Falling

by Kris Bryant

  I took her hand. “Are you kidding? That was the one of the best trips of my life.” I blushed at my confession.

  “I’ve missed you this week.” She entwined her fingers with mine and rubbed her thumb along the sensitive skin between my thumb and forefinger.

  I wanted to close my eyes, lean my head back, and lose myself in her touch. I wanted to put my head in her lap and enjoy her soft hands on my skin. When was the last time I had a woman over and wanted that?

  “I’m sorry I was so busy this week. Trust me, it wasn’t because I wanted to. I missed you, too.” I didn’t want to admit that I was livid at Brittany and Travis. It was like Brittany was punishing me for not attending any conferences this summer. She had me working on things her assistant or Ginny could work on. It was ridiculous.

  “Your boss is kind of a jerk, huh?”

  “You only know a tiny sliver of Cruella de Vil. I’m trying to stay focused and positive because I’m successful there, but she drives me crazy. I can’t decide if she wants to exploit me because of the crash or just treat me like crap because she hates me and can’t fire me.” How many employees could cuss out their bosses and still have a job? Brittany and I both knew I had the upper hand, but soon that would change as time separated me from the crash and things settled down.

  “Yeah, your boss is a big jerk. She doesn’t want to ever meet me,” Piper said.

  It was endearing how protective she was. I couldn’t help but smile. I squeezed her fingers and stood. “We should get going.” As much as I wanted to stay, Marisa was expecting us at the gallery and we were close to being late. Time always flew by with Piper.

  “So, tell me about this artist. Have you met her before? What kind of art does she specialize in?” Piper asked once we headed out. The gallery was only a twenty-minute drive, but on a Friday night, parking was going to be tough.

  “I haven’t met her before. She’s the girlfriend of one of the detectives Marisa works with. I think she does mixed media, so it could be anything.” I hoped her art was interesting and not some contemporary crayon drawing that everyone fawned over. “I can’t promise you great art, but at least the company will be good and hopefully dinner will be as well.”

  “I totally agree. Plus, it will be nice to see Marisa again. Is Jason coming down?”

  “Yes, he should be there. They’ve been inseparable since we saw them last. I had lunch with Marisa a few days ago. She’s deliriously happy and I’m going to take the credit for it.” I made sure to mention it to Marisa every single time she talked about him.

  Piper laughed. “I’m sure Jason’s going to want some of the credit. I mean, he’s a pretty cool guy and seems to really care for her.”

  “I do like him. He’s so good to her. I knew they would be a great couple.” We both sighed at the same time and laughed. “Apparently we both like a good romance.” The look she gave me made my heart stop and speed up all at once. I jumped when the car behind me honked. I didn’t want to stop looking at her, but I was blocking traffic. I drove past the gallery and found a spot two blocks down. We found Marisa inside, chatting with a very attractive and very tall brunette.

  “Hey, you made it.” Marisa pulled me into a hug. She reached for Piper next and winked at me.

  I rolled my eyes and turned to the woman Marisa was talking to. “Hi, I’m Shaylie.”

  “I’m Lorie Stewart. Thank you for coming tonight.”

  “We’re happy to be here. I’m excited to see your work.” I turned to Piper. “This is Piper Cole.”

  “Nice to meet you.”

  “It looks great in here. Is this your first gallery exhibit?” Piper asked.

  Marisa stepped away with me as Piper and Lorie chatted about art and available space in Denver. “How’s it going with Piper?”

  “This is the first time I’ve seen her since the camping trip.”

  She squeezed my arm. “Are you kidding? What’s the holdup?”

  “Two words.”

  “Brittany Miller,” we said at the same time.

  “She’s so awful. I need to figure out something. She’s forever going to be a pain in my ass.”

  Marisa put her hands on my shoulders. “You know what you need to do. You have a great client base. Dump her and go out on your own.”

  “I have a noncompete clause. I can’t do commercial real estate for six months if I quit,” I said.

