Protecting Piper

by Cynthia Eden

  This time, he’d at least get her shirt off. Goal. He wanted to lick her nipples. Wanted to caress every single inch of her.

  And he wanted to make love to her in a bed. Make love, not just fuck her. Because she was someone who mattered.

  The one who mattered most.

  He scooped her into his arms, and Piper gave a little gasp. “What are you doing?”

  “Carrying you.” Holding her. Keeping her close.

  “Um, yeah, I can walk.”

  They were already at the stairs. “But I really like having you in my arms.” She fit. She was warm and soft, and she eased a tension inside of him that he hadn’t even realized was there. He’d been restless, searching for something for so long.

  When all that time, what he’d needed most was close by.

  The fourth stair groaned beneath his feet.

  “If you drop me while you are pulling this Rhett Butler routine, I will never forgive you.”

  “I’d never drop you.” His hold tightened.

  She leaned up and pressed a kiss to his neck. Then she licked him. “Do I get to taste this time?”

  Okay, he almost stumbled. “Hell, yes.” And he double-timed it up those stairs as Piper’s warm, sexy laughter filled his ears.

  In moments, they were upstairs. In his room because he’d long dreamed of having her sprawled in his bed. He put her down on top of the black, silk sheets, and she smiled at him. As he watched, her hand went to the front of her shirt—it was definitely hers now, he wanted her to keep it forever—and she slowly undid the buttons. The shirt fell away, revealing her breasts.

  He stood near the side of the bed, telling himself over and over again…Don’t pounce. Don’t act desperate. He could have tact. He could have control. He could have restraint.

  She dropped the shirt over the side of the bed.

  Piper was completely naked. Totally and completely.

  He was in such trouble because she was absolutely perfect. Rounded breasts, dusky, tight nipples. Flaring hips.

  And she was moving toward him. She put her hands on his shoulders as she rose to her knees and stared at him. “You have on way too many clothes.”

  He swallowed. Twice. “I can fix that problem.”

  Her smile was pure, wicked temptation. “So can I.” Her hands moved to his shirt front. He thought she’d undo the buttons but Piper grabbed the material and yanked—

  Buttons flew.

  “Whoops.” She winked at him.

  And even with desire nearly swallowing him whole, Eric felt a laugh escape his lips. “God, Piper—”

  She put her mouth on his nipple. Licked. Sucked. Her hands slid down to his waist. She jerked open his pants, and his cock sprang toward her. Her fingers closed around him, stroking and pumping from base to tip, and Eric had to squeeze his eyes shut because he was pretty sure he was about to go out of his freaking mind.

  She worked her way down, kissing a path along his chest, over his abs, his stomach, then angling lower so that her mouth closed around the tip of his cock—

  Holy. Fuck.

  So much for staying in control. He actually felt his control rip away. A snarl broke from him as his fingers closed around her shoulders. If her mouth stayed on him much longer, he’d come. He didn’t want to come this way. Well, hell, yes, he did, but he wanted to make sure she reached her orgasm, too, and he hadn’t even started to get her close to her climax.

  Her tongue swiped over the head of his erection.

  He lost it.

  Eric closed his hands around her shoulders and pushed her back onto the bed.

  “But I wasn’t finished!”

  He couldn’t manage a coherent response to her. He might have growled. Probably snarled some more. Whatever.

  He pinned her arms over her head. Held them there with one hand. His cock was already lodged between her thighs, ready to drive inside, but he didn’t go in, not yet. With his other hand, he stroked her clit, rubbing her over and over the way he’d already learned she liked. Just the right pressure, just the right speed, just the right—

  She arched up against him, and his cock sank deep.

  So much for slow. So much for careful. He was driving in and out of her as fast as he could go. Sinking deep. Plunging hard. Her legs wrapped around his hips as he took her mouth in a ferocious kiss. The silken sheets slipped beneath him as he drove into her, over and over, and she came, her sex contracting around him with the ripples of her orgasm.

