Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

A s Declan pulled into the parking lot of the French Quarter, the diamond on Piper's left hand caught the light.

He glanced at it again as he parked the truck, and he grinned. Yes.

Piper held up her hand. "You could have warned me that the detour you wanted to make was to get me a diamond the size of my entire torso." Her eyes were glinting with amusement, which he found immensely satisfying.

"Big enough?"

"Big enough?" She rolled her eyes. "The jeweler said it was four carats? Plus the small ones? Was that what he said?"

"Yeah, something like that." Declan hadn't used his family money on Diana's engagement ring. They'd both wanted to live on their cop salary, grinding away like they had a mission to prove. His mom had been horrified. His dad? Amused. Declan? A part of him had always regretted it.

So, now was his chance to ditch his moral high ground with money and give Piper what she deserved. He had to admit, it had been fun as hell ringing up his mom's jeweler and getting a private showing, playing the part that he'd refused to play his whole life .

Piper looked over at him. "You're positive this thing is insured?"

"Absolutely. And Neil takes back the stones if the engagement falls through. So just enjoy it."

"I'm going to wind up with a bigger biceps on my left arm, but I guess that's the price to pay, right?"

He grinned. "Money is heavy. You'll adjust. You see April's car here?"

Piper looked around, then pointed at a red Porsche convertible. "There." She took a breath. "It's showtime, right?"

Declan glanced across the parking lot to the patio on the side of the building. He could see diners out among the planters and under the string lights. "We're visible from there."

Piper followed his glance and grimaced. "Yes, we are. I don't see her, though. She's probably around the corner."

"But someone else who recognizes you might be watching us right now. Stay there." Declan got out of the truck, then walked around to Piper's side and opened her door. It had been a long time since he'd opened the door for a woman, and there was something so damned satisfying about doing it. About having the chance to treat a woman like a queen. He leaned on the door and studied Piper after he opened the door.

Piper was wearing a slinky black dress with a slit up the side. High heels. Just enough makeup to tease. She was pure sex and sin, and she was dressing to impress tonight. She was everything he'd rejected about his legacy with the way she was dressed for luxury, but instead of rebelling against it, his whole body thudded with recognition of the woman before him. Hot. Bold. Sexy. "Damn, you look good."

Piper flashed him a grin. "You're pure testosterone, the way you're leaning on that car door like that. She'll never notice you're a jellyfish."

"I'm not a jellyfish." He held out his hand. "Come on, my darling. Tonight is our night."

She took a breath, then stepped out of the car, moving with the grace of a woman who knew how to be pure class. Shit. He should not find her this attractive. What the hell?

He was glad he liked kissing her, though. She might be okay with kissing a jellyfish, but he'd prefer jellyfish stay in the ocean, and since they had to kiss for the sake of her career, it might as well be damned good.

He slipped his hand around her wrist, and tugged her toward him as she passed. "We're on public display here," he whispered, before he slid his hand around the nape of her neck.

Her eyes widened. "Oh."

"Right? It's jellyfish time, sweetheart." He angled his head and kissed her, a long, sensual kiss designed to make anyone watching feel nothing but pure envy for the heat between them. Piper leaned into him, and when her hand went to his biceps, he felt like she'd burned him with her touch.

The kiss was searing hot, and it rocked him to his core. He wanted more and more, and more.

Hell.

He broke the kiss, and for a long moment, they stared at each other.

"Jellyfish?" His voice was rougher than he'd intended. He knew there was no jellyfish in that kiss, but he was curious how long it would take her to admit what that kiss was. Pure heat.

Piper cleared her throat. "Totally, but I'm getting used to it."

Totally. He chuckled to himself. She was holding onto that illusion as hard as she could, which he understood. He wasn't here for anything real either, so he understood her walls. He was surprised, however, how much he was enjoying playing the part.

Maybe it was because they both knew it wasn't real, so it was easy to simply let himself enjoy it. No pressure, no future, no promises, other than to be the hero she needed.

Not that he was any kind of a hero, not by a long shot. But he was willing to play one to help her, and he was surprised at how damned good it felt.

Piper stepped back. "Shall we go? "

"Yeah." He took her hand, wrapping his fingers around hers, then tucked her hand in the crook of his elbow, tugging her close. He bent his head toward her as they walked, putting on the appearance of intimacy and connection.

"You're pure seduction," Piper said, sounding a little grumpy about it.

He chuckled. "Is that bad?"

"It's just…unexpected. I thought you only knew how to use hammers and saws. I didn't know you could…" She waved her hand at him. "This."

He grinned. "I made a deal, and I stick with my deals. You basically hired me to be your career bodyguard, and I'm a damned good bodyguard."

"Have you been a bodyguard before?" She looked intrigued, which made something coil in his gut.

He liked how she was looking at him. "Yeah. I've helped out a few times."

"Everyone still alive?"

"Hell, yeah." He reached the front door and pulled it open, holding it for her. "Let's go, my love."

Piper gave him a wary look as she squeezed past him. "I feel like an alien possessed my antisocial, sweaty landlord. It's kind of alarming."

He laughed out loud then. "I'm a scary guy. Just ask all the drug dealers. They run for cover when I show up."

"Do you kiss them into confessing all their crimes?"

