by Moxie North
Piper could tell that she hardly had any heart left to give. Her family was the part she kept strong. It was the sense of self that kept her moving. Anson needed a whole heart. He deserved to have someone that had never been broken or scarred by the pain that she had been through. He would make a great mate. She could see that about him. His mate would never want for anything. Anson was the kind of guy that would bend over backwards to keep his mate protected.
With nothing but lounging on the couch as her plan for the day, Piper hadn’t even bothered to dress. It was ten in the morning and she had only been up for coffee and to use the bathroom. When he dropped her off and secured her in her home, she’d told Anson she wasn’t stepping foot out of her house on Sunday so KSI could be off duty.
He’d gritted his teeth, the muscle in his jaw twitching under the short beard that had filled in over the week. Piper wondered if she was the reason he wasn’t keeping up with his personal grooming. Yesterday at her parents his hair had been a bit messy like he’d run his hands through it too many times. It gave him a wild appearance. She couldn’t help watching him yesterday as he’d wandered the property around the house. He’d been dressed in a pair of jeans and a tight dark blue shirt that he said he normally wore backpacking but kept in his truck as a backup. It did nothing to offset his appearance of a badass.
A few of her cousins had popped by to sit with her to grill her about him. She lied and said he was new in town covering a bank client and he didn’t know anyone. She was just being friendly. Luckily for her, they had no clue about things and thought it sounded intriguing and dangerous. When they really should have thought that it was completely insane and there was no such thing as bodyguards for bank clients.
Piper’s parents had stuck close too. When she’d told them what had happened, her mom had cried. Her dad broke a vase. That made her mom mad. Piper would rather have her mom mad than crying so it worked out. They were terrified for her, and rightly so. They also took the opportunity to express an outrage against her exes that they must have been holding back for a very long time. Knowing that both men had known about her stalker and still left her made their crimes so much worse in their minds.
For the first time, Piper let her sadness slip a little. She was angry at them too. The hurt had been so crushing that being angry wasn’t in the cards. Now that the sadness had faded enough, she could be angry. In fact, she was fucking pissed. She’d all but pushed Anson out the door and after he left she’d set herself up in the studio.
She’d wasted two canvases and ruined one of her favorite brushes venting her anger in red and yellow on the blank space. Piper had cried and let out silent screams that made her head hurt. She knew better than to make noise. There was a chance that Anson was within earshot and she couldn’t resist his advances in her current state. His strength would be so easy to sink into. But that was the fear. Sinking into anyone else, ever again.
When she’d exhausted herself, she’d curled up on the couch dressed in a lilac camisole set with cute shorts. Now she was lacking any kind of motivation to leave her cave. There was no one looking for her. She was low on groceries, but instead of having a huge Kindred following her around Safeway, she decided to place an order. She spent a half hour ordering too much food and too much junk food for sure. She set the delivery for Monday late afternoon around the time someone would be dropping her off. Something told her Anson wouldn’t like her opening the door to delivery people alone.
Settling back into the couch, she pulled the covers up around her head so just her eyes and nose were peeking out. Watching cooking contestants sitting in front of ovens on the floor watching their puff pastry seemed like something she would do. She’d lost that ability to trust people, there was no way she’d trust an appliance to not burn her plum pudding or mini pear pies when a contest was on the line. During the next episode, there was a simultaneous knock on the door as her phone chimed.
Checking her phone first, she saw a text from Anson saying he was on his way. She frowned at that. There was no reason for him to come over. Pulling the blinds aside, she could see his hulking frame on her doorstep.
“Ah, come on, man,” she moaned. Dragging herself off the couch she went to the door, punched in her code to turn the alarm off, and opened the door, leaving the security chain on.
“What are you doing here?” she asked. Her plans for the day were sounding better as she looked him up and down. He was wearing jeans that looked worn and clung to him in all the right places. His shirt said KSI which didn’t surprise her other than the fact it was dark blue and not black. His hair was slicked back and he was looking oddly casual.
“I’m here to pick you up.”
“I’m not leaving the house today. I told you that.”
“Yes, you did. You’re afraid.”
“What the hell? Like that’s a bad thing? Of course, I’m afraid. I was afraid before then you and Luca terrified me. Mission accomplished, I’m a hermit.”
“You’re afraid for the wrong reason,” he said roughly.
Piper leaned over and pounded her head against the doorframe.
“Are you shitting me? I’m afraid for the wrong reason?”
“Yes. You should be afraid of the asshole. But you’re confusing that with being afraid of life.”
That straightened her right up. “Fuck you, Anson! I don’t need a fucking psychologist. You’re my bodyguard. That’s it. Guard, body, me not dead. Real simple.”
“I realized last night that even when we get this asshole you’re not going to move on. You’ve stopped living.”
“For fuck’s sake, what are you, a Kindred yogi?”
“I am very in tune with the universe, thank you. You need to reconnect.”
“Okay, I’ll join Pilates.”
“No, nature, not hot yoga.”
“Totally different things,” she corrected him.
“Piper, I’m taking you out today.”
