by Judy Teel
He stroked his hands up and down her bare arms and then stepped back. "How do you feel about France?"
"One of my favorite places to visit," she said, smiling.
"And vineyards?"
She tilted her head slightly. "What about them?"
"I own one." A sheepish wince flickered over his expression. "Also a chalet in Switzerland. And a small island with a house on it. Plus a few other investments scattered around the world."
"Does that mean I get to keep my two-hundred and fifty-thousand?"
"Are you kidding? I fulfilled the contract. You're engaged."
"Not yet, I'm not," she joked.
Ryan dropped to one knee in front of her and she gave an astonished gasp. Gathering her hands, he held them snugly between both of his. "Marry me, CK?"
She gazed at him for a moment, not sure if he was teasing her, or not. The happiness on his face dimmed and worry skated through his blue eyes. "CK?"
"You really mean it?"
"I've never meant anything more in my life," he said, seriously.
Happiness spread through her chest like a summer sun. She smiled down at him and slipped one hand free to cup her palm against his dear face. "Then it would be my pleasure, Anderson."
Grinning, he jumped to his feet and gathered her against his chest. "How do you feel about big families?" he asked, rubbing his cheek against her hair.
"Always wanted one. Why did you come work for me when you didn't have to?"
"Because you needed me," he said, shrugging.
She processed all that implied and a radiant joy welled up through her. Every marriage was a journey taken one day at a time, but in that moment she knew that she and Ryan had a lifetime of days ahead of them.
"You know the other excellent thing about marrying you?"
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she rose up on her toes and planted a kiss on his mouth. "No, what?"
"When we get married, I'll finally get to hear your real name."
She nibbled on his neck and was gratified to hear his sharp intake of breath. "We'll see," she murmured.
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The following excerpt is from Deceiving an Heiress, Book Three in the Cinderella Heiresses series.
When a free-spirited heiress falls for the undercover agent investigating her family for illegal activity, she must face her fear of betrayal and learn to trust in order to reveal the real criminal.
I had a lot of fun writing the story of how these two spirited people meet and fall in love. They are such opposites, yet so right for each other. The story is complex, sexy and rich with emotion.
I hope you enjoy spending time with them and the people in their lives as much as I did!
All the best,
DECEIVING AN HEIRESS
Chapter One
"I don't need a bodyguard," Piper insisted. She stared at the two flat tires of her custom-painted Mercedes SL and tried hard to only feel outrage.
This was Mockingbird, Texas, for heaven's sake. One of the most exclusive communities outside of Houston. This should not be happening and she refused to be scared.
If she let herself feel afraid, then she'd have to be honest about it and listen to her stepsister. She looked up to Danni, had tried and failed to emulate her, and loved her dearly. Danni was more like a full sister to her in every way that mattered. She hated hearing the concern in her voice.
"It's the third vandalism this month," Danni pointed out.
"This is just a coincidence. Maybe I keep running over the same nail," she commented, hoping to ease her sister's concerns.
"The same one that scraped a line from one bumper to the other two weeks ago?"
Piper's stomach tightened. "No one could have gotten this close. Nothing's triggered the security system." Even to her own ears, she sounded less than convinced.
"Scary, not comforting," her sister said. "The Stanley's system never went off either, and they had fifty-thousand dollars worth of jewelry and coins stolen from their house."
Danni moved past her and marched to the other side of the car. "All four tires is not a coincidence, Piper. This was deliberate."
Piper reluctantly walked around the bumper. She tried not to notice how her Fendi python pumps clicked across the flagstones of the driveway, sounding unpleasantly like distant gun fire. She stopped behind Danni and peered over her shoulder.
A light breeze blew the scent of gardenia across them and her sister brushed her golden-red hair out of her face. She pointed an immaculate French-tipped forefinger at the tires. "There's a cut in this one. Like from a knife." She leveled a severe frown at Piper and then something else caught her attention. "Is that a note on the windshield?"
Piper turned around. A creepy chill ran down her back at the sight of a folded piece of paper stuck under the windshield wiper. Her legs trembled as she went around the car and retrieved it. She unfolded the paper and read the brief message while Danni looked over her shoulder.
"This has gotten serious, Piper," her sister said in a low voice. "Will you please get a bodyguard? At least for a little while?"
The worry chewing at the edge of Piper's stomach took a big chomp. She ignored the uncomfortable churning of distress and focused on being irritated.
She so didn't need this aggravation. Not now. She had enough going on and a lot of people counting on her. This constant harassment was getting unpleasantly inconvenient, and now borderline terrifying. But a bodyguard? That was clearly impossible.
"I'd rather not have some hulking gorilla following me all over town while I organize the graduation. What would the Ladies say? I'm always telling them that they can take care of themselves. That they don't need to rely on a man. How would it look?"
"It would look a lot better than you landing in the hospital. You don't have to be responsible for everyone, Piper. You don't have to fix everything. Except this. This you have to fix."
"Can I use your car?"
