by Moxie North
“Stay here,” Anson ordered.
Getting out, he closed the door and walked King to the back of the SUV to retrieve the bag before closing the hatch to make sure Piper that wouldn’t hear their conversation.
“What do we have?” King asked.
“Flowers with a note stuck in the security gate of her complex.”
“Sure it’s for her?”
“The note made it clear. He must have known I was there. My presence didn’t keep him away. That worries me.”
“It should. Only an idiot would go up against a half dozen Kindred.”
“So, he’s stupid too. That changes what his possible reactions could be. It also means he’s decided he’s got nothing to lose.”
“I’ll inform the crew. Eden is coming into town; do you want me to let her know she might pick up some shifts?”
“No, I’m taking this on. Rearrange what you need to for me. I’ve got this,” Anson said angrily.
“What do you mean you got this? You think you can cover her? Alone?”
“I don’t want anyone else near her,” he tried to explain.
“I’m sorry, but that’s not how we do things. More eyes are better for the client. Everyone has their gifts. You’d be making a mistake to try and take this on by yourself. Unless there is another reason you want to be this involved?”
“I want her with me.”
King studied him for a moment. “Something you need to tell me?”
“No, I just can’t be away from her right now. I might as well be her full-time bodyguard. If I need assistance I’ll call in someone else. We need answers and I plan on getting them from her exes on Monday.”
King gave a long sigh. “I don’t like this. It puts you in a bad position. I’ll let you take this for now. But if I think you need help, you better damn well know that I will cover your ass even if you think you don’t need it. I’ll also be at the meeting on Monday. I don’t want you causing us any lawsuits.”
“What would I do?”
“You’re emotionally involved. I can see it, hell your eyes are yellow and you haven’t bothered to calm down enough to lose them. What do you think that looks like to our client?”
“Her name is Piper,” Anson said with a huff, his bear showing in his voice.
“Calm the fuck down. You need to get control before you get back in that car. Piper needs you to be the calm confident one. You look freaked the fuck out right now. That isn’t good for our reputation.”
Anson dragged his hand through his hair. “I’m fucking confused as hell. I keep asking for clarification and I get jack shit from everyone I ask.”
“Maybe you’re asking the wrong people?” King suggested.
“You think so? I talked to my papa and my Crone yesterday. I got nowhere. Why, do you know something?” Anson looked hard at King, wondering if he did know more than he let on.
King’s eyebrows raised. “You called the Crone?”
“She was about as clear as mud. Piper’s important and I’m not sure why.”
King gave him a long look. “Keep her close. But if she wants you off, you know I have to pull you. She gets to decide who’s allowed in her space. Remember that. She’s calling the shots on that.”
“I get it. I won’t forget.”
King nodded and went back to the elevator. Anson took a minute to breathe and pull his animal back under his skin where it needed to be. He must have looked completely out of control to Piper. King was right. She was looking to him to be confident that KSI was taking care of her. He’d have to watch that in the future. Getting back in the car, he buckled up and turned to check on Piper.
“It’s gone,” she said quietly.
Anson frowned. “The bag? Yeah, I gave it to King.”
“No. Your bear,” she explained.
“Sorry about that. I was… angry.”
“It’s amazing that it’s gone… it’s right under the surface, isn’t it?”
Anson decided to be honest. “All the time.”
Piper didn’t respond, she looked at her hands in her lap. “Are we still going?
“Of course. Any stops you want to make?”
“No, I just want to be anywhere but here.”
Anson started the ignition and drove them out of the garage. He turned on the radio and left her to her thoughts during their two-hour trip to Snoqualmie Pass. While keeping an eye on the light dusting of snow coming down, Anson couldn’t help but let his eyes slide to her face every few minutes. She was lost in thought and it felt like he shouldn’t intrude.
It was good that they weren’t talking; it gave him time to reflect on his actions. His reactions to her were becoming more dominant although he was still holding it in. She didn’t need to know that his mind would easily switch gears from wanting to keep her safe to wanting her spread-eagled underneath him.
Anson wanted her compliant and willing in his bed. He wanted to play, touch, and taste at his leisure. He wanted her to do what he wanted, when he wanted. He wanted to take away all the decision making from her. More importantly, he wanted her to give that power to him. Piper handing over herself and her pleasure to him seemed like a gift he could never have.
Her sweet scent filled the car now, her fear fading and leaving behind just her. His animal side wanted to know how that scent would change when she was fully aroused. Pulling into the parking lot of a small restaurant, Anson found a space and turned off the engine.
“Feel like a walk?” he asked.
Piper was looking out the window at the mountains surrounding them. Her eyes came to his, “Yes, I could use some fresh air.”
Anson nodded. He could use the fresh air too. Being so close to her for so long had left him in a semi erect state for most of the drive. It wasn’t particularly comfortable.
“Give me a minute,” he asked before getting out.
