Dark Warrior Untamed (13 page)

“Fine. Take me home.” She clarified her comment. “I mean you can drop me at my apartment building.”

“That was my plan.”

He walked past her toward his car, leaving Piper to follow as she would. That was okay with her. Despite their earlier encounter at the hospital, it wasn’t as if they really even knew each other at all. The moment had been born out of turmoil, not any real attraction between the two of them.

Of course, if that was true, then why was she so aware of how well those jeans fit him? He gave her a smug look as he opened the car door for her.

Okay, so she’d been caught ogling—again. Which just showed how far off her game she was. She had no
business admiring anything about Greyhill Danby except maybe his work ethic.

She endured the ten-minute trip to her apartment in total silence. Grey seemed uninterested in carrying on any kind of conversation. Not that it mattered. She wasn’t feeling like a font of sparkling repartee either. But the closer they got to her home, the worse she felt.

Whoever was behind the attacks had done it through her e-mail account and had timed that package to arrive while she was at work. A chill ran up her spine.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t notice when they arrived at her building. And instead of stopping by the front door to let her out, Grey pulled up to the entrance of the underground parking lot and stopped. He kept his eyes forward and his expression serious.

“What’s the code?”

Oh, no. He wasn’t coming in. She couldn’t let him cross that line.

“Let me out here, Grey. I appreciate the ride, but there’s no need to see me inside.” She reached for the door handle.

He hit a button on his side, taking control of the door lock away from her.

“Grey, let me out. Now.” She gritted her teeth and added, “Please.”

“I want to know you make to your door, Piper. I’ll sleep better knowing you’re safely in your apartment. Let me do this.” He flipped the switch again, leaving the final decision to her.

“Because it’s your job?” Her pulse surged fast and
hard as she waited for his answer, not sure what she was really asking him.

“The code, Piper.”

“Fine.”

After rattling off the numbers, she leaned back in the seat, relieved he hadn’t answered her. Of course it was his job. He’d signed on as Kerry’s Chief Talion, responsible for the safety of her subjects. Well, she didn’t really consider herself one of Kerry’s subjects. Of course, if Piper admitted that, she’d have to explain exactly who she really was and why it had been so important for her to get the job working for Kerry. Maybe Grey would understand because he took his duties so seriously.

After all, a big sister’s job was to protect her little sister.

•   •   •

What was going on inside that pretty head of hers? Grey steered his car into the parking spot with Piper’s apartment number painted on the ground. She was out of the car and on her way to the elevator before he’d even set the emergency brake. Her rush should’ve been irritating, but instead he smiled. If she was that anxious to get away from him, it meant he made her nervous. Very nervous.

The only question was why? Was she remembering that incident in his hospital room or regretting it? Or was there something else behind her frown? He was probably reading too much into her reaction.

And if he didn’t get moving, she’d be locked inside
her apartment without him. Grey hustled after her, catching up just as the elevator door slid open.

“You really don’t need to walk me to my apartment, Grey. This is a security building. No one can get inside without the codes.”

While she talked, she punched the button for her floor and then stared at the digital display above the door as if actually interested in the numbers marking off their progress. He considered standing close enough for her to feel his body heat, but he didn’t. Taking up position in the back corner accomplished two things. First, he could stare at her all he wanted, and second, it kept her from realizing his eyes were glowing again.

A soft
ping
announced their arrival on the fourth floor. Piper moved closer to the door as if those few inches would make a difference. Once she escaped the confines of the elevator, those long legs of hers carried her down the hall in purposeful strides. He walked beside her, letting her set the pace until they reached her door.

As she inserted her key in the lock, she tried one last time to send him on his way. “Okay, you’ve seen me door to door. Your job is done. Go home, and get some sleep.”

“Not until I check to make sure there are no unpleasant surprises waiting for you inside.” He’d changed the rules of the game on her.

She started to protest, but then resigned herself. She wouldn’t get rid of him until he was sure she wasn’t in danger. She opened the door, reached inside, and flipped on the light switch.

