Bare It All. Lori Foster

must not know him well.”

      Because if he did, he’d nominate him for sainthood? Rowdy bit back a snort. “Nope. Hardly at all, in fact.” He grinned at her. “We had this little case of mistaken identity. Logan and Reese thought I’d witnessed a murder two years past, but it was actually my sister....” Sickness burned his stomach, sent acid into his throat.

      Playing cavalier became more difficult.

      Not that Miss Alice Appleton was easy to fool, anyway. He rubbed at an ache in his temple. “Scratch all that, okay? The bastard is dead now, and good riddance.”

      Voice soft, strangely comforting, she said, “So the murderer was the man who died in Reese’s apartment.”

      A statement, not a question, but Rowdy confirmed it, anyway. “Yeah. Because of him, because of what he would’ve done if he’d known Pepper was a witness, we lived off the grid.” He couldn’t quite look at her, because damn it, she’d probably see too much, far more than she’d already surmised. “We managed to lay low for those two years, but after Logan and Reese exposed us, we became instant loose 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 cultivated—”

      “But Reese is also big.” Dropping her hand, she smiled off at nothing in particular. “And incredibly handsome. And he’s...” Her voice faded. “He’s sooo...”

      Curiosity got the better of him. “What?”

      She licked her lips and inhaled a deep breath, only to let it out in a long sigh.

      Put off, Rowdy scowled at her. “If you start purring, I’m outta here.”

      A blush warmed her cheeks. She straightened her shoulders and refocused on him. “My point is that you and Reese might have similarities, but you also have differences. Like that giant chip on your shoulder and that cocky swagger—”

      “I do not swagger.” Did he?

      “—that proclaims you a rebel.” With a mere glance, she shared her sympathy. “You like butting heads with the law, walking that narrow path between saint and sinner, and we both know it. I think you enjoy it.”

      The sinner part he could attest to, but where the hell had she gotten the saint angle? “Sorry, doll, you don’t really know me at all. What I do or don’t enjoy. Who I enjoy it with.” He warmed to his subject, ready to wrest the upper hand from her velvet grip. “In fact—”

      Suddenly Alice stiffened, lifted her head as if she heard something.

      “What is it?”

      She put a finger to her lips as if in warning, then shook her head.

      Cash watched her with the same confusion Rowdy felt.

      As she rose silently from the couch, her gaze on the front door, she said, “So you saw your sister today? How is Detective Riske feeling?”

      What the hell was she up to? She made not a single sound as she inched toward her door. “He’s grouchy.” Fascinated, Rowdy watched as she stopped to study the door a moment. “I don’t think he likes being pampered any more than I would.”

      She gestured for him to continue. He obliged, but in case trouble intruded, he also stood. “Pepper isn’t the typical mother hen. Far from it. Her efforts at coddling are as likely to drive