Protecting Piper

by Cynthia Eden

Another soft kiss. “You will.”

  Before he could say anything else, a quick beeping sound seemed to echo around them. He stiffened, then swore, and alarm flared through Piper. “What’s happening?”

  “Someone is here.”

  He grabbed for his phone. His fingers flew across the screen. She knew all of his security feeds could come through on his phone and—

  “Ben. He’s heading for the gate.”

  When she peered at Eric’s phone, she could see Ben’s car pulling up the drive. Oh, crap.

  As she watched, Ben braked. Got out. Typed in a code at the gate. Because, of course, he had the code to Eric’s place. They were brothers, after all.

  I had sex with my best friend’s brother.

  She looked up from the phone. Eric was staring straight at her.

  “You’ll want to get dressed,” he said, voice emotionless.

  No, she wanted to run downstairs and meet Ben while she was just wearing a shirt. Hell, yes, she wanted to get dressed.

  “I’ll let him in,” Eric told her, eyes seeming a little…hard.

  “Why is he here so early?”

  “Because I had more questions for him. I told him to come by. But that was a plan we made last night.” A grim shake of Eric’s head. “I didn’t realize you and I would be busy with other things.”

  Other things. Awesome sex. Morning after awkwardness. Check, double check. She whirled for the door.

  “You don’t have to be embarrassed about what happened.”

  Her shoulders stiffened.

  “I’m sure as hell not embarrassed,” he added.

  No, he didn’t sound embarrassed.

  “I wanted you for a long time, Piper. Now that I’ve had you…”

  She risked a glance over her shoulder.

  He smiled at her. The slow, toe-curling smile that flashed the hard slash in his cheek. “Now I know exactly what I’ve been missing all these years.”

  And she knew exactly what she’d been missing out on, too.

  “Piper.” A warning edge entered his voice as his smile faded. “I won’t be making the same mistake again.”

  “Mistake?”

  “No more hands-off. No more staying back. You want me? You got me.”

  ***

  Eric opened the door for his brother, and Ben barreled inside, all tension and fury and questions.

  “How is Piper? God, did she sleep at all last night? Her gallery. Her fucking gallery. Do the cops know when the creep broke into the building? Did your team learn anything? Tell me that we’ve got some camera footage of this asshole—”

  Eric held up his hand. He’d dragged on a t-shirt to go with his jeans before he’d hauled ass downstairs. He hadn’t bothered with shoes or socks, and he knew stubble coated his jaw. “Slow down, man. I haven’t even had coffee yet.”

  Ben’s blue eyes blazed. “Screw coffee. I need to know about Piper. How is she?”

  Eric shut the front door. Locked it. How was Piper? Better than every single dream I had. “She’s showering. Getting dressed. She’ll be down here soon.” He should get some coffee for her. The woman loved her morning brew. He turned and headed for the kitchen, with Ben following behind him.

  “I should have come over last night. I feel like a total ass for not being with her.”

  “I told you not to come.” Because he’d thought Piper was exhausted. That she just wanted to crash.

  She’d wanted other things. So had he.

  “This is so bad.” Ben sat at the bar. “I know how much the gallery means to her. This bastard—torching her home, destroying her art. It’s personal. So freaking personal, and it scares the hell out of me.” He glanced over his shoulder, as if to make sure Piper wasn’t there. “You need to know more about Grady. I know I told you a bit about him yesterday, but there’s more.”

  Grady. His team was already checking on the guy.

  “He’s…come sniffing around some since they broke up. He, fuck, he came after me a few times.”

  Eric’s hands flattened on the bar. “What?”

  Ben winced. “That’s the thing, see…the guys that she blows off, they think it’s because—because she’s involved with someone else. And the guy who is always in her life?”

  “You.” Hell.

  Ben’s nod was slow. “When she won’t commit to them, and they see her out on the town with me…they think I’m the problem. They think I’m the one standing in their way.” He exhaled. “Grady came after me twice. The first time, it was a year after they’d broken up. Asshole found me at a bar and started talking all kind of trash. Saying that he’d known Piper was screwing around on him the whole time.” Ben shook his head. “Piper thought he was easy going. Fun. And he was…until he wasn’t. Know what I mean?”

