by Lori Foster
“No, I’m not.” Two women strolled past, blatantly eying them. Not that long ago, they’d both have appreciated the female attention.
Not so much now.
Cannon pretended not to see them and Denver just nodded.
After they were out of earshot, Cannon continued. “If it was Yvette, I’d have found a way to stay over, too. Actually, I’m relieved my sister and Cherry aren’t alone at the house.”
“I’m glad you get it, because Cherry doesn’t.”
“She doesn’t want you there?”
“She does.” For sex. And just when did he start complaining about that? “Thing is, she’s worried about me. Like she thinks Carver might hurt me or something.”
Cannon’s commiserating grin came slowly. “Ouch.”
“Yeah.” Kids kicked a ball in their direction. Denver loped a few steps past Cannon, caught it, and tossed it back to the boys. “The thing is, she expects me to lose my cool.”
“Sorry, but it happens.” His thoughts traveling back to a bad memory, Cannon murmured, “When that fucker tried to grab Yvette...”
Denver stayed quiet, knowing it was still tough for Cannon to think about everything his fiancée had gone through. Yvette was awfully sweet, mostly quiet and very contained. She hadn’t had an easy time of it, but with Cannon she was a very happy lady.
“I like to think of myself as controlled, too,” Cannon said. “But that day I totally lost it.”
Unsure what to say, Denver kept quiet. Under the same circumstances...well, he just didn’t know. So maybe Cherry had reason to fret after all.
They’d just about circled around to where Cannon had started before he spoke again. “What are you going to do?”
A shrug didn’t really convey the frustration smothering him. “Try to get her to open up. Level with me.” Love me.
No, screw that thought. He wanted her to stop keeping secrets from him more than anything else. Before he’d think about getting too emotionally involved, he had to be able to trust her.
Almost as if Cannon had read his thoughts, he asked, “And until then?”
“I’ll watch over her, keep her safe.” As any good man would do. But he’d also keep trying to figure her out.
“What if she gives you reason to think her old foster brothers are a serious problem?”
“I won’t let them be a problem, not for her.” Never again. He had a feeling they’d already caused Cherry enough grief to last a lifetime.
As he followed Cannon to his car, Denver checked his watch. Talking about Cherry made him want to see her. He could probably squeeze in a quick visit, but for reasons he didn’t want to examine too closely, he decided against it.
“Need a ride?”
Denver shook his head. “I’ll finish up my jog, but thanks.”
Cannon nodded. “You’ll let me know if there’s anything I can do to help with Cherry, right? You’ll keep all of us updated?”
“Count on it.” Denver knew the value of help from a well-trained, disciplined, capable fighter—even if Cherry didn’t.
* * *
AFTER SHOWERING AND fixing her hair and makeup, Cherry dressed in a long, summery, floral skirt and pink tank top with sandals. To finish off the look, she slipped in hoop earrings and headed for the kitchen upstairs. She had her own small kitchenette in her living area, but overall she and Merissa shared the storage space in the main kitchen.
Merissa was just rinsing out her coffee cup, but the second she spotted Cherry, she abandoned the task to rush her. “Oh my God, you hussy!”
Freezing in her tracks, Cherry tried to look innocent. “What do you mean?”
“You molested that lucky man through half the night.” Merissa beamed at her. “Woke me up twice and I am soooo jealous.”
In wholehearted support, she offered Cherry a high-five.
Given that Merissa stood just shy of six feet, and Cherry was several inches shorter, she had to stand on tiptoe to smack her palm.
“You really heard us?”
“My brother probably heard you—and he’s on the other side of town!” Not appearing bothered by the inconvenience, Merissa pulled her into a tight hug. “I’m so happy for you.” Shoving Cherry back the length of her arms, Merissa gushed, “So spill the beans. Denver is a certified hunk, yes? I mean, not just what he’s packing, but how he’s dishing it out. Tell me everything so I can live vicariously.”
Dodging her, Cherry went to the coffeepot and poured some liquid energy. Last night...well, she hadn’t gotten much sleep, but she sure wouldn’t complain. Poor Denver, though, had crawled out of bed before sunup. “I feel guilty.”
