by Honor James
“I happen to love having you all to myself as well. I want to wait to have a child with you as well. I first want this stalker dealt with, then I want to have just you-and-me time. I want you to get your business with your friends started, and then we can work on maybe one day having a mini-you around,” she said happily. “Don’t worry, condoms will be good for a time. When we are able to no longer use them we will. This was an amazing experience, but it’s one we can’t repeat so that we don’t push our luck. Later we will, though. A few years and we will push our luck.”
“Absolutely,” he said. Cupping her cheek, he leaned in to kiss her lips. He moved off her a moment later and pulled her into his arms. “Whenever you are ready for babies, you say the word. Give me a good week’s heads-up though. I want to ensure I’m up to date on all my vitamins. Want to ensure that we have plenty of baby-making opportunities, and that I have the energy for it all.”
That had her laughing. She couldn’t help it. Curling into his side, she petted his chest lightly with her fingertips and nipped his chest with her teeth. “Right, well I will do all that I can in order to give you as much warning as possible so that you are able to take lots of vitamins and be ready for all of our baby-making endeavors.”
“Good girl,” he teased. Smacking her bottom lightly, he shifted to grab and pull the blankets up over them. “We’ll cuddle for a little bit, and then we need to get our butts in gear. We have to get to the bar so that you can open up, love. But plan on getting out of there early tonight. The guys the general is sending should only take a couple of hours. They’ll get there before opening and hopefully be done not long after the bar gets rolling for the night. We’ll stick around for you to do the boss-lady thing, and then we’ll come home. We should also put the roast on to cook while we’re out. That would be a good meal to come home to.”
“Good ideas.” She continued to rub her cheek on his chest and then yawned. “Cuddling sounds good. I then want to nap for just a bit if you wouldn’t mind. We will get up in an hour? How does that sound to you?” Nap for an hour, hurry and get ready, toss the roast on, then head into the bar. Sounded good to her.
“One hour, then we will have to book it. So you will shower and get dressed while I get the vegetables ready. Then we will switch so you can stick it all in the pot, set it, and then we can get the hell out of here. If we don’t dally too much we can even stop for a cup of coffee before we have to meet the crime-scene guys at the bar. I think it will work. Close your eyes, love. I will wake you in exactly one hour,” he warned.
“That sounds like a good idea,” she said with another yawn. “So no after-nap nookie, right?” She did just that, her eyes slid closed, and she yawned once again. “A nap, one hour.” She was warm, loose in his arms, and relaxed. She felt amazing and to be able to slide off into sleep was as easy as breathing, and she was out.
Chapter Nine
The deadline was approaching, and they really weren’t any closer to figuring out who her stalker was. While the team had gotten plenty of prints, the guy didn’t appear to exist in any sort of database, anywhere. Aeron was on edge. Then again, so was she. Piper had started with watching the calendar, now she was practically watching the clock. They only had one day left in the stalker’s sick and twisted timetable.
Warm hands slid over her shoulders and squeezed. The only reason she didn’t come out of her chair at high and squeaky volume was because she recognized the scent that was Aeron, and Aeron alone. “You’re brooding again, love. Come on, let’s go for a walk. You need to get out of the house, and with the bar closed today we don’t have any reason to go there. Up on your feet, sweetheart.”
“Are you sure we should?” She was more than a little nervous. They had more than a few little gifts left for them in the last few days. “He’s been stepping up the things that he’s been sending us.” The latest had been a teddy bear that had been hers as a child with a bloody animal heart pinned to it with a knife. She was honestly terrified and didn’t want Aeron to be hurt protecting her either.
“Damn straight I think we should,” he told her. Stepping around, he stood looking down at her. “We are not going to let him run our fucking lives. I’ve told you this from day one, Piper. While we aren’t going to take unnecessary risks, I do not plan on stopping living. We are going for a walk. Some of the team are here, another favor pulled by the general. They are all in the last months of their contracts, so he had them reassigned stateside. They are out there, watching over us, and will continue to watch us as we take our walk. We’re going to go in a four-block radius around this place, and then we’ll come home. Up, on your feet, now.”
She loved it when he ordered her around. She didn’t know why, but when he would order her around her panties got wet, and she wanted to do just what he told her to. She got up onto her feet and grinned. “Okay then, let’s go for our walk. Just know that if you get shot I’m going to have to beat you.” Which was the truth. She would be very upset if anything happened to him, and the only way that she could deal with the thought of it was to tease him.
“I’m not going to get shot. Neither are you. We are going out for a walk, like normal people, and proving to this asshole that we think very little of him. It shows that we’re getting to him, Piper. He’s been getting more and more brazen with his taunts to you. He thinks we’re ignoring him, which means when the time comes, he’s going to be damn pissed, and hopefully make a huge error in judgment. He doesn’t know that we have most of the team out there watching. He doesn’t even know that we have Yoshi inside the house. He thinks that it’s just you and me, and we both know how little he seems to think of me.”
“Which surprises me,” she admitted with a sigh. “It is a shock that he doesn’t take you as seriously as he should. You are so over-the-top protective that I’m honestly shocked that he behaves as he does toward you.” Which was a surprise, but what did she know? “Okay, we will go for our walk. You will kiss me again,” she stated, not asked. “And then when we get home we will wait and see what this asshole does next.”
