I rev the engine and shoot off from her building and across the city.
I know exactly where we're going, but that doesn't stop me from taking the long way around so I can enjoy having her behind me. I also use it as an opportunity to discreetly go via Dad's clubhouse.
It's probably cruel and tempting fate, but I want to feel her reaction as she wonders if that's where we're going.
The second she registers the turn I take and where it could possibly lead, her arms tighten around my waist.
I can't hear anything she might say right now, making me wish I had microphones set up in our helmets.
Her grip only gets tighter the closer we get, and I swear I feel her tremble in fear at one point.
Interesting.
Before we get too close, I take a left and head in the opposite direction. Her hold immediately loosens, and I can practically imagine her blowing out a relieved breath.
It's only fifteen minutes later when we pull up to our destination for the afternoon.
"Borough Market?" she asks, pulling her helmet off and running her fingers through her hair.
"Yep."
"Not what I was expecting, I'll be honest," she admits.
Taking her helmet from her, I lock it up before doing the same with mine and pulling a bag out to take with us.
"Part of me thought you'd found a funfair and were going to torture me on the Ferris wheel again." I can't help but smile. I'm glad she's still thinking about that photo I sent her. I know I sure am. "But then you headed toward the Reapers clubhouse and I thought..."
I shake my head as fear washes through her violet eyes.
Reaching out, I take her hand in mine and pull her into my body. Her scent fills my nose and I almost lower my head to claim her lips right there. She knows it too, because her eyes drop to mine in anticipation.
"I wouldn't take you there, baby girl. Hell, I haven’t been there in years."
"You haven't? So, you're not..."
"No, baby. I'm not associated with them. Well, aside from my name."
"Oh." Her body visibly relaxes with my confession.
"I was a mess after you... died. I’d already told Dad I was leaving, but then Emmie's mum announced she was pregnant, and I walked away for good."
"But you were due to patch in."
"I know. But after seeing the fallout of what my father did to you and your family, enemies or not, I just couldn't. I didn't want my daughter to be brought up surrounded by that life."
A sad laugh passes her lips. "I understand that."
"Dad was not happy. But I was almost eighteen; I was an adult, and he couldn't really do much about it unless he didn't want me breathing. I didn't talk to my parents for a long time after that. They missed out on Emmie being a baby. It's only in the past few years as Mum's health has declined that we've somewhat patched things up, although it'll never be what it once was."
"So you really don't want to kill me?"
I can't help but chuckle. "No, Piper. I don't want to kill you. Everything we went through as kids… it was fucked up. We heard too much, saw too much, experienced too much."
"We were forced to do too much." Our eyes lock as she says the words.
"Yeah, we were. Things could have been so different for us if we weren't born into the families we were."
"Right, we could be married with kids by no—" She stops herself. I'm not sure if it's because of what she can read on my face or what, but she panics. "Shit."
"Hey," I say softly, cupping her cheek. "We could have been. Hell, we should have been."
"You really think we'd have made it that far?"
"I really do, baby girl. I was so fucking gone for you back then."
She gasps at my honesty. "And what about now?" she asks hesitantly.
"Now?" I twist us until she's backed up against my bike. Resting my palms on the seat, I surround her, hovering my lips right above hers. "Right now, I feel like I'm eighteen all over again."
Her eyes shutter in preparation for my kiss, but it never comes. Not yet, anyway.
"Dawson," she complains when I take a step back from her.
"Good things come to those who wait."
"Yeah, assuming I don't combust first," she mutters, much to my amusement.
"Come on. We've got some shopping to do." I twist my fingers with hers and pull her toward the market.
"You brought me shopping for a date?" she asks, sounding totally confused.
"I did. I thought dinner and a movie were overrated."
"And out of all the other options you decided on shopping... in a market."
"I did. Now," I say, pulling her into my body and wrapping my arm around her shoulder, "what do you fancy for lunch?"
"Uh..." She looks up at me before glancing back at the food vendors surrounding us.
"We're going for a picnic, baby."
"Oooh. I guess that makes more sense." She looks around once more. "Bread, cheese... definitely cheese, olives, wine."
"Hungry?" I ask with a laugh.
"Yeah, actually. I was too nervous to eat." Her cheeks turn pink with her admission.
"What did I ever do without you?" I ask her. My voice is serious, too fucking serious, because despite everything, it's the damn truth.
"Made a child?" she asks, trying to lift the tension that's fallen over us.
"That didn't take more than four minutes tops."
"Oh my God, you did not just say that."
"It was a mistake. I was drowning and I made some very questionable decisions. Emmie's mum being one of them."
"She said the two of you hate each other."
"Ah, so that's what you were talking about, huh?"
"One of the things," she admits.
18
Piper
Dawson tries to dig into what Emmie and I spoke about on Friday after my admission, but I don't give him anything—not that there really is anything, but I like to keep things mysterious because I can see it's driving him crazy.
We wander hand in hand, looking at everything Borough Market has to offer for our picnic.
