She never should have seduced him. It had changed something. Something in him and maybe her, too. She didn't like it.
The early morning light shot lemon yellow beams down through the trees, making the creek beside them sparkle. Piper scowled at the cheerfully bubbling water.
Her affairs were only fun times and the feel-good high of newness, and then they always fizzled out. Sometimes they slid unexpectedly from casual fun into the realm of "going somewhere," but not often.
When they did, displeasure usually topped her list of reactions, followed by irritation and occasionally anger, depending on how clingy the guy got. Her heart had never hurt with such an awkward, quiet throb before.
They'd fallen asleep after making love, snugly tangled together in the small, intimate tent. She'd awakened to stiff, sore muscles and Alex softly snoring in her ear. For a moment she'd felt safer than she had in a long time.
She'd realized how different Alex was. How, despite all the crazy stuff happening to them, she liked being with him and she was starting to trust him. It had scared the heck out of her.
Her father had made her feel safe, then one day he just hadn't come home.
Piper slogged behind Alex, her mind churning with memories. Lovers were like that, too. They got what they wanted and then moved on, or they pretended they just wanted to be friends.
After a few broken hearts when she was young, she'd realized that maybe men were on to something. Maybe the right way to have your cake and eat it too, was to play the game their way.
No obligations. No commitments. No hurt feelings.
She did not need a man to keep her safe. Trusting someone that much led to loss and loss meant pain. She didn't want or need that in her life.
Shifting her pack on her sore shoulders, she watched him striding confidently in front of her, supporting the enormous backpack with apparent ease. She didn't want the responsibility of Alex caring about her. Yet, when she imagined letting him go, her stomach hurt.
The thought of sharing that tiny tent with him another night made her libido dance with joy and her mind race in panic.
Where was she supposed to go with that?
"How long do you plan to lead us around the woods?" she asked.
"You have somewhere to be?"
"I agreed to twenty-four hours." She pressed her lips together, remembering all that still needed doing at the mansion. "Tomorrow is the Ladies' graduation party. If I'm not there to organize it, the event will have to be canceled."
"Being dead would really put a kink in your day, too."
"It's all so ridiculous. I'm not a threat to anyone."
"Remember the smoking carcass of your car, then tell me we don't have a problem," he answered.
The reminder sobered her and her annoyance faded. "I'm not used to this kind of thing, that's all. A person would have to be some kind of trained government agent, or spy, to roll with the crazy stuff that's happened lately."
A quiet tension settled over Alex and she wondered what she'd said wrong. Then the moment passed and he pointed at a clearing just up ahead and on their left. "We'll stop here."
She followed Alex as he turned off the creek trail to tromp along a narrow ribbon of bare dirt that led toward the small meadow. Animal droppings here and there made her think that deer had probably created the trail, especially since it lead straight to a narrow strip of creek that ran through the grass on its way to the larger water flow.
"It's beautiful," she observed, noting the way the sun danced across the clumps of wildflowers, warming the scattering of boulders as it passed.
When he eased his pack down next to one of the larger rocks and leaned against it, she did the same. The relief of getting off her feet was beyond intoxicating.
Closing her eyes, Piper turned her face up to the sun and pulled in a long taste of the sweet, pine scented air. She'd never admit it to Alex, but there were a few things she was starting to like about being so far from the city.
She felt his gaze on her and looked at him curiously. His eyes were locked on her, their depths shadowed with a brooding intensity. The obnoxious warmth in her chest gave an alarming flutter.
"Piper," he said, a deep V cutting between his dark brows. "I have something to tell you."
* * *
Alex had always wondered why people fell in love and what all the fuss was about. Now he knew. Being in love was all at once the most terrifying, wonderful and inconvenient thing that had ever happened to him.
Where this assignment was concerned, being in love with Piper was kicking his ass. It was getting harder and harder to hide who he was and soon she'd start putting the pieces together. Unfortunately, things would get messy fast if she figured it all out. Things like his career, his life, and especially his heart.