Slipping his arm around her shoulders, Aeron led her toward the front door. “He sees what he wants to see. In his delusion there is no savior for you. There is no protector. There is only you and him. He is striking out at you to fulfill whatever delusion has him running around as he is. I’m merely an obstacle to his final goal. While he obviously knows some of my past, the fact I’m a Marine, I doubt he’s dug any further. Even if he did, unless he had the clearance, he wouldn’t know what a threat I really am to him. Or the fact there’s a whole team ready and waiting to back me and you up.” He grabbed her jacket, and held it for her to slip into. “Now, quit worrying for the next twenty minutes. We are going to stroll around the neighborhood, share some kisses, and then come home to make dinner.”
“Okay.” She took a deep breath and shifted. “Why is my jacket heavier?” She checked the pockets. They were empty, but the jacket felt a little thicker, firmer, almost, which was odd. “Aeron, what the hell?” she asked as he pulled the zipper up on the front of the jacket.
He batted his lashes at her and smiled. “I had it retrofitted with Kevlar,” he said. “I figured it couldn’t hurt to give you a little added protection, especially with us getting so close to the psycho’s date. Mine already has it built in. I’m naturally suspicious, but I had Yoshi do yours up as soon as we got the plates. Unfortunately they took a little longer than originally planned.”
She just looked at him and then grinned. She walked to him and pulled him down to lay a kiss upon his lips that told him just how much she loved him and loved the fact that he took it upon himself to ensure that she was protected. When she let him go, she nodded. “I love you, too.” Really that was all that she could say, because the way that he had treated her jacket told her just how much he did love her.
“Glad you’re not pissed. Yoshi took extra care with it, ensuring no excess damage was done. A seamstress he is not, but I think he did rather well.” Lea
ning in, he gave her a quick kiss, and then grabbed his jacket. Shrugging into it, he patted his pockets before taking her hand in his. Lacing their fingers together, he squeezed, and opened the door. He stepped out first, took a look around, then let her come outside. To the average watcher it would have appeared as if she’d paused for a moment before following. They’d done it enough over the last two weeks she didn’t even think about it anymore.
She pulled the door closed behind her, locking it even though Yoshi was still inside. With her hand in Aeron’s, they began to walk around the neighborhood. She was hopeful that they would be able to have their walk without her jumping out of her skin.
“Breathe, baby. There’s no need to be tense. The boys all say it’s clear sailing for us, not even a dog out being walked right now,” he said softly. He squeezed her fingers gently. “They are right with us, and will be the entire walk. No one will get even close to us without a heads-up from them.”
She nodded and squeezed his hand as well. “I’m trying. I just…” She sighed and looked up at him. “There are only hours left. I guess that’s why I’m freaking out so much.” Yeah, there was a day, but she was down to hours in her mind. “I just can’t help but to think about the last gift that was left for us, and I hate it.” That damn teddy bear was still stuck in her mind.
“He’s messing with you psychologically, sweetheart. He’s one of these people that gets off with making you jump at shadows. People like him don’t have the balls to actually face anyone their own size, or bigger than them. They tend to believe that they are the center of the universe, and when someone fucks with that, they get all bent out of shape. I’m sure there’s a profiler out there somewhere that can give a better explanation, but that’s what I have at the moment. When he finally comes at you, he’s going to do something to distract me, pulling me away from you because he can’t handle going up against me physically or mentally. Not that he will pull me from you. That’s why we have the team here, to cover both of our asses when this all goes down.”
“I trust you,” she told him with complete honesty. She was a fish out of the water, but this was what he lived for, what he had been trained for, and she trusted him to keep her safe. “I believe in you, Aeron, and if you tell me that this is how it will be, I trust in that. I know you won’t let me be hurt.” She smirked and added, “You love me too much to let anything happen to me, and you happen to really love me curling up against you when we sleep. I think you’ve gotten used to having me draped all over you at night and don’t think you would want to get rid of me or that anytime soon.”
“You’d be right in that. I do happen to love having you draped over me while we sleep. I love feeling your heat, the smoothness of your skin, and the warm brush of your breath. It reassures me that you’re there, happy, and safe. The snoring, though, I could do without,” he said with a shrug.
“What?” She pulled back with a laugh and looked up at him. “I don’t snore.” Much. “Come on, you know that I don’t.” She poked her finger at his side and then wrapped an arm around his waist. “You big silly man.” He had her laughing, though. That said a great deal about how much he put her at ease.
“You sure do,” he said. He was nodding enthusiastically. “You do this little snorty thing. It’s actually very cute until you really get going. Then you sound like a lumberjack with his chainsaw on full throttle. Damn if the windows don’t shake like a freight train’s going through.”
Piper began to laugh and shook her head. “My poor Aeron. Perhaps you need to sleep in another room if I am truly that much of a bother to you.” She was teasing him as much as he was her. “Because you know I wouldn’t want you to not get your sleep. That would be just all-around wrong.”
