Protecting Piper

by Cynthia Eden

“When it comes to you, I have a hard time figuring out most things.” She was still wearing his coat. It smelled like him. All crisp and masculine and a little bit awesome.

  Focus.

  He unlocked the front door, typed in his security code, and waved her inside. She walked past him, being extra careful not to let her body brush against his. She’d actually never been in his house before. He’d never invited her over.

  Because they weren’t besties. That would be her and Ben. She should have gone to his place. Why hadn’t she?

  “I have security cameras that monitor the perimeter of the property. Motion sensors are turned on, and a floodlight system activates when they are triggered.” He motioned to a door on the right. “That’s my monitor room. You can go in there and access all of the security feeds. No one will get to this house without me being aware of it, I promise.”

  Right. And that was why she’d gone with Eric instead of dear old Ben.

  Eric had already shut the door. He reset his alarm, and she stood there, shifting a bit nervously in the massive foyer. The ceiling was up at least two stories, and a bright chandelier glittered down on her.

  “Where is the guest room?” Piper asked as she rocked onto the balls of her sneakered feet.

  “I’ll show you. Come this way.”

  She shrugged out of his coat and offered it to him. “I don’t need this any longer.”

  He took the coat, but their fingers brushed and—dammit. The spark was there again.

  Only this time, he was staring straight in her eyes when she felt the spark. And with a sinking heart, Piper realized—

  “You feel it,” Eric murmured.

  Oh, shit.

  “But then, I figured you must. After all, that kiss we had was something, wasn’t it?”

  He had not just referenced the kiss. The kiss that she had begged him to never, ever talk about. A kiss he’d sworn to keep secret.

  “Did Ben ever find out about that?” Eric asked her as he tilted his head and studied her with his dark, deep eyes. “Or does he still think he was your first?”

  She stared at him for a moment. Just stared. Then she smiled. “Okay, then.” Piper gave a firm nod before she turned on her heel and reached for the doorknob. “I’ll just be on my way.”

  “Piper.”

  His hand closed around her wrist.

  “You are such an ass,” she told him, meaning the words with every fiber of her being. He’d promised to never bring up the kiss. Promised.

  “I know I am. Mostly because I’m a jealous dumbass when it comes to you.”

  He was jealous? Since when? She turned her head and squinted at him. If he was mocking her, she was so not in the mood.

  “It’s been a really shitty night,” he muttered. “You don’t know what it was like when I thought—the call from him…” But his voice just trailed off.

  Piper rolled her eyes. “Shitty night. Check. Because someone broke into your home and wrecked all of your things? Slashed your underwear? Scared the crap out of you?” She let mock surprise flash on her face as she stared at him. “Oh, wait, no, that was me.”

  He flushed. “I’m sorry. I’ll show you to the guest room. Just follow me.” He turned and started doing his silent walk away routine.

  She was bone-weary, scared, and frustrated. Piper was pretty sure it was close to eleven PM, and she just wanted to collapse. For the moment, she decided to simply take the guest room.

  Yet as she climbed up the spiral staircase after him, she remembered what he’d said at her place. The guy had thought she and Ben were going to reveal big, romantic news. “Why would you care if Ben and I did get married? I mean, what’s your deal? Do you think I’m not good enough for him?” And that hurt.

  Her family had never possessed as much money as Eric’s did. Especially after her father had cut out. When he’d bailed, she and her mother had pretty much lost everything. She’d only been able to stay in her private school because of a scholarship, one that she strongly suspected had come straight from the Wilde family. No, she’d never been on their financial level, but that hadn’t seemed to matter. Ben and Eric—their parents weren’t stuffy or pretentious. They’d opened their home to her from day one. Pre-K, day one.

  Only Eric had seemed to be unwelcoming over the years.

  Now she was in his house.

  At her words, he stopped on the stairs. Angled toward her. “On the contrary, I think you’re too good for my brother. Far too good.”

  Now she was surprised.

  “I think you’re too good for any of the jerks who’ve tried to be with you.”