She watched him expectantly, and regret pulled at him. He had to tell her something that would satisfy her curiosity without revealing too much. He wished he didn't have to manipulate her like that, but there wasn't a choice.
One of her dark blonde brows lifted up. "You're not about to tell me you're double-oh seven are you?"
He gave an embarrassed laugh that was almost genuine. "No, nothing like that. But I don't think you're going to like the truth." That was accurate, at least.
"Try me."
"I work for Ted."
Her expression cleared and she smiled. "I know. You're part of his emergency response company."
Surprise moved through him and he didn't bother to hide it. "How did you know?"
She crossed her arms under her breasts and gave him a mildly indignant look. "It was the only theory that put the pieces together and made sense. I'm pretty sure you're also a team lead, or manager or something. What I don't understand is why you didn't tell me right from the start?"
He watched a dragonfly darting over the grass, his mind running through possible explanations while it extrapolated likely outcomes for each. Her eyes narrowed at him and she frowned.
"Ted wasn't sure how you'd take it," he said, inspired by her obvious annoyance. "We thought it would be better if we kept it quiet."
"Do tell."
"He said you might think he was coddling you. That your reaction wouldn't be conducive to success."
She glared at him for a moment longer, then her expression relaxed and she laughed. "He was right. I probably wouldn't have taken it well."
She uncrossed her arms and rubbed her palms against her thighs. "Why are you confessing now?"
He braced his arms behind him and studied her for a moment. The sun touched her hair, making it glow with faint, coppery highlights. Eyes as bright green as the meadow around them watched him with a sharp intelligence he rarely encountered except in other operatives.
"You deserve to know," he said and he meant it.
"Explain your breaking and entering skills and the cat-like reflexes when the bomb went off."
He gave her a cocky, teasing grin. "You're not cleared to have that kind of information."
Her rich, pink mouth lifted into an answering smile. "Now you sound like you're Special Forces."
"I can tell you a few things. Personal things." A strange feeling of insecurity jumped in his gut as he gathered his thoughts for his next confession. "Jessica's not my daughter. She's my niece."
Her eyes widened. "What?"
"The main specialty of Ted's company is gathering information. For a lot of organizations. My brother worked for the CIA and was killed overseas in the line of duty. He walked into an ambush because of faulty information that he got from us."
She tilted her head, her expression softening. "You can't blame yourself for that."
"It wasn't my assignment, I know that," he said, real frustration and grief clogging his chest. "But I was the one who stumbled across the hole in the information. Too late to warn him."
"I'm sorry," she said, her eyes filled with pained sympathy.
"I threw myself into my career and before I knew it, my brother's only child was half grown. I wanted to get to know her before it was too late."
"So you bought the property?"
He nodded. "I asked my sister-in-law if Jess could stay with me part of the summer. Horses, dogs...I figured it would be irresistible to an eight-year-old girl. Amy thought so too, as long as I brought everything up to code and made it safe for a child."
"I can't blame her for that," Piper said.
"Neither could I."
"Then I did help you a little."
He closed his eyes and swallowed. Tension coiled up in the middle of his stomach. Telling the truth, this kind of truth, hurt like hell. "You made me realize I didn't really want to do it."
"How could you not want—"
"Don't." Alex gripped his hands together and stared down at them. "You saw how quick the team has to respond in an emergency. I can't be tied down with a child. I was an idiot to think I could make it work."
He looked at her and for once let the guilt and regret swimming through him actually show on his face. "I've been in plenty of tight spots over the years and faced some very unpleasant people. But I don't know anything about kids, or family, or being close to someone. The best thing I can do for Jessica is send her a Christmas and birthday present every year and stay far away."
Piper slid off the rock and eased down next to him, her eyes shining with tears. She laid her small hand across his. It felt warm and soft against his knuckles and his throat tightened. "You're awfully cowardly for a maybe Special Forces, kind of professional detective guy, you know that?"
