Chapter Twenty-Four
Piper stretched, wincing at the tenderness between her thighs. Ethan had made love to her for most of the night, leaving her a limp mass of satisfied woman.
She lifted her arm to touch him, only to find his side of the bed empty and cold.
Her fingers brushed against a piece of paper resting on his pillow.
Plucking up the small scrap of paper, Piper squinted against the sun shining through the blinds and read the words Ethan had left. Good morning, beautiful. Dinner tonight?
With a satisfied smile, Piper threw her feet over the side of the bed and stumbled to the shower.
Excitement over seeing Ethan later that night had her humming while she washed her hair.
She’d never dreamed sex could be so incredible. No, not just sex. They’d made love slow and gently more than once, with Ethan concentrating on nothing but pleasuring her.
Switching off the shower, Piper dried herself and padded barefoot back to her room to get dressed.
She pulled on a pair of black cotton shorts, a black and white T-shirt, and her running shoes.
A nervous feeling overcame her as she moved toward her bedroom door. She’d had unprotected sex with Ethan, something she’d never done before.
Retrieving her cell from the top of her dresser, Piper called her doctor and made an appointment to get on some type of birth control. They would just have to use condoms in the future until it was safe to do otherwise.
Piper hadn’t taken birth control in a couple of years. Hell, it had been that long since she’d had sex. And since she hadn’t been seeing anyone at the moment, there had been no need for contraceptives.
Pushing the thought from her mind, Piper went downstairs to boot up the computer and hopefully get some work done.
The doorbell rang as she reached the bottom of the stairs.
Piper opened the door to a smirking Rhonda. “Hey you.”
“Hey yourself,” Rhonda muttered with a grin. She breezed past Piper and headed straight for the kitchen. “So, how was it?”
Closing the door, Piper followed suit. “How was what?”
“Don’t be dumb, Piper. I came by late last night and saw a very expensive car parked out front. All the lights were off. Now, spill it.”
Piper laughed, taking a seat at the bar while Rhonda set about making coffee. “Really, Rhonda, there are some things a girl must keep to herself.”
“Oh, bullshit. I haven’t had sex in months. Now spill it before I die of curiosity.”
Another chuckle bubbled up in Piper. “Okay, fine. It was the best night of my entire existence.”
Rhonda’s eyes grew huge in her face. “I want to know everything.”
Switching on the coffeepot, Rhonda hurried over to the bar to sit across from Piper. “Don’t leave anything out either.”
Piper grinned.
The next half hour was spent with the two of them drinking coffee and Rhonda practically drooling down the side of her mouth. “I’m jealous as hell, Piper. Shit like that just doesn’t happen to normal people.”
“Ethan is far from normal,” Piper admitted, recalling the strange energy he’d put off during sex. “He has this way about him, like this powerful energy that I can’t get enough of. I keep pinching myself, expecting this all to be an elaborate dream and I’m going to wake up devastated that he’s not real.”
Rhonda paused in drinking her coffee, her gaze narrowing over the rim of her cup. “You’re in love with him.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Piper insisted with a frown. “I’ve only known the man a couple of weeks. I’m attracted to him, and maybe even a little infatuated at the moment, but love? Not a chance.”
Rhonda sent her a knowing look. “Whatever you say.”
After Rhonda left, Piper spent the rest of the day attempting to get some work done. But Rhonda’s words continued to plague her. “You’re in love with him.”
Could she really be falling in love with Ethan?
Suddenly nervous, Piper shut down her computer and left the house.
Growing up, whenever Piper couldn’t think, she would go for a run. Jogging always helped clear her head.
On her second lap around the block, Piper had an eerie feeling of being watched. She glanced behind her, but nothing out of the ordinary caught her eye.
Shaking off her paranoia, she passed her house and went for round three. By the time she rounded the corner, the eerie feeling was back in the pit of her stomach.
A black car with dark-tinted windows slowly rolled by, prompting Piper to pick up her pace.
It slowed to a stop behind her, simply sitting in the street without moving.
Piper’s heart began to pound. She left the sidewalk, darting left and cutting through a manicured yard to the short picket fence beyond.
Hopping the fence, Piper rounded the rosebush in the back of her yard, cutting her arm in her haste to get to safety.
She rushed along the side of her house and quickly slipped inside, throwing the deadbolt in place.
Her cell buzzed behind her, scaring the crap out of Piper. She snatched it up, attempting to slow her breathing, and brought it to her ear. "Hello?”
“You sound winded, Piper. Is everything okay?”
The deep timber of Ethan’s voice was a balm to her soul.
She glanced down at the blood dripping from the cut on her arm. “I’m fine. I just got back from a run.”
“Are you sure you’re all right?”
Not wanting to worry him, Piper gave a throaty laugh. “I’d be better if you were here to shower with me.”
A low growl came through the line. “Temptress.”
Piper’s stomach tightened with need. “Yes, well, it’s your fault. You’ve spoiled me to the whole shower thing.”
“Perhaps I will make it up to you tonight. That is if you plan on coming over. You never did call me.”
Tugging the curtain aside to peer outside, Piper scanned the street for signs of the black car. “I’m sorry, I got busy with work. But yes, tonight sounds wonderful.”
“I’ll send a car to pick you up around six,” Ethan returned.
Piper released her hold on the curtain. “Actually, I have to drop off some things at my parents’ house. I’ll just take my car.”
A brief pause ensued. “Okay, see you then.”
The line went dead.