Securing Piper Read online

  Ace was ecstatic over the fact that Piper was still sleeping in his bed, using him as a giant pillow, but they hadn’t done more than make out. He would’ve been frustrated about the entire situation, but because things with their daughters were going so well, he couldn’t be.

  This was everything he’d ever wanted. The chaos, the joy over watching his girls acclimate to their new life and learning new things, and the comfort that came from knowing his wife would be at home each night when he got there. For so long his house seemed too big, and he’d questioned why he’d purchased a five-bedroom home in the first place, but he got it now. It was meant for Piper and his daughters.

  It was Saturday morning, and the girls were eating breakfast and he was discussing with Piper their plans for the day. They’d decided to take the girls to the aquarium and then to the library once more. Piper had finished a cartoon the day before, so she didn’t have to work for the rest of the weekend, and unless the commander called with a last-minute mission, he was also free until Monday.

  “We need to get the girls some shoes,” Piper said. “I thought maybe we could try going to the mall.”

  “You know how they panicked when we took them to Walmart,” Ace warned.

  “I know, but they’ve been here for almost three weeks now. I think they’re a little more acclimated. And we’ll tell them what to expect. I think they’ll be okay.”

  “All right, but we should keep the trip short.”

  Piper smiled. “You’re just saying that because you hate shopping.”

  Ace grinned. “Yup. And I’m well aware that this is probably the only time I’ll get away with a short shopping trip. With three girls, I can see my future now.”

  Piper’s smile grew. “You’re probably right. I found Sinta flipping through a few of the advertisements we’ve received, and she looked completely enthralled.”

  Ace reached out and pulled Piper into a loose embrace. She came easily, and he loved how she relaxed against him.

  “If asked a month ago,” Piper said quietly, “I never would’ve guessed this could be my life. And I know some people, like my agent, think I’m crazy, and that things have moved too fast, but honestly…being in Timor-Leste and going through what I did made me realize just how important family is to me. I lost my best friend, but I gained three beautiful, amazing girls.”

  “And a husband,” Ace said.

  “And a husband,” Piper agreed.

  Ace was lowering his head to kiss her when a knock on the front door stopped him.

  “Door!” Sinta yelled out unnecessarily.

  “I’ll get it,” Ace said.

  “I can do it,” Piper told him.

  Ace shook his head and ignored the second knock for the moment. “I know you can, but we’re not expecting anyone, and we have no idea who’s on the other side of that door. It might be a troop of Girl Scouts selling cookies, or it could be Paul wanting to scream at you some more. I know we haven’t heard anything from him since the day we landed, but the things we do hear from my commander make me very nervous. I may not have said it out loud when we got married, but I vowed to do anything possible to keep you and our girls safe, and part of that is standing between all of you and any potential danger—including from unexpected visitors early on a Saturday morning.”

  “It’s probably just the mailman dropping off a package,” Piper said gently, but Ace couldn’t miss the way her face softened. She looked at him as if he hung the moon.

  “Probably,” Ace agreed, still not letting go of her.

  “Fine,” she said after a beat. “I’ll check on the girls and see if they even tried the scrambled eggs you made for them.”

  “Try not to worry so much,” Ace told her. “They aren’t starving to death, and they’ll eventually eat more than rice and chicken.” He leaned close and kissed Piper. It seemed natural now, and he couldn’t keep his hands off her. Whenever she was near, he wanted to touch her, smell her, kiss her until she needed him as much as he needed her.

  She smiled up at him, touching her palm to his cheek before heading to the table to check on their children.

  Ace went to the front door, where another knock sounded, and peered out the peephole. Blinking in surprise, he quickly opened it and stared at his friends.

  “Gumby, Sidney. What are you guys doing here?”

  “We’re kicking you out,” Sidney said with a smile. “It’s an intervention.”

  “An intervention?” Ace asked, confused.

  Gumby gave him a small shrug. “Me and Sid were talking, and we realized that neither you nor Piper has had a day to yourselves since you brought your girls home. So today, you’re getting some free time.”

