"We might have a problem," Alex said. He pulled his car over about fifty yards down the driveway from the mansion. He'd taken off his false glasses and once again his dark hair shagged loosely around his face. The clock on the dash read eleven plus change.
"Oh, no. Mother's party." Piper's stomach dropped about two stories. Ahead of them, the house glittered in a blaze of lights, cars clustered thickly around it like anxious suitors hoping to claim the next dance.
"That's Franklin Harrington the Third's chauffeur sneaking a smoke by the Mercedes." She peered through the darkness. "I take it back. That should be his chauffeur. Looks like a substitute."
"Who's Franklin Harrington the Third?"
"One of Mother's top picks for me." She scanned the collection of impressive cars and limos. "According to her, a socially perfect husband."
Alex raised a brow. "Seriously?"
"It's not polite to mock the tortured."
"Why would she push men on you? As far as she knows you're actually engaged."
"As far as Mother's concerned, until after the honeymoon the field's wide open. She doesn't approve of you."
"A deceptively sensible woman."
Piper twisted around and gave Alex a hard look. "I'm going to your house."
"Not that again."
"I can't go in there looking like this. There'll be questions I can't answer, and tomorrow the speculation about it will be all over town." She crossed her arms and faced the front of the car.
He stared at her a moment. Then without a word of argument, he backed the car out from under the trees and headed toward the mansion's entrance.
She didn't know whether to feel triumphant, or suspicious.
* * *
Alex knew that the best way to mellow a woman out besides sleeping with her was to feed her. And since sex with Piper was guaranteed to be a disastrous distraction, pastries were his best weapon at hand.
"Why won't you tell me what you were doing at Wesley's?" she asked as he pulled onto I-45.
She'd been poking at him about that the whole way to her house and the question was getting harder to dodge. Once Piper latched onto an idea, she was like a pit bull with a ten pound steak. Maybe it was time to throw her some hamburger.
"I'm an amateur PI, remember? I was amateur PI-ing."
"You seemed unusually professional to me. Are you a cop?"
Her question and the discernment behind it surprised him. "I've worked with them before," he said, deciding not to completely lie. "I helped bust up a child prostitution ring in New York, once." He remembered the shaved head, fake tattoo and colored contacts he'd worn for that job. Even more satisfying was seeing the bastards taken off to prison.
She seemed to accept his explanation and relaxed against the seat. If he'd known it would be that easy, he would have taken that line a half hour ago.
"You're fired, by the way," she said.
An unexpected aching lurch hit his chest at the idea of never seeing Piper again. He squashed the feeling and forced himself to focus. "Run that by me, again?"
"Wesley's cousin works for the company that upgraded our security system," Piper said. "He must have figured out how to disconnect some of the sensors without alerting the central office. When Wesley started working with him, he decided to take advantage of it to get revenge on me. Which is totally stupid since I didn't have anything to do with Tanesa divorcing him. The police will find the evidence in the shed and they'll arrest him."
"Easy as that, huh?"
"My stalker's probably already behind bars. The job's over." She sounded enormously pleased with herself. "So I guess you're not actually fired. Just unemployed."
"Talking to you is like riding a Ferris Wheel a hundred times. Why are you going home with me, again?"
"Franklin—"
"Harrington the Third. Right. Give me the real reason."
"You've never met him. He spits when he talks." She shuddered.
"You think I'll sleep with you now that the job's over, don't you?"
She tried to look nonchalant. "That never crossed my mind."
Alex pulled off the highway and turned right at the stop. The longer he was around this fascinating, crazy woman, the more he liked her. Worse, he was starting to wish he never had to lie to her and could be completely himself so their relationship could go somewhere.
A very dangerous way to think.
"How do you feel about the best coffee and donuts this side of the city?" he asked, tossing her one of his signature devil-may-care smiles.
Piper seemed stunned by the smile for a moment. She quickly recovered and gifted him with a suspicious squint. "I guess I'd love them. Why?"
"Because we're about to stuff ourselves silly, and then I'm taking you home. No argument allowed."
And let Spitty the Third deal with the fallout, he thought.