“For waking me?” A chair scraped across the floor and Merissa said, “I have five minutes. Tell me everything.”
“Not for waking you, no.” Cherry turned to see Merissa settled in her seat, her elbows on the table, her chin in her hands, her attention rapt. “Though I am sorry about that.”
“Don’t be.” Using her foot under the table, she pushed out another chair. “Sit. Spill.” Bobbing her eyebrows, she added, “Tell me all the nasty things you have to feel guilty about.”
Laughing, Cherry added sugar and creamer to her coffee, then took the offered seat. “I knew Denver had to get up superearly this morning and I still... Well...”
Eyes going round, Merissa supplied, “Gave him superhot sex?”
The sigh came out softly. “Oh, Rissy, it really was hot. Like supernova hot.”
“Pfft. Then ten to one he’s not complaining.”
“No, he wouldn’t.” She bit her lip, but it couldn’t hold back her very satisfied smile. “He’s the most wonderful guy ever. And in bed he’s...” She couldn’t find an adjective good enough.
“No words, huh? Wow. Now I really am jealous.”
Given the smile Merissa wore, she didn’t harbor any hard feelings. “I’ll try to dial it down from now on.”
“Don’t you dare!” Merissa winked. “I’ll turn on the sound machine when I sleep. Someone in this house ought to be making profound whoopee, and it sure isn’t me.”
Since breaking things off with Steve, Rissy seemed to have given up dating, but she didn’t appear all that sad about it. Mostly she’d just thrown herself into her work.
Cherry knew she was truly blessed for having such a terrific friend in her life. “Can I tell you something?”
“Something juicy?” Anxious, Merissa leaned in. “Heck yeah. Lay it on me.”
Merissa’s continued upbeat encouragement almost made her laugh again. “No, it’s nothing like that.” Desperate to clear her thoughts, Cherry gulped down half the cup of coffee, crossed her arms on the table, and admitted, “I want Denver to want to be with me.”
One of Merissa’s brows went up. “So...are you saying you kept him here under duress? Kinky. Were ropes and chains involved?”
“Sometimes you’re worse than Armie!”
Feigning affront, she drew back. “You take that back.”
“Sorry.”
“Okay then.” Merissa got serious, even taking one of Cherry’s hands. “So tell me what you meant about Denver. Why do you think he’s here?”
Knowing Merissa needed to head out the door, and that she only had a few more minutes herself, Cherry decided it was best to just say it. “Because he wants to keep me safe.”
A very slow eye blink, followed by a dry, “Yeah,” and a patronizing hand pat made up Merissa’s reply. “That’s what all that moaning and groaning was about last night.”
“That was sex,” Cherry stated. “And we both know guys are easy.” Only Denver hadn’t been. Not even close.
He’d been so difficult that there were times she’d almost given up. But she flat-out cared about him too much to do that.
Merissa searched her face. “You’re serious?”
Dreading explanations, especially since neither of them had time for it, Cherry said, “It’s my stupid foster brothers.”
To her surprise, Merissa nodded. “Yeah,
Cannon told me.”
Oh God. Shame sent a wave of heat burning through her. Did the whole world know the ugliness of her past?
“Don’t sweat it, okay?” Merissa squeezed her hand again, this time in commiseration. “The only people who know are your friends, and friends don’t judge.”
Friends, plural. “Who?”
“Me, Yvette, the guys—”
“Guys?” she squeaked. It was bad enough that her girlfriends knew.
Shrugging, Merissa said, “Yeah, you know, Stack, Armie, Miles, Brand, Gage—”
Horrified, she moaned, “Nooo.”
“Hey, stop that.” Her wail made Merissa frown. “We care about you, Cherry. You’re one of us, part of this big, insane, goofy family and that means your problems are our problems.”
She didn’t want them to suffer her problems, damn it! “You and Cannon are the only two related.”
“So? Blood ties mean next to nothing. I know without a single doubt that if I needed help I could count on any of the guys, Armie included, even though he acts like he doesn’t like me for some reason.” She tipped her head, encouraging Cherry with a smile. “You’re the sister I never had. If you don’t feel the same, tough. I’m keeping you anyway.”
