Chapter 41

Piper

I’d been missing Austin while he was on tour, something I hadn’t expected to say when I’d first reconnected with him. Each day, the idea of being with him seemed less scary. While I still wasn’t ready to call myself his girlfriend, I wasn’t freaking out at the idea.

I was sitting in a Mexican restaurant with Bentley’s cousin, Delaney, and her two friends, Chelsea and Brook.

I hadn’t intended to join them, but as soon as Delaney saw me, she rushed over. Before I knew what was happening, I was sitting beside her. Delaney was something else. She was an erotica writer who believed everyone’s sex life was research for her books. Delaney had red hair, green eyes, and elfin features. I’d just finished listening to a ten-minute rant about how gestational diabetes had nearly ruined her life, mostly because she hadn’t been able to eat cake while she was pregnant. That rant had been followed by a discussion of how much she liked having bigger boobs while she was breastfeeding. Her friend Chelsea was a bubbly blonde with the figure of a pinup girl. Brook was the more serious of the three. She had long brown hair, hazel eyes, and a lithe build. All three women were fun and entertaining. They were a good distraction while I waited for Austin to arrive.

“Your man didn’t stand you up, did he?” Delaney asked.

“I can’t believe you’re dating the rebound guy,” Chelsea mused.

“You know about that?” I asked. I hadn’t told anyone at the table who I was waiting for.

“Delaney is nosy and tells us everything,” Brook explained. “She forwarded us the pictures of you kissing him as soon as she saw them.”

“I am not nosy,” Delaney argued. “Have I asked you once tonight if Ty has tried any new kinky moves with you?”

“Nope,” Brook replied. “You weren’t done interrogating Chelsea about her sex life when you got distracted with Piper.”

“Good point. I’m not done with Chelsea. Did Luke get any new bondage toys?” Delaney asked Chelsea. “I heard they have these rope classes and even classes to teach suspension bondage. Luke could sign the two of you up for some of those.”

“See what I mean?” Brook asked before adding, “When is the rebound guy supposed to get here?”

I frowned. For some reason, that title suddenly bothered me. “His flight was delayed, and they hit bad traffic coming from the city. I’m supposed to be meeting him for dinner, but I was too hungry to wait.”

“Luckily, we were here to keep you company,” Chelsea told me.

“Do you always sit this far from the restaurant area?” I asked. We were at the farthest end of the bar with no other customers seated by us.

“With Delaney, it’s best if there aren’t any young children close enough to overhear her,” Brook explained.

“Hey!” Delaney protested. “I’m a mother now and not nearly as bad as I was before.”

“That’s scary,” I said with a laugh. “You just suggested suspension bondage classes in a public place.”

“Would you believe me if I told you I have an internal filter when I’m not breastfeeding?” Delaney asked.

“No,” I replied. “I’ve spoken to you enough to know that’s not true. I will admit that you seem more reserved than you were when you were pregnant.”

“That wasn’t my fault,” Delaney argued. “It was pregnancy hormones and cake deprivation.”

“Hopefully, your man gets here before Delaney starts interrogating you about your sex life,” Brook remarked.

From where I was sitting, I could see the front door, so I noticed right away when Austin walked in. When his eyes landed on me, my body immediately tightened with need. How could a man do that with a simple look?

“He’s here now.” If my voice was a little breathy, it was only to be expected.

“He looks like he’s about to stalk over here, toss you over his shoulder, and carry you somewhere to have his way with you,” Delaney said on a sigh.

“Normally, I’d say she’s exaggerating, but that is how he looks,” Chelsea agreed.

I stood and absently said my goodbyes to Delaney and her friends before making my way to Austin. He looked incredible in worn jeans, a tight black t-shirt, and a leather jacket. My gaze remained locked with his.

“I’ve missed you,” he uttered when I was standing directly in front of him. He had his hands shoved in his pockets and made no move to touch me.

“Are you hungry?” I asked, hoping he’d say no.

“Hungry?” He looked as if he had no idea what I was asking.

“Do you want to eat something?” I clarified.

“Yes,” he murmured, and he wasn’t thinking about food. “We should get a table and talk.”

“We could talk at my place,” I offered. “Andy’s on vacation, so he and Cerise went to San Diego for a few days. They won’t be back until tomorrow afternoon. We can always order something to go if you’re hungry. I actually ate. You were running late, and I was starving. I’m not good at waiting to eat when I’m hungry.”

I was babbling. Before Austin had arrived, I hadn’t been nervous about seeing him. It had only been two weeks.

“Let’s talk here.” My shock at his response must have shown on my face because he chuckled and asked, “You expected me to drag you out to the car and take you home to do wicked things to you while you’re wearing nothing but your bunny slippers, right?”

“All except the bunny slippers part,” I replied. “I’m still not sure what it is with you and my slippers.”

“Neither am I,” he admitted with a laugh.

“Do you need a table?” the hostess asked us.

“Yes, for two,” Austin replied.

“Right this way,” she said, and we followed her to a booth in the back.

“What’s good here?” Austin asked.

“The fajitas are my favorite,” I replied. “I don’t eat here too often. Bentley recently introduced me to this place. I guess it’s her cousin’s go-to place to hang out with her friends.”

“That would explain why you were sitting with Delaney,” he remarked. “I’m surprised she didn’t come over here to join us.”

“I’m sure she wanted to, but her friends probably stopped her, so I asked,” Austin seemed off. “Why do you look so serious?”

He set his menu down and blew out a tired breath. “Partly because I’m exhausted. I’m also nervous about this talk.”

“You’re making me worry. What’s going on?”

“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, and I keep coming back to the fact that I shouldn’t have slept with you before I left,” he admitted.

“Because you’ve suddenly decided to wear a chastity ring?” I asked slowly.

Austin laughed at my question. “No, because I don’t want you to think that’s all I want from you.”

“I get that you want more,” I assured him. “You’ve mentioned it plenty of times. Did Harley tell you off for not clarifying our relationship before we had sex?”

“Worse,” he admitted. “Xander told me I was wrong.”

I cringed. “Ouch. This isn’t a big deal. I’m not ready to define what we’re doing by giving us labels. For all I know, we may never get to that point. We’re dating, but it could be just to help us work through some unresolved issues from our past.”

“It’s more than that,” Austin argued.

“It might be, but we don’t know each other that well anymore,” I reminded him.