Falling

by Kris Bryant

  “Yoga’s good. We’re doing better than I projected for this time of year.”

  “I’m glad Bodhi’s doing well. Any new clients?” I didn’t tell Piper I’d been passing her business cards out to my clients and coworkers since the very beginning when I met her, and didn’t stop even when our relationship ended.

  “I’m surprised with how many more clients we have. I gave all of my beginner’s classes to Lani and added a few advanced classes to my schedule. I’ve been pushing myself, trying to get my mind off things. I decided to clean out that room and make it a storage place. That’s when I found all the letters.” She stopped talking for just a few moments and sighed. “That destroyed me on so many levels. Not just the betrayal, but realizing what I’d done and said to you.”

  “I’m sorry you had to find out at all.”

  She sighed. “I survived. I saw my therapist a few extra times and she really helped me deal with the truth.”

  “When did you find the letters? How long ago?”

  “Early last week. I wanted to call you then, but I didn’t know how to even approach you. My therapist gave me tips on how to talk to you. Again, Shaylie, I’m so sorry,” she said. I could tell from the crestfallen look on her face and the slump of her shoulders she meant it. “Can you tell me what you saw? I mean, if you don’t mind. I know that sounds weird, but it will help me with this closure, too.”

  I knew she needed to know the truth, but her heart was wounded. I decided to tread lightly and spoke with little emotion. “I got on after they did. They smiled at me, then focused on each other. They kissed and laughed and touched. We didn’t communicate much.” That was informative enough, and not terribly hurtful.

  She nodded. “Yeah, their letters were pretty intimate. It sucks that I’ll never know why.”

  “What did you do with the letters? Not that I want to read them. I’m just curious.” I didn’t want to be nosy, but I was hoping she would offer more.

  “I thought about keeping them but decided to purge them from my life.”

  “You shredded them?” I asked.

  “Add a wee bit more venom. I burned them. I showed my mom and we doused them with gasoline. We basically made a huge bonfire in their backyard.”

  “You told your mom?”

  “I had to tell someone. She was more disappointed in Emma. She didn’t like Robin much.”

  I couldn’t agree with her mom more. I wasn’t a fan of Emma. They had a solid history and she had broken that trust. Robin was only in the picture for six months and pressured Piper to get married. Obviously Robin was smooth and a charmer, but her intensions were shady. It could be as simple as she loved two women at the same time but loved Piper more. One was enough for me. “I’m sorry you don’t have the kind of closure you need, but I’m happy I’m no longer a jerk in your eyes.”

  “I said some pretty horrible things.”

  “You were hurt and just trying to process the news. It’s okay. I understand.” I was done talking about it, but she still was coping.

  “Enough about that. Truly. Let’s talk about something else. What’s new with you?” She smiled at me and I was struck by how much I missed her and how beautiful she was. “You’ve lost a lot of weight.”

  I shrugged. The last thing she needed to hear was how poorly I’d been taking care of myself. “Let’s see. I had Thanksgiving up at the ranch, which was a lot of fun.”

  “You didn’t spend it with your parents?”

  “My mom invited me, but I’m just not ready to get on a plane and I didn’t feel like driving for twelve hours. So, I tagged along with Mar and spent the long weekend there.” It was fun and chaotic and exactly what I needed. “Marisa is moving up there in the spring. She and Jason are building a house on the property.”

  “Oh, my God. That’s incredible news. I’m so happy for them. Is she going to quit her job?”

  “She applied for a detective position in Cheyenne. She’ll be bored and will eventually just quit and have babies. And she’ll be a great mom.”

  “I’m stunned. That’s so great. I really like them both. You did a good job there.”

  “Trust me when I tell you I’m taking full credit.”

  She laughed, and the sound made my heart flutter. I looked at Piper and smiled. I really did love her. What started as a crush had blossomed into something I wasn’t expecting but fully embraced. I was honest and raw for the first time. My new lease on life helped with that unguarded, pure need that I had.

  “Also, I quit my job,” I said.

  “You did not. Are you serious? Why?”

  “I just decided I needed a change. I’ll probably branch out on my own.”

  “Will you stay here? In Denver?” Her eyes widened and she leaned forward.

  “I’ll stay here. I know the area better and I’m thinking about focusing on residential for six months until my noncompete expires. Then I’ll hit commercial hard unless I really enjoy residential.”

  “I’m glad you’re staying here. And I think you’ll do well with either. You understand your clients and what they need. I have complete faith in you.” She took my hand and squeezed. “I’m proud of you. You’re young and successful and you overcame incredible odds.”

  All I could think about was her warm hand in mine. She was so soft and delicate. I couldn’t help but kiss her. I missed her mouth, her warmth, and the feel of her body against mine. When our lips touched, my body exploded with pure joy. I was back where I needed to be. We took it slow, kissing only a few times.

  She moved closer and we spent most of the afternoon catching up. Piper was different. She wasn’t guarded like she was before. I think, for the first time, she completely trusted me. I felt it in my heart and in her actions. She melted against me, touching me softly whenever we were close. I left around seven that night, citing that I had a meeting with my lawyer the next day, which was true, but our meeting wasn’t until the afternoon. I wanted to take my time with her. It wasn’t the time to profess my love or commitment. I still felt off at her place. It was where she’d ended us, and even though we’d worked through it, her past and our breakup were still very fresh.

