Blue Lines: The Assassins Series: A Loveswept Contemporary Romance

by Toni Aleo

  Alla nodded, moving her hand to catch the tears that escaped from Piper’s eyes.

  “I believe you can. Just love him, Piper. It was a horrible time for Erik. When I got to the police station he was sitting in a chair, his head between his knees while he just cried. He wouldn’t even look at me, or talk. Jakob was the only one who was able to get him to talk and soon Cooper could also. He warmed up to me last, but now he is my big baby, and I will never let him go,” Alla said, ending her story with a smile. “Piper, I really think you are what he needs.”

  Wiping her tears away Piper said, “I wish he saw that. I don’t know if we will be together forever, Alla, but I can promise you that I will never love anyone the way I love him. When I have this baby, if for some reason we are not together, I promise I will never keep Dimitri from you and Cooper. Y’all will always be part of my family, part of my heart.”

  She meant every word that left her lips and she needed Alla to believe her and to know that she intended to keep her promises.

  “Oh, Piper, I just love you and I know nothing will ever happen to break you two apart. Your love will keep you two together. He’ll learn how to love you the way you love him; just give him time.”

  “I plan on it and I promise, Alla, I’ll always be here for him.”

  * * *

  Piper was lying in bed with her Kindle when Erik entered the room. He didn’t look at her as he made his way to the bathroom. It was hard to imagine what he must have gone through. She heard the shower turn on and decided to finish the Oregon Trail game she had started to play before she went to sleep.

  Her heart was beating a little faster than normal from the anticipation of sharing a bed with Erik. They hadn’t been in a bed together since the night they got pregnant, and it made her nervous to think of having his glorious body next to hers. She knew he wasn’t looking forward to this and had even offered to sleep on the floor, which was crazy since they were hardwood and that couldn’t be comfortable. She convinced him that it wasn’t a big deal, which was a complete lie.

  Trying to concentrate on her game, she listened as he moved around the bathroom, getting ready for bed. When the door opened and he came out in a pair of gym shorts, it took everything out of her not to jump him. The tattoos on his body tantalized her, and when he pulled the blanket back to crawl into bed beside her, instead of scooting over, she scooted toward him.

  He lay back onto the bed and let out a groan as his skin touched hers. “God, this bed is like butter.”

  Piper smiled as she nodded. “It is really comfortable.”

  “Yeah, it is.”

  She didn’t want the conversation to end, so she said, “It was a good day.”

  He nodded. “My parents are crazy.”

  “I love them.”

  “And they love you. Thank you for naming the baby Dimitri; that really means a lot to my parents. You didn’t have to do that.”

  “Do you not like it? Dimitri Blake Titov. I think it is amazing,” Piper said with a worried look on her face, just now realizing she didn’t even make sure he liked it. It was his decision, too.

  “Oh, I love the name, Piper, it’s perfect. I’m just saying that you didn’t have to do that for my parents.”

  “When you love someone, you do everything you can to make them happy.”

  Erik paused, running his tongue along his lips as he looked deep into her eyes. With a nod, he turned to his side, giving her his back as he sank deeper into the bed to go to sleep. Disappointment filled her as she watched the rise and fall of his back.

  “Are we not going to read tonight?” she found herself asking.

  He shook his head. “Not tonight.”

  Piper didn’t agree; they were going to finish what they started. She opened their book on her Kindle and started to read out loud. Halfway through the chapter, to her delight, Erik turned on his back looking over at her as she finished the chapter. He reluctantly grabbed the Kindle and started to read the next chapter, his low voice making the hairs on her body stand as his words washed over her. She loved these moments with him, and sharing a bed with him while they did read made her fall even deeper in love with him. With a smile on her face, she cuddled into his shoulder and closed her eyes.

  He was coming around. She just knew it.

  Chapter 16

  Erik wasn’t sure how much more he could take.

  He didn’t know what he was going to do, but he knew he wasn’t going to be able to resist her much longer. Last night, being next to her, in her bed, just about killed him.

