The next morning, Piper opened the back door to let Snickers back in, and then made sure he had water and kibble before she headed back upstairs to take a shower. She was determined to lock her emotions up tight and go to the bakery. She needed to take stock of everything there so she could figure out what she was going to do.
Rolling her eyes at herself, she started walking up the stairs. She knew what she was going to do, hard as it may be. She had to sell the shop, maybe even the house later on. Her life, such as it was, was in Seattle. But more than that was her need to get out of Eagle Creek, and finally try to leave the past in the past.
Eyes catching on the row of photographs on the wall that climbed with the stairs, her feet slowed to a stop. Right in front of her was a photo of her with her grandparents, taken before the homecoming dance her sophomore year. They were standing behind her with proud smiles, and she was all dolled up, anxious to leave with Jax and begin their date.
Piper smiled as she looked at herself. Her dress was modest, a calf length shimmering green with thick straps. Her brown hair was in an up-do, and her makeup was subtle, as her grandmother requested. Modesty above everything, Helen always said.
“But I want to look beautiful,” Piper whined.
“You are,” Grandma insisted. “Look at yourself. Your complexion is creamy smooth, you have lips women would die for, and those gorgeous violet eyes.”
“My lips are huge and gross, and who has purple eyes, Grandma? They’re weird and make me look like a freak. Add in mousy brown hair, a flat chest, and wide hips, and I’m hideous.”
“Oh stop,” Grandma said in exasperation. “Your hair might be brown, but it’s not mousy, and look how full and shiny it is. As for a flat chest, you’re fourteen. You still have time.”
Piper rolled her eyes. “Kelly went up two bust sizes over the summer. Two! I’m practically still in a training bra. Can’t I put on more makeup? I learned how to do cat eyes with eyeliner last week. That would look cool.”
“Subtle and natural is best, Piper,” Grandma said firmly. “Besides, Jax has seen you without makeup thousands of times, and he obviously thinks you’re beautiful. Else he wouldn’t be taking you to the dance.”
A dreamy smile curved Piper’s lips at Jax’s name. “I can’t wait for tonight.”
“Look at yourself in the mirror right now and tell me you’re not beautiful, Piper Jasmine McCoy. Now let’s get that hair done, because your young man will be here soon, and you don’t want to be too late.”
Gasping when she saw the time, Piper shut up and let her grandmother put her hair up. Piper was just slipping into her shoes when she heard the slam of a car door, and excitement to see Jax washed over her. Giving herself one last glance, she ran down the stairs, only slowing when her grandmother cautioned her.
Throwing open the door, she walked outside, her belly breaking out in butterflies when she saw Jax. He was beautiful, standing there in the sunlight, talking to her grandpa. He was wearing slacks and a dress shirt, and she drank him in, wanting to remember this moment forever. She’d never seen him in anything but jeans or shorts, and he looked so very grown up in his dress clothes.
He glanced over and saw her standing in the doorway, his eyes widening at the sight of her. Breaking off mid-sentence, he walked toward her, mounting the porch stairs and coming to a stop in front of her.
“Piper, you look gorgeous,” he said, his already deep voice sincere, the timbre sending shivers up and down her spine.
“So do you,” she said softly after she found her voice.
The butterflies had spread from her belly to her throat, and she couldn’t make her voice have more substance. Taking a shaky breath, she ran her eyes up and down his tall frame. Jax just turned sixteen last month, but he looked much older, and he was so cute. No, not cute. He was hot. He could have the pick of any girl in school, but he’d chosen plain, mousy Piper McCoy. Sometimes she still couldn’t believe it, and she just barely resisted the urge to pinch herself.
Jax took her hands in his, and the butterflies broke free, turning into tingles racing over her skin. She gazed into his dark green eyes, trying to understand what was happening to her. It was physical attraction, for sure, but it was even more than that. Could this be love? Already? They’d known each other since they were little, but this new tension had just developed over the summer. Could she have already, in the space of a couple months, fallen in love with him?
A whine broke through Piper’s memories, and she felt dazed as she blinked at her surroundings, the butterflies from that long ago moment fluttering in her belly. Glancing down, she saw Snickers on the stair next to her, head cocked as he watched her.
“Good looking out, Snicks,” she said, rushing up the stairs and into the shower.
That was a prime example of why she had to get the hell out of Eagle Creek. Remembering the past put her in that dreaded position of vulnerability, and she wasn’t that Piper anymore. She was a badass Boss Bitch who let nothing and no one stop her from being who she wanted to be.
