Happily Ever After: A Contemporary Romance Boxed Set

by Piper Rayne

  “You’ll be at the Third of July party on Wednesday, right?” he asks.

  I nod, not trusting myself to speak.

  “Well, I better get going. I got two runs this morning, then it’s play time.”

  “Have fun,” I say, finally finding my voice. I clasp the tub he brought me. “And thanks.”

  “Feel better,” he replies with a wink, then turns and trots off.

  I shamelessly drink in his cute backside and wild curls while my heart hammers inside my chest. Was that little comment purposeful, or is he teasing me?

  I groan out loud. Waiting a week to find out is going to be torture.

  6

  Caleb

  Normally, we’d have the Third of July party at my family’s house, but Annika, Peter, and I agree that’s not a good idea this year. Instead, we set up at my place because it’s at the edge of town and there’s a huge backyard. Pete offered to host, but he’s such a neat freak I know he’ll spend the night nagging me to clean up after everyone, and where’s the fun in that?

  I’m talking with two extremely cute blondes I invited after our afternoon float when Grady parts the crowd and lasers in on me.

  “We’re gonna run out of beer,” he says in my ear.

  Reluctantly, I excuse myself from the conversation and lead him to the garage, where I’ve stockpiled enough alcohol to choke a herd of goats.

  “Oh,” he says. “Sorry, I didn’t see you had a separate stash.”

  “Dude, I always have a separate stash.”

  He nods.

  I help him carry a couple of cases back through the house. “Your sister and that girl she brought on the Rogue just showed up.”

  My pulse jumps.

  “I think she was looking for you.”

  “I better hide Annika’s keys,” I say to make it sound like I don’t care that Lori’s here. I don’t really need to watch over Annika, though I do feel responsible for her, especially with my dad gone and my older brothers doing their own thing.

  Grady leads through the back door. “If you don’t get laid tonight, I’m calling 9-1-1.”

  I blow him a flat tire.

  He raises his eyebrows. “What? It’s totally justified as an emergency. You’ve been broody and sullen all week.”

  I ignore his jab. Broody? What the hell. “I was well on my way when you interrupted me.”

  “In your dreams,” he says as we make it through the house to the noisy backyard. “You were just warming them up for me.”

  I unpack my case into the ice tub on the edge of the back porch while he tucks the cans from his into the neighboring cooler.

  “You ever had two?” he asks under his breath.

  I pluck the last cold beer from the ice tub and crack it. “Not yet.”

  Grady starts to reply but my focus locks on a woman standing across the yard, wearing a simple blue dress with sandals. It’s Lori, her frame partially turned so I get her in profile.

  She’s talking with Annika, my brother Peter, and a woman I don’t know—probably Peter’s date—and tucks a strand of her long hair behind her ear. A little glint of silver dangles there. She laughs and though I can’t hear it from across the crowded space, the way her cheeks glow and her soft, pink lips open releases a flock of dragonflies in my stomach.

  I realize Grady’s still talking and snap back to the conversation.

  “Godspeed,” he says, then gives me a fist bump.

  I grunt my reply and follow him into the backyard with the sound of fireworks fizzing and popping from neighboring yards rising above the steady hum of conversation and laughter.

  It takes me longer than I like to reach Lori. This party might as well be a reunion, and some of these friends I haven’t seen or talked to much since I returned home almost a month ago.

  “Having a good time?” I ask when I finally get to Lori.

  Lori whips around, her brown eyes locking with mine.

  “There you are,” Annika says.

  Peter introduces me to his friend, but as soon as that’s taken care of, he makes some excuse about being hungry and slips into the crowd.

  “I heard you kayaked Silver Creek today,” Annika says, her eyes narrowing.

  I shrug. “Yeah, so? It was awesome.”

  She gives me a “come on” kind of look. “I hope you didn’t run it alone.”

  I return her “come on” look. Even I wouldn’t paddle a class five creek solo.

  “How are the stings?” I ask Lori.

  “Better, thank you. That stuff you brought me really helped.”