He gave a bitter laugh, a genuine one. "Yeah."
She was right. He could tell himself all he wanted that he was being noble by protecting Jessica from the dangers of his job, but it really came down to nothing more than fear of screwing up. It was one of many reasons he'd never tell Piper that he loved her.
Hell, he'd already screwed up with all the lies he'd had to tell. She'd hate him for that and despise him even more for the truth. He almost laughed at the irony of the whole thing.
Even if she could forgive him for having to lie while he investigated her and her family, Piper didn't do love. Ever. She'd made that abundantly clear.
Lifting her hand from his, she reached down and plucked a cluster of white flowers from the plant growing next to the rock. She studied the star-shaped flowers for a moment.
"My Mom died not long after I was born. She got a blood infection at the hospital. There wasn't anything they could do about it."
Alex kept his gaze on the flowers and struggled to get his feelings under control. He knew all about her family from the report Ted had given him, but hearing the loss in her voice, knowing what Jess had gone through when her father died...it did something to him. It tore out a piece of his heart.
"It was just me and Dad for a while," she said, a sad note entering her voice. "When I was about four, he went on a business trip to Europe and met Mother. They fell in love and married in Italy. I remember how excited I was when he brought her home. I finally had a mother. Three days later, Danni arrived."
"Not happy about having a little competition?" he gently teased, hating how sad she looked.
Piper shook her head. "Not even close. She was seven and thought she knew everything. It took a long time for us to feel like sisters."
She stared at the far side of the clearing where a squirrel sat hunched on the ground fiddling with a pinecone. Tears streaked her cheeks. "When Dad died—"
She turned and looked at him and a passionate conviction entered her voice. "Alex, I don't know what I would have done without them. They're my family. It doesn't matter if you don't do it right all the time. What's important is that you do it."
He looked away. "It's more complicated than that."
"It always is."
Someone like Piper needed to be surrounded by people who loved her. She didn't realize it yet, but she wasn't designed to be alone. With the right man she would thrive, surrounding herself with a pack of children and probably a dog or two.
He wasn't like that, he told himself. He was focused, trained. Loving her was just a blip on the radar. It had to be.
The secure-channel phone in his pack beeped and she jumped. Grateful for the distraction, Alex unzipped the waterproof pocket where it was kept and identified himself to the caller.
"The police have a man in custody...," the sound of Neil's voice sputtered and popped in his ear. "No builder....Working on cover-up....Need you back."
* * *
Nothing is permanent, Piper reminded herself as Alex pulled the truck into the parking area between the garages. Not even disaster.
The damaged doors had already been repaired and a well-scrubbed smudge on the flagstones was all that was left of her car. She wondered if the events of the last three days would fade as easily.
A sad ache touched her heart. If someone had told her that returning to civilization would press in on her with a steady weight of disappointment and loss, she would have called a psychologist for them.
She rarely revealed her deeper feelings with anyone, not even Danni. But instead of freaking her out, she found herself holding the memories of being with Alex close to her heart like a treasure.
She really didn't want to think about why.
"You okay?" Alex asked when he opened the door for her, sounding distracted like the question was more automatic than thoughtful.
"Never better," she fibbed. "A little tired."
He'd been in his own world all the way back. Ever since he'd taken that phone call in the meadow. She'd asked him what had happened, but he said he couldn't give her any details until he knew more.
Piper climbed out, thinking it had been a heck of a week. Having cozy, crazy feelings for the man she'd shared it with was completely normal and nothing compared to the directions she could have gone—like screaming hysterically, consuming massive amounts of alcohol, or eating herself into a chocolate coma. Any other explanation was nonsense.
The side door between the garages swung open just as they got to the steps. Danni stood on the other side, more rumpled than Piper ever remembered seeing her. "Thank God, you're back."
Concern skated through Piper as she took in the square of gauze taped to her sister's forehead, her wrinkled black designer jeans and sleeveless lavender sweater—clothes that equaled schlepping around in Danni's world. "You never stay home on Sunday. You're always at work."