* * *
Piper crumpled up the empty donut bag and stuffed it into the car's trash container. "Creeping up like this, you'll be lucky if Lina doesn't shoot you on sight," she commented. Plying her with food had done nothing to minimize her frustration with him, and she made no attempt to keep her displeasure from her voice.
Alex gave an amused sounding snort and continued down the side drive with his lights off. The trees were thick and wild on this part of the property, the better to hide the service entrance, she supposed.
"I'd worry that your bad mood meant you didn't like your donuts," he commented. "Since you scarfed down six of the ones with icing and sprinkles, I've written that off as a possibility."
"You know why I'm angry."
"I'm not taking you to the ranch." He parked beside Lina's Prius and got out. Walking around to her side of the car, he opened the door and held out his hand.
She gave him a sour look.
"You're not going to make me drag you out of there, are you?"
"Fine."
"That's the spirit."
Piper draped her heavy purse over his forearm and got out of the car without help. If he thought she was going to touch his hand and be subjected to another intriguing zing of energy, he was sadly mistaken.
Blasted man. How could he not realize what a great time they'd have together?
"I've never had so much trouble getting a guy to sleep with me," she complained as she led him past a narrow garden that looked like it had been transported straight from England. Now that she thought about it, that's exactly what Mother had done.
"It would mess us up and you know it," Alex said behind her.
She stopped punching the code into the lock panel on the service door and spun around to face him. "How are two people acting on their attraction a mess up?"
"Because tomorrow we might still be working together. It would be awkward."
"The day after sex is only awkward when a person convinces themselves it meant something explosive and earth-shattering. You obviously haven't slept with enough women."
"I'd rather err on the side of caution."
A sly smile pulled at her mouth and she leaned into his chest. "I'd rather err with you."
Alex gripped her shoulders and eased her away. "No."
She narrowed her eyes at him as an outrageous possibility hit her like a cold shower. "Are you a virgin?"
His eyebrows shot up and he let go of her like she'd burned his hands. "What?"
"Is that what this is really about?"
"Not relevant."
"You don't kiss like one, but that's not a decisive clue."
"Did you slip something into your coffee at the bakery, or are you always this ridiculous at one in the morning?"
Her face heated. She did not need this kind of rejection from an inexperienced moron who didn't know a good thing when he saw one.
She turned her back on him. "If I had, I would have slipped it into your coffee. You could use some loosening up."
The keypad had timed out, so she quickly re-entered her code. The sooner she got away from Alex, the better.
"Good night, virgin," she said as she pressed in the last number. Danni wasn't the only one who could make an exit.
"For the love of—"
The door swung open unexpectedly just as Piper opened it and she nearly fell in on top of Lina. The older woman side-stepped the collision, her sharp gaze raking over them. Somehow she managed to combine disapproval and triumph all in the same scowl.
"I heard the arguing. Mrs. Roseland will be glad to know the engagement is off," Lina said, a pompous edge in her voice.
Nosy old witch. Piper reached behind her and latched onto Alex's wrist before he could get away. "The engagement is not off," she answered just as snootily. "We were just having trouble with the lock."
"Don't lie to me. I heard everything. Any man who looks like him and pretends to be inexperienced is only after your money. You should dump him."
"I'm not after her—" Alex sputtered. "What is wrong with you people?"
"Inexperienced?" Piper let out a huff of disbelief. "For your information, he's an excellent lover. The best I've ever had."
She lifted her chin higher and marched past the housekeeper with Alex in tow. Thank God he didn't make a fuss about it, though she doubted the truce would last. "In fact, please leave a note telling Victoria that we'll be having breakfast in my room."
When she reached the hall to the kitchen, she gave Lina a haughty glance over her shoulder. "If the door's locked, tell her to make it dinner."
* * *
"I'm not spending the night in your bedroom," Alex whispered. He had his limits, for God's sake.
She hauled him past sparkling clean marble counter tops, state-of-the-art appliances, and a spacious dark wood table with six chairs pushed in around it. He wondered why Mrs. Roseland even bothered to have a table in the kitchen. She hadn't struck him as the type who would eat in such a humble room or stand around the counter like his family had.
"Considering your annoying and diligent rejection of me, you have no worries in that department." She scrunched her nose in disapproval. "Just put on your acting hat and be my fiancé for the next twelve hours, and we're good."
