Nate nodded. "What if you had kill chips embedded in your spine that would detonate in five years?"

Chance rubbed his nose. "Well, hmmm. I guess I'd spend nearly five years preparing for war. Just in case."

Jory nodded. "Welcome to Sins Security-the company of ex-soldiers we've built over the last five years." He rolled his shoulders. "I guess you're part owner now. You, Wade, and Kyle." He turned toward Matt. "Right?"

"Definitely. Every brother gets a share." Matt kept his voice level.

Chance shot a jerky hand through his hair and sucked in several deep breaths of air. He blinked rapidly, slowing his breathing. A mere moment later, the kid eyed them all, back in control. Tough, wasn't he? "Great. Let's go to war," Chance said.

Four matching sets of gray eyes all focused on Jory. Waiting.

He let his brain go through the problem, and their decision made no sense. So he let go of thinking and opened his heart. They belonged together, and when one was missing, they all hurt. Finally, he gave in. They had to save him as badly as he'd wanted to save them, and he was just as important to the family as anybody else. He mattered. "I get it. Let's plan for war."

Nate stood by the board, marker in hand. "We need to diagram the layout first."

Jory sat back, and within half an hour, they had a plan. It took fifteen minutes to put the first part in action-mainly, they called in their employees. The master plan would be risky and quite possibly involve treason and death.

He was already facing death.

Exactly an hour after starting to plan, they all trooped upstairs.

Matt paused. "One hour, and then we suit up." He faced Chance. "You're right about going, and I'm leaving it up to you. But make peace with Wade and Kyle just in case something goes wrong, they're okay. I'm not taking them-too young."

Chance nodded. "I don't want them to go. Neither has killed yet, and I'd like to keep it that way."

Jory didn't move and kept his expression blank. As did Matt. "Good," Matt said, shooting Jory a hard look.

Yeah. He'd killed by Chance's age, so it shouldn't surprise him. Yet something in his gut hurt. Bad. They'd have to deal with that if and when they returned. For now, he had to talk to Piper. To tell her what she meant to him.

He found her in his bedroom, staring out the sliding gla.s.s door at the darkened sky. For once, the night was clear. Stars dotted the night, showing hope, although midnight and death waited for him mere hours away. He opened the door and gestured her outside into an unseasonably warm night.

She stood in the moonlight and turned to face him. So d.a.m.n beautiful his chest hurt. "Did you come up with a plan?"

"Yes."

"Which is?" she asked.

"To attack, find the cord, and take the chip out." He wanted to touch her, but he wanted to commit the moment to his heart. Of her in the moonlight, love and concern in her eyes.

She smiled, her lips trembling. "Sounds easy enough."

"I know, right?" He moved toward her, needing to touch. Gently, he ran a knuckle down the contours of her face. "I couldn't imagine anything more beautiful than you."

She slipped her hands beneath his shirt. "Oh, I can." A low hum whispered on her lips as she shoved his shirt up.

He ducked to help her take it off. "I'll do my best to get back to you."

"I'm coming with you." She leaned in and licked his right nipple.

He shivered. "No."

She nipped. "Yes. I'm the hero of my own d.a.m.n story, Jory Dean. Protect me all you want, but this once, I'm needed with you. War or not."

If something happened to her, he'd f.u.c.king die. Well, if he didn't die in a few hours, anyway. "I can't do what I need to do with you there."

"I'm a hacker, Jory. Even with the right cord, we may need to hack into the chip." She nibbled up his chest to kiss under his chin. So gentle and so d.a.m.n sweet.

"I don't want you to see me like that." To see the real him, the one that could turn off all emotion and kill so many d.a.m.n ways.

She sighed, her eyes luminous. "I love all of you, Jory Dean. Every facet, the dark and the light. And I won't let you die. You need me there."

Worse yet, she was right. He might need a hacker.

His brothers could hack, but chances were they'd be busy shooting and preventing the commander's men from getting into the infirmary. With a jolt, Jory realized that not only was Piper needed on the mission, but so was Laney. Would Matt realize it? If not, they'd have to make do. Matt would have to cut out Jory's chip.

"Fine," Jory murmured, grateful for any extra moments with her, even spent in battle so long as she stayed safe. "But you'll follow orders. You'll be armed, and at all times, you'll be surrounded by guns. Can you handle it? Agree or it's off."

"I agree." She grabbed his hair and yanked his mouth down. "I'm glad you're seeing reason."

He ripped her shirt apart, nearly shocking himself at the raw need to keep her safe. To take her and make her his. No matter what-forever. "Remember how I imagined us?"

She gasped and glanced around. "Yes."

"Good." He stepped back. "Take off your pants."

Her eyes widened, and she shoved off the worn jeans. Her bra and panties were next.

Yeah, she was perfect.

He shucked his clothes, watching her watch him. With curiosity and need-and a small amount of trepidation. Good. He liked her off balance. Getting Piper out of her head, even temporarily, was a challenge he'd love to meet every single d.a.m.n day.

So he tangled his fingers in her hair, effectively tethering her. A soft gasp whispered from her when he twisted. Then his mouth took hers.

No persuasion, no gentleness-just a hard and fierce claim. He thrust deep, tasting her, taking what he wanted. She was exactly what he wanted.

She pressed against him, her hands flattening on his pecs, trying to get closer. Accepting who he was, what he wanted, and giving even more. The woman gave everything.

He lifted her, laying her down on a settee on his patio. She reached for him, and he flattened a hand on her abdomen. A couple of kisses to her thighs were all the warning he allowed before tasting her.

She hissed out a breath and lifted her hands to her face.

He grinned and sucked her c.l.i.t into his mouth.

She gasped and writhed against him. "Too much. Toooooo much."