  Her stomach was in knots. “When you say nice things, it makes me worry.” She’d told him that before. No, maybe she’d said that he creeped her out. Both were true.

  A half-smile curved his lips as he turned away once more. He didn’t speak again, not until they’d climbed the stairs, strolled down a hallway, and paused in front of a white door. “This is your room. It connects to a private bath. There should be an extra robe inside the bathroom, and if you need anything else, just let me know.”

  She nibbled on her lower lip. “Where will you be?”

  His gaze cut to the side. As in…the door right beside hers.

  Uh, oh. “That’s your room?”

  A nod. “If you want me, all you have to do is call out.”

  Want me. “I’ll be fine.” She reached for the doorknob.

  “I will find him, Piper.”

  If anyone could, it would be Eric. Despite their personal differences, she knew he was good at his job. He tracked celebrity stalkers, he found missing children, he created security systems to protect the most valuable items in the world—the guy made the headlines every other day.

  He could find the jerk who was making her life hell.

  “Why is this happening?” She shook her head. “There was so much rage in my house.” Part of her guard lowered, for just a moment, as she looked at him. “I could feel it, you know? He destroyed my things. Smashed all of the photos of me and Ben. Of me and all my friends. He slashed my paintings. Ripped up my clothes.” She shook her head. “But I don’t think he took anything. He just destroyed stuff. That’s why the cops—I don’t know, maybe that’s why they couldn’t do much. It wasn’t a burglary. It wasn’t an attack on me. It wasn’t—”

  He moved closer. “It was an attack on you.” Suddenly, he seemed very, very serious. “And, yes, I could feel the rage, that’s what worries me. The guy is fixated. He destroyed the things that mattered to you because I think he wanted to hurt you. I’ve seen stalkers escalate. That’s what I’m worried this guy is doing. First, he broke into your house and just moved some things around.”

  “Why? Why did he do that?”

  “Because he wanted to feel close to you. Because touching your things, being in your home, being in your bedroom, made him feel like he had an intimate connection to you. That’s how those guys operate.”

  Oh, God. She shook her head.

  “He waited, and he may have watched you.”

  Her lips pressed together.

  “Those times you felt as if someone was there? Maybe he was. He could have watched, and he could have wanted you more.”

  She couldn’t look away from his eyes.

  “Sometimes,” Eric said, his voice careful, “you can get caught up in a fantasy. You can lose track of reality, and you can decide that you’ll do anything to make your fantasy come true. He could have thought that you were his. But then something happened. Maybe he saw you with another man. Maybe something broke his fantasy, and he struck out.”

  She swallowed. “He wanted to hurt me, so he destroyed my things?”

  “I’ve seen it before.” A pause. “And I’ve seen it become worse. Because the next step—” He stopped.

  Too late. “The next step—would that be hurting me?” No, no, no.

  His eyes were so dark and deep. “I’m not going to let that happen.”

  “I haven’t done anythin
g.” Her voice rose. She sucked in a breath. Get your control back. Get it back. “I’ve been working and doing my job. Why is someone fixated on me? Why is someone doing this to me?”

  He shook his head.

  “And why are you so quick to help me?” The last question came out too softly. “Especially when I thought you hated me.” It was because her emotions were so raw—that was why she’d just let the last part slip out.

  His eyes widened. Then he stepped toward her. He eliminated the space between them and caged her with his body. Growing up, Eric Wilde had been the rock star of her little world. He’d been the star of every single freaking sport in the school, and he’d been valedictorian. There had been nothing he couldn’t do, and he’d always made it clear that she was an annoyance in his life. The girl who tagged around with his little brother and got in the way. She’d been younger than Eric by two years. Two years shouldn’t have mattered much, but, back then, they had.

  “Hate is not what I feel for you.” His gaze dropped to her mouth.

  He was staring at her mouth like…oh, no. No way. Her hands flew up. Her intention had been to put her hands on his chest and push him back. But when she touched him, when she felt the strength of his muscles through the shirt and the heat of his body, Piper didn’t shove him back.

