Free Total Surrender by Rebecca Zanetti Page B

“Brian.”
    He smiled and handed her a bouquet of fall flowers. Charming and perfect.
    Too perfect? Jory’s words about not trusting anybody echoed in her mind.
    Brian had dressed in khakis and a button-down shirt that matched his sparkling blue eyes. His blond hair was tousled from the wind, and his smile wide as he took in her forest green dress.
    She grinned, her abdomen warming. “Thank you. Come on in.” Humming, she hurried into the kitchen to find a vase to place the flowers in the center of the table.
    She liked flowers, right? Yep. Safe and secure, that was for her. Not sexy and deadly. Not at all. Her odd physical reaction to Jory could be discounted as stress, plain and simple.
    A sharp rap on the door had her pausing. Okay. Good. This was good. Forcing a smile for Brian, she once again headed into the living room to open the door for her father. She blinked. He stood in black slacks and a button-down shirt, freshly shaved. Good Lord. She’d never seen him out of his black uniform. The sense of danger still clung to him, but in regular clothes, he seemed even handsomer. No wonder her mother had been charmed.
    Piper opened the door wider. “Come in, ah, Commander.”
    He strode inside, his gaze taking in the entire living room.
    She looked at the gleaming wood tables and freshly plumped pillows. For hours, after returning home, she’d worked her butt off to clean the house.
    He nodded. “You should probably call me Franklin outside of the facility.” Then he stalked toward the kitchen, his back straight, his body visibly on alert.
    Franklin.
Well, that was a start. Her chest rose, and she took several deep breaths. Then she followed him into the kitchen, where Brian had clearly taken over for Rachel and was ushering people into seats. Earl hovered protectively near Rachel and held out her chair, while the commander—make that Franklin—studied Brian, his dark eyes inscrutable as he quite naturally sat at the head of the table. Earlsat at the foot like a vibrating cocker spaniel facing a bored Doberman.
    Nerves jangled along Piper’s arms as she delivered the food to the table. “Everyone dig in.” Forcing a smile, she took a seat next to her mother, not missing Rachel’s sigh of relief when she partially blocked the commander’s gaze.
    Piper shook off unease. Her mother’s nerves were sending out panic signals strong enough to slicken Piper’s hands with sweat. Why was Rachel so out of sorts? If she were frightened of the commander, she would’ve said so, right? Maybe the dinner had been a bad idea.
    Brian winked at Piper from across the table, and her shoulders relaxed. He then dished salad and handed the bowl to the commander. “So. Piper says you own some type of security firm?”
    Piper nodded and reached for the lasagna. While she’d hated lying to Brian, and her own mother for that matter, she understood national security. Not being able to discuss her work with either her mom or her boyfriend had made for more than one uncomfortable conversation. “The company monitors alarm systems,” Piper lied smoothly.
    Rachel snorted next to her and reached for the nearest wine bottle.
    The commander lifted an eyebrow. “You’re a realtor?” He said the last word as if asking if Brian handed out fliers on a street corner.
    “Yes,” Brian said calmly, amusement darkening his eyes.
    “And you’re dating my daughter.” The commander leaned to the side to view Rachel. “I don’t believe I was consulted regarding this.”
    Rachel poured herself a healthy glass of red wine. “It’s a little late for you to be consulted, don’t you think?” She took a gulp… and then another.
    Piper blinked. “Ah, I’m all grown up.”
    The commander kept his gaze on Rachel. “I believe we had a nice talk a while back, and that I’d be kept apprised.” His voice remained low and level, but a tenor hinted there that Piper couldn’t quite discern. When had her parents had a talk?
    Rachel shrugged and