Piper

When I wake up, the bed’s empty, but West isn’t on one of his runs. He’s outside on the balcony, on the phone. Automatically, my mind drifts to Tilly and whether she’s trying to poison his mind with more threats about me or Cannon.

I pretend to be asleep when he crawls back in bed. He kisses my temple and brushes my hair away from my face.

“Mornin’,” I whisper as I open my eyes.

“You’re so fucking beautiful, you know that?”

“You’re just saying that because I’m naked.”

His eyes worship mine, and the intensity of his stare takes my breath away.

“I’m saying it because it’s true.”

Something happened on that phone call. His words are bold, just like his eyes, and I’m worried.

But, instead of digging for information, I wait, and I ask, “What do you want to do today?”

He’ll tell me when he’s ready, and if that time doesn’t come, I’ll ask him on my own.

“I thought we’d take a swim, soak up some sunshine, and have a drink. Pretend we’re tourists.”

West hates the racket down at the pool. He loves the beach, but he’s sick of listening to the partying and drinking. His response isn’t him at all. But, if that’s what he wants to do, we’ll do it.

“Okay. Let me put on a suit.”

“The black one?” he asks with a wicked gleam in his eye.

“Black bikini, it is.”

He rests his hands behind his neck and crosses one leg over the other. “Go ahead. I’ll watch.”

“You want to watch me put clothes on?”

“That suit is lethal, Piper. I want to watch you wiggle into it.”

Rolling my eyes, I purposely climb over his body to get out of bed. He groans when I brush against him, grabbing a handful along the way just because I want to see him smile. I get another hard stare.

In the bathroom, I throw my hair into a ponytail and brush my teeth. After I’m finished, I grab the black suit out of my drawer and stand beside the bed, completely naked. Then, I throw my suit at his face, hoping to cheer him up.

He pulls the fabric off his cheeks and sits up. And then he slides out of bed and grinds his ass into me. “Turn around,” he says.

I turn around and say, “Will you help me put it on?”

Without blinking, he bends down to the floor and lifts my foot up. I step into my bikini bottoms, and he slides them up my legs, over my thighs and ass, and then adjusts them on my hips.

My hands are shaking when I grab my lotion and throw it in the bag. He takes his time, changing into his swim trunks, not moving his eyes off my body. He’s not making this easy on me. I want him. I want him so bad, I can feel him between my legs. But he’s giving me nothing. Not a single clue about what’s bothering him.

He stays quiet in the elevator, and it’s only when we’re outside that I take a real breath of air, sucking the fresh oxygen into my lungs. West takes my hand and leads us to a set of chairs in the sand. A server is by our side within seconds, and he orders us drinks.

“Isn’t it a little early?” I ask him.

“It’s never too early,” he says cryptically.

Before I can respond, his phone rings. He glances at the screen and then at me. “I have to take this real quick, okay?”

“Sure,” I tell him.

As long as it’s not Tilly, I don’t care whom he talks to. That’s a lie. If this has anything to do with Boston, which I think it does, I’m scared. I’m scared to find out which job he’s going to take and how fast he’ll be gone. Because I know Boston is what he wants. I just don’t know what that means for us. Or if there will even be an us once he accepts.

West’s gone for about fifteen minutes, and by then, I’ve finished most of my drink.

He stands next to my chair and holds out his hand. “Let’s go in the water.”

His tone isn’t good. Another phone call and another side of West.

This time, not caring what response I get, I ask, “Is everything okay?” I need the truth from him, no matter what.

“We’ll talk in the water.”

I take his hand and let him lead me across the sand.

The second the water touches our toes, he says, “Piper, that was my agent.”

“Okay. What did he want?”

He licks his lips and turns his head. We wade a little further in, and then he grabs my hips and says, “I’m taking a job in Boston.”

I knew it was coming. I’ve been preparing myself for this conversation since our trip. We wouldn’t have gone to Boston if he wasn’t seriously considering moving there. It’s not just the job either. I saw how he changed the second we got off the plane. He left a piece of himself in that city, and the only way I’ll ever see him whole again is if I go there with him—permanently.

“I’m happy for you,” I whisper.

I’d be ecstatic if he’d have finished his sentence with an invitation for me to join him. But he didn’t.

“When do you leave?”

“As soon as I can. There’s not much to wrap up here since Tilly took over the rental house. My attorney is handling the rest.”

Little things. I wonder if I fall under that category?

“That’s why we’re on the beach today, isn’t it? It’s your last chance to soak up the sunshine, just like you said.”

He nods. “I like it here because of you, Piper. But it’s not home, and that’s where I need to be.”

“I know you do,” I tell him. “I’m happy for you.”

I don’t want to cry, so I drop his hand and start to move back toward the chairs.

“Fuck,” he says. “Come here, baby.”

He’s by my side in seconds, grabbing me and walking further into the water. I wrap my legs around his waist and hold on, just in case it gets too deep and I can’t touch the bottom.

“I’ve never had sex in the ocean before.”

Shaking his head, he laughs. “That’s not what we’re doing. But I like the way you think.”

“What are we doing then? This water is cold.”

“I wasn’t going to ask you this. I…”

I can tell it’s hard for him to continue, that he’s been thinking about what he wants to say and he’s still struggling with the words.

“I even spoke to Eddy about it, and he gave me advice, and this is what feels right.”

“What does, West? You’re not making any sense.”

“I know your life is in Florida. Your family, your kids, everything that matters to you. I’m an asshole for asking you to throw all that away for me, but I need you, Piper. Boston is my home, but it won’t feel the same unless you’re there with me. Tell me you’ll come with me.”

A tear falls as I smile. I’m a total contradiction. Happy and sad. Elated and devastated.

“West—”

“Think about it,” he says. “Don’t just immediately say no.”

“No isn’t an option,” I tell him. “I don’t need time. I’ve done all the thinking I need to do.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying, I’m in. I’ll go with you.”

“Just like that?”

It’s not just like that. I’ve spent days thinking about leaving Florida. Days going back and forth about where I’ll be the happiest. My classroom means the world to me, but if I’m going home alone every night, I’ll still be missing a piece of my heart. And, when push comes to shove, I want West by my side. I want the good and the bad with him.

“My answer is yes.”

The smile I’m rewarded with is his usual times a million. All the worry lines around his eyes disappear, and he squeezes me so hard, I think I might break in half.

Sliding a palm down my stomach, he dips his fingers beneath the fabric, plunging two into my pussy.

“West, what are you doing?”

He bites my earlobe and sucks on my neck. His other hand grabs a palmful of my ass, making me squeal. “I think it’s about time I fucked this pretty little ass of yours.”

“Right now?” I’m breathing so hard, it’s embarrassing.

“Nah, not yet,” he says. “And not here.”

“You’re going to make me wait all day for your cock?”

He pinches my clit, and my back bows.

“I need to make sure you’re all wet and ready for me, Piper.”

“Please don’t stop,” I beg.

“You’re such a greedy little girl.” He pulls his fingers out of my warmth and starts moving us out of the ocean. “I like the begging. Give me more of that.”