Slipping past the end of the counter, she headed for what looked like a closet door.
"It's not that I don't find you attractive—"
"Shut up, Alex. And don't you dare say, 'I just want to be friends.'" Piper opened the door, revealing a narrow staircase. Without a pause, she headed up it, dragging him behind her.
"I wasn't going to." Not now, anyway.
If she only knew how jacked up her touch on his wrist made him, she wouldn't be concerned about her sex appeal. Instead, she'd be worried about getting the door shut before he jumped her right there on the stairs.
Alex made a valiant effort to stop looking at her ass and the way her caramel-blonde hair bounced when she walked. His mouth watered at the enticing glimpses of the back of her neck. He ignored that too. Sort of.
At the top of the stairs, Piper stalked down a long hall, pulling him past a large home theater designed to look like it came straight out of the 1940's. She then took a sharp right that dumped them directly into a luxuriously appointed living room. A small room for this house. Maybe twenty by fifteen, he'd guess.
She let go of his wrist and doubled back to shut and lock the door behind him. Leaning against it, she released a long, relieved sigh.
Alex swept his gaze around the room, automatically cataloging details. An unsurprising turquoise, white and chrome decor dominated the modern furnishings. A spacious bathroom with a huge Jacuzzi tub opened to the left, to the right a set of French doors that led to a luxury bedroom and across from him a matching set framed a balcony that overlooked the pool in the back.
The suite was a perfect reflection of Piper—fresh, high-end, and so beyond his world he might as well be standing on the moon.
"I'll take the couch," he said. He took off his jacket and tossed it onto a chair, glad he'd left his shoulder holster in the truck. The idea of Piper with access to a weapon sent cold chills down his spine.
She pushed away from the door and dropped her purse to the floor. "She'll be listening," she said in a hushed voice. "We'll have to make this convincing."
He lifted a brow. "If you're talking about sounding like we're making love, forget it."
"Just groan and grunt a lot. I'll do the rest. Come on." Piper headed for the bedroom.
Self preservation insisted that he stay right where he was.
"Are you coming?" she called from the other room.
"Absolutely not."
"Have it your way." The bed gave a soft creak. "Oh, Alex," Piper moaned. She fell back onto the thick, white comforter, her head landing on the side that he could see from the living room. Her eyes were closed, the long column of her neck exposed like a sleek, smooth banquet.
She let out another long moan and sweat broke out across his forehead. As he watched, she rolled back and forth, releasing little gasping pants.
His cock grew heavy, aching with the need for her. What was she doing in there?
"Yes, Alex," she gasped.
Jesus. A man could only take so much.
He kicked off his shoes and stalked into the bedroom. Quick impressions washed over him as he stormed toward the bed—the clean, lush lines of a room swirling with turquoise and white; a tall, broad window; a door leading to another bathroom. And Piper lying sprawled across the bed, her eyes shut and her pink, plump mouth slightly open as if in the throws of an orgasm.
His desire spiked at the same time a flash of disappointment flared in his gut. The zipper and snap of her jeans were closed up as tightly as they'd been moments before and her hands lay innocently next to her hips; not at all what he'd pictured. That wasn't going to stop him, though. Not this time.
The bed sagged and bounced as he planted a knee on either side of her hips and braced his hands above her shoulders. Her gaze flew open, surprise and a touch of alarm flashing through her green eyes when she saw him looming over her.
"You want games, Piper? I can give you games," he growled. Before she could protest, Alex crushed her lips with his. He didn't try to be gentle. He wasn't in the mood. Instead, he moved his mouth over hers, demanding and insistent and when her lips parted, he thrust his tongue into her mouth with quick, strong strokes, mimicking the rhythm of what she'd pretended they were doing.
If he was going to be accused of sleeping with her, he damn well wanted the satisfaction of actually doing it.
Piper groaned low in her throat and her hand slid up his waist, brushed across his stomach, and went straight to his throbbing cock. She pressed her palm against him, rubbing up and down through the thin material of his pants. His blood heated, incinerating the last shreds of his patience.
He moved his mouth along her jaw and across the smooth line of her neck to the sweet hollow just above her collar bone. He gave the sensitive spot a gentle bite making her gasp, then soothed it with his tongue.
