CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
ROWDY DID HIS best to act like business as usual, but she’d left him poleaxed with her disclosures. It was starting to make sense now, how jumpy she’d been the night she missed the bus, the weird phone calls she kept getting.
Fisher’s car trailing them.
She believed it wasn’t Meyer, but prank phone calls, while a sick and effective way to torment her, were a little lame for the rapey type. Rowdy wanted to know everything, but he could wait until she finished her peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
He enjoyed the sight of her at his table in nothing more than a T-shirt. He wore only his boxers. It was...cozy.
If she’d be hanging around—and she would—he needed to pick up some real groceries. As a bachelor who, until very recently, had moved around a lot, he’d never gotten into the habit of stocking up on food. Little by little he’d accumulated a few things, but he’d get a list from Avery and...do what? Fucking play house?
Disgusted with himself, Rowdy bit into his own sandwich.
Avery eyed him. “Are you sure you don’t want me to put the bandages back on?”
He shook his head. “Feels better without them.” He sat back in the chair to prove it to her. “I might need one more night before I can have you bouncing on me, but sleeping on my back won’t be a problem.”
She threw her napkin at him.
Rowdy grinned. “I can picture it now.” He cocked a brow at her breasts. “And the picture inspires me.”
Pausing, she looked at his chest, down to his abs, and smiled. “Sort of inspires me, too.”
Oh, dirty pool. Not joking, he said, “Keep it up and we’ll be back in bed before you finish your milk.”
“No way.” She pointed her sandwich at him. “I need sleep, Rowdy, and so do you. You’ll just have to rein it in until morning.”
“We’ll see.”
Brows pinching down, she took a deep breath to deny him, and Rowdy said, “So all that boasting you did about me being a badass, that was meant as a deterrent to good old Fish, huh? You used me to warn him off?”
She deflated with guilt and looked away. “Can I be totally honest with you, Rowdy?”
“That’s how I’d prefer it.” What did she think? That he wanted her to lie?
“Well, I’d prefer that you not go after Fisher.”
“We’ll talk about it.” She could give him her reasons why he shouldn’t, and he’d explain why he was. Easy enough.
She wasn’t convinced, but she gave in anyway. “You are a very capable man and you know it. I had hoped that Fisher would realize it wouldn’t be easy to get to me again. That maybe he’d think I wasn’t worth the trouble.”
He knew Fisher’s type. Men like that didn’t want to lose—ever. And Fish himself had spelled out his continued interest. “You figure it’s him dicking around on the phone?”
“That’s the only thing that makes sense.” She pulled the crust off the last piece of her sandwich. “In one of the calls, I think he fired a gun.”
Rowdy lost his teasing mood. “A gun?”
“That’s what it sounded like. At first there was no one, then the gunshot.” She fidgeted. “After that...a man laughed. I can’t say that it necessarily sounded like Fisher, but it was muffled and I was shaken.”
Hell, if she’d told him that earlier, he’d have annihilated Fisher on the spot, piece of cake with a cherry on top. When he’d met Fisher at her homecoming, he’d wanted to stomp the bastard anyway.
Now he had good reason.
“He was the one following us that night.” Rowdy finished off his milk, giving her time to take that in.
Eyes rounding, Avery stared at him. “But...you’re saying he already knew where I was?”
“Guess so. I recognized the car and license plate when we got to Meyer’s.”
“That’s why you asked about it.”
He shrugged. “Fisher didn’t deny it. He said he was making sure you were safe.”
“He’s the reason I’m not safe!”
Pushing the last of his food aside, Rowdy leaned his forearms on the table and gave her his no-nonsense stare. “I need to hear all of it, babe. No more secrets and no more holding back. What exactly happened between you two?”
She withdrew, emotionally and physically.
Done playing, Rowdy left his seat, scooped her up and headed for the bed.
“Rowdy!”
He did like holding her. “Hmm?” No way should he have been horny again, but she pushed all his buttons, even when disgruntled. He needed to take it easy or she’d leave him just to rest.
“You cannot keep toting me around like a—”
He dropped her onto the bed, then crawled in beside her and situated them both so that they reclined, he on his back, she tucked into his side.
Avery fussed at him, shoving and swatting to free herself, but not really giving it her all.
