by Mel Teshco
Piper didn’t fail to notice the crease of concern in her mother’s brow, the distress quietly hidden behind her eyes. Piper nodded. She’d practiced the art of evading the truth. Her mom preferred not to know about the things Piper sensed and occasionally saw, so she told her mom what she wanted to hear.
Piper forced a smile in return. “I slept like a log.”
Her mother sighed, her whole body visibly relaxing. “That’s good news, darling. “Want to help me with these cookies?” She sent Piper a coy look. “We have a special visitor tonight.”
Piper refrained from saying anything negative. After her father had disappeared from their lives before she was even six years old, her mother had raised Piper alone for the last seven years, and had waited until Piper had become a teenager before deciding they were both ready for her to start dating.
Piper pushed away a dull feeling of dread for her mother’s upcoming ‘date’ and admired the batch of rum soaked chocolate chip cookies.
“Those are the adult versions,” her mother said gaily. She tapped her floury hands against the big mixing bowl. “This tamer chocolate chip dough is especially for you.”
Piper dipped her finger into the uncooked mix and tasted it. “Mm.”
Her mother laughed. “Don’t go eating it all now or there’ll be none for later.”
Piper grinned and scraped the edge of the bowl with her finger. She reached up and tapped her mother on the cheek. “Just enough to put on your face!”
Her mother gasped. “Piper Meadows!” She dipped her finger in too and smeared it across Piper’s face. “Cookie fight!”
Piper managed one more dab into the dough, swiping her mom’s brow with it before they both dissolved into fits of giggles, too weak to do anything else but give into the moment.
The DJ announced the next song, Bonnie Tyler’s, I Need a Hero, and her mom clapped her hands, ignoring the mist of white flour falling to the floor. “That’s one of my favorite songs!” She grabbed Piper’s hand. “Let’s dance!”
Their laughter was still ringing in her head when Piper woke to the same dramatic song on the car radio that she’d heard in her dream. She blinked away grogginess. The song must have infiltrated her dreams. Simple logic. Except to her mind nothing was a coincidence, just the same as nothing happened without a reason.
She stretched and turned her head, staring at the man who appeared to be every woman’s ultimate hero. From his short dark hair and lightly bristled face, his big hands that effortlessly held the steering wheel and his huge body encased in the dark, figure-hugging uniform. It would be so easy to let down her guard with him.
Except there was a hardness radiating from him, an inflexibility she couldn’t quite pinpoint. It was strangely deflating and she cleared her throat to push away the lump.
He glanced her way and said brusquely, “Good, you’re awake.”
She nodded and peeled off the picnic rug that now left her hot and unsettled. “Yes. How long did I doze off?”
His long pause alerted her to the fact some time had passed even before he said grudgingly, “Hours.”
She turned away from him to focus ahead. Already faint fingers of light were visible on the far horizon. She jerked upright in her seat, tiredness falling off her faster than a sheet of ice over flame. “Why didn’t you wake me?”
“You were in shock. You needed sleep to recover.”
She digested that piece of news even as she slammed a lid on the horrific memory of the police officer’s death. “Where are we?”
“According to the last sign, Woloonda is twenty miles away.”
“Twenty kilometers,” she corrected in a croaky voice. “We don’t go by miles in Australia.” Except reality was all too quickly penetrating her mind. “Why didn’t you wake me at the first town?” Fury kicked in. “My god, what kind of wretched man ... alien are you not to have stopped? I did you a favor to get you away from your enemies and this is what I get for it?”
His hands firmed on the wheel, his jaw clenching tight. “I couldn’t let you go.”
Anger was boiling over now, the emotion powerful enough to knock a fleeting surge of pleasure right on its ass. “That isn’t your decision to make.”
He turned to her, his eyes flashing, no, burning with inner flames. She recoiled even as she was fascinated. How was that even possible?
He’s an alien you git, of course it’s possible.