Going into the bathroom, she got into the shower, relaxing into the hot water for a moment before she quickly washed. She was ready to go see the bakery, and she wanted to do it while she was feeling strong enough.
After showering and dressing in jeans and a tank top, she quickly applied makeup and took a moment to look at herself. She couldn’t look further from the naïve teenager she used to be, and she felt her lips curl up in satisfaction. This was the real her, the creative Piper she always wanted to be. Maybe her look was a little much for small town Wyoming, but screw them all. She was finally herself, and she would never censor herself again.
Letting Snickers out one more time before she left, she slid into the Mustang and took a deep breath before she started the car with a growl, the exhaust rumbling in the quiet of the street. Not allowing herself to think about what she was doing, she drove to the bakery, put the car in park, and got out. Ignoring the looks she was getting from the people on the street, she strode to the door and unlocked it, keeping a tight rein on her emotions as she let herself inside.
It looked the same as it did the day she left for college, and for a moment she felt like she entered a time warp. The only difference was the empty display cases, and the air of emptiness that permeated the shop. Taking a deep breath, she walked past the counter, sliding her fingers along the smooth surface as she walked.
This was where she spent so much of her time, as a kid who just came to hang out with her grandparent’s, and later as a teenager, working in the back and at the register. Her grandmother taught her everything she knew, back at the house and here at the shop. Once upon a time, her dream had been to come back home after college and run this shop while she and Jax began their grownup life together. A dream that crumbled to dust a couple weeks before graduation.
Cutting herself off from those thoughts, Piper made her way to the back, taking in the baking area. Other than some upgrades to the equipment, most of it remained the same. Her lips curved in a sad smile as she watched a transparent vision of her grandma bustling around the room, explaining what she was doing to a rapt, wide eyed Piper.
The vision disappeared as the bell above the door dinged, and with a frown, Piper walked to the front of the store. A woman around her age was standing inside, looking around, and Piper smiled when she recognized her.
The woman glanced over and her eyebrow’s twitched in a frown. “Excuse me, I’m looking for Piper. I’m guessing she’s somewhere in the back? If you could get her, that would be great.”
“Kelly, it’s me,” Piper said with a laugh, coming out from behind the counter.
Kelly did a double take, searching Piper’s face as she came closer. “Piper? Oh my God, I never would have recognized you. My goodness. What living in the big city does to someone.”
Piper laughed. “It’s not because I live in the big city. I used to talk about this stuff all the time, remember?”
Kelly smiled, a dimple winking in her cheek as she nodded. “I guess you did, but I never thought you were serious. Regardless, you look great.” Kelly closed the distance between them and pulled Piper into a hug, and when she pulled back, her smile faded as she searched Piper’s eyes. “We never should have gone so long without talking. We swore we wouldn’t let distance get between us, and then we did just that. And I’m so sorry about your grandmother. She was an amazing lady, and I was so upset that I couldn’t get back home for the funeral. I was in Chicago at the time, helping my mom after her surgery.”
“It’s okay. Mrs. D told me where you were. Don’t apologize. You needed to be with your mom. How is she now?”
“Out running around, dancing till dawn. Doing all the things she couldn’t before she got her knee replaced,” Kelly said with a laugh.
“That’s great. I’m so glad she’s doing so well. We should hang out while I’m here. I’ve missed you. I don’t want to lose touch again when I go back home, either.”
“While you’re here? You’re not staying?” Kelly asked, disappointment in her eyes.
Suppressing a sigh, Piper shook her head. “I have a life back in Seattle, Kelly. I can’t just pack up everything and move here.”
“Didn’t your grandmother say you worked from home?” Kelly asked with a puzzled frown. “Ohhh, I bet you’re seeing someone now. I get it. I suppose I should find a new job,” she said with a distant look.
“That’s right, you’ve been working here for a while, haven’t you?” she asked, beginning to feel guilty. “I’m so sorry, Kel. I should have said something to you so you weren’t waiting around on me.”
“Don’t worry about it. My house is paid for, and I have plenty in savings. I don’t actually need to work. I only did because I enjoyed it here.” She chewed on her lip for a moment before brightening. “Hey, maybe I could just buy this place from you! I always loved it here. I’ve gotten pretty good at baking, although no one is as good as your grandma was. And she never would let anyone else have her special recipes,” Kelly said with a laugh. “But I’m good. This could work.”
“Yeah, sure. I’ll let you know when I have more of an idea on things,” Piper forced out with a strained smile.
“Hey, want to come to Cocky Pete’s tonight? Just hang out and catch up? It’s been too long.”
