Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

D eclan hadn't meant to kiss Piper.

But when she'd looked at him, with that sparkle in her eyes mixed with the pain she was feeling for him, he couldn't resist. She was just so damn vibrant.

She'd come willingly, immediately, with no hesitation.

And now…hell…kissing her was amazing. He loved the taste of her lips, the feel of them beneath his. Her body was warm and soft against his, melting into his chest as if she were born to be a part of him.

She was brilliant, and a complete liar. Skeet shooting? All those articles about her and Clark had been utterly devoid of a single glimpse into her past. Did no one care where this woman came from? They'd all been so consumed with her engagement, her wedding, her bolting from it that not a single question had been asked.

He had questions. For later.

He angled his head, kissing her more deeply, pouring years of isolation into the moment. With each kiss, he felt the shadows dissolving from his soul, replaced by a faint pulse of light, of energy, of life .

Piper sighed and slid her arms around his neck, and suddenly the kiss turned from fantastic to searing. Desire unleashed its fiery heat in his gut, winding its way through his body, cell by cell, gaining momentum, gaining power, gaining boldness.

She pressed closer against him, and he could feel her breasts against his chest.

Suddenly, the shadows of his past were gone, and all he was aware of was the woman in his arms. Piper. Only Piper.

He slipped his hands under her shirt, spanning his palms across the bare skin of her lower back. They both sucked in their breath at the same time, and they laughed. "Wow," she said. "That got my attention."

"You have a great back." He bent his head to graze his teeth over the side of her neck, still palming her lower back. He loved feeling her skin beneath his hand. There was something so intimate about skin-to-skin. An intimacy that made his awareness slow down and become fully immersed in the experience.

Piper let out a little groan. "Dear heavens, this is just ridiculous. How can one kiss feel this amazing?"

"Chicks dig guys in uniform," he said as he nibbled his way across her collarbone.

"You're not in uniform."

"I have one, though. Several, actually. That's all it takes. It's a vibe." He kissed her again, deeper, more personal, asking, taking, wanting more. Needing more.

When she sighed and leaned into him, gripping his biceps, he knew he was lost. He wanted it all with her. "I want you naked and wrapped around me," he whispered.

"Oh, God. That's a visual." She pulled back, staring at him with wide eyes. "You're so terrible. We're platonic. Jellyfish friends."

"There's no jellyfish anywhere in sight, and you know it."

"Don't destroy my illusions. That's just rude." She was breathing heavily from their kiss, and he could see the desire etched on her face. "Damn you, Declan. You're literally pure temptation. That's so rude to be that compelling on so many levels."

He grinned. "Back at ya, sweetheart. "

"Really?" She brightened. "You're nearly desperate to rip my clothes off and lose yourself in all the glorious curves of my body?"

"Yeah. That."

"Well, level playing fields are always good."

The tension was coiling tighter and tighter between them. Desire was strung between them like a spring, dragging them closer and closer. All it would take was one of them to break the impasse, and they'd be naked within seconds.

He couldn't make that move.

The deal had been platonic. He wasn't going to be that guy who broke her trust.

She had to make the move.

Was she going to lean in? She might…she might…

A sharp bark sounded behind him, and before he could turn, Angel launched herself past him at Piper, taking a flying leap. Piper's eyes widened, but she managed to brace herself before seventy pounds of dog landed in her arms. She caught the dog, laughing as Angel started showering her face with kisses. "Oh, baby, your timing is perfect."

"Is it?" But he was grinning, too. "Angel's afraid of everyone except me and my family. But I've never seen her leap into anyone's arms except mine."

Piper backed up and sat on the couch. "I'm special like that." She laughed and hugged the dog. "We became friends when I was at your place showering. We have a bond."

"I can see that." He wasn't sure if he was relieved or frustrated by the interruption, but he knew damn well the joy it gave him to see his dog happy. It gave him an idea, a solution to the problem that had been gnawing at him. "Hey, when I go back to work, I'm going to have some long days. Any chance I could pay you to take care of her while I'm at work?"

Piper raised her brows. "I have long days too."

"Yeah, but maybe not on the same days I do." He nodded at the dog. "She's had a rough time. I'd rather her be with someone she trusts."

Piper looked at the dog. "Do you want to hang with me while your papa is off shooting bad guys?"

Angel wagged and yelped.

"Great. We're in."

"Great." The worry that had been gripping him eased off. "I should go."

He wanted Piper to protest, to tell him to toss her over his shoulder, and race to her bedroom.

But she didn't. She simply patted the dog and stood up. "Yeah. And next time I'm on the floor, don't assume I'm dead."

"Meditating. Right. Got it." He snapped his fingers, and Angel came over and leaned against his leg. "Maddie's store at eleven?"

She nodded.

"Any instructions?"

Piper cocked her head and studied him. "Maybe a dress shirt and a tie? Make it look like you're a successful businessman?"

He stiffened. "I'm not."

"I know, but April's mom would like that. April would go for hot, rough Declan. Her mom's different."

He ground his jaw. "I'd rather not."

Piper sighed. "Okay, fine. Do what you want. I'll be fine. Thanks for coming." She gave him a little wave, then picked up her computer, put her feet on the ottoman, and started working.

He stood there for a long minute watching her type. She looked so comfortable, snuggled on the couch with her feet up. He had a sudden desire to sit down next to her, pull out a book, and just absorb the experience of casual intimacy with her. No sex. No talking. Just sharing space and being together.

Shit.

He'd missed those moments. Longed for them with an ache that had hurt like hell. So he'd stopped thinking about them. Moved on. Gotten a dog. And now, suddenly, he was thinking of those moments again .

And he was thinking of having those moments with Piper.

What the hell? They weren't even dating.