  “What stuff?” Annika asks warily.

  “Witch hazel, right?” Lori asks me.

  I nod and take a pull from my beer. Fuck, she looks good—rosy cheeks, tanned skin, and a sleeveless dress that hugs her curves just right. I wonder what kind of panties she’s wearing, then quickly shut that train of thought down.

  Off. Limits. I coax a slow breath through my nose.

  “Caleb brought me some,” Lori adds.

  Annika side-eyes me. “Did he now?”

  Time to skedaddle. “Well, have fun tonight,” I say, then step away from Annika’s calculating glare.

  But an hour later when I head back inside to wash my hands after slicing up a watermelon, she follows me.

  Annoyed, I give her my “What now?” look.

  “Hey, so I need to talk to you,” she says.

  “I haven’t touched her,” I say, lifting the faucet handle with my wrist. Cold water splashes over my hands.

  Her eyes fill with confusion. “It’s about mom.”

  Great, just what I need tonight. “Is she okay?”

  Annika scowls. “Why haven’t you been there to see for yourself?”

  Because I can’t stand it, I want to say.

  I shut off the faucet and reach for a paper towel. “Okay, okay,” I say with a sigh. “What?”

  “I think we need to do something,” she says, leaning her hip against the side of the sink. “The house was trashed. I had to clean for an hour before I started.”

  “So? It’s always a mess. Having seven kids will do that to a place.”

  Instead of taking my bait, her face tightens. “I’m worried about them.”

  By “them” I know she means our three youngest siblings. Dylan is fourteen and the twins are twelve.

  I toss the paper towel into the trash and cross my arms. “What do you want to do?”

  She looks troubled. “I don’t know. I talked to Pete about it.”

  “Fuck, why? He’s been such a prick since...”

  Her face pales.

  “Sorry,” I grit out. “But Mom’s got it hard enough without Pete’s righteous attitude coming down on her.”

  “I think she needs help.”

  “She’ll figure it out,” I say. “The rest of us have.”

  A group of guests flood through the house, heading for the front door. “The cross-country team is streaking!” someone calls.

  Lori’s being carried along in the crowd like driftwood in a river. I leave Annika standing in my kitchen and hurry to grab my Lumberjack bedroll from my room, then catch up with the crowd.

  “I didn’t know you were such a voyeur,” I tease Lori when I catch up to her.

  “I didn’t either,” she replies, her face lighting up when she sees me.

  “Want a better view?” I ask and take her hand. To hell with Annika and her worries, I’m turning this night around this instant.

  “Okay,” Lori replies.

  I tug her from the center of the crowd now standing outside the rickety fence bordering my front yard to the side of the house with the giant tree.

  Lori stands at the base, looking up. “Uh, I’m not exactly dressed for tree climbing.”

  “Come on, Adventure Girl,” I tease, and put the bedroll down so I can lace my fingers together to make a step.

  Her uncertain expression fades, replaced by determination. She grabs my shoulder with one hand and braces the other agains
t the tree, then places her foot in my hands. As she steps up, her body floats by me and I get a hint of her scent, like peaches ripened in the sun.

  Quickly, she disappears into the branches, which is a good thing, or I’d be tempted to start nibbling her thighs.

  I toe off my sandals and sling the bedroll across one shoulder, then jump up to the lowest branch. Bracing my bare feet against the trunk, I lunge for a higher branch, then continue monkey-style to the higher branches.

  “I’m not getting how this is a better view,” Lori says, looking up into the crown of the tree.

  “So impatient,” I tease. “Follow me.” I inch out on one of the branches until I’m over the edge of the roof.

  “Is this safe?” Lori asks behind me.

  I’m buzzed just enough to be dangerous. “It’s all about trust, Lori,” I reply. I step down to the gritty roof tiles, then use the branch as a handrail to walk up the roof to make room for her. “Do you trust me?”

  From near the trunk of the tree, her uncertain gaze follows my every move. “Should I?”

  I raise an eyebrow.