How had she gotten so lucky? Emotional overload had her softly confessing, “The best decision I ever made was moving to Warfield, Ohio.”
“And rooming with me?”
“That was the best of the good decisions.” Deciding a little honesty was in order, she said, “And I’m thrilled to have you for my sister. Thank you.”
For a moment, both of them just enjoyed the candid friendship. Then Merissa sighed. “So you think Denver is playing big, bad protector?”
“I know he is.”
“Then surely you know why, right?” Without waiting for Cherry’s opinion, Merissa stood from the table and pulled her purse strap over her shoulder. “Because he cares.”
Afraid to believe that, just in case it proved wrong, Cherry asked, “How can you tell?”
“I’ve known Denver longer than you. Trust me on this, okay?”
She and Denver sounded the same. But not everything was about trust. Some things, she knew, were about survival. Independence. Responsibility.
And caring enough not to draw others into the mess of your life.
Pausing next to her chair, Merissa put her hand on Cherry’s shoulder. “We’re both supposed to be on guard until things are resolved. I had to cross my heart and swear to report any and every sound that might spook me.”
Cherry could almost picture Cannon giving that lecture. “Your brother is pretty terrific.”
“Yeah, he is.” Bending down, Merissa gave her a hug. “I’ve gotta run. Try not to fret too much, not about that loony foster family or Denver’s feelings. I have a hunch everything is going to work out just right.”
Wishing she could share that belief, Cherry finished her coffee and grabbed up her own purse. When she stepped outside, she realized storms were moving in again. Instead of being greeted with a blue sky, fluffy white clouds and sunshine, she got hit with angry, humid winds that immediately curled her hair. Off in the distance, a flash of lightning lined the gray horizon.
“Great. Just freaking great.” Rushing to her car in hopes of getting to the day care before the skies opened up, she hopped in, put the key in the ignition, and...nothing. Not even a pretense of starting. “No, no, no.”
Trying again—and again—got her the same results. She dropped her head to the steering wheel, thought about calling Denver, and immediately scrapped that idea.
Instead she yanked out her phone and, with a deep breath, typed in the number for the only person she thought might not be busy.
* * *
FUNNY, CHERRY THOUGHT, but not in a ha-ha way. After discussing Vanity last night, basically doing her best to find out if Denver had ever lusted after her, Vanity was now her rescuer.
It was still early, and she had a feeling she might have woken her, but damn it, Vanity looked as gorgeous as ever. The humidity didn’t frizz her hair as it did Cherry’s. No, Vanity’s long, pale blond hair, which easily reached to the small of her back, only had a sexy wave to it.
Even without makeup, her skin looked flawless. Vanity had just the right amount of tan to make her blue eyes stand out.
If she wasn’t so nice, it’d be easy to dislike her for her perfect looks alone.
But she was nice, so nice that she’d gotten out of bed to chauffeur Cherry to work. Having her own little pity party, Cherry slumped in her seat.
Glancing her way, Vanity asked, “What will you do about your car?”
“I don’t know. I have no idea what’s wrong with it.” Hopefully nothing too expensive, because missing work had already seriously cut into her paycheck. Expensive car repairs would devastate her meager bank account. “It’s old and loaded with miles so it could be anything. But I’m praying for just a dead battery.”
While she’d waited for Vanity, the sky had darkened even more, leaving everything cast in gray shadows. The wind bent branches and sent debris scuttling across the roadway. The storms would be heavy today.
“I know nothing about cars,” Vanity admitted.
“Me, either.” But she’d think of something. Somehow she always did. “Your car is really nice.” For the twentieth time, Cherry ran her hand over the butter-soft leather seat.
“I know, right?” Vanity smiled. “Nice things don’t have to cost a fortune.”
Cherry gaped at her. The car, a brand-new, loaded Mustang convertible, probably cost more than she made in a year. She knew nothing about Vanity’s finances, except that she always dressed in pricey but comfortable clothes, worked only when she wanted to and seldom seemed to give money a thought. She never flaunted her wealth, but she was as casual about expenses as she was her clothes and hair.