Locking the doors, he moved to the back of the SUV and visually swept the area, taking in the other cars and the lingering scent of people. There had been the faint smell of a human on the flowers but he didn’t want to smell the flowers in case they were tainted in some way. They could also be the scent of a delivery person. He wasn’t going to assume it was their stalker. Not picking up any danger, he walked around to her side and opened the door. Offering a hand, which she accepted, he helped her out of the vehicle. He reached down and zipped up her jacket without thinking. It was an intimate thing to do and he looked to her eyes to see her surprise.
“Sorry,” he mumbled.
“You do that too often, you know.”
“Do what?”
“Do things that a boyfriend would do.”
“I’m not your boyfriend,” he said, his inflection on the last word showing his disdain.
“Have you ever touched a client that way before?”
“I think you already know you’re more than a client, Piper.”
She shook her head at him. “No, I’m a problem. That’s really all there is between us. An unsolved problem.”
“I’m not debating this with you again. You aren’t going to talk me out of my feelings.”
“I really wish I could. It would be a kindness to you. Believe me.”
“Piper, I mean this in the nicest way—stop talking and walk.”
He gave her a small shove towards the end of the SUV, pulling her hand into his and started off to the nearby trail. Anson could hear her grumbling under her breath about being bossy and he wasn’t in charge of her. Yet she continued to walk towards the marked trailhead with her small hand in his. For the first time, Anson felt calm around her. The forest was where he was comfortable. The air filled his lungs easily and he could hear that they were surrounded by wildlife. There wasn’t anyone hiding around the corner out there.
“Let’s walk until you want to stop,” he suggested, letting go of her hand and letting her go first down the trail.
She gave him a look that he wasn’t sure how to take. It had some confusion and some anger tinged with f
ear. Then her eyes studied him and there was something that looked like trust. A resolve settled into her eyes that he was going to take as her acceptance that he was there for her. He’d take that. It was enough for now.
Chapter 16
Piper set off at a march, the crisp layer of ice embedded in the dirt crunched under her feet. Where the sun peeked through the canopy, the ground was soft and her boots sunk in. Anson was tight to her back, she could feel him. She was glad she couldn’t see him at the moment. She could almost pretend that she was alone on a leisurely walk in the woods. But it wasn’t a slow hike. She was pushing herself, and her breath puffed into the air.
She scolded herself as her feet moved over the trail. She’d forgotten and let her guard down. It had only been for a moment. Piper had jumped into the car with Anson, happily stuffing her face with a donut, and she’d forgotten. She had reveled in the fact that she was sitting in the front seat. Not the back in the middle all alone, but up front like a normal person and she had let herself be distracted for just a moment. When her eyes hit that bouquet of flowers in the fence, she knew. She knew she had been stupid. The appeal of something that bordered on a date had let her imagine a day without watching her back.
She was angry at herself. So fucking angry. How stupid could she have been? If her two failed weddings didn’t tell her that real life wasn’t for her, there was no way a day with Anson was going to go off without a hitch. Now she was pissed. She was mad at the jerk that was ruining her life. Mad that she had let herself think about Anson in a way she’d promised herself not to. The pull towards him was getting stronger and stronger. She didn’t know if she should do the right thing and ask King to pull him off the job. It would be the right thing to do, but Piper was sick of doing the right thing. She’d put on a brave face after each disaster of a relationship and built a wall to keep people from seeing how many pieces she’d cracked into.
The tears that she hadn’t noticed falling down her cheeks chilled against her face. She half expected Anson to stop her, but he just stayed close, his presence a comfort. She marched, occasionally tripping over a root here and there. Every time she caught herself, she would grind out a “Fuck!” and keep marching.
Piper hiked until her legs started to burn and her lungs hurt. Stopping at a large fallen log, she sat and covered her face with her hands. The log shifted with Anson’s weight settling next to her. “Get it out.”
She jerked her tear-stained face up to him. “Excuse me?”
“Get it out. All of it.”
Piper sputtered, “What the hell?”
“You heard me, get it out. Now’s the time, take all that shit inside and let go of it. You are going to see your exes tomorrow and I need you clear-headed.”
Piper felt a ping in her head like she was having a stroke. He must have made a blood vessel burst in her brain. “Me? Tomorrow?”
“They’re coming in and I want you there.”
Yes, she was definitely having a stroke. “I can’t be there,” she wailed.
“Why not?”
“Because I can’t see them!”
“Of course you can. Are you still in love with either of them?”
“What?” she sputtered. “Of course not. I hate them! They broke my heart.”
“Good, then seeing them won’t be a problem.”
“The fuck you say! It will be a problem. I didn’t sign on for this. You’re supposed to be taking care of me!”
“I am, Piper. I’m going to interview them and then I want you in there to give me a read on them.”
Piper’s sadness was gone and she was angry again. It seemed to be her pattern when dealing with her emotions. Her former ability to tuck her emotions away for the sake of sanity was gone. She knew it wasn’t the escalation of the stalker. It was Anson. He brought it out in her. He made her feel past the numbness and she wanted to blame him for her breakdowns. The tears that felt old and stale against her cheeks should have been shed years ago. But that wasn’t the right time. Now she could indulge. She knew it was because no matter how bad it got, Anson seemed to show up at the right time.