Leaning to the right, he swept his left hand down the side of her breast and across her ribs before tugging her shirt from the waistband of her jeans. When she didn't protest, he kept going until she was free of it.
Her breasts swelled above her black bra like a sweet promise, igniting the string of imagined scenes that had plagued him since the moment he saw her. For an instant, he wished they had an endless medley of days to play them all out, but that was impossible.
Once the attraction they felt for each other was satisfied and their insane lust gratified, they'd back away from this moment and pretend it had never happened.
As Alex traced a forefinger up the silky skin of her stomach, he swore that he would not lose himself in the lushness of Piper's body. They would enjoy themselves and be done with it, just like she'd said.
With a quick flick of his fingers, he undid the front clasp of her bra and slipped his hand under the material. He reveled for a moment in the firm, soft wonder of Piper's breast in his hand, then pushed the bra aside.
A delicate tan ran across the top of her exposed breast, a mesmerizing contrast to the creamy pale skin below and the dark pink peak. His breath hitched in his throat and the pounding heat in his groin sharpened.
Cupping her, he circled his thumb over the nipple. Her eyes darkened and she arched into his palm.
He gazed down into her, an unfamiliar part of him wanting reassurance. "Is this really what you want, Piper?"
A seductive smile tilted her mouth as yearning flared to life in her eyes. Her nimble hands unbuckled his belt and undid the button on his pants. She pulled his zipper down slowly, the soft scrape of it an agonizing joy.
"What do you think?" she said, pushing his pants open. With the tips of her fingers, she traced the ridge of his cock through his underwear.
The ferocious need to be inside her spread through him and Alex dropped his hips to grind them against her pelvis. "Careful, or this will be over before it's begun," he said, scooting down her body and away from her questing hands.
Lowering his head, he pulled her nipple into his mouth, flicking his tongue across the swollen peak before gently sucking it. She writhed under him, trying to reach the waistband of his underwear.
He shifted away and moved to her other breast. Nudging the material of the bra aside with his chin, he lavished the pink crest with attention, nipping and licking until the nipple stood taunt and swollen.
"Is...that all...you got?" she gasped.
Without stopping his torture, he rolled off of her and undid her jeans.
"You'll have to wait and see," he said slipping his hand under the edge of the stiff denim and pushing it lower down her hips.
He was determined to leave a lasting impression on her. He was a lot of things, but a throwaway, rich girl's boy toy wasn't one of them.
She wiggled out of the jeans and kicked them aside. "Now you," she insisted.
"Not until you're begging for it." He ran his palm lightly across her mound, pressing gently where he knew it would count. The murmur of longing she released gratified and excited him.
He traced the edge of lace on her black panties with a finger, then grazed his palm across the velvety skin on the inside of her thigh. She clamped her legs together, trapping his hand, and with a quick roll, pushed him onto his back. The lithe bounce of movement did interesting things above her waist, while she trapped his hips between her strong thighs.
"You're not the only one with moves," she purred, reaching over to the nightstand drawer and then dropping a condom packet onto the corner of the table.
She gazed down at him triumphantly while she unbuttoned his shirt. He let her, savoring the knowledge of what he had planned.
Her eyes darkened as her gaze swept over his bare chest. She snugged her hips against him, making ripples of hungry tension radiate out from the point of contact. At the same time, she leaned over and slid her tongue across his bottom lip.
Alex clasped his hands behind her back as if embracing her and returned the kiss. When he felt her melt against him, he lifted his hips and before she could even gasp, twisted up and over to pin her underneath him again.
She narrowed her eyes at him, a disapproving frown pulling at her lush little mouth. "I like to be on top."
He grinned down at her. "Some women get all the bad luck."
* * *
A thrill shot through her irritation, but Piper pushed it away. She'd never trusted a lover with control over her, and she wasn't about to start now.
"I'm your boss, remember? I'm in charge," she insisted.
"You fired me." He hooked his thumb under the elastic satin ribbon that served as the side of her panties.
"Then I'm un-firing you. Switch places or leave my underwear right where it is."
"Make me." He gave a sharp tug, snapping the ribbon. Pulling the scrap of lace and silk free, he tossed it to the floor.
