Bare It All

“Terrific! I’ll have to give you details when we get things figured out.” She bobbed her eyebrows. “We’ll wait for Logan to recoup so we can have a real wedding night.”

Alice laughed with her. It was so nice having another woman to talk to, a woman unlike Nikki and Pam.

That thought gave her pause; Pepper might be different, but she still wasn’t like Alice.

Again Pepper nudged her with her shoulder. “I can be really discreet, just so you know.”

Alice didn’t understand.

“If you want to talk about...stuff.” Letting out a breath, Pepper said, “I see the mask, because I used to wear one, too.”

Confused, Alice shook her head. “I don’t wear a mask.”

“Sure you do.” Lifting a twisting lock of Alice’s hair, Pepper smiled an apology. “The rain did you in.”

Her shoulders deflated. She prided herself on a nice appearance, but she’d never figured on getting caught in a storm. “I know.”

“No, I don’t think you do. You look great, Alice. Not that you looked bad yesterday, but now, with your hair a little wild and that dress showing off your figure...It’s a good look for you.”

Eyes widening, Alice said, “I look like a used mop.”

“Nope, not even.” Studying her, Pepper shrugged. “Truthfully, you look sort of sexy.”

Alice’s face went hot. She was both flattered and horrified. “Of course I don’t.” Hand splayed over her chest, she looked down at her dress. Her sturdy bra kept her mostly concealed, but the dress did outline her meager bust. “Do I?”

“You didn’t notice how the guys went all goofy when they saw you? They practically had their tongues hanging out. Reese was ready to beat his chest, he’s such a possessive ape.”

Still disbelieving, Alice shook her head. Sexy was not a word ever applied to her. Clean, neat, well-groomed, sure. Or as Rowdy had claimed, buttoned-up, and sadly, prim and proper.

But she was not—

“Anyway,” Pepper said, interrupting her private angst. “You are disguising yourself. I figured it was on purpose. See, until recently, I did my own type of hiding. That cretin who died in Reese’s apartment yesterday?”

Fascinated, Alice said, “Yes?”

“A few years ago, Rowdy and I worked for his club. Late one night, I saw him kill a city councilman. Cops were involved, so I couldn’t go to them. I tried talking to a reporter, and he got murdered, too.”

“Oh, my God.” How horrific. Rowdy had left out a few details when he’d mentioned why he and Pepper had lived the life they had. Empathy welled inside her like a giant balloon, crowding out all other thoughts and emotions. Maybe she and Pepper had more in common than she’d realized. “That’s why he was after you?”

“And my brother,” Pepper confirmed. “Rowdy doesn’t really run from anyone, but to protect me, he did.”

That gave her great insight into Rowdy, too. What would it be like to have someone that dedicated to your well-being? Her parents cared, of course. Her sister, too.

But this was different. Alice touched her hand in understanding. “I’ve met your brother, and I’m pretty sure he’d do anything for you.”

“True enough.” Pepper didn’t retreat from the touch. She looked down at her feet, but only for a moment. “We were in hiding for way too long. I had to look like a hag to ensure if anyone saw me, they wouldn’t recognize me.” Her mouth curled in distaste before she squeezed Alice’s hand and regained her grim humor. “It was such a drag, looking bad all the time.”

Seeing her now, Alice couldn’t imagine such a thing. “You’re so attractive I don’t know how you managed to not look good.”

That made Pepper laugh. “You should have seen Logan when I threw off the dregs and reverted back to me. It was a hoot. Well, sort of. At the moment I didn’t think so because I was worried about everything else.” She leaned close to whisper, “Logan was undercover, so I had no idea he was a cop when I slept with him.”

“Wow.” No other words came to mind. “That must have been...interesting.”

“Yeah, picture my shock when he arranged for Reese to show up and arrest my brother.”

And that, of course, would explain some of the bad blood between Reese and Pepper. Her heart broke a little, imagining what Pepper had endured. “That must’ve been really awful.”

“No kidding. I was so furious I wanted to take them both apart.”

“Furious...and hurt?”

Pepper shrugged. “In the end, it worked out. And thanks to them, Rowdy and I are now free.”

No more hiding. Alice envied her the freedom. “So you’ve forgiven the deception?”

“Yeah, sure. Don’t tell Reese, though.” She gave a devilish grin. “I like giving him a hard time.”

Given her carefree expression, Alice believed it. Pepper looked truly happy—and well loved. “I’m glad you and Logan found each other, regardless of the path you took to get there.”

“That’s about it.” Her fingertips tapped the edge of the tub before Pepper said, “This is nice—talking with you, I mean. You’re...comfortable.”

Alice gave a short laugh over that dubious compliment. “Thank you. I’ve enjoyed it, as well.”

“Maybe it’s because we’re both different.”

Not exactly a subtle hint, but Alice just smiled. “Maybe.” In such a short time they’d settled into an easy alliance. “Bullet wound aside, I’m glad to see that you and Detective Riske both fared so well after everything that happened yesterday.”

“You worry a lot, don’t you?”

About everyone and everything. “Sometimes.” Always. “As you said, I’m...different.”

“Different is good.” Pepper sized her up. “You know what? I think we should do a makeover on you.”

“On...me?”

“It’s not an insult, I swear.”

“I wasn’t insulted.” More like...intrigued. “I’ve never fussed much with the usual female stuff.”

“You don’t really need to, not with your dark lashes and brows. But it wouldn’t hurt to loosen you up a bit.”

“Loosen me up?”

“Is there an echo in here?” Pepper teased, but then suddenly stalled. “I’m rushing things, right?”

Alice waved that off. “No, of course not.”

“You’ve probably got better things to do—”

“I think it’s a wonderful idea.” Would she enjoy being loosened up? Possibly. “I wouldn’t mind looking more fashionable—that is, if it won’t be too much work for you.”

“Are you kidding? It’ll be fun.” Pepper paused to draw a breath. “God, it’s been forever since I just had fun. Especially with another woman.”

Alice got caught up in her excitement and her teasing mood. “You won’t expect me to go around in wet dresses, will you?”

“Reese has to be able to function, so, no.”

There was more laughter—until a tap sounded on the door.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.