"He's a wily one, your dad."

"He plays his cards close to the vest and always on a need-to-know basis. I guess I can't fault him for that."

Austin heard sounds of traffic, then a loudspeaker in the background. "Ah, man, don't come here. There's nothing you can do."

"It's my brother and he's wounded and people are trying to kill him. What would you do?" Damn military types. "I'll be staying with my dad. Could you keep me posted?"

"I can't promise..."

"Beck, c'mon."

"I'll see what we can do," Austin said, polishing off his beer. He disconnected the call as he headed back to the room. He was cracking that damn security wall tonight. Inside the room, Derrick turned in his sleep, mumbled something unintelligible. Ha. And he said Austin talked in his sleep, which, of course, he didn't.

He pulled the laptop back onto his lap and typed and swore some more, tried something else and then bam, he was in!

"Yes," he hissed into the darkened room. He ran a search and, bingo, her information popped up and he started to scroll through her posts. About halfway down the page, he struck pay dirt. Gotta love social media. She had posted about house-sitting for some friends. The Kramers in the 'burbs. He chuckled, looking through her friends list until he found Kevin and Mary Kramer. Getting their address was going to be a piece of cake. Once Lara got into the office in four hours, he and Derrick would be heading over there.

His gut was never wrong.

Suburbs of Washington, DC The world smelled faintly of sex...and sugar. Dex stirred and the silky sheets slid across his skin, nearly as soft and fine as the woman wrapped in his arms. He wasn't sure he was still flesh and blood; surely this girl grenade had blown him to smithereens last night. He got hard just thinking about her moving over him, the sensual tease of her hips and her deliberate movements to drive him insane.

She made him feel like he was drowning and for a SEAL that was kind of scary. In fact, if he was being truthful with himself, and he always tried to be, he knew she would take him under and hold him there, struggling for air. Except it would be a sweet struggle with her melting all over him, ready to take him inside her, and he didn't mean his erection. The most beautiful woman he'd ever seen with hands he wanted on him, and he knew deep in his heart just how good it would be between them.

The problem was he was liking her way too much. Tyler's sister. Even as he heeded Rock's warning and got more guilt dumped on him by the bro code, he'd long ago crossed the line. He didn't want to lose Tyler's friendship over this, but he also realized that he was going to hurt her. Because even though she was the most amazing woman and he was amazing with her, and they were amazing together, he still wanted to be a SEAL. Every day in her presence made him think more and more that she was his other unbreakable half. He hadn't known there was a vulnerability in his armor until he'd met her.

He thought he'd fallen before... Jesus...not even close.

Protecting his heart wasn't even an option now.

The woman had done him inside out.

The problem here was that he wanted every moment he could get with her. It was a flat-out admission and his cue to back off. Maybe take stock of the situation, reclaim a little pride, but he didn't take his hands off her. He didn't lean back and give her room, and he didn't lift his head from the curve of her neck.

Screw it-he opened his mouth on the soft, sweet skin beneath her ear. He tasted her with his tongue. He slid one hand up her body and moved her hair away from her neck, letting the silky strands drift through his fingers.

It was just one big forbidden mistake after another and he used his other hand to slide down over her bottom and press her into his hips, grazing her throat with his teeth, letting her scent seduce him.

His match...and he sensed that he was going to lose her, even as he entered her from behind and she gasped and arched her back, even as he thrust and thrust, took her body, took her heart, greedy and insatiable for every sound she made, every gasp, every indrawn breath.

He rolled her over onto her stomach, his shaft so hard and aching as he lost his control and drove into her.

He was lost, caught between what he wanted and what he couldn't live without. There was only one answer, one way he could go.

His job wasn't just what he did for a living; it fulfilled him at a level that nothing else could. He needed both to survive and be whole, but he would have to give up one.

"Dex," she whispered in a pleasure-soaked voice, and she rippled around him. He spasmed and came, his body jerking and emptying.

She was still in love with her husband, not over him. He had hurt her last night and with that memory came true, aching regret.

He was so damned selfish. He wanted all of her heart.

He collapsed over her, wincing as he slid to his side. One thing was for sure, he was getting plenty of blood pumping into his wound. He cuddled her against him.

"Dex?" she said into the brightening room.

"Yeah," he replied, his arm wrapped around her waist, her sated body languid against his.

"I've been thinking. I want to get help."

He stiffened, his whole body going on alert.

"This isn't the same crap you were trying to feed me last night, Piper. Because you can forget it."

"No," she said, sending her hand over the back of his, caressing him.

"What, then?" he said cautiously.

"I want to contact Stephen Montgomery. He's very well-placed, has a lot of contacts, is discreet and he cares about me."

"I don't know, Piper." Dex didn't care if the guy was a priest and was personal friends with the freaking Pope. Someone wanted her dead and he wasn't taking any chances.

"Maybe he can make some headway. We can at least talk to him. We don't have to reveal our whereabouts. Just get him working for us."

He sighed. "You trust him?"

"Yes. I do. Not as much as I trust you, but yes."

That warmed him up inside like a sappy idiot. "All right, but no particulars."

After they showered and played some more-damn, she was a tease and made him forget everything-they settled on stools in the kitchen and ate breakfast.

"You sure about this Montgomery guy?"

"Yes. I'm sure." She bit into her toast and chewed, giving him a reassuring look. Her beauty struck him hard, like a metal pipe to the head-a brutal beauty that twisted a guy the hell up.

