Marcus said nothing.
“There’ll be days when I make it out to visit, and some that I won’t. But I’ll always be around if you need me. I promise.”
Without looking up from the photos, Pepper said, “He’s a man of his word, Marcus. As his sister, I should know.”
Again, Marcus looked at her in awe.
Rowdy leaned forward in a conspiratorial way. “Pepper’s loud and nosy, but she’s okay. You’ll like her.”
“I certainly do,” Avery said.
Marcus looked at them all, then, as if the storm had passed, he grabbed up another cookie.
Rowdy relaxed back, his gaze dark, searching. He reached over and took Avery’s hand, giving her a squeeze.
For her sake, or for his? Either way worked for Avery.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
A FEW HOURS later, as they unloaded several bags of groceries and the new Crock-Pot Avery had chosen, Rowdy thought how domestic it felt.
He’d always been a neat freak, maybe in contrast to the filth he’d grown up in—though that theory didn’t apply to Pepper. Before moving in with Logan, she’d been a real clutter bug. Maybe that had more to do with her being unhappy than anything else. Now that she’d married, she and Logan kept their place up real nice.
On top of groceries, Avery had chosen some new shampoo and lotion, a potted plant and a sun catcher for one of the big windows.
Watching her move around his place—move in his place—had a profound effect on him. It felt like forever since he’d had her.
She went to the sink and began preparing stew for the Crock-Pot. As she cut up the beef, she said, “With you right next door, we could maybe grab a real lunch.”
Rowdy caught her hips and stepped in close, breathing her in, absorbing her nearness. “You don’t like Jones’s cooking?”
“Ha! You got a great catch when you hired him. But the menu gets tiresome.”
“Maybe if we scoot over here for lunch, we could also grab a quickie.” He kissed her neck, her shoulder. “Help me make it through the night.”
“Like you ever need help. Your energy level amazes me.” She dropped the beef in the pot, seasoned it and plugged in the Crock-Pot. After washing her hands, she turned in his arms. “Do you cook?”
“Do I look like I’m starving?”
“No.” Her hands went up and over his shoulders. “But you could be eating fast food every day, or living off cold cuts.”
“I know how to cook simple stuff. Steaks, chops, breakfast, sometimes chili when I just mix up stuff from a can with ground beef.”
“A man of many talents.”
“Speaking of talents...” He touched her chin. “You were good with Marcus today.”
“He breaks my heart.” Probably drawing nonsense comparisons, she hugged him. “I’m so glad he has you.”
“I’m glad he has Alice and Reese.” Those two had fallen into the perfect partnership. The love was there, so obvious that even a cynic like him couldn’t miss it. Reese was exactly what Alice needed, and vice versa. Much like his sister and Logan.
And now they had Marcus, such a terrific little guy who’d probably never expected, or even dared hope for, a family like them. Surely it would make a difference.
Rowdy didn’t want Marcus to be like him. He wanted much more for him than that.
If he could help from the periphery, then he’d be happy to. While he wasn’t the influence Marcus needed, he would sure as hell be the backup if it ever became necessary.
The faint thought of Avery with a kid danced through his mind, disturbing him, making him edgy in ways he didn’t recognize because it had nothing to do with lust or anger or any of the other powerful emotions that usually dominated him.
Rowdy slipped his hands down her back to her ass, snuggling her in, rocking her a little. He wanted her, but he also enjoyed this, just holding her, talking. Getting to know her better each and every day, though he already felt like he’d known her a lifetime.
“I’d like to take you to Dash’s lake house. I can see you under the hot summer sun, lying out in a bikini—”
Laughing, she leaned back in his arms. “Sorry, but I’m more a one-piece kind of woman.”
Modest, sexy, smart and sweet. She was the kind of woman who’d gotten a toehold on his heart when most would deny he had one. “Then maybe I could talk you into leaving the one-piece behind and we could run with nature.”
“Skinny-dipping?”
She looked so scandalized that Rowdy smiled. “There’s no one around to see.”
“There’d be you!” She laughed and slipped away from him, but caught his hand, tugging him along.
“Where are we going?”
“To bed.” She looked over her shoulder at him. “I have some payback to give, remember? No time like the present.”
It took little from Avery, a look, a promise, and he was straining his jeans.
For him, sex had always been a way to cope, to get by, to fill the time with pure, mind-numbing physical release. But now, with Avery, sex was so much more. It had nothing to do with forgetting the past or dealing with the present.
It was about enjoyment—of each and every moment.
* * *
LYING IN BED, Avery half sprawled over his chest, their legs entwined, was about as nice as it got. His body was still damp, relaxed, as he stroked his fingers through her hair. He could feel each slow, heavy beat of her heart until it almost felt like his started to match it, their hearts aligned.