“This would be more fun,” he said, tugging at the T-shirt, “if you were naked again.”
She gave up.
He kissed her forehead. “Comfortable?”
Sighing, she snuggled closer and nodded. “Yeah.” Her hand on his bare chest, she asked, “It’s okay on your back?”
It was his dick he was worried about. If the damn thing didn’t stay down, how could they finish talking? “All good. Now, about Fisher?”
She tucked her face against him. “Mom and Meyer wanted me to marry him. They were pushing big-time, but I never felt that way about Fisher.”
“You two dated?”
“A few times. Mostly company events. That sort of thing.”
“Ever sleep with him?”
She shuddered. “No.”
Satisfaction rushed through him. “So what did you do with him?”
“A few kisses only, and that was more than enough.”
“No need for details.” The last thing he wanted to hear about was Fisher touching her in any way sexual, even a simple kiss.
“There isn’t anything intimate worth telling anyway. I didn’t like him. He’s not the sterling example Meyer and Mom see him as, or the caring philanthropist everyone else thinks him to be. He does what’s expected of him to keep his good name, to get a write-off, or to build a connection to another company, not because he actually cares. To me he was condescending and bossy and critical.”
“Critical how?”
“No matter what I wore or what I said, he didn’t think it was good enough.”
What an ass. Rowdy teased his fingertips down her arm, her waist, her hip. “I like you best when you’re wearing nothing, but you look awful cute in your jeans, too.”
He felt her smile, then a kiss to his ribs. “Thank you.”
“And your hair...” He stroked his fingers through it. “Gotta say, it’s a turn-on.”
“Fisher tried to insist I get it cut and styled. He even set up an appointment with his salon.”
“Fisher has a salon?”
“A very expensive and exclusive place where he goes to get his hair cut. He had me scheduled for the works because he said I looked like a wild child.”
Rowdy had to lift up and stare at her. “You’re shitting me?”
She blinked up at him. “Uh...no.”
“God, he’s an idiot.” He rested back again. “You’re always classy. Nothing wild about you.” He gave her a brief hug. “Except maybe in bed, and Fisher knows nothing about that.”
“No, he doesn’t.”
“So you told him to hit the road, and what happened?”
“Well, I tried to be a little kinder than that. I told him that we didn’t suit, so I didn’t want to take up more of his valuable time and that it’d be better if we just parted ways as friends, and only friends. He pressed me, saying my parents disagreed and that once I got settled down, I’d find my way.”
“Your way to what?”
“To being a good wife to him.” Her hand fisted on his abdomen. “He wouldn’t let it go. For weeks, he kept dogging me everywhere I went, showing up at events and acting like we were a couple.”
Hiding his growing turmoil, Rowdy waited, saying nothing, just encouraging her with casual strokes down her arm, over her silky hair, her cheek.
“We were at a park fundraiser.” She swallowed hard. “I tried to dodge him, but he wouldn’t leave me alone. He was obnoxious, being deliberately rude. He embarrassed me. So I was going to leave. I thought I had slipped away from his eagle eye by going out the back door of the pavilion. I figured if I could just make it to my car, I’d leave and then I’d stay away, regardless of Meyer’s business and the stuff Mom expected me to attend.”
Rowdy knew only too well how hard it was to outrun your problems. “He found you?”
She nodded. “I have no idea how he knew I’d left, but he was furious, saying I’d walked out on him. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t there with him anyway, that we’d arrived separately with no arrangements to hook up. In his mind we were a couple and I was just supposed to go along with that.” Curling in closer, her voice strained, she said, “He grabbed me. He’d been...rough before, deliberately hurting me, but not like this.”
“Hurting?”
For the longest time she didn’t reply, then she crawled up to his chest. “When you picked me up and carried me in here, you didn’t hurt me. Not at all. I knew if I said for you to stop, you would.”
“I’m glad you realize that.”
“We were sort of playing, and I enjoyed it.” She kissed his chin. “But every time Fisher would touch me, he’d...I don’t know. Squeeze my arms too tightly, push me too hard.” Her breath became more shallow, her words tight. “Everything with him was on the verge of being pain. It was almost like he enjoyed seeing red marks left behind. He’d hold my wrist so tight that I’d wince, then he’d look at it and...I don’t know. There was something in his eyes.” She swallowed, looked away and whispered, “Like maybe it turned him on.”