  He poured into her, firing on another orgasm so intense his whole body quaked.

  And he kissed her. Kissed her with a hunger that he was fearing would never be sated. Just as the wild desire he felt for her—he wasn’t sure that desire would ever end.

  Once, he’d told himself that if he ever had Piper, if he ever got her beneath him or on top of him—or any way he could freaking get her—the fascination she held for him would end.

  The challenge would vanish.

  She’d just go back to being…Piper.

  Not the woman who haunted him. Not the woman who invaded his dreams.

  He’d been so wrong.

  She was always going to haunt him. She was his dream.

  He withdrew from her. Rose. Stared down at her. Then, without a word, he turned and headed for the bathroom. He had a claw-footed tub in there, a big, giant beast of a tub. One that could easily hold two people. He turned on the water, let the steam drift into the air, and then he exhaled slowly.

  Stay in control this time. The third time was the charm, wasn’t that the old saying?

  He headed back into his bedroom. Only…

  His bed was empty.

  What the fuck?

  And the bedroom door was open.

  “Piper!” He hadn’t meant to bellow her name. Okay, maybe he had. And maybe he had meant to run after her, but when she whirled in the hallway, staring at him with wide eyes and the faintest trace of fear in her golden stare, he got his shit back in check. Fast.

  “Baby…” Okay, his voice was lower and way more controlled. He was never the type to bellow. Or at least, he hadn’t been. He’d just panicked for a moment. “Why did you leave?”

  She’d put back on the white shirt. Only buttoned one button. “Uh…I thought we were done. You left.”

  Done? Ha. “I was just getting a bath ready. I figured you’d like a soak.”

  She tugged on her left ear lobe. “You aren’t…done?”

  Not even close. “Are you?”

  Her eyes held his.

  He stopped breathing.

  Her hand dropped as she shook her head. “No. I’m not.”

  He lifted her into his arms again.

  Piper laughed. “You have to stop carrying me!”

  But she was small and sexy, and he liked having her in his arms.

  Her arms twined around his neck, and her legs curled around his hips. Truly, the perfect position. He kissed her as he turned and took her back into his bedroom. He kept kissing her, and he carried Piper into the bathroom.

  He kicked the door shut behind them as steam filled the air.

  ***

  The bastard had money. He lived in a freaking mansion, and the place was surrounded by security. The cameras were easy enough to spot, and, as he scanned the house through his binoculars, he knew that it would be a mistake to get too close.

  Piper was inside. Inside with Eric Wilde.

  Lights were on—downstairs and upstairs.

  They were still awake.

  What were they doing?

  Fucking?

  Piper shouldn’t let anyone else touch her. Piper had been meant for him. If she’d given in and screwed that other bastard…Piper would pay.

  He’d chosen her. He’d waited for her. He’d intended to put the world at her feet.

  She should have turned to him. Should have needed him.

  She would only get one more chance. He’d let her have one more chance…to leave that big house, to come from behind the walls, to come to him. />
  And if she didn’t…

  Then he’d destroy the bastard who’d tried to take her from him.

  Chapter Nine

  Something was on top of her. Something warm and heavy stretched across her stomach, and Piper frowned even before her eyes opened. Her hand rose, and she shoved at the offending object—

  She touched something warm. A little hairy.

  An…arm?

  Her eyes flew open. An arm was across her stomach. A tanned, muscled arm. An arm that—as her wide eyes followed it—led back to…Eric. A sleeping Eric. Because she was still in his bed. They were both still naked. Only it wasn’t night any longer.

  Bright sunlight fell onto the bed. Onto her. And Piper realized exactly what she’d done.

  She’d slept with her best friend’s brother.

  The enemy. The bane of her teenage existence.

  The…best lover she’d ever had.

  Her eyes squeezed closed. Last night, the plan had seemed like a good one. She knew Eric didn’t want any kind of future with her. Eric wasn’t the future type. How many times had Ben told her the guy was a playboy who wouldn’t settle down with anyone?

