Page 57 of Russian Rescue

I lifted my hand. “A fling? What’s happening here between us? This isn’t just fucking to me, Piper. And I know it’s not to you either. You and me? We work. This works. But you’re too fucking set in your ways to accept that there’s more for you than just one-night stands and see-ya-laters. And we don’t have much time. Here’s the deal, Piper. As soon as I grab enough proof that this is a Ukrainian cell embedded in Russia with plans to do something with their nukes, I am handing it over to the Russian government. They will dismantle the cell themselves, and shortly after, I’ll be safe, and we’ll head home.”

“Isn’t that the point of all this?”

“It is. And it will be a good thing because my family will be safe. But it also means that you won’t be stuck here in Moscow with me, forced to face your feelings for me every single day.”

Her eyes narrowed as her lips pressed into a thin line. “So, you’re denying me sex now unless ... What? I tell you I love you? Fine. I love you. Let’s get it on.”

I laughed and shook my head, standing up and stepping out of her reach before she could get her hands on me. “No. I know you’ll say ‘I love you’ because I’ve heard you whisper it to other men when you were seducing them for a mission. What I’m asking for is you to admit your true feelings for me.”

“That’s not going to happen.”

“Because your true feelings are love, and that scares the ever-living shit out of you.”

Her eyes softened and flashed with fear for a second before she stiffed her lip. “That’s not my true feelings.”

If she was any other woman on the planet, I would have believed her and moved on. Accepted it at face value. But this was Piper. I knew Piper, deeper than she could imagine. I also saw the way she looked at me when she let her guard down. Felt the passion in her touch. Felt the softness of her body when she’d curl up next to mine, sleeping safely wrapped up in my arms every night. I knew that this was different because I’d heard Piper for years say how she’d never sleep with a man.

Ever. She took her pleasures and slipped out right after. But with me, she stayed in my arms. There was another bedroom in the suite she could head back to after sex if she didn’t want to be with me, but every night she chose to remain in my arms, her soft breathing brushing across my chest while she pressed into me.

“When we stop these terrorists, what are your plans?” I asked her.

“Get you back to the States safely.”

“And then?”

She bit her lip and glanced at the ground. “Then go back to my life.”

The thought of losing her nearly killed me, but I tried to hold onto the hope that I could get her past this fear of relationships and love embedded in her.

“So, your plan is to pretend like this never happened?”

“Wes.” Piper stepped forward and slid my hand into hers. “This has been incredible. Very unexpected, but incredible. But it has to just be what it is.”

“And what is that?”

“Two friends with great sexual chemistry spending a little fun time together?”

Ouch. “Fun time? That’s all you felt?”

My confidence in my observations about the depths of her feelings for me started to falter.

“I don’t date guys, Wes. Ever. You know that. And with what I’m doing now, I really can’t be dating guys.”

“I’m not guys, Piper. I’m Wes. Someone you trust with your life. Someone who makes you laugh. Someone who will never leave you. Ever. I know what scares you and stops you from relationships.”

If I wasn’t talking to Piper, I’d swear I saw a tear glisten in her eye.

“In your childhood, you were never able to rely on anyone but yourself. You grew up alone. You fought every second of your life to be safe, and no one was looking out for you. And the few people who did, they died. They left you. I get it. You don’t want to be in that situation again. And it’s a situation you never should have been in in the first place. You were just a kid. Someone else should have been protecting you.”

“Well, no one was. I protected myself. That was my reality. Kill or be killed. Trust no one but yourself. It was my motto then, and it’s still my motto now.”

“But you did learn to trust. You trusted us... me, Knox, and Marcus. You do trust us, don’t you?”

She paused, then softly nodded her head. “Yes. Of course.”

“Then trust this. Trust us. You and me. No matter what, I’m always going to be here for you. Even if you can’t get past this, and you tell me you just want to be friends, I’ll still be here. Always, Piper. For whatever you need. I’ll never abandon you. Ever. But, for just one fucking second, let yourself imagine a life where you let me in. Open yourself up to the possibility. Open yourself up to me.”

I pulled her up against me and wrapped her up tightly. Her stiff body softened before she returned my embrace and pressed her head into my chest.