But she still felt right.

What was going on?

She looked up then, her brow puckering when she noticed him watching her. "You're like glue. What now? Why are you still here?"

He grinned. "Is glue bad?"

"Always." But there was a hitch in her voice that said she was lying, and suddenly he realized that she was facing the same struggle as he was. The bond between them was unexpected, intense, and neither of them had agreed to it.

Yeah, he got that.

But he was also starting to think that maybe it wasn't such a bad thing. Piper, on the other hand, he suspected was still a hard stop, which meant he wasn't going to cross that line and risk breaking his promise to her.

She'd have to come to him.

He had to get out of there, because if he didn't, she'd probably start calling him worse than glue. "I'll see you later. I'm going to take Angel for a walk." He snapped his fingers. "Come on, sweetie. Good night."

Piper watched him and Angel leave. "Good night."

Declan headed toward the front door, then swore when he saw the broken door frame, shattered from when he'd kicked it in earlier. "Shit." He tried to get the door to shut, but he'd broken it. He closed his eyes, swearing under his breath. "You can't stay here tonight."

Piper glanced at the door. "You broke it?"

"Yeah."

She started laughing. "You're such an overdose of testosterone."

He felt like an idiot. His life wasn't a drug bust. Breaking down doors wasn't life. "Shit. I guess I'm getting back into cop mode. A little on edge. "

"Nice way to live, is it? Constantly on edge?"

He narrowed his eyes. "I make a difference."

"I know." She grimaced. "Sorry. Just tense. I'll be fine."

"Sleep in my guest bedroom."

Her eyes widened. "Absolutely not."

"I'll sleep in yours."

She started laughing. "Look, Mr. Jellyfish, I like my personal space. I'm also very capable of taking care of myself. No one is going to break in."

He shifted restlessly. "I can't let you stay here if it's not safe."

Her smile faded. "You don't get to tell me what to do. I pay rent on this place."

"I don't care?—"

"Declan." Piper's voice was softer now. "You can't keep people you care about locked in prisons to keep them safe. You have to let go."

His eyes narrowed. "My wife died because I couldn't protect her."

"She died because she was a cop who made a choice to live. Would she have wanted you to lock her in a little safe room so she couldn't get hurt, but also couldn't go out and do what she loved?"

Declan stared at her. "You don't know anything about Diana."

"I don't. It was just a question. You know the answer, not me."

Tension coiled through him. "Fine. Stay here."

Her eyes were understanding. "I still have a toaster," she said. "I'll sleep with it under my pillow."

He wanted to laugh, but he couldn't find the laughter. "It's not a joke."

Piper set the computer aside, rose to her feet, and walked over. She opened her front door and leaned against it. "Good night, Declan. Sleep well."

He didn't move. "Piper?—"

"Good night," she said firmly.

He swore under his breath, but finally turned and walked out .

She shut the door behind him, then started laughing when it swung back open again. He looked back and stopped.

"I'll be fine." Would she? Now that she realized the door wouldn't even stay closed, she sounded a little more unsure, but now it was too late for her to back down. She grabbed a sweatshirt, tied it around the knob, then pulled the door shut. She then tied the other end of the sweatshirt around a table leg.

Door shut.

Declan stood outside, watching her through the window. "That's not secure."

She looked over at him, then walked over and opened the window, grinning at him. "I'll put everything important in my bedroom and lock the door."

"I would like to sleep on your couch until it's fixed."

Her face softened, and she leaned toward him, resting her forehead against the screen. "Your alpha male need to protect me is very sweet, but I don't want it. I don't want a man who will break open my front door."

"Even if he thinks you're dead?"

She paused, then sighed. "Declan, my number one priority is standing on my own. I've made too many bad choices in life because I didn't feel like I could handle my life by myself. You're a man who wants to protect his woman, which is a very attractive trait in a man. But I need to stand on my own." She pointed back and forth between them. "This won't work with us. It can't."

He ground his jaw. She wasn't wrong about him. He was a protector, which was why he'd become a cop. Then his old instincts had died, leaving him a walking shell. Piper had woken that back up in him. She made him feel alive, like he had a purpose.

And she wanted nothing to do with that.

She smiled. "I appreciate you, Declan, but I need to get back to work. See you at Maddie's store at eleven." She paused. "You all right?"

He almost laughed at her question. She didn't want him protecting her, but she was checking in on him? She wanted her space, but at the same time, her warmth and kindness were building a bridge between them.

Damn. She was complicated.

And he loved it.

"Yeah," he said. "I'll be there at eleven to win over the bride's mother."

Piper grinned, a heartfelt, relieved smile that made him feel like a hero. "I was afraid you were going to back out."

"Never. You can count on me."

Something flickered in her eyes. "Thanks. Declan. I appreciate it." She paused as if she were going to say something else, then she closed the window and pulled down the shade.

Declan shoved his hands in his pockets and stood there for a second. "Angel," he said softly. "I think I'm in over my head. What do you think?"

His dog whined and wagged her tail.

He looked down at her. "I didn't want to feel like this again."

Angel wagged her tail.

"If I stay in this, she's either going to ruin me, or save me."

Angel barked and continued to wag her tail.

"You think I should bail? Or man up and see where it goes?" He wasn't a man who'd ever let fear stop him, but Piper scared him shitless, as the broken doorframe proved. Did he want to open this door again? Did he want to feel? To care? To risk?

Twenty-four hours ago, he would have said "hell, no."

But now?

Ninety-nine percent "hell, no." One percent "hell, yeah."

But it was a hell of a one percent.

Angel barked again, then trotted off down the path, clearly tired of waiting for him to decide.

He took one last look at Piper's cottage, then turned to follow his dog. "Yeah, Angel. I agree."