“Only thinking of me, huh? Good, because I’m tired, too, and if we’re heading out to see your folks in the morning, we both need some rest.”
She turned her face away from his.
Rowdy nuzzled her neck. “What’s going on, Avery?”
“I haven’t been home in a year.”
The same length of time she’d been denying herself? Huh. “Personal reasons?” He was unsure with the whole family dynamic. All he really understood about families was that most were f**ked, and few understood real loyalty—the type of loyalty he had with Pepper.
“Very personal,” she whispered.
He cupped her head, brushed his thumbs over her cheeks and tried to wade through the unfamiliar territory. “You dislike your stepfather?”
“Where’d you get that idea?”
Let’s see...because she’d accused him of something, like maybe stalking her via telephone? “You didn’t seem that happy to see him.”
“It took me by surprise, that’s all.” Her fingers toyed with his chest hair, making him a little insane. “And I figured if he was here, something must be wrong.”
Something like...she’d been found? “You were right, I guess, if what he said about your mother is true.”
“It is. He would never make up something like that. He loves her too much.”
So he sounded like a great guy. “Then why did you ask him if he’d been calling?”
“I don’t even know.” She pressed her head back into the pillow and groaned. “It was stupid. I should have realized that Meyer Sinclair would never do anything that undignified.”
“Breather phone calls?” He hoped they were still talking about the same thing.
“Yes. He would never lower himself to anything that ridiculous. It’s not his style.”
“Then the million-dollar question is, who do you think is making the calls? And, no, don’t start retreating again.” He held her face, kissed her hard and fast. “I pay attention, Avery. I remember the first call where the guy asked for you. Then I saw you today on the phone, and I heard what you said to your stepfather. Someone’s been bugging you, right?”
She nodded. “It’s only happened those few times.” And then in a rush, “It could have been a prank. You know, someone who saw my name while he was at the bar drinking and he decided to make a pest of himself.”
“Maybe.” But the fact that she thought it was more made him think it, too. “Do you know anyone who’d want to pester you?”
It took her too long to say, “Not really.”
“Avery.”
“Don’t Avery me. No, I don’t know anyone who would be dumb enough to play juvenile prank phone games. It’s just that...I don’t know. It made me nervous.” She added with blame, “Probably because you’ve got me seeing the boogeyman everywhere I look now!”
“How is this my fault?”
“You’re the one who insists my place isn’t safe.”
Damn, she was good at turning things around on him. “It’s no place for a woman to live, and that’s a fact, not a suggestion.”
“Rowdy?”
The way she said his name made it impossible for him to ignore the feel of her small, giving body under his. “Hmm?”
She slowly laced her arms around his neck. “You remember what the doctor said, right?”
Some bullshit about him waiting for sex. “Yeah, she said for you to take care of me.”
Avery laughed, and even that, the husky sound of her humor, made him nearly frenzied with powerful lust.
“She said three days, and you know it. But you’re making it so hard—”
“That’s my line to you, babe.” He nudged his erection against her hip.
She did this funny little half laugh, half groan. “Tomorrow will be the day, right?”
Meaning she’d hold him to his promise to give her tonight to sleep. That plan had seemed better hours ago than it did now.
His turn to groan, and he didn’t bother holding back.
“Rowdy, stop misbehaving. You know it’s for the best.”
He did, but still he said, “The best would be stripping those cute pajama bottoms off you and—”
Her fingers touched his mouth. “Tomorrow, I promise, I won’t wear pajamas.” She ended that with a yawn, reminding him that she hadn’t had much rest in the past twenty-four hours, and it was his fault.
“Go to sleep, honey.” He moved to the side of her, settling himself carefully so that he didn’t put too much pressure on his back, which, despite what he’d told her, was still tender. He drew her up against his body, and after a kiss to her neck, said, “Tomorrow is Saturday, you know.”
“So?”
“So Sunday the bar is closed. I’ll have you tomorrow when we close up the bar—and all day after.”
She shivered. “Honest to God, Rowdy, I can hardly wait, myself.”
He was still smiling when he felt her body wilt into sleep. Without meaning to, his arm tightened around her and he put his nose in her hair, breathing in her now-familiar scent.
It was so damn odd, especially considering he still had wood, but he liked this a lot. Holding her. Just...being with her. There was a certain comfort to having his little bartender so close.
He didn’t yet know who might have called her, or why she’d seemed so defensive with her stepfather. But he’d figure it out. And in the meantime, she’d be with him, safe from harm.