Micah and Pepper had different mothers. She had said his mom died when he was a baby. His dad had made sure they grew up close even though they didn’t live together. Micah would come stay at Pepper’s for a week at a time throughout the year and then for a month in the summers. After he turned sixteen, his visits became few and far between. The last time being when we were fifteen and he picked Pepper up from school. He’d taken me, too, and we’d stopped at Sonic to get milkshakes and tater tots.

  I wrapped my arms around my stomach as a sick knot formed. How had this happened? The same man had met both of us without the other ever knowing. He’d hurt my best friend, and I’d let him touch me. Kiss me. I felt ill, thinking about it.

  Was this a coincidence? Was that even logical? Or had he…

  Oh God. He had set me up. He’d followed me. Put himself in my path. But why? To get back at Pepper? Why would he do that? Regardless of the whys, I had thought I was in love with the man who had hurt my best friend and taken something precious from her that she could never get back.

  I dropped my head down into my hands and covered my face. I was so stupid. Maybe I deserved to grow old with a bunch of cats. I ought to just go adopt my first one this week.

  7

  Micah

  Pepper was going to hand me my balls for this. She had made me promise to let her explain all this to Dolly, and I’d let my temper get the best of me. Blurting out the truth to her had not been the best idea. She was still hunched over, covering her face, not saying anything. Dammit, I was an asshole, but she had been so insistent on telling me how fucking safe the bastard was.

  “This your apartment complex?” I asked her, already knowing it was.

  Pepper had sent me the address. I wasn’t thrilled about its location, but that wasn’t my business. It could be worse.

  She lifted her head, and thankfully, there were no tears. Just complete devastation. Yep, my sister was going to kill me.

  “Yeah,” she replied softly. “Park to the left side. I’m over there on the second floor.”

  I pulled in beside Pepper’s black Mustang and turned off the truck before looking over at Dolly again. She reached for the door handle, and for the first time in my life, I didn’t know what to say. Normally, I had all the words when it came to women. I knew how to make them smile, laugh, come while screaming my name. But with this, I was clueless.

  “Wait, let me help you down,” I told her while opening my door to get out.

  She didn’t ignore me, but I figured that was only because she feared breaking her ankle if she hopped down in those fucking heels. She held out her hand to me, but I grabbed her waist instead. Damn, it was tiny. My mind instantly went to what she’d look like naked with those hips, tits, and little waist of hers. Fuck, I had to stop that.

  But the idea of Canyon’s hands on her body pissed me off in ways I didn’t want to think about.

  I preferred to believe he hadn’t touched her yet. That they hadn’t made it that far. If they had, then she was handling it better than I’d imagined. Still no weeping or even a sign of a tear.

  I let her go when she was steady and stepped back. Her gaze lifted to me, and for a brief moment, there was a flash of something. The kind of something I was used to seeing in women. Oh, hell no. Not this one. She did not need to look at me like that.

  I jerked my eyes off her and nodded toward the building. “Lead the way,” I told her.

  She seemed to remember who it was she had been giving that heated look to and shook her head slightly, as if to clear it, then stepped past me without a word and headed toward the complex. It took every ounce of my self-control not to look at her ass as she walked. She even walked prissy. I’d never met a female as fucking feminine as Dolly Dixon, and I doubted I ever would. There was no way that Canyon had kept his hands off her. I might have to cut them off just to get some peace. Knowing he couldn’t touch her again. Making him suffer for taking advantage of her. Dolly was an easy target, and the bastard needed to pay for using her.

  I followed her into the building and up the stairs to the second floor. She finally stopped at apartment 205 and pulled out a set of keys from her purse. Before she could put them in the lock, the door swung open, and my sister stood there, looking fierce and relieved, all at the same time. She barely glanced at me before throwing her arms around Dolly.

  “I’m sorry you’ve had such a bad day,” she told her.