God, how Rowdy wished he had Fisher close at hand right now. “It was worse that night?”
With a trembling hand, she pushed her hair away. “He grabbed my upper arm and...and literally dragged me into the natatorium. I was so scared. I screamed for him to let me go but he wouldn’t.”
It wasn’t easy to ask questions when all he really wanted to do was hunt up Fisher and teach him the error of his ways. “A natatorium?” He’d never heard of such a thing.
“It’s a building that houses a pool. That time of night, with the fundraiser at the pavilion, it should have been locked. But somehow he had it opened.” She touched Rowdy’s jaw. “That’s the thing about Fisher, you know? He’s so well received in the community, so trusted, a supporter of so many causes, that he has unbelievable access...and trust.”
“You’re not alone now.” Rowdy wanted her to understand that. He hadn’t liked Fisher on sight, and now he had a good reason to chew on that dislike. “I trust you, not him.”
Her eyes grew wet. “That means so much.” Firming her lips, she stoically fought off tears. “No one else believed me, but I know Fisher intended to rape me. He deliberately ripped my dress and the way he kissed me—” She had to fight for another breath. “It hurt. I tried to turn away from him, but there wasn’t anything I could do.”
“Shhh.” He stroked her, kissed her and wished he could kill Fisher with his bare hands.
“I had his fingerprints on my arm for a week.” She looked at him. “And for more than a month, I could barely sleep.”
He knew all about having reality plague your dreams. Rowdy hid his rage and continued to soothe her. “How did you get away?”
She shook her head, as if remembering and sorting it out in her mind. “He’d backed me up to a wall and was trying to...to paw me. I wouldn’t hold still, so he just grabbed the front of my dress and tore it away.”
Yeah, Fisher was a dead man.
“When he tried to pull me down to the floor, I pushed away from the wall and we both stumbled. Fisher tripped over the material of my dress and fell backward. There was some pool equipment there and...I don’t know...he just sort of floundered and his feet came out from under him and I heard a big splash.”
Using his fingertips, Rowdy trailed up and down her arm. “You ran?”
Avery nodded. “It was dark and I couldn’t see that well, but I knew he fell in awkwardly. I heard the thud before the splash, but it wasn’t until later that I found out he’d hit his head on the way in. He ended up with a black eye and a busted nose and several stitches.”
“He deserved a hell of a lot more.”
She didn’t disagree. “Before I could even get home to tell Mom, Fisher had called them on his way to the hospital. He’d made up this elaborate lie about me accusing him of cheating and being furious.”
“Bullshit. You were furious at me and all I got was a soppy bar cloth to the chest.”
She gave a watery, tearful laugh and bent to kiss him. “I’m sorry about that.”
“You’ve long been forgiven.” He was glad to lighten her mood—but the teasing did nothing to alleviate the storm gathering inside him. He despised abuse at any time. But against a woman? Against Avery? That was almost too personal to bear. “I guess your folks believed you’d caused the problem?”
“They claimed I’d misunderstood and overreacted. He told them that he was upset at how badly I’d treated him, and my dress got ripped as an accident when I refused to talk to him. He said he was reaching for me and I shoved away—and of course, that’s how he fell in the pool and got hurt. But Rowdy, I swear, I know what he was going to do. He was so...ugly. So mean and out of control.”
“Shhh. I believe you.” She shivered, so Rowdy pulled her down and wrapped his arms around her. “That’s when you left home?”
“Only a few days later. Fisher had already spread his lies far and wide. I was furious that my friends and family all thought me a nutcase who’d had a jealous fit and attacked poor Fisher. I was humiliated and hurt and I just wanted away from it all.”
“Do you ever think you’ll return?”
She said immediately, “No.” Coming up to see him again, she added, “No, permanently. I meant it when I said I like my life now. I’m...free.”
“And poor.”
“And free.” She kissed him softly. “I have everything I need.”
Was he one of those things she needed? She’d said she loved him, but that could have been desperation, a way to find a safe haven. A way to get protection.
He was more than happy to oblige her. And maybe, even after he resolved the issue with Fish, she’d feel the same. “Stay with me.”
Around a yawn, she said, “Okay.”