  “Six months is nothing. And that doesn’t mean you can’t sell other properties, right? Just think about it. We’ll get together this week for dinner and discuss this in depth. Now let’s see what the girls are talking about.”

  We stared at both of them. How did I get so lucky with Piper? She was comfortable talking to anybody. And she was beautiful and smart and mine.

  “Where’s Jason? He’s coming, right?” I looked around one last time for him.

  “He’s stuck in traffic. He got held up at the ranch, but he’ll be here by eight,” she said.

  “Piper and I had a nice talk about you two on the drive here. She agrees that I’m the sole reason you’re together.” I nodded to reaffirm our conversation.

  “Oh, stop. I’m going to ask her if she really said that,” Marisa said. She glared at me, which was her way of calling me on my bullshit.

  “No, seriously. We talked about both of you. How sweet you are together. We should combine your names like Jarisa or Marison like celebrities.” She laughed at me. “How are things?” I asked. Marisa was hesitant to talk about the seriousness of their relationship. It seemed like any time either of us talked about a relationship we were in that lasted more than a few months, that relationship tanked.

  “We’re doing well. Still taking things slow. Neither one of us wants to commit to anything yet. His life is one hundred percent the ranch.”

  “Have you thought about transferring up to Cheyenne?”

  She stared at me. “Shaylie, nothing ever happens in Cheyenne. I would be bored out of my mind.”

  I knew how much she loved her job and how proud of her accomplishments she was. Rightfully so. Marisa had worked hard to climb the ranks as quickly as she did.

  “Besides, we aren’t going to make any decisions until we’ve been together at least a year,” she said.

  “At least you’re talking about it. Most people ignore it for as long as possible.” I nudged her shoulder and nodded in Piper’s direction. I’d called Marisa after the camping trip and told her Piper and I kissed, but didn’t go into how perfect it was. I didn’t tell her how she felt in my arms or how she put her fingers on my neck just to feel my pulse.

  “Are you sure about this?”

  “You know how I feel about her. If she’s willing to take a chance on this, then so am I. I’m not pressuring her. She’s making all the decisions and moving at the pace she wants to.”

  “I hope it works out. I like Piper and you know that I love you. Remember, we need to have babies at the same time. Our daughters are going to grow up together,” she said.

  “And then get married when they are done with college and are working at the same hospital.”

  “In downtown Denver because they need to be close to us,” Marisa said.

  “What’s going on over here? You ladies look like you’re ready to cry,” Piper said. She handed both of us a glass of wine. We eagerly accepted and clinked our glasses together.

  “We were thinking about our children who are going to grow up together and get married and give us beautiful grandbabies,” I said.

  Piper laughed at us. “Is this something you discuss frequently?”

  “Every single time we talk about relationships.” Marisa sighed and put her head on my shoulder.

  “Do you both want children?” Piper asked.

  We nodded. “Ideally, we’d like them to grow up together, but we both want at least two,” I said.

  “I’d like at least one, but I’m not in any hurry,” Piper said.

  “That’s because you’re young. Once you hit thirty, time spe
eds up,” Marisa said. She linked her arms with mine and Piper’s and led us to the first set of paintings on the wall closest to us. “I love landscapes,” she said.

  I watched Piper’s reaction. She was enthralled with Lorie’s landscapes. She and Marisa couldn’t decide which one they liked the most. I liked her photography the most. They were photo manipulations of nudes that looked like landscapes. Lorie Stewart was very talented.

  “What did you and Lorie talk about?” I asked. I wasn’t jealous, just curious.

  “She went to the same school as I did.”

  I’d forgotten that Piper and Emma attended the University of Colorado and earned fine arts degrees. “Ah, yes. A local artist. Do you still make art?” I wondered if any of the original art in her place was her own.

  “I haven’t for a long time, but I do miss it.”

  I switched out our empty glasses for full ones. “We should probably get something to eat soon.”

  “Can we wait until Jason gets here? I’d like to see him,” Piper said.

  “We can always invite them to dinner with us.”

  Piper moved closer. She slid her hand down my arm and linked her fingers with mine. “This is our date. I love your friends, but I want time alone with you. That’s okay, right?”

