Bare It All. Lori Foster

to decide how to proceed.

      “Upper floor,” the brunette said. “She’s on one side of Reese, and I’m on the other.”

      “Doesn’t that sound naughty?” The blonde laughed again. “We’ve known Reese awhile now.”

      Alice’s temples pounded. “How...nice.”

      The blonde performed introductions. “I heard Reese call you Alice. I’m Nikki, and she’s Pam.”

      “Hello.” Until Reese, Alice had managed to keep her distance from all of her neighbors. Now she had Reese’s admirers curious about her.

      Knowing she’d just complicated her life, Alice turned her attention to Cash. Perhaps she could distract the women by playing with the dog?

      But no, Cash flopped down in a ray of sunshine and looked so comfortable, she hated to disturb him. There was no help for it. She smiled at the women. “If you live that close to Reese, then you already know what happened yesterday.”

      Pam lifted both brows. “You mean between the two of you?”

      “No!” Good grief. Such a suggestion. “Really, nothing happened between us.”

      Nikki grinned some more.

      “I was talking about the police conflict that took place in his apartment.”

      “We were out late,” Pam said.

      “And much of the morning, too,” Nikki added. “What happened?”

      Hoping to extricate herself soon, Alice did her best to summarize. “Yesterday, I saw a person going into Reese’s apartment, so I called him.”

      “You have his number?” Pam asked with disbelief.

      “I... Yes.” Alice wanted to groan. Pam and Nikki looked ready to pounce on her every word. She nodded toward Cash. “I watch his dog for him while he works, so it was necessary to exchange numbers.”

      The women peered at Cash with disdain. Nikki said, “He pees everywhere. I’d send him to the pound for that.”

      Feeling very protective of the dog, Alice scowled. “He’s a puppy still. He’s learning.”

      Pam couldn’t quite uncurl her lip. “So he’s actually Reese’s dog? I assumed he was yours since you’re the one I usually see bringing him outside.”

      “I pet-sit for him. Reese only recently got him, but being a detective, his hours can be...unconventional. And right now Cash needs a lot of attention, not to mention structure.”

      “So yesterday, when you said someone went into his place?” Nikki dismissed the dog. “Reese was getting robbed?”

      “Not exactly. It was just...” Unsure how much she should actually tell, Alice fudged the truth. “A conflict of sorts, that’s all. It all ended well enough when another detective showed up. But Reese’s apartment got a little...messy.”

      With bullet holes. Blood. A dead body on the floor.

      She shook her head. “Reese had a lot to do once they made arrests, a lot of follow-up work, so he got in late.” Or rather, early. “His apartment is still considered a crime scene.”

      Uncaring of all that, Pam asked in disbelief, “And so he came to you?”

      Alice shrugged. “He slept on my couch.”

      “Your couch?” Nikki put a hand to her heart in dramatic fashion. “I would have dragged him into the bedroom.”

      “Or joined him on the couch.” Pam grinned.

      Through tight lips, Alice explained, “We don’t have that type of relationship.” In fact, she wasn’t sure what type of relationship they had. A couple of times now Reese had hinted about an attraction, but was it just teasing?

      And if it wasn’t, what then?

      “Oh, honey,” Nikki commiserated. “That must’ve been torturous for you, having a man like him so close but not getting the advantages.”

      “It’s great news for us, though.” Pam elbowed her friend. “He’s still up for grabs.”

      Alice couldn’t fathom their attitudes. “So you’re both interested in Reese?” How would that work? Neither of the women felt possessive?

      Pam shrugged. “I do my best to get his attention, but Reese is a master at being polite without encouraging too much.”

      Nikki agreed. “I’d be on him in a heartbeat if he’d give me a signal. He’s so delectably big and brawny.”

      Big and brawny were not attributes that Alice generally admired. Not in a man who showed too much intimate interest in her.

      But for whatever reason, Reese was different, and her heart raced every time he got near.

      “He’s very compassionate,” Alice said, then suffered through some curious expressions from Nikki and Pam. “It’s true. He saved Cash. Someone had put the dog in a cardboard box and left him in the middle of the street.”

      “Probably because he pees everywhere!” Nikki laughed.

      Alice didn’t find it at all funny. How could anyone be that heartless? Luckily, Reese had cared enough to investigate when he saw the box, and once he’d discovered Cash, he’d taken him to the vet, adopted him and loved him. True, Reese spent too much time away, but he made sure the dog had proper care.

      With her.

      She sighed. “Reese is one of the kindest men I’ve ever met.”

      Nikki grinned at her. “Yeah, and despite his big hard body and that incredible face, I’m sure it was his kindness that you noticed first, right?”

      No, that quality might not be what first drew her attention to Reese, but it was definitely what got past her defensive walls.

      “He’s also a police detective, honest and protective of others.”

      Pam snickered. “And with as long as we’ve been talking, the big, bad cop just might be in the shower right now.” She gave Alice’s shoulder a pat and started away with Nikki. “If I was you, I’d hurry in and join him.”

      “Have some fun for me, Alice.” Nikki smiled as she followed Pam. “We want to hear all the juicy details tomorrow!”

      Alice was too frozen to say her goodbyes. Until Pam’s parting remark it hadn’t sunk in that she’d left Reese Bareden, a detective, alone in her apartment.

      Oh, good Lord.

      There was no telling what he’d find if he decided to snoop. And for a detective, snooping no doubt came naturally.

      “Cash, come on, boy. Let’s go!”

      Ears lifted, eyes bright, the dog jumped up, always ready for some excitement.

      Good thing, because it seemed to Alice, wherever Reese Bareden went, excitement definitely followed.

      * * *

      WHILE ALICE LINGERED outside, saying God knew what, Reese did a quick surveillance of her apartment. Her bedroom was plain to the point of painful, not at all like most females’ rooms. In lieu of a frilly comforter, she had a simple beige quilt over a full-size bed. Utilitarian curtains were pulled back to allow in the warm summer breeze. Not a single piece of clothing showed out of place. Other than one photograph sitting on her dresser, she kept her surfaces clutter-free. He approached the picture for a better look.

      She’d had shorter hair when the photo was taken, and beside her sat a girl some years younger. A sister? They shared the same eyes, hair color and the same lush mouth. Alice looked happy in a way that Reese hadn’t yet seen.

      Carefree.

      Relaxed.

      The Alice he knew never looked quite that