Danni grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the house leaving Alex to follow. "The minute you left it happened."
Piper's fears escalated. "Has there been another attack? Is anyone hurt?"
"Of course not. In fact, those emergency people figured out that it wasn't a bomb at all, just some loose wires in the engine."
Piper's eyes widened. "Do you have a concussion?"
"Try to pay attention, Piper." Danni's voice lowered as she led them down the hall and toward the kitchen. "Something really bad has happened."
Piper grabbed her sister's shoulder to stop her. "What's worse than a destroyed car?" she asked, tension and disbelief hardening her voice.
"Piper, you're home," boomed a voice. "Your mother will be so relieved."
"Carl is worse," Danni whispered.
Turning around, Piper faced her stepmom's boyfriend, a bright, brittle smile plastered on her face. "What a surprise. Visiting for lunch?" Please let that be why he's here, she thought.
The older man prowled into the kitchen and gave her an equal measure of false warmth. "Didn't your sister tell you?"
"They just got here," Danni said, a bit defensively.
"How delightful. Then I get to convey the happy news." His marginally friendly smile slid over to Alex and faded into something with an edge of challenge to it.
Alex stepped toward Piper protectively, and she felt his warmth radiating against her back.
Carl moved his attention back to her. "Your mother has made me the happiest of men. We're engaged to be married."
Piper gasped and grabbed the edge of the marble counter for support. Her gaze darted to Danni. "Is this true?"
"I thought you'd be happy for us," the older man said, triumph shining in his eyes.
"Of...course." She frantically rallied her scattered thoughts and emotions. "Where's Mother?"
"On the veranda. She wanted to see you as soon as you got in," Danni said in a rush of words.
Carl's eyes turned steely. "Do anything to upset her and you'll answer to me."
Stunned, Piper watched him go. "Did he just threaten us?"
"He did," Alex growled behind her.
Piper glanced at him. He stared past her at the empty doorway where Carl had disappeared on his way toward the library. His focused expression reflected a hardness she'd never seen before, even when he'd been furious at her.
"Alex?"
He blinked and instantly his face softened into the more amiable lines she was accustomed to. "Didn't see that coming, did you?" he said, his mouth sloping upward in a lazy smile.
She studied him a moment longer. "Sure didn't."
"We better go speak to her," Danni urged. "With both of us here, maybe we can talk her out of it."
They headed through the kitchen and dining room to the fifty-five foot extravaganza that Mother liked to call the grand salon.
Piper paused when she reached the bank of windows and triple French doors running the length of the enormous room. Outside, the pool glistened as serenely as ever, beautiful plants making it look like its own tropical paradise. Off to the side, her stepmom lay on one of the cushioned chaise lounge chairs, her eyes closed, a satisfied smile on her face.
"I hate to interrupt," Alex said as he came up beside her, "But is Jamison living here, now?"
Piper pulled in a shocked breath and looked at Danni. "Please say, 'no.'"
"After Mother agreed to marry him, he moved in," her sister confirmed, sounding as if she were choking on an onion. "He showed up after everybody left, all noble and solicitous. Got Mother worked up with talk of terrorists and murder. Then with no sense of privacy or decorum, he went down on one knee right beside her bed and proposed. Two hours later, he brought over a suitcase and computer and acted like he owned the place."
"Why didn't you stop him?"
Her sister gave her an arch look. "I tried to talk sense into Mother. Do you know what I found out? He's been working on her for months to make him President of Roseland Shipping."
Shock and hurt burned into Piper's stomach. "She wouldn't do that! Would she?"
Danni fisted her hands at her sides. "The only thing stopping her is your engagement to Alex because once he's your husband, he'll be eligible to take over the job."
"What?" Alex said, surprise in his voice.
"It's one of the family things Dad set up," Danni said absently.
