by Lori Foster
“Then you already have your answer.”
Quietly, Leese contemplated him before he set his coffee mug aside and folded his arms. “I’ve never had reason to do the whole big-brother routine, but I feel compelled to give it a shot now.”
“Going to threaten my kneecaps?”
“Something like that.” He tipped his chin. “You know she doesn’t deserve to be hurt.”
“Agreed.” Hurting Vanity was the last thing he wanted. “I care about her.” How much, he couldn’t yet say. Though he’d known her for months now, they’d only just gotten intimate. He knew he wanted more. A lot more.
But it was far too soon to say he wanted forever.
“You’re making a go of it?”
Stack gave him a direct stare. “She’s mine.”
Appearing satisfied by that, Leese nodded. “Okay then.” He strode to the chair opposite Stack and sat down. Arms crossed on the table, he said, “The guys who attacked you were hired by a small-time dealer.”
Stack frowned. He had a dozen questions but started with, “Why? What’s his beef with me?”
“Don’t know that yet. But the fact you have people asking around about it means more people are talking. I heard it from a lady friend who claims to know the dope peddler.”
“You keep friends in low places.”
With a short laugh, Leese sat back. “Maybe I overstated things. We hooked up one night. I haven’t seen her since.”
“Ah. That type of lady friend.”
“She knew I’m a fighter—probably the reason she approached me in the first place.”
Stack well understood pushy groupies. Many fighters dealt with them, him included.
“Right after...well, after, she asked if I knew you. Said she’d heard you were a wanted man.” Leese gave a small shake of his head. “I already shared all this with the others, but I figured you’d want to hear it directly from me.”
“I do, thanks.” It all seemed more than curious to Stack. Why would the chick hit on Leese and then ask about another man? Bad form, for sure. “What’s her name?”
“I’m not sure.” Leese tugged on his ear. “Honestly, we didn’t do much talking. She came on strong, took me to her hotel room, wrung me out, and just as I was leaving a few hours later, she asked about you.”
“What’d you tell her?”
“Not a damn thing.”
Smart. “Appreciate that.”
“Course.” Leese sat forward again. “She asked if I knew you. I asked why she was asking.” His brows angled down. “She said she was just curious because you’d pissed off some people, specifically this dealer, and that he was looking for you. When I tried to ask her more, she clammed up.”
“Hotel room, huh?”
“Yeah, sorry. I went back to that room later, but she’d already checked out.”
In too many ways, it all felt like a setup. “Can you describe her?”
“Medium height, big boobs, nice legs. She wore a shit-ton of makeup and had her hair in some tight little bun thing on top of her head.” Leese shrugged. “I’d have paid closer attention if I’d known she was going to grill me on you. Gotta say, she took me by surprise with it, then practically shoved me out the door.”
“Did you meet her at Rowdy’s?” The once shady bar was now a favorite hangout since Rowdy had bought and renovated it. He kept the place clean but laid-back, offered decent food, drinks, dancing and billiards. All in all, a comfortable ambiance.
“Sorry, no. I hit up this place nearer to my apartment. I’d only been there a few minutes when she hit on me, so we weren’t there long.”
“Would the bartender know her?”
Leese shook his head. “Already asked around and no one did.” Uncomfortable, he shifted. “It’s not really the kind of place where you can grill people without causing some suspicion. I’d only been there a few times.”
Curious, Stack asked, “Why’d you go there last night?”
Leese pinched the bridge of his nose, then sent a hand through his hair. “Personal shit, okay? Nothing important.”
Stack understood that. Leese was newer to the group. He’d been a mediocre fighter when Denver invited him to the rec center. But since then, he’d shown real potential. He had a lot of natural talent that only needed to be challenged and refined. Soon, Stack thought, Leese could be a real contender.
