Piper thrust the report at him, forcing another inch of space between them. Having him so close; close enough to grab...it made her breath catch and turned her insides all hot and misty.
How could such a scruffy specimen of maleness look so absolutely, incredibly delicious? How could she want to kiss him so badly when she was so angry with him?
Darn those untapped depths.
She was being weak and ridiculous, Piper told herself. And she was ashamed, that's what she was. Or at least she ought to be.
Taking a step back, she tossed the report onto Dad's inexpensive glass table, the one Mother had never liked. "You need to go, now," she said, making sure her voice was stern enough to inspire compliance.
A hungry, wolf-like gleam flared to life in his dark eyes. "What about your stalker problem?"
"The car's in the shop so there's nothing—"
"And the probability that I'm about to kiss you."
"—you can...what?" Alarm and excitement shot through her stomach and up into her chest making her nipples tingle.
"You don't think I can ignore what's going on between us, do you?" he said in a low, silky voice.
"You have a very good imagination, Mr. Jensen."
"Alex," he said, gently easing into her body space.
"There is nothing going on..."
He slipped his broad, warm hands up over her cheeks to cup her face. The callouses across his palms felt rough against her skin; his long fingers strong and capable.
"...between us." Her belly fluttered with a deep, spiraling heat. "This isn't a good idea," she whispered.
"Probably not." He held her securely between his hands and brushed his lips across hers.
Her heart stuttered, then sped up sending a chorus of feelings racing through her blood—uncertainty, curiosity, and a deep crescendo of lust.
His lips felt soft and pliant as they slid over hers, a savory, velvety pleasure.
She wanted more.
"You should know something before this goes any further," she murmured. Slipping her arms around his neck, she pulled him closer. "I have a terrible weakness."
"Do you?" he said, his words a warm butterfly touch of air against her mouth.
"I have trouble saying 'no' to bad ideas." She kissed him languidly, her lips slightly parted, relishing the firm, smooth texture of him and the counterpoint it made with the scrape of his whiskers against her chin.
Heat swelled through her in a luxurious rush as his tongue swept over the inside of her bottom lip and plunged into her mouth to duel with hers. He tasted of cinnamon and desire.
With a soft moan, she leaned in to press her body into the muscled length of his. His erection made a hard, demanding ridge against the front of his jeans and she greedily pushed her hips against it.
"Sweet Jesus," he groaned before devouring her mouth as he slid one hand down the side of her breast, then over her waist to cup her bottom.
Her core flooded with moisture and a tight, hungry need. She had never wanted something as much as she wanted Alex in that moment.
"Piper Marie Roseland! What is the meaning of this!" Mother's shrill voice demanded behind her.
Shock cut through her center as if a bucket of ice water had been poured down her back. With a gasp, Piper jumped away from Alex, panting hard, her face hot. She turned and horror filled her at the sight of her stepmom, sister, and even Carl standing in front of the open sliding glass door. They stared at her in astonishment. At least her sister and stepmom did. Carl just looked amused, which made her face burn even hotter.
"Explain yourself, young lady!" Mother demanded, her expression pinching into outrage.
"So this is your rendezvous," Danni said, approval beginning to twinkle in her eyes. "Very nice."
"No!" Piper squeaked. She cleared her throat. "No, it's not what it looks like."
"It's exactly what it looks like," Mother continued, her blue eyes snapping. "You invited this...this person to our home under false pretenses and then conspired to create a flimsy excuse to leave a family dinner so that you could sneak off and...and cavort with him. I shudder to think what would have happened if we hadn't come looking for you."
Mother drew herself up like a military commander. "A lady does not behave in such a manner, Piper. What would your father have said?"
Guilt bit at her stomach, disintegrating the last remaining drops of passion. "I..."
Carl slipped his arm around her stepmom's waist and gently pulled her closer. "Now, Lizzy. Your daughters are grown women. Who they choose to entertain themselves with is none of our concern." He gave Piper a kind, apologetic smile. "We're sorry to have embarrassed you. Your mother was worried. Come, sweetheart."
Piper stared at him in surprise and a hefty amount of gratitude. She couldn't believe he'd just defended her.
He attempted to guide her furious stepmom away from the door, but she dug in, turning her wrath onto Alex.
"How dare you molest my daughter in such a way," she said angrily. "Barging in here, making outlandish claims, presenting yourself as her employee when you are little better than a vagrant, by all appearances. Who are you? Who are your people?"
"Mother!" Piper said, her own temper rising. She moved to stand in front of Alex. "You can't talk to him like that."
"Let's go back inside, Mother," Danni said gently.
"Who is this man to you, Piper? I demand to know," Mother continued.
