Legend (Arizona Vengeance 3)

Which brings my focus back to my next worrisome issue on my plate.

The fact that I’ve been obsessing about the woman for far too long, and that kiss has only made it worse.

Just as Dax doesn’t pull punches, neither do I. I also don’t feel like poking gently around the edges, so I flat out ask him, “What’s the deal with you and her?”

There’s no describing my relief when he says, “We’re just friends.”

Still, that’s a bit hard to accept. Dax is a ladies’ man. He doesn’t have female friends, only fucks. “Come on…just friends?”

He shrugs nonchalantly. “I made a move on her the first time we went out. She shut it down. I think she might be gay, but she is a lot of fun to hang with. She put me in the friend zone and there I’m staying.”

I’m skeptical. “She’s not gay,” I tell him.

This time only one eyebrow goes up. “Oh, yeah…how do you know that?”

I take a sip of my beer and when I lower it back down, I tell him. “Because she kissed me Friday night.”

I watch Dax like a hawk. He throws his feet off the end of the bed, leans forward in his chair, and with an incredulous but interested expression on his face, he replies, “No fucking way. Are you serious?”

“Dead serious,” I tell him. “But I stopped it because I wasn’t sure where you two stood.”

“Friend zone, dude,” he assures me and settles back into his chair. He shoots me an appraising smile. “She’s really cool, Legend. I can totally see you two together.”

My head shaking in the negative, I correct him. “Not looking for a girlfriend, Dax. Got plenty of other things to worry about.”

“Then just fuck her,” he says with a shrug, and that confirms he’s really not interested in her. But it also pisses me off that he’s so cavalier about me using her, especially since he’s supposedly her friend.

“That’s kind of a douchey thing to say about your friend,” I growl.

“Awwww,” he says with a laugh. “Look who’s already being protective of Pepper. You’re totally into her.”

“Am not,” I mutter.

But I am.

“Look,” Dax says as he waves his beer bottle at me. “Pepper is an amazing person. And it looks like you could use a supportive someone if this baby turns out to be yours. So just don’t have any expectations. Fuck her or not, doesn’t bother me a bit. You’re both my friends and consenting adults. But worst-case scenario, you’ve got a new friend and as someone that is currently her friend, I can tell you that you won’t regret making that connection.”

I stare at him thoughtfully. He makes sense, although if I’m still being honest with myself, I absolutely want to fuck her. She stars in way too many fantasies already that I doubt I’d be able to keep my hands off her in close proximity. Most of my Pepper fantasies involve me being pissed with her about something, we argue, then we have awesome angry sex.

“Last piece of advice,” Dax butts into my inner musings. “Stop being a dick to her about her house and her artsy-fartsy ways. That’s part of who she is and she’s not going to change, so just learn to live with it.”

I snort and take another sip of my beer. I’d decided not to be annoyed by the garish house next door to me the minute its owner drove me to the hospital. I decided I could potentially be charmed by it when she laid her mouth on me.

“That’s not going to be a problem,” I assure Dax and drain the rest of my beer.Chapter 5LegendI disconnect from the call and tap my phone lightly on my chin. I’m far more calm than I have a right to be, but I spent a lot of time this week shoring up my mind-set.

My game play improved and I had a shutout against Minneapolis two days after the Detroit game. I’d made plans in case the baby was mine, including meetings with three agencies that provide nanny services. I even downloaded and read a book on how to care for infants.

Last, I was able to box up Pepper Nantais and stick her in a very far corner of my mind. I was fairly successful in keeping her there, except I let her come out to play a few times—in the shower or late at night before I drifted off to sleep.

Hand on my cock and imagining it was her beautiful, sensuous mouth.

Total fucking pervert, but I can’t let myself think about her in any other way right now. Not enough room to give her the attention a woman such as her deserves.

Best to keep her in the friend category.

Which is exactly what I need right now.

I head out of my house, turn left as I hop down the last porch step and cut straight across my driveway to Pepper’s property. The yard gnome that guards the end of her sidewalk—in his denim jeans, scruffy boots, overlarge jacket, grizzled beard, and jaunty hat—doesn’t even offend me.