Run the Risk

“That’s too bad.” She touched his hair. “What about the rest of your day?”

Did she actually want to talk about that with him? It’d be unique for him to share his work with a woman, but then, Pepper was a unique woman, and this situation involved her as much as—maybe more than—him. “I went through a string of witnesses today.”

She tugged him to his feet. “Bet that was a waste of time, huh? Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil.”

“That’s about it.” When she started on the buckle to his belt, his abdomen tightened. “Reese went to the hospital to talk to a few of Morton’s guys who were injured, but they’re pretty dopey on pain meds.”

“They’ll live?” she asked without much concern. With his pants now open, she abandoned them to strip his shirt off his shoulders.

“Yeah.” He helped her with the shirt, freeing his arms and dropping it to the side. When she went back to his pants, he caught her wrists. Not wanting to dissuade her but unsure how to continue, he asked, “What are we doing here?”

“I thought maybe you’d like a quick swim to cool down.” She pulled a hand free and smoothed it over his chest. “You’re a little sweaty.”

Only a swim? That was probably better than getting busy in the water with his brother in the house, but still… “How could you sleep in this heat?”

“I told you I like it.” She went back to his slacks, pushing them down so that he could step out. Eyeing him in his boxers, she said, “I like swimming even more, though. So what do you say?”

“Dash will have dinner ready in a few minutes.”

“Then we better get to it.” She held out the big T-shirt. “As you see, I was a good girl and stayed covered up today.”

As sincere as he could be, given he was already half hard, Logan said, “Thank you.”

That made her grin. “I like your brother.”

Absurd jealousy stirred. “Meaning what?”

The grin turned into a laugh. “Meaning that, all in all, I had a nice day.”

“I’m glad.” He’d have to talk more with Dash. He’d taken only a cursory report before heading down to the lake to see her.

“You might want to take a nap yourself after dinner.” She went on tiptoe to kiss him. “Now that we have the rubbers, I’m expecting to have an even better night.”

She turned away and made a clean but shallow dive into the water, proving that she’d already gauged the depth.

Logan stood there, sporting full wood and wishing he could bypass everything else and go straight to bed with her.

Dash yelled down the hill, “Burgers in five minutes.”

Damn. Hoping the water would be cold enough, Logan dove in behind her.

CHAPTER TWENTY

“EVERYTHING TASTES BETTER off a grill,” Pepper said as she finished off her hamburger.

Dash agreed. “Doesn’t hurt to have that view, either.”

“Or the fresh air,” Logan said.

The setting sun sent a splash of crimson across the cloudless sky, reflecting the rich colors on the surface of the placid lake.

Dash propped his feet on the railing, a Coke dripping condensation onto his abs.

Pepper sprawled out in a lounge chair, still in the same clothes she’d worn to swim. She looked so carefree that Logan wished he could keep her there forever.

With him.

She swatted away a mosquito, took another drink of her cola, and swiveled her head toward him. “So Reese isn’t joining us?”

“Not tonight, no.”

“I trust him more when I can see him.”

Dash gave a short laugh. “I’m guessing you and your brother feel that way about everyone.”

“With good reason.”

Almost on cue, Logan’s cell phone buzzed.

“Speak of the devil?” Pepper asked.

Since the call came in on the cell phone Rowdy had given him, Logan shrugged. “Reese or your brother. No one else has this number.”

As soon as he answered, Reese said, “What was all that with you and Peterson today?”

They hadn’t had a chance to talk earlier, not at the station with ears all around. And with Reese gone most of the day, they hadn’t even passed each other that often.

“Hang on.” He covered the phone and said to Pepper, “I’ll just be a minute.” He started to stand so he could seek some privacy.

Pepper waved him back. “I’m going to take a shower and wash the lake water out of my hair.”

Dash stood, too. “You’ll have to make it fast if you hope to have hot water.” He gave Logan a look and said, “Think I’ll put away the dishes.”

Which was code, meaning he’d keep an eye on Pepper. Logan appreciated his help—and resented it at the same time.

“Thanks. I’ll lend a hand in just a minute.”

“No rush.”

Standing so he could watch Pepper through the patio doors, Logan said to Reese, “No idea what’s going on with her, but I have to admit, I didn’t expect her to make you lead.” He’d been given carte blanche on the specialized task force duties, and he had made headway—though, of course, Peterson wasn’t entirely up to speed on everything.

“Maybe she recognizes my superior sleuthing abilities.”

That obvious joke fell flat. “Or maybe she knows I’m in a little deeper than I’m letting on.” He visually tracked Pepper’s every move as she rummaged through the items he’d brought back. She went through the bags, carried the shampoo, conditioner and lotion into the bathroom, and took the rest to the bedroom.