Perfect Target, page 23
"Kiss me again," Piper said. "I like you, Beck."
"Our car is here," he told her as the valet brought his vehicle to a stop in front of them. He walked Piper around the car and helped her inside. Then he handed the valet a ten-dollar bill and got behind the wheel. He put the glass of alleged water in the drink holder and pulled away from the house.
He didn't take a full breath until they were out of the gated community. Even then, he kept an eye out, and took a circuitous route back to his house. Piper seemed to be nodding off, which concerned him, but he didn't want to stop. He did, however, make a call to Flynn. He needed a doctor to look at Piper as soon as they got back to his house.
When he pulled into his garage, Piper blinked in confusion. "What? Where are we?"
"We're at my house."
"I don't remember getting here." She straightened in her seat. "What happened?"
He was happy to see the cloudiness fading from her eyes. "I don't know, but let's get you inside." He ran around to her side of the car to help her out. She was still a little shaky on her feet, so he swept her up into his arms and carried her into the house, not setting her down until he got into the living room. Then he put her down on the couch and sat next to her. "Your color is better."
"I have a weird taste in my mouth and a headache."
"You were drugged. Stay right here. I'll get you some water."
He ran back to the car and retrieved the glass of liquid she'd been carrying at the party. He set that down on his kitchen counter and then got her some fresh water out of the tap. He took that glass into the living room.
"Drink this," he said.
She took several long, thirsty gulps.
"Better?" he asked.
"What happened, Beck?"
"I left you in the billiards room talking to Cawley while I went to put the bugs upstairs in his bedroom. Do you remember leaving that room?"
She stared back at him, her mouth tightening as she tried to remember. "I was talking to Cawley and then John Nicholson came in. He asked me about the script, and I said I was thinking about it." She paused, a new light coming into her eyes. "And then Ron and Amelia came into the room."
"Your agent?"
"Yes, and Amelia was Larry's agent."
"Right."
"Ron said he'd get me a drink. I asked for club soda. He went over to the bar. I told Amelia how sorry I was about Larry, and she said she was, too. I got my drink and then I went to find you because they started talking to other people. But I guess I got disoriented. Oh, wait," she said, a new light in her eyes. "I ran into Melody. She said there was a private party in the guest house, and I should go down there. I started walking with her, but then…I don't know…she wasn't there anymore."
"Did you go into the guest house? Did you see anything?"
Her gaze narrowed. "There were flashing lights and some men. One of them tried to take my hand. He was naked," she said in confusion. "Why would he be naked?"
"Were they light flashes from a camera?"
"Uh, maybe. I ran back toward the door, and then I saw you."
"Thank God," he muttered, thinking how much worse things could have gotten. "I should have seen this coming. Killing you isn't the only option."
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about what they did before—ruining you, making you look like a liar and a drunk. They set you up. They spiked your drink."
"Ron wouldn't have spiked my drink. He wouldn't have done that to me."
"I'm not sure you know what anyone would be willing to do," he said darkly.
She frowned. "Well, I know this—I have the potential to make Ron lots of money. And he loves money more than anything or anyone else."
"Maybe the bartender spiked the drink. Did Ron actually hand the drink to you?"
Her jaw dropped. "No. A waiter gave it to me. Ron was still at the bar. The waiter said my friend asked him to drop it off."
"This was a setup, Piper. We were trying to make sense of why Cawley would invite you to this party, and now we know."
"Do we? You better catch me up because my brain is still fuzzy."
"They took pictures of you acting drunk with naked guys."
Awareness entered her gaze. "Oh, my God!"
"You're lucky you got out of there when you did. You're also lucky you didn't drink very much. You had the glass in your hand. It was still pretty full. I'm going to have it tested."
"I was drugged," she said, her eyes filling with alarm as that realization set in. "My sobriety. It's gone."
"It's not gone. You didn’t drink by choice. This isn't on you, Piper."
"I should have been more careful. I know better than to take a drink from someone."
"A waiter at a fancy party? You couldn't have known."
"Who would do this?"
"It sounds like Melody was part of it. Maybe Ron, Cawley, or Nicholson. It's a long list. We'll figure it out."
"Nothing will happen to any of them. We don't have any proof," she said, a hopeless note in her voice. She set the water glass on the table and sank back against the couch cushions. "They always get away with it, every single time."
"They won't get away with it. I promise you that."
She looked into his eyes. "I really want to believe you, but I don't think you know what we're up against, Beck. These men are incredibly powerful."
"I'm powerful, too." He paused as his doorbell rang. Seeing the immediate alarm in her eyes, he said, "Don't worry. That's Flynn and a doctor we work with. She's going to check you out and let me know if I need to take you to the hospital."
"I don't want to go to the hospital."
"Let's take it one step at a time." He got up to answer the door. Flynn was with Dr. Bonnie Stark, a woman in her late forties who was married to another FBI agent.
He ushered them in and introduced Piper, then left the women alone, as he and Flynn headed into the kitchen.
"I've got the drink Piper had in her hand," he said. "I need to get it analyzed."
"I'll take care of that for you." Flynn paused. "She looks better than you said on the phone."