“Yeah, sure, I’d like that.”
“Seven sound okay? Great. I’ll meet you there. I’ve got to get going, so I’ll see you tonight!”
Piper watched as Kelly walked out of the store, wondering at her reluctance over selling the bakery to Kelly. Her old friend was a thousand times better than some stranger who would change things, or even turn the building into something else.
Frowning, she got back to her walk-through. She shouldn’t care what happened to the store once she sold it. She wanted nothing to do with Eagle Creek, and she was determined to spend as little time here as possible. So why this hesitancy to discuss selling it, even to her childhood best friend?
Feeling unsettled, Piper finished checking the store out before driving back home. She opened the door to let Snickers out, and followed him, inhaling the warm summer air as she made her way to the gazebo. Taking a seat on the stairs, she put her elbows on her knees and planted her chin in her hand.
Maybe it was just because to her, the bakery would always be Mansfield’s. Always be her grandmother’s. The thought of it being anyone else’s felt all wrong, but she’d have to get over it. Selling was the only option.
“I thought I might find you back here. Hey, Piper. Long time, no see.”
Piper jumped at hearing someone else’s voice, and felt her body go hot then cold. She knew, before she ever glanced up, who it belonged to. She hadn’t heard it in eight years, and the smoky baritone had deepened even more since then, and it sent shivers chasing up and down her spine.
For just a moment, longing rushed through her, so potent it would have brought her to her knees if she was standing. And it pissed her the fuck off, to no end. This man had broken her heart. Ripped it from her chest and crushed it beneath his boot, slicing her soul to shreds. She would not feel longing for him now.
Steeling herself, her eyes found his boots, and she trailed them up his body, intentionally keeping her expression blank. Good Lord in Heaven, he was huge. His thighs were straining his faded jeans, and she forced herself to not linger over the bulge in his jeans. He was wearing a tight black t-shirt that was clinging to his muscular chest, and the sleeves hugged his massive biceps.
Swallowing hard, she ignored the rush of desire coursing through her veins, and forced her eyes up higher. Past a square jaw dusted with dark stubble, past well defined, full lips, the lower one fuller than the top. Past a strong nose and sharp cheekbones, straight up into eyes that were shadowed by his ballcap, but that she knew were a beautiful forest green. She couldn’t see them well, but she could feel the intensity in them like a torch to her skin. When he turned his head for a moment, she saw he had sideburns, only slightly thicker than the stubble on his jaw, and what she could see of his black hair beneath his hat was cut short.
Shooting to a standing position, she crossed her arms over her chest, pissed off that he’d caught her so off guard. But she didn’t know he was back in Eagle Creek too, and she hadn’t expected to run into him while she was here. Returning his eyes to her, he started sliding them down her body, doing his own inspection, and her core tightened even as she got more pissed off.
He didn’t get to walk back into her life eight years after leaving her devastated. Didn’t get to look at her like he was doing now, the heat in his eyes almost a tangible caress against her skin. Didn’t get to make her feel things for him again, even if it was only physical.
And it is. It’s only physical. The only emotion I feel for him is anger, she told herself.
“What the fuck are you doing here, St. James? Get the hell off my property, now. You’re not welcome here.”
Jax raised an eyebrow at Piper’s words, but he wasn’t surprised. This first meeting was going about as well as he thought it would. He took a moment to marshal his thoughts, because seeing her again had packed even more of a wallop than he anticipated. His throat was too tight for speech, and his eagle was inside him, keeled over in a swoon, acting more like a damned fainting woman than a fierce bird of prey. He wouldn’t be any help at all.
His heart would have recognized Piper instantly in a crowd of thousands, but it was taking his mind a bit to catch up to the changes she’d made to her appearance. Her brown hair was dyed black, parted on the right, and shaved from the part to her ear. The rest was long, hitting her mid back, and streaks of bright purple started about halfway down.
Her face was as beautiful as ever, her violet eyes highlighted with black eyeliner and mascara. Her lips were the same, a touch too full for her face, and he could see a diamond stud winking from her pert nose. Her hair was covering one ear, but on the other, she had a row of earrings marching down her ear, with silver hoops resting in her two bottom holes.
She started tapping the toe of one booted foot impatiently, and his eyes dropped before slowly making their way back up again. Her snug jeans were ripped and frayed, and just a sliver of skin was visible over her belt, from where her crossed arms were pulling her form fitting green tank top up. There was a tendril of a tattoo visible, curling around to her stomach from her back.