The front door opened and closed, and the sound of dogs thundering toward the kitchen made Stack smile. He turned, saw Maggie hit the kitchen floor and slide on wet paws, and then Norwood did the same. Their snow-covered feet sent them skating across the tile. Stack jumped up, as did Leese, and they’d just about contained the dogs when Vanity stepped in. She’d removed her boots, so she didn’t slip, and to Stack’s surprise, she seemed unconcerned with the wet tracks the dogs left everywhere.
“I hope you guys left me some coffee.” On her way to the pot she chafed her hands. “I think it’s getting colder instead of warmer, and it started snowing again.” She poured a mug of coffee with one hand and reached for paper towels with the other. Whipping off several, she handed them to Stack.
He shared a bemused look with Leese, then cleaned the dogs’ paws before soaking up the melted snow mess. Somehow the more Vanity did, the more energy she had.
Leese cleared his throat. “Another thing before I go.”
From his kneeling position on the floor, Stack asked, “Yeah?”
“Some reporter called the rec center looking for you.” He glanced at Vanity. “He wants to interview you both about a car fire you helped with.”
Stack barely restrained his groan. He had no interest in an interview, but until he knew Vanity’s feeling on it, he kept his opinion to himself.
Done cleaning the dogs, he stood and threw away the paper towels, then refilled their food dishes. At least Norwood and Maggie looked tired from their snow play. They grabbed a few bites of chow before collapsing near a ray of sunshine coming through a window.
Smiling at the exhausted “huff” Norwood gave as he half rested on Maggie, Stack went to Vanity. She had hat hair, a red nose and a wary expression. “Coffee helping?”
“Yes.” Both hands curled around the mug, she sipped again.
“So, what do you think?”
“Shoveling snow is hard but fun. The cold is great, until it seeps into the bones. Overall, it’s pretty cool.”
Stack grinned at her. “You know that’s not what I meant.” He ruffled her hair, loosening it up from the smashed-hat look. “Your nose is as red as a cherry.”
“Is it cute?”
He and Leese both said, “Yes,” at the same time.
Stack resisted the urge to tell Leese to shut it.
Taking the coffee from her, Stack set it aside and pulled Vanity up against his chest. “You can steal some of my heat.”
“Thank you.” She burrowed in. “Is there a way to dodge reporters without being rude?”
Relieved, Stack hugged her. “Sure.” Looking over her shoulder to Leese, he asked, “Mind giving him a statement for us?”
Zipping up his jacket in preparation to go, Leese said, “No problem.”
“Just say we’re glad we were there to help out. Neither of us was injured, and we’re thrilled the others weren’t either. If the reporter has more specific questions, tell him I can give him a call—from the rec center number. Just find out what day and time is convenient for him.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Vanity pulled away to give Leese a quick hug. “Thanks for the snow shovel. I’d never even thought about it, but today it was the perfect gift.”
Leese returned her hug one-armed, keeping it as casual as a man could. “My pleasure.” He jeered at Stack, “Next time, kick him out of bed earlier so he can help.”
Stack didn’t mind the ribbing, especially since Vanity was already back in his arms.
They walked Leese to the door, cautioned him to drive carefully, and then, finally, they were alone again.
Breathing in her now-familiar scent, made crisper by her play outdoors, Stack asked, “What do you have planned today?”
“In a couple of hours I need to get the paintings to the shelter, and then I’m getting my hair and nails done.” Vanity smiled up at him. “How soon do you have to go?”
He should have been out the door hours ago, but in his head he’d already been rearranging his schedule. “Depends. What’d you have in mind?”
“Sex.”
Enjoying how freely she threw that out there, he grinned. “Love the way you think.”
She flattened a hand on his chest, stepped into him until that hand had slid up and around his neck. “You’re here, looking like you look and being so sweet with the dogs, and last night you told me we were officially an item. How could I think about anything other than getting you naked and back in bed?”
Definitely, he loved her honesty, the direct way she spoke her mind. With Vanity he didn’t have to worry about her misunderstanding or, thankfully, lying to him. She was the most up-front woman he’d ever known.
Stack gathered her closer, his heart already punching hard—and her phone rang.