  “You said the first time. Tell me about what happened the other time.” Tension coiled heavily in his gut.

  “Piper was staying at my place. She does that, you know?”

  Yeah, he knew.

  “Grady must have been watching her. He came to the house, banging in the middle of the night. I opened the door, and he took a swing at me.”

  Every muscle in Eric’s body locked down. “And you didn’t think to mention this shit sooner? Like when you were fucking briefing me on the guy yesterday?”

  “He’s all the way across the country! He lives in LA now! When he came that night, I knocked his ass out. Told him to stay the hell away from Piper. To never contact her or me again.” He scraped a hand over his jaw. “And he hasn’t. At least, I don’t think he has.”

  Eric took out his phone. Sent a text to Simon. I want to know where the hell Grady Fox is right now. He just moved to the top of our suspect list.

  “Piper looks for the best in people, you know? And that’s a good thing. Usually. Because I swear, she can make people be better.” Ben huffed out a breath. “Jesus, she even looks for the best in you. Can you believe that shit? Even though she knows you’re a dick most days, she’s always telling me that I’m lucky to have you.”

  Eric’s hold on the phone tightened. “Piper doesn’t have any family.”

  “Well, her prick of a father is out there, somewhere.”

  He knew exactly where her father was. A story for another day.

  “He hasn’t reached out to her since he left her mom. You know that jerk didn’t even show up for the funeral. She doesn’t have any siblings or cousins…” Ben rolled back his shoulders. “But she has me. I’m her family. The only family she’ll ever need.”

  “No. You’re not.”

  Eric’s phone beeped. He’d gotten a text from Simon.

  Already on him. According to what I’m learning, the guy should be in LA. Verifying that right now.

  Eric heard a faint rustle of sound near the doorway. The light tap of a shoe, and Eric’s gaze whipped in that direction.

  Piper stood there, her face a bit pale and her blonde hair still a little wet from what had to be a shower of absolute record speed for her. She wore jeans that hugged her like a second skin and a loose, green sweater that skimmed to her thighs. She stared straight at him, and Eric could have sworn there was pain in her eyes. Her lips parted—

  “Ben is my family.” Her voice was flat. “Just because he’s not blood, that doesn’t mean I don’t love him like family.”

  “Damn straight.” Ben jumped from the bar stool and headed for her. He pulled Piper in his arms, squeezing her tight in a bear hug. “I’ll always be here for you.”

  She loved Ben like family.

  How does she love me?

  Fuck, who was he kidding? Piper didn’t love him at all, but she’d still given him her body the night before. She’d come beneath him. On top of him. Her orgasms had made her scream his name.

  And he’d have her screaming again when they were alone.

  Ben eased back and peered down at Piper. “How’d you sleep? Were you able to get any rest?”

  Her gaze jumped to Eric. He just lifted a brow.

  “Or
did you toss and turn all night?”

  Her cheeks flushed. “It was a long night.”

  “Sure as hell was,” Eric murmured.

  Frowning, Ben shot him a questioning glare.

  Eric turned away, shrugging, as he got the coffee ready. Behind him, he heard Piper’s soft steps approach, then the faint screech as she pulled out one of the bar stools. He thought about the last time he’d had her at the bar.

  And he got a sudden craving for ice cream.

  “I told him about Grady,” Ben announced in a rush. “I know you liked to think the guy was all sunshine and roses, but he had a temper, Piper. And a streak of jealousy in him that ran a mile wide.”

  Eric knew he had that same damn jealousy. He had to get that shit under control. He eased out a low breath then turned to face Piper. She was at the bar, as he’d figured, and Ben was right behind her. “When was the last time you heard from Grady?”

  She bit her lower lip. “It was right after…um, after Ben decked him. What was that? A few years ago?” She shot a quick glance at Ben.

  He nodded.