“Knock yourself out, sport. Don’t forget to look in the fridge. I haven’t cleaned it out lately, so there could be some rogue mold in there just waiting to pounce the next time I open the door.”

“Cute.”

She stayed in the doorway while he looked around. Ignoring her impatient toe tapping, he took his time checking each room. He’d known before he’d taken two steps that they were alone in the apartment, though. He would have sensed another heartbeat if there had been one.

He knew this might be his only chance to see where she lived. And there was much to be learned from someone’s space. Piper obviously loved bright colors, which didn’t surprise him. Her living room was awash with reds and greens, giving it a warm feel. The haphazard stacks of books around the said she was a reader, one with eclectic taste.

He moved on to the kitchen, where he peeked in the refrigerator. “Good news! You’re safe from mold attacks.”

“Very funny, Grey. Go home.”

“I haven’t checked the bedroom yet.”

He gave her his most innocent look, although he had no doubt Piper saw right through it. She crossed her arms over her chest and waited him out.

If the living room decor had come as no surprise, her bedroom was a true shock. Knowing Piper’s preference for black clothing, he’d expected her most intimate room to reflect some of that edge. Instead, the queen-sized bed was covered with a handmade quilt
made in riot of colors. Heavy lace curtains reinforced the old-fashioned look, and her furniture appeared to be family hand-me-downs. While life had etched a few marks on the oak here and there, it was solid and would last for generations to come.

In the living room, Piper had her back to him. What was she up to now? She reached out to touch something on the small table on the far end of the couch. What had been there? Oh, yes, her telephone and answering machine.

Terror washed over him when he saw the rapidly blinking light. It shouldn’t come as a shock that Piper might have friends who would leave perfectly innocent messages for her. But he was already hurrying across the room toward her when an eerie voice, neither male nor female, spoke. The mechanical sound, probably computer generated, was all the more frightening because of its placid monotone.

“Piper Ryan, I’m glad you’re finally back. I was concerned when you didn’t come home last night. I really wanted to know how you liked my little surprise. Oh, well. I’m sure you enjoyed it more than your friend Grey did. Tell me, should I have sent him flowers while he was in hospital? I wasn’t sure. Maybe next time. Good night, Piper.”

The machine beeped and went silent. Piper shuddered.

“Who the hell would do something like that?” She turned on Grey, her dark eyes wide and wild. “Is that some idiot’s idea of a joke? Well, it’s not funny, not at all.”

He wanted to take her and run, drag her out of the apartment to someplace with thick walls and a stout lock. Right now. She’d fight him on it, but he wasn’t about to leave Piper alone here.

“Go pack enough things to last you a couple of days.”

She was already shaking her head. “If you think I’m going to be run out of my home by a phone call, you don’t know me at all.”

“I know stubborn when I see it.”

She backed away from him, putting the width of the room between them. “I’m not being foolish, Grey. Whoever is doing this knows way too much about where we are and what we’re doing. Running out the door won’t change that. Heck, he could be waiting out there hoping that’s exactly what we’ll do.”

Damn it, she was right, but that didn’t mean he liked it. “I need to know you’re safe.”

“I know—it’s your job.”

“It’s more than that, Piper. And you know it.”

She ignored him. “I’ve got a locked door between me and the rest of the world. You’ve checked to make sure that no one is lurking under the bed. I promise I will stay inside for the rest of the night.”

“And what about tomorrow?” He was losing the argument and knew it. “Will you stay home?”

“I’ve got classes in the afternoon.” She edged closer to the door. “I can take care of myself, Grey. I always have. As long as I stay lost in the crowd at school, I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

“And if this stalker decides that killing a few extra
people doesn’t matter? What then, Piper? What if he follows you into that crowd?”

He was hitting her hard with ugly possibilities. She had to understand that pretending the crazy person they were dealing with had any limits was not only foolish, but also dangerous.

She was starting to crumble around the edges. Her eyes darted to the answering machine and then back to him.