She touched a finger to his lips and said softly, “Hold that thought.” Then she darted away to the kitchen to answer her landline.
Joining her in the kitchen, Stack refreshed both their mugs of coffee just to give himself something to do.
After her initial greeting, she said, “Oh, I’d forgotten all about it.” She laughed. “Yes, good thing you called!” She listened, nodded. “I know. I was shoveling snow, too...No, it’s not a problem at all. That will actually be better for me. Thank you again.”
After she’d replaced the phone in the cradle, she turned to Stack with twinkling eyes and a twitchy smile. “You see what you do to me?”
He pulled her against him, ready to get back to business. “I make you forget things?”
“Everything except you.” She went on tiptoe to plant a quick kiss on his mouth.
“You had another appointment?” Hopefully not more modeling of the risqué variety.
“Security installers were due here shortly. Good thing the weather threw them off. Otherwise we might have been—” she gave him a heated look “—occupied, when they knocked. They said they’re behind schedule because of the snow.”
Stack’s brain reeled. “Security installers?”
“Afraid so.” She wrinkled her nose. “This means I need to get the paintings to the shelter soon, so I can be back before they get here.”
Stack shook his head. “Why are you meeting security installers?”
“I figured it was a good idea to get my house wired. You know, alarms for the doors and windows. One of those setups where the police are called if anyone breaks in.” She slipped a hand up under his shirt, her palm on his bare skin. “What do you think about a quickie? I’m game if you are.”
Stack ignored that, just as he ignored her provoking touch. “What’s going on here? Why are you suddenly worried about a break-in?” He thought about the night before, when he’d heard something in the yard. A deer...or had it been?
“I’m not worried, exactly,” she denied. “But as a woman alone, I figured I should be more cautious.”
He agreed, but if anything had happened to spook her, he wanted to know. “You don’t have to be alone.”
“No?” She grinned—and hooked her fingers into the front waistband of his jeans. “Are you suggesting I move in some random guy?”
Hyperaware of her touch, he stared down at her. “When I can’t stay with you, you can stay with me.”
Her eyes rounded and her smile went slack. “You’re not serious.”
Shit. Yeah, he was appalled at himself, too. No way had he meant to say that. Not yet, not so soon. Floundering, he tried to retrench. “It’d be nice here and there.”
She searched his face, maybe looking for the truth—a truth he hadn’t yet acknowledged to himself. Rather than dig the hole deeper, Stack said nothing. He didn’t trust himself.
She withdrew her hand but only to lock her arms around his neck. “When you’re around I don’t get much sleep, but you always make the tiredness worthwhile.”
The vise on his nape loosened. Not only did Vanity skip past his invitation, she lightened the moment, letting him off the hook.
And that, too, made her special. “So you do get tired? And here I was beginning to think you had more stamina than a champion fighter.”
“Mmm.” Her fingers sank into his hair. “My stamina has improved with all our bedroom...exercise.”
Before she totally distracted him with sex, Stack nodded to Maggie and Norwood. “The dogs could be considered protection.” The reason fucking Phil first claimed to get them.
“No.” Vanity scowled at him for making the suggestion. “I don’t ever want them to be in a position of having to protect me. They could get hurt, and then I’d never forgive myself.” She turned to the dogs with a fond smile. “Plus, they aren’t mine. I know eventually your mother will want them back.”
“They’re Tabby’s dogs, not Mom’s.”
The look she gave him spoke volumes. “F’ing Phil may have gotten them for Tabby, but they’re your mother’s dogs now.”
True enough. “About that quickie...”
This time it was her cell that rang. Vanity laughed at his crestfallen expression, patted his chest and located her purse on the counter. She dug out the cell. The second she answered, she looked guilty and turned her back on him.
Stack worked his jaw, fighting the surge of jealousy. He had no reason, he reminded himself, so to give her privacy, he picked up his coffee and left the room.
