“I’m sorry I can’t tell you details.”
“Obviously not, since it’s forbidden.” Worried now, Pepper asked, “You aren’t in any trouble, are you?”
“No, it’s nothing like that.”
“Good. I’m glad.” She searched Alice’s face, then prompted her with, “So Reese wanted these answers...?”
She nodded. “I didn’t want to tell him. I mean, we truly haven’t known each other that long.”
“Pfft. I loved Logan right from the start.”
Love. Wide-eyed, Alice said, “You did?”
“Sure. I didn’t realize it at the time, not until he double-crossed me in a really rotten way. Then it was so crushing, I knew I more than liked him. If I only liked him, it wouldn’t have hurt so much, and I wouldn’t have been so obsessed with it all. With him.”
Wow. “Logan double-crossed you?”
“Big-time. But that’s another story, and right now we’re talking about you.”
“But...since you loved Logan, did you trust him?”
Laughing, Pepper said, “Shoot, no. I had secrets about my secrets.” She sobered. “But looking back, I know that if I had trusted him sooner, we’d have saved a lot of time, and maybe he wouldn’t have gotten shot.”
Alice took her hand. “I’m sure that wasn’t your fault.”
“Maybe.” Pepper let out a breath. “Let’s get on to the juicy part of how Reese used sex against you.”
Alice felt a gaze on her, and she glanced at Rowdy and got caught. Dash talked to him, and Rowdy nodded as if he listened and heard. But his attention stayed on Alice.
She blushed as if he could actually hear her, and Rowdy smiled.
Alice gulped and turned away. She should probably get through the story before Reese returned.
God, how did she even put it into words? “He got me...worked up.”
“In bed?” Pepper asked in the same low voice Alice had used.
Alice nodded. “Then he asked me the stuff he knew I didn’t want to talk about.”
“Because he figured you were distracted with lust, huh?”
“Yes.”
“That kinky bastard.”
Kinky? Pepper didn’t think it was...mean? Or underhanded.
“Let me guess.” Full of sympathy, Pepper squeezed both her hands. “You’re hurt? Embarrassed?”
“Well...yes.” Who wouldn’t be?
“It was pretty diabolical, I’ll give you that. But tell me this—knowing Reese is a detective, and knowing he cares about you, did he ask about stuff that he needed to know? Or at least thought he needed to know?”
Alice dropped her shoulders. “Yes.” In for a penny... “I came to that conclusion on my own. I knew I had to come clean about everything, but I had to figure out a way.”
“So you did tell him?”
“Yes.” She bit her lip. “After we were in the parking lot.”
“Ah.” Pepper nodded. “So that’s why he was so hot under the collar? Well, that and he’s jealous of my brother.”
Alice didn’t want there to be any bad feelings between Pepper and Reese. After all, Reese and Logan were best friends. She’d hate herself if she inadvertently caused an issue. “Reese trusts Rowdy. He’s just...well, we don’t have a clear understanding yet.”
“Meaning you’re falling for him, but he hasn’t yet told you how he feels?”
Alice’s shoulders slumped. “Pretty much.”
“So, get even.” Warming to that idea, Pepper said, “You can make yourself feel better about how Reese used you if you use him back, and you can turn the tables on him and get answers of your own.”
A little scandalized, Alice said, “I couldn’t!”
“Of course you can. Payback doesn’t have to be hell.” Pepper bobbed her eyebrows. “It can be loads of fun.”
Alice whispered, “Did you...?”
“With Logan? You betcha.” Pepper leaned closer. “We’d had great sex, so even though I was pissed at him, I figured why should I suffer?”
Sex with anyone other than Reese would be suffering.
“We had to hide out in his brother’s lake house. Shhh, the property’s top secret, so don’t tell anyone about it. Dash wants to keep it private, so only Reese, Logan and I know about it. Well, and now you. But anyway, each night when it was time for bed, I went to Logan. We’d have mind-blowing sex—and then...” Pepper got quiet.
Oh, no. She couldn’t leave her hanging like that. “And then what?”
“I left him to go sleep by myself.”
How...sad. “What did Logan say about that?”
“He didn’t like it, but men do not turn down sex. Especially not sex with women they care about. And trust me, Reese cares about you.”
God, she hoped Pepper was right. Still, she had grave reservations about the plan. “I don’t know. Logan and Reese are very different men.”
“True. But they’re still men.”
Both women jumped when Rowdy said, “Pepper is right. We’re easy.”
Heat rushed into Alice’s face.
Rowdy chucked her under the chin. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but you two can’t whisper worth a damn.”
Pepper glared at her brother. “You had to be straining your ears!”