He blinked, subduing the flames into a faint glow. “You feel this thing between us too, I know you do. Surely no hometown with deadbeat friends is worth forsaking that?”
Her hands squeezed into fists. “You’re judging me and yet you hardly know me.” She sucked in a breath. “And I hardly know you.”
Baron shook his head. “You could live with someone for a hundred years and still not know them. Time is meaningless when it comes to soul-deep attraction.”
Heat rose behind her eyelids. “So you want me to drop my job,” he needn’t know she made sandwiches for a living, “and everything and everyone I know to be with you?”
Oncoming headlights etched his hard features even as he arched a brow, looking indifferent to her passionate outburst. “What is it you humans are fond of saying?—live a little.”
A wild surge of adrenaline shot through her when she hissed, “Not with you!”
Unclipping her seatbelt, she pulled on the door handle and shoved against the door. Sudden whistling wind competed with Baron’s hoarse shout as he slammed on the brakes. She hit the dashboard with a gasp. But when he lunged for her she jerked free of his clasp and threw herself out of the car.
Tucking herself into a ball, she hit the grass verge with a jolt before rolling head over heels. When she finally lay still, her breathing was erratic and the shock absolute at what she’d done. But although she was battered and bruised, no bones were broken.
A laugh of exhilaration spilled from her lips. Suck on that Baron Alsharma.
Because this was living!
Chapter Four
Baron jumped from the driver’s seat with the car still rolling, his chest tight and his pulse racing. Worse was his inner dragon ready to burst free with his emotions frayed to snapping point.
Time had slowed when Piper had chosen to risk her life by throwing herself out of the car rather than stay with him. Was he truly that horrible and threatening? His mouth pulled down. Evidently she really did see him as little more than a terrorizing giant.
His boots thudded on the sealed road as he raced back to where he half-expected her to be lying with broken bones or worse. Images of her crumpled and bloodied body flashed through his mind and he stifled a roar as he searched the roadside.
A car pulled up beside him. “Hey mate, I saw what happened! Is she okay?”
Baron’s blood pressure spiked. Just what he needed, a damn witness on top of everything else. His voice came out as a growl. “I’ll let you know when I find her.” His lips pressed into a hard line. Shit. If he really wanted to be inconspicuous he had to practice more restraint.
Turning to the driver, Baron forced some semblance of a good-natured smile. “Unfortunately my ... wife had too much to drink and we had a bit of an argument.”
The man winced, as though all too experienced in domestic disputes.
Clearly Baron should also exercise his considerable wits and make better use of whatever was at hand around him. He stepped closer to the driver, glad no other traffic was around at this early hour in the remote part of Australia. Without a word he pushed his thoughts into the man’s mind to plant a suggestion.
The driver blinked and said abruptly, “Let me help you find her.” Flicking his headlights on high beam to cut through the gloom ahead, he pointed to the figure limping down the roadside. “There!”
Even Baron’s exceptional eyesight had failed to see Piper’s retreating figure. Damn, she really did want nothing to do with him. He nodded curtly. “Thank you. I’ll take it from here.”
He didn’t wait around to s
ee if the other man would follow his advice. He sprinted after the woman who was doing her utmost to escape him. And though hurt pierced through his gut knowing she didn’t return his obsession, another part of him admired her grit and determination to outwit him.
But it was mostly fury that coursed through his veins. Fury that she could have killed herself trying to evade him. And fury that she’d chosen her ordinary life over what he’d offered.
Except what was he offering? Commitment? He hardly knew her, and yet the thought of never seeing her again was about as welcome as a hole in the head.
A pity a lifetime of being on the run from a relentless enemy was his foreseeable future. A pity he couldn’t offer her the wonderful life she deserved.
He snarled even as she turned, her mouth falling open at seeing him in the high beam giving chase. He probably looked like an avenging angel ... something from out of her worst nightmares.
But did she really think he’d give her up that easily?
