Balt

 

Now I knew.

God, I didn’t just know it – it was written on my soul. Piper’s name, over and over again. She was my soul, my life. Everything.

It had been hard to fall asleep after last night, which had gone on into the early morning. But at some point, Piper had curled up in my arms, and I’d stayed awake to watch her sleep.

Remembering and praying.

She was still sleeping now and part of me wanted to wake her.

What if she’s horrified? Asked an ugly voice, waking up in the back of my head. And what about the curse?

I shoved those thoughts away, burying them deeply and concentrating on Piper. Here was what mattered. This stubborn woman with her kissable lips and dark curls.

As though hearing that thought, Piper stirred and stretched. Letting out a happy sigh, her eyes popped open while her right hand flew out, meeting my cheek.

“Ouch,” I grunted, thinking, of course, Piper could throw such a mean right hook a second after waking up. “Good morning to you, too.”

“Balty,” Piper said with a gasp, sitting up and pulling the sheets to her chin. “I’m-I’m so sorry.” Her hand reached out and then stopped. “Are you okay?”

Falling back on the pillows, I shook my head and sighed, “Mortally wounded.”

Piper leaned in and made a face. “I didn’t mean to.”

Cupping the back of her head, I smiled lazily. "Sure. Either way, though, you gotta make it up to me.”

She slid a leg across my torso and then straddled me. My eyes went wide as she leaned down with a smile and found my lips. Now, suddenly very awake, I sat up more as her warmth teased above me before our hips became flush.

Piper let out a soft sound as she squirmed in my lap and lifted her hips. Grabbing her waist, we came together and apart, over and over. All the while our tongues tangled and hands roamed.

She teased it out as long as she could, but all too soon we were both coming undone, almost together. My name on her lips was the best sound in the universe and I leaned back to look at her.

Piper, smiling down at me, her face glowing and radiant. Hands pressing down on my chest and hair tumbling over her shoulders. The morning light across her skin.

Suddenly she laid down, putting her head on my shoulder. “Balt, please don’t worry so much.”

“What?” I asked, surprised.

“I saw your face when I woke up. Your eyes were troubled.” Her fingers were drifting up and down my sternum. “I wanted this. I wanted you.” She moved closer. “I want you right now.”

Laughing a little, I hugged her against my side. “I won’t worry.”

“Good.”

Nuzzling against her ear, I whispered, “Wanna stay in bed all day?”

Piper lifted her head and smirked at me. “That was a given.”

 

It was sometime around four right now. We’d both taken showers, although not together – I was napping – and I watched as Piper moved about the room, squeezing water from her hair with a towel. She sensed my gaze and shot me a teasing smile that had me taking several deep breaths.

Then she dropped her towel to get dressed, tossing her hair and I grit my teeth.

Dammit, Piper.

Even after an entire day together, I still wanted to kiss her again. Make love again. Revel in the awe of being together like this.

I knew I always would, too. It was a knowledge that went deeper than anything else.

She was mine and I was forever, hopelessly, hers.

Piper slid on a dress that was tight through the bodice but flowed around her knees and ankles. Then she swept her hair up into a bun. When she turned around, her hands landed on her hips and she shook her head. “Balt. Get dressed.”

“What?” I looked down. I was still in a towel, but almost dry now. “Oh, right, yeah.”

When I was finally dressed, I noticed Piper had done something to her eyes to make them seem bluer and her eyelashes longer. My heart was jumping in my chest as she walked over and strutted in a circle around me. “Well, you are easy on the eyes, Baltsaros Kazan.”

“You’re beautiful,” I said simply, gazing at her and Piper flushed.

“Oh, shut up,” she said.

With the storms clearing between us, our camaraderie was back, but there was a flirtatiousness to it that had never been there before. And I was enjoying myself hugely.

“Would you like me to prove it?” I asked wickedly. To my surprise, Piper flushed even brighter and I laughed. “Is that a yes?”

“Balt!” she huffed. “Stop.”

Pulling her close, I looked down and murmured, “I can’t. Not when you’re in the room.”

“Balt,” she said again, but her voice was softer and strained. “You’re hopeless.”

Kissing her, I laughed and said, “Yes. But you make it hard to form an intelligible thought.” My eyes ran over her outfit. “Especially wearing that.” I grinned. “I am enjoying this side of you.”

“Thank you,” she said. “You know that I think you’re the most handsome man in the entire universe, right?” She gave me a strangely shy smile. “No one else compares.”

A smirk formed on my face. “Many thanks.” She rolled her eyes. “Oh, now what?”

“You’re going to tease me about that forever, I can see it all over your face. Last time you get a compliment, Kazan,” Piper said, tugging on my hand as we went to the door.

Unable to resist, I whispered in her ear out in the hall, “Not what you said last night.”

“Balt,” Piper hissed, half-laughing, half-horrified. She tried to hit me, but I caught her hand.

“I’m just saying, those compliments will last me till my dying day," I said with a chuckle.