  “Come on,” I encourage, holding out my hand.

  She inhales a big breath, which stretches her dress across her tits.

  I warn the sudden tingle in my dick to cool it. I’m just trying to make sure she has a good time. Then I’ll go back to the blondes.

  I shake my head because it’s instantly clear I’m not interested in them. Lori’s the only girl I want to be with tonight.

  Not good.

  Lori has to crawl down the branch on her knees, the sight of which brings on a burst of fantasies that mainlines hot blood to my dick, then she eases one foot at a time to the edge of the roof.

  She reaches for my hand and I grab it, pulling her up. To my surprise, she hugs me, her rapid heartbeat thumping against my chest. But then she pushes back, looking embarrassed.

  Fuck.

  “There’s a place to sit at the top,” I manage. I adjust the bedroll then tug on her hand.

  We climb to the apex. The roof on the opposite side is flat, so I spread out the sleeping bag flannel-side up and sit with my legs dangling over the edge. Lori copies me, her body nestled close to mine.

  “Wow,” she says. “Do you come up here a lot?” she asks, trying to sound relaxed but I hear the edge in it.

  I’m guessing she missed the discarded blunts from when Grady and I come up here to blow off steam. Sometimes we even sleep up here. “Now and then.”

  “They’re coming!” she says, looking up the road.

  Sure enough, a group of about a dozen cross-country members are running buck naked down the middle of the street—mostly guys but a couple of gals too.

  The crowd of partygoers in front of my house goes wild, cheering and hollering.

  Next to me, Lori curls her shoulders inward. “Jeez, I could never do that.”

  “What? Run naked?”

  “Yeah,” she says, looking almost pained. “I used to run. I loved it.”

  “What made you quit?”

  She shrugs but I easily read it as a cover up. “Just moved on, I guess.”

  The team passes my house and continues down the hill toward the main road, their white butt cheeks flashing in the dusky light.

  Just then a rocket soars into the air above us and explodes in a burst of color. Two more fire off with a boom-hiss. I follow the line of gray smoke into the sky and watch each one explode.

  “Wow!” Lori says.

  “Just wait until tomorrow,” I say. “We’ve stockpiled a half ton of explosives.”

  She frowns in disbelief. “That’s a thousand pounds.”

  Not that this is a sign that she’s some genius or anything, but her knowing this fact off the top of her head tells me something about her.

  The crowd in front of my house shuffles back inside, but Lori and I don’t move. More fireworks pop and fizzle from all corners of our little town. It really is an awesome view up here, with the Sawtooths carving their jagged outline against the darkening sky to the west and our little town sprawled below us. It’s even more special because Lori is up here with me. I’ve never brought a girl up here before. Why tonight? Why her?

  “You going to the carnival tomorrow?” I ask.

  “Annika invited me, yeah.” She grins. “I heard I’ll have the opportunity to dunk you in the dunk tank.”

  “Would you like that?” I ask, the energy inside me surging to life.

  She tilts her head in a way that makes her silver earrings flash with light. It’s so sexy I have to hold in my groan.

  “Maybe I would,” she says, her eyes sparkling.

  “There’s a pie eating contest too. You up for a challenge?” I say, practically vibrating off the roof because pie and eating combined with her scent and the way her body warms the space between us is putting all kinds of dirty thoughts in my head.

  “Sounds messy,” she says. The spark in her eyes is still there, but there’s something else there, too, something serious, like I’m looking into the depths of a churning hole, the kind I may never get out of.

  “It can be,” I reply as electricity zips between us. “If you do it right.”

  Her breath catches, and suddenly, I don’t care about the consequences.

  I need to kiss this girl.

  Now.

  7

  Lori

  I close my eyes as our lips meet. My swirling thoughts spin into a frenzy, making me feel off center which is not a good thing considering where we’re sitting.

  Caleb kisses me softly, his lips locking with mine, tugging a little on my lower lip. My blood heats and surges through my bloodstream. He caresses the side of my face and down my neck where his calloused fingers brush the place behind my ear.