It was an enormous step for Rowdy. Gigantic. Mind-boggling. But it was what he wanted. He tucked her hair back, then cupped her face in his hands. “Not just tonight, Avery.” Brushing his thumbs over her downy cheeks, he said again, “Stay with me where it’s safe.”
Surprise parted her lips and widened her eyes. She searched his face. “You won’t go after Fisher?”
Of course he would, but he said only, “We’ll figure it out in the morning. You need to sleep now. You have those dark circles under your eyes again.”
Her smile twitched and she mumbled, “Jerk.” Then reached past him to turn out the light. After a few seconds, she said, “I’ll stay. Thank you.”
Rowdy kept her close. He had a lot to think about. His feelings for this one particular woman. His life.
What he would do to Fisher to keep him away from Avery.
But now that his back felt better, the grinding lust was somewhat sated and Avery was here with him, soft and safe and smelling so damn sweet, he could sleep.
Again.
She was like a drug, the very best kind. She’d turned his world upside down, but for the first time in forever, things were starting to feel right.
* * *
AVERY WOKE WITH the sun pouring through the tall windows. The storm had passed. She squinted against the light, stretched and bumped into Rowdy.
He stirred, turning to his side away from her.
Very slowly, she sat up to look at his broad back. The stitches still looked painful and angry, but the redness was almost gone. He healed remarkably fast.
That thought took her attention to his other, older scars. God, she loved him. It was such an awful thing, wishing she could take away hurts a decade old. The urge to touch him, to kiss his marred shoulder, burned in her heart.
She didn’t want to disturb him, so she tried to sneak out of the bed.
Alert, Rowdy twisted toward her, his hair rumpled, his jaw dark with beard shadow. “Avery.”
Her smile quirked. “Still me.”
His gaze dipped to her breasts under the T-shirt, and he finished turning to his back, reached for her and hauled her in close. “Where are you going?”
“Bathroom.”
“Ah.” He kissed her neck, his bristly cheeks tickling. “Hurry back, then.”
As she crawled out, he fondled her behind. Unbelievable. He wasn’t even wide-awake yet.
She rushed through brushing her teeth, and even combed her hair. She had whisker burn in interesting places. Muscles that she seldom used ached a little. Deep inside herself, she still tingled.
“Hurry it up, babe.”
She turned from the sink and found Rowdy standing there in the doorway, his boxers tented, his slumberous gaze appreciative.
“It’s all yours.” As she stepped out, he looked her over.
“You don’t need to primp, you know. I’m already as interested as a guy can get.”
“Your eyes aren’t even fully open yet.”
“I see you just fine—and I always like what I see.” He gave her tush a pat and walked into the john.
Smiling, Avery headed to the kitchen to start the coffee. His apartment was chilly, the floor especially cold, so once the coffee machine was set, she went to his closet and found a flannel shirt to borrow, then sat on the side of the bed and pulled on thick socks.
She was back in the kitchen preparing two mugs when Rowdy emerged. He came right to her, hugged her from behind with his hands on her stomach, and kissed her neck. His face was damp, his breath minty, his hands big and warm and bold.
“I like waking with you, Avery, seeing you in this cute getup in my kitchen.” He lightly bit her earlobe. “This could be the start to a new favorite fantasy.”
“A woman ridiculously dressed fixing your morning coffee for you?” She tsked. “Surely you can do better than that.”
“Yeah.” Pinning her against the counter, he lifted his large hands to cover her breasts. “I can do better.”
A solid erection pressed her backside. His thumbs found her nipples and, casual as you please, he started a slow, easy, red-hot seduction.
She needed to talk to him, and if she didn’t put a halt to things now, they’d never get to it. “Rowdy?”
“Hmm?” He opened his mouth on her neck.
She already had two hickeys and shivered as he gave her a third. Reaching back, she put her hands over his thighs. “I need a few minutes.”
“Take all the time you want.” One hand left her breast and coasted down her belly to nestle between her legs, gently exploring her through her panties. “I’m in no hurry.”
The way he touched her... “I need coffee, too.”
“In that case, let’s make it quick.” He rearranged her hands, planting them on the countertop, then sliding her panties down to her knees. “Later you can get me on my back, as you promised.”
Yeah, she definitely would. But for now... “How quick is quick?”