A cool breeze whispered across her bare hip, making her feel vulnerable; exposed. She was naked. He wasn't. That was not how this was supposed to play out.
"I've changed my mind," she said, going for as haughty a tone as she could manage under the circumstances. She gave him a light shove on the shoulder. "Get off of me."
Wicked humor made the gold flecks in his eyes seem to glow. He tilted his head forward and pulled her left nipple into his mouth. Another wave of sweet agony rippled across her belly.
She moaned softly as her thoughts faded into an incoherent fog. Her body took over and her shove turned into a caress.
"I promise you'll like me on top," he murmured against the underside of her breast.
Another ripple of heat wove through her. "I...no I won't," she said, struggling to keep her wits about her. Even when she was angry at him that silky bedroom voice of his did things to her.
But no man had ever challenged her in bed like this. They all did exactly what she told them to do, thrilled to be getting any at all, she supposed. But not Alex. He wanted to be the boss. He wanted to make her beg for it.
She wasn't sure what to do about this unexpected rebellion.
He inched backwards, his bare chest sliding over her skin, the edges of his open shirt tickling her waist. His tongue and mouth left a torturous trail of electric heat as he kissed his way down her stomach until he reached her bikini line.
Desperately, she made a grab for his hair, intending to pull him away from what was sure to be the end of her. In a snap of movement, he captured her wrists, one in each hand, and pinned them against the sides of her hips.
"Sometimes it's okay to let go," he said, biting the tender skin just above her curls. He wedged his elbows against her thighs and forced them apart as he slid lower.
Her body quivered with anticipation. She should struggle or kick him, but the truth was, she didn't want to.
"Let go for me, Piper," he growled, pushing her legs wide, spreading her open to him. He nestled into the space he'd made, his strong fingers still wrapped around her wrists.
There was something infinitely exciting about losing control to Alex.
He kissed her swollen flesh and then licked languorously upward. A primitive yearning coiled into a knot deep in her core and she gasped.
On the other hand, if she didn't stop him soon, she wouldn't be able to.
The fire of his tongue slicked over her again and then plunged into her, imitating the other kiss he'd given her moments before.
"Oh, dear God," she moaned as the velvety feelings spiraling through her thickened. Bending her knees, she braced her feet on his shoulders and angled her hips toward him. His tongue swept upward and over her clitoris and she bucked against him, a greedy rapture blossoming from the contact.
He covered the swollen nub with his mouth, suckling it for long torturous seconds before plunging his tongue back into her core. Over and over he tormented her as the hunger for him turned sharp, almost painful; a hard fist of joy deep in her belly.
"Please, Alex," she gasped.
He released her and groped for the packet on the nightstand with one hand, fumbling with his pants with the other.
Pushing up onto his knees, he tore open the foil and rolled the condom over his erection. Seeing him hard and ready for her sent a deep jolt of excitement vibrating through her.
As he moved over her, Piper cupped his face in her hands, tracing the thin scar along his left jaw with her thumb. His cheek muscle flexed against her palms as he slid into her, and his eyes turned dark and hot.
He pressed tightly against her and fissures of pleasure shot out like threads of light through her blood. Pulling out, he plunged home, again, and the dance began.
Her hands slipped to his shoulders. Digging her fingers into the dense bunching of muscles, she held on as the storm built; meeting him thrust for thrust, aching for release
With a sizzling jolt, she clenched around him. Ecstasy burst through her in powerful waves that stole her breath.
Piper writhed under him as another shower of euphoria crashed over her and Alex threw back his head and shuddered.
Slowly the insanity faded, replaced by a deep, languid warmth and then horrifying awareness.
Alex lay sprawled across her, a warm, solid presence that suddenly felt more like a trap. She pulled in a shallow gulp of air and the spicy, woodsy scent of him mixed with the tangy musk of sex sent alarm racing along nerves that moments ago had shouted with delight.
She pushed against his shoulders, her panic deepening. "Get off of me," she said, her voice a tense, high-pitched croak. "Now!"
* * *
It took a moment for the frantic punching against his arm to register in his pleasure-soaked brain. Surprise sifted through his chest. He'd just reveled in the best sex he'd ever experienced. Hadn't she?
