This was dangerous.

Jed was far too dangerous.

She might be as bold and just as damned adventurous as any Mackay, but Piper liked to think that unlike her older sister, she also had enough common sense to keep from jumping into the fire.

Nope, the frying pan suited her just fine.

Pulling in a deep breath, she finished packing the suitcase and garment bag she’d chosen to take to New York with her.

She would catch the train in Louisville, and once she got to New York City she’d rent a car.

She didn’t much care for driving in Manhattan, but sometimes a girl just had to do what a girl had to do. If she dared to rent a car in Somerset or in Louisville, then the chances were far too great that Dawg would find out. He had too many friends in far too many places. And she knew firsthand that he was on a first-name basis with every reputable car-rental agency in a five-county radius.

That meant just getting to New York City without her brother or her family learning she’d left would be chancy enough.

Luckily, there was one friend she could depend on.

She couldn’t tell her mother, her sisters, Tim, her brother or cousins, or her nearby friends or neighbors—she sighed at the thought of it—but she’d managed to make a few friends among the tourists who traveled through Somerset each summer and stopped at the small boutique her designs sold in. Once they sold, it wasn’t unusual for the buyers to contact her, interested in other unique wardrobe items. From those buyers, she had made several friends.

Those tourists didn’t live in Kentucky, and they had no idea how powerful her brother thought he was. A quick call to one of them, Amy Seavers, had resulted in a fake ID and a train ticket, as well as a ride to the train station.

She was all set and ready to go. All she had to do was slip out with her bags and be waiting at the designated location when Amy’s sister, Gypsy, arrived.

Blowing out a hard breath, Piper glanced at the patio doors, her heart beating hard and fast with the thought that Jed didn’t make idle threats. There was no doubt in her mind that he knew exactly how to pick the locks on her doors. There was no doubt he would pick them if he were in the right mood.

She rather doubted he’d learned that trick in the construction business. Just as she doubted her sister’s fiancé, Brogan Campbell, was slipping into the upper story of the inn in the middle of the night because he missed anyone there.

Hell, no. Those nights Piper had watched the shadowed figure easily pull himself to the second-floor balcony and slip through the glass doors that led to Tim’s office, she’d known exactly why he was there.

Timothy liked to tell anyone and everyone who dared to ask that he was retired. Learn the definition of the word, he’d growled at the lawyer who’d shown up several weeks before in regard to the deaths of several suspected homeland terrorists the summer before.

Piper had heard the words “Eve” . . . “kidnapping” . . . “boat,” and “Campbell” just before he dared to say, “Special Agent Cranston.”

She bit back a smile at the thought of how quickly Tim had cut him down and informed him in no uncertain terms that retirement was a glorious thing.

Retirement, her ass. Timothy, or Tim as she and her sisters often called him, was about as retired as Dawg and her cousins were. Just retired enough to be able to claim they weren’t involved in anything, but involved enough to ensure they all knew exactly what was going on in their little corner of the world.

Closing the cases quickly, Piper moved to the closet and stored them out of sight, just in case Jed decided to make a midnight visit.

If he saw her bags and realized they were packed, he would immediately demand to know where she was going. Once he knew . . . hell, she may as well take out an ad.

There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that Jed would tell Dawg just as fast as he could make the call. Then Dawg and her cousins would arrive and insist on accompanying her.

If she allowed it to happen.

There wasn’t a chance in hell she would allow it, she thought wearily. The very thought of it was enough to send a shudder racing through her body.

She closed the door and moved toward the bed, then came to a hard stop.

Swinging around, Piper moved to the door that led to the sitting room of the suite and swung it open as her heart began pounding with enough force that she swore she could feel it in her throat.

And there he stood.

She crossed her arms beneath her breasts and leaned against the doorframe that connected the sitting room with the bedroom.

“What the hell are you doing here?” It was all she could do to fight back her amusement as well as the surge of sexual intensity sweeping through her.

He wasn’t wearing a shirt.

The broad, muscled expanse of his chest was bare. A light covering of dark blond curls feathered over the dark flesh and arrowed into the snug band of his jeans. And he was aroused.

Standing in the middle of her sitting room, bare chested and barefoot, he stared back at her with pure sensual intent burning in his dark, navy blue eyes.

“You’re dressed,” he accused her, his voice rough as he paced closer to her. “I thought you were naked and playing with toys.”

“No, you didn’t.” Piper could feel herself trembling from the force of the need racing through her. “That’s just an excuse, Jed.”

“Yeah, it’s just an excuse,” he agreed as he stopped before her. “An excuse for this.”

She hadn’t expected it to happen so fast—that his lips would be on hers, his fingers curving around the back of her neck, holding her in place as his lips took possession of hers.

She hadn’t expected she would weaken so fast. That her nails would dig instantly into his shoulders, that she would lean into him, against him, so eager for him that her body was quivering in excitement.

What the hell was this? What was he doing to her?

Then thought became impossible. Any possible chance of a denial evaporated as pleasure began to build with a fiery force.