"He's—"
Alex draped his heavy arm across Piper's shoulders and pulled her against his side. "I'm her fiancé."
* * *
While everyone stared at them in shock, Alex decided that he'd be smart to delay reporting this extra subterfuge to Ted until he saw how it might play out. The older man was going to have trouble believing that kissing Piper had been a professional decision, even though it was a perfect solution to their infiltration problem.
Personal secretary or even bodyguard was an inherently weak platform within the structure of the family. Fiancé gave him more freedom of movement and a good solid excuse to be hanging around. All true, and clearly what he would tell Ted.
The deeper truth was that he hadn't been able to resist kissing her. And when he'd been caught, he'd landed on his feet.
As soon as he could, he'd get a ring to make it convincing, and since Ted wasn't going to approve of this new direction, he'd have to figure a way to pay for it himself. At least he wouldn't have any trouble pretending he was attracted to her.
Based on Piper's reaction to their kiss, she wasn't going to have to work too hard for it, either. After she was over being furious with him of course.
Piper's shoulders tightened under his arm and she began sputtering.
"We've been working together for a couple of months," he said quickly, to cover her shock.
"I...he..." Piper stuttered.
"I agreed not to say anything until the perfect time."
"We..."
"I guess this is it. The perfect time, I mean," he added, making sure to put in just the right amount of worried hesitation.
Mrs. Roseland glared at her daughter. "Please don't tell me you're pregnant by this creature."
Piper's muttering stopped abruptly and her back straightened. She pulled out from under his arm and slammed her fists onto her hips. "Mother! For heavens sake. He's not a creature."
Alex took note of her genuine outrage. Her unexpected defense told him a lot about her personal philosophy and supported Ted's belief that she wasn't involved. Honest people who viewed others as valuable tended to avoid outfits like the Azevedo cartel.
"Good heavens, you are pregnant!" Mrs. Roseland took a stumbling step back. "This is a disaster."
"No, Mother." Lifting her chin defiantly, she grabbed his arm and jerked him against her. "I'm just engaged."
He was impressed with how quickly she'd rallied, but wasn't willing to get scarred up over it. While he observed everyone's reaction, he covered Piper's hand with his and subtly tried to loosen her grip, especially where her nails dug into his bicep.
Danni looked delighted with the announcement. He wasn't sure, yet, how that would play out with his suspicions of her as the inside contact. She might hope that marriage would get Piper out of the picture and give her a clearer playing field. Or she could be a genuinely nice person that was happy for her sister.
Mrs. Roseland seemed ready to faint as she sagged against her boyfriend. Dramatic and self-interested had been his evaluation of her, and her current reaction did nothing to change that. A person like that didn't usually go after illegal solutions to problems, but you never knew. He happened to be in a position to appreciate that looks could be deceiving.
The boyfriend just looked mildly annoyed. Alex sympathized.
"Weren't you just saying at dinner how a young woman's greatest ambition should be to marry?" Piper said to her stepmother in a lofty tone.
"To an appropriate man," Mrs. Roseland gasped. "Not...."
"I hope you can be happy for us," Alex interjected, smiling at the group without actually meeting anyone's gaze. An old trick to give the impression of submission and harmlessness.
"You could knock me over with a feather," Danni said, "but I'm definitely happy for you." She crossed the patio and pulled Piper into a hug, then moved over and gave his waist a squeeze before stepping back. The gesture felt sincere which was a point in her favor.
"I forbid it," the stepmother breathed, the weakness of her voice severely impeding the impact of the command. "We know nothing about him. By the look of it, he's only marrying you for your money. Have you considered that at all?"
"By the look of him, he might be worth the price," Danni teased.
Through her strained smile, Piper gave her sister a pinched-up kind of glare. The affect was on the gruesome side, but he didn't think anyone noticed. "He volunteered to a pre-nup, Mother. You're being unfair."
Mrs. Roseland collapsed fully onto Jamison and he staggered. "Oh, Carl, I must lie down. I don't feel well."
"Of course, my dear." Suddenly the picture of solicitous care, Jamison guided the stepmother down the hall and out of view.
"She'll be okay," Danni said, her gaze following them. "She just needs to get used to the idea."
"She's not going to get used to it, Danni. He's not from Yale or a prominent family or anything she'd approve of."
"In other words, he's perfect for you. Just like I said."
"I don't know what you mean," Piper grumbled, as she attempted to sneak her hand out from under his. He pressed down on her fingers and kept her in place while he smiled. The ecstatically happy couple, that was them.
