Easton's Claim (Colebrook Siblings Trilogy Book 3) (10 page)

Well, there was nothing remotely awkward or bratty about the man he’d become. He moved with the confidence of a man who knew exactly who he was, and was comfortable with himself. She used to know how that felt.

Piper blew out a long breath as she watched him walk toward the house. To be honest, she’d spent a good portion of the night wrestling with the whole taboo, perving-on-Wyatt’s-little-brother thing, and was mostly at peace with that part now that the initial shock of it all had worn off. He was a grown man and she was a grown woman. There was nothing to feel guilty about simply because she was attracted to him now.

Not that she had any intention of acting on those feelings. Of course she loved him, she’d known him for almost twenty years. She adored him and he meant the world to her, but there was no way she would jeopardize everything by crossing the line with him from friends to lovers.

She no longer trusted her judgment where matters of the heart were concerned. He’d laid a lot on the line with her last night, without spelling out exactly what he wanted from her. She’d been too afraid to ask him for details.

Anxiety clamped around her stomach like a vise as he pushed open the back door and stepped inside, his gaze locking with hers. A warm, sexy smile curved his mouth, making her pulse accelerate. “Hey. You ready to go?”

“Yes, just let me grab my purse.” She spun away and went to retrieve it from the little table in the foyer, ordering herself to calm down. They were going to be together for most of the day and if she didn’t figure out a way to fight these nerves, she was going to be a wreck before lunch.

Not wanting to get too close, she stepped past him when he held the back door for her and walked out to his truck. He jogged ahead and beat her to the passenger door, opened that for her too.

“Thanks,” she murmured, not looking at him as she slid into her seat. God, she couldn’t even look at him without triggering a chaotic mix of emotions.

Her stomach muscles tensed as he started the engine and headed down the driveway, the tension inside her building to the breaking point. They couldn’t avoid the talk forever. She fully expected him to bring up last night and ask her for an answer, so his next words were a surprise.

“You still want to stop at the café first?”

Relief flooded her, and the pressure around her lungs eased. He was giving her a reprieve and she was grateful. “Sure. I’m starving.”

“Me too. Wyatt figures it’ll only be another day or two before you can start showing your house again.”

At that, she looked over at him. “Really?”

He nodded. “And Austen’s working her magic on the pie chest, so you’ll have that back as well.”

She swallowed to ease the sudden tightness in her throat. Was this wanting ever going to go away? “You guys are all so good to me.”

“It’s what friends do for each other,” he said with a shrug.

But I don’t know if I can be just your friend anymore.
Now that he’d made her seriously contemplate the idea of being with him, she couldn’t stop thinking about it, and every time she did, her body tingled all over.

She let herself stare at him a moment longer as he drove, admiring the lines of his profile, the strong jaw softened by the beard he’d trimmed, the straight blade of his nose. His features matched the solidity of his character.

Now that she knew how he felt about her and her mind kept conjuring up erotic images of them together, could she really walk away? Move a thousand miles away and maybe never see him again?

You have to. You know you do.

“You know, if it wasn’t for the investigation going on, I’d have you out of this town so fast.” He shook his head once.

The protectiveness behind the words made her melt inside. “Yeah, I need to stay close by in case the detectives need to meet with me.”

“You got any plans for tonight, after work?”

She braced herself. “No, why?”

“I was thinking we could maybe go for a ride later.”

She blinked. “You mean on horseback?”

The corner of his mouth tipped upward. “Yeah. When’s the last time you went riding?”

“I don’t even know. Couple years at least.”

He shook his head. “Now that’s a crime. You used to love it.”

“I still love it. It’s just that life got in the way.”

“So will you go with me later?” he asked, shooting her a sideways glance.

He wasn’t exactly pressuring her about last night, though she was sure he’d bring it up at some point today. Maybe out on the ride. Escaping the craziness of late for a few hours sounded like heaven though.

“Love to,” she said before she could talk herself out of it.

“Good,” he answered, and there was just a hint of smugness in his grin.