“Think I can make you come in under ten minutes?”
“Make me come?” She looked over her shoulder in time to see him roll on a condom. Had he carried it with him from the bathroom? So much confidence.
So well deserved.
“Yeah.” He had his boxers pushed down just enough to free himself and now he stepped up to her again, lightly nudging her legs farther apart. “Open them as wide as you can.”
The panties restricted her, and somehow that made it feel even naughtier than sex in the kitchen against the counter.
With one hand Rowdy pulled the T-shirt up above her breasts and with the other, he touched between her legs, teasing, preparing her, making her squirm.
“I like this,” he said. “Having you bent over, and the smell of fresh coffee in the air. Two of my favorite things.”
He was so outrageous, and so skilled. Already wet, hot, Avery pressed back to him. “The coffee will get cold at this rate.”
He laughed, and slowly worked two fingers into her. “Better?”
“I want you, Rowdy.” Only you. Always. “Please.”
“And here I thought this scene couldn’t get any hotter.” He toyed with her nipple, lightly tugging. “I like hearing you ask me so pretty.”
As her eyes sank shut, she put her head back to his shoulder and murmured, “I swear to you, I will get even.”
“Damn, little bartender.” For a moment he went still, his breathing deeper, then he removed his fingers and nudged his erection against her until he could fully sink in, growling in accusation, “Way to push me past my control.”
Since that had been her intent, Avery held in her moan of triumph and suggested, “Now why don’t you push me past my control?”
He pressed deeper. “Consider it done.”
True to his word, Rowdy had her crying out with a powerful orgasm in under ten minutes. To protect her from his strong thrusts, he put his arm around her, creating a barrier between her body and the sharp-edged counter.
Soon after her pleasure ebbed, Rowdy tightened around her, growled deeply and gave in to his own release.
A few more minutes passed with both of them gasping, still slumped in front of the coffeemaker.
Laughing a little, Rowdy hugged her. “I’m awake now, just so you know.”
Avery barely acknowledged him. She honestly felt like she could doze back off just like this—as long as her legs held out.
Moving away from her, Rowdy rearranged himself, then pulled up her panties. He eased her away from the counter and directed her to a chair. “I’ll get the coffee.”
Slumped in her seat, Avery watched him all but whistle as he put sugar in her cup and then got out the creamer. “You’re insatiable.”
“You’re the one who was flaunting her wares here in the kitchen.”
“Ankle socks, Rowdy. And a flannel shirt.” She put a hand in her hair. “And even though I combed it, my hair is still a ratty mess. I need to wash it and blow it out and—”
“I think you’re turning me on again.” Smiling, he set the coffee in front of her and joined her at the table. “Do you realize it’s almost eleven? We slept late.”
Avery tasted her coffee, approved and after another drink she took a long stretch. “We’re allowed. It’s our day off.”
He watched her every move. “I figured I’d visit Marcus then hit the grocery store. Maybe load up on whatever you like.”
Stalling, she slowly dropped her arms and stared at him. “So you were serious about me staying?”
“I don’t say things I don’t mean.”
She wanted to ask if he cared about her at all. Her, specifically. She’d told him she loved him, and without replying, he’d taken her to bed.
At least he hadn’t sent her packing.
Yet. She realized, of course, she’d eventually have to find another job. She couldn’t bear the thought of seeing Rowdy with anyone else, but if she stayed at the bar, how could she avoid it? When he moved on from her, he wasn’t going to become a monk. No, he’d go back to his old ways, basking in the attention of every woman who saw him.
And then what would she do?
She loved him, so very, very much.
She could not pretend she didn’t.
From under the table, Rowdy nudged her with his foot. “What are you brooding about?”
God, he was perceptive.
“Worrying about Fisher?” He curled a lip. “Because you don’t need to. I can—”
“Will you be with any other women?” The second she said it, she wanted to slap a hand over her mouth. She’d blurted it out without any lead-in. Bam. There it was.
Of course, that needed some clarification. “While you’re with me, I mean. Are we...” She couldn’t think of an appropriate word for Rowdy’s outlook on things. “Exclusive. Right now I mean. That is, I’m not asking for a long-term commitment or anything like that. But if I’m staying here...”
Given the way Rowdy watched her, she gave up and closed her mouth.