“I don’t want to go out. I want to sit on my couch and watch The Great British Baking Show, this is my version of Zen.”
His eyebrow raised at that. “Zen?”
“You don’t know. Besides, you’re off duty. Take a day off. Go do… badass stuff.”
“I’m sorry, badass?”
“Yeah, whatever you do in your free time. Build bombs, target practice, work on how to kill a man with your thumb. That kind of shit.”
“I don’t need a thumb, I have claws and teeth, babe.”
“Did you just call me babe?”
Piper was quickly losing control of the situation. Not that she ever really had it under control.
“It’s an endearment. It feels good to say it to you. I do things that feel good. Since that feels good, I’m going to keep doing it, just so you know.”
Piper wasn’t sure if it was worth fighting him over that so she tabled it until later. “I’m really not up for going out. I’m in my pajamas, I was about to find myself some cereal, and then get back under the covers.”
“I have donuts in the car.”
Shit, Piper really liked those maple bars with bacon from Donuts or Die. No, she needed to be strong and not swayed by sugar.
“Don’t you need a day off from me?” Opting for another tactic because she knew she didn’t want to work on the weekends. It was mind-numbing and usually very little work got accomplished.
“No.”
Piper waited for a moment to see if anything else was following that no. Of course there wasn’t.
“If you’re so jazzed to be around me. Why can’t you sit and watch TV with me?”
“Because that isn’t healthy.”
“Hah, you have no idea how good it is for me. It’s pleasant and warm. And you never know, I may become a master baker someday.”
“Master baker?” he said with a chuckle.
Piper glared at him. Leave it to a man to make that sound dirty.
“Come on, Piper. Let me show you a good time,” he said, throwing in a smile that was w
ay too much for a fragile woman to take. It made her knees weak and her pussy start to tingle. That was never a good thing around a Kindred. Not wanting him to know how that smile affected her, she closed the door and unlocked the chain before reopening it.
She didn’t let him in yet. “Where did you want to go?”
“For a drive.”
“A drive?”
“Yes, you go and drive. It’s fun. There’s snow up on the passes. Just a dusting, but I bet it’s pretty.”
Piper gaped at him. “You want to go look at the pretty snow?”
“I want you to put your hands in the snow, breathe in some air that smells of nothing but pine and dirt. I want you to listen to the quiet and let it sink in.”
Pier hadn’t been in the mountains for a few years. Her ex Tristan hadn’t been a big skier, which had suited her fine. Her skis had been in mothballs for a while.
“Am I going to be billed for this?” Piper knew that it was a dig. But maybe if she reminded him that she was a job, he’d stop looking for something that couldn’t be.
“Nope. I’m off today. If you had wanted to go out today, Zion was on call.”
Piper really didn’t believe him. He seemed almost happy saying it. He probably would have shown up if she’d called for an escort.
“What are the chances I can make you get off my porch and leave me to my shows?” She didn’t need to hear the real answer before she unlocked the chain.
“Zero. Get dressed. I’ll make us coffee to go.” Anson stepped through the door and Piper had no choice but to move out of his way.
“Oh, no, please help yourself to my kitchen and my coffee. Root around in my cupboards. I have no privacy,” she said sarcastically at his back as he made his way to her kitchen.
“Thanks, babe. Get dressed.”
Damn. He was smiling; she could hear it in his voice. He wasn’t taking her seriously at all. Closing the door, she calculated whether or not she could get out of this either with reasoning with him or brute force. Both came up as hilariously impossible. Sighing, she trudged up the stairs and got dressed.
Digging into her warmer clothes at the back of the closet, she found her fleece-lined leggings. Pulling them on, she threw on a thin silk long-sleeved shirt she used for skiing. She pulled on a zip-up fleece over top. Her warmest socks and her waterproof boots followed. She also managed to find her favorite hat with the ear flaps and the matching mittens. If he wanted to drag her to the mountains then he had to go with her goofy self.
She made a show of stomping back down the stairs. But Anson wasn’t waiting in the kitchen. She found him in her living room folding her blankets on the couch. The sight stopped her short. He was tidying up after her, neatly placing her nesting materials at the end of the couch to be used another day. She watched in shock as he tried to fluff her cushions by smacking them with his hand. What the hell was he doing?
“You know that’s just a couch, right? Not a bed?” she asked.
“Do you know that?” he asked, not looking back at her, intent on his task.
“Of course. But nobody gets up and makes their couch.”
“Clearly,” he retorted.
Crossing her arms she waited for him to finish his housekeeping. When he finally turned back to her, he looked her up and down and grunted. She took that as approval of her outfit.
“Let’s go,” he ordered.
“You know you could ask me.”
“I could, but you seem to always want to debate things. This way is easier. Either you come or you don’t. Still your choice.”
Piper was already dressed to go, so there wasn’t a good reason to put her foot down now.
“Fine, but you better really have donuts.”
“I wouldn’t lie to you about something like that.”
Piper glared at him. She was up and dressed on a Sunday. Sugar was the least she expected.
