Meaning she’d rather do those things alone? She kept him so bemused, his head started to pound. “I never want you at risk again.”
Looking impish, she whispered, “Well, maybe a little risk…”
“No.” He sat forward—and she immediately protested the stress on his injury. Logan didn’t care. He caught her upper arms and held her still. “The only risk I want you to have is my last name.”
Slowly, she stopped fussing at him and gifted him with a smile so scorching, his arm could have fallen off and he wouldn’t notice. “Seriously, Detective Riske? I don’t know. I was thinking more about risking my heart.”
His blood rushed. “With me.”
She outright laughed. “Yes, with you.” She leaned forward and kissed him. “Though I have to say, the last name works for me, too.”
His heart skipped a beat. “You’ll marry me?”
“You need to understand, Logan. When you left me in Alice’s apartment and went off to tangle with Andrews…” She closed her eyes a moment. “God, I was so scared.”
“I know, and I’m sorry.”
“No, you don’t know. Because I haven’t told you.” She touched his chest where the white sling wrapped over his shoulder, and shuddered. “But I’m not a coward.”
“No, definitely not.”
She met his gaze. “I let you think I was only worried for Rowdy. I even told myself that’s all it was, because I was still mad, and hurt, and…a little afraid.”
“With reason.” He folded her hand in his. “I never should have used you like that.”
“But I’m so glad you did.” She smiled at his surprise. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. If you hadn’t come into my life, what would my life be right now? You not only freed me, you freed my brother, too.”
He wanted no misunderstandings. “I love you.”
She breathed a little faster. “You’re a part of my life now—a better life—and I don’t ever want to lose you.”
He’d damn well hold her to that—right now. “Tell me you’ll marry me, Pepper.”
Laughing a little, she said, “I will. And I’ll love you. And spend my life with you.”
Contentment moderated his aches and amplified his exhaustion.
“But for right now,” she said, easing him back in the bed, “I’d really like to just sleep.”
“With me.” He pulled her down with him, locking her in close.
“Yes.” She hugged him carefully, kissed his chest. Sleepily, she asked, “Big wedding or small?”
“Whatever you want.”
She yawned. “Tomorrow we can tell Rowdy and Dash about our plans to marry.” She snuggled closer. “And of course we’ll tell Reese.”
It pleased him that Rowdy and Pepper now trusted Reese.
“Maybe, if Reese wants, we could even invite Alice to the wedding. I don’t really have any female friends, but I liked her. And I think she’s more than earned the chance to celebrate with us.”
“A terrific idea.” Alice could probably use a few friends. He started to ask Pepper more about her, but he heard her breathing even into sleep.
Logan smiled. His arm was badly swollen and hurt like a son of a bitch, there was chaos at the station as the disloyal cops were exposed, and he’d soon gain a headstrong, overprotective brother-in-law used to living on the edge.
And still, he felt like the luckiest man alive. For the sake of justice, he’d run the risk, and despite the odds, he’d ended up with love.
He ended up with Pepper.
As long as he had her, he had it all.
* * *
HINDERED BY INDECISION, Reese stood outside Alice’s apartment door, his hand raised to knock while he warred with himself.
Damn it, his apartment was off-limits. They had the body out, but the blood, general destruction and bullet holes remained. Until the department finished their reports, he didn’t want to disturb anything. Exhaustion left him weaving on his feet. He was starting to see double, but he wasn’t sure—
The door opened and there stood Alice, Cash beside her.
The dog leaped forward to greet him with his usual enthusiasm and maybe something more, something like worry and relief. Reese stroked his back. “Too much confusion, buddy? For me, too.”
Wearing a vintage-looking nightgown under a loosely fastened robe, her feet bare and her hair rumpled, Alice watched him.
Best to just spit it out and take it from there. He opened his mouth.
Alice said, “You can’t go to your apartment.”
His mouth closed. He scrutinized her and puzzled over her uncanny ability to see things a timid woman should never notice. “No.”
“You need to get some sleep.”
“Yes.”
Her mouth screwed up, her gaze dropped down his body, then shot back to his face. She cleared her throat. “Why do you have an erection?”
A direct attack? Huh. Interesting…and somehow exciting. “Hell if I know.” God, this was awkward. “But you don’t have to worry about that.” Stupid. How could she not worry? She had all kinds of secretive shit going on, and here he was, dead on his feet while his Johnson wanted to stand at attention.
He’d been fighting a boner ever since pulling up to the apartment with the realization that he’d probably have to impose on Alice for a place to crash, at least for a couple of days.