Lori Foster - Bare It All

They wore jogging shorts and sports bras and had a lot of skin showing. They stood far too close to him for mere conversation.

Alice didn’t think about it, didn’t even have time to process her reaction before she found herself striding out to the yard and right up to Reese and Cash. She snatched the dog’s leash from his hand, startling him.

Lifting one eyebrow, he looked down at her. “Alice.”

Her heart punched painfully against her breastbone. Unfair that a man with morning-rumpled hair and whiskers could still manage to look so good. “The coffee’s done.” She stared at the women while thrusting the keys out to him. “I can wait with Cash until he finishes up, if you’d like to go on in and get a cup.”

Slowly his expression shifted from surprise to amusement. “Why, thank you, Alice.” With a knowing grin, he accepted her key ring. “Your hospitality knows no bounds.”

She had no idea how to reply to that.

With a pleased smile, Reese touched her cheek, bid good day to the others and headed inside. The bright sunshine gleamed on his shoulders and gilded his fair hair. Though barefoot, he didn’t pick his way across the grounds; he strode like a confident man in control of himself and those around him.

When Alice realized that she wasn’t the only one noticing, she cleared her throat, loudly.

The blonde laughed. “Sorry, honey, but you know, I just can’t pull my eyes away. He’s an awful lot of man.”

The brunette agreed. Looking at Alice, she asked with palpable doubt, “So, you two have a thing?”

A thing? Understanding sank in. “What? No!” Alice looked down at herself, too. No, she wasn’t cute and petite like the brunette, and she certainly didn’t have the curves that the blonde flaunted. She was just herself, plain, understated, most times all but invisible.

Hadn’t she been told that often enough?

And thank God for it.

“We’re only neighbors.”

“Uh-huh, sure you are.” The friendly blonde continued to smile. “I wish I was that type of neighbor, too. I’ve suggested it, but I swear, Reese is a squirrely one, always dodging me.”

“You’ve actually suggested...”

“That we hook up, sure. And believe me, I haven’t been subtle!” She laughed. “I figured he turned me down because we’re too close for comfort, being in the same apartment building and all that. But if he’s spending the night with you, then that must not be an issue for him.”

The women stared at her, waiting for an explanation. Why hadn’t she left well enough alone? She had no claim on Reese, so she should have kept her nose out of it.

But she had butted in, behaving like a territorial girlfriend, giving them reason for speculation. Walking away now would be both rude and fodder for gossip.

“Do you both live here?” she asked, while trying to decide how to proceed.

“Upper floor,” the brunette said. “She’s on one side of Reese, and I’m on the other.”

“Doesn’t that sound naughty?” The blonde laughed again. “We’ve known Reese awhile now.”

Alice’s temples pounded. “How...nice.”

The blonde performed introductions. “I heard Reese call you Alice. I’m Nikki, and she’s Pam.”

“Hello.” Until Reese, Alice had managed to keep her distance from all of her neighbors. Now she had Reese’s admirers curious about her.

Knowing she’d just complicated her life, Alice turned her attention to Cash. Perhaps she could distract the women by playing with the dog?

But no, Cash flopped down in a ray of sunshine and looked so comfortable, she hated to disturb him. There was no help for it. She smiled at the women. “If you live that close to Reese, then you already know what happened yesterday.”

Pam lifted both brows. “You mean between the two of you?”

“No!” Good grief. Such a suggestion. “Really, nothing happened between us.”

Nikki grinned some more.

“I was talking about the police conflict that took place in his apartment.”

“We were out late,” Pam said.

“And much of the morning, too,” Nikki added. “What happened?”

Hoping to extricate herself soon, Alice did her best to summarize. “Yesterday, I saw a person going into Reese’s apartment, so I called him.”

“You have his number?” Pam asked with disbelief.

“I... Yes.” Alice wanted to groan. Pam and Nikki looked ready to pounce on her every word. She nodded toward Cash. “I watch his dog for him while he works, so it was necessary to exchange numbers.”

The women peered at Cash with disdain. Nikki said, “He pees everywhere. I’d send him to the pound for that.”

Feeling very protective of the dog, Alice scowled. “He’s a puppy still. He’s learning.”

Pam couldn’t quite uncurl her lip. “So he’s actually Reese’s dog? I assumed he was yours since you’re the one I usually see bringing him outside.”

“I pet-sit for him. Reese only recently got him, but being a detective, his hours can be...unconventional. And right now Cash needs a lot of attention, not to mention structure.”

“So yesterday, when you said someone went into his place?” Nikki dismissed the dog. “Reese was getting robbed?”

“Not exactly. It was just...” Unsure how much she should actually tell, Alice fudged the truth. “A conflict of sorts, that’s all. It all ended well enough when another detective showed up. But Reese’s apartment got a little...messy.”

With bullet holes. Blood. A dead body on the floor.

She shook her head. “Reese had a lot to do once they made arrests, a lot of follow-up work, so he got in late.” Or rather, early. “His apartment is still considered a crime scene.”

Uncaring of all that, Pam asked in disbelief, “And so he came to you?”

Alice shrugged. “He slept on my couch.”

“Your couch?” Nikki put a hand to her heart in dramatic fashion. “I would have dragged him into the bedroom.”

“Or joined him on the couch.” Pam grinned.

Through tight lips, Alice explained, “We don’t have that type of relationship.” In fact, she wasn’t sure what type of relationship they had. A couple of times now Reese had hinted about an attraction, but was it just teasing?

And if it wasn’t, what then?

“Oh, honey,” Nikki commiserated. “That must’ve been torturous for you, having a man like him so close but not getting the advantages.”

“It’s great news for us, though.” Pam elbowed her friend. “He’s still up for grabs.”

Alice couldn’t fathom their attitudes. “So you’re both interested in Reese?” How would that work? Neither of the women felt possessive?

Pam shrugged. “I do my best to get his attention, but Reese is a master at being polite without encouraging too much.”

Nikki agreed. “I’d be on him in a heartbeat if he’d give me a signal. He’s so delectably big and brawny.”

Big and brawny were not attributes that Alice generally admired. Not in a man who showed too much intimate interest in her.

But for whatever reason, Reese was different, and her heart raced every time he got near.

“He’s very compassionate,” Alice said, then suffered through some curious expressions from Nikki and Pam. “It’s true. He saved Cash. Someone had put the dog in a cardboard box and left him in the middle of the street.”

“Probably because he pees everywhere!” Nikki laughed.

Alice didn’t find it at all funny. How could anyone be that heartless? Luckily, Reese had cared enough to investigate when he saw the box, and once he’d discovered Cash, he’d taken him to the vet, adopted him and loved him. True, Reese spent too much time away, but he made sure the dog had proper care.

With her.

She sighed. “Reese is one of the kindest men I’ve ever met.”