“That’s what I said. I told her to leave me alone and that I have zero interest in any part of it.”

“Oh, Rowdy.” She curled her hand around my neck and kissed me right in the center of my chest. “You can’t mean that. I don’t know Sayer at all but she seems nice and if she uprooted her entire life to come here and get to know you that means something.” She lifted her head to look at me. “Believe me I know, because I did the exact same thing.”

I stared at her hard. “I was left alone.”

She huffed out a disgruntled noise. “So why would you deny someone that is reaching out to you and trying to get to know you? Wouldn’t having a sister mean you would never, ever have to worry about being alone again?”

Her words and her take on the whole thing were making me really uncomfortable. I would have much preferred her saying something like, “Don’t you know that now you have me you won’t ever have to be alone again,” but instead she was looking at me like I had somehow disappointed her.

“I don’t need a family, Salem. I went out and found my own and they will never leave me or abandon me.” It was an unnecessary dig at her and she didn’t miss it. Her dark eyes narrowed and she went to move off of me but I wouldn’t let her. I grasped her around her waist and grumbled, “I’m sorry. I’m in a nasty mood.”

She cocked her head to the side. “Are you scared of having another blood relative?”

I recoiled and threw my head back on the couch cushions. “Why would you ask me that?”

She shrugged a smooth, caramel-colored shoulder and leaned forward to kiss me on the end of my nose.

“The only family you knew died in a horrible way and started you on a very rocky journey to find the family you have now. It might be terrifying to let someone else in after suffering that kind of loss. Sayer seems like a good person, Rowdy. She helps kids, and even though she obviously comes from a different walk of life than you and I, she never seems judgmental or stuck-up about it. Just consider that letting her in, just a little, might not be a terrible thing. That’s a wonderful surprise to have offered up to you.”

“If you suddenly had some dude knock on your door and tell you he was your brother, you would just welcome him in with open arms?”

She looked like she was considering it and then she shrugged again. “Maybe not open arms, but I sure wouldn’t slam the door closed in his face and then throw the locks.” She suddenly giggled a little and rubbed her palms over my chest. “I kept thinking she looked really familiar for some reason. You have the same eyes and the same hair color. She’s beautiful and totally looks like your sister.”

I swore and it made her laugh. “She said her dad was married when my mom got pregnant.”

Salem made a sound of sympathy and leaned forward to kiss me again. “There is a story there. Don’t you want to know what it is?”

“I guess . . . maybe.”

“No one is going to make you do anything you don’t want to, so that means it’s up to you to make the right choice.”

I lifted both my eyebrows up and grinned at her. I decided I was done talking about Sayer and what the right or the wrong thing to do about her might be.

“So it matters that you came here to get to know me?”

She curled her arms around my neck and scooted closer to me so that she was right over my waist. The very tip of my pierced c**k dragged through her folds and it made my eyes twitch in response.

“Of course it matters. You have always mattered, you big moron.”

I would have answered but she set herself over my erection and any blood that was left floating around for rational thought shot right to my groin.

“You matter, too, Salem.”

I had to say it just in case she didn’t know.

“Be quiet, Rowdy . . . my turn to ravish you.”

Any time of any day in any place she could think of. I groaned as she started to move over me and just let my eyes drift closed as she instantly made everything seem better just by being.

CHAPTER 12

Salem

WE SPENT ALL DAY in bed on Sunday. I could tell Rowdy was still struggling with learning about Sayer and the fact he had a father that had left him out in the cold . He was not particularly talkative, which went so far against his affable nature that I simply let him sulk and tried to support him in the best way I knew how. I made sure he understood I was there to talk it out with, but I also didn’t mind his strong, silent act as long as the results were so delicious and made my body burn. I knew he was going to have to face Sayer and the past sooner or later but I wasn’t going to push him into it.

On Monday he wanted me to go hiking with him. Over the last few months I was realizing the way he kept his impressive physique without stepping foot inside a gym—ever—was by doing really strenuous outdoor activity every chance he got. He liked to pick up a football game at the park. He liked to put Jimbo on his leash and go running. He liked to go tromp around in the mountains. He liked to kayak on all the different lakes and rivers that were scattered over the mountains. I, on the other hand, didn’t want to do any of that even if it meant I got to watch him get all sweaty and run around shirtless. I was happy being a little round and enjoyed being curved rather than straight up and down.

I told him to ask one of the guys to go with him and rolled my eyes when he grumbled about it. I think he wanted the opportunity to watch me sweat and get all grimy and hot along with him for once, but I was a lady—well, sort of a lady—and that wasn’t a look that was good on me. Besides I already had something I really wanted to do before going back to work on Tuesday and it would work a whole lot better for me if he was out of the way and off in the mountains somewhere while I did it.

He rallied Nash and Rome for the venture and was out the door with my dog without even asking if it was okay that he took Jimbo with him while I was still getting dressed and moving a little more slowly than normal thanks to his relentless and amorous attention the day before. Who would’ve ever thought the sweet little boy from next door would turn into a demon in the sack? He had moves I had never seen before and the addition of that metal cross on the tip of his impressive package kicked things up to a mind-melting level. Even more so without a layer of latex between it and me. Just thinking about it was enough to have me blushing and fanning a hand in front of my face.

I put my hair in a simple braid and opted for a getup that was pretty plain for me. A tight, black skirt and a ruffled top that looked like something an old-time Spanish saloon girl would wear that perfectly matched the red streak in my hair. I put on some fierce red pumps because there was no way you could go into battle with another woman and not have on footwear that wasn’t as impressive as your adversary’s and still feel confident. I gave myself one last look over in the mirror and headed down to LoDo.