  He loved feeling her sweet little body against his. Her legs were soft and warm as they tangled around his, and when she pressed that fine ass against his crotch, it took every ounce of willpower not to pull his pants down and slide his cock inside her.

  Fuck, he wanted her.

  The whole night, his dick was pitching a tent while he watched her sleep. He knew it had been a bad idea to climb into bed with her. He’d been awake most of the night ready to pound into her and go at it for hours.

  Erik rarely ever had a girl stay with him overnight. He was usually pointing to the door ready for them to leave after a long night of screwing. But that wasn’t the case this morning, no, he had scooted closer, his hands itching to hold her as she lightly snored. It was insane the things she was making him want, and they made him nervous. Instead of wanting to keep his walls up, he wanted to knock them down and let her in.

  Erik thought this weekend was going to be hard, having to play husband in front of his parents, but it was easier than he thought. It was easy to act like Piper was the center of his world and to touch her with no reason but to touch her. He enjoyed it, and in a way, he craved it. He craved her. She was such a goofball, and he loved her laugh. She was amazing and everything about her made his dick harden.

  The line between love and their fake, sham marriage was getting confusing. Cooper said to follow his heart, but Erik couldn’t help but think that maybe he should listen to the voice inside his head telling him to run.

  Erik had no clue what to do, but at that moment he wasn’t ready to let her leave his side. He didn’t understand the effect she had on him and he was starting to think he never would. He was beginning not to care, either. He needed her, and after sleeping next to her hot little body, there was no denying that.

  He had been sitting with Piper in her neighbor’s hammock at their annual Fourth of July celebration. Erik watched her now as she laughed and talked with her neighbors. She looked beautiful today in her short dress, giving him a teasing view of her exceedingly luscious thighs.

  Hoping no one noticed his hard-on, he hopped out of the hammock and hurried across the yard to join Piper in her conversation. When he reached his mom, wife, and his new neighbor, Mrs. Anna, he found himself wrapping his arm around Piper’s shoulders, bringing her in close to him as his mom said, “Anna and I were talking about a baby shower!”

  Piper smiled up at Erik before looking over at Alla. “Oh?”

  “Yes! We should do one when we move here, beginning of September. What do you think?” Alla asked.

  “I’ll make all the food and Alla wants to do the decorations,” Anna said with a loving smile. Erik hadn’t really gotten to know his neighbors, the Browns, but he was finding them to be really good people.

  “I’ll call Rowan and see what she wants to do. Maybe we can have it at her house,” Alla responded, causing Erik to roll his eyes. His mom was a nut about this kind of stuff. “Sure,” Piper said with a nod. “It sounds great.”

  “I just can’t wait to get my hands on your little Dimitri. Alla showed me all the ultrasound pictures; he looks like a doll,” Anna said, then added, “I bet he will be handsome just like his daddy.”

  Erik’s cheeks burned as Piper smiled up at him. “Let’s hope so.”

  Alla giggled in delight and turned to Erik. “Erik, honey, can you go find your father for me?”

  Erik wanted to say no, but being a good son, he said, “Sure.”r />
  He turned to leave but then stopped, turning to take Piper’s hand in his. He didn’t know what he was doing, but he wasn’t ready to be apart from her yet. “Come with me?”

  Piper’s lips curved into a grin as she nodded. “Of course.”

  He took her hand, placing it on his chest as he started to walk through the yard to find his dad. He felt her smiling at him, and when he glanced down, his assumptions were right.

  “What?”

  “Laying it on thick again, aren’t you? It’s like you’re a sweet southern gentlemen, taking your southern belle for a walk through the countryside. This would be considered our first date, you know.”

  Erik laughed, masking that he was upset with the fact that she thought he was acting. Hadn’t she realized that he wasn’t acting a lot of the time they were around each other? He wasn’t sure if he wanted her to realize it, and when he really thought about it, maybe it was good to play along, let her believe it was all a ruse. But did that mean it was a ruse on her part, too?

  No, it couldn’t be.

