* * *
Aiden opened the pantry door and pulled out a box of pasta. What was wrong with him? His mind was all over the place. Actually, it was in one place—Piper’s body. Her pert breasts, her hazel eyes, the sculpted cheekbones, and her perfectly shaped ass. Aiden had protected celebrities, models, and heiresses. Not once had he felt this strong pull to someone before. Maybe it was because Piper Davies was so real while the others had been so fake. He’d broken up with his last girlfriend just last month, and it wasn’t like he had a shortage of woman willing to climb into his bed. There was just something about Piper Davies. It was probably because he was fascinated. Piper was so intelligent, quiet, unassuming, and utterly adorable. Whatever it was, he needed to push it deep down. He couldn’t let this affect his job. Piper was clear that she wasn’t thrilled to have him there. The last thing he needed was to show her what he really thought of her. She’d be running back to Keeneston before he could stop her.
Aiden’s phone rang as he poured the Alfredo sauce over the chicken, broccoli, mushrooms, and penne. He didn’t recognize the number except to know it was from Kentucky. “Hello?”
“It’s Nash Dagher. Is your phone traceable?”
No pleasantries, he definitely liked this town. “No.”
“Good.”
“What’s going on?” Aiden asked as he stirred the ingredients.
“We’re trying to track down who is behind this. While we were doing so, someone broke into Piper’s house after you left. No casserole or pie was left behind.”
“So it wasn’t a local,” Aiden stated, picking up on what Nash wasn’t saying.
“Exactly. We’ve put up cameras now in case they come back.”
“What about the SUV?”
“It was stolen out of Alexandria, Virginia, a week ago. We’re running prints now and should have something by tomorrow morning.”
“Keep me updated,” Aiden told Nash.
“You keep Piper alive, and we’ll find out who is behind this.”
Nash hung up and Aiden slid his phone into his suit pants pocket. It was good working with a team again. Though Nash was from Rahmi and Walker was from America, it was like he was back in the SAS with his team.
Aiden covered the pasta and headed upstairs to tell Piper dinner was ready. “Dr. Davies?” he asked as he knocked on the door. No answer.
Aiden’s heart picked up speed and he honed his ears for sounds of struggle. Nothing. Aiden knocked again. “Dr. Davies?”
Nothing.
Placing one hand on his gun and the other on the doorknob, he slowly turned it. The door swung silently open as he looked into an empty room. The soft strands of Dvořák’s “Slavonic Dances” drifted under the bathroom door. “Dr. Davies?” Aiden asked again while knocking on the door. Again, no response. An image of Piper strangled in the bathroom flashed into his head as he pulled his gun and flung the door open.
Aiden scanned the room and paused, gun aimed as movement caught his attention. The tub. The water rippled inside it a second before Piper’s head surfaced. Before he could say anything, Piper was standing up. He hadn’t seen her under the water, but he swallowed hard as the rivulets of water ran down her body. “Dinner’s ready,” he said as calmly as he could.
Piper’s eyes flashed open as she let out a surprised squeak. One arm covered the loveliest tits he’d ever seen, and the other dropped lower. “What are you doing in here?” she asked frantically as she eyed the gun.
“You didn’t answer the door. I was afraid you’d been hurt.” Aiden slipped his gun back in its holster as Piper’s eyes lowered and froze. Her face was bright red as Aiden reached for the towel on the counter next to him and handed it to her. “I’ll have dinner on the table for you after you get dressed,” he said as professionally as he could before walking out of the room and closing the door behind him. He took a deep breath, and it was then he noticed why Piper had turned red. It looked as if his prick were saluting her.
Aiden groaned and not because of the raging erection he had. He’d never lost his cool before and here he was only a couple hours into an assignment and practically poking the lass with his prick. “So professional,” Aiden muttered as he took off for the kitchen, determined to put aside any feelings he had and focus solely on his job.
* * *
Well, dinner was awkward. After Aiden had closed the door and left Piper to get dressed, she had to stop herself from calling Abby and confirming that the size of Aiden’s penis was definitely something to talk about. And it was her naked body that had caused it to rise and wave hello. Piper was still in disbelief.