Danni snagged the folder from the patio table and started for the sliding door. "Might not want to stay here tonight, kids. Too easy a target when you're in reach." She tossed a grin at them over her shoulder and sauntered off.
How people reacted when surprised told a lot about who they really were. The shock of Piper's sudden engagement had gleaned some information, but hadn't helped him narrow down who was reaching out to the drug cartel. His top candidate was still Danni, followed by Mrs. Roseland with Piper making a weak showing.
He hated to admit it, but none of the family seemed likely. His instincts told him they were more eccentric than dangerous. He wondered if the CIA had gotten bad information.
If they had, it was his job to prove it, so nothing really had changed. It had just shifted a little. There was also the secret stalker to consider, plus a few loose leads here and there.
He slipped out from under Piper's hand and headed toward the door. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Before he'd taken two steps, she had the death grip on him again. "What possessed you to say something like that?" she whispered.
"I panicked?"
"If you'd kept your distance, we wouldn't have been caught and you'd have had no reason to panic."
"Then I realized that a fake engagement is the perfect solution."
In the slash of light from the house, he saw her narrow her eyes at him. "To what, psychiatric treatment?"
"To being your secret bodyguard."
"Wasn't that the purpose of the secret secretary?"
"Fiancé is better. I'll be expected to be with you day and night."
Doubt and a heavy dose of suspicion spread over her features. "You're not very good at thinking on the fly, are you?" she stated.
Alex shrugged. "Eh. Comes and goes."
"But you make a good point." She started toward the corner of the patio, pulling him along behind her. "We'll go to your place."
Alex came to a stop and refused to move another step. "What?"
"Thanks to your stupid announcement, we have to leave together, and since I have no where to sleep, you're taking me to your place."
No way this woman was spending the night with him. He was already going to be in hot water with Ted as it was. He happened to like his balls right where God had put them.
Alex peeled her determined little fingers out of his arm. "We're not going to my place." He hated sleeping in the barn.
Her summer green eyes flashed up at him, reminding Alex of the angry tiger he and his team had discovered after they'd busted up an illegal animal trafficking ring years ago.
"Don't be such a prude. I don't mean sex. I mean sleep. Nobody but us needs to know that, though."
"I'll take you to a hotel."
"Too public. If I were really engaged, I would not be sleeping alone in a hotel room. If the word got back to my family, they'd realize all this was a lie in a matter of hours."
He gave her a fierce, 'don't mess with me' look. Armed men had been known to turn pale from that look and end up in the hospital after the follow through.
She gazed at him, expectantly.
He sighed. "No sleepover. End of discussion."
"I'll pay you extra if that will make this easier for you," she said.
"Twenty thousand." That should be enough to knock her ass back into reality.
"Done," she agreed without a flicker of hesitation.
He stopped breathing for a second. Why the hell didn't he say fifty? He knew her budget was forty. He should have said fifty. Damn it.
Yesterday, he would have said he was great at his job. Today, he acted like a stumbling new recruit. The only difference was Piper.
Not comforting.
Turning away, she strode to the right corner of the patio and pressed her fingers to the underside of the railing near a decorative brace. With a pull, she opened a hidden gate and marched past the pecan trees and off down the flagstone path that ran through the garden on this side of the mansion.
Alex didn't have any trouble catching up to her. Between the ridiculously high-heeled shoes she wore and the fact that she barely came to his chin, she was no match for his long stride.
"Is the silver truck yours?" she asked as he came up beside her.
"Stands out, doesn't it?"
"That's Carl's Porsche. I think he's hoping he can move it into the garage someday." She continued around the vehicles and past the wing of garages to the far side of the house.
As long as he was stuck in the hole he'd dug for himself, Alex decided that he might as well make use of it and gather more information. "I noticed the guy stood up for you. He been hanging around long?" he asked, as if making casual conversation.
"About four months. But he only backed me up when he thought you were nothing but my boy toy. After that, he wasn't so happy with me."
"Why would that be?"
"I suspect he's planning to ask Mother to marry him."
In other words, she'd stolen his thunder. Not too concerning, but Alex filed the information away.
Piper stopped in front of a bank of bushes, one of the few spots on the house that didn't have windows on the ground floor. Several yards behind them a narrow utility road ran past the house, fairly well hidden by a couple layers of trees. She stared up at the second story, an expectant look on her face.
Alex followed her gaze. "Are we looking for something?"
As if on cue, the window above them slid up and a beige purse came sailing down. It was considerably bigger than the one she'd had earlier, but just as expensive looking.
Piper gave a wave at the window, then went over to the bushes to retrieve the purse. Slinging it over her shoulder, she turned back toward the garages.
He fell into step beside her. "Got someone on the inside, I see."