"She can't hand the shipping company over to someone like Carl," Piper blurted out. "What is she thinking?"
"That she doesn't feel safe without a man running things." She looked back and forth between Piper and Alex. "I don't suppose you two have decided to make it real, have you?"
Piper shook her head and looked away, her distress deepening.
"Why would Jamison want Roseland Shipping?" Alex cut in. "If he needed money, wouldn't it make more sense to go for the financial side of the Roseland empire?"
"I thought the same thing," Danni said. "I started a background check on him this morning. Nothing's showed up yet, which is puzzling."
"You think he might be bankrupt?" Piper asked.
"I can find out for you," Alex interrupted.
"No offense, but this isn't your problem." Danni gazed at him steadily, steely determination in her blue eyes. "Protecting Mother is our job."
Piper touched her sister's arm. "Alex has resources we don't. He can help." With Uncle Theo's company backing him up, she was sure he could turn up more than she or Danni. Unfortunately, she couldn't tell her sister that. As far as Danni knew, Alex was just a bodyguard and Uncle Theo was a banker.
Her sister narrowed her eyes and looked from one to the other before her gaze landed on Piper. "Are you sure?"
Piper nodded.
* * *
Alex followed the women out onto the veranda, his movements conveying relaxed disinterest while his mind churned with this recent influx of information. The first piece of news wasn't a surprise at all. The Department had done its usual thorough civilian cover-up and declared the incident with the car nothing but an accident.
None of that mattered to him since he now faced a more pressing problem. Who was the more important piece to this cartel puzzle, the man his team had arrested or Jamison?
It was true that Mrs. Roseland's new fiancé could just be a bankrupt has-been making his play for a rich, lonely widow. It was also possible that he was their landing point for the call the CIA had intercepted.
Jamison was in the house on a regular basis. He certainly had access to a cellphone. And he was also trying to get Piper's stepmother to assign the running of Roseland Shipping to him.
The question was why? And what did he hope to gain from intimidating Piper?
From what Danni had said and the information they'd dug up, Piper never bothered herself with running her side of the empire. True, she was the President of the shipping company, but essentially only in name. What was the point of threatening her? Was it only a distraction while something else was in play?
He needed more information to know for certain. Since his other suspect wasn't going anywhere, logic dictated that his best strategy was to continue playing Piper's pleasant companion while he kept a close eye on Jamison and the rest of the household.
Meanwhile he'd get Neil to dig a little deeper into Jamison's background. Like Danni's investigation, his top hacker's first pass had revealed nothing unusual, but after getting this new information, Alex suspected something big lurked just out of sight.
He pushed his strategizing aside as they reached the chair where Mrs. Roseland relaxed. Piper cleared her throat and the older woman opened her eyes.
She smiled when she saw her daughters, then her gaze slid to him and a frown marred her forehead. After a moment, she dismissed him entirely, which suited him fine, and beamed her pleasure back on the younger women.
"Here you are, safe and sound," Mrs. Roseland sang out, opening her arms to Piper. "Did you have a nice weekend on the island?"
"Yes," Danni jumped in hastily, before Piper could answer. "She told me Galveston was lovely."
Piper threw a puzzled look at her sister while she hugged her stepmother. "Alex made it an adventure," she said.
Mrs. Roseland ignored the comment and inched her legs to the side. "Darling, I have the most wonderful news!" she said, patting the edge of the lounge chair.
Piper sat down. "Carl already told me."
"Did he? Well, pooh."
"Don't you think you're rushing things a little?"
Mrs. Roseland gave her an arch look. "So it is perfectly acceptable for a person of your age to get herself engaged willy-nilly, but not me?"
"I didn't mean that."
She laid her hand across Piper's. "Of course you did but don't fret. I know what's really bothering you, and I told Carl that we absolutely cannot get married until after you and Aaron."
"Alex," Piper said.
"Two weddings at the same time! My nerves would never hold up under the strain. Have you picked a date?"
Piper's body tensed.