Forcing his eyes higher, he saw the ink on her arms, the thick leather band she wore on one wrist, and her generous cleavage, pushed higher by her arms. He caught a glimpse of another tat peeking out from the neckline of her tank top, and what little wits he had remaining fled as he swallowed hard against the desire heating his blood.
The wholesome looking Piper of his youth had been beautiful beyond belief, and he wouldn’t have changed a thing about her. She’d lamented her girl next door looks on more than one occasion, and he told her more times than he could remember that she couldn’t improve upon perfection. And if she still looked like that Piper, he’d say the same thing again.
But this… this grown up, tough, badass Piper, was fucking hot. She looked like she could chew up and spit out anyone who crossed her, including him. And judging by the way she was glaring at him, that’s what she wanted to do. But for some perverse reason, he felt himself getting even more turned on by the look in her eyes. Maybe the years of denying him and his eagle their mate, denying them Piper, had cracked his mind, but he couldn’t bring himself to care right now.
He wanted to throw her over his shoulder, storm inside, toss her on the bed, and ravish her. He wanted to eat her up, literally. He wanted to feel her rake those black painted nails down his back, wanted to feel them dig into his shoulders, wanted them to draw blood as he pleasured her so thoroughly, she lost her voice from screaming in ecstasy. He wanted to go at her until they were both limp puddles of pleasure and exhaustion in her bed, neither one of them able to move for hours afterward.
And then he wanted to keep her. Forever.
Yes, that. Let’s do that, his eagle urged, faint desperation in his voice.
“My eyes are up here, asshole,” Piper said tightly.
Lips quirking, he looked up into her gorgeous, unique eyes. “Sorry. You’ve changed, and I had to take it in.”
She rolled her eyes, her ire sparking hotter. “Let me guess, like everyone else in this town, you think it sucks. Well, guess what. I don’t give a flying fuck what anyone else thinks, and that sure as shit goes double for you.”
“Actually, I was thinking that you’re fucking hot, Piper. All the changes agree with you.”
Her eyes went wide and her mouth popped open for a moment before she got control over herself again. But it was long enough for him to see that she had her tongue pierced, and Jesus God, could she get any hotter? He was going to go up in flames in a matter of moments, he knew.
Eyes narrowing again, she glared at him, but he could see the faint pink staining her cheeks from his words. And that mix of badass with sweetness weakened his already weak knees.
“I repeat, what the fuck are you doing here, St. James?”
“It’s Thursday.”
“What does it being Thursday have to do with anything?” she asked, her frown turning puzzled.
“I mow the yard and do other maintenance shit on Thursdays.”
“What are you talking about?” she asked, frown deepening before realization dawned in her eyes. “You? Grandma hired you to help her out around the house? Why the hell would she do that?”
“Helen never told you?” he asked, taken aback.
“Since when do you call her Helen, and not Mrs. Mansfield?” she shot back.
“Since she told me to three years ago when she approached me about doing the handiwork around here. She really never told you?”
“Obviously not. I never would have allowed it,” she spat.
Unable to resist, he threw his head back with a laugh, startling himself. He couldn’t remember the last time he laughed with genuine amusement. “And when could anyone ever forbid Helen to do anything? She did what she wanted.”
Lips tightening, Piper’s glare intensified, but she couldn’t argue that, and he knew it. “You can leave. I can mow the yard my damn self.”
“I’m sure you can, but what about everything else? This old house has a lot of quirks, and I know them front and back.”
“I’m more than capable of handling it all myself. So you can leave, and don’t bother coming back.”
Pursing his lips, he nodded slowly. “I’m sure you can. But if there’s anything you can’t figure out or fix, call me. My cell number is on the board by the fridge.”
Smiling tightly, she replied, “Thanks. But I won’t be using it.” She nodded toward the gate that lead to the street.
“Okay, okay. I can take a hint,” he said with a smile.
Looking her over one more time, he turned to go, almost tripping over the dog sitting silently behind him. “Fuck, where did he come from? Ugly little critter.”
“Snickers! Come here, boy,” Piper called.
The little dog jumped up and ran to Piper, where she picked him up and snuggled him close, her glare hot enough to melt Jax’s hide off. Well, shit. He’d just insulted her dog. He definitely wasn’t winning any points with her this afternoon.
Winning points? Did he want to win points? He considered it for a split second before nodding to himself. Yes, yes he did want to win points.
“I mean, not ugly, just—different,” he said, trying to backpedal.
“So everything that’s different is ugly? I’m different.”
“You’re not ugly, Piper—”
“Just. Leave. I don’t have the patience for you anymore,” she bit out.
