And somehow he just knew this all tied in together. “You can show it to me later before we start work. And speaking of work—I meant to ask you about that phone call you got last night.” He said it casually while taking in every nuance of her expression. “Just a customer?”

If she said yes, he’d know she was lying. And then what? He wanted her to trust him—and he wanted to be able to trust in return.

He literally saw her gird herself. “It was no one.”

“No one important, you mean?”

“I mean I answered, but there wasn’t anyone there.” Keeping the sheet tucked in around her bare legs, she sat up. “How is your back? Do you need help into the bathroom?”

No way would he let her start babying him. He believed her about the call, but she had a suspicion about who it might’ve been. He wanted to know it all.

Rowdy reached for her—and a knock sounded on his door.

They both went still.

“Company?” she whispered.

“Hell, I don’t know.” Very few people knew he lived here. “A few of the women in the building have been coming by to borrow stuff. Could be one of them.”

Avery’s shoulders bunched up. “Seriously?”

With an effort, he sat up, too. Jesus, the skin of his back pulled and burned and his muscles tried to cramp. He rubbed his bristly jaw and thought how nice a hot shower would feel—especially if he could get Avery to join him.

The knock sounded again.

“I thought you said no other women had been here?”

“They haven’t.” He watched her leave the bed and mourned the lost moment. “I don’t let them past the door.”

As she shoved her legs into her jeans, she said with suggested menace, “Want me to get it for you?”

If she wanted to scare off his neighbors, well, hey, it’d give her something to do besides pamper him. “Sure, thanks. Just tell whoever it is to get lost.”

“What if it’s something important?” She lifted the hem of the big T-shirt long enough to fasten the snap on her jeans.

That small peek of her belly made him reconsider the idea of getting pampered. Maybe he could say he needed help in the shower, which, judging how he felt right now, wouldn’t be a stretch. “If it’s Reese or Logan, let him in.” One of them could have word on Marcus.

“And if it’s one of your pushy neighbors?”

He grinned at her challenge. “Tell her whatever you want.”

“Fine. I will.” Barefoot, the T-shirt swallowing her small frame, Avery marched across the floor and up to the landing. She opened the locks and pulled the door just wide enough to say, “Hello.”

Rowdy sat on the side bed and gingerly flexed his shoulders. Yeah, he needed something, but he didn’t want any mind-blurring pain meds like what the doc had prescribed. Now that he had Avery hanging around, he had to stay on his toes.

He didn’t hear the voice of the visitor, but he assumed it was a woman when Avery said, “Yes, he lives here, but he’s not up to visiting.”

Pushing to his feet, Rowdy tried to stay quiet until Avery got rid of the unwanted guest. He pulled the sheet around his waist and finger combed his hair away from his face.

Avery said, “I’m his bartender, that’s who I am.”

He smiled at her bossy tone. Cute. On another woman he might not have thought so, but on Avery, he liked this take-charge persona.

Hell, he liked everything about her.

Barring the door, Avery nodded and replied to something he couldn’t hear. “As a matter of fact, I do speak for him. He specifically told me to—”

She ended on a gasp when the door swung open hard and Pepper came shoving her way through.

Oh, shit.

“Rowdy!”

Avery had the good sense to get out of his sister’s way when she forged down the steps and into the living area.

Rowdy took one look at her face and started forward, the aching in his back forgotten. “What’s the matter? What’s wrong?”

Long blond hair hanging free, her eyes red, Pepper spotted him and strode forward. “You were hurt, that’s what!” She opened her arms.

He braced for her impact, but Avery said, “His back.”

Catching herself, Pepper drew up short.

Instead of slamming into him headlong, she ducked around behind him, then gasped so loud he felt it on the back of his neck.

“Oh, my God.” Her hands muffled the appalled words.

“It’s not that bad.”

She stopped him from turning. “Rowdy?” Her fingertips touched his shoulder near a very old scar, and almost stopped his heart.

Locking eyes with Avery, he jerked the sheet up and over his shoulders so Pepper couldn’t see a thing. For most of their lives, he’d managed to insulate Pepper from the worst of his parents’ anger. She didn’t know half of what they’d done—and he very much wanted it to stay at that way.

* * *

AVERY’S LIPS PARTED as if she suddenly understood. She shot forward. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize you were his sister.”

Ignoring her, Pepper tugged at the sheet. “I stayed away as long as I could, but God, Rowdy, it wasn’t easy.”

“Stop that.” Shrugging the sheet into place, Rowdy stepped away and turned to tower over her. “It’s fine, kiddo. Quit fussing.”

Avery gave an exaggerated roll of her eyes, no doubt for Pepper’s benefit. “He really does rebel against any coddling at all.” She leaned in as if confiding a secret. “He even refused to stop last night to get his prescribed meds. We came straight back here.”