by K. C. Crowne
I walked the aisles a few times, trying to think of meals my mother used to make for us. Chili seemed easy enough. I picked up some beans and meat for that. There was some deli food being packed up and marked down, so I grabbed a rotisserie chicken, just in case she hadn’t had dinner yet tonight. I grabbed some vegetables, knowing that Piper liked salads and ate fairly healthy. Lettuce. Cucumbers. Tomatoes. What else went in a salad? Hell if I knew.
Bread, milk, and eggs were obvious and easy choices. I grabbed some cereal for the kid, then put it back when I considered how much sugar was in it. I picked up some yogurt instead. Not sure if the little guy liked yogurt, but it was packaged in squeezable tubes with cartoon characters on the outside. What little kid wouldn’t like that marketing?
With a pretty full cart, I went to check out.
A blonde twenty-something named Marcy was at the cash register, she batted her eyelashes at me. I tried not to look her in the eye, not wanting to give her the wrong idea.
“Oooh, my son loves these things,” she said, holding up the yogurt. “But why are you buying them? I know you don’t have any kids, Grant Barnes.”
She giggled, trying to be flirty. She was recently single, and every time I came into the damn store, she tried to flirt with me.
“It seemed like a better option than the cereal,” I muttered. “Less sugar.”
She cocked an eyebrow and flipped the box of yogurt sticks around, pointing at the line about sugar.
“Crap.” I shrugged. “Oh well, a little sugar can’t hurt.”
“When did you start caring about sugar, Grant? Not like you need to diet or anything.”
“It’s not for me.”
I left it at that. It was none of her Goddamned business who I was buying food for. I didn’t want the world to know Piper needed a handout, seemed like the type of thing you’d want to keep quiet.
Perhaps it was my tone of voice, I don’t know. She dropped it and rang the item up, putting it into a bag before moving onto the next item.
“Making chili?” she asked me as she rang up the beans.
“Again, not for me.”
“I’m just asking because if so, you’re missing the chili powder. Though you might have it at home, I—”
“Be right back.” Dammit. Chili powder.
I hurried down the seasoning aisle and felt like I’d landed in a whole different country. Cumin. Cardamom. Garam masala. What the hell was all this? I found the chili powder, grabbed it, and hurried back to the checkout.
Marcy had finished ringing everything else up, and I handed her the chili powder.
“You know, I think it’s sweet that you’re taking care of Piper and that little boy.”
“What are you talking about?”
She gave me a “Do you think I’m stupid” look with her hands on her hips. “Come on, Grant. I can’t think of any other kids in your life besides your sister’s stepdaughter, and she’s too young for yogurt. I put it together easily. Plus, this?” She held up a large bag of cherries with her eyebrows raised.
“What?”
“All the years I’ve worked here, I’ve never seen you buy a single fruit. And we all know Piper is obsessed with cherries.”
I’d put the bag of cherries in my cart without a second thought. She bought cherry anything and was always eating the cherries off Leah’s sundaes, ever since we were kids and Leah admitted she didn’t like them.
I shrugged. It was still none of Marcy’s business.
“You’re a good man, Grant,” Marcy said, sighing. “And Piper is lucky to have you.”
“We’re not—”
“Sure, you’re not.” Marcy winked at me as she handed me my receipt. “I’ll be sure to tell Piper I’ll keep my hands off her man next time I see her.”
I didn’t want to argue. There was no point in it. I took my bags and headed for the truck. Everyone from my sister to the Goddamned cashier at the grocery store were acting like Piper and I were a thing.
They couldn’t be more wrong, I thought to myself as I drove away from the store. I headed toward Piper’s place. It was just after eight in the evening. I hadn’t seen her at all that day, hadn’t needed to do anything at the hotel or daycare, so I spent the day working on our rental properties instead. For the last few months, I’d been working at the hotel and the daycare so much, I’d almost always run into her at some point every day. It felt almost wrong not having seen her that day.
