He fingered a fold in her skirt. "With this bunched up around your hips?"

Her breathing deepened. "Yes."

"Your thighs wide open around me.

No panties." He'd finally be able to see her legs, maybe stroke her thighs, her hips. He felt the start of wood and didn't care. Stepping closer, he whispered, "And me deep inside you?"

A soft sound of excitement parted her lips, and she nodded. "Yes."

He kissed her again. Gentler this time, with apology-although she wouldn't know that.

Hugging her close, her head to his shoulder, he wrapped his arms around her. "I would never want to punish you for doing what you thought best, Sue."

"Okay, well then, we could-"

He cut her off. "It's for that reason, your insistence that we cool things, that I'd rather we hold off for a while." At least until after your brother is arrested so I can get answers out of him. "I want you to be sure-"

"I am," she rushed to say.

"Shh. I don't want you to have regrets." More regrets...because he knew she'd be racked with shame after tonight.

Stillness settled over her. Did she fear he'd caught on to her? He didn't want her distressed. He didn't want her hurt ever again.

"I care about you." Believe it, please, even after I crush you. Surely enough time had passed for Reese to get everything in place. "Let's go in. We'll watch a movie, talk, and afterward, if you feel the same, then believe me, I'm game."

He saw that she wanted to argue, but mostly she wanted him off the balcony.

Conflicting emotions passed over her features-worry, shame, need...and finally an expression of iron will.

"Okay."

So often she took him by surprise.

That particular look was a new one for her. He imagined it took a lot of strength to have survived the harsh life she'd led with Rowdy Yates, to do the things her brother coerced her into doing.

Like deceiving him.

Logan's reasons for going after Rowdy added up by the second.

"I won't change my mind," Pepper assured him.

Forcing a smile, Logan said, "I'm glad." He hoped she felt the same in the morning, but he didn't kid himself. It was going to take a lot of finesse on his part to appease her after all his deceptions.

No matter how long it took, he wouldn't give up on her.

WATCHING LOGAN LEAD his sister into

the apartment left Rowdy incandescent with fury. That was no friendly peck he'd just witnessed. For a heart-stopping moment, he feared Logan would take Pepper right there on the goddamned balcony.

Son-of-a-bitch.

Rowdy almost threw the binoculars, but instead, he tossed them through the driver's side window and into the front seat of his car.

On the one hand, he wanted to take Logan apart for daring to get so familiar.

On the other...he had grudging optimism that maybe his sister had found something real. He hoped he wouldn't discover anything incriminating in Logan's apartment. He hoped his sister wasn't being used.

But he didn't trust hope and never had. Long ago he'd learned that was a fool's game.

He hadn't survived by being a fool.

Leaving his locked car in the designated spot down the street from the apartment building, he put on his hat and started walking. Tension crawled into every muscle until he couldn't ignore it.

Something felt off. Wrong, in a big way.

If it wasn't for Pepper, he'd go with his gut and put off this little search for another night. But even as he scanned the area, studying every shadow and leaving his senses open to all threats, Rowdy had to face the fact that Pepper was in her apartment-with Logan Stark- because that's what he'd asked her to do.

He owed her closure on this. Asking her to go through it all again at a later date would be grossly unfair.

Pausing in the building across from the apartment, he watched the facade, the light coming from Pepper's sliding doors, the dark beyond Logan's. The fine hairs on the nape of his neck stood on end. Two young ladies came down the walkway, talking quietly, laughing. They paused when they saw him. One smiled, the other gave him a blatant once-over.

In no mood for feminine attention, Rowdy nodded. "Ladies." They strode on but not without a few glances back at him.

Several cars drove past, then a bus.

He continued to wait, every few seconds checking the lights and shadows, looking for anything that didn't belong. The sun sank completely and streetlamps flickered on.

It was almost too still.

But if he delayed any longer, he ran the risk of Logan returning to his apartment.

Mind made up, Rowdy crossed the street. Not in a rush, but not with any real caution, either. He needed to blend in. Just a passerby. Nothing more, and nothing less.

Both Pepper and Logan had apartments on the second floor, side by side. He'd placed Pepper in that particular apartment because a large tree that grew too close to the building made it possible to sneak out the small bathroom window if it became necessary.

It also made it possible for Rowdy to sneak in undetected.

Sure, he had a key...but going in the front door would leave him too exposed.

If anyone saw him, he could be recognized-as Pepper's brother. Never would he risk that.

Reaching Logan's window could get dicey, but he'd figure it out.