"The sooner, the better, Carl said. He's anxious for his turn at the altar." She tittered a bit. "Such youthful impatience. This is why girls today never get marriage proposals. They give everything away. Nothing left for a man to pursue and conquer."
She sent a pointed look in Danni's direction and then turned back to Piper. "Isn't it beautiful?" She presented her left hand to her.
Piper dutifully admired the square-cut stone. Alex estimated the weight at nearly three carats and worth a fortune—if it was real.
"Is yours being fitted, pumpkin?" Mrs. Roseland asked, glancing at Piper's bare hand and then giving Alex a sly look.
The idea that the old bat was getting suspicious of their sincerity sent a fissure of alarm through him. Her timing couldn't be worse. With Jamison closing in and still no idea what his goal was, Alex needed to stay in close to the family, especially to Piper.
Good thing he'd come up with a sure fire way to throw her off if this ever came up—a little bomb of his own that he'd put together in the hours on the trail when he'd needed to keep his mind off Piper.
Alex dropped down beside Piper and pushed his way in. Mrs. Roseland glared at him while she moved her legs as far away as she could. Her reaction amused him, especially considering the request he was about to drop in her lap.
"Mrs. Roseland, we were wondering....Well, actually it's more of a favor. A big one." He took a bemused Piper's hand and squeezed it gently. "We'd like to ask you something." He sucked in a deep breath. "Would you plan our wedding for us?"
"What?" both Piper and her stepmother squealed at the same time.
"I don't think—" Piper sputtered, trying to subtly take her hand out of his.
"Darlings!" Mrs. Roseland gasped. "Danni, do you hear? Oh, this is overwhelming. Simply wonderful."
And she's off, thought Alex as he gave the older woman an innocent and happy smile.
"That you'd trust me to make your day as perfect as a fairytale. An event to remember. Oh!"
She sat up and wrapped her arms around her daughter. Then to Alex's astonishment, she hooked a plump wrist around the back of his neck and pulled him into the embrace.
"This is...." Tears pooled in her blue eyes as she pulled back to cup Piper's face between her hands. "You've made me so happy."
"I...um. We...knew you'd...make our day...special?" Piper looked like a stunned possum in the headlights, Alex thought.
"Thank you so much, Mrs. Roseland," he said, giving his voice a good dose of warmth.
"Mother. You must call me Mother, Alan."
"Alex," Piper said in a flat tone.
"Wait until Carl hears the news!" Mrs. Roseland bounced up from the lounge chair and scooted into the house.
"Look at her go," Danni said, her expression pure astonishment. "I haven't seen her move that fast in.... I've never seen her move that fast."
Alex wondered how Jamison would react to the news and hoped he'd get a double hit with the wrench he'd just tossed into the works. If the theories forming in his mind about the older man were solid, fireworks were on the way. Maybe Jamison would get desperate enough to threaten him. That would be interesting.
Piper jumped to her feet and glared down at Alex ferociously. "What. Have. You. Done!"
"Given her something to keep her busy?"
"Have you any idea what this means?"
"I do," Danni said, grinning. "A dress that makes you look like a giant cupcake, twenty bridesmaids with perfectly matched in height groomsmen, probably dark purple for the color, which fortunately I look fabulous in, a seven course sit-down, flowers shipped from Hawaii, and the setting...." She tapped her chin with a forefinger. "A castle in Scotland."
"Oh, my God." Piper plopped down into the chair across from the lounge chair. "It's a disaster."
"When I'm right, I'm right," Danni said.
"You heard her, she's starting to suspect our relationship. This is the perfect way to keep her too occupied to worry about it," Alex said.
Piper gave him a bleak look. "You really don't know what you've unleashed, do you? We'll never get out of this engagement now."
Only years of training kept Alex from blurting out that maybe that wouldn't be so bad. "I bought us time to check into Jamison," he said instead, his voice steady.
"You bought us a world of misery."
"I'm also moving in."