“Obviously not, since it’s forbidden.” Worried now, Pepper asked, “You aren’t in any trouble, are you?”
“No, it’s nothing like that.”
“Good. I’m glad.” She searched Alice’s face, then prompted her with, “So Reese wanted these answers...?”
She nodded. “I didn’t want to tell him. I mean, we truly haven’t known each other that long.”
“Pfft. I loved Logan right from the start.”
Love. Wide-eyed, Alice said, “You did?”
“Sure. I didn’t realize it at the time, not until he double-crossed me in a really rotten way. Then it was so crushing, I knew I more than liked him. If I only liked him, it wouldn’t have hurt so much, and I wouldn’t have been so obsessed with it all. With him.”
Wow. “Logan double-crossed you?”
“Big-time. But that’s another story, and right now we’re talking about you.”
“But...since you loved Logan, did you trust him?”
Laughing, Pepper said, “Shoot, no. I had secrets about my secrets.” She sobered. “But looking back, I know that if I had trusted him sooner, we’d have saved a lot of time, and maybe he wouldn’t have gotten shot.”
Alice took her hand. “I’m sure that wasn’t your fault.”
“Maybe.” Pepper let out a breath. “Let’s get on to the juicy part of how Reese used sex against you.”
Alice felt a gaze on her, and she glanced at Rowdy and got caught. Dash talked to him, and Rowdy nodded as if he listened and heard. But his attention stayed on Alice.
She blushed as if he could actually hear her, and Rowdy smiled.
Alice gulped and turned away. She should probably get through the story before Reese returned.
God, how did she even put it into words? “He got me...worked up.”
“In bed?” Pepper asked in the same low voice Alice had used.
Alice nodded. “Then he asked me the stuff he knew I didn’t want to talk about.”
“Because he figured you were distracted with lust, huh?”
“Yes.”
“That kinky bastard.”
Kinky? Pepper didn’t think it was...mean? Or underhanded.
“Let me guess.” Full of sympathy, Pepper squeezed both her hands. “You’re hurt? Embarrassed?”
“Well...yes.” Who wouldn’t be?
“It was pretty diabolical, I’ll give you that. But tell me this—knowing Reese is a detective, and knowing he cares about you, did he ask about stuff that he needed to know? Or at least thought he needed to know?”
Alice dropped her shoulders. “Yes.” In for a penny... “I came to that conclusion on my own. I knew I had to come clean about everything, but I had to figure out a way.”
“So you did tell him?”
“Yes.” She bit her lip. “After we were in the parking lot.”
“Ah.” Pepper nodded. “So that’s why he was so hot under the collar? Well, that and he’s jealous of my brother.”
Alice didn’t want there to be any bad feelings between Pepper and Reese. After all, Reese and Logan were best friends. She’d hate herself if she inadvertently caused an issue. “Reese trusts Rowdy. He’s just...well, we don’t have a clear understanding yet.”
“Meaning you’re falling for him, but he hasn’t yet told you how he feels?”
Alice’s shoulders slumped. “Pretty much.”
“So, get even.” Warming to that idea, Pepper said, “You can make yourself feel better about how Reese used you if you use him back, and you can turn the tables on him and get answers of your own.”
A little scandalized, Alice said, “I couldn’t!”
“Of course you can. Payback doesn’t have to be hell.” Pepper bobbed her eyebrows. “It can be loads of fun.”
Alice whispered, “Did you...?”
“With Logan? You betcha.” Pepper leaned closer. “We’d had great sex, so even though I was pissed at him, I figured why should I suffer?”
Sex with anyone other than Reese would be suffering.
“We had to hide out in his brother’s lake house. Shhh, the property’s top secret, so don’t tell anyone about it. Dash wants to keep it private, so only Reese, Logan and I know about it. Well, and now you. But anyway, each night when it was time for bed, I went to Logan. We’d have mind-blowing sex—and then...” Pepper got quiet.
Oh, no. She couldn’t leave her hanging like that. “And then what?”
“I left him to go sleep by myself.”
How...sad. “What did Logan say about that?”
“He didn’t like it, but men do not turn down sex. Especially not sex with women they care about. And trust me, Reese cares about you.”
God, she hoped Pepper was right. Still, she had grave reservations about the plan. “I don’t know. Logan and Reese are very different men.”
“True. But they’re still men.”
Both women jumped when Rowdy said, “Pepper is right. We’re easy.”
Heat rushed into Alice’s face.
Rowdy chucked her under the chin. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but you two can’t whisper worth a damn.”
Pepper glared at her brother. “You had to be straining your ears!”
