Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

P iper's lips were warm and receptive, and kissing her felt like the most natural thing in the world. Declan's connection with her was strong after she'd pulled him back from the edge with her touch, and he wanted more with her. He did want to kiss her. Deep. Intense. No holding back.

So he did, and she kissed him right back, with the same level of intensity that he offered.

They came together, their bodies tangled with each other, hands moving, trying to get closer, trying to touch more. The moment became about them, only them, about the way she felt in his arms. About how alive she made him feel. About how much he wanted all of her. To lose himself in her. To protect her. To make her laugh. Smile. To embrace the way she made him want to smile again.

Declan pressed his hands to Piper's lower back, and then slid them lower, over the curve of her ass. Part of the show, he lied to himself, knowing damn well that he just wanted to touch her. How was this happening? Piper had lived in his guest house for almost two years, and he'd never thought of her as anything but his tenant .

And now he was consumed by her kiss, by her energy, by his need to drag her into his arms, toss her onto a bed, and make love to her until neither of them could move, until she filled him so completely that all the pain sewn into his soul lost its grip and faded away into the unknown.

"Piper?"

A man's voice broke through Declan's haze. Piper stiffened instantly in his arms, and Declan pulled back, instinctively moving Piper slightly behind him so his body was between the intruder and Piper.

It was a man who looked like the male version of April. Tall. Fancy. Clean-shaven. Smelled of aftershave and money. Attractive. But there was a vibe about him that set Declan's radar on edge.

Piper stepped away from Declan, but he moved with her, refusing to let her move to where he couldn't protect her if the man pulled out a knife and moved fast. Not that he'd seen a knife, but his cop instincts were burning right now.

"Clark," she said stiffly.

Clark? Wasn't that her ex's name?

Her ex was here?

Hot damn. This was going to be fun.

Declan studied the man carefully. What the hell had Piper been doing with him? His energy was about as far from Piper's as it could be.

"Who are you?" Clark sounded stiff and annoyed as he stared at Declan.

Declan grinned. The fact that Piper had made the courageous-as-hell decision to leave this dude at the altar meant there was something about this guy that wasn't right, at least for Piper. And yet, he'd almost managed to convince her to marry him.

That meant he was a formidable opponent.

Declan put his arm around Piper's waist and pulled her against him. He stuck out his hand. "Declan Jones. Cop. Piper's fiancé. Who are you?" He threw in the cop thing intentionally, wanting this guy to know not to fuck with him or Piper.

Clark's eyes narrowed. "Clark Houston. Piper's fiancé until recently." He didn't shake Declan's hand, which made Declan chuckle. Definitely trying to posture. He narrowed his gaze. "You move fast, Piper."

Before Declan could step in to defend her, Piper pushed away from Declan and put her hands on her hips. "What I do is not your problem," she said, her voice firm and confident.

Nice. Declan liked her vibe. She wasn't backing down.

Clark ground his jaw. "That's right," he said. "You aren't my problem anymore." He shot a look at Declan. "Good luck. You'll need it." Then he turned and strode away to the bar, where he wound himself around to a woman who was tall, curvy, and in a slinky blue dress.

"Let's go," Piper said. "I'm done here."

"No. Not yet." Declan took her hand and coaxed her to turn toward him. "If you let him drive you out of here, then you give him power over you. Take a breath, dance with me, and find your equilibrium." He knew that, because he hadn't taken the time to face his demons, so he'd never been able to get free.

Piper glanced at him, tension etched in her brown eyes. "I just want to leave."

"No." He tugged her hand gently, guiding her into his arms. "You want to be away from the energy that he created in you. You need to show yourself that you can be yourself in his presence. Come on." He pressed a kiss to her forearm. "I'll be your shield. Just focus on me."

She dragged her gaze off the bar and looked at Declan. Her shoulders were tense, and he could feel her shaking. What the hell had happened with them? Now wasn't the time to ask, but he was definitely going to look the guy up when he got home. "Piper," he said. "Did I mention you look gorgeous tonight?"

A little smile curved the corners of her mouth. "No, you didn't. But you don't have to pretend. I know you don't look at me like that."

"Tonight I did. Tonight I am."

She stared at him, and he knew she'd heard the truth in his voice. "Don't do that. It's not our deal."

"I know." He gently spun her around, so she was facing the opposite direction of Clark, and he began to dance them to the far end of the dance floor. "I didn't expect to notice how sexy you look in that dress."

"Well, stop noticing."

He raised his brows. "Stop noticing you look great?"

"Yes. Now." She was still stiff and tense, even though she wasn't looking at Clark anymore. "This thing between you and me is an arrangement. Nothing real. If you can't do that, then we'll call it off?—"

"I can do it," he cut her off immediately. He wasn't going to let her send him packing. He wasn't ready to go yet. Yeah, he liked kissing her. Yeah, he was more intrigued by the minute. But he was disciplined. He could keep it impersonal. "Jellyfish all the way. You're my squishy, slimy, tentacled fake fiancée. Who could possibly want to cross a line with that?"

A tiny giggle escaped her. "You're so weird."

"I know. You're welcome." He could feel her relaxing. "And I'm a cactus. A cactus engaged to a jellyfish. Now that's the stuff of fairytales right there."

"You're the jellyfish."

"I'm not. I'm a cactus." Declan kept going with the banter, noting her relaxing into it. Piper had some significant walls, and despite his proclaimed willingness to keep it fishy between them, he had no interest in backing off.

The woman was riveting, and more importantly, she made him feel alive for the first time in a long time, and he couldn't walk away from that.

"You're both," she said. "I'm just a gorgeous, charming, fantastic wedding planner with an amazing career. "

"Engaged to a fishy cactus."

She laughed. "Exactly."

Ah, that laugh. He fucking loved it.

The moment he thought it, his amusement faded.

He was falling for this woman, he realized. Despite the fact he'd sworn never to fall again…he was.

What was he going to do about it?