Seeming mostly unaffected by the suddenness of it, Rowdy answered with his own question, saying simply, “Between work and you, when would I have time?”
So he planned to keep her with him 24/7? That suited Avery just fine.
“Speaking of time.” He deftly changed the subject—for his benefit or hers? “How long will it take you to get ready?”
“For what?” If he meant more sex, she’d have to call it quits, at least for a little while.
“I told you. We need to go visit Marcus today. You okay with that?”
Belatedly, Avery realized that he wanted her to go along. Marcus was staying with Alice and Reese. She couldn’t imagine they wanted her as an uninvited visitor. Much as she loved the idea, she said, “I shouldn’t intrude.”
Setting his cup aside, Rowdy frowned at her. “You don’t want me to murder Fisher, either, so as long as that bastard is out there, you go where I go.”
Avery, too, set aside her cup, preparing for a confrontation. “Is that supposed to be an order? Because you should know right now, I don’t take well to orders.”
He grinned at her ferocious tone. “A request, honey—and very necessary for my peace of mind.”
“That’s better.” She sat back in the seat. “You think Alice will be okay with that?”
“She’ll love the company, but to be sure, I’ll call her and let her know.”
He and Alice seemed to have a very special relationship, so naturally Avery wanted to get to know her better. “Do you plan to visit Marcus every day?”
“I was thinking about that.” He turned his cup, rearranging it as he stared off at nothing in particular. “I can’t just drop in on Alice every day. She’s getting Marcus set up for school in the neighborhood where they’re moving next week. That means he won’t be home until I’m at work, and on weekends, I imagine they’ll have stuff they want to do as a family.”
“I got the feeling that they consider you family, too.”
Rowdy ignored that. “I need to let the little dude know that I want to be around, but it can’t be every day. But I don’t want him to think I bailed if he doesn’t see me for a while.”
“You want him to trust you.” Avery knew all about that particular desire. “That might take some time, though.”
Rowdy snorted. “It’ll take an eternity. But we’ll get there.”
Did he say that because he’d never learned to fully trust? Avery feared it might be so.
Well, she wanted his trust. One way or another, for as long as this lasted, she wanted Rowdy to know he could confide anything to her.
“You’re brooding again,” he pointed out.
“No, it’s just...” Avery took in the mellow satisfaction in his golden-brown eyes, his rumpled blond hair and that to-die-for muscular body. Scars and all, Rowdy Yates was more man than any man she’d ever known, or even imagined. But he wasn’t superhuman. He didn’t have to carry his burdens alone. Not when she definitely wanted to share them with him. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.” He sipped at his coffee. “Doesn’t mean I’ll answer, but you can give it a shot.”
Of all the— “If you’re not going to answer, why would I bother asking?”
He plunked his cup back down. “This is about Fisher, isn’t it?”
Avery let out a breath. He didn’t sound happy. And yes, she needed to talk to him about that, but first... “I told you what happened with Fisher and me. After everyone more or less called me a liar, I had decided I’d never again tell anyone. But I trust you, Rowdy.”
“I’m glad you do.”
Because he figured he could handle anything and everyone and never break under the pressure of responsibility. But he didn’t have to do that anymore. Not with her. “I’d really like it if you’d trust me a little, too.”
“You think I don’t?”
“To a degree, maybe.” He wouldn’t let her in his home if he didn’t. But she needed more than that. Hoping to find the right words, she gave herself a little time by drinking her coffee. She couldn’t very well say I want more because she had no idea what Rowdy wanted. Except more sex. He’d been pretty plain about that. “Will you...will you maybe trust me with something private?”
“How private are we talking?” He lifted a brow. “You’re not going to grill me about past hookups, are you?”
“God, no!” That was the last thing she wanted to hear about. Her face heated just recalling what she’d walked in on in his office. “Ass.”
He grinned. “Then stop tiptoeing around and spit it out.”
“All right, fine.” She bit her lips, girded herself for his reaction and asked, “Will you tell me about those other scars? Not the scars from adult fighting but...the scars I assume came from your parents.”
That sudden stony expression on his face didn’t bode well.
Avery sat forward, pressing him. “Will you trust me, Rowdy, the same way I’ve trusted you? Will you trust me enough to share your past?”