Bare It All

by Lori Foster

  Laughing around her humiliation, Alice let Cash crawl up into her lap, then nuzzle against her face, her neck. His paws tangled in her gown, and his tail wagged so hard it jiggled his entire body.

  Knowing Reese had seen her stricken expression, she waited for the inquisition, but when she looked up, she saw him striding into the kitchen without a word.

  “Uh-oh,” she whispered to Cash. “Did I make him uncomfortable?”

  Cash’s only answer was more joyous snuffling and wiggling.

  Reese returned with a mug of coffee in one hand, a dog chew in the other. “Cash, c’mere boy.”

  Cash abandoned her quickly enough for Reese’s bribe. He took the chew to the other side of the couch and began gnawing.

  “He’s been out twice,” Reese told her. “Fed, walked and frisky as ever.”

  “Thank you.” Still on the floor, legs sprawled, gown twisted, Alice regretted the exposure left by Cash’s defection.

  Reese came to stand by her feet. “Quite the picture you present. Somewhat like a collapsed confection.”

  She didn’t understand him, so she didn’t reply.

  After a moment, he offered her a hand. “Either you come up off the floor, or I’ll have to join you there. And if I get on the floor with you while you’re like that, I might not be able to control myself.”

  What in the world did that mean?

  Hand still extended, Reese said, “You’re the only woman I know who could look so damned desirable while rumpled from sleep, dejected from God knows what and cowering.”

  “I don’t cower!” But she knew she had been. Biting her bottom lip, she scowled and accepted his hand.

  He hauled her upright—and into his body. As if nothing else had transpired, he said cheerfully, “Good morning, Alice.”

  How would she ever keep up with him? Alice mumbled, “Morning.”

  Keeping the coffee out of reach with one arm extended, the other arm looped around her waist, he kissed her forehead. “Everything okay?”

  God, she felt like a needy child. She’d worked too hard for independence to backslide now. Forcing her chin up, she met his gaze and willed her voice to be steady and strong. “I thought you’d left.”

  “No, you thought I’d snuck out while you slept.” He stepped back and handed her the coffee. “I like to think I’m a little more honorable than that.”

  “You’re very honorable.” She sipped the coffee. Perfection. Was there anything he didn’t do well? As far as she could tell, no, there wasn’t.

  And of course, that meant he’d also be good at relationships, even dysfunctional relationships with damaged, needy neighbors.

  “I’m sorry.” Feeling like a wounded mouse, Alice wanted to limp off and hide. But that wouldn’t do. “I should have known—”

  “Yes, you should have.” Reese gestured for her to join him in the kitchen.

  Reluctantly, she went along, sitting in the chair he pulled out for her.

  After getting his own cup of coffee, Reese sat across from her. Brows drawn, expression stern, he stared at her. “If I spend the night and you wake up alone, instead of assuming the worst, look for a note or wait for a phone call.”

  Now that she understood nothing had changed—Reese hadn’t left, hadn’t lost interest—she found her backbone again. “Don’t leave without waking me, and I won’t have to.”

  His left brow lifted. “So, I’m to give you notice of my comings and goings?”

  She hesitated, but... “Yes.” So much daring made her pulse race. It was exhilarating. “If you stay the night with me, you owe me that courtesy.”

  Seconds ticked by—and he smiled. “All right.”

  Wow, she’d just successfully debated with an ultra-appealing alpha male. Her entire mood lightened. “How long before you have to go?”

  “Soon.” He set his cup aside. “While you slept in—and I’m not complaining about that, just so you know—it occurred to me that you’d done all the sharing last night. Hardly fair, is it?”

  She tucked her messy hair behind her ears and struggled to keep up with him. “It’s okay. You had—” have “—questions.”

  “Yes, and with each answer you give, it seems I have more.” He held up a hand. “No, don’t draw wrong conclusions again. I’m not ready to launch into a cross-examination.”

  Yay.

  He moved the cup a little, turning the handle. “I just wondered, don’t you have a few questions of your own?”

  None that she could voice first thing in the morning, after making a fool of herself, on only half a cup of coffee. But she could tell he wanted something from her. She licked her lips. “Yes?”

  Proving she’d given the right answer, Reese smiled and held out his arms. “Let me have it.”

  She gave him a blank stare.

  “Questions, Alice.”

  She wracked her brain and came up with a subject of interest. “Family.”

  “Everyone has one, don’t they?” He took another drink of coffee, visibly sorting his thoughts. “Mine is large. Mother, father, brothers, sister, nephews and a niece, aunts and uncles, cousins...even my grandparents are still around.”

  “Wow.”

  “There are a lot of us, and despite the occasional conflict, we’re a good group. Dad is hilarious. Overly educated but still a comedian. He makes my mom nuts, but she loves him.”

  Fascinated, Alice pictured them all together, and that made her wonder. “Did you get your size from your father?”

  “And he from his father, and on down the line. The men are mostly all big, some bigger than me. A few of the women are tall, too, but obviously with more feminine features.”

  “Your mother?”