During dinner, Aiden had told her about growing up in the small town of Lynton in Devon. How he went rock climbing, swam in the cold ocean, and hiked constantly with the local goats as he grew up. It had seemed as if the SAS was made for him. And so he left his small town, joined the Army, and quickly knew he wanted to submit for the elite SAS training. Aiden went on to serve four years in the SAS before joining the private sector.
Finally, after the plates where cleared and they had mugs of tea in hand, they headed to the back porch. The night air was chilly and Piper sat on the bench swing, wrapped up in the blanket Aiden had gotten for her from the living room, with her hot tea in hand. Aiden took a seat on a nearby chair, placed his ankle on his knee, and leaned back.
“Nash found out the SUV was stolen from Alexandria, Virginia. Know anyone from that area?”
Piper took a sip of her tea and shook her head. “My friend works in Washington, DC. That’s the only connection I have there.”
“Who’s your friend?” Aiden asked.
“Abigail Mueez.”
Aiden chuckled into his tea. “I should have put two and two together. Abby is Ahmed’s daughter, isn’t she?”
“Yes. You know her?” Piper asked, suddenly defensive about how Abby knew about Aiden’s package.
“Met her once at a conference. She’s . . . memorable.” Piper raised a questioning eyebrow and Aiden continued. “She was there with this man, but she was what everyone was talking about. Apparently there’s a story about her taking down this rogue military regime on behalf of the Bermalia government.”
Piper’s eyes went wide. “King Draven hired Abby to do that?”
“You know the King of Bermalia?” Aiden asked, surprised.
“Yeah, don’t you?”
“No, I don’t,” he answered with amusement.
“What exactly does Abby do? I thought she did what you do.”
Aiden shook his head. “Nope. She doesn’t do personal security work. I know everyone who’s worth knowing in this field, and I can guarantee Abigail Mueez doesn’t work for a security company.”
“Then who does she work for?” Piper wondered out loud.
“She’s your friend, why don’t you ask her?”
Piper suddenly smiled. “I don’t think I want to know.” She laughed and enjoyed the sound of Aiden’s laughter joining hers. It was deep and rich and seemed to fill her with warmth. Her eyes drifted down and before she knew it, she was staring at his package again. Her eyes snapped up and Aiden’s grin widened. Busted.
Piper took another drink of her tea and stared at the stars as she gently swung. “Dr. Davies,” Aiden started before Piper interrupted him.
“Please, call me Piper. I hate being called Dr. Davies. It’s so impersonal.”
She saw Aiden smile softly, and she looked back at the stars to keep herself from looking at his package again. “Mallory said you wanted someone you didn’t know to watch you so you wouldn’t worry about them. That’s very noble, protecting your friends. I do believe they are more than capable of looking out for you.”
“Yes, they are. But what if Walker were killed? I would be the reason my cousin was widowed. I couldn’t do that to them. They’re all retired, looking forward to children and grandchildren and building their training center.” Piper sighed at how cold that sounded. Not to her friends and family, but to Aiden. “I don’t mean to
imply that your life is worth less than theirs.”
“I didn’t think you were. Emotions are tricky in close protection work. I’m not your best friend. I’m not your assistant. I’m here for one purpose: to keep you alive.”
Piper didn’t know for sure, but it sounded as if Aiden were reminding himself of that. But she needed to hear it too. They needed to be professional, and she needed to work. “Will you stay out of the way while I work?”
“Of course. You won’t know I’m there,” Aiden said before giving her a wink. Yeah, good luck with that. Piper was positive she’d know exactly where Aiden Creed was at all times.
8
Piper stretched in bed while she slowly woke up. She’d slept way better than she thought she would. Maybe because Abby had put thoughts of a naked Aiden in her mind. But anyway, she’d slept. She rolled over and looked at the clock. Seven in the morning. Aiden wasn’t going to take her to work until ten. Maybe she could get him to take her to her lab in Keeneston first.
