Undercover Obsession (24 page)

“I do trust you. If I gave you the impression
I don’t, I apologize,” she answered stiffly.

“Don’t apologize, just don’t back away from
me. That just pisses me off.”

Haley hadn’t realized she did that, then
again, the urge to distance herself from anyone threatening was an
automatic move for her, and Ian definitely looked threatening when
he got out of the car and moved towards her. “I’m…” At his scowl,
she stopped from apologizing again and said instead, “I didn’t
realize I did. Force of habit, I guess. I know your anger is
because you’re worried about Piper.” Switching her gaze to Piper,
she demanded, “What are you doing here? Didn’t they tell you about
the threat in that note?”

“Yes,” Piper bit out, her chin jutting,
determination and frustration etched on her face. “And I’m not
going to let that bastard control my life any more than he already
has.”

“Just be careful today, Piper,” Gary told her
as he joined them on the sidewalk in front of his office. “I have
my hands full with the extra tourists the holidays always bring in.
It’s a big county and I have a lot of territory to cover, but I’ll
try to spend most of my time close to Hope.” Turning to Brody and
Ian, he added, “I’ve instructed my deputies to be vigilant, but
we’re looking for a stranger in a crowd of strangers, so I’m
counting on you two to stick close to both of them.”

Because Brody knew Gary’s anger stemmed from
concern, he didn’t take umbrage at his glare or tone. He was right,
it was going to be difficult spotting anything or anyone that could
be construed as a possible threat against Piper, but he simply
couldn’t try to talk her out of spending the day having fun with
her friends after the stress she had been under this past week.

By that evening, Brody was struggling to keep
his temper in check and berating himself for giving in to a pair of
pleading green eyes. Piper had spent the afternoon distancing
herself emotionally not only from him, but Haley also, a hint of
desperation in her actions and on her face as she participated in
one activity after another until he was exhausted keeping up with
her.

Hope City Park expanded over thirty acres on
the lake and was filled with several hundred residents and tourists
for the Fourth of July activities. An air conditioned club house
held rows of tables laden with food both from the local restaurants
as well as the townsfolk. The four of them had filled their plates,
found an empty table and indulged themselves with fried chicken,
corn on the cob, coleslaw, beans, and an assortment of salads and
desserts, all the typical fanfare of summer cuisine. That was over
five hours ago and Piper hadn’t stopped since. Piper and Haley had
joined in the three legged sack race, despite Haley’s attempts to
try to talk her out of including her before she enrolled them in
the row boat races, tug of war competition, air golf in which they
tossed brightly colored golf balls through small metal hoops
dangling from tree limbs and the egg spoon race, which Piper came
in last. It was hot and humid and when she talked them into a water
balloon fight, it was the first time that afternoon the three of
them didn’t complain.

Through it all, Brody sensed Piper’s gaiety
was forced, that she was making a concentrated effort to forget
about the threats against her and carry on as she usually did at
these events, and Brody had tried to be understanding and patient,
but when she squealed in delight and ran to greet a man Brody had
never seen before, throwing her arms and legs around him so he had
no choice but to grab her ass and hold on to her, Brody found
himself just a hair trigger away from losing both his patience and
his temper. And when she crushed her mouth to his, those lips he
constantly imagined wrapped around his cock, he literally saw
red.

Ian’s hand latched onto his arm in a tight
grip and was the only thing that stopped him from pulling her off
the stranger. “What?” he snapped at his friend.

Ian simply raised a brow, replying smoothly,
“She’s obviously in no danger, so let it go. You’re the one who’s
walked away from her more than once, so you have no right to butt
into this happy reunion.”

“Who is he?” Brody asked Haley who was
looking like she wanted to be anywhere but here right now.