If you'd asked me what I thought our date was going to consist of, this wasn't it. To start with, I'd got in my head that he'd take us out of town like he used to. I know we're not hiding anymore—well, he's not—but I still didn't think we'd stay in London.
"Happy?" he asks once he tucks our latest purchase into his bag.
"Yeah, I think we've got enough to feed the five thousand."
"You did say you were hungry."
"I am, but we have a lot."
"It can be dinner too,” he says with a smirk.
"Am I still going to have to put up with you by that time?"
"Cheeky. You're not getting rid of me that easily. This picnic is only the beginning of my plans for you today, Piper."
My stomach somersaults and desire pools in my core.
We walk out of the market, the sun making me squint before Dawson directs us to a park where he pulls out a picnic basket and other useful supplies like plates, cups, knives and forks.
Amazed by his level of planning, I take a seat and wait for him to join me.
"I'm impressed," I say as he starts laying out the food we purchased.
"It's just a picnic. I wanted to do something that would give us time to talk."
I swallow nervously. I know there's still so much we haven’t touched on since we reconnected, but I've been quite happy living in ignorant bliss. Although I can't deny that his confession that he's not part of the Royal Reapers helped me breathe a little easier.
"Help yourself," he says once everything is laid out before me.
"It looks so good. And that bread smells incredible."
We both dig in, enjoying the fresh, local, and homemade delights we'd picked up.
We eat in silence, and although it's comfortable, as the time creeps on I can feel the tension building.
He tips back his small glass of red wine before dropping down so he's ly
ing on his side and resting on his elbow.
"Piper, I need you to be honest with me about a few things."
"I'll tell you anything you need to know, Dawson. I'm not hiding anything."
"Good." He nods for a second as he forms his first question. "Why'd you do it?"
I blow out a long breath. I knew he was going to start there. "Because my dad left me no choice."
"What did he want to know?"
"I don't know the details, only what I overheard. You know as well as I do that club intel was never shared with minors, Prez's kid or not." He nods, so I continue. "He thought your dad was doing something illegal. I have no idea what; drugs, guns, I don't know. But he was desperate to expose whatever it was and bring him down. I don't need to tell you how jealous he was. The Reapers were growing so much faster than the Brotherhood and he was obsessed with putting a stop to it. It was... stupid. A war he was never going to win, but one he thought was a good idea, nonetheless.
"I didn't want to do it. I refused. Argued. The last thing I wanted was to put myself in the middle of your family and the battle between our fathers, but he left me little choice."
"Did he... did he threaten you?"
"The details don't matter."
"Piper," he growls. "I need you to tell me everything."
My stomach knots. I haven’t talked about this with anyone, and Dawson is the last person I want to know.
"He threatened to make me earn my keep at the club."
Dawson's eyes widen. He knows what goes on at MC clubhouses with the women. It is not pretty. His jaw pops and the tendons in his neck strain.
"It didn't happen."
"No, you took the other option."
"What choice did I have?" He shrugs. I know he understands this on some level.
"What if I didn't fall for you?"
"I honestly have no idea. I think Dad was just hoping that you were a red-blooded teenager and would go for any girl who showed an interest."
"I guess he was right. Only you weren't just any girl, were you?"
"You should have turned me away."
"Never."
"We never should have happened, we both knew that. I might have been placed in the situation, but you didn't need to accept it."
Moving the remains of our lunch out of the way, I lay down in front of him and stare up at the passing clouds.
"How was I meant to resist, baby girl? You walked into my life and turned my world upside down." His large hand curls around my waist and tugs me closer so the length of our bodies press together.
"You did mine, too. I thought I'd just do what I needed to, find out something my dad could use and get on with my life. I never expected to fall in lov—"
"You and me both, baby." His fingers slip under the hem of my t-shirt, his palm burning my skin and making my entire body tingle with desire.
"How did your dad find out?" I ask. It’s my turn to get some answers.
"Turned out you weren't the only one with suspicions. Dad set one of his boys trailing your father. He saw the two of us together, reported back, and everything unravelled from there."
"Jesus," I sigh, watching one of the fluffy white clouds float through the sky. "Dad knew you were going to strike. Someone leaked false information. He thought you were coming the next morning. He sent me away, and he and Mum were going to leave first thing the next day before the Reapers turned up. Only, that's not how it played out."
"I'm sorry you got dragged into it all."
"I guess I should just be glad Dad sent me away when he did."
"Don't," he warns. "For as much as I hated you back then, I never would have wished that on you."
"I almost reached out to you so many times after I left. I missed you so much. It felt like I'd ripped my heart out and left it in London."
"Where did you go?"
"Mum had a childhood friend who'd moved to Cornwall. She took me in. Lived in this tiny, quiet village in a cute little cottage. I hated it. I craved to be back in the city with the noise and the people. I went to the local college, finished my A-Levels, and then I went to university in Exeter. What about you?"
"I got drunk. Very, very drunk. I fucked anyone with a heartbeat and generally checked out on life for quite a long time." His admission makes my chest ache. "I didn't know how to cope, thinking you'd burned in that house. I hated you so much, yet I loved you just as fiercely. I didn't know which way was up."