  “Grady texted me. Told me that he was sorry for being an ass. Said he wouldn’t be bothering me again.” A shrug. “And that was it. I haven’t heard from him since then.”

  “He’s at the top of the suspect list. You should have told me that he’d gotten violent with you.”

  “He didn’t—”

  Eric cut in, saying, “He attacked Ben. Fucking counts as violent.”

  Her gaze held his. “That was years ago. Why would he wait so long and suddenly start terrorizing me? That doesn’t make any sense.”

  “Every man you dated. Every lover. I need to know all the secrets, Piper.” A dark anger boiled inside of him. “You can’t hold anything back from me. This isn’t some game.” He leaned toward her. “Your life is on the line.”

  Her breathing came faster. “I never thought it was a game.”

  “No? Then don’t hold back on me. Don’t forget to tell me that your ex, the easy going one, took a swing at my brother.” Eric shook his head and thought about the damage to her canvases. The fire at her home. “What else are you holding back?” His voice dropped.

  “Easy,” Ben cautioned.

  Eric shook his head. “Hell, no. You’ve both been holding back on me. That shit can’t happen. I get that the two of you have always kept your secrets from the rest of the world. But that time is over. No more secrets. No more holding back.” His stare focused totally on Piper. “I can’t keep you safe if I’m in the dark. What else haven’t you told me? What else are you hiding?”

  “There’s nothing.”

  “Another lover? Another guy who wanted to get closer but you shut him down?”

  Ben put a protective hand on her shoulder. “Okay, man, ease up. Let’s all take a breath.”

  Piper jumped to her feet. “You’re acting like I did this. Like I made this happen.”

  “No!” Shit. He yanked a hand through his hair. She was turning and rushing away. He bounded after her. Closed his hand around her shoulder and swung her back to face him. “Someone wants you. Don’t you see that? Someone is obsessed. Trying to hurt you. I can’t let you be hurt.”

  Behind him, Ben had fallen silent.

  Eric released a slow breath, but he didn’t let her go. “I have to know what I’m dealing with. If there are more secrets, if these perfect assholes from your past did something I need to know about, tell me that shit. I need the truth, not a convenient lie.”

  “No one is perfect,” Piper threw back.

  He sure as hell wasn’t.

  His phone vibrated. With his free hand, he yanked out his phone and saw the text from Simon.

  Grady Fox isn’t in LA. Just got confirmation. The guy took a private flight to Atlanta last week. He’s supposed to be at some kind of tradeshow. But I just talked to the manager at his hotel…Grady paid for a full week, but he hasn’t shown up for the last four days.

  Fuck.

  “Eric? What is it?” Piper demanded.

  He glanced up at her. “Grady is back in town.”

  Chapter Ten

  “I don’t like the way you’re looking at Piper, bro.”

  Eric gaped at the guy. “The way I’m looking at her? She’s not even freaking here right now!”

  They were at Wilde Securities. Piper was down the hallway, looking at footage from one of the traffic cams near her gallery. He’d wanted her to take a look at the cars in the footage, even though all of the plates were being run by his team. Just in case something jumped out at her.

  Ben was currently in his office and getting on Eric’s last nerve.

  Grady was definitely in Atlanta. Simon had tracked the guy’s credit card transactions. A team was narrowing down his location.

  Eric planned to be having a not-so-friendly chat with the fellow within the hour.

  “You know what I’m talking about.” Ben’s eyes raked him. “Back at your house, you were all up in her space.”

  Eric just gave a mocking laugh. “My house, my space.”

  “You know what I mean! You were glaring at her. You were pushing her! You grabbed her shoulder and you—”

  Now Eric was on his feet. “I didn’t hurt her. I would never hurt Piper.”

  “That’s fucking bullshit, and we both know it. You broke her heart when she was fifteen, and you treated her like crap after that day.”

  Shock rolled through Eric. “What?”