Though she had to realize he was seconds away from catching her, she put on a burst of speed that defied her pronounced limp and goddess knew what other injuries.
Shit. The little fool was going to seriously hurt herself!
He closed in on her, wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her against his chest. Bloody hell, his Riddich uniform weighed more than she did! He stifled a groan, his anger forgotten. Nothing could match her squirming, sensual body.
But with blood oozing from her temple and her hands, as well as her scraped knees showing through her torn skirt, he wasn’t a big enough asshole to give into his damn lust.
“Put me down!” she hissed, her breath wheezing in and out.
He grinned. “Not a chance.”
The car with its young male driver pulled up beside them. “Are you okay, miss?”
Baron’s smile became gritted teeth. He should have planted a suggestion for the man to get lost. But for now Baron focused on Piper, allowing his eyes to burn just enough so that she alone could see his inner flames. When she opened her mouth, no doubt to scream for help, he said in an undertone, “Don’t.” His stare glowed a little brighter. “Pretend you’re drunk or his death is on your conscience.”
Of course he wouldn’t slay anyone unless they were a threat, but she didn’t need to know that. Her eyes widened, her face losing even more of its color. His throat burned and he swallowed uncomfortably. He’d worry later about finding a way to convince her that he wasn’t a vicious killer. He had the present situation to deal with first.
She turned her head toward the other man and said tightly, “I guess I drank too much.”
The driver nodded. “Yes, your husband mentioned that. Maybe cut back on those wines from now on, eh?”
Piper gasped. When she looked back at Baron her eyes flashed with anger. Then she tilted her chin and gritted out, “Yes. But then maybe my husband shouldn’t always imagine I’m fucking my coworkers.”
“All right, time to get you home,” Baron interjected before she did even more damage. He planted one last thought into the other man’s mind, just to annoy the hell out of the woman in his arms.
The driver revved his engine and gave them a wave. When he pulled back out onto the road, he yelled out, “I bet he has plenty of his own coworkers to fight off.”
As the taillights disappeared over a rise, Piper hissed, “Looks like even Earth men are attracted to you.”
“Hm. It seems everyone wants me but you.”
“So what, you kidnap anyone who doesn’t give you more than a second glance?”
He chuckled as he strode toward their car, refraining from telling her she’d already looked more than once. They had to find someplace to stay, somewhere he could check over her scrapes and sprains. But not until after he’d ditched the car.
He arched a brow. “Generally I’m more than happy to keep my freedom.” His affair with Rhyhana had been the exception to that rule.
Lesson learned.
“And now?” she asked.
“Now I’m more than happy to explore our mutual attraction.”
“Mutual,” she scoffed.
He stilled, staring down at her upturned face. “Yeah, mutual,” he affirmed.
She blinked and licked her lips, her face blushing crimson. His dick jerked in response and he stifled a groan. What the hell was wrong with him? She was far from yielding to the temptation of being with him. Yet as he headed back to their car there was more than a bit of a spring in his step.
He placed her carefully onto the passenger side of the vehicle, but she winced at the contact of her ass on the seat. He stifled a grin. He’d enjoy picking out the gravel from her tender skin. He clipped on her seatbelt, keeping his voice neutral. “We’ll stop somewhere soon.”
She blew out an angry breath. “Do you seriously think I’ll tag along with you now?”
“Just ... give me the day and then if you still want to return home, I won’t stop you.” It half-killed him to say it, but he’d find a way to convince her to stay with him.
“Why would I even consider spending a whole day with you? You manipulated me, deliberately dragged me hours away from my hometown while I slept! I can’t trust you.”
“I give you my word,” he said softly.
“The answer is still no.”
His inner warrior stirred. Sometimes there was nothing better than a battle of wills. “What have you got to lose?” he asked. “Tell me this adventure with me isn’t the most exciting thing you’ve done? If it’s not, then I’ll respect your decision to go home now.”