  How much does the guy work out?

  His jaw hardened. “We’re going to need to clear the air between us very soon, Piper. Very, very soon. Because I’m not standing back any longer. There’s too much to lose.”

  There always had been.

  “Get some rest. We’ll talk in the morning.” His eyes were still on her mouth.

  And she was still touching him.

  Coming to his place had been a serious mistake. She’d stay the one night—just the one—and then other arrangements had to be made.

  “Do you ever think about it?” Eric asked, voice all deep and dark and rumbling.

  Her gaze had zeroed in on his mouth. At his words, her stare whipped right back up.

  “Our kiss? Your first kiss? Do you think about it?”

  She shook her head. It was easier to lie if you didn’t have to speak. She’d learned that long ago. When she spoke and told a lie, her voice always cracked. So, it was much better for her to just stay silent.

  “I liked being your first.”

  Push him away.

  She did not want to remember their kiss. That long ago, stupid mistake. She’d been fifteen, he’d been seventeen. It had been raining, and they’d gotten stuck at school. She’d been working on an art project—like always—and, hell, she had no idea why he’d stayed so late that day. Maybe basketball practice or something? But she’d gone outside and instead of walking home, she’d stood underneath the overhang as the rain had poured down. She’d been trying to wait out the storm.

  Then she’d turned around and Eric had been there.

  “Piper?”

  She swallowed. “I don’t see the point in talking about mistakes.” Her voice didn’t crack. She wasn’t lying. It had been a mistake. And one of the few secrets that she’d never told Ben. “Good night.” Now her hand did push against his chest.

  He backed up. Turned away.

  She could breathe again.

  Until he glanced back at her, a faint smile on his face. “Funny. That mistake was the best kiss of my life.”

  She actually felt the shock roll through her. No way. He had not just said—

  “Of course, I could be mistaken. It was a hell of a long time ago. Maybe we should try again one day. See if the present is better than the past.” He winked at her. “Or maybe you’ve gotten even better since then.”

  She felt pinpricks in her face.

  Then Eric laughed. “Or maybe you’re a lot worse. You’ll have to show me.”

  Show him? Glaring, she flipped him off and stormed into the guest room. Piper slammed the door to show him how she really felt. The guy had been the bane of her existence for too long. And now she was counting on him for help? For protection?

  Growling, she yanked off her shirt as she stalked toward the bathroom. The situation totally sucked.

  And…

  Dammit, that stupid kiss had been the best of her life, too.

  ***

  He was a world-class liar. Always had been. But Eric hadn’t been lying to Piper, and it was a fucking sad thing to admit, but when he’d been seventeen and he’d kissed her…

  Hell, yes, that kiss had been incredible.

  He raked a hand over his face as he headed toward his room. Piper Lane was in his house. Piper Lane.

  He kicked the bedroom door shut and hauled out his phone. He didn’t care what time it was, he needed to get his crew started on her case. He dialed his Vice President and had Simon Forrest on the line in moments.

  “You are totally interrupting something very, very important,” Simon growled at him. “Why is your timing always shit?”

  “I want our best men sent to Piper Lane’s home first thing in the morning. She’s had two break-ins, and some SOB trashed her place.”

  “What?” Simon’s voice sharpened. “Ben’s Piper?”

  Eric nearly crushed the phone. She isn’t Ben’s.

  “Is she okay?” Simon demanded.

  “She’s fine. She’s here.”

  Silence. Then… “Want to say that again?”

  He knew the guy had heard him perfectly the first time. “She’s staying at my place until we can catch this bastard. The local PD is overwhelmed, and I won’t have her put in danger. I want the best team we have doing a full security installation at her place, but before that, I want the area swept for any evidence that might have been left behind.” He exhaled. “And I want a complete sweep on her car. Check for any GPS devices and make sure that baby is running perfectly.” Sabotaging a car would be an easy way to hurt a target.