  Since settling down wasn’t on her agenda, either, she’d been totally fine with that. And she’d been afraid. Piper had never particularly enjoyed that emotion. Who did? She’d been afraid, and sexy Eric had been downstairs. She’d already known that they had insane chemistry. When they touched, her whole body did a wild, freak-out thing.

  So why not give in to the desire they both felt? What could it possibly hurt?

  She’d expected to have sex with him once. A one and done kind of thing.

  They’d had sex…three times. Maybe four? Things had gotten a little hazy at the end. And now she was still in his bed. His arm was over her, as if the guy was chaining her to his side, and in the bright light of day, her killer plan suddenly seemed very, very flawed.

  What in the hell am I supposed to do next?

  She needed to make a hasty exit, one that occurred before Eric opened his eyes. They had crossed so many lines the night before. Like, every single line out there. When Ben found out that she’d slept with his brother, the guy was going to flip out. Ben would think Eric had seduced her. Ben frequently called his brother a player.

  Only Eric hadn’t been the one to seduce her. She’d gone to him. She’d been the one to take the big step. To put the offer out there. Jeez, she’d gone down the stairs without her underwear!

  Barely breathing, she carefully caught the edge of Eric’s fingers and lifted them up, moving his arm off her a few precious inches. Good. Good. This was working. As soon as his arm was off her, she slid out of the bed like a snake and jumped to her feet. As fast as she could, she lowered his hand so that it was cradling the pillow. Her eyes stayed on his face. His eyes remained closed. His breathing seemed nice and easy. Still sleeping. Excellent.

  She saw the shirt she’d worn the night before, and Piper scooped it up as she made a beeline for the door. She shouldered the shirt on, pushed her arms through the sleeves, haphazardly fixed two of the buttons, and then reached for the bedroom doorknob.

  “That was fun.” His low, rumbling voice froze Piper in her tracks.

  Fun. She felt her cheeks burn.

  “Do you always try sneaking out of a lover’s bed in the morning? Or is the tip-toe routine something special for me?”

  Uh, oh. He sounded pissed. She whipped around and saw that he was already sitting up in bed, arms crossed over his chest and eyes narrowed. Definitely pissed.

  “Just for you?” Her words came out as a question, but, yes, she had only done this routine with him.

  His jaw clenched.

  She’d given him the wrong answer.

  “Why?”

  She tugged on her ear lobe. “I, um, didn’t want to wake you.”

  His gaze seemed to soften a little. “I got that. But your cheeks are flushed crimson and you were practically running away.” A pause. “Why are you regretting what happened so soon?”

  She twisted her hands in front of her. “It’s…you.”

  He climbed from the bed. Naked. Her eyes closed. Opened for a peek. Closed again. He was aroused. Already. That was a man thing, though. They always woke up ready to go. Didn’t they?

  The floor creaked. He was stalking toward her. “Put on pants,” she squeaked without opening her eyes.

  “You didn’t want the pants on last night. I sure as hell didn’t want them on, either.” But she heard the rustle of clothing. He was putting them on. “Why the change of heart?”

  She cracked open one eye. Then another. He’d found a pair of jeans that he’d hauled onto his body, and the jeans hung low on his hips. His hair was tousled, his jaw still clenched, and his chest deliciously bare. Jumping him again was certainly an option. Not the best option, but a tempting one.

  He took a slow, gliding step toward her. “Piper? Why are you trying to do the walk of shame escape with me? Because, sweetheart, we didn’t do anything wrong. There is nothing to be ashamed about.”

  “Right. We’re two consenting adults. We had an attraction. We acted on it.” She hoped her voice sounded normal. All cool and casual. “I just need to go get dressed now. There’s a lot to do.” A nightmare she didn’t want to think about. She’d escaped the nightmare last night by jumping him.

  But now, Piper realized she’d only made a bigger mess. Because it hadn’t been some one and done deal for her. In fact, she wanted him now even more than she had before.

  Before, she’d only imagined what sex with Eric would be like. Hot. Rough. Wild.