Quickly dressing her in her standard work attire—jeans and a sweater for the cold fall day—Piper hurried downstairs. Aiden was sitting at the kitchen table sipping tea and reading the news on his tablet.
“Good morning,” he said, his accent causing Piper to flash back to some of the dream she’d had the night before.
She cleared her throat and gave him a smile as if she hadn’t just pictured him naked. “Morning. I thought maybe we could go into Keeneston this morning.”
“You’re the boss,” he said, setting down his tea.
“I am?”
“Yes, you are. I’m to keep you safe, not handcuff you to the bed.” Aiden froze the second the words were out of his mouth, as did Piper. Her face felt heated, her heart beat faster, and boy, did her hoohah tingle at his words.
“What do you need to pick up?” Aiden asked after clearing his throat.
“Well, I thought we could grab breakfast at the café and then head out to my lab for a couple hours. I have my old notebooks I want to review, and it would make more sense to have FAVOR with me so I can compare my initial thoughts to the actual steps I took.”
“When do you want to leave?”
“Now?”
Aiden cleared his throat again. “Sure. I’ll, um, meet you in the garage.”
* * *
Aiden watched as Piper walked from the room and groaned. Her ass was perfect. And it didn’t help that he’d been picturing it, and other parts of her, all night long. He felt like beating his head against the table. The second he’d said that about her being cuffed to the bed, he turned as hard as a rock and showed no signs of subsiding, which is why he sent Piper to the car.
Standing up, Aiden cleaned up the kitchen as he repeated the SAS Oath of Allegiance. By the time he got through humming “God Save the Queen,” he was finally presentable enough to meet Piper in the garage.
Piper looked up from where she sat in the front seat of the SUV and smiled nervously. Could she feel how much he wanted her?
“Is it okay if I sit up here? I hate sitting in the back.”
Ah, not the sexual tension he thought. “Sure. So, to the Blossom Café then? Is there anything you’d recommend me getting there?”
“Everything is good,” Piper said, launching into all of her favorite foods, an explanation of the Rose sisters, their retirement, and how their distant cousins, Poppy and Zinnia, now ran the café.
In twenty short minutes, Aiden pulled up to the café he’d passed the night before. “They’re not going to shoot me, are they?”
Piper laughed and he began to recite God Save the Queen in his head again. Piper laughing was the most erotic thing he’d ever heard. She put her whole soul into it. “No. Now they know who you are they’ll leave you alone. Well, as much as they leave anyone alone. Walker has mentioned being the new guy in town is a lot like Hell Week during SEAL training. Does that help?”
Aiden raised one brow and glanced at her to see if she was jesting. By the look on her face, he could tell she wasn’t. As long as he didn’t get shot, he could handle a friendly group of people who shared his love of guns and tits.
Piper was already out the door before Aiden could open it for her. “Next time let me get that.”
“I can get my own door. I have hands, you know.”
Aiden chuckled. “It’s not that you can’t open the door, it’s so I can make sure the area is safe first and put myself between you and the building in case someone decides to shoot at you.”
Aiden almost felt bad for telling her that. Her face fell so fast as she grabbed his arm. “You’re wearing a vest, right? Oh my gosh! How could I be so selfish? I’ve been thinking about how this will affect me, but not you. You need one of my jackets.”
“Piper, this is my job. You haven’t been selfish. And I have a jacket, thanks,” Aiden said, ignoring how good it felt to have her touch him.
“Not my jacket. And you will as soon as we get to my lab,” Piper said with such determination Aiden didn’t bother to argue. If she wanted him to wear a different jacket, then so be it.
Aiden opened the door to the café and the boisterous room grew quiet. “He’s just the bodyguard,” Pam called out. Suddenly everyone went back to eating and completely ignored him. Except for the slag.
She sauntered all hips, ass, and tits toward him. Her eyelashes, which resembled fingers reaching out to strangle him, batted. “Good morning,” she said seductively as she ran her hand down his chest straight to his prick.
“Sorry. I don’t pay to sleep with women, but good luck to you.” Aiden grabbed her hand and removed it from his body.
