Legend (Arizona Vengeance 3)

Bounding up her steps, I tuck my phone in my back pocket and rap sharply on her door.

And then she’s there, smiling at me and f-u-u-u-c-k, looking way too pretty and sexy in a pair of well-fitted jeans and a slouchy, lightweight sweater. She wears no makeup that I can discern and looks fresh and young, although Dax had told me the other night that she’s actually two years older than I am.

She doesn’t look it one fucking bit.

“Hey,” she says with a warm smile and steps back from her doorway in a silent invitation for me to enter.

I’m slightly surprised by her apparent happiness to see me. I broke that fabulous fucking kiss off last Friday night without any real explanation to her. I expect she thought I was just out of sorts, but still…I don’t think most women take kindly to that type of brush off.

Except…Pepper isn’t “most women.”

She’s incredibly unique unto her own.

I take in her living room and have no doubt about what I just interrupted. Her coffee table is pushed across the room and sits flush up against her fireplace. There’re shopping bags stacked along the couch and in the middle of her floor are several rolls of Christmas wrapping paper, dispensers of tape, a box of bows and a pair of scissors.

I turn to face her. “Sorry for just barging in like this.”

She shrugs and the motion sets the large gold hoop earrings in her ears to swinging. That in turn leads me to look at her slender neck, laid bare by the fact she wears her hair so damn short. “I was just getting a head start on wrapping up some presents for the family.”

Pepper stares at me expectantly, shoving her hands into the front pockets of her jeans and rocking back and forth on her bare feet. It’s a clear indication that the ball is in my court to explain my presence.

“Um…yeah,” I say after a short cough to clear my throat. “I just got a call from Louise Mankle.”

“Oh,” Pepper murmurs and her eyes go wide, and her voice is louder as she repeats, “Oh.”

I nod with a wan smile. “Yeah…paternity test is back and the baby is mine.”

“Oh, wow,” she says softly and her head tilts as she smiles at me with a mixture of empathy and happiness. “You’re a daddy.”

“And,” I drawl as I give her what I hope is an endearingly charming smile, “I have a lot of shit I have to get done today. They’re going to turn custody over to me tomorrow, and well…I was hoping you might be willing to help me go buy all the stuff I’m going to need.”

Pepper’s eyes light up and her lips pull back to reveal a stunning smile. “I’d love to.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” she affirms as she turns and bends over the arm of the couch, coming back up with a pair of Adidas tennis shoes in her hand. She plops down onto the cushion and starts to put them on. “Do you have a list of what you need?”

“Not exactly,” I admit to her. “But I did read a book about how to care for infants while I was on the road trip this week.”

Pepper’s head pops up for a brief grin before she looks back down to her laces. “There’s a pad and pen on the kitchen counter. Grab it and let’s get a list going.”

By the time I return, she’s got both shoes on and is pushing gift bags out of the way to make room for me to sit next to her on the couch. I traverse around the rolls of wrapping paper—making a mental note that I better start thinking of getting my own Christmas shopping done—and drop down beside her.

My hip comes to rest against hers and I immediately know it’s too close for my own comfort, but fuck if I’m moving either.

She leans against me and nods at the notepad, reciting items off the top of her head. “Diapers, bottles, formula, clothing, crib, linens, baby shampoo, a wash tub, a monitor—”

“Whoa,” I say with a laugh, furiously scribbling to keep up with her. She rattles more things off like toys, a thermometer, baby Tylenol, a car seat, a diaper bag, and hand sanitizer.

As I’m finishing up noting the last item, her hand reaches over and comes to rest on my arm. The feel of her skin against mine is way too nice and I know I’m not going to be able to keep Pepper in that little box for very long.

I slowly turn to look at her, and my chest thumps to find her eyes swimming with concern. “How are you doing with this? I got swept up in the excitement of a baby, but this has got to be incredibly stressful to you.”