  Looking down into her sparkling blue eyes, he said, “Would I get laid on this so-called first date?”

  Piper giggled as she shook her head. “I doubt it. It would take more than a walk to get me naked.”

  “How about my fattest cow?”

  Her snicker sent chills up his spine. “Now we’re talking.”

  “Or maybe a big piece of Oreo pie,” he said with a grin.

  With a hand on her heart and a bright smile on her face, she cooed, “A man after my heart.”

  Erik laughed before pulling her closer to whisper in her ear, “Or maybe a man after what’s underneath that skirt.”

  Piper laughed, her eyes bright with excitement. “Eh, this might be true, but at least I’ll have Oreo pie and then a cow to get milk from.”

  “I doubt you would want that stuff once I got ahold of you,” he found himself saying. He glanced down to see that her eyes were darker, and her chest was rising and falling quickly.

  “I don’t know, I love Oreos and milk.”

  Erik leaned closer, his nose almost touching hers as he whispered, “I could make you forget about it all.”

  “Is that right, Mr. Titov?”

  A grin pulled at her lips before she brought her bottom lip between her teeth. He was going to kiss her, and he wasn’t going to stop.

  “Hey, what are you two talking about?”

  Erik tore his eyes away from hers to see his father standing in front of them with his hands on his hips. Swallowing loudly, Erik cleared his throat and said, “Nothing, Mom is looking for you.”

  “Probably wants me so we can get a good spot for the fireworks,” Cooper said looking over to where Alla was. Looking back at Erik he asked, “Where are you two going?”

  When he wiggled his brushy eyebrows at them, Erik chuckled. “Don’t know yet.”

  “Probably the dock,” Piper answered.

  Erik nodded. “The dock and no, find your own spot.”

  Piper giggled as Cooper shot Erik a knowing grin. “Fine, keep your spot. I’ll find my own.”

  Cooper gave them one last, knowing smile before turning to walk away. Erik watched as he headed toward his mom. If Erik was to look for a loving relationship he would want one like Alla and Cooper’s. Thankfully, he wasn’t looking for that.

  Piper pulled at his arm, and he glanced down at her as she led them across the yard and onto her dock. The weight from their bodies made the boards creak with each step they took. When they reached the end, Erik fell into his favorite beach chair, causing the dock to swish back and forth from his weight. Piper sat down slowly next to him, propping one foot on top of the other. Erik watched as the sun slowly set behind the lake. It had been a good day.

  Which was great: Erik needed a good day. Summer training camp started soon and Erik needed as many good days as he could get; the more with Piper, the better. Sneaking a peek at Piper, Erik wondered what it would be like once he left. Would he miss her? Would he crave her touch and conversation? Would he consistently think of her? Would he want her back?

  And what about Piper? Would she miss him? Shaking his head as if to shake his questions away, he let out a long breath. He didn’t want to think of all that right now. He just wanted to get through the next couple of months. See what happened between them. Even though he knew nothing should happen, he couldn’t help but feel like something was about to.

  And, for now, that wasn’t bad.

  “My favorite part of the celebration is coming up.”

  Erik looked over to find Piper grinning at him. He smiled and said, “What’s that?”

  “The dancing at sunset,” she said with a dreamy grin on her face. “They have a band and play all these sweet songs and everyone starts dancing under the moonlight.”

  “Cool,” Erik said as he nodded. He knew she was baiting him, but he wasn’t giving in that easy. “Did you come last year?”

  “I did, and the year before that. I’ve never gotten to dance under the stars with anyone. Elli and Shea always did, but I was always left out since the guys I brought were all duds.”

  “Duds?” he asked, fighting back a grin.

  She let out a long breath and said, “The year before, I was dating this ice cleaner who Jakob hooked me up with. He’s gone now, moved out west or something. Anyway, he was horrible and didn’t like to dance. The year before that I was dating this computer geek who didn’t know his left foot from his right. So sad.”

  “Horribly sad,” Erik muttered as music slowly filled the air around them.