“So what am I supposed to do, Grey? The detective wanted me to report anything else that happened. I’m assuming you don’t want me to do that. So other than barricading myself in my apartment until you track the bastard down, what do you expect me to do?”

Good question. He had no answer—well, except for one. He could stay here with her. The more he thought about it, the better he liked the idea. He’d have to come in through the back door, though, if he wanted to convince her to let him.

“Come back to my hotel with me. We’ll both sleep better that way.” He fought to control his expression, showing nothing but concern for her well-being.

Just as he expected, she wasn’t buying it. “You forget, I’ve seen your room. One bed. No food. No deal.”

“Okay, then I’ll stay here.”

Piper punched her pillow, wishing she had something far more satisfying to whale on. Or someone. She’d been in bed for over three hours and hadn’t managed to
sleep for more than twenty minutes at a stretch. Flopping over onto her back, she stared up at the ceiling.

Counting sheep hadn’t worked. Neither had listing all the reasons she shouldn’t have let Greyhill Danby camp out on her couch. But no matter how many negatives she’d managed to come up with, the one positive outweighed them all. The minute he’d announced his intention to stay, her stomach had unknotted and her pulse had slowed to somewhere around normal.

That phone message scared her far more than she wanted to admit, even to herself. And Grey had seen right through her bravado to the quivering mass of terror underneath.

The only question was why she still couldn’t sleep, even knowing Grey was out there on her sofa, ready to defend her from any threat. On second thought, she knew the answer. She couldn’t sleep
because
Grey was right out there on her sofa.

She’d managed to dig up a new toothbrush for Grey and an extra pillow and blanket. Before she’d made it back to her bedroom, he’d already stripped off his shirt and was reaching for the fly of his jeans.

He’d taken a shower before turning in, while she’d stayed safely on her side of the bathroom door. Two inches of wood weren’t enough to block her imagination though. She wondered how he looked in her shower, his skin slick with soap and hot water. In her next life, she wanted to come back as his washcloth or even his towel. Anything to get closer to all that masculine beauty.

Because,
man oh man,
he was seriously ripped.
She’d be dreaming about him for months to come. Well, she would if she could get some sleep.

Maybe if she read for a while. Unfortunately, in her haste to put some space between her and Grey, she’d left her book out in the living room. She turned over onto her side and forced her eyes closed. It didn’t help. Neither did envisioning the last Hugh Jackman movie, except with a heroine who had pink streaks in her dark hair.

Nope, nothing was working. She really needed that book.

Maybe if she tiptoed, she could make it out and back without disturbing her guest. The plan worked fine until she bent down to reach for her book. When she stood back up, the couch was empty.

“Looking for me?”

He startled her for the second time since she’d walked out of Kerry’s house. The man had to be part cat to walk that softly. She turned to face him and saw that the feline analogy fit in another way. Grey looked ready to pounce—on her.

“No, I came out to get my book.” She held it up. Her wayward mind pointed out that the bare-chested guy on the cover had nothing on Grey. That was not useful information at the moment. She needed to put some distance between herself and all that warm, muscular flesh in front of her.

“What’s the matter, Piper? Can’t sleep? Maybe I can help with that.”

The combination of his sexy accent and deep voice brought all kinds of possibilities to mind. “I don’t think
that’s a good idea, Grey. Thanks anyway.”

“I meant a cup of warm milk.” He grinned as he trailed his hand down her arm. “Unless you have a better idea.”

Lots of them, but she was smarter than that. She knew this man came with all kinds of complications. It was time to retreat back to the sanctuary of her bedroom—alone—even if it killed her.

“I’m going back to bed.”

She tried to walk away, she really did. But those wonderful hands touched her shoulders and began a slow massage.

Oh, yes, yes, yes, he was good.

He leaned in closer to purr in her ear, “I thought you might like this.”

Had she said that out loud? Evidently she had, but right now she didn’t care as long as he kept it up. She tipped her head forward, encouraging him to continue. His touch set off a slow burn, a deep-seated ache that would require a lot more than a shoulder rub to fix.