Free Blue Lines: The Assassins Series: A Loveswept Contemporary Romance by Toni Aleo

the door to her house. There she stood in superhot shorts that looked like
     underwear and a sexy shirt that was falling off her shoulders, giving him a good enough
     view to know there was no bra underneath. Her hair was wet and was dripping down the
     back of her shirt. She looked playful and gorgeous, and he liked that combination.
     He also liked that she was being so spunky.
    Their night together all those months ago was hot, hot, soooo fucking hot his dick
     was stiff just thinking about it. Or maybe it was seeing her gray couch. They had
     done the naughtiest things on that couch and seeing it again reminded him of that
     night. He got so lost on that couch with Piper that he had even thought he could be
     a different man when he was in her arms.
    But then he went back on the road and slept with three different women just to bleach
     his brain of any thoughts of Piper. He knew that he couldn’t be the man that she needed,
     and he struggled to get her out of his mind. No sense thinking about something you
     could never have. He knew he had hurt her, and he did regret the pain he’d caused
     her, but it was for the best. She and that couch needed to be out of his life. Things
     weren’t safe when he was wrapped in her arms. Words came out of his mouth that he’d
     never uttered to anyone. Thoughts of being the man that Cooper was came to mind, and
     God knows that would never happen with Piper or anyone. How could it, with the godawful
     childhood he had had?
    Erik had accepted he would never know what a woman’s love would feel like. He had
     the love of his brother, his mom and dad, and he was fine with just that. He had to
     be because he would never allow himself to have anything more. When he had first met
     Piper he knew she was a “love you forever” kind of girl. When she pinned him with
     those baby blues, he was taken in. He had never felt such a jolt and he knew then
     she could be trouble, because she could be someone he could love, forever—if only
     he would have been wired to be able to do that. It wasn’t as though she had a perfect
     smile, with the gap between her teeth and all. He usually liked his women very made-up,
     in virtual physical perfection, but something about Piper was different. She could
     walk into a room wearing a brown paper bag and he would still think she was the hottest
     thing next to the sun.
    Now here he was, asking her to marry him.
    And all she was doing was blinking at him like her brain had totally short-circuited.
    “Excuse me?”
    Erik cleared his throat and looked down as he dug into his pocket, pulling out the
     smallring he had picked up before coming to her house. It was nothing spectacular, just
     a small diamond. He didn’t want her to get the wrong idea, like he cared or something … even
     though he sort of did.
    Swallowing loudly, he held the ring out to her and said, “I think we should get married.”
    Never in his life did he think he would ever utter those words.
    Erik expected her to start yelling, but the next thing he knew, the glasses she held
     busted at their feet. He looked down in surprise at the shattered glass scattered
     everywhere before glancing back up at her. She just stood there, her eyes wide as
     quarters as her chest rose and fell in rhythm with his heart. She reached out to hold
     on to the counter as she took in a big gulp of air.
    “Surely, I am hearing you wrong,” she finally blurted. “Because I swear you just asked
     me to marry you.”
    Erik nodded. Feeling the need to do something, he bent over to pick up the shards
     of glass. “I did.”
    “Why?” she squeaked. “You don’t love me.”
    “I know that,” he said as he stood, throwing the glass in a nearby trash can. “But
     I’m in trouble and you put me there. So I need your help.”
    Erik glanced over his shoulder to catch the hurt look on Piper’s face.
    “You told Elli about us, and in doing so, you fucked me. Elli is threatening to kick
     me off the