  After last night, though, now she knew exactly what sex with Eric was like. And, yes, it was hot, it was rough, and it was definitely wild. It was also amazing. Toe-curling. Mind-numbing. Ecstasy that hit in wonderful, never-ending waves.

  It was the best kind of sex—and the most dangerous kind. Because it was the addictive kind. The kind where you started to think that maybe, just maybe, you’d found the right lover.

  The only lover?

  “Is this about Ben?” He took another step toward her. Only this time, the step seemed a wee bit menacing.

  Ben. She winced at the name. When Ben found out, if Ben found out, he was going to think she’d gone absolutely crazy. “Do we have to tell him?”

  Wrong thing to say. Absolutely, completely wrong. She knew that based on the way Eric’s whole expression turned straight to stone.

  He closed the last bit of distance between them and towered over her. All big, rough, and sexy. “You want me to be your dirty little secret?”

  She shook her head. “There isn’t really anything little about you. And you’re not particularly dirty. Though a few of things you said last night were…fun, in a naughty way.”

  His dark eyes narrowed even more. “You’re not going to make me laugh so that I’ll stop being pissed at you. You might be the only fucking person who can make me laugh most days, but it’s not working today.”

  She could make him laugh? Well, yes, now that she thought about it, he did have a tendency to laugh more when he was with her. When he wasn’t snapping, anyway.

  “Ben will fucking know. The whole world will fucking know.” He leaned in closer. “Because I don’t want anything about our relationship secret.”

  “We…have a relationship? I thought it was just one night of sex?”

  He wasn’t laughing, and she hadn’t meant her questions to be any kind of joke. Piper was truly confused. What did he want from her?

  A muscle flexed along his clenched jaw.

  “You don’t have relationships,” she whispered. “You have lovers that you never stay with. Women who come in and out of your life. You focus on work. You don’t look for anything lasting.”

  “How the hell do you know that?”

  She licked her lips. His gaze dropped straight to her mouth and lingered. “Ben.”

  A hot fury lit his dark stare. “He told you things about me?”

  “He
just…mentioned you weren’t the kind of guy to ever get serious. That you weren’t looking for a commitment.” She straightened her shoulders. “And I’m not either. That’s the last thing I want, so you don’t need to worry that I’m going to pull some stage seven cling routine this morning. I don’t want commitment. Commitments don’t last.” She’d learned that bitter truth when she’d been a teenager. “I like to live in the moment.” That was where she flourished. If she looked to the past, it hurt too much. And if she looked to the future, it was way too uncertain. Her mother had thought her whole life was mapped out. The husband. The family. The happily ever after.

  Then everything had burned to ash around her.

  “Don’t plan on forever.” Those had been her mother’s words on the very night she died. Slurred words. Piper had tried to get her mother’s keys. She’d tried to stop her mother from going to yet another bar. But…

  Stop it, Piper. Don’t look to the past.

  She squeezed her eyes shut.

  And felt a hand brush over her cheek. “Baby, you’re crying.”

  No, no, she could not be crying in front of Eric. It was bad enough that she was stumbling her way through the morning after routine, but to break down and cry in front of him? Horror.

  She sucked in a deep breath and forced her gaze to lift. “You don’t have to worry that I’m looking for a promise or commitment from you. We’re attracted to each other. We both had needs last night. What happened between us was wonderful—it was fabulous and sexy, and I have zero regrets.” There. Now she was back on track.

  He brushed away her tear. “I have zero regrets, too.”

  Good to know. Her chin notched up.

  “Well, I do have one.” His hand slid down to cup her chin.

  “Wh-what’s that?”

  “That you tried to slip away. You don’t need to do that. I like having you in my bed. I like being close to you.” He leaned forward. His lips brushed over hers. “And I’d like more.”

  Piper swallowed. “More?”

  “You really think one night is all that I want from you?”

  Her gaze searched his. And, being one hundred percent honest, she told him, “I have no idea what you want from me.”