"Something like that." He was still grinning as they reached the ma?tre d's table. He'd called ahead for a reservation, and they were soon escorted outside to a corner table. He scanned the patrons as they walked in, and his gaze landed on a table of four twenty-something women at the table by the bar. They were wearing expensive jewelry, tailored clothes, and had that vibe he'd seen too many times at his mom's events growing up.

Not his kind of women.

It was the kind of woman that Piper was trying to be, but she didn't quite pull it off, he realized. That was why he wasn't bothered by her fancy-assed sass. Because she wasn't those women. She might be wearing the clothes, putting on the attitude, but she was nothing like them. Was it her irreverence? Her sass? Something in her past? He wasn't sure.

But he wanted to know.

Piper touched his arm. "Green dress," she whispered.

As Piper sat down, his gaze fell on the only brunette at the table, who was wearing an emerald-green dress. She was taller than the others, fit, and elegant. She held herself with a poise that said she knew what she wanted, deserved it, and would settle for nothing less.

He slid in beside Piper, taking his gaze off the women. He turned his back toward them to focus on Piper, who was facing them. "You don't need her," he said softly, as he bent in and began to nibble on her shoulder.

Shit. Her shoulder tasted amazing.

Piper sucked in her breath. "I do need her," she said.

"Forget her." He trailed his fingertips down Piper's bare arm. "And the others. Whatever the rumors are, whatever people are saying about you…forget it. They don't matter. They never do."

Piper put her hand on his cheek, her touch so soft and tender that it hit him right in the gut. "But they do matter," she said quietly. "April, her friends, and everyone like her, hold my future in their hands."

Declan met her gaze. "Don't let them."

Something flashed across her face, an emotion so raw and ragged that he sucked in his breath. "It's not that easy."

He immediately regretted pushing at her, realizing that he had no business challenging her when he had no idea what she was dealing with, what her stories were that she hadn't shared with him. "Yeah, I guess so. Never mind." He took a breath. "What now?"

"I don't know. I was thinking that she'd notice us and come over." Her gaze flicked to the women. "But they seem completely absorbed."

"Want me to dance naked on the bar?"

She snorted. "No, please, I can't have my fiancé engaging in such behaviors."

He cocked his brow. "You spend a lot of effort trying to manage what people think of you."

"Because I'm in a career where it matters."

"Don't you get tired of it?"

She shrugged. "It doesn't matter if I do or not. It's how the game is played, and I'm going to get what I want."

He leaned in, fascinated by her letting him in. "And what is that? What do you want?"

"Eventually? I want to start my own firm." She grinned, her face lighting up. "I want to be the most sought-after wedding designer in the country. I'll probably have to move to New York to do it, so my next step is to get hired by Elizabeth Cortaine, who owns the top firm in New York."

He sat back, stunned by her vision. "Hell, that's impressive."

She grinned. "Thank you. I appreciate that. My mom used to tell me to dream big, but—" She stopped, and Declan knew it was the second time she'd cut herself off when talking about her mom. She shrugged. "Some people don't appreciate big dreams."

He wondered who she was talking about. There was an edge of pain to her voice that made him want to tell her to ignore whoever had tried to turn down her passion. "Piper?—"

"What the heck is this?" Maddie Vale, one of Piper's friends, sat down at their table, her face sparking with interest. "I just saw you two kissing. What is happening?"

"Wait! I want to hear!" Another of Maddie's friends pulled a chair over and sat down. She had thick, dark hair streaked with blond, olive skin, and dark eyes that were both smiling and haunted at the same time. She waved at Declan. "I'm Tori Cardenas, and I need to know why you were chewing on Piper's shoulder like you wanted to eat her for dinner. "

"Hey!" A third woman squeezed in. She had curly hair, brown skin, and sass in her eyes that reminded him of Piper. "Hi there, Piper's hot, moody landlord. I'm Keira Vogel. Why were you running your fingertips down Piper's arm like her skin was super soft velvet you couldn't get enough of? Last I heard, there was no spark at all between the two of you." She set her purse on the table. "Piper! What is going on?"

Declan sat back, amused by the sudden influx of estrogen. He'd seen Piper's friends around the carriage house from time to time, and he'd been in his backyard when they'd been out on her patio, roaring with laughter and wine. He knew the foursome was bold, loyal, and tight.

He would definitely be on the outside of this crew. But he was surprised that there was no hostility toward him making a move on their friend. Just open curiosity. And excitement. Did they want Piper to date as much as his mom wanted him to date?

Piper put her left hand under the table out of sight. "Guys! No one read the text I sent to our group chat?"

"Text?" Maddie rolled her eyes. "Why would we read a text when we have you here to grill?"

Piper rolled her eyes. "Because I have a plan. Read it."

"Tell us," Tori said. "So much gets lost in translation over text."

Declan was curious what Piper had told her friends. Would she trust them with the truth? That would be a hell of a statement about how close they were, given that her career was at stake.

"Read your texts."

Maddie rolled her eyes and pulled out her phone. She opened it and scanned the screen, while Tori and Keira read over her shoulder.

Declan leaned in so his mouth was next to Piper's ear. "How much of the truth do they know?" he whispered.

She looked over at him, then grinned. "Watch."