He just wanted to say, "Yes. Anything you want," but Dex was a navy SEAL and he was made of tougher stuff. O-kay, he might be 5 percent cream puff around her, but mostly sterner stuff. He had a gut feeling and he was going to follow through with it. She wasn't going to like it, but he figured he'd feed reality to her a little bit at a time. He didn't have anything more at stake here than his own life and Piper's. Those were pretty big to him and he wasn't going to go soft now, not when she needed him armed and dangerous.

"Call him," Dex said, "but be vague about exactly where you are. You don't even have to tell him you're in DC." He still didn't like this idea, but they were pretty much at a standstill. He had a hunch he wanted to execute, but he was sure it was going to put Piper in a tailspin. Couldn't be helped. He needed to find answers and he didn't like having to rely on people he didn't trust to deliver.

Piper was right. He was rich and he was a wild card. Dex liked a sure bet. And unless Montgomery was a navy SEAL, he couldn't extend his trust that far.

"Yes, sir," she said, saluting, and it was downright cute as hell.

He chuckled. "There's no saluting unless there's a cover on."

"A cover?"

"Hat," he said.

"You can't make an exception in my case, Lieutenant?" Her lower lip protruded in a pout.

He felt like a sappy idiot again. Cream puff. "Well, maybe." He tapped her phone. "Go. Dial. Put it on speaker."

She reached for her phone as Dex sipped his coffee. She punched in the number and it rang.

"Hello."

"Monty?"

"Oh, my God! Pippy!" Dex mouthed, Pippy, and arched his brows, a smile forming on his face, and she hit him on the arm. "Honey, it's so good to hear your voice. Edward was pretty closed lipped about you and I was going out of my mind with worry. Where are you?"

Dex shook his head and Piper nodded and said, "I'm safe, but I could use your help."

"Anything. Name it."

"I don't know if you're aware, but Ty wasn't all that convinced my car wreck and Brad's death were accidents."

"That's very troubling. Go on."

"The police were sparse on the information. I don't even know what they had found out, if anything. They kept telling me it was an accident. Brad had been drinking that night, but he wasn't drunk. I'm sure of that. They think he just lost control of the car, but I'm not sure that was the case. It's jumbled up in my head and I'm not sure myself."

"Let me get this straight. You think Brad was murdered and the police covered it up?"

"I don't know, but someone tried to kill Tyler by luring him and his SEAL team into an ambush and someone compromised my protection detail. Both of my DS agents tried to kill me. The only connection between Ty and me is that accident."

"This is very upsetting," he said, his voice choked. He paused and went on, "Brad was like a son to me. What do you want me to do?"

"I figured anyone who could make those things happen could easily pay off the police. I was wondering if it would be possible for you to use your influence to find out more information from the police. You know the commissioner. Surely, he would be helpful."

"I will call him now and get back to you with anything I find out. Where can I reach you?"

Dex covered the receiver. "Tell him you'll call him," he whispered.

Old Monty didn't like that; Dex could hear the disgruntlement in his voice. Before he could badger Piper, Dex hit the end button.

"That was rude, Dex. I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye."

"Well, when all this is over, Pippy, I'll personally apologize to him."

She huffed a laugh. "Don't you dare call me that. That's his childhood name for me. I bet you have one, and if you're not careful I'll find out what it is."

"I only have one nickname and it's a SEAL handle."

"Oh, and what's that?"

"Machine."

"Machine? As in robot with metal parts?"

"Machine. As in terminator. I don't stop coming."

"Oh," she said a little breathless. "That's sure a fitting nickname. I'd prefer you call me Piper, but I do like 'babe.'" Her voice softened.

"Not Bulldozer?" he said with a wicked grin. "As in you bulldozed me right into calling Montgomery." He shook his head. One of the richest men on the planet and she was on a nickname basis with him. "Yeesh, I can't believe you call him Monty."

She laughed and nudged his arm. "Bulldozer is better than Pippy."

"I don't know. I like Pippy."

"Stop it, Dex. I swear..."

His hair stood up on the back of his neck and shortly after that he heard a furtive footfall. He cut her off by grabbing Piper by the arm and hustling her out of the kitchen, pulling her with him against the wall. She didn't say a word, her eyes wide and so golden. He put his finger to his lips and pulled his weapon out of the small of his back.

He indicated that she should head to the bedroom. "Get your weapon. Come around the back," he whispered. She nodded.

He checked his magazine, drove it home and chambered a round, thumbing off the safety, then he set his finger over the trigger, cupped his left hand under his right and took a breath.

He heard the sliding glass door open.

Whoever came through that door was a dead man.

Chapter 15.

Austin moved into the sunny kitchen, his eyes roaming over the counter, immediately noticing the breakfast dishes and the coffee cups. He moved soundlessly up to the mug and pressed his fingers against it. Still warm.

He was just about to announce himself when a steely voice said, "Freeze." He was partly shielded by the wall leading out of the kitchen. Austin raised his hands.

He wasn't going to take any chances and piss off an armed navy SEAL. But the guy stiffened and he heard Derrick order Dexter Kaczewski to raise his hands and step into the kitchen.

Derrick and Dexter were about halfway to Austin when Derrick said, "Where's Senator Jones?"

"Right behind you, and I'm feeling a bit wobbly after being chased and almost killed several times, so I would suggest that you get that gun out of Dex's back and drop it."

"Piper," Dex warned, but it was too late. Derrick spun and disarmed her, but it was enough for Dex to get his gun up and pointed at Austin.

"Let her go," Kaczewski said in a voice that said Austin only had a few minutes to live.

"Wait!" Austin yelled. "I'm going to reach for my badge."

Dexter Kaczewski had some deep, penetrating intimidation going on there in his eyes. A cool, I-mean-business blue.