  “She’s average height. Around five-five. By the time I was twelve, I towered over her. When she wanted to lecture me, she made me sit in a chair in front of her. Said it hurt her neck otherwise.”

  Alice smiled. “You said brothers and sisters?”

  “Two brothers, one sister. And yes, being the only girl, she’s bossy but kind, so we tolerate her.” He grinned to let her know he was teasing. “She has sons, and my oldest brother has a daughter.”

  Caught up in the picture he painted, Alice asked, “What were you like in high school?”

  “Pride demanded I get good grades and do well in sports. I was cocky, I guess. Full of myself.”

  “Were you popular?”

  “I didn’t want for friends.”

  “Or girlfriends?”

  Grinning, he said, “Not exactly, no.” He reached for her hand, worked his thumb over her palm, examined each finger. “During my junior year, I got dubbed ‘Bare it All Bareden,’ a name that stuck after a bunch of cheerleaders caught me naked in the locker room.”

  She almost blushed for him. “That must have been so embarrassing!”

  He rolled a shoulder. “You’d think so, right?” Before she could question that, he went on. “The girls, all fifteen of them, claimed to come in on me accidentally. I mean, who would think a football player would be in the locker room getting dressed after practice? Better still, none of the other guys were around. I hadn’t really noticed since I’d just stepped out of the shower, buck-ass.”

  “Oh, my.” The visual crowded into her brain and stuck there. Reese young and naked and still damp... “They set you up?”

  “Let’s just say the guys helped the girls work it out in exchange for favors.” Lifting her hand, he kissed her knuckl
es, turned her hand over to kiss her palm. “High school guys are notoriously horny, and there’s not much they wouldn’t do for sex.”

  Curling her fingers, Alice tried to ignore how the sensation of his mouth there was felt all over her body. She wanted to hear the rest. “I take it you weren’t angry?”

  “At the girls? No. They were just curious because of the rumors.”

  Suspicious, she narrowed her eyes. “What rumors?”

  His gaze met hers. “Size rumors.”

  Drawing a blank, she shook her head in incomprehension.

  “You know,” Reese said. “Am I big all over? That sort of thing.”

  She recalled Nikki and Pam commenting on the same. Studiously keeping her gaze on his face, Alice said with confidence, “You are.”

  The green of his eyes deepened. “Yes, I am.” This time he kissed her wrist, lingering, provoking. “Back then, I enjoyed the bragging rights.”

  “And now?”

  His smile came reluctantly. “As a grown, mature man, I’d like to say it doesn’t matter.” The damp heat of his tongue almost stole her breath. He closed his mouth over her wrist, lightly bit and murmured, “But I still enjoy showing off.”

  Even sitting in a chair, she felt herself swaying. She swallowed hard and rasped, “Showing off?”

  Slowly, maintaining his hold on her wrist, Reese stood and came around the table. He tugged her up and against his big frame. Serious, heated, he searched her face, her eyes, finally her mouth. “I’ll fill you up, Alice. And I swear you’ll enjoy it.”

  He bent to kiss her—and she knew without a single doubt what type of kiss it’d be.

  Before they made contact, she stumbled back, taking Reese by surprise. “Sorry, no.”

  His chest rose and fell, but he didn’t insist. “All right.”

  So honorable of him.

  So dumb of her. Desperate to explain, she said, “I only got up a few minutes ago.”

  He let his attention roam over her body. “Great nightgown.”

  “Thank you.” Was Pepper correct? Could simple clothes affect him so much? Apparently. She smoothed the rumpled cotton of her gown. “The thing is, I’ve only had half a cup of coffee. And I haven’t brushed my teeth yet.” And I’m an awful coward. “Pepper will be here soon, and I won’t be ready.”

  “I’m not rushing you.”

  Good Lord. Then what would rushing be like? She could barely wait to find out. “Okay.”

  His smile quirked, spread until he laughed. “Alice.” He stepped up to her before she could dart away. “I can’t stop thinking about getting inside you—”

  She groaned.

  “—but I’m not saying it has to be right away. I want you to want me, too.”

  Seriously, he had to know. “That’s not the problem.” But verbalizing the problem wouldn’t be easy, because the problem itself was complex, a mangled mix of her past, her present intent, demons and determination.

  “Hey.” He tipped up her chin. “I can wait until we work it out.”

  Because he felt confident that they would? She hoped so. She wanted that more than she’d wanted anything since...since she’d lain awake at night, praying for escape, silently begging for a way out of a living nightmare.

  She rubbed her forehead, refusing to go down memory lane yet again. Looking at Reese always helped to lighten the darkness, so she smiled up at him. “Okay.”

  “You are the most agreeable woman.” He bent and kissed her before she could dodge him. Mindful of her feelings, he kept it light, almost teasing. “I have to go. Have fun with Pepper, but be careful. You have my number if anything comes up.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  ALICE STEPPED OUT of the changing room in the cuffed jean capris, peasant top and wedge sandals. Pepper looked her over with a big smile, then proclaimed the outfit, “Perfect.”

