently, “Don’t be.”
Not good enough. Yesterday, when she’d walked into the middle
of the chaos, the death and the blood, he’d perceived something damaged in her
persona, the same type of hopeless acceptance he’d seen in his sister—before
she’d hooked up with Logan.
It bothered him because, almost instantly, he’d recognized
Alice as a woman with dark secrets and a fair store of fear. How could any man
turn a blind eye to that?
Measuring his words, hoping to reach her, Rowdy said with
utmost seriousness, “The thing is, Alice, I know women, so I know—
She laughed. At him.
A little irate, he waited for her humor to subside. “That’s
funny?”
“Absolutely.” Her smile was teasing—and made her look really
pretty. “You’re so incorrigible and untamed.”
“Untamed, huh?” What the hell did that mean? She made him sound
like a wild animal.
“Definitely.” Leaning closer, looking into his eyes, she
pretended to share a secret. “You’re also incredibly big and undeniably
handsome.”
Ears burning a little, he tried to lean away from her without
looking too obvious. It wasn’t often he dodged a woman. Like maybe never. But
this couldn’t happen, so he tried to be gentle but up front. “You know I’m only
here as a friend, right?”
Another of her silly laughs escaped, and damn, it sounded so
sweet, it almost made him smile.
Her chastising look forewarned him. “We’re hardly friends,
Rowdy.”
“We could be.” If she’d stop laughing at
me.
Now she sighed. “I’d like that, actually. Thank you.”
The truth struck him. He was both relieved and a little
embarrassed. “You weren’t coming on to me, were you?”
“No, I wasn’t. I’m sorry, but honestly, I wouldn’t even know
how.”
He wouldn’t tell her that she’d done a damn good job without
trying.
She rubbed the dog’s neck, then around and under his chin. “You
and Reese share a similar look.”
“Yeah?” Since Reese was polished, with a witty perspective on
life, Rowdy didn’t see it. Well, except that they were both blond and tall.
“You’re big.”
Since a statement like that had all kinds of connotations, he
had to cough to keep from making a joke. With any other woman...but, yeah, this
was Alice.
“And you really are handsome.” This time it was his hair she
tunneled her fingers into. “I’m sure women appreciate the ‘bad boy’ guise you’ve
cultivated.”
Bad boy? Guise? His neck stiffened.
“I haven’t
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