"That she is." Denver drew out a chair and straddled it, bracing his arms along the back, the water bottle held loosely in one hand, the towel flung over his shoulder. "He'll fight again and he knows it. But I'm going to miss their verbal sparring."

"They set sparks off each other," Cannon told her. "Pretty d.a.m.n amusing most of the time."

"So, uh..." Denver again drank from the bottle, finishing it off. "Cherry is in j.a.pan with Merissa?"

d.a.m.n it. He didn't want Yvette to know his house was empty, making it the perfect place for him to stay. Too late now, though. But before he gave it all away, he shot Denver a look. "Why are you asking?"

"No reason."

"Try again."

Going oddly defensive, Denver grumbled, "Just curious, okay?"

Yvette looked back and forth between them.

"Cherry lives with my sister," Cannon reminded him quietly.

"Yeah, no s.h.i.t. It's not a secret."

"No, but if you're sniffing around Cherry, then it becomes my business."

Denver pushed back his chair. "It was a simple question, Saint. No reason to get all p.i.s.sy about it."

Cannon stood, too. d.a.m.n it, Denver wanted to hook up with Cherry. He scowled. "Have you hit on her yet?"

"Cherry isn't your sister, so back off."

"This brings us full circle, since Cherry is living with my sister."

"So what, man? It's not like I plan to stage a d.a.m.ned orgy with your sister as the audience."

Hearing the word orgy in the same sentence with his sister made Cannon rigid from his eyebrows down to his ankles. "You-"

Suddenly Armie was there, hauled in by Yvette.

Both Denver and Cannon stared at them.

"Yeah," Armie said, patting Yvette's hand on his arm. "I was fetched to referee so you two big dopes wouldn't maim each other in front of the lady."

Yvette looked uneasy but determined.

Forcing himself to relax, Cannon looked at Yvette. "You thought we'd come to blows?"

She tugged un.o.btrusively at the hand Armie continued to hold in the crook of his arm. "I wasn't sure."

Seeing Yvette's unease, Cannon transferred his gaze to Armie. "You can let her go now."

Grinning, Armie did just that, but then said, "You," pointing at Denver, "keep your romantic pursuits to yourself."

Cannon started to speak, but Armie pointed at him next.

"And you. Christ, man, your sister isn't a baby." Before Cannon could reply, he said, "And Denver isn't Chester the Molester."

"Thank you," Denver said in a ridiculously snooty voice.

"No, but I know him. I know all of you."

"So?" Denver asked.

"So I know how you think-and I know what you want."

Yvette's foot began to tap. "What? What does he want?"

Her tone didn't bode well for anyone. "Let's just say it isn't romance."

"So?"

"So women like to be romanced."

Rolling her eyes, Yvette said, "Some do. Some don't. Maybe Cherry would enjoy-" a red flush rose up her face, but she finished with "-whatever it is Denver has planned."

"Jesus," Denver said. "Does everyone think I'm planning perverted s.h.i.t or what?"

"Nothing wrong with a little perversion," Armie cut in. "But the main thing here is that Denver is a trustworthy guy. h.e.l.l, Cannon, I'd think you'd like having someone like him hanging around the place, given two girls live there all alone."

"Women," Yvette interjected into the tense room.

All eyes went to her.

Her foot stopped tapping and she said again, "They're women, not girls."

"Thank you, Gloria Steinem." Armie skewered each of the guys with his scowl. "Is my work here done?"

"I wasn't going to maim him," Cannon told Yvette.

Denver snorted. "No, he definitely wasn't."

Their gazes clashed again.

"I'm not quite as radical as Gloria," Yvette said a little loud and way too fast, and her efforts to distract became perfectly clear to one and all. "But they are women, not girls."

Dropping his head, Armie laughed.

Yvette propped her hands on her hips. "Well, how would you like it if I called you guys boys?"

"Doesn't matter to me," Denver said.

Cannon shrugged. "Who cares?"