  “Yeah,” she said in a huff before crossing her legs and leaning farther back in her chair. Biting his lip to keep from laughing, he glanced over at her to see that she had her arms crossed over her belly and her lip jutted in a pout.

  Man, she was cute.

  “Piper.” She glanced over at him and a grin took over his face when she met his gaze. He then asked, “Would you like to dance with me?”

  He could tell she couldn’t contain her giddiness as she squealed, “Yes!”

  Shaking his head, he stood, taking her hand in his before bringing her down the dock, closer to shore. Twirling her out, he brought her back into his arms and smiled when she gave him a dazzling grin while laying her head on his chest. Erik took in a deep breath, enjoying her intoxicating scent. Moving his hands down the middle of her back, he rested them above her ass as they swayed to the beautiful melody.

  “Did you date a lot of people?”

  When Piper glanced up at him, she seemed surprised by his question. Even Erik was surprised he asked. He usually didn’t take the time to ask questions, but he wanted to know. He wanted to know everything about her.

  A smile pulled at Piper’s lips as she shrugged her shoulders. “Not too many, but a few.”

  “Been in love?”

  She laughed as she rolled her eyes. “Why?”

  “Just want to know.”

  “Okay,” she said with a laugh, “Um, I’ve been in love three times.”

  “Cool.”

  “Have you?”

  “Nope.”

  She nodded before laying her head on his chest again. He held her close, feeling her heartbeat against his chest as they moved slowly along the dock.

  “Have you been with a lot of people, Erik?”

  Erik nodded in affirmation as he gathered her closer. He didn’t know why she asked. She had to know the answer but he still gave it.

  “Yeah.”

  “Do you miss it?”

  “Not as much as I thought I would,” he said softly. She pulled back, looking up at him bewildered.

  “Why?”

  “I have no clue,” he said, his breathing increasing as he focused on her heated gaze. Seconds turned into minutes and soon he found himself asking the same question. “Have you been with a lot of men?”

  Piper shook her head slowly, her eyes full of lust as she whispered, “Eleven, including you.”

  Erik’s
heart kicked up in speed at the thought of another man touching her. He didn’t like that, but he wasn’t going to analyze why.

  “Piper.”

  She blinked once, still completely locked in his gaze as she whispered, “Yeah?”

  He moved closer to her, his body molding around her belly while his eyes never left hers. He moved his hands up her arms and cupped her neck, his eyes searching hers, waiting for something to tell him to stop. All lights were green, though, and with one last breath, he said, “Come here, I need to kiss you. Now.”

  Without another thought, Erik dropped his lips to hers. When their lips met there was no stopping this kiss.

  Moving his fingers up the back of her neck, pulling her closer to him to deepen the kiss, he fiercely moved his tongue along hers. Her hands came up, cupping his neck as she moved her mouth with his, biting at his lips before deepening the kiss even more. It was maddening and he never wanted her to stop. Moving his hands down her back, he cupped her bottom, lifting her off the ground to bring her mouth closer to him. Her arms wrapped around his neck, kissing him harder as he squeezed her to him. He could feel the bump of their child against his own stomach. As they parted, both were out of breath. Erik took a deep breath in, her breath mingling with his as a grin formed on her beautiful, swollen mouth. Looking into her eyes, he knew things were about to change.

  And he also knew there was no turning back.

  Piper’s heart was jackhammering against her ribs.

  She must have forgotten how amazing Erik’s kisses were, because at that moment she was stunned from the feeling coursing throughout her body. Looking deep into his eyes, she gasped for breath as she tried to figure out what was going to happen next. His lips were inches from hers. His breath was basically her breath. His hands held her tightly to him. It was exhilarating and mind-blowing all in one. A part of her wanted to ask if this was real, if he really meant to consume her with kisses, but she already knew the answer. She could feel the evidence of his want against her legs and see it in his beautiful eyes.

  And boy, did she want him, too.

  “We have two choices,” he whispered against her lips, his molten gaze holding hers.