  “Uh, sure thing, buddy, but if the cops have already been to her place…”

  “I want the place examined again.” Cold fury punctuated the words. “And we both know that our team is the best in the whole state.” Actually, the best on the entire East Coast.

  Simon didn’t argue.

  “She’s scared,” Eric added grimly. “And I told her we’d find this jerk. He isn’t going to get close to her.”

  A pause, then…“This sounds personal.”

  He looked toward the wall that separated him from Piper’s bedroom. “It is.”

  ***

  Piper wasn’t home. Her house was dark and silent. Her car sat in the driveway, a cute little red convertible.

  Piper liked flash. She liked fun. She had a laugh that lit up a room. And when she looked at him, when her golden eyes locked on his…

  He could see straight into her soul.

  He’d been waiting on Piper for a long time. Waiting for someone like her to come into his life. Someone to quiet the demons inside. She’d been waiting for him, too. He knew it.

  His gloved fingers trailed along the front of her car. Where had Piper gone? It was after midnight, no cops were around, and her home just sat, so cold and alone.

  A slow anger churned inside of him.

  Where the hell did you go, Piper?

  And…

  Who was she with?

  Chapter Three

  The stair creaked beneath her bare toes. Piper froze at the sound, then glanced quickly over her shoulder. The area at the top of the stairs was still dark. No sign of Eric.

  Good. The last thing she wanted was for him to find her raiding his refrigerator. But, well, a woman had to do what a woman had to do.

  She’d tried to go to sleep. But she’d just tossed and turned and stared at the ceiling. And then she’d realized that she hadn’t eaten since lunch. Hunger was keeping her awake. And fear. But she couldn’t do much about the fear, not right then.

  The hunger, however, was a problem that she could tackle.

  When she reached the landing, Piper peered to the left and then to the right. A tour of the house would h
ave made things easier, but Piper figured she could blunder her way around. She opened the door to the right.

  A lamp had been left on inside that room, and it spilled onto the massive book cases. Onto the desk. The leather chairs.

  Eric’s office.

  Her hand tightened on the doorknob. She could see a few picture frames on his desk. The whole room just looked so normal. Was that a football tossed in his chair? She was pretty sure he had some kind of framed baseball bat hanging on the wall.

  Piper inched closer, narrowing her eyes so that she could see better. Ah, right. A bat from the Atlanta Braves. She took a few more steps toward the framed bat. Looked like he’d gotten the whole team to autograph it for him.

  Figured.

  “What are you doing?”

  She jumped and whirled around, and her hip bumped into the side of his desk. When she hit it, one of the framed photographs tumbled off the edge and hit the floor with a hard thunk.

  “Century, study lights on,” Eric announced, and the overhead lights flashed on. Immediately, she went from being in a dimly lit, one lamp room, to a full-on bright world. Piper blinked frantically as her eyes adjusted to the flood of illumination.

  “Piper?” Eric crossed his arms over his chest and propped one broad shoulder against the doorframe. “What the hell are you doing?”

  She grabbed for the fallen picture frame. “Getting something to eat.”

  He frowned at her. “This isn’t the kitchen.”

  “Yes, ahem…” Piper cleared her throat. “I missed the tour of the house, so I was trying to find…” But her voice trailed away. She’d just gotten a look at the photo in the frame. It was a photo of her. One in which she was grinning from ear to ear. She had her arm looped around Ben’s shoulders. “Why do you have a picture of me?” Her head whipped up as she gaped at him.

  He sighed. His arms dropped, and he started his slow, silent stroll toward her. “It’s a picture of you and my brother.” Eric reached for the frame.

  His fingers slid over hers. Was that deliberate? The quick jump of her heart said the move had been.

  “You could have cut me out,” she mumbled. Why hadn’t he? Piper shook her head. He was confusing her so much. The last time they’d seen each other—a few weeks back at Christmas—he’d barely talked to her at all when he’d arrived at Ben’s holiday party. Of course, Eric’s supermodel of the moment had been at his side.