Alex studied the row of pecan trees that shielded his truck from the view of the house while he finished his phone conversation with Ted.
"I don't like it," his boss said in his ear.
"Think of it as two agents for the price of one. You were complaining about how you needed more researchers. Hiring Piper's the perfect solution."
"I'm thinking of it as blackmail. We can't afford to lose you."
"There's that, too."
"I can hear you smiling, Jensen. I don't like that either," Ted commented, but his irritation didn't sound convincing. "You know I could turn this around. I heard an interesting rumor about a pack of low life's getting a visit from a couple of tough characters before the cops found them. Care to address that?"
"Thursdays I play poker with the guys. Any one of them will swear to that in court." Alex remembered with satisfaction the visit he, Neil and Trish had paid on Wesley and his buddies. He felt confident they'd put a nice dent in any future romantic prospects for that particular group of dirtbags. Having 'I'm a dick' tattooed neatly on your face tended to do that.
"Does she love you?" Ted asked, pulling Alex back into the present conversation.
"She says so."
"She gonna marry you?"
"Have dinner at the house tomorrow, and you can see for yourself." His grin widened. The ring he'd picked out looked amazing on Piper's delicate hand.
Delicate-looking, he mentally amended as the memory from the night before burst into his mind in living color. They would have to try that position again.
"Well, if she's going to be hitched to you, it wouldn't hurt for her to have the support of Department 23 backing her up. I'll swear her in after dinner."
"You're making a smart decision," Alex said.
"Don't kiss up to me. I'll demote you. Next thing you'll be asking for is time off for the wedding."
"And the honeymoon."
Ted gave a choking cough. "No mental images, damn it."
"Sorry."
"Don't break her heart, Jensen, you understand? I'd hate to have to kill one of my best agents."
"You'd have to get in line to do it."
"Whatever. I'll give her the news of her employment tomorrow."
"Dinner's at six."
"Steak and champagne, or I'm leaving."
"Sentimental old buzzard."
Ted abruptly disconnected and Alex smiled.
* * *
Piper flattened her hand against Alex's bare chest and snuggled closer. She was looking forward to going back to his ranch the next day. She loved the privacy it gave them, even though being in her old suite hadn't noticeably slowed them down.
"I thought that went surprisingly well," she said.
"I'd say it was fantastic."
She smiled. "I meant dinner tonight."
"Ah. I thought Ted was going to cry when you told him you wanted him to give you away. It was almost as shocking as when Tanesa squealed like a little girl when you asked her to be a bride's maid."
"I still can't believe he gave us a turquoise jeep as an early wedding present."
"You a turquoise jeep. I don't even want to see the keys."
She stroked her hand along his ribs and across the ridged muscles of his stomach. "After we're married, you'll have to call him Uncle Theo, you know."
"I might. Just to watch his face turn purple."
Her cheek vibrated against the thick scar on his shoulder as a laugh rumbled through him. After nine weeks his arm almost never ached, even after vigorous exercise.
Satisfaction settled over her. That was good, considering how often they enjoyed a hard workout.
She caressed his cheek with her palm, then slid the pad of her forefinger along the thin scar running to his jaw. There were other marks on his body, a living map of the hurts he'd endured for the safety of others. It made her heart ache with pride and fear to think of it.
"You never told me how you got this," she said, touching the scar on his face again.
The corner of his mouth tugged upward. "I'd like to say it was a knife fight."
"But?"
"But now that you're officially part of the team, I don't have to lie to you anymore." He glanced at her. "It was kittens."
She pulled back to study his face. "No kidding?"
"There was a litter of them in the barn. The mother had been killed by a coyote, and I was going to take them to the SPCA."
"Kittens."
"They were feral," he said, a defensive note edging into his voice. "There were a lot of them."
"The first time I saw you, I thought you looked like a pirate. My romantic fantasy is ruined."
"They were more like a gang really."
She laughed and burrowed back up against him. "Have I told you, lately, how much I love you?"
He stroked his hand along the curve of her naked hip, and she could hear the smile in his voice. "I think you screamed something along those lines about fifteen minutes ago."
She lightly smacked his chest and he chuckled. Relaxing against him, she let her mind drift over the evening. "Mother seems better, don't you think?" she commented after a moment.
"Practically glowing."
"Planning our wedding is helping her forget."
Alex moved under her, getting more comfortable. "I think she liked the idea of being in love with Jamison more than the reality. She'll be all right."
"It's amazing how quickly he tattled when the CIA promised him protection, isn't it?"
"Tattled?" He let out a long sigh. "I need to buy you a spy handbook. Agents don't say 'tattled.' It's against regulations."
"Is not."
"It should be."
"Will they really protect him from the Azevedos?"
"Sure. In a secret underground base far, far away. He'll live like a king in a fifteen by fifteen castle. I still think he should have gone to prison with Wesley. They could've palled around while they fought off the other inmates. Reminisce about the old days."
"Were Wesley and the others working for Carl the whole time?" Piper asked.
"At first he was just a vindictive, rejected husband wanting revenge. But when Jamison read about him in the papers, he saw a golden opportunity to turn Wesley into a weapon to throw everyone off track."
Piper digested that information for a moment. She thought she ought to feel some human compassion for the orchestrator of so many disasters, but she couldn't bring herself to scare any up. No telling how many lives Carl had ruined or tried to ruin, for his own gain. He was an evil, greedy coward and he'd gotten exactly what he deserved.
No one had forced him to scam a powerful drug family with a Ponzi scheme all those years ago. He and Wesley were the only ones to blame for the sad end of their lives.
"Alex?"
"Hmmm?"
"Do you think I'll make a good agent?" She was still amazed that Uncle Theo had invited her to join the Department.
He yawned and pulled her closer. "Baby, with those legs, you'll make a killer agent. I thought so from the moment I met you."
"Will we always be dodging bullets?" Secretly, she hoped they had a few adventures ahead of them. Maybe he'd teach her how to pick a lock.
"Most of what we do involves sorting through piles of information. Very boring."
"I have a feeling you might be wrong about that. When I'm around you, I seem to have a knack for attracting unusual adventures."
A soft snore answered her.
She smiled contently and closed her eyes. Even if Alex was right, she didn't mind. As long as they were together.
"Piper?" Alex said.
"Hmm?"
Without warning, he rolled over and pinned her to the mattress. "I love you." He kissed her neck just below her ear, sending a swirl of desire humming through her body.
Piper wrapped her legs around his waist and gave him a sultry smile when she felt him thickening against her.
"I want you to know something before this goes any further," he said, as he gently bit the curve of her neck. "I have a terrible weakness."
He captured the tip of her breast in his mouth and flicked his tongue across her nipple. "For you."
She gasped as a ripple of heat pooled low in her belly. "It's true," she purred. "But you'll still have to prove it."
Alex pushed up onto his arms and stared down at her, his gaze burning with desire and love. "With pleasure."