Well, shit. With a nod, he turned to leave. He heard her mutter, “Some watchdog you are, Snickers,” as he walked away, and despite having dug himself in worse with her, he felt his lips pulling into a smile. The action felt as foreign as his laughter had. He hadn’t done either in years. In fact, the last time he had was eight years ago, with Piper.
Getting in his truck, he started it before scrubbing his hands over his face. Blowing out a breath, he headed back toward Rocky River, his eagle protesting leaving his mate behind after seeing her for the first time in so long.
He’d come over today to fulfill an obligation, and a promise to Helen to keep the house in good shape after she passed. She had pneumonia when she passed away, and predicted that she didn’t have much time left on Earth. Jax had thought that was just the ramblings of a sick older woman, but she called it. A pang of sorrow hit his chest, and he brought a hand up to his chest. He’d miss that crazy old woman, that was for sure.
But what he hadn’t expected was for the sight of Piper to completely change his world view. He naively thought he could walk in and see her, and remain the same afterward. But nothing was the same. Everything standing between them was still true. None of that had changed.
What changed was his perception of it. He could protect Piper if the threats began again. He was a nervous twenty-year-old back then, defiant, but still scared his grandfather and colony would go after her. He was eight years older now, and he’d grown up a lot in those eight years. He was stronger, wiser, tougher now.
He’d traveled the country with Ian, learning to fight and becoming one of the best. He wasn’t being boastful, just stating a fact. He could take on anyone his grandfather tried to send after him or Piper. He was strong enough to protect her now.
And he knew, from the moment he saw her again, so different yet still the same Piper, that he wasn’t going to be able to walk away from her again. He was an idiot for ever thinking he could. Breaking things off with her eight years ago had been the hardest thing he ever did, and damned near impossible. He knew two seconds after laying eyes on her today that he wasn’t going to be able to do it again.
The real battle was going to be getting her to forgive him and give him another shot. He hurt her deeply when he ended things back then, and even the Piper of old would have a hard time getting past that. This new spitfire Piper was going to give him hell, and never let up. There had been no crack in her tough exterior today, no hint that seeing him had affected her like seeing her did for him. The faint blush she had was the only thing that hinted to her having felt anything for him but fury and disdain.
To his surprise, he welcomed the war to win her heart back. If nothing else, this was going to prove interesting, and he couldn’t wait to get started.
Deciding to bypass the driveway to Rocky River, he cruised down the back road, wanting time to think over strategy. But he found himself wondering at the drastic change in her. It wasn’t that he didn’t like it, or didn’t think it was her. She wasn’t trying to be something she wasn’t, although she’d never been quite that fierce in the past. But even as a kid, she had that same fire inside her.
What bothered him was how he’d seen her in a photo at her grandmother’s house once. It was taken around five years ago, back when she’d been married. His gut tightened as he thought of her married to another man, but he pushed it away. The time for jealousy was long past, but he knew he’d always hate her ex-husband with everything in him for being the man who spent his days and nights with Piper.
But this wasn’t about that. This was about the change in Piper. Thinking back to that photograph, his eyes narrowed thoughtfully. All he thought at the time was how beautiful she was, but now he was recalling the details in the photo. Her brown hair had been highlighted with blonde, her makeup and jewelry, minimal. She’d been wearing heels, a knee length khaki skirt, and a pale pink top with a white sweater over it. Clothes even the old Piper wouldn’t have worn, but he just assumed she’d changed.
What was hitting him like a punch to the gut was the strain around her smile, and the poorly hidden sadness in her eyes. Maybe she hadn’t changed on the inside enough to change her clothes and look to how she was then. Maybe who she was wasn’t who she wanted to be, and she felt forced. And once she was divorced, she shed that image and went full force to the one she wanted.
Her look right now might seem extreme to those who knew her in the past and grew up with her. But to him, it felt like she looked exactly right for who she was inside. Whoever she tried to look like when she was married, that wasn’t Piper.
Fury boiled through his veins at the thought of her husband allowing, or even encouraging, her to change herself like that, but he cautioned himself to slow down. He was making a lot of assumptions right now, all based on a single image captured on film. For all he knew, who she was in the photo was who she wanted to be at that point in time. And maybe she’d been having a bad day, and her smile and eyes reflected that.
All he knew for certain was he would take Piper any way he could get her. Who she was as a teenager, who she’d been in her early twenties, and who she was now. Past, present, and future Piper, and he would count himself the luckiest son of a bitch to ever live if he got the chance to spend his life with any version of Piper she chose to be.