  It would be her fifth, which was only a third of what Pepper had purchased.

  Alice toyed with the loose ties at the neck of the shirt. “It’s comfortable.” So far, everything Pepper had helped her choose was easy to wear, affordable and complimentary.

  “That outfit, with your new hairstyle...” Pepper whistled. “Reese will go nuts.”

  She touched her hair, now parted more to the side, trimmed just enough to make it fuller and deliberately tousled. She liked it, too. “It’ll be easy to replicate.”

  “The makeup, too. Honestly, you have such great bones, you can’t go wrong.”

  No one had ever noticed her bones before, so she had to wonder about that. When Pepper’s phone rang, Alice darted again into the changing room to dress in her regular clothes.

  They’d been shopping for hours now, before and after lunch. Alice admired the pale, iridescent pink on her nails and toes, thanks to a professional mani and pedi.

  Pepper had encouraged her to be worked over, head to toes, and she’d had so much fun.

  Except for the sensation of being watched.

  Off and on throughout the day, Alice had felt the scrutiny but no alarm. Sometimes being so observant was a curse.

  Most likely the attention had been men admiring Pepper. Her new friend had the kind of “stop traffic” looks that never failed to draw male appreciation.

  When she stepped back out of the room, Pepper accompanied her to the cashier, saying, “That was Logan. They’re done at the station finally, so I guess we should call it a day.”

  Alice smiled. “I know you’re anxious to see him again.”

  “It’s new to me,” Pepper admitted. “I’m probably smothering him, but he’ll just have to get over it.”

  “He adores you, so I’m sure he doesn’t mind.” She paid with a credit card, then retrieved her additional packages.

  “He does.” Pepper gave a happy sigh. “I’ve always loved my brother, but there haven’t been many other people in my life that I could care about.”

  They started out to the parking lot where they’d met up. “Rowdy is a very interesting person.” At loose ends now, but Alice trusted that he’d find his way. He struck her as a very resourceful man.

  “He’s the best of brothers and a terrific ally if you ever need one.”

  A hint? An offer? Alice grinned. “Reese told you he came to visit me?”

  “Yeah.” She stopped by Alice’s car. “I won’t pry, but if you ever need anything, I can be a pretty good ally, too.”

  “Thank you.” No way would she unload her issues on Pepper, especially since her new friend had only recently found peace of her own. She deserved happiness, not drama.

  “I don’t want Logan to overdo it today, but what would you think about getting together for dinner after he’s healed up a little? We could all four go out. Someplace not fancy, because I don’t do fancy much.”

  “That sounds perfect, thank you. If Reese is willing, I’d enjoy it.”

  Pepper snorted. “Reese is all kinds of willing. All you have to do is get on board.” She laughed. “Take advantage of the time he has off.”

  Good advice. Alice said, “I think I will.”

  Laden with her own packages, Pepper left her with a wave, going to the other end of the lot where she’d parked. Alice waited until she saw Pepper get in a car, then she checked the time.

  With any luck, she’d return to the apartment before Cash lost patience and soiled the floor. This was his usual nap time, but when she wasn’t around, his routine always differed.

  She unloc
ked her car, stored her packages in the back and opened the windows to let out the steamy heat. While she waited for the air-conditioning to kick on, she did her usual survey of her surroundings.

  The mall did plenty of business with cars coming and going, women walking along in small groups, couples with children. Alice appreciated the sight of normalcy—until the hairs on the back of her neck stirred.

  Visually seeking the source of the alarm, she noticed a slow-moving van. Nice, new, silver...nothing to elicit suspicion—until it stopped beside a truck parked on the outskirts of the lot, away from the rest of the congestion.

  Eyes narrowed, Alice put her car in gear and drove closer. Using care, she retrieved her dark sunglasses and slipped them on, then pulled up by the end of a line of other parked cars. Near enough now to watch, but hopefully not that obvious. Other drivers went past in front of her, then continued on, helping to disguise her scrutiny.

  The side door of the van opened, and a young lady stepped out. The driver of the truck met her before she’d taken two steps. Her right arm sported a thick gauze bandage, loosely taped in place. Otherwise she looked fine, dressed nicely enough in jeans and a halter, her long brown hair tidy.

  For reasons Alice couldn’t understand, her heart lurched.

  Holding on to the girl’s elbow, the truck driver spoke through the passenger window. He smiled, and though Alice couldn’t hear what he said, her mind conjured all sorts of awful dialogue.

  Things she’d heard before. Arrangements. Deals.

  Okay, so maybe to the casual observer, it’d only look like the man assisted the young woman into his truck.

  Alice saw it differently.

  Why was she being moved from a van to a truck? Why in a parking lot? What had happened to her arm?

  Even as she told herself she could be overreacting, Alice gave over to her screaming instincts. Waiting until the van pulled away, she put her car in gear and followed the truck at a cautious distance, always keeping at least two vehicles between them. Through the rear window of the truck, she watched the driver and his passenger, attuned to nuances in body language.