She glowered, but he could see the truth dawning in her eyes. Not that she gave in graciously, that would have been too boring. He hid a grin even as she exhaled noisily and gritted out, “Fine. One day, that’s it. But I’ll need to ring my mother, and also let my housemate know I won’t be picking her up anytime soon.”
He nodded, a weight lifting from his shoulders. “Deal.”
*
Piper refused to look at Baron again as he drove. She was too busy fuming at her recklessness. What had compelled her to say yes to a whole day with the man? Had her dramatic jump from the car knocked her a little hard on the head?
No. You just realized you hadn’t truly felt alive until that moment.
Being with Baron was easily the most exciting thing she’d done. It was rather startling to realize that, despite her seeing and sensing all manner of supernatural beings, she lived such a staid, boring life.
It was only once they cruised into the small town of Woloonda that she shook off the unwanted revelation to focus on the present.
Woloonda, for the most part, hadn’t yet woken up. There were no cars parked in front of the corner hotel or at the local grocers. But a small café had its doors open, with round tables already set up outside for the early morning risers wanting coffee or breakfast.
“Stop here,” she instructed. If she was going to hang out with Baron for the day, she’d damn well have a coffee to start it.
He nodded and managed to park the car nearby without being too obvious he wasn’t a licensed driver. She drew in a deep, steadying breath. It was both unnerving and exhilarating knowing she’d be in close proximity to a man who looked as dangerous as he did attractive.
He unfurled his big body from out of the car and then opened her door. Something too close to pleasure skittered down her spine. Gentlemen were too few and far between these days. Not that she’d really experienced the attention of a male before, especially not someone this ... imposing.
As he escorted her to the café with a loose, possessive arm around her shoulders, she couldn’t deny another frisson of pleasure at his closeness, his attention, despite her limp and the stiffness in her neck and shoulders. It would be all too easy to get used to him being a permanent fixture in her life, and that was the last thing she wanted or needed.
Men like Baron didn’t stick around, no matter that he was an alien from another planet. Once the novelty of being with a misfit wore
thin, he’d drop her faster than a hot coal.
It wasn’t until Piper was about to order coffees that she realized she didn’t have any money on her. She’d planned on attending the party with Rebecca for as minimal time as possible before going back home to sleep. One didn’t need a purse for that, especially when petty criminals were the life of the party.
“Wow, what did you go and run into, a brick wall?” a pretty, gum-chewing waitress asked Piper. A pity her concern was about as fake as her gloopy eyelashes.
Baron stroked Piper’s hair. “You wouldn’t believe her even if she told you.”
Piper sent him a glare. Apparently he’d liked the line she’d given the police officer. Her belly dropped. The now deceased police officer. Guilt pierced her conscience. If she hadn’t been speeding she would never have been pulled over and the officer would still be alive today.
Baron squeezed her shoulders, as though in reassurance. But as she noted the hard line of his jaw and the unyielding contour of his profile, she couldn’t even begin to imagine the burden of his own guilt knowing all but a few of his people were no longer around.
Then the waitress turned her focus on Baron and he gave her a full wattage smile. His hardness melted away and the woman blinked, her mouth dropping open. His smile widened. “I don’t suppose you have a soft wet cloth, and something to dab on my wife’s wounds to kill any germs?”
Wife? He was still going along with that lie? Yet something thrilling bit deep even as Piper hardened her heart. She would not fall for this man’s charms.
The waitress’ shoulders slumped, her smile more a disappointed wince as she nodded and said reluctantly, “We do have a bottle of disinfectant that we use on the floors. It will stop infection.”
Baron nodded. “Thank you. Sounds perfect.” His voice deepened, coaxing and warm. “Would you also have a backroom where I could attend to my wife’s injuries?”
Piper was almost numb with disbelief when the waitress took them past the back kitchen and into a small staff room. Was the woman that enamored by Baron? The waitress then half-filled a container with warm water and a good dash of disinfectant, passed it to them along with a soft cloth, before she as quickly returned to the dining room.