* * *
VANITY ONLY HALF heard Tabby’s invitation. She was too busy wondering if Stack’s departure meant he trusted her, that he didn’t care if she spoke to another man, or that she’d offended him when she turned her back.
Truthfully, despite the amazing progress they’d made and his request that they be exclusive, she still felt very unsure about things. This new facet to their relationship was tentative at best, and she didn’t want him to read too much into his sister’s call. If he wasn’t feeling as full steam ahead as she was, he might get spooked by her rapidly growing relationship with his family.
“So, what do you say?” Tabby asked. “Want to see a movie with me tonight?”
“I can’t. I have to get my hair and nails done, and then I’m seeing your brother again.” Saying it aloud made it all the more real, and she couldn’t keep the fat smile at bay.
She and the awesome Stack Hannigan were a couple. Her heart danced as she thought of it.
Bummed, Tabby said, “Oh. Okay. I understand.”
Inspired, Vanity ventured forth an invite of her own. “Want to join me at the salon? We can get the works together. Mani, pedi, facial, all that.”
Tabby heaved a long sigh. “Oh, God, that sounds so amazing. Like heaven. Absolute heaven. But I can’t afford it. It was stretching the budget just to consider the movies.” She laughed. “I should be buying laundry detergent, but I really wanted to see you, so...”
“It’ll be my treat.” Really getting into the idea, Vanity said, “Let me, please. You’d be doing me a favor, keeping me company during the whole thing. The salon can be so boring. Please? Will you join me?”
A moment of silence, and then: “Seriously? You’d do that for me?”
“I would love it, I promise.”
“Are you sure you can get an appointment? What if they can’t fit me in?”
“Trust me. They’ll love the idea as much as I do.” And if she had to promise triple in a tip, she would. “So, what do you say?”
Tabby screeched, making Vanity laugh as she held the phone away from her ear. “Yes! I say yes, yes, yes! Oh, thank you. It’s been forever since I’ve gotten pampered. Oh, my God, I have goose bumps. Goose bumps!”
Gratified by that response, Vanity told her what time and where to meet her, then she ended the ca
ll and tapped in the number for the spa. Her stylist was more than happy to arrange things for Tabby, especially since another stylist had the opening.
With that done, Vanity went to look for Stack.
She found him in her bedroom, standing at the window and looking out at the yard.
Without a word Vanity skimmed off her jeans and socks, then her heavy sweatshirt, T-shirt and cami. To gain his attention, she closed the door with a click.
Stack turned, sucked in a breath at finding her naked, and stared heatedly. “Done with your call?”
“Yes.” She could tell he was curious, but on a gut level she knew Stack would object to her picking up the tab on his sister’s salon visit.
“Anyone important?”
Well, shoot. Apparently he wouldn’t let it go without knowing. “It was Tabby.”
His brows came together. “Why is she calling you?”
Here she stood, naked, and there he stood, on the other side of the room. Unacceptable. “She invited me to the movies with her. I would have loved to go but couldn’t. Hopefully, we’ll make it another evening.” Leaving out part of the truth wasn’t really a lie, she promised herself. He’d eventually find out, but then it’d be too late for him to spoil her fun or Tabby’s excitement.
To shore up the arguments she’d just given herself, she grinned at him.
Suspicious, he crossed his arms.
And it was then she noticed his erection. Nice. So he wasn’t unaffected, just being alpha.
“I hadn’t realized you and Tabby were getting so cozy.”
“Is that a problem?”
“No. It’s just that you two are totally different.”
Hmm. So he didn’t mind that they were friendly. Perfect. “I’d love to have you expound on that—later. Right now I have other things on my mind.” She gestured at her naked body. “I’m beginning to think I should re-dress.”
“I much prefer you like this.” While striding to her, he asked, “How much time do we have?”
“Thirty minutes, tops.”
“Hmm.” He stopped before her. “I can do a lot in thirty minutes.”
“I was counting on that.” She looked him over, then met his gaze. “Strip.”
“First, let me see your arm.”