"What do you think you'd have done if I did reach out?" I ask, trying to decide if I’d done the right thing or not.
"I don't know. At the beginning, I probably would have come and killed you myself. But as time went on, I was so lonely. Miserable. I probably would have been happy, I guess."
"Do you think you'll ever forgive me?"
"Baby girl," he breathes, cupping my face so I have no choice but to turn to look at him. "I already have."
He leans forward and my breath catches. Is this it? Is he finally going to kiss me?
My eyes flutter closed as his breath washes over my face.
"Dawson," I half-moan, half-beg when the heat of his lips hits me. He pauses for a beat before they brush across mine.
Oh God.
It's so gentle. So... opposite to everything else we've done together.
My heart beats erratically in my chest as I reach out and thread my fingers through his hair, although I don't pull him closer. I need him to do this of his own accord, because he's finished battling whatever inner war has stopped him so far.
"Piper," he whispers, his voice full of awe, "it was always you."
I gasp and he uses it to his advantage, plunging his tongue past my lips.
I greedily suck it into my mouth and brush mine against it.
His kiss starts out gentle, as if he's showing me just how true those last few words were, but then he rolls his weight onto me and things turn up a notch or two. His hand drops down my body before he cups my breasts, making my back arch from the blanket. It's entirely too erotic to be happening in a public park, but I really can't bring myself to care as his tongue continues to caress mine before biting down and sending a bolt of lust between my legs.
My nails scratch down his back and he stills, the bite of pain a reality check.
"We need to stop before I fuck you right here for everyone to watch." He presses his forehead to mine, his short, sharp breaths fanning my face.
"Almost as romantic as what you said at the beginning," I murmur, my voice deep with lust.
He laughs, and it makes my chest constrict.
"You know me. I have a way with words."
"I particularly like your dirty ones."
"That's good, because right now I have so many I want to say to you." He pulls my hip into him and rubs his length against me. "I need you so fucking bad, baby girl."
"Maybe we should get out of here then? I happen to know a flat that’s empty right now." He groans, dropping his face into the crook of my neck.
"I knew kissing you would be dangerous."
"Dangerous how?" I ask, unable to wipe the smile from my face.
"Because I knew once I did it, I'd never want to stop."
"I don't have a problem with that. Let's go home and we can spend the rest of the day doing just that. It'll be like we're kids again."
"As incredible as that sounds, I've got other plans for the rest of the day."
"Oh?"
He pulls his head up and looks down at me, his eyes twinkling in delight.
"What you said earlier about us being married with kids if none of that bullshit happened… did you really mean that?"
I swallow nervously. It was an off the cuff comment, but I can't deny it was true. I might have had an ulterior motive back then, but what I felt for Dawson was real. The dreams I had for the future were real.
"Yeah, I meant every word."
He nods, lost deep in his thoughts. "You fancy finding out what I really do for a living?"
"Yes," I squeal, sitting bolt u
pright, excited to learn something new about the man my boy has turned into.
"Let's pack up then and I'll take you there... if you're brave enough."
"Any heights involved?"
He thinks for a moment. "You should be okay. But there is one thing..." I quirk a brow at him. "How high is your pain threshold?"
"Okay, now I'm worried."
Not long later, we're back on Dawson's bike and flying through the city. I have no clue where he's taking me, although I can't deny that his question about my pain threshold is playing on my mind somewhat. I wrack my brain to come up with the answer, but when he pulls to a stop outside of a tattoo studio on the other side of town, I feel stupid for not figuring it out. He's covered in enough evidence, after all.
Excitement zips through my veins as I think about what's to come in the next few hours.
I'd like to say that he's not crazy enough to get me under the needle on our first official date, but this is Dawson we're talking about.
Shaking my head, I climb off the bike and unclip the helmet.
"So this is what you do, then?" I ask, looking up at the pink neon Rebel Ink sign that hangs over the front of the building.
"It is. Are you ready? My chair is waiting for its client."
"You're really going to do this?"
"Yes," he states, taking my hand and walking toward the building.
All of the lights are on, and as we push inside, there are a couple of clients waiting on the sofas and a woman sitting behind the reception desk.
"Welcome to Rebel Ink, how can—oooooh," she sings once she's dragged her eyes up from whatever she was focusing on. "D, how nice to see you on your day off. And who is this?" she asks, glancing down at our joined hands
"Biff, this is Piper. Piper, this is Biff."
"It's so nice to meet you," I say genuinely, because the way she's studying Dawson right now makes me think they’re somewhat close. I ignore the trickle of jealousy that threatens to erupt. They're colleagues; I'm sure they're just friends.
"You too. I'd like to say I've heard loads about you, but this one keeps things close to his chest." She narrows her eyes at Dawson, and I laugh. Yeah, she does know him fairly well.
"I knew this was a bad idea."
"No, no. You did the right thing. I hope you're prepared to meet everyone else, Piper."
Play You: A Second Chance/Single Dad Romance (Rebel Ink Book 4) Page 14