I pulled into her driveway and parked, loading my arms with bags of groceries. I walked to her front door, setting the bags down at my feet. I knocked and waited. Knowing that kids often went to bed fairly early, I was afraid of waking Caleb. I didn’t want to ring the doorbell just in case. I was about to knock again when the door swung open.
Piper stood there in a pair of yoga pants and a tank top. Likely her pajamas, since her hair was messed up. Almost like she’d been sleeping. Her eyes widened when she saw what was at my feet.
“What’s all this?” she asked.
“Leah and I thought you might need some groceries. You’ve been working a lot, and dealing with Caleb, so—”
“Grant, you shouldn’t have.”
“It was Leah’s idea,” I said quickly.
She cocked her head to the side and studied me, an amused grin on her face.
Even with no makeup and her hair standing up on one side, she was still fucking gorgeous. The yoga pants hugged her tight little body, showing off her hips and ass. Her tank top did little to hide her cleavage.
“Thank you,” she said softly, and before I could say anything more, she wrapped her arms around me and hugged her body against mine.
And of course, every drop of blood dropped to my groin.
She pressed a kiss to my cheek and whispered again, “Thank you.”
“It’s nothing, really.” I froze against her. I didn’t want her to feel my erection pressed.
She pulled away and bent over to grab the bags at my feet, and her tank top slid down. She wasn’t wearing a bra and I saw more of her perfect breasts than I ever expected to see. Even a hint of nipple was exposed as the shirt fell forward.
My cock grew harder in my jeans. I’d have to take care of myself tonight, at this rate. But for now, I needed to help Piper carry everything inside.
I grabbed most of the bags before she could, and together, we carried them inside. I followed Piper into her kitchen and set them down on the countertops. She began putting the groceries away, her cute little ass wiggling with every step she took. It was absolute torture to just stand there and watch, so I helped too.
“You brought me cherries? I can’t believe you remembered.”
“How could I forget? You get cherry everything.”
She blushed. “I didn’t know you were paying attention.”
“I’m not. I mean—” I rubbed my face, trying to think of some other explanation for remembering such a small, seemingly insignificant fact. “I mean, even Marcy at the store knew you liked cherries. It’s not a big secret, you know.”
“Marcy?”
I shrugged. “She guessed I was picking stuff up for you based on that alone.”
“Huh, that’s so random,” Piper murmured, turning around with the bag of cherries and popping them in the fridge. She bent down, and I noticed her yoga pants were pretty sheer. She wasn’t wearing panties. She stood up and turned around, an odd look on her face.
“What?” I asked.
“Were you just— Never mind.”
I’d been caught staring at her ass, but neither one of us wanted to admit it. Instead, I handed her the yogurts for the fridge.
“For Caleb,” I said, stating the obvious.
“Ahh, yes, he will probably love these.” Her cheeks pinked as she turned back around. I tried everything not to check out her ass, focusing on her linoleum floor instead.
We were quiet from that point on, neither of us saying much as we finished putting the groceries away. I did everything I could to get the
blood flowing away from my groin area, but it was no use. I was hard as a rock and not going down anytime soon.
After a few minutes of silence, Piper said, “So, umm, what did Marcy say when she realized you were picking things up for me?”
I didn’t want Piper to worry about what this might mean for her reputation around town. People in Liberty could talk, and she probably didn’t want to be known for taking handouts. So I focused on the truth, instead.
“She seemed to think you and I were together.” I shrugged. “Said she’d keep her hands off your man, whatever that means.”
Piper surprised me by laughing, and I joined in too.
“I mean, how crazy is it that people think we’re together, right? We’ve been like family for as long as I can remember.”
As soon as I said it, however, Piper stopped laughing. She cleared her throat and something in her eyes made me think she was hurt. “Excuse me, I think I should check on Caleb,” she said, pushing past me toward the door.