"Of course. Danni's a magician when it comes to packing an overnight purse."
"You and your sister do this often?"
"Not Danni. She's been with the same guy for the last six years and before that she was focused on her studies. But me? We decided a long time ago that my sneaking around was the healthiest solution for everyone concerned. A peaceful mother equals happy daughters."
Alex fished his keys out of his front pocket as they approached the parked cars and beeped his truck unlocked. "You and your stepmother fight a lot, huh?"
"We have different viewpoints about socially acceptable behavior." Piper hiked her dress up to the top of her thighs and climbed into the cab. The view was dangerously distracting and gave him ideas he had no business contemplating.
Alex sucked in a deep gulp of night air and thought about football. By the time he hopped up into the driver's seat, he felt confident he could be around Piper for a couple of hours and keep his hands to himself.
It was all a matter of focusing on what was important. Once he collected his information, he cold wrap up this case and get on to other things. Like fixing up the ranch so he could talk his sister-in-law into letting him spend time with his niece.
Eight years of not knowing his brother's only child was long enough. He was proud of his part in keeping the free world safe, but he was also ready to make some lasting connections.
After ten years of constantly moving around, it might even be time to settle down. Maybe with a nice quiet girl who wasn't too curious and didn't mind living out in the country.
It could happen.
* * *
Getting fake engaged to a stranger, even one that Uncle Theo trusted, was not what she had in mind for her day when she woke up that morning.
What had she been thinking going along with Alex's crazy scheme? She should have protested. Acted outraged. Screamed, even.
Anything but stand and say, 'Oh, yeah, we're engaged. Isn't that great?'
It's just that when Mother went off on one of her 'We're better than the unwashed masses,' spiels, she went a little nuts. At least Mother wouldn't be running to the papers with the news anytime soon. Not with the way she felt about Alex.
That gave Piper some time to figure out how to save face when they fake broke it off. Which they would, as soon as her stalker problem was over.
Alex had made a good point about one thing, at least. By pretending to be engaged, he had the perfect excuse to hang around her and do his bodyguard, detective thing without anyone, as in Mother, suspecting a thing.
Still, lying to her family like that. It felt so...wrong.
It wouldn't be quite so bad if her sister hadn't been genuinely happy for her. Guilt raked across the bottom of Piper's stomach. She hadn't expected that. Usually Danni was more suspicious.
Bother it all. She should have known better than to let a man like Alex within two miles of her, let alone two inches. First a bodyguard, then an assistant and now a fiancé. What next, a husband?
That would be the day. She did not need another person to answer to. She loved them dearly, but Mother and Danni and their rigid standards were plenty for her to deal with, thank you very much. No husbands for her, delicious or otherwise.
Piper risked a glance at Alex. His focus was completely on the road and he didn't seem to notice her watching him. Her gaze slid over his thick, shaggy hair as rich and dark as a straight-up espresso, then traveled along the strong line of his jaw and chin. The memory of his soft lips on hers rippled through her, sending a quick flash of desire straight to her lady parts.
She snapped her gaze to the dusky countryside sailing past her window. Holy cats, she was in deep trouble.
Why had she ordered him to take her to his place? What kind of a moron was she?
There was no way she'd be able to say 'no' to this guy if he put the moves on her. Just thinking about a stupid kiss made her head spin. A skilled touch or two in the right places and her already questionable good sense would turn into mindless writhing.
Gripping the arm rest on the door, Piper forced herself to take long, steadying breaths. No need to panic, right? She was a grown woman. She was experienced. She could handle this. She could be responsible and keep things on a purely professional level.
"How long do I have to pretend to be engaged to you?" she blurted out.
He glanced at her. "Until we catch your stalker."
"I might have plans, you know."
"According to tabloid reports, you're as free and single as they get," he said.
"What about you? I wouldn't want you breaking some poor woman's heart on my account."
"Not an issue. I'm not the permanent relationship type."
"That's good," she said, and wondered why a feeling of disappointment swept over her. Silly.
He slowed the truck and turned off the highway and onto the quiet, secondary road that led to his place. "You seem pretty uptight about this. Just keep telling yourself there's nothing permanent about it. No harm. No foul. Neither one of us is going to walk away with hurt feelings, okay?"
"It'll be over before we know it," Piper affirmed.
"Exactly. Tomorrow I'll do some poking around. Maybe take a look at your car."
She wished she could feel as confident as Alex did. She wasn't sure at all that she could take getting to know him even a little bit without sustaining some damage. Even if that only meant a few sore muscles.
Considering the way the sound of his voice in the dark cab sent shivers of awareness cascading through her nervous system, she'd say her chances of that were frighteningly high.
