“You know that’s not why I’m here. I’m just curious. All I’ve got from her this week is that it’s fine.”
“As far as I know, everything is fine. I haven’t heard anything to the contrary.”
“Good. That’s good,” he says almost awkwardly before falling silent.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“How’d you get Emmie in here at such late notice? I know we’ve got a waiting list, but you seemed to jump it.”
“Contacts.”
That one simple word sends a shiver racing down my spine.
“C-contacts? Should I be worried?”
“Yes and no.” I swallow nervously, because where he was a closed book those first few days after we found each other again, now he’s relaxed, and I can read him. And right now, he’s being totally honest.
“Who? Do they recognise me? Do they know who I am?”
“What do you think?” he asks around a mouthful of cheese and ham sandwich.
“I think I’m still alive, so that’s a good sign.”
“Just don’t go around announcing your real surname.”
“And what if they find out?”
“You know the answer to that, Piper. But you came back, so you must have thought the risk was worth it.”
“It’s my home, Dawson.”
“I understand that. Others won’t.”
“Fuck,” I mutter, suddenly feeling much less hungry.
I pick at my sandwich as a weird tension falls over us.
"I'm sorry, Piper," he says after a few seconds. "I hoped this would make you smile."
"It has. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up."
Reaching over the table, he laces his fingers through mine.
"I won't let anything happen to you, Piper."
My head spins with his promise. There's still so much I don't know about him. He keeps saying all these incredible things to me, but I’m still in the dark as to whether he's working for his father right now. It sure wouldn't be the craziest thing that's happened to us.
"Stop worrying, baby girl. You're safe."
I nod at him, wondering just how true those words are, but I have no reason not to believe him. Okay, so he was rough at the start, wanted to teach me a lesson, but since then I’ve believed everything he's said. I want to believe him. I want to believe that this is real and that second chance Lisa was talking about.
I'm terrified that this all might be a lie and I'm falling headfirst into it.
But what if it's not?
"Shouldn't you be at work right now or something?" I ask after a few seconds, needing to stop running around in circles in my head.
"I'm going after."
"What do you do?"
"What do you think I do?" he asks cryptically.
I think back to our time together as kids, but I don't remember us really talking about the future. We were too concerned about getting caught and neither of us having one.
I remember that he loved to draw and was obsessed with music.
"Umm... Work at a club or some sort? Events organiser?" I ask, thinking about his night-time hours.
"Good guess, but no. I'll show you one day soon."
"You'll show me?"
"If you're brave enough."
I swallow nervously. "Brave enough?" I croak out. As far as I know, I'm only afraid of heights. What the hell could his job be?
The bell rings out from the buildings in the distance, and we reluctantly start packing up.
"This was nice, thank you."
"Nice?" he asks, sounding offended.
"Yeah, it was a nice surprise, so thank you."
He smiles at me as I stand from the bench before he pulls me onto his lap.
He stares into my eyes as if it's the first time he's ever done so.
"Dawson?" I whisper, needing to know what his sudden intensity is about.
"No one is going to touch you, baby girl." He brushes his nose against mine. My lips pucker for a kiss that I know isn’t going to follow. He kisses my cheek before his lips brush my ear. "Unless I tell them to," he whispers, his voice so low it sends a shiver of fear and desire coursing through me.
I gasp and he laughs.
"Relax. You're safe with me."
I have no idea if I should believe him, but without my brain's approval, my body relaxes at his words.
"Come on, you need to get back to work."
Nodding, I reluctantly climb from his lap and help him tidy up before we walk back toward the main building.
"What time on Sunday?" I ask when we get to his bike.
"Ten-thirty."
"In the morning?"
"Yep. I don't want to waste the day."
I smile up at him, my heart beating wildly in my chest.
"I can't wait."
"Me neither, baby girl." He gathers me in his arms and drops a kiss to the top of my head.
"I'd better..." I flick a look over my shoulder and unsurprisingly find Lisa staring back at us.
"Yeah."
He watches me walk back to the building, where I stand inside and keep my eyes on him as he pulls his helmet on and throws one long leg over his bike.
"How the hell are you letting him go without jumping him?" Lisa says, coming to stand beside me.
"Because I'm at work. I've got cake," I say, holding up what remains from our picnic, much to her delight.
"I mean, it's not a hot biker with the skills to show me heaven, but I'll take it."
Laughing at her, I make my way to my office to finish the week off.
It's halfway through the last lesson of the day when a knock sounds out on my door.
I call whoever it is inside, but I don't look up from my screen straight away; I’m too lost in the email I'm reading.
"Have a fun lunch, Miss Hill?"
I turn to find Emmie leaning back against my closed door with a shit-eating grin on her face.
"I did, thank you. Have you had a good first week?"
"Meh," she says, dropping her bag to the floor and then falling into the chair opposite me.
"Shouldn't you be in class?"
"Should you have had a date at lunch?" She raises a brow at me.
"Your dad and I are friends, Emmie."
