Surprise and a darker emotion swirled through those gray eyes. It took her a moment to regain her breath and catch the emotion.

Possession. Sure and absolute.

Then he smiled.

CHAPTER.

18.

JORY SAT IN the old lady floral chair, his elbows on his knees, his gaze on the woman sleeping in the antique bed. The small, fragile, now bruised woman.

Things had changed. h.e.l.l. One night with her, and he'd changed. The plan from the day before, the one where he'd send her into danger, no longer worked. The woman couldn't lie worth s.h.i.t, and the aftermath of the night they'd just shared would be stamped all over her face for the commander to see. She couldn't get hurt any more than she'd already been damaged.

As a kid, Jory had known love. But this feeling? This feeling could only be had by a man for a woman-the woman-a combination of possessiveness, need, and protectiveness. He neither understood it, nor did he want to quash it.

He'd been way too rough on her the night before.

But he'd wanted her... wanted to claim her in a way he couldn't quite understand. Wanted to mark her, to make sure she always remembered him.

When he f.u.c.ked up, he liked to do a great job of it.

s.h.i.t.

She stirred and slowly sat up, gazing around the surroundings with wide green eyes. In the morning, sans the makeup, she looked about eighteen. Smooth skin, wide eyes, black curly hair.

Wild and innocent.

The perfect woman.

He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry if I was too rough."

She pulled the sheet up to her neck, meeting his gaze directly. "You were fantastic."

He studied her facial expressions and took note of her tone of voice. While Nate was a human lie detector, Jory could usually tell a falsehood. "Are you just being nice?"

She rolled her eyes and stretched her hands above her head. The sheet dropped to her waist.

He swallowed, his gaze dropping to pert, well-loved b.r.e.a.s.t.s... kissed a lovely pink. He'd left his mark there, and d.a.m.n, if that didn't please him on some primitive level he wanted to deny. "Are you sure?"

"Stop fishing for compliments."

He wasn't. More than anything, he wanted to scoop her up and spend the day in bed together and soothe any aches he'd caused. But there was no time. "We have to plan your escape in a way that keeps you safe and doesn't give away my brothers."

She blinked, and then her bottom lip quirked. "You sweet talker you. Stop with the compliments."

Smart-a.s.s. But at the thought, the tightness released his chest. "You're really all right?"

"Yes." Her smile remained slightly sleepy. "Aren't you?" Doubt crept into her tone.

"I'm wonderful. Last night was amazing." He could give her the truth there.

"Good." Her smile nearly blinded him, and he had to blink to keep concentration. "So... a good plan, huh?"

He shook his head. "Not yet." One quick stride, and he planted a knee on the bed. Reaching for her, he caressed her fragile jaw and wrapped his hand around her neck. "Good morning." Lowering his head, he took her mouth.

He moved against her softly until she sighed, and then he went deep. Her nails dug into his chest, and he growled, enjoying her little shiver. The woman was a keeper. At the thought, he drew away.

Her eyes were dreamy, her lips a pretty pink. She'd chosen him, and now he wanted to choose her. He couldn't let her go back into the facility and put herself in danger. If she went back, it had to be for the mere purpose of getting a message to Chance and nothing else. Then she needed to get out of town.

He took a deep breath. "You can either flee with your mom, or you can go back and tell the commander I kidnapped you and forced you to lie about this kidnapping. I can't ask you to lie for me and about the PROTECT group in case he figures out the full truth. I won't let you be in danger."

She rubbed her chin and once again drew the sheet up to cover herself. "Why would I tell him the truth? I thought we were going to say the PROTECT group kept me."

Jory shook his head. "You suck at lying, so you'll have to stick closer to the truth, which is that I have you. If you go in, it's for one day only to get a message to Chance on how we're getting him out. Then you get to safety." He frowned, fighting the urge to reach over and drag down the sheet, to prevent her from hiding any aspect of herself from him. To prevent any barriers. "What do you want to do?"

She smoothed the sheet over her drawn-up legs. "Want to do? I already made my choice. I have no intention of playing both sides." She tilted her head to the side. "I choose you, Jory. I'm all in here with the original plan. Danger or not, I'll make good the lie."

He stood, the blood rushing through his veins in a definite fight or flight speed. All in? He just needed her to get word to Chance, not to become a super-spy for Jory or some double agent against the commander. The woman wasn't a good liar. "What are you saying?"

She bit her lip. "I believe you. With the tracker, your abilities, Chance, my not knowing the commander... and last night? I believe you. I'm in this now, and whatever I need to do to save you and your brothers... I'm in."

He backed away from the bed, his breath heating. Grat.i.tude and warmth slammed him so hard in the gut he nearly buckled in two. She chose him. Just him, and she intended to put herself in danger for him. More than once. "No."

She chuckled. "Yes." Relief unwrinkled her brow. "I've known-instinctively about my father. Sure, I wanted him to be a good guy, to care about me, and maybe he does. But what's going on there is wrong."

Jory tilted his head. "You're thinking with your brain."

She snorted. "I usually do."

Funny. The thought of anything or anyone dampening her spirit blazed fire through him.

"I can help you get insider information." She hugged her knees, her voice nearly eager.

There was no safety for her on his side, no protection when all h.e.l.l broke loose, and it surely would. He'd be dead in less than two days, and he couldn't leave her unprotected. "Absolutely not."

"Wow. Such a dictate. I'm doing it." Amus.e.m.e.nt and a feminine understanding curved her upper lip. "Take a breath, Jory, ah, dude. I'll protect you."

Dude? She'd protect him? Was she crazy? It was his job to protect her. And if she thought she could distance herself from him with a stupid nickname, she was in for a surprise. "Dean. Jory Dean."

Her smile split wide open. "You do have a last name."

