Run the Risk

Ha! Not even close.

Clothes, magazines, empty cola cans and a pizza box had all littered her small living space. Beyond that area he’d seen a towel on the floor of her bathroom, and through an open door, her unmade bed with a quilt more off the bed than on it.

For some reason, knowing she wasn’t a neat freak made him smile. It was such a contradiction to his assumptions.

He again pictured her sloppy bed and wondered if she’d had a sleepless night. He knew for certain she’d spent the night—every night—alone.

Maybe that was why, more than once, she’d stolen a glimpse of his body.

And that rosy flush?

Yeah, that hadn’t been annoyance he’d seen stirring in her expressive eyes.

Eyes that couldn’t hide her secrets.

Not from him. As a cop, he excelled in uncovering mysteries.

As a man, he knew how to seduce a woman.

Sue Meeks—what a joke—would be no different.

What he found odd was his own reaction.

She wasn’t outright homely; he knew women well enough to see that with some work, she could be attractive. Women had an amazing knack of highlighting their best features while downplaying their flaws.

Not Pepper Yates. The woman didn’t seem to have a clue how to promote her strong features.

And her body…well, who could know? She didn’t exactly look thick or thin, just…shapeless.

He hadn’t found any photos of her that really showed off her figure. And beneath the dated, ill-fitting clothes she now wore, she could be concealing anything.

Yet while talking to her, he’d felt alive. Hell, he’d felt alive just watching her stride down the sidewalk, her enormous, sloppy purse throwing her off-kilter more than the overloaded bags of groceries had. She’d kept her head down, but her stride had been long and confident.

Until she’d seen him.

Then she’d dragged her feet like a reluctant sacrifice.

Which, though she couldn’t have realized it, was a pretty apt description for what he had planned.

He would not feel guilty about it, Logan told himself. She’d be fine. He’d see to it. She might be timid, but she had a spark of fire.

Once he got things ignited, he’d find out everything he needed to know about her brother—but he’d do so gently. He’d treat her with respect, and he’d be generous with his attention, both emotionally and physically.

No, Pepper Yates wasn’t a beauty, but having her wouldn’t be a hardship. Hell, he felt taut with anticipation just thinking about it.

Enough on that.

Logan secured the locks on his door, then headed back to the balcony. Since the building didn’t have air, and the windows were small and difficult to open or close, the balcony offered the only respite from the smothering, humid heat.

But, yeah, the August weather wasn’t his only reason for venturing out to the crumbling balcony.

He’d seen the steak in her grocery bag.

Pepper Yates, aka Sue Meeks, prepared a lot of her meals on a small propane grill. Too many evenings he’d lurked inside, observing her through the vertical blinds, watching her as she’d cooked a single potato with a piece of chicken, a pork chop or a steak.

Did she hate cooking for one as much as he did?

Didn’t she ever tire of eating alone?

He knew for a fact she didn’t date, didn’t have any visitors of any kind—not even her damned brother.

She didn’t drive, didn’t leave the apartment any longer than it took to run errands, and as she said, she kept to herself.

No social life.

He knew, because he’d been watching her for longer than he’d been in the apartment building. Weeks longer.

Would she venture out to her grill with him sitting outside, his balcony right beside hers, close enough that they could chat?

Would she give in to the curiosity he’d seen in her expression?

Or would she avoid him as she’d done so far?

After dropping into a lounge chair, Logan finished off his beer, sprawled onto his back, closed his eyes against the evening sun, and thought about things yet to occur.

Things that had to do with her.

Things that would no doubt prove…interesting.

Even exciting.

The thrill of the chase.

This was what he lived for. The reason he’d become a cop. The core of his basic nature.

And now, finally, he was moving in on his prey.

* * *

WHY DID HE HAVE TO BE out there? For over an hour, Pepper waited to see if Logan Stark would go inside. He didn’t budge.

And she didn’t stop watching him.

He appeared to be sleeping, his broad chest expanding with deep, slow breaths. Legs sprawled, hands loose, face relaxed.

Body enticing.

She swallowed and thought about the card he’d given her—now on the top of her refrigerator for safekeeping. It didn’t mention a job, just his name, address and cell phone number. He didn’t have the look of the poor. His demeanor defied the defeat of unemployment, and his body defied a lack of activity.