  “And tonight too,” Sidney added.

  Hannah, their pit bull, was with them, her tongue lolling out the side of her mouth as she sat on his front porch. She looked happy as a clam—and it was then that Ace noticed the two bags sitting next to his friends, as well.

  “We’re swapping houses with you and Piper until at least noon tomorrow,” Sidney informed him. “And believe me, it’s no hardship to spend some time in this beautiful mansion of yours. We’re gonna take care of your girls, and you aren’t to worry about anything. Spend some time with Piper, just the two of you. You both deserve it.”

  Ace wasn’t sure what to say. He was completely surprised and touched by the gesture. He wanted to immediately agree, but he had to consider Piper’s feelings too. She might not feel comfortable leaving the girls with their friends.

  “Come in,” he said immediately, opening the door all the way and leaning over to grab Sidney’s bag. “The girls are finishing up breakfast, and we were just discussing what our plans for the day were going to be.”

  Ace followed his friends through the front foyer and into the kitchen. Kemala was putting the breakfast dishes into the dishwasher, and he could see Sinta wiping down the table with a damp cloth. He smiled. He loved that the girls were willing to do whatever they could to help out. He knew their desire to please was at an especially high level at the moment, because they wanted to make sure they didn’t do anything that would make him or Piper regret adopting them—as if that would ever happen.

  “Oh, hi, Sidney. Gumby,” Piper said with a questioning look for Ace.

  “Hi!” Sidney responded cheerfully.

  Gumby gave her a chin lift.

  Sidney immediately went over to Rani and picked her up, bouncing her up and down on her hip until the little girl laughed. “We’re here to free you and Ace for the day and evening,” Sidney said without hesitation. “I know, you’re probably not so sure about leaving the girls yet, but I swear they’ll be fine. Gumby and I have a whole slew of things planned to entertain them.”

  “What?” Piper asked, looking totally confused.

  Ace went to her and wrapped an arm around her waist. “I didn’t know about this either,” he told her. “But they’ve offered to babysit the girls until tomorrow afternoon. They said we could stay at their beach house.”

  “We want you two to have some time for yourself. You’ve been working so hard ever since you got the girls, and we thought it might be nice for you to be able to concentrate on each other for a short period of time.”

  “Oh, but we were going to go to the mall today and get some shoes for the girls. And Kemala and Sinta need more books, so we were going to go to the library,” Piper said.

  “We can do that,” Gumby told her.

  Piper looked from him to Sidney, then up at Ace.

  He waited patiently for her decision. He wanted this more than anything he’d wanted in a long time. He loved Rani, Sinta, and Kemala, but he also selfishly wanted to spend some one-on-one time with his new wife. He’d promised to take her on dates, but they hadn’t found the time to do so yet. This was a perfect opportunity.

  “I’m not sure…” Piper said haltingly.

  “Piper and Ace go,” Kemala said suddenly. “I help with sisters.”

  Ace blinked at his oldest
daughter. That was the first time she’d ever referred to Rani and Sinta as her sisters. He felt Piper’s hand grab his thigh, and she dug her fingers in hard. She recognized the significance of what Kemala had said as well.

  “I know you will,” Piper said after a moment. “You’ve been a big help, and Ace and I appreciate it. Are you sure you’ll be okay with Sidney and Gumby?”

  Kemala nodded enthusiastically.

  Sinta was too busy petting Hannah to pay any attention to what the adults were doing. She’d been scared of the pit bull when she’d first met her, but now she was completely enamored. In Timor-Leste, the only dogs they saw were strays who wanted nothing to do with humans. So having a dog not only live inside a house, but who loved giving kisses, was almost as good as having her own little petting zoo.

  Rani didn’t look like she cared one whit what Piper and Ace did, as Sidney was keeping her occupied by bouncing her up and down in her arms and tilting her backward so her head almost hit the floor, then swinging her upright again.