Danni's midnight blue eyes sharpened. "Have you been listening to anything I've said?" Planting her fists on her slim hips, she glared down at Piper. Unfortunately, Danni was not only three years older, but nearly as many inches taller. "Call Uncle Theo. Now. Get him to recommend someone. Hire that person and then you can borrow my car. The Audi, not the Continental."
Piper matched her stance and scowled. Sometimes Danni could be way too bossy and exasperating for her own good. "We should call the police."
"And upset Mother? You know how excitable she is."
"How will I explain a bodyguard to her? Did you think of that?" she said.
"We'll figure something out. Your safety is the first priority."
Piper sighed and dropped her arms to her sides. Darn it, she had a point. But the whole idea rubbed her the wrong way.
She shouldn't need help from anyone. She had it all — money, excellent health, a loving family. Even when her father had died unexpectedly, she hadn't been left alone. She'd had Danni and her stepmom.
She should be the one helping other people, not the other way around.
But she also needed to be sensible. Flat tires, ruined paint jobs and now a threatening note. Who knew what tomorrow might bring? Piper suppressed a shudder.
"Fine, I'll do it. Just to stop the nagging. Not because I'm scared, or anything," she added.
"I never said you were scared, sweetie, but I sure am." A smile touched Danni's mouth.
Piper rummaged through her python clutch and fished out her iPhone. She hated showing weakness. Danni never did and neither had Dad. In her own way, even Mother was a force to be reckoned with.
"Do you mind?" Piper said, giving Danni a pointed look as she pressed the Theo icon and put the phone to her ear.
Her sister's smile deepened. "I don't trust you to go through with it."
"I'm stubborn, not stupid, D."
"That's up for debate."
"Hello?" Uncle Theo's voice said in Piper's ear.
She greeted him enthusiastically, glaring at Danni the whole time.
"You and Danielle are fighting, again, aren't you?" her late father's closest friend said, amusement in his voice.
"Of course not. Well, kind of." She glanced at Danni and grimaced. "I'm having a little problem and I might need some help."
"Anything, Piper. Just name it," he said, his tone shifting instantly from light to serious.
She released a resigned breath. "I may have a stalker."
* * *
Piper stopped the Audi at the end of the dirt driveway and studied the modest ranch. The feeling that this wasn't going to end well continued to nag at her.
On the other hand, once again her car was in the shop and some unknown kook had managed to get within fifteen feet of her house undetected. Creeped out didn't even begin to describe the cold chill running down her back at the thought.
No, she had to do this, like it or not. Short of picking a name randomly out of the phone book, she had to trust Uncle Theo's judgment. He'd said this guy was one of the best.
She eyed the house skeptically. For someone so good, he didn't seem to be doing too well. Maybe she should call her godfather back and ask for the name of the best.
The beige vinyl siding of the single story house looked like it had seen better days. There were no curtains at the windows and the gray paint on the front door and porch railings clung half-heartedly in ragged patches that looked dreadful.
There was definitely potential here, she admitted, eying the sunny spread of lawn and thick-trunked live oaks that cluttered around the house. But without some attention the little house was doomed.
A can of paint and a few curtains were not beyond most people's means, Piper mused, disapproval giving a sour edge to her lack of enthusiasm. She had to conclude that this Jensen person simply didn't care, was incredibly lazy, or both.
She pictured an unkempt middle-aged man, balding and with a ponderous couch-potato belly. Her confidence sagged as low as the roof of the barn behind the house. This could not be the address of someone Uncle Theo had spoken of in such glowing terms.
She double-checked the GPS on the console. No, she was at the right address, such as it was. This was the man he wanted her to hire.
Piper shifted the Audi out of Park and cruised carefully down the last fifty yards of pitted dirt. As she got closer, the back of her neck buzzed with a touch of light energy, like invisible fingers fluttering across her skin.
She gripped the soft leather of the steering wheel tighter. Every time her intuition flared up like that, fate threw the equivalent of a designer knockoff into her life. Not a good sign.
She should call the police and let them deal with the problem. Of course, then she'd be stuck managing the horrified drama that Mother would kick up.
Things were tense enough between them because of the upcoming Ladies' graduation celebration. If Mother knew there was a stalker slinking around, she would flat out forbid having the event at the house.
Piper rubbed the back of her neck. Either way was a potential mess. She'd just have to get this over with, claim he wasn't right for the job, and then try to find a new solution.
Pulling around the curved drive, she cruised to a stop in front of the porch. A brown and white spotted dog lay on the steps watching her curiously.
Piper eyed the hound, at least she thought that's what it was. A flutter of trepidation moved through her stomach. Was it friendly? How could you tell?
She liked animals, they seemed straightforward and honest and she could respect that, but she'd seldom had the opportunity to be around them. What was the protocol for greeting a guard dog?
Cautiously, she opened the car door and stepped out, glad the Audi was between her and the house. "Um, I realize you don't know me, but would you mind if I came up onto the porch and rang the doorbell?" she called out. "If there is one."
The dog's floppy ears pricked forward and it cocked its head.
"I'm not a burglar, or anything. I promise."
The dog's right ear flicked.