"She seems to be coming out of it. She was lured down to a guest house where there was a photographer and a naked guy waiting. If she hadn't gotten out of there, I don't know how far it would have gone." Another wave of anger and fear ran through him. "I should have expected something like that."
"At a fancy party? I wouldn't have expected that. What about the rest of the plan?" Flynn asked, not wasting energy trying to talk him out of his guilt.
"I planted three bugs in Cawley's house."
"That's good. We got some action on the device in Nicholson's study a few hours ago. Nicholson had a phone conversation with someone named Ron. He asked him if Piper was going to Cawley's party. He said he wanted to make sure he had a word with her. It sounded like he got an affirmative answer, and that he was happy about that. Also wanted to know if her mother would be there and was relieved when he heard she would not be."
"Ron is Piper's agent. He allegedly ordered her a drink from the bar, which a waiter delivered—the drink that was spiked. But Piper thinks Ron has more to gain keeping her sober than drugging her. She can make him a lot of money with a comeback career. I'm thinking it was someone else in the room—maybe Cawley. He was there playing pool. Damn, I wish I hadn't left her."
"She's okay. That's what's important." Flynn paused. "You're very attached to her, Beck."
He gave Flynn a warning look. "I know what I'm doing."
"Wasn't going to say you didn't. But I hope she's worthy of your trust and isn't using you."
"She's not using me. Also, Piper said an actress named Melody Crenshaw took her down to the guest house. We need to talk to her."
"Melody Crenshaw? From the Marvel movie? The gorgeous redhead?"
"That's the one."
"I'll take that interview," Flynn said with a grin.
He smiled back. "Go ahead. From the little I saw of her, she seemed like a first-class bitch and a maneater."
"But still hot, right?"
"Yes, and you're still married, right?"
Flynn laughed. "I am, and I'm not going to touch."
"Well, be prepared for her to touch you. I met her for five minutes, and she looked like she wanted to eat me up with a spoon."
"I'll check in on her in the morning." Flynn picked up the glass. "And I'll get this tested."
"Thanks." When they returned to the living room, Dr. Stark had finished her exam.
"She should be fine," the doctor said with a smile. "Her vitals are good. It seems like she got a light dose of something. A good night's sleep will probably bring her back to normal."
"Thanks," he said. "I appreciate you coming out here."
"No problem. Take care, Ms. Nolan."
"I will. Thank you, Doctor," Piper said. "And thank you, Flynn."
"No problem," Flynn said.
As the door closed behind them, he locked it, reset the alarm, then sat back down next to Piper. "How's the headache?"
"It's already better. The doctor gave me some ibuprofen, and I don't feel dizzy anymore."
"That's good."
"But I feel stupid for letting it happen."
"No point in that."
She sat up on the couch and ran a hand through her hair. "I need to thank you again for getting me out of there."
"I just wish I hadn't left you alone in the first place."
"Did you plant the bugs?"
"Yes. Two in his bedroom. One in the living room."
"At least, we accomplished something."
He nodded. "I also told Flynn about Melody. He'll talk to her tomorrow."
"Is that wise? I thought we wanted to keep the FBI in the background."
"He's going to follow up on you being drugged and her being seen with you. If she was involved, and it sounds like she was, then she may be what we need to turn the screws on Nicholson or Cawley or someone else."
"She'd never give them up. Her career is on the rise. That's all she cares about."
"We'll see what she cares about when faced with difficult choices, like bad publicity and jail time." He paused. "Can I get you anything? Are you hungry? Thirsty?"
"I'm fine."
"You're not fine, but you will be. Come on, I'll help you upstairs. You can lay down." He got up and held out his hands.
She slipped her hands into his, and he pulled her to her feet. They walked up the stairs together. When they got to his room, she kicked off her heels. Then she turned her back and lifted her hair. "Can you unzip me?"
"Yes," he said tightly, his self-control already slipping.
He pulled the zipper down and then moved away from her to close the blinds. When he turned back around, her gold dress was lying in a puddle on the floor, and she was standing in front of him in a skimpy strapless bra and lacy thong. His blood thundered through his veins.
She walked forward, her gaze holding his. "Beck, will you come to bed with me?"
"You need to sleep and if I get in that bed, that won't happen."
"I don't care. I need you more than I need sleep."
She put her hands on his waist and leaned forward, taking a sweet, butterfly kiss from his lips that made him want to throw her on the bed.
"You're killing me," he groaned.
"Not yet. But I want to."
"Piper, stop. You were drugged tonight. You need to rest until you feel better."
"I'll feel better in your arms."
"This isn't right. We need to wait until you're back to normal," he said, feeling a little desperate to convince her of that.
She smiled. "You always try to do the right thing, and I love that. Your moral code is a rarity in the life I've lived. Most people would just take without question."
"I don't want to use you, Piper. I don't want to be like anyone else in your life."
"You're not. And if we wait for a time when our lives are normal…well, that could be decades from now."
"Maybe a slight exaggeration," he said.