  “And you guys are really okay with this?” Piper asked Gumby and Sidney. “They’re pretty picky when it comes to food. We’re still working on that. And they sleep together in Kemala’s room. Rani still takes a nap in the afternoon and—”

  “We got this,” Sidney said confidently. “The sheets on our bed at the house are clean, and you can help yourselves to anything we’ve got in the kitchen. The weather’s supposed to be beautiful today and tomorrow, so you can sit on the back deck and relax, or go swimming in the ocean, or take a long walk. Whatever you want to do.”

  Ace kept his eyes on Piper’s face, and he saw the longing there. She wanted this as much as he did. He had no idea if the thought of being able to relax for a day was what she was looking forward to, or if it was spending time with him. As for Ace, he couldn’t wait to get her alone.

  “If you’re sure—” Piper began.

  “We’re sure,” Sidney told her, not letting her finish her sentence. “Go upstairs and pack. We’ve got this.”

  When Piper had left the room, and Sidney had taken the girls into the other room to watch TV, Ace turned to Gumby. “I’m assuming this was your idea?”

  His friend shrugged. “You were saying the other day how frustrated you were that you hadn’t been able to find a good time to give Piper the ring you bought her. I got to thinking about it, and realized the two of you probably hadn’t had time for much of anything, other than helping the girls settle in. Figured you wouldn’t object to spending some time with your wife one-on-one.”

  “You’re right. I appreciate it.”

  “Sidney and I are finalizing the details for our wedding on the beach, and we’ve also talked about what we want in the future. And of course, kids came up. Letting us spend some time with your girls is a good dress rehearsal for us. And we’re looking into buying a house inland somewhere. We won’t sell the beach house, as it has a lot of amazing memories for both of us, and we figured it’ll make a great getaway for us and everyone on the team. We work fucking hard, and being able to relax and unwind at the beach house will be invaluable.”

  Ace had to swallow before nodding. Gumby was not only a good friend, he was tremendously generous. “When’s the big day?” he asked after a moment.

  “We’re thinking in about two weeks…assuming we don’t get sent off on a mission. We aren’t going to do anything fancy. Rear Admiral Creasy said he’d officiate, and we’re not planning on the whole flower, bridesmaids, tuxedos, and big-poofy-dress thing. My dad and his wife said they could be here, as did my brother. You know we want something small, so with them and you guys all there, it’ll be perfect.”

  “Looking forward to it,” Ace said, clapping his friend on the shoulder.

  They shot the shit about nothing for a while before Piper arrived back in the kitchen. She was pulling a small suitcase behind her.

  “I’m done,” she told them. “I stripped the sheets from the bed and put them in the washer. I thought I could talk to Sidney and tell her about the girls’ routines while you’re packing.”

  Ace nodded. “Sounds good.” He walked over and kissed her on the forehead before turning and heading for the stairs. He had a feeling it would be a while before they got out of the house. Sidney was going to have to be very patient as Piper told her every little thing she could think of about the girls.

  Ace found himself smiling as he quickly packed an overnight bag. He couldn’t wait to spend the next twenty-four hours with Piper. He was as giddy as a teenager going on his first date.

  The first thing he packed was the diamond ring he’d bought for her a couple weeks ago. He was finally going to get to see it on her finger…he hoped.

  Eight hours later, Piper sat on Gumby’s back deck and sighed in contentment. The entire day had been extremely relaxing…and fun. Hanging out with Ace was way more entertaining than she could’ve imagined. This was exactly what she’d needed. She loved Rani, Sinta, and Kemala, but being a mother was extremely strenuous. She was constantly trying to entertain them and make sure they had what they needed to thrive, and that didn’t leave a lot of time to concentrate on her or her relationship with Ace.

  But she and Ace had done nothing but what they wanted to do all day, and it had been absolutely perfect. They’d arrived at the beach house, and Ace had suggested they go swimming. She’d seen the way he’d eyed her in her suit, and she’d checked him out just as thoroughly. They’d laughed and played in the small surf for at least an hour before lying on their towels in the sand and talking for another hour.