The light conversation and prospect of a ride later erased most of her anxiety. It felt almost like old times.

By the time they got to the
Garden of Eatin’
, she wasn’t nervous at all. In fact, she was more intrigued than anything else, and even let herself briefly imagine what it would be like to give into temptation. And the strangest part was, the longer he went without saying anything about last night, the more she wanted to talk about it.

After they ate, Easton took her to the first house on her list of showings. He swept the house and property before letting her inside, then stood in the front entryway when her clients arrived. He stayed put the whole time, even while she was talking to the couple in the kitchen at the end of the tour, a solid, steady presence there to protect her.

Despite herself, she kept stealing glances at him, admiring the long, powerful lines of his body as he kept watch. That strong, sexy and protective man was hers for the taking, if she allowed herself to.

The thought made her restless as hell. He was standing right there, within reach, and he wanted her. In a way that scared and intrigued the hell out of her.

Her heart beat faster just imagining what it would be like to walk up to him and kiss that sinful mouth. To feel those big, strong hands moving over her body, chasing away the loneliness and isolation of the past few years.

“I like the house, but there are still a lot of things I’d want to change and that would put us above our budget,” her female client said. “I’ve written a list of notes for later when we compare properties. Can we see the next one now?”

“Sure. You can follow us there.”

She showed them three more places in the Sugar Hollow area, then one fifteen miles outside it. After the clients left the last house, Easton made her stay inside while he checked his truck as a precaution because he hadn’t been able to keep a visual on it from the back of the house where Piper had talked with the couple. As she watched out the front window he paused, then went completely still, and his lips moved in an unmistakable curse.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, hurrying out the door and down the front steps.

He met her at the back of the pickup and took her elbow. “Get in,” he said, his clipped tone making her heart beat faster.

She did as he said, waited while he climbed in and started the engine. “Found this under the front bumper,” he said, opening his right hand to show a small metal circle about the size of a watch battery in the center of his palm.

“What is it?”

“Tracking device,” he said.

Her eyes widened. “What?”

“Someone’s been following us.”

“Out here?” They were miles away from Sugar Hollow. She glanced around nervously, seeing nothing but quiet sidewalks and driveways up and down both sides of the street. “For how long, do you think?”

“Don’t know, but someone must have planted it at the last place. My guess is when we were checking out the acreage behind it. Dammit, I should have checked before.”

That was already a few hours ago now. “But there’s no way they could have found us unless they’ve been following us for a while.”

He nodded once, jaw tight. “Yeah.”

Piper wrapped her arms around her ribs and stared through the windshield, suddenly chilled. “Do you see anyone suspicious?”

“No. I’m betting they’re long gone anyway. They wouldn’t have expected me to look for, let alone find the tracker, so they probably assume we’re oblivious and think they’ll be able to follow us electronically.”

An even more disturbing thought occurred to her. “What if they’ve been following us before this? What if they know I’ve been to your dad’s place?”

“It’s okay,” he said calmly. “We’ll handle it.

She was horrified. “God, I’m sorry—”

“Stop.” The sharp tone made her go silent. “This isn’t your fault. It’s Greg’s, and whoever the asshole is who took him.” He used his hands free device to call Wyatt, then his father, and updated them. “Just keep an eye out and call me if you see anything suspicious. We’re on our way to the police station to drop off the tracker. Piper’s gonna have to cancel her remaining showings and then we’ll be home.”

She shook her head as he ended the call. “I can’t go to your dad’s place again, not if they know I’ve been there.”

“We’ll talk to the cops first, see what they say.”

“I won’t put you guys at risk. I’ll find a hotel or—”

“No.” Before she could argue further he reached across the console and took one of her hands, closed his fingers around it in a firm grip. “If they’re following you then anywhere you go you’ll be at risk. At least at our place you’ll have me, Charlie and my dad to look out for you. Maybe Wyatt, too, if he wants to stay for a few days.”