"That's probably what a burglar would say, isn't it?"
The hound's attention swung toward the porch steps to her left. Piper followed the animal's gaze and her eyes widened. She had just enough time to squeak before a large and tremendously fluffy black dog raced from under the porch and launched itself toward her.
She fell back a step as the animal jumped, its plumey tail waving frantically. Muddy paw prints smeared across the skirt and bodice of her new Valentino dress and she gasped.
Her horror mounting, Piper frantically pushed the dog away before it did any more damage to the soft, red fabric. The animal leaped at her again, joyfully nipping at her hands in between trying to lick her face.
"That is enough!" she said, her throat tightening with every word.
Much to her surprise, the dog jumped down and backed away a few paces, tail still waving like a flag. They studied each other for a moment and then the dog gave a happy yip and started for her again.
"No," Piper said in the firm tone she occasionally had to use on one of her Ladies. "Your behavior is not acceptable."
The dog stopped.
"You will not treat haute couture so disrespectfully, young..." she hesitated, trying to get a bead on the dog's gender. No luck. Too much fluff.
She pointed her forefinger at the animal. "Young dog," she concluded haughtily. "And wipe that smile off your face."
The animal gave another sharp, happy bark and sat down, its tail sweeping across the dirt.
She narrowed her gaze at it. "I hope your master has better manners than you."
"Don't count on it," a smooth, radio-worthy male voice said behind her.
"Gah!" Jumping, Piper spun around and came face-to-face with a strong throat and broad, muscular, very naked chest. She sucked in a gasp of surprise and a heady, outdoorsy male scent swept into her, scrambling her thoughts instantly.
Mesmerized, her gaze drifted down to well-worn jeans riding low over narrow hips, long legs, scuffed cowboy boots, and back up past mouth-watering abs to the smooth, tanned perfection of a gorgeous chest. Places deep inside her went hot and wet and her knees wobbled a bit.
She swallowed and willed herself to meet the cool, gold-brown eyes gazing at her with disapproval. He was no more than thirty and a little over six feet she'd guess. His hair was the color of dark chocolate and shagged across his forehead and around his sharp cheekbones before falling almost to his shoulders. Just in front of his left ear, a thin white scar tracked down to the wedge of his jaw, making him look dangerous and...piratey.
Wow.
Her heartbeat accelerated and she licked her lips. "Um...Alex Jensen?"
"Maybe."
"Bodyguard?" she asked, her voice cracking.
He narrowed his eyes. "Occasionally."
Her gaze tracked over his gorgeous body again. She couldn't help herself.
"What kind of guarding did you have in mind? Exactly."
His voice flowed over her like honey and she blinked, struggling to focus. Nothing stoked her stove like a smooth bedroom voice.
"Why aren't you bald and fat?" she blurted out, attempting to distract herself from a situation that was quickly deteriorating into a lovely fantasy.
A sparkle of humor warmed the frost in his gaze. "Come back in thirty years."
She did another body check. "Hard to imagine."
"You never know. I could let myself go." He quirked a dark brow at her. "Why are you here?"
"Hmmm? Oh." The enjoyment of flirting with him died suddenly as the annoyance of her problem flooded over her in painful detail. "You were recommended to me as a bodyguard who had some investigating experience. I could use both."
His expression turned distant. "Sorry. I'm busy." He turned away from her and headed toward the barn. The black dog trotted after
him. The brown and white hound jumped off the porch and joined them.
Shocked amazement froze her to the spot. Had he just turned his back on her and walked away?
She watched the corded muscles along his back bunch with every step. Dropping her point of study, she momentarily appreciated the way his jeans cupped the tight contours of his butt.
He was one-hundred percent distracting, no question, but men never blew her off. Especially not a bite-able pirate.
"Uncle Theo said you were the best," she called after him.
He kept walking, drat him.
Shifting her weight to her other foot, Piper considered her options. She hesitated to throw down the ace she'd been told to use.
It sounded weird and didn't make a drop of sense. Almost like a code, which was completely ridiculous. Maybe this guy was a movie buff and it was some kind of inside joke between him and Uncle Theo?
Her panic thickened as Mr. Jensen closed in on the barn. In these particular shoes she didn't have a chance of catching him. Grass and dirt and heels this high did not mix well.
She took a deep breath and ignored the tingling at the back of her neck. "He said to tell you 'the zombies are back!'" she shouted.
He stopped and went utterly still. The dogs at his heel looked at him and whined, their tails drooping.
Something about the set of his shoulders sent a sudden spike of fear into her stomach. Piper took an instinctive step back as he slowly turned around. Even from several yards away she could see the stormy anger on his face. He strode back toward her, his long legs eating up the distance in seconds.
He halted only inches away, the salty, male scent of him wrapping around her like a fist. "What did you say?" he growled.
She held his gaze, refusing to be intimidated. "You heard me."
"Say it," he ordered.
Every inch of her simmered with awareness and she wasn't sure if she wanted to jump him or scream and faint. She pressed her back against the cool metal of the car, hoping to get a little breathing room.