Damn him.
She couldn’t become dependent on him. Even thinking it she knew it as a lie. Piper could take a full breath around him. She could feel every inch of her own skin like it was waking up. That scared her more than anything. If she turned inward, she didn’t know if she could scrape up enough of a heart to offer to him or anyone else. Who would accept scraps?
“You really think they would be more honest if I was there? I can tell you they gave me nothing but a curt farewell. No explanation, no reasoning why they would do such a thing.”
“Piper, there wouldn’t be anything I wouldn’t do to protect my mate. If these men thought of you as their mate, don’t you think they would break their own hearts for you?”
Piper shook her head. “No, they don’t get to be the victims in this,” she shouted, the sound echoing in the woods.
“What if they are? How are you going to handle that?”
“Why should I have to handle anything? It’s in the past, right?”
“No, baby, it’s not. You carry it every day and it’s as fresh now as it was then. You haven’t let it go. I have to wonder if maybe they haven’t let it go either.”
“Why are you taking their side?” she gasped, the pain in her chest seizing around her heart. He was defending them. They had torn her apart and he was defending them. He didn’t even know them.
“I’m defending them for you. I think you’re going to need to forgive them if you want to move forward.”
“I have moved forward!”
“No, you’re barely alive. You just can’t see it. You’re stuck. I’m promising you right now. I’ll figure this stalker out and I sure as hell am going to make sure you come out of this better than you went in.”
“That’s a lot of promises for someone who’s only known me for a few weeks.”
“How long does it take for someone to make a difference in your life?”
Piper shrugged. “I don’t know, but it’s got to be more than a few days.”
“Kindred need nothing more than a moment. You can fall in love between breaths.”
Piper looked away from him. “That must be amazing.”
“It is. It’s also terrifying. The anticipation can drive some crazy. The years passing by and not knowing when or where it’s coming. Is it someone you already know? A stranger on the street? There are so many variables, you have to find peace with the universe’s timing.”
“At least you know it’s coming.”
“Piper, I don’t know the whole story behind your loss. I have a feeling it’s more than even you think. You’d be doing yourself a favor if you could find some peace even before you see them.”
She looked back at him. “So I’m just supposed to accept all that humiliation and pain?”
“I think you’ve already felt it. Why keep feeling it? Be angry and be resolved to move past it. Just make the decision based on what you need to do for yourself. Not what they deserve. What do you deserve, Piper? Answer that question for yourself and you won’t need to forgive them if you don’t want to.”
Letting those words hang in the woods seemed the best option. Anson was like some Kindred philosopher and she hated that he was making sense. He reached over and took her hand in his. He brought it to his mouth, cupping both his hands around hers and breathed his warm air over them. It was sweet and thoughtful. She felt that spot in her chest twinge. Then he placed a kiss on the palm of her hand and she sucked in a breath.
His eyes came to hers and the silver sheen shone over them as he said, “Tell me you feel something for me.”
Piper could tell him the truth. That small warm kiss on her hand had sent tingles from her palm straight to her core. He knew that. He was just being polite.
“So what if I do?”
“Just say it. Let me know that I’m not alone here.”
Piper felt so shredded that
she couldn’t stop the words that came out next. “If I wanted to, I could close my eyes and see a future that would be beyond my dreams. I can see you and me together, the whole shebang. Sex, children, happiness. But I know that’s just my desperation trying to make a future that I can dream about after you’re gone. It’s like a story I can tell myself. A fun ‘what if.’”
Anson turned so quickly on the log she didn’t have time to move away from him. He let go of her hands and cupped her face and his forehead came down to hers. Piper allowed herself the thrill of breathing in his air. It was warm and sweet like him.
Their lips were barely an inch apart. It would be so easy to lean forward and let them touch. It would be good, she didn’t doubt it. Anson seemed like the type who would kiss you until your toes curled. Make you forget where you were. Make you make sounds in public that normal people would be embarrassed to get caught doing, but with Anson you would just wink at anyone that was looking offended.
She couldn’t kiss him. There would be no turning back. Piper didn’t need a crystal ball to tell her that. Anson might be able to move on, but Piper would be lost forever...
“Piper, give me a goddamn chance.”
“You’re asking for too much, Anson. I don’t have it for you.”
He let out a breath and she appreciated the heat against her skin. Leaning away from him, she focused her tear-swollen eyes at him and said, “You deserve more.”
“Fuck! I deserve what I want.”
Piper let out a sad laugh. “What we want and what we need don’t always match up. Trust me on this.”
“I don’t need to trust you when I think you’re dead wrong. I’m going to show you. I know what I feel for you and there has to be a reason for that.”
“It’s because you’re really good at your job. That’s a great thing, Anson. You should be proud.”
“I’m not proud. Taking a bullet for strangers is my job. You are more than my job.”
“I’m really not. I’m exactly the job. You just got… distracted.”
“I swear to the Great Mother, Piper. You are not a fucking distraction. Did you know that I told King I’m the only one that is going to be covering you from now on? Can’t you see that just being around you gives me something?”