"Friends. Right. See, here’s the thing, I might have only been living with him for a few weeks, but I like to think I know him pretty well. He never, and I mean never, makes that kind of effort for a woman. He's never had a girlfriend. I've never even met a female friend aside from those he works with."
"M-maybe he just likes to keep his lives separate," I state, not really wanting to talk about this with his daughter.
"Maybe, but I really don't think that's the case."
"What about your mum?" I regret the question the second it falls from my lips. I shouldn't be digging for this kind of information from Emmie.
"My mum?" she asks with a laugh that has my brows pulling together. "My mum and dad hate each other. They always have, as far as I know."
"Oh, okay so..."
"I think you're different."
You have no idea. "We're just friends. So how was your first week?" I try again.
"It's just school." She waves me off. "Are you seeing him again?"
"I... um..."
"I just think you should, that's all."
My lips part to respond, but I can't find any words.
"You make him smile, Miss Hill. It doesn't happen all that often."
"Okay... that's... that's good," I stutter, fighting a grin. "So, school. Everything's been okay this week? Teachers and classes all right?"
"Yeah, I never thought I'd say it but it's actually quite nice to be in a class where people want to learn and the teacher isn't spending the whole time firefighting... sometimes literally."
"That's good. I'm glad you're enjoying them. Friends?"
"I'm not here to make friends."
"Maybe not, but it will be a long two years witho
ut any."
"I'm sure I'll be fine. You may not have noticed, but I don't really fit in."
"I'll let you into a little secret." I lean forward and she does the same, intrigued as to what I'm going to say. "No one does. They're all playing a game."
She scoffs. "I've seen the boys who think they own the place and the girls who follow them around like lost puppies. They're not acting, their egos really are just that big."
"Like I said… games."
The bell for the end of the day rings and Emmie stands from the chair.
"Thanks for the chat, Miss H."
"I'm always here if you need me."
She stares at me for a beat. "Give my dad a chance. He's a good guy, under the scowl and scary ink."
I chuckle. "I know, Emmie. I met him before either of those emerged." Her eyes soften as she moves to the door. "See you soon."
She smiles and slips out of my office, leaving me a little bewildered.
It's Friday night, which means one thing: Lisa begging me to go out so she can attempt to pull. It takes a bit of argument, but, finally, she lets me off. I'm exhausted, I just want a night on the sofa with a bottle of wine to myself and a film or two. I also want to be able to hear should Dawson decide to call me later.
17
Dawson
"I thought you'd be asleep by now," I say when soft footsteps join me in the kitchen.
It's long after midnight, seeing as I went out for drinks with the guys after work. I was waiting for them to roast me on the date I asked for Biff and Kas's help with, but to my surprise, no one even mentioned it. If the girls told their guys then they must have sworn them to secrecy, which I appreciate.
The last thing I need is everyone knowing before I achieve what I'm trying to.
The conversation we had at lunch earlier still plays out in my mind. I might have exaggerated when I suggested there was a threat to Piper at Knight's Ridge. There isn't anyone walking the halls who would know who she is. My connections to the school are behind the scenes, and they have no interest in who the staff are. But I wanted to see her reaction, to see if she was scared, in the hope that it might give me a clue as to where her head's at.
Right now, I feel like we're both dancing around each other, not knowing what's real or not. I know that's probably mostly my fault. The fact that I'm playing games makes me wonder if she is, if we're just using each other.
I want to say that's not the case and that she's just wary because she's smart. Even people who don't know me are cautious, let alone someone who has every right to be.
"I was doing homework."
"Who are you, and what have you done with my daughter?" I ask jokingly, looking over Emmie's shoulder.
"Shut up, you idiot. I was never that bad a student. I just got fed up with being one of the only ones bothering."
"Good to know. So you don't totally hate me for sending you to that place then?"
"Nah, I could never hate you, old man, even if you are basically banging one of my teachers." The water I'd just taken a sip of sprays from my mouth.
"I'm sorry, what?"
She hops up on the barstool and looks at me as if I'm an idiot as I reach for a tea towel to clean up the mess.
"You thought I wouldn't notice that you've got a hard-on for Miss H?"
"Emmie," I gasp. "I don't... can we not... fucking hell. I was not prepared for this. Let my teenage daughter move in, it won't be that bad, they said," I mutter to myself as I try to figure out how to play this.
"Talking to yourself won't make this any better."
"No, but you going to bed and never mentioning me having a hard-on ever again would."
She rolls her eyes at me and reaches for an apple that's sitting in the fruit bowl.
"So, you and Miss H... serious?"
"We're just old friends."
"Funny," she mutters around a mouthful of apple. "She tried to feed me that line too."
"You've spoken to her."
"Yup. And you're welcome, by the way." She winks, causing my temperature to spike.
"Emmie, what did you do?" My voice is low, my warning clear.
"Just helping you out, old man. I can't imagine you've got much game, seeing as you're forever single."
"That's not through lack of skill."
"I should hope not. But I thought I'd give you a little help."