  Ben marched around the desk and stood toe-to-toe with him. “You think I didn’t know? Seriously? Piper couldn’t keep a secret to save her life back then! Oh, sure, she tried. But she went from being lit up like a Christmas tree one day…to pretty much sobbing the next. I knew some jerk had broken her heart. I also knew that she used to have one hell of a crush on you. You started avoiding her like the plague—”

  I wasn’t avoiding her. I was avoiding both of you—mostly because you, dear dumbass of a brother, bragged that she was your freaking first!

  “I don’t know exactly what went down back then. And I don’t want to know. Whatever it was, I knew it was the end for you and Piper.”

  Hardly. A beginning. A very slow beginning.

  “You kept your distance from her for years, and that was great because a guy like you would just burn through her.”

  He lifted his brows. “A guy like me? What the hell does that even mean?”

  “You don’t get serious!” Ben practically exploded. Red stained his cheeks. “You don’t have room for anything in your life but work. Piper doesn’t want that.”

  “And you know exactly what she wants.” Eric thought about the way Piper had gone absolutely wild for him the night before. “Sorry, but this time, you’re the one who is clueless. She’s a grown woman. She can go after anything or anyone that she wants in her life. Her choice. Not yours. Being her best friend doesn’t give you the right to control anything about her.”

  “I’m not controlling her! I’m helping her!” Ben huffed out a breath. “Just keep your hands off her. Keep your dick zipped away and make sure—”

  A soft knock sounded at the office door. The knock came just in time because Eric had opened his mouth to tell Ben just where Piper liked for him to keep his dick, and it wasn’t zipped away.

  The door opened and Piper slipped inside. Her gaze darted between the two of them. “Everything all right in here?”

  Ben gave a jerky nod. “Just settling some things with my brother.”

  He hadn’t settled jackshit. “Something you need to know, bro,” Eric began menacingly. “Piper and I—”

  Piper’s eyes went wide. She winced and seemed to brace herself. She knew he was going to tell his brother what they’d done. And she was…afraid? Hell, yes, she was. Her hand was rising toward her ear.

  Screw that. He stalked toward her. Took her hand in his. Squeezed.

  Ben cocked his head. “You and Piper—what?”

  Eric wasn’t going to say a word. She didn’t want him s
pilling? She wanted him to be a dirty secret? Hell, that was fine. If he got to slide into her bed each night—or if she jumped in his—then that would stay between them. He cleared his throat. “We need to go and talk to Simon. He’s supposed to have a location on Grady soon, and I want it.”

  He felt some of the tension slide from Piper. Eric rolled back his shoulders. “Come on, Piper.” He led her out of the office, past Dennis and his carefully organized desk, and toward the nearest elevator. As soon as the elevator doors closed behind him—

  “Now I’m one of your secrets?” Eric’s words were low. “You’re not a kid, Piper. You can pick your own lovers, and if my brother doesn’t like that we’re together, he can screw off.”

  Of course, Ben wouldn’t like it. He’d just made that crystal clear, hadn’t he?

  “Ben is all I have. My one constant.” Her chin dipped toward her chest.

  He jabbed a button on the control panel, stopping the elevator right there. “Bullshit.”

  Her head whipped up.

  “He isn’t all you have. He isn’t your family.”

  Piper sucked in a sharp breath and took a step back.

  Oh, no, not happening. He lifted his hands and caged her, placing his palms flat on the elevator wall behind her head. “You think I don’t care about you? You think I’m just fucking you for fun?”

  Her eyes widened. “It was fun.”

  Hell, yes. “It’s more than sex. And he isn’t all that you have.” I’m right here, Piper. Right in front of you.

  “I know I have plenty of friends.” Her lips pressed together. “I’m lucky to have good friends in my life, but Ben is more than that. He has stood by me during my worst moments. He’s—” But she broke off, and a furrow appeared between her eyebrows. “You were there.”

  Eric just waited. As he’d waited for so long.

  The faint line between her eyebrows deepened. “When I buried my mom, you were right beside me.”

  “Where else would I have been?”

  “But you hated me back then!”

  A grim shake of his head. “Baby, you need to know that I have never hated you. I could never hate you.”

  Still seeming a bit dazed, Piper said, “When I graduated college, you were there.”