  I heard the sniffle then, and Pepper’s eyes darted up to glare at me, as if this were my fault. Well, the fact that Dolly was about to cry might be my fault, but the day in general was not. I had not forced her to date that son of a bitch. I had saved her from him.

  “It’s okay. Come inside and get off those heels. I’ve already opened a bottle of your prosecco, and I brought the caramel doughnuts you love from Seventh Heaven,” Pepper told her, taking her hand and pulling her into the apartment.

  “I’m sorry,” Dolly choked out, and Pepper paused to study her a moment.

  “You have nothing to be sorry about. Not one damn thing. Do not apologize to me or anyone. Do you understand me? I am here for you. You need me, and I am here to take care of you.”

  Pepper’s eyes darted back up to me then, as if accusing me of something. She was right, of course, but she didn’t know it yet. Fucking know-it-all.

  Dolly wiped at her face and sniffled again. I hoped she had something stronger than a sweet, bubbly wine. I was going to need it.

  Another sob escaped Dolly. Even her crying was delicate. She was so damn fragile that it made a man want to wrap her up and keep her safe. Not that I was going to do that. Not now or ever. But I could admit she had that appeal. One I wasn’t interested in. It came with strings and drama.

  “I didn’t know,” she whispered.

  I winced. She was going to get right to it. Yep, I needed some whiskey. Even tequila would do.

  Please let there be something stronger than wine in this place.

  Pepper pulled her back into a hug. “Of course you didn’t know. What woman does when she starts dating a man? It’s part of dating and life.”

  Dolly shook her head. “That’s not what I mean,” she said in a soft, pleading voice.

  This time, when Pepper’s eyes met mine, they narrowed to slits. I saw the warning there in her gaze. I held up my hands and shrugged. I had done my best. What the fuck was I supposed to do, sit there and be silent while she had defended the fucker?

  “Come sit down.” She guided Dolly to the pale blue velvet sofa with bright pink throw pillows.

  Dolly sank down onto it and pressed her lips together.

  “I never would’ve dated him,” she said.

  The sorrow in her voice was making my chest feel funny. I needed that shit to stop.

  “I need to get my things from the truck and make a run to the liquor store,” I said, heading for the door.

  “Get me a bottle of Tito’s,” Pepper called out to me.

  I only nodded and didn’t look back. I wasn’t staying in there for this. Not when I was reacting like I was to Dolly being upset. That shit was messed up. I had to get a drink and shake this off. Maybe I should have let Tex come here, like I’d originally planned. Dolly needed a dependable family man. One who understood her mental limits and need for protection. A churchgoing man. She would never just be a hot fuck.

  All that needy, helpless, sexy, feminine shit she had going on? Not what I needed in my life. Not what I liked. I wanted them like the girls at the club. They knew the score. They knew how to please me. That was what I wanted.

  Jesus and Tinker Bell weren’t my thing.

  8

  Dolly

  The moment the door closed behind Micah, I let out a louder sob.

  “Stop that. Do you hear me? You did nothing wrong,” Pepper said as her arms tightened around me.

  I tried to stop the tears, but I felt like a complete fool. I’d been naive and stupid. Why hadn’t I questioned it? When had a man like Canyon ever looked my way before? I should have realized something was wrong. But I had wanted to belong to someone like him so badly that I ignored all the signs.

  “I’m so stupid,” I whispered and bit down on my bottom lip to keep from letting out another pathetic sound.

  Here I was, crying for myself, when Canyon hadn’t hurt me the way he had hurt Pepper. He’d truly caused damage with her. Taken from her. Yet she had remained strong. Tough. I could too. Right?

  “You are not stupid, Dolly Belle Dixon! Do not say that again. I mean it. You are trusting. That doesn’t make you stupid. You have the most beautiful traits in the world. You’re kind, sincere, thoughtful, giving, and, yes, you are trusting. You see the good in everyone and believe that the rest of the world is just as genuine as you are. But they aren’t. And if I could change one thing about you, it would be that you saw the rest of us for who we are. No one is like you. At least, I haven’t met them yet.”