“Cole Mason. He’s a wilderness guide and he
and Piper have been friends for a few years.” When both men simply
looked at her patiently, waiting for more, she rolled her eyes and
added reluctantly, “Okay, the past year, year and a half, they’ve
been more than friends whenever his work brings him this way. He’s
a nice guy and wouldn’t hurt Piper.” Haley knew Piper, and she knew
the false bravado and devil may care attitude she had shown all
afternoon hid her anxiety, was a desperate attempt to put the
events of the past week aside, at least temporarily, and she
suspected her enthusiastic greeting to Cole was an attempt to put
Brody aside as well. From the thunderous look on Brody’s face as he
watched them, Haley didn’t think he was going to be as indulgent of
her over Cole as he had been all day over her insistence on being
so blatantly out in the open.

“Come on Haley,” Ian said as he took her
hand. “I’m ready for some pie.” Ian decided to let Brody come to
terms with his jealousy on his own and he had had about enough of
this small town gathering. He couldn’t deny he had enjoyed watching
the girls as they participated in the fun and games, but one could
only take so much friendly chit chat with the neighbors without
itching for a good, bare knuckled go around with someone who wasn’t
so friendly and concerned about both Piper and Haley.

“You just had watermelon,” Haley sputtered on
a laugh as he pulled her through the crowd, leaving Brody scowling
after them. “You just going to leave him alone?”

“Yep, he made his bed, he can damn well lie
in it alone.” The best part of the day had been watching Haley
relax around him, drop that defensive guard she didn’t realize she
carried with her like a shield. She had smiled, laughed and looked
so damn sexy in a simple sundress and then had revealed a skimpy
bikini that she wore underneath it when she stripped off the dress
to jump in the lake that his cock had been semi erect all day.
Hell, he found her sexier in a bra than he did all these young
women bouncing around braless, and that was just plain wrong in his
thinking. Still, he wasn’t about to let his own misgivings about
his attraction to Haley mar what little time they had left here.
Any day now, their boss was going to pull them away from Hope, and
Piper, and order them to Atlantic City to back up Carlos, and he
was going to make sure Haley knew she had a friend in him whenever
she needed one, which was all either of them could be since he
doubted she’d be agreeable to a few nights in the sack.

“Okay, I could use a piece of pie, especially
if they have lemon meringue.”

Sweet and tart, he thought that described her
as well as her favorite pie. He was aiming for chocolate anything.
If he couldn’t indulge in one craving, he’d have to settle for
another.

Piper was well aware of Brody glaring a hole
in her back as she kissed Cole, but she didn’t care. She had
decided this morning, before learning of the latest threat against
her that she was going to resume her life like normal as much as
possible. She was through begging Brody for the only thing she
wanted from him and the one thing he had always denied her. When
she finally admitted to herself that she wanted more from him than
sex, and realized how futile that was, it rekindled her
determination to take back at least some semblance of control over
the life she had made for herself here. And that life included
Cole.

At five ten, she fit against him perfectly
and his blond hair and blue eyed good looks made him as easy on the
eyes as his easy going, laid back demeanor was for what they both
wanted from their relationship of friends with benefits. They were
a perfect match for each other, so why was she disappointed in this
kiss? Why didn’t her pussy clutch in anticipation of feeling his
cock filling her again, especially since she hadn’t seen him in
three months? And, why was she comparing his mouth, his body, the
way his hands clutched her ass with Brody’s mouth, body and hands
and finding Cole’s lacking? Frustrated, more than irritated with
herself, she ground her pelvis against his rigid cock, unmindful of
where they were, seeking the same response she got every time she
was near Brody, but to no avail.

She barely noticed when he released her and
her feet slid to the ground. When he looked down at her
questioningly, she simply shrugged and quipped, “So sue me, I’m
happy to see you.”

“It looks like someone else isn’t too happy
to see me, and I don’t even know him.” Cole looked over her
shoulder and refused to back down from the other man’s steely eyed
glare. “Can I help you,” he asked politely, but he had a feeling he
was going to be seeking another playmate for the night.

Piper turned and frowned up at Brody,
wondering what he was so pissed about. She hadn’t run off and she
hadn’t begged him to fuck her, so he ought to be happy, she thought
derisively. “Brody, this is Cole, a good,
very
good friend
of mine,” she emphasized. “Cole, Brody is with the FBI and here
because he’s under the delusion by adopted father isn’t dead and is
going to show up here any time now.” She didn’t elaborate by
telling him what had happened to make them think that, and had no
intention of telling him later. Tonight, she was putting all that
away and was going to enjoy herself.