"Nope." He spoke around the small bundle of nerves, knowing his timber would vibrate deep inside her.

She groaned, and a fine tremble cascaded through her spectacular thighs.

He licked her again. Spice and woman-his. Keeping up a quick rhythm without enough pressure to force her over, he pressed a finger inside her. Then another one. She gyrated against him, trying for more, but he kept it light as he played. As he enjoyed her.

Minutes pa.s.sed. She moved against him, her hands now in his hair, trying to force him down.

He chuckled against her, and she ground out a threat or two. "What?" he asked.

"More," she demanded.

"Why didn't you say so?" Truly enjoying himself, he nipped her c.l.i.t and crisscrossed his fingers inside her. She nearly shot off the lounge, and ripples cascaded through her abdomen.

He prolonged the o.r.g.a.s.m as long as he could, finally stopping when she smacked him on the top of the head and went limp. Man, she was fun.

Then he stood, the ache in his b.a.l.l.s nearly unbearable.

She glanced up and shoved her unruly hair from her eyes. Taking a look at his raging hard-on, she smiled. Slow and satisfied. "Well. What should we do now?"

For answer, he reached down and flipped her around to her hands and knees. She gasped and struggled to find balance. When she did, he grabbed her hips.

"Now?" He leaned down and nuzzled between her shoulder blades before standing back up. "Now we go with my idea."

Piper clutched the fabric of the lounge, acutely aware of the man grasping her hips. The fully erect, ready to rumble, man. She looked back over her shoulder. "Well?"

He pressed at her entrance and slowly-so d.a.m.n slowly-entered her. She bit her lip against the exquisite pleasure. That quickly, that easily, he stroked the desire in her higher than before. Hotter than before. She pressed back against him, allowing him to lead. To take them both where he wanted to go.

One huge hand flattened between her shoulder blades and caressed down, touching every inch of skin. As if he wanted to know all of her. His hands roamed around and cupped both b.r.e.a.s.t.s, tugging gently on her nipples. Sparks of electricity zipped from her b.r.e.a.s.t.s to her core, and she convulsed once around his shaft.

He groaned and tugged again.

So much. Jory Dean was so much as to be too much. Yet she wanted him all. So she released her hold and leaned down onto her chest.

His sharp intake of breath made her smile.

His hold returned to her hips, and he slid out and then back in. So d.a.m.n deep. Holding tight, keeping her in place, he began to pound. Fierce and hot... and so full. The slap of his skin against hers echoed through the peaceful night. Friction sprang alive inside her. She tried to move against him, to fall over the cliff, but he held her in place.

She'd never met a stronger man. Add in his intelligence, and Jory Dean was the full package. "I'm keeping you, Jory," she murmured against her arms.

He paused inside her, pulsing. "You've got me."

Yeah. She did. For how long? She gave him what she knew he needed. "You've got me, too."

The control she could always sense in him snapped. Hard and desperate, he started to pound. To take her-without his usual carefulness-without his usual containment. Jory Dean in full force. A completely delicious man.

Heat cut through her, a rapid fire of an electrical storm. She held her breath and promptly detonated. Everything inside her exploded out, around him, into him. He thrust harder, paused, and came against her. Waiting until the shocks stopped shaking her, he withdrew and turned her around, flattening her on the ottoman.

The chill of the night had nothing on the warm male sprawled lazily over her.

She pushed his dark hair away from his face. "Jory."

"I love you." He kissed her so gently, tears filled her eyes. "Keep that-"

"You aren't going to die." She tightened her hold while her entire body began to ache with dread. "You can't."

"Thank you for making this week the best of my life." Vulnerability and love glimmered in his mysterious eyes.

Well, if that didn't slice her heart in two, nothing ever would. She breathed out. "I love you, too." So he had to stay alive. She had him, and she'd meant it when she'd said she was keeping him. He was one of a kind, and he had to live. What if she couldn't save him?

He kissed her one more time. "Our hour is up."

CHAPTER.

28.

CHANCE DEAN GLANCED around the helicopter, his mind running through the plan. He'd adopted the family name the second Mattie had put stock certificates in his hands-equal shares in Sins Security for Chance Dean, Kyle Dean, and Wade Dean. Just in case they didn't make it back home, the younger brothers were protected. And kind of rich.

Just seeing the last name on the doc.u.ments had almost made Chance cry like a little baby, and not the killer he knew himself to be. He figured his new brothers knew he'd killed-they had the same look in their eyes that he did when he looked in the mirror. They'd probably killed young, too.

Doing that changed a guy, and not in a good way.

But as he took in the two silent women on either side of him, he wondered. Could they find good in their lives? Was there a chance for happiness and that goofy, soft, love stuff?

Piper and Laney were super-pretty and so soft. Even wearing khaki combat gear with guns strapped to their legs, they had a delicacy that drew Chance. He'd never met anybody soft or nice. Ever.

Shane flew the copter with Nate in the pa.s.senger side. Jory and Mattie hung close to their women, sitting armed to the teeth across the aisle from him.

Chance frowned. "I don't need to be flanked once we go in. Not like you have planned."

Identical gray eyes studied him, but neither man said a word.

He tried again. "I'm not one of the women." Laney's eyes widened, and Piper opened her mouth to say something. He halted her with one hand. "I'm not saying it's because you're girls. It's because you're not trained like I am. Girls can be tough." He didn't believe that one for a second, and by the narrowing of Laney's brown eyes, she knew it. Piper just grinned at him like he was adorable.

Either way, he'd put his foot into it.

Facing him across the aisle, Matt leaned forward, his voice deceptively soft. "What's your job with your brothers?"

"To protect them." The words sprang instantly to Chance's mouth as his shoulders went back.

"Why?" Jory asked just as quietly.