By design, the security lights didn't reach the side yard, and the tree helped to conceal his movements as he climbed.

Years ago, when he and Pepper had been river rats, they'd climb trees all the time. Sometimes, in summer weather, he'd tie a rope up high and they'd swing out to drop into the cold river water.

Other times, they'd sit up in a tree for hours, and he'd talk with her, keeping her out of the trailer when their mom or dad had drunk too much. Usually his folks just got stupid with drink.

But occasionally they had gotten mean.

Shaking off those disturbing memories, Rowdy ventured out onto a sturdy branch. Like riding a bike, it was a learned trait, once ingrained, never forgotten. It took some maneuvering, but he jimmied open the window. Even more difficult was fitting his frame through the opening. Pepper with her narrower shoulders and hips wouldn't have the same difficulty.

After dropping into the dark room, he paused to listen. He heard nothing, so he left his hat on the bathroom counter and pulled out the penlight to start his inspection. He checked the medicine cabinet. Any prescribed meds would have a name on the label-but he found none, just the usual OTC stuff, enough to look as though Logan truly lived there. A razor, a toothbrush...okay, so the guy had settled in long-term. That proved nothing.

Rowdy crept through the apartment.

Because he'd lived on the edge, he knew how to cover his tracks. Without a trace of his presence, he went through the bedroom and back out again. No drawers were left askew, not even a shift in the blankets on the unmade bed.

He didn't find anything.

Both relieved and frustrated, he saved the living room for last. Standing in the middle of the floor, he looked around, orienting himself to the shadows, the placement of furniture and lamps. He could hear noise from Pepper's apartment next door-the sound of the television, occasional conversation.

The closet held nothing out of the ordinary. That in itself was a little strange. Most people stored stuff in the closets. There was no box of photos, no unused sports equipment. Nothing much at all, other than a lightweight jacket and a spare pair of sneakers.

Disturbed by that, Rowdy opened up the desk. Typical bills, checkbook, mail.

All the props necessary to pull off a cover-or to actually occupy a place.

Still unconvinced, he searched beneath the drawers-and found wires.

His focus narrowed, his thoughts centered.

Pulling them free, he held the penlight in his teeth and examined the device...

and it hit him.

Fuck.

He no sooner realized that Logan had been listening in on Pepper than he heard running footsteps in the hallway outside.

More than one person.

Hell, it sounded like a fucking battalion charging forth.

He shut off the light and hurried back to the bathroom where he'd come in, but at the open window he heard men outside. Damn it.

They'd cornered him.

On silent feet, intent on trying Logan's bedroom window, he got as far as the hall just as men entered the apartment.

He detected the hush of their movements and the clinking of their weapons.

Thoughts of his sister pounded on his brain. Was she in danger? Had this whole thing been a setup?

Rage coalesced. If anyone touched her, hurt her in any way, he'd pay.

Breathing steadily, Rowdy slid his knife free- The overhead light in the narrow hall came on, momentarily blinding him.

Three men faced him, all armed, their aim steady. His hand tightened on the knife hilt.

From behind him, a voice said, "I wouldn't."

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

With few choices left to him, Rowdy dropped the knife. His hands in the air and his heart in his throat, he slowly turned to face the voice. Rowdy was tall, but this dude stood inches over him, with wide shoulders.

Despite the jeans and T-shirt, Rowdy sensed that the blond behemoth standing there was a cop. To verify the truth, he said, "Officer...?"

"Detective Bareden." To the other men, Bareden said, "Shoot him if he moves." He holstered the gun and produced handcuffs.

Laughing, Rowdy lowered his arms and only half listened as Bareden read him his rights.

So someone had seen him go in the window and had called the law? He'd be busted for breaking and entering? Big deal. Piece of cake.

Far fucking better than having a real threat on his ass.

But as Bareden led him back out the front door of the apartment, he paused to knock on Pepper's door.

Going on the alert, Rowdy tensed all over again. "What's this? What are you doing?"

"Be quiet," Bareden said.

"You don't need her." Rowdy would not overreact. He'd schooled Pepper on just such a situation. Surely, she'd follow protocol. "She has nothing to do with anything."

It was Logan who answered the knock. His gaze landed on Rowdy, and the smug prick had satisfaction written all over him.

Behind him, face white and expression haunted, Pepper stared at him. Her lips trembled. She put a hand to her mouth.

"Say nothing," Rowdy told her. "Get inside and don't say a goddamned word!"

VISION NARROWING, blackness closing