She did a double take. “You’re serious?”
“Why not?” Shadows stretched across the parking lot and the small grassy area. “It’s what I do.”
And he was good. Thanks to querying the right people, he knew that Alice was from the area. He didn’t know why she’d been kidnapped, but he knew someone—known mostly as a wraith—had rescued her. Reese wouldn’t find out shit about the heroic bastard, because apparently the elusive phantom had the law under his control. For all intents and purposes, he moved with impunity and kept a tight lid on his involvement.
But there was no taming the street, and when monumental things happened, when powerful men ended up dead, word spread like wildfire.
“You’re not Superman, you know.” Alice tapped one foot. “You don’t need to transfer your attention from Pepper to me.”
“Actually, honey, I think I do.” He shrugged. “Especially given what I saw today.”
She stiffened up. “I’ll never sleep with you.”
Whoa. That was one hell of a mental leap she’d taken. Rowdy grinned at her daring. “Sorry, doll, but I didn’t ask.”
She deflated. “Do you think I’m attractive?”
Damn it, he did not want to go down this road. When women asked these weird questions, there was never a right answer. “There’s something about you, yeah.” His gaze went over her slim body and delicate curves, then shot back to her face. “But Reese has already laid claim, in case you didn’t notice.”
Her frown eased away. “Not that you’re asking.”
“No.”
“Because even if Reese wasn’t interested—you are saying he’s interested?”
“Without a doubt.” How the hell had they gotten off track like this? Cash tugged, so Rowdy meandered farther across the yard.
Alice followed. “Even so, you wouldn’t be. Not like that.” She shaded her eyes. “May I ask you something, then? Since you’re not interested that way?”
“Uh...” Feeling as if he’d lost control of the entire situation, Rowdy tried to distract her. “I think Cash is done. Maybe we should head in.”
“Okay.” She took the leash from him. “Come on, boy. Let’s go get a treat.”
Hopefully she was talking to the dog. Rowdy trudged along behind her, trying to figure out a way to get things back on track.
He started with: “About today—”
“I’m thirsty. Would you like a cola or something?” She opened the door and let Cash in. He made a beeline for the couch, so Rowdy followed. He liked the dog.
Hell, he liked Alice, too. But Alice confused the hell out of him. “Sure. Whatever you’ve got will be fine.”
“Make yourself comfortable.”
Cash must’ve thought she meant him, because he crawled up and over Rowdy’s lap, his whole butt still wagging.
Grinning, he watched Alice go into the kitchen. Seconds later he heard ice clinking in a glass.
Figured Alice wouldn’t just hand him a can.
She returned with two frosty colas...and sat close beside him on the couch.
Shit. She was by far the pushiest female—who didn’t want sex—that he’d ever met. “Alice—”
She shoved a glass into his hand. “I’m not interested in you that way either.”
No kidding. Anyone with eyes could see she was majorly hung up on Reese. “I know.”
“But I do like you.”
He toasted her with the cola and took a long drink.
“I want a man’s perspective, and since we’ve already cleared the air, I should be able to talk to you without misunderstandings. You’re not interested, I’m not interested and, hopefully, Reese is.”
A man’s perspective? On what? Dread crawled all over him. “Reese hasn’t made it clear to you?”
She frowned in uncertainty. “He’s kissed me a few times.”
“There you go.” And then, curious despite himself, Rowdy asked, “Only a few kisses, huh?”
She nodded. “Reese is a wonderful kisser.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
Cash army-crawled over to her and, with a smile, she gave him the promised treat, then stroked his back as he gnawed on it. “I’m concerned about...anything else.”
Rowdy had a hard time following the conversation. “Anything else with Reese?”
“With him seeing me. I’m not sure... That is...” She visibly screwed up her courage. “I’m afraid he’ll see me, all of me, and be disappointed.”
“Why would he be—”
“I’m not at all like your sister.”
Rowdy shook his head fast. “Let’s not go there.”
“Or the neighbors who hit on him.”
Now he lifted a brow. “Neighbors, plural?”
She didn’t seem to hear. “I’m just...me. Very average me.”
She was a galaxy away from average, but none of that had anything to do with body issues. Trying to relax, Rowdy set aside his glass and stretched out his legs. “Women always look at that the wrong way. When a guy’s attracted to a woman, he wants to see her naked. Period. Big boobs, small boobs—”
“Hey!”
“A little over or a little underweight, who cares? Naked is what we want.”
“We?”
“With women we’re interested in.” She continually tried to trip him up. “Not me with you, but Reese with you.”