Oh, hell, yes.

Desperate to get closer to him, she wrapped her arms around his neck as he lifted her against him, holding her close in his arms as he lifted her from her feet.

She was weightless.

Gravity couldn’t touch her, and neither could the reality of common sense.

“Whoa. Oh, hell, no!”

Piper found herself suddenly spun around, released, and pushed protectively behind Jed in a move so powerful she knew she’d never figure out how he managed it. But one minute she was in his arms kissing him for everything she was worth, and the next second she was pushing past him to confront her big brother.

The big lug.

He was staring at them as though he had never witnessed such a thing.

“Forget what a couple kissing looks like?” she snapped as he suddenly lost that surprised look and turned a glare on Jed instead.

Moving to Jed’s side rather than behind him, Piper crossed her arms over her breasts and stared back at Dawg furiously. “When are you going to learn to knock at the doors to our suites rather than barging in, Dawg Mackay?” she demanded. “I could have been naked or something.”

“In the living area?” he demanded, outraged. “And I’ve never knocked, dammit. You have a bedroom for this crap anyway.”

“It’s my suite,” she informed him. “I could be naked in either room if I want to be. And why should I have to do everything private in my bedroom? I had the door locked. I did not tell you to unlock it. Try knocking.”

He didn’t even look at her. He was too busy glowering at Jed.

Neither man blinked.

“I was going to say good night,” he snarled, finally sparing a short glance her way before turning back to Jed with a killing look.

“Good night, then.” She waited for him to leave.

Jed was glaring at Dawg just as fiercely as Dawg was glaring at Jed, and she was getting tired of it.

Dawg’s disapproval was clear.

Piper sighed in irritation.

“Both of you get the hell out of my room,” she suddenly ordered, anger beginning to flare inside her. “Get out. Go away. Leave me the hell alone.”

She had a ride to catch, and she had no intention of missing it. Especially not so she could babysit two grown men who were suddenly acting like two dogs over a bone.

Jed turned his glare on her. “We weren’t finished.”

“The hell you weren’t,” Dawg answered for her.

Propping her hands on her hips, she turned a fierce stare on both of them.

“Get out of my room,” she snapped again. “If I have to ask one more time I’m calling Mom and Tim and you can deal with them.”

“That little bastard Timothy doesn’t scare me in the least,” Dawg informed her, his celadon gaze sparking with anger.

“Well, Mom does scare you,” she reminded him. “And trust me, if she knew what was going on right now she’d have both your heads.”

They both grimaced and began retreating.

Jed moved for the connecting door as Dawg backed to the door that led to the hall. As each door closed Piper moved to it quickly and locked it securely.

Good God, how the hell was she supposed to slip out of the house and out of the state with this mess going on?

One thing was for damned sure: if she’d had second thoughts about how her brother or even Jed would act if one of them were to go with her, then she had her answer now.

They’d act just as they were: like two Neanderthals with nothing better to do than beat their chests and roar out their aggressions.

Not what she needed this week.

Oh, God, she didn’t need it this week.

The week she was going to find the dreams she’d worked for all her life.

* * *

She was slipping out, making her way across the darkness of the porch, two traveling bags in hand.

Jedediah lowered his head for a second before lifting his gaze and forcing himself to watch her make her way from the inn. Curling his fingers into fists, he held back the urge to follow her. To stop her.

If he stopped her, he’d be no better than her brother or her cousins. They were doing all the wrong things for all the right reasons, but that didn’t make it bearable for the impulsive, bright, beautiful little star they were smothering.

Crossing his arms over his chest, he leaned against the heavily leafed tree he hid beneath and just watched her. There was no need to follow her. She wasn’t headed to a party, a friend’s house for a night out, or even one of the local bars.

He’d known that when he’d talked to her on the phone as he’d watched her through the closed-circuit wireless camera that had been installed in the bedroom when her sister occupied it. It hadn’t been removed when Eve had moved out.

As he had watched her pack he had known she was heading out of town.

With a friend? Most likely a lover, he thought wearily, wondering at the sense of possessiveness tightening his gut.

Hell, he’d waited too long to secure her to him, left it too late. He’d sensed that as he watched her packing earlier.

He was always careful when checking on her. He never interfered, never looked in on her when there was a chance of embarrassing her if she found out he was watching.

Sometimes, he just wanted to see her. See her relaxed, sleeping, or amused. Sometimes, he just wanted to make certain she was safe, nothing more. He’d seen her packing, though, and he’d been unable to resist calling her, hoping she’d confide in him. Hoping that talking to him, remembering the pleasure they’d shared, would change her mind if she was heading out to stay with a lover.

It hadn’t.

She disappeared around the side of the house.

Lowering his head, he stayed in place. He didn’t dare move, even under the pretense of returning to his own room. Because he knew he wouldn’t make it there.

Hell, no, he’d end up following her, and he’d make her hate him when he couldn’t help himself and persuaded her to stay. Persuaded her in a way that would ensure her pleasure—and her hatred.