* * *
Alex turned off the truck and the sounds of the country poured over Piper like a soft concert—the chirpy, whistling chatter of crickets, the eerie cry of an owl in the distance, the wind swishing through the thick barrier of trees at the back of his property. She felt sharply out of harmony with the peaceful countryside.
Shifting in his seat, he braced his left arm on the steering wheel and turned partway around to face her. "You staying here isn't going to work, you know that right?"
She stared over the mud-spattered hood of the truck at the house. "Of course it will. You probably have two bedrooms and there's also the sofa. We'll figure something out."
"What if I can't behave myself?"
She pressed her back against the door as heat fluttered to life low in her belly. The porch light slashed over his face, turning the wedge of his jaw and chin, already smudged with a day's growth of beard, even darker.
His eyes reminded her of a stormy night sky as he tilted his head slightly, desire skimming across his face. With the movement, the shafts of light shifted, showcasing a slight cleft in his chin that she hadn't noticed before.
Her heart gave a jump and she looked away from the surprisingly endearing feature. "We're both experienced adults. We can control ourselves." She hoped.
"Ted isn't going to like you spending the night out here. Have you thought of that?"
"I won't be here long. I have some things to do in Houston in the morning." She glanced at him.
His expression hadn't changed, but suddenly he seemed more alert. "I'll drive you."
She absolutely was not taking him with her. "I'll get a taxi."
"I'm your bodyguard, remember?"
"It's not really necessary—"
"Piper, are you ashamed to be seen with me?" he teased.
"Of course not. But the Ladies love to gossip and—"
Alex's phone buzzed. He held up a finger for her to hold that thought and fished the device out of his pocket. "Jensen, here." Wincing, he moved the phone away.
Even from the other side of the truck, Piper could hear the yelling. It sounded suspiciously like Uncle Theo.
"Yes, sir," Alex said, grimacing as he brought the phone back to his ear. "I understand....To the letter, sir, but—"
His eyes bore into hers as the yelling continued. "It could be to our advantage....No, sir, I remember your instructions.... There's no reason to—"
The yelling abruptly stopped and Alex lowered the phone. He swiped his thumb across the screen, his gaze never leaving hers. Worry fluttered through her as the silence stretched out.
"That was Ted," he finally said. "He's upset."
By the look on Alex's face, Ted wasn't the only one.
"I have to take you home."
"You can't. Mother—"
"Took a sleeping pill and is out like a light. He also indicated that I'd better not kiss you a second time if I want to keep my job."
Her eyes widened. "He knows about that?"
"Oh, yeah."
"Danni must have called him. She's realized you were the bodyguard Uncle Theo recommended." Her brow furrowed. "That means she knows you haven't been my assistant for the last few months."
"Yup."
"Which means she's realized we're not really engaged."
"She's going along with it to keep your stepmother from knowing about the stalker problem."
"She's smart. Too smart, sometimes." Piper fingered the soft leather handle of her purse.
"Ted said that if I can't discover who's harassing you in the next few days an announcement will have to go out."
Dread tightened her throat. So much for her hope of keeping a low profile. "Mother will be horrified."
"You're really turning my head, you know that?" A trace of weary humor edged his voice.
"You'll clean up, okay," she muttered absently, her mind wrestling with all her snarled up thoughts. "Maybe."
"Having second thoughts about pretending to be in love with me?"
"I'm beginning to see how complicated being not really engaged is."
"I have to take care of the animals before I can drive you home. There's a clean blanket under the seat." He opened his door and climbed out. "I won't be long."
Beeping the truck locked, he headed for the house. A few minutes later, he came back out, happy, crazy dogs bouncing around him like antelopes. The whole mob headed for the barn without a backward glance, leaving Piper alone with her thoughts.
The quiet settled around her once more. This time when the soft hoot of an owl drifted out of the darkness, it seemed oddly soothing to her frazzled nerves.
She looked through the windows at the barn and wondered what it would be like to live so far away from the city. Would bad people bother to travel miles and miles just to scratch someone's car or leave scary messages?
She shivered and reached under the seat to pull out the blanket. Gathering the soft, worn flannel around her shoulders, she scooted down until she could rest her head next to the window. Could Alex keep her safe? Would he be able to keep his distance?
Would she? Did she even want to?
She wasn't exactly known for her restraint when she felt attracted to a man. But now that Uncle Theo was onto them, she'd have to behave herself, like it or not.
The irony of having to pretend to be in love with a man when she couldn't do anything about it was not lost on her.
Payback for all the years she'd refused to listen to Mother, she supposed as a yawn overtook her.