Aiden heard Piper snort behind him as the slag gasped. “You think I’m a hooker?” the woman screeched.
Aiden saw the table of law enforcement and figured she was putting on a show. Tables full of people turned to see what was going on. He lowered his voice, “If the tits fit. But I’m not interested. Go find someone else and leave me alone from now on.”
Her long-taloned hand came back as if to slap Aiden when all of a sudden she gave a little squeak and fell to the ground. Brrrrffft. Aiden stared down at the woman who just farted as if she were a trumpeter. He looked around and saw that no one was paying attention except for a young man with bright reddish-orange hair. He shoveled in the last bite of his food, set some money on the table, and walked over to them.
“Sorry. Nikki is a little . . . well, a lot. Just a lot. I’ll take her home. I’m Andy Dinkler,” he said, holding out his hand.
“Aiden Creed.”
“Hiya, Piper. How are you doing after last night?” Andy asked as he bent down and scooped Nikki into his arms.
“Good, thank you. How’s police academy?”
“I finish up in May, and Matt already said I had a job waiting at the sheriff’s station,” Andy said proudly.
“That’s great. Do you need any help with Nikki?” Piper asked.
Ppppffffttt. Andy ignored the fart coming from Nikki. “Naw. I have a key to her place now since I’ve carried her home so often. Sophie really loves her stun gun.”
Piper nodded and Aiden hurried to hold open the door for him. “Sophie? Taser?” Aiden asked as soon as Andy was out the door.
“My wife,” Nash said suddenly by his side. “She’s a weapons developer and her little joke project is a fart stun gun. Apparently I married a woman with the sense of humor of a twelve-year-old boy.”
“I’m so going to tell my cousin you said that,” Piper teased as she headed for a nearby table.
“We need to talk,” Nash said to Aiden instead of responding to Piper.
“You found out who’s after her,” Aiden stated.
“I think so, and it’s not good.”
“Should we go someplace to talk?”
Nash shook his head. “They find out everything anyway. And my wife is involved, so we might as well do it here.”
Aiden followed Nash over to the table that fit four people. Piper was talking to a pretty woman around her age
. “Darling, this is Aiden Creed. Aiden, my wife, Sophie.”
Aiden shook her hand and took the seat next to Piper. The waitress, Poppy, came over before Nash could talk. “What can I get y’all?”
“Y’all?” Aiden tried out. Piper laughed and Poppy sighed dreamily.
“I just love your accent.”
“I’m rather partial to y’alls’ accent too,” Aiden said even as the word felt funny in his mouth. “Piper, why don’t you order for us both?”
“Two biscuits and gravy,” Piper ordered without hesitation. Aiden’s forehead crinkled with confusion, but Nash was already pulling something up on a tablet.
“Have you ever heard of Red Shadow?”
Aiden nodded. He remembered it from his time in the SAS. “Weapons deals and black market trades run by a man who called himself Poseidon. But over a year ago, maybe two, he and his entire organization were taken out. The King of Rahmi claimed responsibility . . . Wait.” Aiden looked up at Nash. No? Yes? Maybe? “Were you a part of that?”
“I was that,” Nash responded as if taking out a criminal organization of that scale was nothing.
“I think you would be safe with Nash looking after you. You don’t need me when you have him here,” Aiden said with a shake of his head.
“He can’t,” Piper said suddenly. “I can’t put his life in danger. Not now.”
“I think he is the definition of danger,” Aiden responded.
“It’s because of me,” Sophie said quietly as she rested one hand on her flat stomach. “I’m pregnant.”
“Did you say pregnant?” Miss Lily shouted from across the room. A room that suddenly fell quiet for all of a brief second. Just long enough for Sophie to give a single nod.
“We told our families last night, but Piper was with me when I bought the test,” Sophie told the café.
“That means she’s probably twelve weeks, which makes it . . . twenty dollars on May 10th!” a woman shouted out.
“Aunt Paige!” Sophie gasped. “You’re betting on me?”
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