“But—”

“No buts,” he said, squeezing her hand once before bringing it to his lips and pressing a quick, reassuring kiss to the back of her knuckles. “We’ll go to the cops, then you’re coming home with me.”

Hours later, Easton swiveled atop his horse to look behind him, and smiled. Piper was a dozen yards away and closing in at a trot on the gentle mare he’d just saddled for her. “Stirrups okay?”

“Yes, perfect,” she called back.

He reined his horse to the edge of the trail so she could come up alongside him, admiring the sight of her in the saddle. It had been too long since he’d been on horseback and it felt damn good to be out riding. And he could see Piper relaxing, so this had been the perfect idea to help her escape and steal some time alone with her.

The investigation on Greg had stalled. Even the Feds had no further leads. They were trying to trace the tracking device to find out who had planted it, but so far they hadn’t been able to find prints or an origin for it.

When he’d first found it he’d been tempted to ask Charlie to see if she or her team of computer wizards could trace it, but had opted to take it to the cops because he wanted to cooperate fully with the locals.

Greg might be a fuck-up, but he was still the former sheriff and the locals wanted to get him back alive. They were more motivated to find him than anyone else assigned to the case. While Easton didn’t much care if Greg came back alive, his death would upset Piper and that was reason enough to want him found safe.

Piper slowed her mount to a walk as she came up beside him. She looked so damn pretty with her hair loose around her shoulders and the touch of pink in her cheeks from the cool bite to the air, her round breasts bouncing ever so slightly with the horse’s gait.

Did she have any idea how hard it had been for him to keep his hands off her all day? Watching her strut around earlier in those sexy heels and the snug pencil skirt suit that showed off her ass and legs had been torture. That and not bringing up last night had just about killed him. He didn’t think she understood how much she affected him.

They rode across the northern pastures and through the woods bordering the far end of the property, then through the swinging gate and continued on the trail into county-owned land.

Gradually the groves of oaks and maples gave way to grassland that sloped down the hill, where the creek ran over the rocks through the glade in the hollow. The gentle rush of water grew louder as they approached the spot he’d picked out, and soon the creek came into view, meandering through the trees and into the pasture beyond.

“Oh, it’s so beautiful,” Piper breathed.

He glanced over at her in surprise, finding her far more beautiful than the scenery. “Never been out here before?”

“No. I’ve always just stayed on your property before.”

This might not technically be Colebrook land anymore, but it might as well be. This place was secluded and in all the times he’d been out here, he’d never seen another soul.

“It’s my favorite spot.” He’d imagined bringing her out here so many times, he could hardly believe she was finally here alone with him. “Hungry?”

“Mmm, yes.”

He was hungry for a lot more than the picnic they’d brought, but he’d have to see how things went. Much as he wanted her, he didn’t want to push her if she wasn’t ready for more. His sister was right, Piper was wary, might bolt if he made a wrong move. He couldn’t risk screwing this up, no matter how badly he wanted her.

“Let’s stop here,” he said, halting his mount and swinging down from the saddle while she did the same.

He tethered the horses’ reins to a low-hanging tree branch and left them to snooze while he unpacked the blanket and food from his saddlebags. Piper took the blanket from him and spread it out on the grassy bank of the creek.

His gaze immediately fixed on the round shape of her ass in those dark jeans as she bent over on her hands and knees to smooth out the wrinkles. Blood surged to his groin as he imagined peeling off her clothes and gripping her naked hips while he took her from behind.

She sat up and looked over her shoulder at him, tucking her hair behind her ear. “What?”

“Nothing.” He’d caught the way she watched him when she thought he wasn’t looking today, the secret longing in her eyes. God, he’d give anything for the chance to satisfy every last fantasy she had about him.

“No, what?”

Since he couldn’t tell her what he was really thinking, he told her something else. “I was just thinking about when Wyatt came home from the hospital. I don’t think I’ve ever said it to you before, but one of the things I love most about you is how much you care about people. I’ll never forget the way you were with Wyatt when he was recovering from all the surgeries.”