Bare It All

Not that long ago, he would have dealt with his simmering frustration and spiked temper with a long shower, a beer, a willing woman and then a good night’s sleep—in that exact order.

It said something, Reese thought, that he hadn’t even considered going to his own apartment. Bad as the day had been, when he thought of heading home, it meant being with Alice.

Tonight, it also meant visiting with Rowdy and Logan, Pepper and Dash, as they all congregated at Alice’s place.

How did she feel about that? For a woman who’d tried so hard to close herself off from the world, it had to be disconcerting that Reese had not only bullied his way in, he’d brought a crowd.

And not just any crowd.

No longer looking so dangerous, Rowdy lounged comfortably on her couch, Cash draped over his lap to soak up attention. It was a little eerie, how Rowdy switched from lethal to carefree in such a short time.

Dash had shown up with Logan and Pepper to wait with Alice, and now they still hung around.

At least Peterson hadn’t joined them, thank God. Reese knew he’d never again be able to look at her the same way.

When he’d shown up shirtless, Alice had not-so-inconspicuously checked him over head to toes before going off to the kitchen to prepare coffee.

Pepper accompanied her. Reese had a million things on his mind. He easily could have died today, Peterson and Rowdy with him. The clash with the gunman left his knuckles bruised, his right knee swollen and his head throbbing.

What should have been a simple case of surveillance had sharply morphed into audacious, reckless destruction. The stakes had gone from implicit danger to attempted murder.

But he wasn’t teetering off his axis because of any of that. His world had gone upside down because of Alice, because of how much he’d anticipated getting back to her. How much he’d wanted to hold and touch her after the disturbing events of the day.

Yes, he could have died; he’d faced that possibility many times in his job, and he’d always fallen to his usual routine to put the ugliness behind him.

But the usual didn’t cut it anymore. Not since Alice, not since realizing that death meant never seeing her again.

He didn’t even know how to function with caring that much for a woman.

Running a hand over his face, Reese rested back in the chair and tried to come to grips with her effect on him.

“Your lieutenant surprised me.”

At Rowdy’s lighthearted tone, Reese opened one eye and stared at him.

While still stroking the dog, Rowdy smiled.

Insane. After the violent chaos of the day, Rowdy didn’t look ruffled. He showed no aftermath of a near-death experience. He didn’t even look all that worried.

He smiled as if...amused.

Great. Rowdy must have a damned death wish or, at the very least, a severe lack of concern for his own life. Shortly, Rowdy planned to head to the bar for his meeting with DeeDee. But now, after what had happened, no way could Reese let him go through with it.

“You’re talking about Margo?” At the other end of the couch, Dash showed blatant interest.

Who the hell was Margo? “Her name is Margaret.” And to clarify further, Reese said, “Lieutenant Margaret Peterson.”

Dash shrugged. “Yeah, but she goes by Margo.”

Brows raised, Logan and Reese shared a look that asked, Since when?

“So,” Dash pushed. “What did she do?”

“Not what she did, so much,” Rowdy said. “But how she looked doing it.” That particular, male-inspired tone said it all, but still Rowdy added, “Reese knows what I mean. I thought his eyes would fall out when he saw her.”

So, Rowdy had somehow witnessed his surprise?

Both Dash and Logan turned to Reese for enlightenment.

In his defense, Reese blurted, “She has a set of br**sts on her.” That sounded so absurd, he rolled his shoulders, trying to loosen the growing tension.

“Who?” Logan asked, mired in confusion.

Again Rowdy helped out. “Lieutenant Peterson.”

Logan pulled back. “You saw her...” And then in a choked whisper, “Breasts?”

“Couldn’t help it,” Rowdy supplied. “She showed up in this boner-inspiring outfit, and that was enough to drop Reese’s eyeballs right there. But then after one of the men grabbed for her, she lost her blouse.”

“Stop grinning, damn it.” Reese squeezed his eyes shut. “Jesus, never in a million years did I expect...that.”

Dash snorted. “What did you think? That she’d have chest hair?”

Not really, but he hadn’t expected her to be so lush. “Chest hair, and possibly brass balls to go with it.”

“Exactly,” Logan agreed.

“Don’t be dumb,” Dash said, entertained at Reese’s expense. “She is a woman after all.”

Rowdy lifted a hand. “Noticed.”

Stunned silent, Logan gaped at his soon-to-be brother-in-law.

Rowdy said, “What? She’s sexy, whether you two clowns want to see it or not. But,” he added, cutting off verbal reactions, “she’s also a lieutenant. Sort of takes the fun out of it.”

“Maybe for detectives working under her command.” Dash sent a crooked grin to Rowdy. “Or someone determined to butt heads with the law.” Then he held out his arms. “As it happens, I’m neither.”

Well, hell, Reese thought. Alice had nailed that one.

Logan looked equal parts ill, alarmed and outraged, so Reese filled in the deafening silence. “It’s got nothing to do with her rank in the force or any of that. It’s that Peterson always dresses so...hell, I don’t know. So ‘official’ that it’s hard to see anything feminine.”