Maybe he was too heavy for her. He rolled off, intending to apologize, but the sight of her naked body off-lined his thoughts. She was like a painting or a sculpture. Every line, every curve perfection. And underneath it all, a burning, hungry passion.
He flopped back onto the pillows and linked his hands behind his head. He hadn't felt this good in years.
She shot a death-look at him.
"Did you say something?" he asked, sitting up and reaching toward the turquoise stone-crusted tissue box on the nightstand.
Piper slapped him on the shoulder and dodged off the bed. "I said get dressed, you're sleeping on the couch."
"Why would I want to do that?" he asked as he cleaned himself up.
"Because I don't spend the night with one-night-stands," she answered, her words hard as bullets.
Alex told himself that didn't hurt. Why should it? He wasn't looking for anything permanent.
He stood up and threw the contents of the balled up tissue into the trash. "Having fun is against your policy, is that it?" Where had he tossed his pants?
Spotting his clothes in a pile by the dresser, he scooped them up and dropped them onto the bed. "You enjoyed yourself. A lot." He gave her a smile. "I know."
"Don't look so smug, Mr. Jensen. The only reason anything happened was to throw Lina off the scent. It's bad enough Danni's on to us. We had to, you know, make it seem real."
"That's one way of describing it." He pulled on his pants and zipped the fly, not bothering with the underwear. "I'd probably go with something like," he thought a minute, "earth-shattering. No, wait...explosive."
She crossed her arms under her breasts and lifted her chin. "This is no time for teasing."
"I could make love to you, again," he said in a low voice, stalking around the bed. "You still being naked and all."
She gave a little squeak and darted toward the bathroom. Alex was faster.
"I'll let you be on top." He pulled her against him and nuzzled her neck. Her nipples pearled against his chest inspiring his cock to sit up and take notice.
"No, absolutely not," she grumbled, but her voice had turned breathy.
Alex moved his mouth across the line of her collar bone and then up to her jaw.
"You smell," she complained.
"Where I'm thinking of going, you won't notice," he drawled, capturing her earlobe between his lips and gently nibbling it.
"Don't be...crude."
"That wasn't crude, cupcake. But I can be. If you want."
With a small moan, she tilted her head to give him better access to her neck. "This isn't happening. You're hard. You can't be hard again."
Stroking his hand down the silky curve of her waist and hip, he shifted just enough to slip two fingers into her. "You're wet for me again."
"I'm...not. Stop doing that."
He moved his finger in and out of her and then traced the line of her swollen lips up to touch the hard kernel that he knew would win her surrender. He stroked the tips of his fingers against it in languid circles.
Piper sighed and leaned into him. He didn't stop until her nails dug into the back of his neck, then he scooped her up into his arms. Moving to the bed, he laid her down on the bunched up sheets and stripped off his pants. Her eyes were dark and hooded as she watched him.
He stretched out beside her and lay as still as he could, though he throbbed to be inside her.
Rolling to her side, she braced herself up on one elbow. "And?"
"It's your turn, remember?"
A mischievous light shimmered through the sultry heat in her eyes. "You promise to just lie there?"
"I haven't decided, yet."
Her slim finger traced circles around one of his nipples and then the other, sending an electric charge straight down. When his cock jumped and lengthened, she grinned.
Skimming her hand down his stomach, she cupped him. He bucked against her palm, much like she had against his mouth moments ago. He desperately wanted to be buried inside her, but he held still.
Having control was important to her; more so than he would have ever guessed. As light and airy as she seemed on the outside, deep down she wasn't the trusting kind. The man who won Piper would have to be beyond honest, or she'd never forgive him.
Her tongue touched the tip of his cock, then slid slowly down and back up and his thoughts dissolved.
"Sweet Jesus," he groaned.
She gave a throaty chuckle and covered him with her mouth, again, licking and teasing him into near madness before rocking back on her heels and grabbing another condom.
Having her unroll the protection on him nearly sent him over the edge, but he dug his hands into the sheets and held on. She was worth a little pain and discipline, he told himself. As she straddled his hips, the flash of her pink and swollen for him confirmed that.
She lowered herself down slowly, and Alex gritted his teeth to keep from thrusting upward to fill her completely. He had to let her do this her way. She needed to feel safe with him. He wanted her to feel safe with him.