"What. Did. You. Say?"
Her top lips curls as she thinks. "Nope, can't remember." She hops down from the stool and is at the door before I can even blink. "Night," she calls disappearing before I can throttle her.
"Jesus fucking Christ."
Pulling my phone from my pocket, I find Piper's contact and my thumb hovers over her number.
It's late, the clock on the oven telling me that it's closing in on two AM.
I shouldn't call. I should wait for the morning.
Despite knowing it's what I should do, I hit call anyway. She can just not answer, I tell myself.
But that's not what happens, because it connects on the third ring.
"Hello?" Her voice is rough and husky and immediately has my cock swelling.
"You asleep, baby girl?"
"I was, yeah." I can almost picture her curled up in her bed. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah. I was just learning that you had a nice little chat with my daughter this afternoon."
"Oh yeah, that. She spilled all your secrets, you know?"
"Yeah, that's what I'm worried about."
"If you think I'm going to repeat what she told me then you need to think again. There is such a thing as girl code."
"Jesus," I mutter, rubbing my hand down my face. "I'm going to be in trouble with you two, aren't I?"
"It's two against one, so I would say so, yeah." She yawns, and I instantly feel guilty for waking her.
"I'll let you go back to sleep."
"Hmm," she mumbles as if she already is. "My bed is cold," she whispers. "It could really do with another person in it."
"Don't do this to me, baby girl. You know I'd be there in a heartbeat if I could." I look up at the ceiling. I'm sure I could go out; Emmie is more than capable of being home alone, but I don't want to be that parent. Plus, I made Piper a promise, and a late-night booty call isn't it.
"But I'm wearing—"
"Don't," I warn. "Don't do it."
"You're no fun."
"I think you know that's not true, baby. I can be lots of fun."
"I remember well. Makes me wet just thinking about it."
"Piper, have you been drinking?"
“Might have had one or two. I was lonely, so I may have had a third. I can't remember.”
"No Friday night out?"
"Nope, I stayed home, hoping I might get a visitor."
"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint. Now, tell me more about how wet you are..."
Saturday drags. I love my job and the guys I work with, but nothing can pull me out of my despondent mood as I impatiently wait for Sunday morning to roll around.
I shouldn't be this excited to see her. I shouldn't miss her so much, and I certainly shouldn't crave her the way I am.
I fear that my well-laid plans are going a little awry.
I wanted revenge. I wanted to give my daughter a future. At no point was I meant to become this invested.
I think back eighteen years and familiarise myself with the anger I felt when her betrayal was discovered. I need to hold onto that, I need to harness it to spur me forward to do what needs to be done. Because it doesn't matter how I feel; she wronged not only me but my family. Lessons need to be taught, and no doubt blood needs to be shed.
But this isn't just my fight. She took it beyond me when she agreed to go after my dad.
Actions have consequences, and no matter how many years have passed, they will always be remembered by those wronged.
I'm the last one in the studio by the time I've finished with my client. Zach and Biff are upstairs in the flat, and Titch and Spike both left a li
ttle over thirty minutes ago.
After seeing my client out, I clean up and get ready to head home. It wasn't so long ago that we'd be going out tonight as well as last night, but now the guys all have girls, everything has changed.
We once used to be four free and single guys up for as much fun as we could find every night of the week, but now, I'm the only one left.
Thoughts of how they’re all moving on to the next stages of their lives makes me think about my future. Do I want to continue as I am for the next thirty-something years? Or do I want what they've got—someone to spend it with?
Images of Piper and me pop into my head, but it's pointless. I might be craving her, but I can't be thinking about anything past right now.
We don't have a future.
We can't.
I pull up outside her building ten minutes early and kill the engine. She told me she'd meet me down here, so I refrain from walking over and buzzing for her and instead climb from my bike and wait for her.
I don't have to wait very long; not three minutes later does the main door open. My eyes almost pop out of my head as I watch her emerge. She looks like my inner teenage boy's wet dream.
She's wearing a skin-tight pair of jeans with a fitted leather jacket zipped up to reveal her impressive cleavage.
My mouth waters as I take her in.
Lifting my eyes from her tits, I take in her flawless face and her long, blonde, wavy hair.
"Piper, you look... wow." A smile pulls at her lips.
"I figured I'd dress for the bike."
"You mean this isn't for my benefit?" She laughs, and the sound along with the wide smile on her face do something to my insides, something I know I shouldn't be feeling.
"So what's the plan? Where are you taking me?"
"Hop on and you'll find out."
Her eyes narrow at me as she silently tries to get me to confess. She's going to have to try harder than that if she wants to know my secrets.
"Okay."
I pass her the helmet, and, once she has it secure, I climb back on my bike and wait for her to join me.
She doesn't hesitate to wrap her arms around me and I just about manage to catch the sigh of contentment that threatens to rumble up my throat as her warmth surrounds me.
Play You: A Second Chance/Single Dad Romance (Rebel Ink Book 4) Page 13