  I shiver, though I’m not cold.

  A loud boom startles me, followed by a bright explosion of light overhead.

  Caleb pulls back and smiles. We both look up at the sky, where the last of the trailing golden sparks fade to pale gray smoke.

  I lean into him again, practically begging him to kiss me. This time, his tongue flicks between my lips. I let him inside, and soon our tongues are dancing while my pulse thumps hard against my temples.

  He caresses the section of my bare thigh just above my knee, his touch sending little earthquakes through me. I force myself not to startle or do anything that might give away how new this all is.

  Slowly, so slowly, he caresses higher and higher until he’s just under the edge of my dress. My legs are pressed firmly together, but not because I don’t want him to touch me. I do. I’m just…what if it all goes wrong, like every time before?

  Another loud boom detonates from somewhere close by, but I’m lost in his kisses, his scent, like river rocks drying in the sun mixed with woodsy spice, and the sound of our lips feasting on each other. It’s the sexiest kissing I’ve ever experienced. Time seems to bend and arc in new ways, speeding up, slowing down. At some point, I realize it’s dark, the gravel road below lit by the glow from inside his house.

  “Maybe we should get off this roof,” Caleb says, resting his forehead against mine. He’s breathing fast, too.

  “Right,” I say, holding back my disappointment. It’s dark and private up here, though it’s hardly comfortable enough for anything besides kissing.

  His expression shifts to something almost pained. He runs his fingers through his hair. “You okay with this?” he asks quietly.

  “What? Kissing you?” I ask. “Yes,” I add, my voice surprisingly firm.

  His lips tighten. “Okay. Good.”

  “Are you worried about Annika?” I ask him.

  He scoffs.

  “She warned me about you,” I say. But she didn’t need to. I’ve had Caleb pegged from the minute I met him.

  He twitches his lips. “I’ll bet she did.”

  “She said you’re not boyfriend material.”

  He crosses his arms and gazes at me. “Well, I hope this doesn’t come as a surpri
se, but she’s right.”

  “Good, because I’m not girlfriend material.”

  His eyebrows shoot up. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

  My heart skips a beat. “Maybe,” I say at the last minute, then bite my lip. “I mean yes. I … just want to have fun this summer.”

  Hunger flashes through his eyes. He leans in to kiss me again, and this time, there’s an urgency behind it, like before he was holding back but now it’s go time.

  “But promise me it won’t be weird,” I say, stopping him before our lips touch.

  His lips twitch in disapproval. “You mean, like, after?”

  “Yeah. We won’t be able to not run into each other. And I liked rafting. I’d like to do it again.”

  Finally, he kisses me. “You’re welcome in my boat anytime.”

  I lean back. “So, we’re good?”

  In one long stroke, he caresses all the way up to my hip, his thumb tracing the edge of my underwear. “More than good,” he says.

  His eyes flash with hunger again.

  Gulp.

  He scoots backwards, taking me with him so that we’re centered on the blanket. There must be too much blood in action right now because my head spins a little with this sudden shift.

  Another firework explodes from somewhere far off. But I don’t flinch. Instead, I look into eyes that have gone serious. I do one final check to make sure my heart is tucked safely away so I can enjoy this night, then lean in, reaching up to caress the top of his shoulder. He’s firm and perfect. I’m feeling so incredibly lucky I’m here with Caleb, a bona fide river God.

  We kiss, and the blood in my veins starts to sizzle all over again. Caleb caresses up my thigh again, and I force my muscles to relax so I can enjoy the sensation of his calloused fingertips on my skin. I reach under his t-shirt and caress him.

  Wow. He’s solid and wonderfully warm. I glide up his chest, brushing past one small, erect nipple. He makes a sound in the back of his throat, a sound that makes my innermost place clench.

  He reaches behind his head and grabs a fistful of t-shirt, then yanks the whole thing off, giving me the freedom to touch him everywhere. As we kiss, our tongues lashing and swirling, I continue to caress his chest, my fingers exploring the taut muscles, his smooth skin.