"I don't think so. I don't even really know what normal is." She let out a sigh. "I don't want to think about the past or the future; I just want to live in the moment. That's what we have right now—this moment. You and me and this incredible, electric attraction between us. You feel it, too, right?"
"Yeah," he said, her words winding some kind of spell around him.
Her hands moved from his waist to his face. "I love all the angles of your face. I love how dark your eyes get right before we kiss. I love the heat of your breath when your lips part. And I love the way you taste." Her gaze dropped to his mouth, and he was done.
He kissed her long and hard, as the heat rose around them in a fiery storm. He wanted to take his time, but he also needed her more than he'd ever needed anyone in his life.
That shocking thought made him pull away.
But her sweet, sexy gaze drove away the fear.
He didn't know what the future held, but he knew what he wanted right now. He stripped off her underwear as she helped him off with his clothes. And then they sank down on the bed together, every kiss deeper than the last, every touch more meaningful, every taste driving their passion to a new level. He didn't know how much time he would have with her. He wasn't going to waste a minute of it.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Piper woke up before Beck. The sun was streaming through a slit in the blinds, and the clock was ticking toward nine, but still he slept.
She smiled to herself, enjoying the opportunity to just look at him. The sheet hit him at the waist, leaving his muscled chest in mouth-watering view. There was a shadow of beard along his jaw, and his lips were parted ever so slightly. He had a faded scar on his chin, and she wondered where he'd gotten it. Actually, she wondered a lot of things about him. They'd spent so many hours talking about her life and very little time talking about his.
Not that he was one to talk. She sensed that he kept a lot inside, and she was lucky to have heard as much as she had. Had he always been so guarded? Or had that come from the brutal and tragic way he'd lost his parents? It was probably a mixture of both.
She would have liked to know his parents. They'd clearly raised him with strong values. And maybe his protective streak had come from their loss. He certainly was a man willing to give everything to take care of someone else. To take care of her.
And that same generosity had shown itself throughout the night when he'd made love to her in ways she'd never experienced. It had been as emotional as it had been physical, and the combination had been pretty amazing.
Beck stirred, his eyes slowly opening. He smiled when he saw her, his arm tightening around her body. "Morning. How long have you been awake?"
"Longer than you, sleepyhead," she teased.
"It's your fault. You wore me out last night."
"I think it was the other way around."
"How are you feeling today?" he asked.
"Like a million bucks."
"I think you're exaggerating."
"Maybe a little. But I feel good," she said. "I just wish we could stay in this bed all day."
"That sounds like a plan," he said, leaning over to kiss her.
"So nice," she said with a sigh. "You kiss exceptionally well."
"I have an exceptional partner."
"You never like to take credit, do you? I'm not just talking about last night. You always deflect any kind of praise."
"Hey, if you want to praise me, I'll take it," he said with a grin.
"Okay." Looking into his beautiful dark eyes, she wanted to tell him how she felt because they'd spoken about so many other things, but not about that. "You're a really incredible man, Beck, better than anyone I've ever known."
"I'm glad you think so."
She could see the sudden discomfort in his eyes. "I know you're not comfortable with compliments, but I want you to know how I feel."
"And how is that?"
"Happy. That seems unbelievable considering everything, but I feel lucky to have you in my life. A lot of men would have been gone by now. They would have handed me off to someone else. But not you. You took care of me, not just last night, but ever since we met. I haven't trusted anyone in a long time. I'd almost forgotten what it feels like to really believe that someone will be there, that they'll have your back, and that they won't want something in return. It's kind of mind-blowing."
"It's what you deserve," he said, his voice a little tight now.
"I didn't think I deserved it for a long time. I was such a mess when I was younger. I thought when someone wanted to have sex with me that they wanted to love me. It was stupid."
"We all make mistakes when we're young."
"I made a lot of them. I had this hole that I couldn't seem to fill no matter what I did." She drew in a breath. "I'm sorry. I'm rambling. How about I make you breakfast this morning?"
"I'm not hungry. We actually need to get a move on." He rolled away from her and sat up, running his hand through his hair. "I need to drop you at the office on my way to the ceremony."
"Whoa, hold on." She was surprised by his words. "You're not dropping me anywhere."
"The ceremony is out in the open. It's too risky, Piper."
"There's no way anyone will expect me to be at your brother's graduation ceremony."
"We've been together a lot. There's a chance someone could figure out where I'm going to be and where you're going to be. We need to be smart. We need to start making better decisions."
She frowned at that comment, giving him a questioning look as he hopped out of bed and pulled on his briefs. "Am I missing something, Beck?"
"No."
"Really? Because I'm thinking that there's a different reason you suddenly want to put space between us. Like perhaps I just said too much?"
"You didn't. We're fine. I'm going to take a shower."
He was gone before she could argue that they were definitely not fine. As soon as she'd told him what a great guy he was, he'd changed into a jerk. Trust her not to know when to leave a good thing alone.
While Beck was showering, she checked her phones. Texts from Megan, Becca, and Tara Lynn lit up one phone. Her mother, Ron, and Lauren Parker were on the other. She didn't know where to start. Clearly, something bad had happened, and it probably had to do with whatever had gone on in Cawley's guest house last night.