Chapter 15
Anson knew he was taking a chance by stopping in unannounced. The quiet drive home from her parents’ BBQ had grated on him. After dropping her off that night, he’d driven straight to the mountains about an hour outside of the city. Arriving at his favorite trailhead, he’d parked and walked up the trail a few feet before taking off his clothes and letting the shift overtake him. His skin stretched as the animal within pushed through and his body cracked as he grew until he was on all fours. Standing, he stretched to his full height of nine feet for a moment before dropping down, his thousand pounds shaking the forest floor.
With a glance around to make sure he was still alone, he took off at a run, and ran until he was exhausted. A few fallen trees and logs bore the marks of his frustration after he tore into them with his claws. He had imagined that Piper’s stalker was under his claws. It was cathartic. He knew he wouldn’t be able to tear the man to shreds in real life, and if the man in the shadows was Kindred… there would be much harsher ways to deal with him. When it came to humans they had to conform to human laws.
Finally feeling that he had his anger under control, he made his way back to the SUV, retrieved his clothes from the base of a tree then dressed and headed home. Sitting in his small apartment, he realized he might need something more than the three oversized leather recliners that he kept in his living room in case the guys stopped over. Being on a month-to-month rental agreement, he had decided last night that he was going house shopping. He was paid well and had plenty of money saved and didn’t spend it on anything but necessities. While he lay awake for most of the night he made another decision. He was going to be in Piper’s life, however the universe intended that to be. If she wasn’t meant to be his, then he’d be the best friend she’d ever had.
On his way to her place, he made a quick stop to get the donuts as a peace offering. He remembered what she ordered when she went in. He made sure at least half the box was her favorites. On the trip to her house he kept questioning whether he should be doing what he was doing. But the Crone’s words kept coming back to him. It was about having trust in the way things were supposed to work out. Anson had expected Piper to put up more of a fuss at his invitation. Her words said she was annoyed, her quick acceptance told him she might have needed the company.
As soon as he settled her in the car he put the box of donuts in her lap. “Eat.”
“You really need to work on your communication skills. Next time try, ‘Piper, would you like a donut?’, the answer would probably be the same.”
“Then why do I need to say it that way? You’re hungry, eat.”
She’d glared at him, but opened the box and selected a large maple donut topped with bacon, making a show of getting as much of it into her mouth as possible before biting down. She closed her eyes and moaned. He never understood why women did that. Did they not realize or care what that did to men? It was fucking erotic and made all sorts of thoughts pop into their heads. More men should be smarter and keep their women well-fed just for that reason.
Anson had backed up and started towards the gated entrance. As they pulled up to the gate, Anson’s eyes went straight to a bouquet of flowers stuck between the bars. He slammed on the brakes.
“Stay in the car,” he ordered.
Stepping out, he locked the doors behind him and marched towards the bouquet. It contained all white roses wrapped in brown paper. A white card rested between the petals with a handwritten note in black ink.
You can do better.
Turning on his heel, Anson went to the back of the SUV and opened a kit box that had everything they might ever need or want while on assignment. Pulling out a black trash bag, he walked back to the gate, scooping up the flowers without touching them. He tied off the top and deposited it back in the SUV. Getting back into the driver’s side he hit the button to call King. He knew he’d be around.
“Anson?”
“I need you to meet me at the office for a package drop off.”
“I’m here now,” King informed him.
Anson hung up without further explanation. He
put the vehicle back in gear and punched the gas.
“They were from him,” her scared voice finally said.
“I think so.”
“What did the card say? I could see it from here.”
“Does it matter?”
She paused. “No, I guess it doesn’t.”
“Don’t let him take up any more space than he already has. He knows he’s camping there and you can evict him anytime you want.”
He watched her wrap her arms around herself, the box of donuts now ignored. He reached for the box and set it behind the seat, never slowing down.
Gripping the steering wheel, his hands flexed as hair started sprouting off his knuckles. He could feel his teeth lengthening and his face altering as he tried to hold back the change. Anson started taking deep breaths but he knew his eyes had changed over, his vision was sharpening.
“Holy shit.” He heard whispered from the other seat.
“Sorry,” he growled.
“I understand what I’m feeling, but why the hell are you so upset?”
“Because he got close to you again. We’re supposed to be at least a deterrent to keep him from thinking he can get to you. He was there, probably watching as I parked and went in. He’s getting bolder.”
“Does this change our plans?”
“No, he doesn’t get to control your life anymore. We’re making a quick stop and then we’re heading to the mountains.”
He said that with finality because he didn’t want her to try and get out of it. She had every right to. He could smell her fear and sadness. But another day under her covers wasn’t going to help her. Anson drove quickly through downtown. His focus was on getting rid of the package in the back and moving past it. Piper couldn’t smell the sickeningly floral scent that Anson could pick up even through the garbage bag. He didn’t trust that they were just flowers. They could be coated with something that could harm or kill her. He wasn’t taking any chances.
Reaching their building off Fifth Avenue he pulled into the garage and idled the car next to the elevator. The doors opened moments later and King stepped out.