"Yes. The commander doesn't know it." He frowned. "I don't think he knows it, anyway. I've been out of touch for a couple of years. Coma and all that."

"Because somebody shot you." She frowned. "Not the Russians."

"No. A woman, apparently." He sighed and ran a hand through his thick hair. A trembling hand. She'd rocked his world with choosing him. Over her own biological father-both a logical and an emotional choice. "My brothers saw a video, and it was a woman who shot me, but they couldn't see who."

"Dr. Madison?" Piper said quietly.

Jory shrugged. "Maybe."

Piper frowned. "That hurts you."

"No, it doesn't." The woman saw way too much beneath the surface, and he refused to dwell on that right now. Not on top of everything else.

"Yes, it does. Believe me, I understand parental failure." She paled.

Anger roared through him, and he twisted his head. "Okay, if she shot me, that bothers me a little. Not because I care about her or anything, but because that means the closest thing I ever had to a mother was just fine with killing me. There's something f.u.c.ked up about that."

Piper plucked at a bed string. "I know. My own father tagged me like a dog. That sucks, but it doesn't change who I am or what I want. And right now I want to help Chance and save you."

Jory focused and then slowly forced his body to relax. "I want your help, but it'd kill me if something happened to you."

She nodded. "So we plan. I escape, get help, and lie and say the PROTECT people took me. Then I need to find a way to the inland facility to rescue Chance and his brothers as well as get the computer codes."

"No. Absolutely not." Jory finally lost his sense of wonder and returned to the problem at hand. The idea of her putting herself in any more danger ripped holes in his f.u.c.king gut. She'd given something of herself to him. He had to hold that tight for as long as he could. "You're in to give a message to Chance on when to be ready for me to rescue him, and then you get out. No spying, no working on computer codes. Just a message. This isn't up for debate."

"Good thing I'm not debating."

Oh yeah? There was another way to go here, and one that finally eased the pressure pounding through his temples.

He saw the second she realized what he was thinking, because she bolted straight up in the bed. "You are not keeping me here under wraps."

Maybe he should. "We both know I could make that happen." He kept his gaze direct and lowered his voice to the tone of command he'd learned long ago on missions.

She shook her head, thoughts scattering across her pretty face. "Okay. I won't try to get to the inland facility and will just get a message to Chance on whatever your plan is once you figure it out."

Ah, she was cute. So d.a.m.n cute when she thought she was playing him. Jory smiled. "The city facility pretty much blew up yesterday. Where exactly did you think the commander will have Chance?"

A light pink stole across her smooth cheekbones. "I hadn't thought of that."

She was also cute when she lied. "Hadn't you?" Jory asked, reaching for a T-shirt to drag on.

"Not exactly," she groused. Holding the sheet in place, she swung her legs from the bed and stood. "This is my decision."

He moved instinctively and without much thought, deftly jerking the sheet from her body.

She yelped, moved to cover herself, thought about the situation with a quick bite to the lip, and then stood to her full height, hands at her sides.

d.a.m.n, the woman was something. Jory shook his head. "You gave something of yourself to me last night, Piper, and you know it. I won't allow you to put yourself in danger, not even for me."

Somewhere during the sentence, her temper ignited, if the sparks flashing through her emerald eyes were any indication. He watched, fascinated, when her pupils narrowed to pinp.r.i.c.ks.

"You don't get to allow anything with me, b.u.t.thead."

Glorious. f.u.c.king glorious. How he'd ended up, however briefly, with such an amazing woman, he'd never understand. Protecting and defending were what he did best, and he knew how to get results. For the first time, his heart, instead of his brain, pushed him to use his skills. He moved into her s.p.a.ce, appreciating when she swallowed in reflex. "Allow was a poor word choice, as was b.u.t.thead."

"b.u.t.thead was the perfect word choice." She slammed her hands on her hips and tilted her head way back to meet his gaze with a hard glare.

He'd known she was going to say that, and the thought filled him with grat.i.tude. And determination. Even though they were currently engaged in a battle of wills, one he had to win to ensure her safety, he loved that he could guess her thoughts.

So he traced a line from her collarbone down to the undersides of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

Her breath caught, and her nostrils flared. Desire warmed those sparking eyes. His body awakened instantly in response.

Then he pushed.

She squinted in a frown.

"That bruise?" He pressed again, not too hard, anger drawing through him that he'd harmed someone fragile-someone who trusted him. "That's from me."

Her head tilted farther, and her eyes narrowed. "So?"

So? He'd beat to death anybody else who dared to bruise her, and yet look what he'd done. He caressed down and around to the perfect fingerprints embedded in her a.s.s. "These, too."

"So the heck what?" Her breath came out husky this time, and his c.o.c.k flared to attention.

"I marked you." How could she not understand what he'd done?

She patted above his heart, right beneath his tattoo, none too gently. "I left a reminder, as well."

He nodded, having appreciated the scratches earlier while she slept. "Not the same."

"Why not?"

Challenge launched through him. Then he leaned down until they were almost nose to nose. "Because I'm a f.u.c.king killing machine, and you're a sweet little hacker who likes to flirt with danger. Baby, I am danger." He put every ounce of threat and menace into his voice.

So when she threw back her head and laughed, hard and deep, he frowned. Even her nicely jiggling b.r.e.a.s.t.s couldn't take his attention from that throaty chuckle.

"Seriously, Jory," she gasped out, wiping a tear from the corner of one eye.

He shook his head. "I've never met a woman who needed a taming more than you do." The words popped out, bemused and thoughtful.

Her eyes widened, and her back went ramrod straight. She coughed and then tried to back up, the bed at her knees halting her retreat.

Interesting. His mean voice didn't work, but his thoughtful one, quite serious to be honest, had made her think twice. Honesty did work with his woman.