“Oh, I don’t mind sleeping with you. I just roll you so that you’re over me. It actually muffles a lot of the snoring. Then if it gets too out of hand I put a pillow over your head. But really, I can pretty much sleep through anything. I did used to sleep in the midst of a war zone, after all.” Grinning at her, he hugged her close. “I am kidding, you know that, right? You do have this little snort you do when I try to wake you up, but you don’t actually snore. It’s more of this breathy little thing you do, and only when you’re on your back. It’s actually very adorable.”
“I know that you are teasing me,” she said with a smile and looked up at him. “I didn’t know about the snort, but I did know that I didn’t snore. I like that you tease me, though. A lot. I also enjoy teasing you, too.” Adorable. She loved that he thought of her as adorable.
“I was never one to tease before you. But I feel comfortable with you, enough that I don’t mind doing it. I just worry that you might think I’m not teasing, that I’m being serious. I’d hate to hurt your feelings in that way, I love you too much to ever hurt you like that.”
“I know, but you get this twinkle in your eyes when you are teasing me. I happen to really enjoy it as well. I think that you and I will be able to have a good life together. Always. Besides, if we can’t tease each other, then how will we be able to tease others?” She teased with Yoshi, and he teased her, so she should be able to share that with Aeron as well. Him more than anyone else.
“Good to know I have a tell,” he said. He didn’t sound happy about it, not entirely, anyway. Rubbing his hand over her arm, he pressed a kiss to her temple. “How are you doing?” he asked softly. “You ready to admit that this walk was a good idea yet?”
“Yeah, it is good to get out into the open air,” she admitted and hugged him back. “I think that I needed the air as much as I needed to just forget everything except having you close to me,” she whispered and looked up at him. “We are good, right?”
“What do you mean, sweetheart?” he asked. He shot her a confused look before he looked around them. They were taking the last corner back toward the house. Another look to her, his brow arched said he was still waiting on a little more detail from her.
“Just wanted to know that we were good. That there was going to be more teasing in our future, and we would always be able to do that together. I know, that’s just such a silly thing, but I remember my mom and dad teasing each other all the time, and I really do want that as well.”
“There will be plenty of teasing in the days to come,” he said softly. “Don’t worry so much, sweetheart. We are good. While our start may have been as far from conventional as you can possibly get, we are rock solid. We have a mutual respect for each other, I adore you, you adore me, and we love each other. There will be bumps in the road, no helping that, and it also lets us grow. But we will always, always be just fine.”
“I agree. The bumps are needed in every relationship, right?” she asked with a grin. “We both know that we are in this for the long haul and that no matter what else we always come back together and have that forever after. Right?” She wanted forever. She was in this for the long haul and knew he was as well.
“Damn straight,” he said. As they stepped onto the walkway to her front door, he pulled her to a stop. Wrapping her in his arms, he pressed a kiss to her lips. “I’m not going to ever let you go, Piper. I know a good thing when it comes racing into my life. You are too good for me, but I’m hanging on to you, and maybe you’ll never figure that little detail out.”
“That’s a darn tootin’ good thing because I’m never letting you go either. I’m keeping you, Aeron Cutter, for now and for all time. You promised me mini-yous one day.” Which she was banking on for that day in the future. “I’m not too good for you, I’m just right for you.” If anyone was too good for the other it was him for her.
“I promised you babies, babe. I never once said that you’d get a bunch of mini-mes. It could be a bunch of mini Pipers instead. A horde of little girls running around, driving their daddy insane. Somehow I think you’d enjoy that even more.”
That had her laughing and she nodded. “You know, I likely would, but one day they would all come to me and complain. I’m sure that you would have every boy in
a five-hundred-mile radius of your daughters terrified of you without doing much more than saying hello.” Aeron could put on a seriously tough face when he wanted to.
A devilish grin curled his lips, and he gave a truly evil-sounding laugh. “There is that perk,” he said. “They would have to see my gun collection, too. I’d insist on that. Maybe stick around while I’m cleaning them. I like this plan, actually. We should definitely have a couple daughters.”
Piper snickered and hugged him again. “One day I hope we do. Not for a very long time, though, if you wouldn’t mind. I’m perfectly happy with our little family being two and not more than that, please.” She was more than happy just to have their little family being them as a couple.
“In the future, sweetheart. Definitely not tomorrow. You and I need some time together as a couple first, without all this stress in our lives. I think we should do some traveling as well, go and see the world our way. Let’s just limit how much sand there is if you don’t mind. I’ve seen enough sand and had it in enough places to last a lifetime.”
“I don't need sand. I need you. Nice, wonderful green grasses, clean air, and friendly people. As long as I have that I’m perfectly happy. So you get to choose where we will go once this is all over, because after this is all over and done I want to take some time off. Time to just simply be a couple with you and not worried about what will happen next.”
“Yes, ma’am, you get to pick where you’d like to go. I won’t even mind if there’s a little bit of sand, like a beach a good distance away, but the choice is truly all yours. All you’ll really need is your passport, a toothbrush, and your shining personality. Everything else can be bought when we arrive,” he said. Giving her a squeeze, he loosened his hold on her. “Now, let’s get inside and figure out what the hell we’re feeding the troops tonight, shall we?”