“I bet one of the guys could help.”
By “guys,” Vanity meant any of their group at the rec center. Did Vanity and Rissy both consider the fighters at their disposal? It seemed so.
Cherry quickly shook her head. “I don’t want to bother them.”
“I doubt they’d consider it a bother.” Vanity flashed a knowing smile her way. “Men love to feel useful.”
“Maybe.” She’d have to take Vanity’s word for that. “But it’s my problem, not theirs.” Even if Vanity had been told about her foster family, she didn’t know everything else that was going on. She couldn’t see that this would just be one more mess on top of the rest, making Cherry feel like a walking disaster. “I’ll figure it out.”
Rolling her eyes, Vanity hit a button on her steering wheel. “You don’t have to.”
Not until a ringing sounded in the car did Cherry realize she had hands-free calling. Taken by surprise, she gasped, “What are you doing?”
Just then Armie answered, saying, “Hey, Vee. What’s the haps?”
Momentarily sidetracked, Cherry mouthed, “Vee?”
“For Vanity,” Vanity explained, holding up the peace sign one-handed. “That’s Armie being Armie.”
“Who’re you with?” asked Armie.
“Cherry.” And before she could stop her, Vanity spilled her guts. “See, her car wouldn’t start this morning so I’m driving her to work. It’s her first day back after being sick so she couldn’t miss or go in late. But who knows what’s wrong with the car? Could be something simple like a dead battery, which she’s hoping for because, really, who can afford major car repairs? But I’m thinking if she takes it to a garage, they’ll try to rip her off and she’ll be paying for repairs whether she needs them or not. Plus she’ll need a ride home from work, too, only she didn’t want to bother anyone.”
Cherry stared in appalled admiration of the verbal maneuvering. Vanity had run that all together without a breath and left no room to interrupt.
Armie laughed. “Can she hear me?”
“Yes,” Vanity said with a fast, satisfied smile. “She’s sitting next to me stewin
g right now.”
“Cherry Pie,” Armie murmured, “why would you not call me?”
She did a double take. “Cherry Pie?”
“That’s what Denver used to call you when he openly lusted. Now that you two have a thing, he’d probably want to squash me for saying it. But I like it. It sounds both familiar and a little bit nasty.”
Wow. Armie had done his own verbal maneuvering there, leaving her mute. Denver used to call her that absurd name?
“So,” Armie said with a smile in his voice, “what weak-ass excuse do you have for not calling me?”
“You’re busy,” she squeaked, horrified at the use of the nickname and for being put on the spot.
“No, Denver’s busy. But I just finished fighting so I’m free and clear for a bit.”
Such a gigantic fib! “You work at the rec center all the time!”
“Yeah, well, I’m looking for an excuse not to be there this afternoon, so I’ll come by the school and get you, and then check on your car. What time do you get off?”
When she stalled, trying to think of an alternative, Vanity nudged her with her elbow.
Blast. With a long sigh, she said, “Today’s my short day, so I’ll be off at three.”
“Perfect timing. Thanks for giving me a reason to duck out of the gym. See you soon.”
Grinning, Vanity disconnected the call. “There, you see? He appreciates it.”
“My luck sucks lately.”
Ignoring that, Vanity said, “If my car broke down, I’d call Stack in a heartbeat. Or no, wait, maybe I’d call someone else so that it wouldn’t be too obvious.”
Eyes widening, her own concerns disappearing under intrigue, Cherry slowly turned her head to face Vanity. “Too obvious about what?”
“How hot he is, how sexy he is and how much I’d love to get horizontal with him. Well, the horizontal part he already knows.” She winked. “He’s agreed to take me to the wedding, and I agreed we’d have sex.”
Whoa. “So...” Assuming she had to have misunderstood something, Cherry tried to sort it out. “You agreed to an...exchange?”
Laughing, Vanity pulled up in front of the day care. “Sex for a date—isn’t that the usual exchange? No, I’m kidding. I know it’s not. At least not always.”