Piper slid down, then pulled back up only to plunge down once more. Throwing her head back, she closed her eyes, a dreamy ecstatic grimace of near pain settling over her face as she rode him. Her lips parted and she sighed, longing and rapture caressing the sound.
Alex pressed his thumb into her curls, circling the slick, swollen nub hidden there with slow strokes as her breathing quickened. She tightened around his erection, and his agonizing pleasure coalesced, sharpening the building ecstasy into a knife's edge fight between release and self-control.
She fell forward, bracing her palms on the bed, her hips tilting and thrusting as the hungry ache swelled higher in him, demanding release. And then, with a scream, Piper clenched around him over and over and his world exploded.
Time stopped as bliss over took Alex, rolling through him, killing him, making him immortal. A groan of release broke free from his throat, a hoarse, unused sound.
A score of heartbeats later, she collapsed on top of him.
After a moment Piper rolled off and took care of the condom. He was glad about that. He couldn't have moved if he'd wanted to.
Then she was back, draping herself over him like a blanket. The vague idea that he probably shouldn't like that so much drifted through his mind as he fell asleep.
Alex woke hours later to the brightening glow of a new day seeping through the glass of the ridiculously huge window next to the bed. Piper sat cross-legged near the edge of the mattress, a tray of food on the table beside the bed.
She'd taken a shower and her hair was damp and curling around her head. Dressed in a simple black tank top and gray cotton drawstring shorts, she looked incredibly cute, and an uncomfortable warmth flared through his chest, surprising him.
He propped himself up against the headboard and rubbed his hand over his face. "Anything for me in that giant pile of food?"
She grinned at him and pointed to a ham and egg sandwich and a travel mug of coffee.
He picked up the sandwich and gratefully took a large bite. Salty, sweet and just the right amount of barbecue sauce—heaven. The irony that he and a girl like Piper enjoyed the same kinds of food should have worried him, but he was too starved to let it.
"What time is it?" he asked, pushing the pointless musings aside.
"Almost six-thirty. I tried to wake you at six, but you wouldn't budge. I think I wore you out." Her meadow-green eyes twinkled.
"I gladly admit defeat." He washed another bite of sandwich down with a slug of coffee. A marathon night with less than four hours of sleep—he didn't regret it for an instant.
"We should probably talk," she said, picking at a bowl of cut fruit with her fork.
Any other woman and he'd be bracing himself for the 'where is this going' conversation. But this was Piper. He was probably about to get the brush off, and he really didn't want to.
"Is that chocolate cake?" he asked.
She handed him her plate. "I don't want to lead you on."
"Okay." He picked up the dessert and bit off half of it. Wow, fudge icing. Homemade by the taste of it.
"You need to know that I don't do 'love' or 'commitment' or any of that stuff. It's not my style," she continued.
"Already figured that out." Weird how hearing it kind of hurt, though.
He devoured the rest of the cake and licked his fingers. "Doesn't mean we can't have a lot of fun, right?"
A troubled frown flickered over her features. "We have to end our fake engagement. Now that Wesley's in jail."
"About that...." He swung his legs over the bed and stretched to hide the growing alarm poking him between the shoulder blades.
He lied and told himself his feelings had no connection to caring about Piper. He just didn't want to give up the sex. He also had a job to do, and he had to stay close to her to do it.
"We can't be sure that Wesley will stay in jail," he said. "If he and his cousin make bail—"
Piper pulled a newspaper out from behind her back and triumphantly snapped it open.
Rash of Mockingbird Break-ins Linked to False Security System Repair was the headline. Below were pictures of Wesley and another man.
"I don't think they're going anywhere any time soon," Piper said. "The police found a trunk in their house containing most of the jewelry and stuff that were stolen in this neighborhood. Enough to justify grand larceny. Oh! And the article mentions that an 'anonymous tip' broke the case. I'm famous." She grinned at him.
Alex plowed his fingers through his hair. "That doesn't mean he was your stalker."
"The screwdriver with the paint, remember? And he blamed me for him losing Tanesa."
"Still..." Taking a breath, he readied himself for an argument.
The explosion cut him off.