  “The perfect answer,” I said.

  She leaned in and kissed me softly in front of everyone. When she pulled away, I noticed both Marisa and Lorie were watching us. I couldn’t help but smile. I had the prettiest woman in the room as my date. Behind Marisa, Jason entered the gallery. I pointed him out to Piper. He pulled Marisa to him and she melted in his arms.

  “They are the real deal, aren’t they?” Piper asked.

  “Yeah. She really fell hard. Let’s go say hi and bye and get some food,” I said.

  Jason reached for both me and Piper and pulled us into a group hug. “You all look amazing.”

  “I’m glad you finally made it. We were starting to get worried.”

  “I’m sorry I’m so late. What did I miss?”

  I pointed over my shoulders. “Some very cool photographs. You could maybe buy her one for her birthday next month.”

  He raised an eyebrow at me. “Yeah, but would she really like it? I mean, she doesn’t have a lot of art in her place.”

  “Well, no, but it’s a nice gift and she would love it because it came from you. Unless you want to take her somewhere for a long weekend. You know, within a day’s drive.” Jason was extremely nervous about flying again, too. He’d called me last week to let me know his lawyer was close to settling with the airlines. My lawyer was still lining up a thousand people to sue. I’d told Charles again that I didn’t need anything, but it had become his personal mission to make me his number one priority. Plus, 25 percent of as much as he could get me meant a lot of money for him, too. It would be good for his business. I knew Charles cared about me, but he cared about money more.

  “Hey, are you ready to sneak away?” Piper whispered in my ear.

  I pulled her closer to me. “Definitely.”

  We said our good-byes. Piper exchanged business cards with Lorie and we headed down the block to Twain’s restaurant. She held my hand the entire way.

  “So, you like kids, huh?” It was a sensitive subject to discuss when first dating, so I wanted to approach it carefully. We were waiting for our entrees and I decided I needed to know more about her idea of family. Not everybody wanted kids. I wanted them, but I selfishly expected my partner to birth them.

  “Yeah, I do. I think it would be fun to teach yoga to kids.”

  “You’re brave, woman. Very brave to want that. One time, Marisa and I volunteered at the YMCA to introduce fitness to a lot of the kids in the neighborhood where we lived, and it was a disaster. They were more concerned with snacks than they were about the routines we created,” I said.

  “I was thinking about having some of the parents bring their kids just to see if they like it. Kids like to emulate their parents, so maybe if enough kids show interest, then I can start a class.” Piper played with her hair when she talked about herself, twirling it around her fingers in a repetitive, calming way.

  “I think you would be great with a class of kids. You are calm.”

  She reached over and laced her fingers with mine. Her hand was so soft and her fingers so dainty. “I can get mad and angry and frustrated just like anyone else. It’s sweet that you think I’m this even-keeled person who never raises her voice. I have been known to yell and slam doors.”

  I held my free hand to my chest. “Say it isn’t so.”

  When our meals arrived, the topic changed to foods we liked, wine pairing, who had the better palate, and finally whether we should do dessert or not. In a surprise turn of events, Piper wanted it and I didn’t. I did, but I had dropped a few pounds and wanted to keep going. Eating a healthy portion of tiramisu wasn’t in my workout routine. Yoga wasn’t doing it for me, so I jogged every morning, unbeknownst to Piper. I was the last one into work every day because of my new love for running, but I didn’t give a fuck, and I was happy.

  We talked for so long that we were the last ones in Twain’s. It was almost eleven and we decided to leave before they kicked us out. I offered an innocent nightcap when we got back to my place, which she eagerly accepted. After I felt her hand rest right above my hip as I unlocked the door, I realized it might not be so innocent. It wasn’t the normal brief, guiding touch, but more of a possessive squeeze that promised more than a chaste good-night kiss. It had been at least four months since Piper had sex, and so many more since I had.

  “How about a glass of wine? I don’t have anything harder,” I said. I was nervous and needed to stay busy.