Before she could leave the kitchen, I grabbed her elbow. She looked up at me with her serious grey eyes, and instantly, I was lost in them. I didn’t want to see an ounce of pain in her eyes ever again.
“Grant, I—”
Before she could finish her sentence, I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers. It had been so long since I’d kissed her, and ever since, I’d wanted to taste her lips again. They were as sweet as I remembered.
Piper opened her mouth to me, inviting me in and kissing me back. I let go of her elbow to wrap both arms around her, and I lifted her off the floor onto the nearby countertop.
My hands had yearned to explore her body for as long as I could remember, and I took every opportunity to do so. I slipped them up inside her tank top, cupping her bare breasts as we kissed. Her nipples were hard and standing at attention as my fingers slid across them. She whimpered, her legs tightening around me as I teased them.
I needed to do more than feel them. I pulled away from the kiss, lowering my mouth to her pink nipples. While staring up at her, I took one into my mouth, rolling my tongue over and around it. Piper bit her lip, her eyes rolling back into her head. She groaned softly, just a hint of the pleasure she was feeling.
I wanted to give her even more. I wanted to taste more of her.
I ripped off her yoga pants, pulling them down to her knees. I continued sucking her nipple, using my free hand to tease the sweet flesh between her thighs. She was so fucking wet and warm, my cock throbbed at the thought of being sheathed inside of her.
I parted her lips with my fingers, searching for her clit. I circled it, just like I was doing to her nipple, and stared up into her gorgeous eyes. She threw her head back and whimpered, “Yes, Grant, please—”
I teased her opening, sliding my hand up and down her slit. She shuddered against me, her body reacting to my every touch.
Her pussy was so tight, and she spasmed around my fingers as I slipped them inside her. Piper cried out, her nails digging in my back as I fucked her with my hand. I raised up, pressing my lips to hers to silence her moans. With my thumb on her clit and three of my large fingers sliding in and out of her wetness, Piper submitted to me - giving herself over to the pleasure.
Her body tensed against mine, and she bit my lip. She froze, except for the trembling of her thighs. Her lips pulled away from mine, and her head fell forward. She was softly crying out, “Yes, oh God, yes—”
I could tell by the contractions around my fingers that she was cumming, and from the look on her face, she was cumming hard.
I watched her face twist and turn as she rode the waves of pleasure, trying her hardest not to make a noise but failing, and I nearly exploded in my jeans. She was so fucking gorgeous, and knowing I was making her feel this good nearly pushed me to the limit.
I needed to be inside her, fast.
Piper went for my jeans, fumbling with the zipper with shaky hands. I began to help her when we both heard a noise down the hall.
A door had opened and shut.
With wide eyes, Piper hopped down from the counter and pulled her yoga pants up. I quickly put my hands behind my back, hiding any wetness that might be lingering on them. By the time Caleb walked through the kitchen door, we were both fully clothed and presentable, no sign of anything amiss.
He wiped at his little eyes and blinked up at the two of us, looking confused. His lower lip trembled. “I had a bad dream.”
“Oh sweetie,” Piper said, rushing to his side. Her legs seemed to be a little weaker than usual, still a little shaky, but she made it to his side and dropped to her knees, wrapping him in a big hug.
It was so damned sweet and cleared my head in an instant. What in God’s name was I doing? I mentally scolded myself for everything - for coming on to Piper, for fooling around in the kitchen with a kid in the house, even if he had been asleep in a room with a closed door. I hadn’t been thinking clearly, and I’d fucked up.
Piper excused herself to take care of Caleb, and that was my moment.
“I should go,” I muttered, heading toward the front door as Piper walked down the hallway with Caleb.
She looked at me over her shoulder, and I could see the pleading in her eyes. She wanted me to stay. Hell, I wanted to stay. But leaving was the right thing to do. Finally, she nodded.
“See you tomorrow, Grant. Thanks for everything.”