  I leaned back to look at Pepper as I wiped my face with both hands. She had always said those things to me as if I were special. As if she envied me. Which was laughable because I wanted nothing more than to be exactly like her. Wild, brave, tough, brilliant, passionate, and stunning. Pepper Abe was the girl everyone envied. Not me. Yet she always made it seem like that was the case when she spoke of me.

  “I should have questioned it,” I told her. “His interest in me.”

  She shook her head. “Stop that. Now. I mean it. I won’t hear any more of it. It baffles me that you don’t realize how gorgeous you are. Of course a man like that would notice you. You are completely out of his league. Miles out of of his league.” She grabbed my chin and held my face so I couldn’t look away from her. “For once, listen to me. Believe me. Don’t let this bullshit that Canyon Acree did mess with your head. You were making progress.”

  How had I done this? I always managed to get the focus on me. That was a flaw that I hated about myself. Pepper was the one who had been hurt the worse. This was about her. Not me, yet I had started crying like a baby, and she was focusing solely on me. I was not doing that again.

  I swallowed hard, straightened my shoulders, and reached for her wrist, wrapping my fingers around it.

  “Let’s drink and put this behind us. Forget Canyon,” I told her. “Unless you want to talk about it. What he did. I’ll listen.”

  I wanted to be the one to comfort her for a change. It seemed our entire friendship, she had been the one protecting me.

  She laughed softly and let go of my chin. “No. That is ancient history. The bastard spent five years in jail. I dare him to come near me. Right now, his life is in danger. There are people who will take him out the moment he steps out of line.”

  I had met one of those people. I shivered, thinking about the man they had called Gage Presley. He had seemed completely unaffected by the idea of taking a life.

  “Let me go pour us a glass, and you can tell me whatever you want to. We don’t have to talk about it if you choose not to, but if it will help, then please talk. Get it out,” she said as she stood up.

  What was there to say? That I had thought I was in love. That he was the first man to treat me as if I was special. I had moved out of my momma’s house only a month before I met him. My first chance at getting to experience life without her hovering and controlling me, and I’d messed up that horrifically.

  I shook my head. “No. I don’t want to talk about him.”

  She nodded. “Okay then. We will drink, and you can tell me what my brother did and said from the moment he walked into the bar and found you. That I need details on.”

  “There isn’t much to tell,” I explained.

  She raised her eyebrows. “Really? Why don’t I believe you? My brother hasn’t seen you since you were a kid. He is a world-class flirt, and you are gorgeous. So, what did my brother say to you?”

  My mood sank even lower. Pepper really saw me in a way no one else did. If only I preferred women and Pepper didn’t love sex with men so much, I’d have a wonderful relationship.

  I shrugged and forced a smile. “He didn’t flirt with me.”

  She frowned before turning and heading to the kitchen. “Either he was being careful, for fear of me, or you didn’t realize you were being flirted with. Either way, it doesn’t matter. He’s not for you. He’s a whore. A lovable whore, but still a whore.” Her voice trailed off as she left the room.

  I sighed and sank back onto the sofa, then stared up at the ceiling. Why was I attracted to men who weren’t for me? Maybe Momma was right, and I needed to go on a date with Baker Gilham. He was a nice man. He had a steady job, and he always complimented me. He wasn’t wild or dangerous. He also wasn’t sexy, but then it didn’t seem like I attracted that kind of man.

  “I don’t normally like bubbly, but this is pretty damn good,” Pepper said, interrupting my thoughts as she entered the living room again, carrying two wineglasses full of prosecco.

  I straightened up from my slouched position and reached out to take a glass from her. “Thank you,” I told her.

  She took the seat beside me, then drank from her glass.

  “Do you think Micah is actually planning on staying here?” I asked her, hoping he had been exaggerating.

