Piper

When my phone chimes, I already know it’s West. He’s standing on the beach, waiting, wondering why I didn’t show up for our morning run for the second morning in a row.

It killed me not to go, to miss out on that smile of his and the little bit of time reserved for just the two of us. But I didn’t feel much like laughing today, and I didn’t think I could look at him without crying. Not after I woke up this morning and found out I didn’t get the position I had been counting on. Restructuring, I could handle. But rejection? That’s a whole different story.

And that was on top of the photo I had seen of my husband and Tilly, Cannon’s reaction to the hickey on my neck, and running into West and Tilly at the restaurant.

It’s one thing after another, and it’s all too much.

West: Then, unless you tell me to stop, I’m coming to you. Right now.

Now’s not the best time to see West. I’m still recovering from the sting of seeing him with Tilly at the restaurant. But I don’t tell him to stop. I can’t. Because not seeing him is almost as painful as the rejection letter from the school.

My heart thumps in my chest as I hurry downstairs to see him. When I pull back the curtains, I can feel his energy through the sliding glass door.

Our eyes meet, and he mouths, Open the door.

Without thinking, I unlock it and start to open it, but I freeze. Letting him inside goes against everything I promised my husband.

West sees my hesitation and starts typing on his phone.

West: I’ll stay right here. I just want to be able to talk to you without typing.

I only half-believe him. We both know he won’t stay away from me. And, just like I expected, the second he sees an opportunity, his hands are on me, and I’m being pulled into his arms. I’m not mad though, not even a little. I’m relieved. Relieved that he’s here. Relieved that he’s holding me and thankful that I have his comfort. Cannon sure wasn’t giving me any last night. Not the way West would have if I had worn that dress and those heels for him.

“Piper, why are you shaking?”

“It’s nothing,” I tell him.

I’m too ashamed to admit the truth. I’m trembling because of how much I missed being in his arms and because not getting this job means I’m letting go of another piece of what keeps me whole. Teaching is part of who I am, and I’ll be even more lost without it.

Cannon won’t care though. He’s wanted me to stay home for years, but I like working. I like seeing my kids smile.

“Piper,” West whispers against my cheek, “talk to me. You skipped your run yesterday and today, and I can tell you’re upset.”

I should let go of him—we’re in plain view—but I can’t. Instead, I walk us backward into the house, and he closes the door behind us.

For a minute, all we do is breathe each other in. I don’t care that he’s sweaty, and he doesn’t care that I still smell like my husband’s cologne. He just holds me as tightly as I need him to because, the second I open my mouth to speak, I know I’ll cry.

“If I’m making it worse by being here, I’ll leave.”

I shake my head because I don’t want him to leave. He’s exactly what I need.

He raises my chin with his finger, and I see the worry in his furrowed brow.

“Is this about last night at the restaurant? Or is this your way of telling me we’re done?”

Done? That’s what he thinks this is about?

“I didn’t realize you saw us last night, but it doesn’t change how I feel. I’ll never be done, West,” I whisper as the first tear falls.

Hating how weak I am, I cover my face with my hands to hide my crying. West doesn’t want me to keep secrets, and he pulls them away just as fast, revealing every insecurity I possess.

“If we’re okay, then why are you so upset?”

“We’re fine,” I reassure him. “But we are breaking the rules.”

He brushes his knuckles across my cheek, soothing the worry right out of me. “I don’t think the rules matter today. Not when you’re crying. But, if it’ll make you feel better, I’ll put that little garden gnome you have out back on the steps of your deck or something. That way, we’re not alone.”

I snort the most unattractive laugh, which makes West smile. And those smiles of his are his most powerful weapon. I can never deny his dimple.

“I don’t think that’ll make Tilly or Cannon feel better.”

He shrugs. “All I care about is what’ll make you feel better.”

I blush because he cares and because it’s been so long since I’ve felt a pull this strong. “I’m sorry I missed both runs. That was selfish of me.”

“Don’t say that, Piper. You don’t have a selfish bone in your body. Regardless, holding you is better than sweating in the sand.”

“You really look forward to the runs?” They mean everything to me, and I love that they affect him just as much.

“I get on that sand to see you.”

“You’re lucky you don’t have to worry about working,” I tell him. But I see the pain flash through his eyes, like he wishes that weren’t the case. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

I know who he is. What he does—did. I don’t watch much hockey, but his team did a lot of charity work for special needs children. That, I pay attention to. I’m sorry he was forced to give up hockey before he was ready. He should have years of his career left. Years of playing time to look forward to. One hit shouldn’t have destroyed his dreams.

Even though I figured out who he is, Cannon doesn’t have a clue, or I’m sure he would have mentioned it. He’s never been into sports, and he’s never asked for details about West and Tilly. As far as he’s concerned, our arrangement revolves around sex and nothing else. He doesn’t want specifics or any extra baggage.

I don’t know how he can care so little. I’m the exact opposite. I crave information and details. If it’s out there, I want to know about it. And, because I care about West so much, I want to know everything. Every last detail that makes him the man that he is.

“It’s okay, Piper. You can say whatever you want to me.”

“Were you ever going to tell me?”

I watch him as he thinks about my question.

