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He wanted Piper to protest, to tell him to toss her over his shoulder, and race to her bedroom.
But she didn't. She simply patted the dog and stood up. "Yeah. And next time I'm on the floor, don't assume I'm dead."
"Meditating. Right. Got it." He snapped his fingers, and Angel came over and leaned against his leg. "Maddie's store at eleven?"
She nodded.
"Any instructions?"
Piper cocked her head and studied him. "Maybe a dress shirt and a tie? Make it look like you're a successful businessman?"
He stiffened. "I'm not."
"I know, but April's mom would like that. April would go for hot, rough Declan. Her mom's different."
He ground his jaw. "I'd rather not."
Piper sighed. "Okay, fine. Do what you want. I'll be fine. Thanks for coming." She gave him a little wave, then picked up her computer, put her feet on the ottoman, and started working.
He stood there for a long minute watching her type. She looked so comfortable, snuggled on the couch with her feet up. He had a sudden desire to sit down next to her, pull out a book, and just absorb the experience of casual intimacy with her. No sex. No talking. Just sharing space and being together.
Shit.
He'd missed those moments. Longed for them with an ache that had hurt like hell. So he'd stopped thinking about them. Moved on. Gotten a dog. And now, suddenly, he was thinking of those moments again.
And he was thinking of having those moments with Piper.
What the hell? They weren't even dating.
But she still felt right.
What was going on?
She looked up then, her brow puckering when she noticed him watching her. "You're like glue. What now? Why are you still here?"
He grinned. "Is glue bad?"
"Always." But there was a hitch in her voice that said she was lying, and suddenly he realized that she was facing the same struggle as he was. The bond between them was unexpected, intense, and neither of them had agreed to it.
Yeah, he got that.
But he was also starting to think that maybe it wasn't such a bad thing. Piper, on the other hand, he suspected was still a hard stop, which meant he wasn't going to cross that line and risk breaking his promise to her.
She'd have to come to him.
He had to get out of there, because if he didn't, she'd probably start calling him worse than glue. "I'll see you later. I'm going to take Angel for a walk." He snapped his fingers. "Come on, sweetie. Good night."
Piper watched him and Angel leave. "Good night."
Declan headed toward the front door, then swore when he saw the broken door frame, shattered from when he'd kicked it in earlier. "Shit." He tried to get the door to shut, but he'd broken it. He closed his eyes, swearing under his breath. "You can't stay here tonight."
Piper glanced at the door. "You broke it?"
"Yeah."
She started laughing. "You're such an overdose of testosterone."
He felt like an idiot. His life wasn't a drug bust. Breaking down doors wasn't life. "Shit. I guess I'm getting back into cop mode. A little on edge."