“I’m so glad,” Piper retorted, locking the door and I slung an arm around her shoulders. “What do you want to eat?” She held up her hand. “A real answer, please.”

Grinning, I shrugged. “I don’t care.”

“Well, I’m starving.”

“I bet,” I said quickly and she elbowed me.

“There has to be some good place you know about, Balty,” Piper said.

“Pipla, I was seven,” I said as went down the stairs and nodded at the front desk. “Ask.”

As Piper dealt with the front desk attendants, I noticed one of them – an older woman who’d let me in last night – beaming as she looked from me to Piper.

“Were you surprised your husband showed up?” The older woman asked Piper after she’d received several restaurant suggestions.

I froze, realizing I’d forgotten about that white lie. But Piper let out a laugh.

“Yes and no,” she said in a sly, superior voice. “He tends not to function well without me,” she said confidentially. “You know men.”

The other women at the desk were now listening in and they all cackled, causing my shoulders to hunch. As the women teased me, I rubbed the back of my neck and nodded. I couldn’t exactly defend myself, especially with Piper proceeding to laugh and heckle along with them.

As we walked outside, I shook my head. “You can be cruel, Weslark.”

“Oh, those ladies love you Balt. You’re a knight in shining armor to them. And me, for that matter.” Her smile faded as she looked at me. “It was only a joke, you know that, right?”

“Yes, I just – it’s nothing. I think they adore you more than me, though.” I let Piper’s scent wash over me as I pulled her close and we walked through the flower-filled streets.

Having a future with Piper. I thought. It cannot be too good to be true. Not now.

I wanted it and I was going to fight like hell to get it. My arm tightened around her.

“Balty,” Piper suddenly said softly and stopped me. Her eyes were filled with adoration but there was a stern edge to her mouth. “You and I have a lot to talk about, I know. But hear me now. We are going to break that curse.” Everything went still as I stared at down at her. “Whatever it takes, we will do it. You are not leaving me out of this, do you hear me?”

My old instinct to fight and hide it rose up, but I managed to nod and not say a word. But as we began to walk again, I asked, “Okay, so what else do we have to talk about?”

“Well, us to start with,” Piper said with a laugh.

“Us,” I repeated softly.

She gave me an expectant hopeful look and then bit her lip. “Um, how about we enjoy the rest of our walk to the restaurant, okay? No discussions for right now.”

“Yeah,” I murmured. And we did just that.

Once we were seated on a small, rooftop deck, the Acropolis rising in the distance and traffic nothing but a distant hum, I studied Piper, who was smiling but seemed both flushed and flustered. She hadn’t asked me anything or said a word for almost fifteen minutes.

“You know, I don’t think there is much to talk about when it comes to us, Piper,” I said into the silence.

Piper glanced up over her menu, poised and serious, “You don’t?”

Hiding a smile, I shook my head. “What’s there to talk about?” I asked carelessly.

“Oh,” Piper said, pulling in a deep breath and flipping carelessly through the menu. “Yeah, right. Of course.” She paused. “I don’t know what I was thinking – just hungry, I guess.”

I waited for her to say something else, then I said in a voice that shook a little with intensity, “Don’t you see?” A smile spread across my face as her eyes lifted to mine. “We’re together.”

A smile touched her lips. “As in the whole package?” Piper asked, flustered.

“You know better than me,” I said with a chuckle and she kicked me under the table. “Pipla. Yes. As in me and you, kid. The way it’s always been.”

Gesturing with her thumb and pointer, she asked, “Girlfriend and boyfriend?”

“For now,” I said.

Flushing, Piper said thinly, “Oh, you planning on getting rid of me at some point?”

“Actually, the opposite,” I replied steadily, my eyes not leaving her face. Her cheeks steadily became fluorescent. “But we have plenty of time to talk about that.”

Nodding, Piper cleared her throat and said, “Especially after we break the curse.”

I gave her an exasperated look. “Piper, no. Not tonight. Or tomorrow, either. For once, let’s play hooky for real – no SoA, no work. We’ll enjoy ourselves. And each other.”

Reaching across the table, she took my hand and smiled. “Don’t want to let tomorrow take away from today.”

“Exactly. Especially when today looks like this,” I said, squeezing her hand.

She glanced around. “Greece is unbelievably gorgeous.” I was still looking at Piper when she met my eyes again. “Never mind all these Greek men.”

I laughed. “Have I told you how breathtaking you are tonight, Pipla?”

“No,” Piper said with a toss of her head. “But,” she added with a soft smile. “You don’t have to. The look on your face did.”

With a sigh, I ran my thumb along her knuckles and said, a little gruffly, “I always wanted to bring you to Greece.”

Piper let out an incredulous and mirthful laugh. “Hey, well just remember, I’m the reason we’re here! So, you can’t give me a hard time about that.” She squinted. “Or take credit.”

“Details,” I said, raising her hand to my lips and Piper laughed.