  Then they’d showered and eaten a snack. They’d talked about their childhoods, a little about what had happened in Timor-Leste. She’d checked in with Sidney, and her friend had sent a picture of the girls enjoying ice cream cones at the mall. Little Rani had more on her face and shirt than she’d probably eaten, but it was the joyous smiles on the girls’ faces that meant the most to Piper.

  Then Ace had volunteered to cook, and she’d sat in the kitchen and kept him company as he’d prepared their meal. They’d eaten, and now they were sitting in the very comfortable chairs on the back deck, watching the sunset.

  “Come here,” Ace said after a comfortable silence had settled between them.

  Looking over, Piper saw him holding out his hand. She slowly stood and took the two steps required to stand in front of him. He reached out and took hold of her hips and guided her ass to his lap. It took a moment to get comfortable, but once she settled, it felt wonderful to be in his arms. She’d turned sideways, and his broad chest supported her as she lay her head on his shoulder.

  She’d felt his beard against her face and neck more times than she could count, but she’d never really taken the time to examine it. Her hand came up and she finally did what she’d dreamed of doing several times over the last few weeks. She stroked his facial hair.

  Ace smiled, but didn’t stop her or say anything.

  After several moments, Piper said, “It’s so soft. For some reason, I thought it’d be coarse.”

  He shrugged. “I suppose if it was scratchy, I would shave it off. The last thing I’d want is to irritate my wife or kids every time I brushed up against them or kissed them.”

  “You don’t irritate me,” Piper said without thinking. She was feeling very mellow after their relaxing day. Not to mention, her libido was working overtime, as well. She hadn’t had nearly as much time as she’d like to admire how good-looking her husband was. Or how muscular. Or how he looked in his boxers when he got up in the mornings.

  She had so much on her plate with the girls, and just getting to know her husband, that sex had taken a back seat.

  But after doing nothing but staring at her husband all day, and learning even more about him, her body was raring to go. It wasn’t exactly an epiphany that she liked the man her husband was, but more of a confirmation of everything she’d witnessed over the last few weeks. It had been a long time since she’d had sex, and she found that she wanted Ace more than she co
uld remember wanting any man. It was a little disconcerting, actually. And knowing they wouldn’t be interrupted was almost an aphrodisiac.

  “Good to know,” Ace said with a small chuckle.

  Piper was more than aware of the way his hand slowly moved up and down her bare thigh. It was a gentle caress, and he didn’t move his hand up to intimate territory. He simply seemed to enjoy touching her. Since she was wearing shorts, his touch on her bare flesh sent electric currents straight to her clit. It was nerve-racking and exciting at the same time.

  Not knowing what to do with her hands, she eventually wrapped one around the back of his neck and left the other in her lap. They sat like that a long time. Soaking up the ambiance of the moment. The waves lapping against the shoreline, the birds chirping, and watching the sun sink below the horizon. Piper never wanted the night to end.

  After the sun had set, the light from inside the house was the only thing illuminating the back deck. The semi-darkness was intimate and cozy—and Piper got to a point where she wanted to take Ace’s hand on her thigh and force him to touch her between her legs. She had no idea if he knew how worked up he’d gotten her, but she wanted him. Badly.

  “I’m happy,” Ace said out of the blue, startling Piper, but letting her concentrate on something other than how wet she was and how hard her nipples had gotten.

  “Me too,” she replied.

  “No, I mean, I’m happy,” he repeated.

  Piper picked up her head and looked at him.

  “When I left for that mission in Timor-Leste, I had no idea how much my life would change. I know some people think we’re insane, but asking you to marry me was a little self-serving. I liked you, sure, but I can’t lie, the thought of being a father was a huge factor. But I’ve realized over the last few weeks that while I’ve enjoyed getting to know the girls and figuring out how to be a dad, living with you has been the most eye-opening.”

  Piper continued to stare at him, half dreading what he might say, but also wanting him to say the words that were in her own heart more than she wanted to breathe.