She offered a smile, and it made me second-guess my choice to leave. But I looked at the little boy again, and I knew I couldn’t give either of them what they needed right now. Piper needed to take care of Caleb, and I couldn’t get in the way of that.
“See you tomorrow.” I stepped out into the cool, night air and closed my eyes, trying to regain my composure. There was a crispness in the air that made me think the first snowstorm of the season would be coming earlier than expected.
I had a lot to do to prepare for it.
Piper had a lot going on in her life.
Not the time to start a relationship, for either of us.
I hurried to my truck without looking back.
Chapter 8
Piper
What had I been thinking?
I scolded myself all night and into the next morning. Grant’s swift exit made it clear to me that he was as uncomfortable with what had happened as I was. His likely came from his unwillingness to see me as anything but the best friend of his little sister. Mine came from knowing he’d end up breaking my heart.
Grant wasn’t interested in settling down. He’d made that clear to everyone. He was exactly the type of man I could fall head over heels for, but he wasn’t available. I had to keep reminding myself of that – he was single, but he was not available. Mentally and emotionally, he wasn’t in a place to give his heart to anyone.
My entire morning had been a blur. I woke up, got Caleb ready, and headed into work like normal, but it felt like a dream. Like I wasn’t fully present. Thankfully, Tabby was coming in that day, so I had extra hands. And once I was at the daycare and surrounded by kids, I managed to push thoughts of Grant from my head and focus on what was important.
Until Grant walked in the door.
I was in the middle of a group activity, handing out crayons and sheets of paper for them to work on a project. I dropped the box of crayons I was holding when Grant stepped through the door, the crayons flying everywhere. I bent to pick them up off the floor and so I could hide my flushed cheeks, praying he might go to work on whatever he needed to work on without stopping to talk to me. But he bent down and helped me pick up the crayons.
Before I could ask him what he was doing there, he whispered to me, “I ran into Teddy at the cafe.”
“Oh yeah?” I asked. “Did he have any news?”
All the crayons were in the box now, but we stayed low, talking in hushed voices.
“He wouldn’t tell me anything, but he said he’d give you a call later.”
My heart raced, not just from the news that Teddy might know something about Andy, b
ut from being this close with Grant again. I finally managed to lift my eyes to meet his. He looked away, and so did I.
It was no place to talk about what had happened between us, so I dropped it. I stood up and cleared my throat. “Thanks for stopping by, but you should probably get going now.”
It sounded a bit cold, even to me, but I needed some space. There was too much going on, and we were moving at dangerous speeds, or we had been the night before.
My heart couldn’t take losing what I did have with Grant. But if we played with fire, I was bound to get burned, and I wasn’t sure if I could ever look at him the same again if that happened.
Grant’s face fell, but he didn’t disagree with me. In fact, he nodded and turned for the door. He was stopped when Caleb let out a soft cry. I recognized it instantly and turned to find the little boy. Grant seemed to do the same, rushing to Caleb’s side.
“What’s wrong, Caleb?” I asked, checking him over to make sure he hadn’t been hurt.
“Jacob said I have a disa… a dis—” He couldn’t get the words out, probably didn’t even know what they meant. But he didn’t have to say the word for me to understand the situation.
“Jacob, where did you hear that word?”
Jacob wouldn’t look me in the eyes and shrugged. Not that it mattered; the term disability didn’t have to be a negative thing, and I decided it was high-time I turned this into a teaching moment for both little boys. But Grant beat me to it.
He raised his pant leg and showed off his prosthetic. “What’s wrong with being disabled?”
Jacob looked at Grant with large eyes. “My daddy said we should feel sorry for disabled people.”
At six years old, he was older than Caleb, able to elaborate on his thoughts a bit more. It started to make sense now. And for once, I didn’t think Jacob meant any harm - he just didn’t know better. He was a child.
Grant continued, “Do you feel sorry for me? Do you think I can’t keep up with folks like your daddy?”