  Piper followed me into the kitchen and sat at the counter. I poured two glasses of Riesling and slid her one.

  “Should we go into the living room?” she asked.

  I shook my head and smiled. “We’d better stay here. It’s safer.”

  “Safer for whom?” The smirk on Piper’s face was unmistakable. “What if I promise to keep my hands to myself?”

  “Maybe I’m not just worried about you.”

  She picked up her glass and left the kitchen. I smiled and quickly followed her, forcing myself to remain calm even though I wanted to take her glass and pull her on the couch and do all the things that I’d done to her in my dreams. Strip her down, kiss her everywhere, make her feel treasured and alive. Instead, I sat on the opposite side and smiled at her.

  “So, Shaylie, what else should we talk about?”

  She looked so beautiful in the dim light, her generous mouth hovering above the rim of her glass before taking a sip. I couldn’t stop staring at her lips. I missed them against mine. I missed her curves against mine, the way her hips moved when we kissed. Fuck it. I put my glass on the coffee table and scooted until I was sitting next to her. She set her glass next to mine.

  “Hi,” I said.

  “Hi.” She pulled me toward her until she was flat on her back. My mouth was inches from hers, my breasts almost pressed against hers. Her body was so warm and willing. “How’s your heartbeat?”

  I kissed her hard. I whimpered when I felt her teeth graze my bottom lip and moaned when her tongue touched mine. She pulled me on top of her so I was resting between her legs. I felt her hands on my neck, her fingers searching out my pulse. She deepened the kiss after she felt the rapid thump of my heartbeat. Her hands were on my back, pulling me into her. I didn’t want to grind against her, but her hips were pushing against me and I wanted to give her everything she wanted. I wanted to please her but not take advantage. I pulled away.

  “Wait. Wait. Let’s stop for just a minute.” I looked at her swollen mouth and kissed her again. Fuck, we kissed so well. Her shirt had worked its way up during our hard and fast start. I slid my hand along the smooth skin of her stomach.

  “Okay, okay,” she said. Her hooded gaze was sexy as hell, and it took all of my willpower to leave her embrace. I grew weaker and weaker with
every beat of my heart.

  “Fuck,” I said and crashed into her. My mouth slanted across hers again and I melted into her arms. My hips pressed into her warm body. Both of us moaned at the same time. She wrapped her leg around my waist and pulled me closer. I knew I wasn’t going to last long and I didn’t want our first time to be an embarrassment. I allowed ten more seconds of grinding against her before I pulled away for the last time. “We need to stop. This is too soon.”

  “It’s okay, Shaylie.” She had a firm grasp on the back of my neck, but I shook my head.

  “I want this to be special.”

  “This is special, I promise,” she said. A hint of desperation laced her whisper. “Please.”

  I kissed her softly and felt her relax.

  “You’re right. We should wait for a bit.” Her voice was shaky and raw. She cleared her throat several times and sat up, keeping a safe distance between us.

  I felt like an asshole and an angel at the same time. I touched her face, tucked her hair behind her ear, ran my fingers down her neck and onto her collarbone. “Just for a little bit. This, us, will definitely keep.”

  She smiled sadly at me and nodded. “I understand. And you’re right. Emotionally, we need to be stronger. Physically, I’m dying.”

  I cupped her face in my hands. “Listen, you’re beautiful and wonderful and it’s taking all of my effort to fight my attraction right now. I know things are still fresh in your heart, and I know there’s room in there for me. I want us to be perfect.”

  She sighed and closed her eyes. “You’re right.”

  “Get used to it. I’m always right,” I said, trying to lighten the mood.

  She took a deep breath and reached for her wineglass. “I put your percentage at about eighty-eight.”

  I feigned shock. “What? Surely it’s higher than that.”

  She shook her head. “Remember, I’m stubborn.”

  I watched her sip her wine, my gaze never leaving her mouth. That wide, delicious mouth was going to be the death of me. I groaned and leaned my head back against the couch. She reached for my fingers and pulled my hand onto her lap. I smiled at her warmth. She squeezed my hand to get my attention.