Page 84 of Breaking Free

The bell rang again and bare chested and barefoot, he headed out the door.

“Tristan,” she called, stopping him. “Thanks for last night. If you hadn’t set up the security system that scared him off, I could have walked in on him.”

“Don’t think about what-ifs. We’re gonna get this guy, and you’ll be able to sleep easy again. And don’t thank me for doing my job.”

That stung a bit. She was hoping by now, after all the intimate times they’d had together, and the non-job things they’d done, he would think of her as more than that.

“Which you’re very good at,” she said, fussing with the covers so he wouldn’t see the tears stinging her eyes. “Rossi is lucky to have you.”

“I didn’t mean as a PI.”

The bell rang again. He turned and shouted down the stairs, “Coming!” More softly, he said to her, “Sleep, Piper. We’ll talk more tonight.”

She lay back in his extra-long king-sized bed, listening to his feet on the hardwood stairs, wondering what other job he meant. Neighbor with benefits? Or, as her temporary dom and rigger? All the above, perhaps? That’s what she’d signed on for.

Too bad she wasn’t the big girl she brazenly claimed to be. He’d completely captured her heart, and she wanted to be so much more.

UNBELIEVABLY, PIPERslept after he was gone, not waking until 11 a.m. when her phone alarm went off. Instead of rested, she still felt heavy-headed and sluggish, like she’d slept too hard. It was going to be one of those days.

After dragging herself from his bed, she sorted through the clothes Tristan had gathered for her. She selected a sundress—appropriate for the ongoing oppressive heat—and matching sandals. He’d included underwear, and everything he’d chosen coordinated well together. Wasn’t he full of surprises?

She felt slightly more human once she’d showered but wouldn’t be fully so without coffee. Axyl’s replacement must have heard her moving around because he had a full-to-the-brim Yeti waiting.

Grateful, she grabbed it, flipped open the lid, and inhaled deeply. Her human-o-meter ticked up another degree. “Thanks for this. I’m Piper.”

“Christian Ashworth,” he said, watching her sip carefully. “Tristan told you I’m filling in while Axyl gets his beauty sleep?”

“Yes. But he hardly needs it,” she quipped, having to force herself not to gawk at the 6’4”, swarthy-skinned, midnight hair pulled back in a sexy ponytail, muscular ex-SEAL who looked like something off the cover of a romance novel. “None of you Rossi men do. Is a minimum of six feet tall, zero body fat, and handsome as sin built into the job description?”

“Yeah. It’s listed right below badass.”

She hadn’t expected him to be funny and spewed coffee as she laughed.

A flash of bright white teeth accompanied his wide grin as he twisted, grabbed a handful of paper towels from the freestanding holder, and passed them to her.

“Thanks,” she muttered, carefully dabbing her chin and then wiping off the counter.

“Ready to go?”

She nodded then sipped on her way to the door. As soon as she stepped outside, her eyes were drawn to the yellow police tape across her front steps. It was chilling knowing someone had been in her home, rummaging through her belongings and touching them—especially things she wore next to her body. Worse than chilling, it left her feeling violated.

Her unnerved state didn’t ease as she walked through the courtyard past Hunter’s place. It got worse when she arrived at the studio, and the chances of running into him rose exponentially. What should she say? How should she act?

Having Christian with her—a big, hulking shadow following her everywhere—was the only thing that prevented a complete and utter freak-out. He drew curious stares, but, as he’demphasized during the car ride in, the necessary people were informed of his presence, and it wasn’t anyone else’s business.

As everyone gathered, she watched the door for Hunter. It was standing room only with no sign of him. As casually as possible, she commented to the woman seated beside her, “I thought the director attended table reads.”

“They usually do,” the forty-something actress cast as the corrupt police chief on the show informed her. “I heard Hunter is out of town and won’t return until tomorrow. Joanna, one of the associate producers, is here though. And the writers always sit in for last-minute script changes.”

She wanted to ask for more details but didn’t want to seem overly curious and cause suspicion. Knowing she was safe for today at least allowed Piper to relax a bit. Before they got started, she texted Tristan.

Piper:I just learned Hunter is away. He may have an alibi for last night.

He answered within minutes.

Tristan:I’ll check it out. Try to focus on work.

He asked the impossible. She quickly shot off a response.

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