Legend (Arizona Vengeance 3)

She answers on the third ring, voice hoarse but alarmed because I’m calling so late. “Are you okay?”

“I’m on my front porch,” I tell her wearily. “Would you come stay the night?”

Pepper doesn’t question me. She can hear it in my voice. She merely says, “I’m on my way.”

I disconnect the call and wait for her to come.Chapter 20LegendIt’s an incredibly nice day for mid-January. It’s almost noon and it looks like the temperature might hit seventy. As I drive through my neighborhood, I note people out working in their yards or washing their cars or strolling the sidewalks.

I just had a short team skate and workout, and rather than run on the treadmill, I did five miles outside. A shower and drive home, and I’m thinking about taking Charlie to the park or something. Not that she can do anything, but we can walk around and soak in the sunshine. I know I can talk Pepper into stepping away from her drafting board for an hour to go with me.

This is the week that she and I have settled into our relationship. She came over when I needed her after Lance’s death. She was my cheerleader even when I was away in California for a two-game trip there, texting and calling with encouragement. She eased my fears about letting Lucy stay with Charlie during this away trip, knowing she was close by.

And the orgasms.

Whether we were together or dirty FaceTiming each other, there were orgasms and they just get better and better.

Pepper came to my home game yesterday against the Dallas Mustangs while Lucy stayed home with Charlie. It was almost like a date night because it was about my girlfriend coming to the arena with my jersey on her back and cheering for me so loudly, her voice was almost gone when I saw her after the game.

As I approach my driveway, I do a double take as I see what is sitting in my front yard. Just inside the bend of my walkway as it curves toward my front porch are three ceramic pigs.

Three pink pigs.

And I’m not talking small yard ornaments like Pepper’s little garden gnomes. The largest pig stands about two feet tall, the next pig slightly smaller, and the third pig maybe a foot off the ground. The tops of the pig’s backs are hollowed out and meant to be flower planters.

And that’s exactly what is inside each one. Flowing posies of pink, white, and purple that drip down the pigs’ sides.

When I pull into the driveway, my eyes catch sight of Pepper sitting on my front porch and looking at me with a shit-eating grin on her face. Lucy’s sitting next to her holding Charlie, who is holding a pacifier in her hand. She doesn’t keep them in her mouth and doesn’t seem to want one to soothe, but she likes waving them around.

I open the garage door and pull my Tahoe in. I don’t close it and enter the house through the mudroom door but head straight back out and to the front porch.

Pointing a finger at the pigs, I direct my question only to Pepper. “What in the hell is that?”

“Flower planters,” she says matter of factly. “And I think they look fabulous.”

“They look pink,” I grumble.

“They add pizazz to your drab abode,” she counters.

I study her for a moment, before shooting a glance at Lucy. She’s got her head dropped, cooing at Charlie, but I can see the grin on her face that she’s enjoying this.

My attention goes back to Pepper. “You want the palm of my hand, don’t you?”

I get what I want. Pepper’s face flames crimson that I’d make a sexual joke in front of Lucy. It’s not that Lucy doesn’t know we’re sleeping together, because she totally figured that out a while ago, but she doesn’t know that there’s ass slapping going on behind closed doors.

Or, well…she didn’t know until now.

Pepper catches me off guard by pushing up from her seat and walking up to me. She puts her hands on my hips and gazes up at me. “I knew these would amuse you, and I wanted to cheer you up today. But I’m happy to move them over to my yard.”

She wanted to cheer me up.

Because today is Lance’s funeral and I can’t be there. None of us can because we were playing a game yesterday, and we have one tomorrow. Dax got permission from management to stay in New York this week because he had to handle some things for Lance’s estate, but he’s catching a late flight back tonight. I’ve talked to him a few times but he’s been weirdly distant and vague when I ask him how things are going. I figure this is hitting him really hard.

I slide my hand to the back of Pepper’s neck, loving the feel of her soft skin on my palm and her short hair tickling the back of my hand. I bend toward her and brush my lips against hers. “That is a very sweet gesture and I am indeed amused.”