"See?" Armie told her. "No biggie."

"Yeah, well, everyone knows guys are dense." Irritation had her pivoting around and stalking out of the break room.

"I think she's getting away," Armie told Cannon, staring after her.

"I drove," Cannon explained. "She won't get far." And then to Denver, "Armie's right. I don't have any personal objections against you."

Denver threw up his hands. "Great. So I'm cleared for landing?"

"Not entirely, no."

Armie barked a laugh, but Denver groused.

"Go after Cherry if you want-but only if you're serious about her."

"How the h.e.l.l would I know if I was serious when we haven't even had a private conversation yet?"

"You know what I mean." Cannon wanted no misunderstandings. "She's living with Rissy, so if you're just looking to get laid, look elsewhere. Cherry's off the list for one-night stands."

Denver gave a careless lift of one shoulder that didn't fool anyone. "I'm okay with that if she is."

"Like Yvette said," Armie chimed in, "Cherry might only want one night with him."

Now they were just baiting him. Cannon didn't give them the satisfaction of reacting to that. "Just keep things respectable around my sister."

Denver wanted to protest again, but Cannon turned on Armie. "My turn now."

Armie tried to make a strategic retreat. "Sorry, dude. Gotta get back to-"

Cannon stepped around in front of him, blocking him with his body.

"Fine," Armie groused, and then, "What?"

"You tell me."

"No idea what you're talking about."

"The h.e.l.l you don't. Something's going on, and I have a feeling it might have something to do with my sister and Cherry living alone."

Armie stared him in the eye. "That was just random concern."

"You are so full of it."

Eyes narrowed, Armie leaned into him. "Why don't you change into some shorts and we can work it out on the mat?"

Both men were surprised when Yvette suddenly returned and somehow wiggled between them. Cannon's only complaint with her tactic was that she faced Armie.

"He can't, sorry," Yvette said, a little breathlessly given that Cannon touched all along her back.

"No?" Armie didn't back up at all, so Cannon had no doubt they did a little touching around front, too. "Why not?"

Yvette squared her shoulders. "He has to drive me to the p.a.w.nshop."

"Aw, now, doll, you're stealing my thunder."

Gently, hands flat to Armie's bare chest, Yvette backed him off. "Not now, okay?"

Cannon stared down at the top of her head. "Yvette?"

Without glancing back at him, she asked, "Hmm?"

"Are you protecting me?" And with exaggerated disdain, "From Armie?"

Cannon knew she couldn't miss the fat smiles Armie and Denver wore, but she had no clue she'd literally gained the attention of the entire gym until she turned and found everyone watching.

Her face went hot. "No," she whispered low. "Of course not."

"It's unnecessary, you know."

She went all prim and proper. "Well, of course two grown men wouldn't get into an actual altercation over something so silly."

"Yeah," Armie said. "So silly."

Rolling his eyes, Cannon put an arm around her shoulders and anch.o.r.ed her close as he spoke to Armie. "You going with us tonight?"

Armie nodded. "h.e.l.l, yeah."

"Good." He gave a smile that was only partly friendly. "We'll finish our conversation then." Taking Yvette with him, he headed out.

"Oh, G.o.d," she said, seeing everyone still staring at her. "It's like walking the gauntlet."

"Smile," Cannon advised. "It'll confuse them."

To his surprise, she did. She even waved.

And every guy in the place waved back.

theY reaChed the p.a.w.nshop only twenty minutes later. With every mile they pa.s.sed, Yvette's uneasiness grew. A vicious crime had overshadowed all her wonderful memories of working with her grandpa there, and she hated that.

Was it possible to reclaim the good memories? To use them to snuff out the ugliness that had taken place at the hands of madmen?

"You okay?"

Cannon was such a rock that in comparison she felt like a complete wuss.

So she lied.

"Of course." Her smile might not have been as bright as she intended, but she got it out there. "Can I ask you something?"