“Not until I had to. But hear me out before you get mad.” He pauses for just a second, and I can tell this isn’t easy for him. “When most people find out what I do…” He stops again, shaking his head this time. “What I did, they look at me differently. More importantly, they treat me differently. They see money and connections and perks, not me, the person beneath all that.”

“It doesn’t matter to me what you do or who you are. I mean, I know you live on the beach, that Tilly is your wife, and that you played hockey. Of course, the stories about your injury were all over the internet. I read a couple.”

“Just a couple?”

“Okay, more than a few. But I stopped searching. How much you tell me is for you to decide. Not for me to dig up.”

He blinks a couple of times, like he wasn’t expecting that answer. It wasn’t easy to come to that conclusion, but I don’t feel closer to West when I find out gossip. It only makes the distance grow. I want the truth—his feelings, his emotions, his pain.

“You could make a lot of money by telling people what we’re doing,” he says. “What’s stopping you?”

“You think I’d do that?” I ask in shock. I’m a little bit offended he could think so little of me.

“No. I trust you, Piper. I’ve trusted you since the second you let me inside you. But what about your husband?”

“He doesn’t know the difference between hockey and bowling. You’re safe there. As for me, I’ve never done this before, West. I’m not looking to make a quick buck. I have nothing to gain, except you.” I trace my fingertips over his shoulder muscles and run them over the shaved hairs on the back of his neck. “All I want is you.” It’s a scary admission that makes my pulse thump in my ears, but it’s true.

“What makes me any better than what you already have?”

It’s now or never. Either I tell him the truth or I pretend like everything with Cannon is just the way it should be. It’s not.

“The spark,” I whisper. “Whenever I think about you or see you, I get all this nervous energy. But it’s the good kind of nervous. The kind that brings me to life and reminds me of how much I’ve been missing. Last night proved to me that things with Cannon would never be the same. We’re not the same couple we once were. And we definitely don’t have this.”

He brushes his lips over mine and says, “Fuck, I needed to hear that.”

“But you’re still worried about Cannon ratting you out, aren’t you?”

He doesn’t answer me right away, but he doesn’t say no either. When I start to pull away, he holds me tighter.

“I trust Cannon to take care of my wife while he’s with her. Beyond that, he doesn’t owe me anything.”

I hate how little faith he has. I want him to trust us and believe that we’re not after his money or fame.

“Even if Cannon figured it out, I’d never let him say a word to anyone. What we’re doing is our business. Nobody else’s.” I need West to believe that.

He tucks a piece of hair behind my ear and says, “Tell me what’s wrong. Why weren’t you on the beach the past couple of mornings, and why were you crying?”

I don’t want to tell him in the middle of the family room, so I nod my head toward the stairs, and he follows me.

When we’re in the kitchen, I open the fridge and pull out eggs and orange juice. “Hungry?”

His eyes roam my chest and then my ass. “Always,” he says, instantly making me wet.

“For eggs?”

“You’re blushing again, Piper.”

I set everything on the counter and grip the edge. “I think you’re flirting with me.”

“Just flirting?” he asks as he rounds the island. “Nothing else?”

“Everything else is against the rules,” I tell him as I bite my lip to keep from smiling.

“Fuck the rules. I would have kissed you last night when you went to the restroom at the restaurant, but it wasn’t the right place. Not with Cannon there. But he’s gone now, and I have you all to myself. And I want to kiss you right here.”

“Just one kiss?” I question. “Or will one kiss lead to more?”

“Now, I think you’re the one flirting with me.”

He inches closer, and I can barely swallow, my throat’s so dry. This little game of cat and mouse we’re playing can only end one way—with me on my back and him on top of me.

“I’m asking you what you want, West. You wouldn’t still be here if you didn’t want more.”

“You invited me upstairs.”

“And you came without question.”

“I didn’t come yet, Piper. You’ll know when I do.”

I take a deep breath and realize how screwed I am. He’s not supposed to be here without Tilly. We’re not supposed to have sex unless Cannon and Tilly are doing the same, yet that’s exactly where this is headed.

West grabs my waist and sits me on top of the island. And then he pushes my hair away from my neck and licks the hickey he put there. “How much trouble am I in for that?”

“A lot.”

“Fuck yeah,” he mumbles against my skin. “I’d do it again, too.”

I don’t know why that answer turns me on so much, but it does. I’d even risk another tantrum from Cannon needing to find out how West put another one there.

My skin is still so sensitive, and every brush of his tongue drives me crazy.

“West, we need to slow down.”

Slow down.

Don’t stop.

You’ll regret it.

You’ll love it.

“What if I can’t?”

“Kiss me harder,” I tell him.

“You’re sure?” he asks as he slides his palm down my chest and rolls one of my nipples between his fingertips through the fabric of my T-shirt.

If I wasn’t already positive of what I wanted, I am now. “Fuck me, West.”

He smirks and tugs on my nipple. “Maybe once I’ve been inside you, you’ll talk to me.”

If he keeps making me feel this good, I’ll tell him everything. Everything that’s been weighing me down and torturing me. Even the truth about how much I need him. Because I do. With West, I’m alive. I’m living.