  She nodded. “Yes. And you’re going to let him. Canyon is dangerous, Dolly. You need protection. If he decides that you are some sort of leverage, then he could take you. This time, it wouldn’t be the guy you thought you knew. It would be the real man. He’d use you to get what he wanted out of Micah and the rest of The Judgment. Which I assume is revenge for the five years he spent behind bars.”

  I looked down at the sofa we were sitting on and couldn’t imagine Micah fitting on this very comfortably. I hadn’t bought it with the idea of guests sleeping on it. I had found it at a consignment store on sale and fallen in love with it. The small size was perfect for my space and me. Not for a man Micah’s size to sleep on.

  Before I could voice my opinion, there was a knock on my door. I set my glass down and stood up just as Pepper did the same. She reached out and grabbed my arm.

  “It’s a little too soon for Micah to be back,” she whispered.

  I looked back at the door. “I can just look through the peephole,” I told her.

  She was scowling at the door as if it had personally offended her. There was another knock then.

  “Dolly?” the young male voice called out.

  I pulled my arm free of Pepper’s grip, and she released me.

  “It’s Jeremy,” I told her.

  She nodded, recognizing the voice. Glad she wasn’t going to argue with me over this, I went to the door and opened it up. Although Jeremy was only eleven years old, he was still eye level with me. He’d had a growth spurt this summer and grown three inches.

  “Dolly.” He beamed at me. “I came by earlier with my art stuff, and you weren’t here. I got worried.”

  I stepped back to let him inside. “I’m sorry. I ran a little late. Pepper is here, visiting,” I told him. “Come on in, and I’ll get you a chocolate milk. When’s that assignment due again?”

  He walked inside and nodded at Pepper before turning his attention back to me. “Not until next Wednesday. It’s okay. We can work on it tomorrow.”

  The hopefulness in his voice tugged at my heart. He was needy for attention, and I seemed to be the only person who gave him any.

  “Of course,” I told him. “I don’t have classes tomorrow, but I do work from nine until five. I got to fill in for someone. But I can make my homemade pizza for dinner.” I knew that was his favorite, and unless he ate with me or Mrs. Mildred, he didn’t get a hot meal.

  He nodded, grinning brightly at me. “Yeah, that sounds awesome.”

  “School started back last week, right?” Pepper asked.

  Jeremy nodded.

  “And they’re already giving you art projects? Geesh, that’s a little harsh,” she replied.

  I agreed with her, but I hadn’t said that to Jeremy. He already hated school. I was trying to help him find a love for learning. I wanted him to do well and one day make a life for himself out of this one. His father was an alcoholic, and his mom had run off three years ago. Since moving in next door to them, more than once, I had taken his dirty clothes and washed them. His father didn’t seem to think about his kid needing clean clothing and food.

  “Why is the door standing open?” Micah barked as his form filled the doorway.

  My gaze snapped up to his, and I inhaled sharply. I wanted to be annoyed with his question, but when he stood there, in all his Adonis-like beauty, it was very difficult to breathe properly.

  “Because Dolly has a visitor,” Pepper replied, clearly not affected by her brother’s appearance. Her tone suggested she’d like to hit him. “Jeremy, meet my brother, Micah. Micah, this is Dolly’s neighbor Jeremy.”

  Micah dropped his gaze to the boy and nodded. “The art project,” he replied. “Dolly isn’t up for projects tonight. She’s had a long day.” He walked past Jeremy with a brown paper sack in his hand and set it down on the coffee table.

  “Jeremy was stopping by to check on Dolly,” Pepper told her brother through clenched teeth.

  Micah glanced back at me, then to Jeremy and smirked. “Yeah, I bet. Smart kid.”

  Not completely sure what he meant by that, I decided getting Jeremy out of here before Micah said something inappropriate around young ears was the best thing to do. I turned my attention back to Jeremy, who was scowling openly at Micah.