Cole held out his hand and Brody took it
briefly, seething over her emphasis of how good a friend this man
was to her. Just because he had no hold on her, had refused to
stake any type of claim on her and had turned down what she so
freely offered and was now seeking elsewhere, didn’t mean jack shit
apparently. It had only taken seeing her small body wrapped around
another man she was obviously fond of to jerk him to his senses and
to say the hell with doing what he thought was right by her.

“Cole, it’s good to meet you.” Turning to
Piper, he stated firmly, “I think we should head back to your cabin
before it gets much darker. It’ll be safer.” It hadn’t escaped his
notice that she hadn’t told Cole about her troubles.

Cole frowned with concern at Piper. “Why
wouldn’t you be safe?”

The band that had been tuning up in the
nearby pavilion took that moment to start playing and Piper took
that opportunity to thwart both men. Grabbing Cole’s hand, she
said, “I’m not ready to go yet, Brody. Come on Cole, I’ll explain
while we dance.”

Brody swore she wasn’t going to be able to
sit for a week when he got through smacking that ass she was
gyrating against Cole. His temper had gone from simmering to
boiling and he was about two seconds away from acting like a
Neanderthal by pulling her away from him, tossing her over his
shoulder and carting her back to his lair to ravish her, after he
whipped her butt for torturing him. Funny, he thought with no
humor, she had no trouble dancing when she had a partner, a partner
who held her close and enjoyed moving his hips in time with hers as
he stared down at her with lust written all over his face. When he
found himself wondering if her pussy was as wet for this guy as it
got for him, he knew how they were going to spend the rest of this
night was a foregone conclusion.

“Couldn’t lure her away from him, mmm?” Ian
asked as he stepped next to him and grinned at the couple Brody was
shooting daggers at.

“No, but I can damn well drag her away from
him. Where’s Haley?”

“Went home real quick to get the blankets she
forgot earlier to sit on when the fireworks start. Her place is
just two blocks over so she should be right back.”

Brody frowned, something nagging at him. “Why
didn’t you go with her? It may not be safe.”

“I offered, but she refused, rather
adamantly. Said she needed a little space, which, given her past, I
need to respect.” But he hadn’t liked it. There were people
everywhere between the park and Main Street and it was still light
enough that anything untoward would catch someone’s attention, but,
like Brody, he had a sixth sense when something wasn’t right. “Ah,
hell, maybe I better catch up with her and walk her back.”

“I’m sure she’s fine, but just in case
whoever’s after Piper decides to switch gears.” Brody knew anything
was possible when dealing with a possible psychopath.

Ian had reached the exit of the park when
Sheriff Norton met him, anxiety etched on his face. “Where’s
Haley?”

Ian’s gut tightened, foreboding creeping
through him at the fury on Gary’s face. “Headed home. I’m going to
catch up with her now. What’s wrong?”

“We had it wrong all along. Come on, I’ll
explain on the way.”

They set off at a jog, both knowing they
could get to Haley’s shop and apartment faster on foot than going
back for a car. “Give, now,” Ian demanded.

“It’s her ex. I got suspicious about that
note thinking the threat could be aimed at either of them, so I
made a call to Florida. Found out the bastard was released early
due to overcrowding, wasn’t considered a violent criminal, so they
just turned him loose two weeks ago without informing Haley’s
attorney.”

Ian picked up his speed as he just now
connected the dots. They should have caught that the vandalism and
the sabotaged tires and now the mutilated rabbit could have been
threats aimed at either woman. It was only Piper’s missing two days
that remained in question, her disappearance involving her and her
alone. They reached Haley’s shop just as they heard her scream from
upstairs. Ian kicked in the front door and raced up the stairs,
intent on releasing the furious adrenaline rushing through him on
the man that had already caused her so much harm.