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Piper and I had a quick dinner after one of her late classes earlier in the week. We met at a sandwich stop in her neighborhood and kissed good-bye outside my car until the cold separated us. Tonight was a different story. We were having dinner with Marisa and Jason downtown. It was a pre-Christmas celebration followed by a gift exchange at my house. I had high hopes that after Marisa and Jason left, our relationship would move from passionate kisses to hours in my bed where we got to know one another again.

  “Dinner is at seven thirty. Does that give you enough time to get ready?” I’d agreed to pick Piper up since I was unemployed and bored. During the day, I worked on a few things, including Piper’s gift. I wanted her to have something to open up in front of our friends, but those trinkets weren’t her main gift. No, that would happen after she got home from her parents’ house on Christmas Day. We were going to exchange gifts at her place, then drive up to spend the long weekend with the Doogans. Piper closed Bodhi the week between Christmas and New Year’s and we planned on taking full advantage.

  “That gives me plenty of time. I won’t be late. You can come early. Hey, maybe you want to try one of my intermediate classes?” She laughed, knowing full well yoga and I were never going to work out.

  “That sounds awful. I could come by and watch you and you can watch me eat a brownie.” I was kidding. I’d gained back some of the ten pounds I lost when we were apart. I decided to maintain a healthy weight. I couldn’t get into yoga, but I bought a stationary bike and rode it every morning. Spin classes were next, but I wanted to be in shape before I even tried to embarrass myself in front of thirty strangers.

  “Come early. You can keep me company while I get ready. Plus, I like seeing you whenever I can.” Her voice was so playful and flirty that I fell in love with her all over again. I wa
s doing that a lot lately. Every phone call, every sweet text, every passionate kiss. I needed to make love to her again. And again. I needed her warm, naked body on top of mine, underneath mine, next to mine. Since we were going to be at my house later opening gifts, I had high hopes that she would stay with me tonight. I wasn’t going to push it, but I wasn’t going to stop it either.

  “Maybe I can coax you into wrapping the gifts that I got Marisa and Jason,” she said.

  I pictured her full lips in a pout and her long eyelashes fluttering at me in an attempt to woo me into doing it for her. “Depends on what’s in it for me?” I realized that sounded more sexual than I wanted it to. “And you’ll keep Clifford away, right? His idea of help and mine are totally different.” Hopefully, that neutralized it.

  “I’ll make it up to you, don’t you worry. And I’ll keep Clifford in the bathroom with me so he won’t destroy the wrapping paper.”

  “Deal. I’ll meet you at the studio.” I hung up and started cleaning the house. It was almost spotless already, but I wanted to make tonight extra special. My tree was decorated. I had four stockings hanging on the fireplace and a tiny fifth one with Clifford’s name on it beside Piper’s. There were eight reindeer statues strategically placed around the room. It was Christmasy, but not over the top. Jason warned us that Virginia went all out and we should prepare ourselves for the gaudiest display of the holidays that we’ve ever seen. I changed the sheets on my bed and in the guest room in case Jason and Marisa wanted to stay the night. I had two bottles of Cakebread Cellars’ Cabernet Sauvignon that I was dying to open. I was ready for guests and excited for tonight on so many different levels.

  Marisa called me right as I parked in front of Piper’s building. “Don’t be late.”

  “I’m already at Piper’s. We won’t be late. You know how I hate that.” I turned off the car and put my phone up to my ear. “Listen, the guest room is ready for you. The one on the main floor, not the one right next to my room. I don’t want to hear any moans unless they are coming from me or Piper.”

  “You think tonight might be the night?” Marisa knew we hadn’t slept together since that one weekend almost two months ago.

  “I think we’re there again.”

  “Well, we don’t want to be there when that happens,” she said.

  “My house is big enough. Just remember the numerous times I shared an apartment with you, even at the ranch, when I had to endure your throes of passion,” I said with faux disgust.

  “Fair enough. We’ll bring an overnight bag just in case. See you in a bit. Don’t be late.” She hung up before I could loudly remind her that we wouldn’t be.

  Piper still had ten minutes left of her class, so I decided to pop in and wait for her. She was in the last room with about fifteen students. I watched her through the glass and smiled at how much she loved her job. She slipped from the ever-popular upward facing dog into a pose that I’d never seen before but that made my heart pound in my chest. I forgot to breathe. She effortlessly shifted into a complex pose that I didn’t even know the name of but that set my body on fire.

  It was sexy and amazing to see her in her element. Her hair was loosely braided down one side and the clothes she wore left very little to the imagination. I was jealous because everyone in that room spent the last hour staring at an almost naked Piper, but also excited because she was mine. Our eyes locked when she ended her handstand and slipped back into the almost doing splits pose. The smoldering look she sent me had me loosening my scarf and unbuttoning my coat. I swallowed hard. We were definitely having sex tonight and it wasn’t going to be slow and sweet. At least not the first time. She instructed the class to finish stretching, but her eyes never left mine. Even her stretches suddenly looked erotic. I had to break eye contact and slip off my coat. My body was burning up. When her students started filtering out of the classroom, I slipped in.

  “That was quite the look.” I handed her a towel.

  “Mmm. Whatever do you mean?” She narrowed her eyes at me.

  I wanted to grab her and kiss her, but people were still milling about. “You’re sweating. This must have been one of your advanced classes.” I knew the name of only one pose, so it definitely wasn’t a beginner’s class.

  She moved closer to me. “Or maybe it was the way you were watching me.”

  I watched her wipe the sweat from the back of her neck and the front of her chest. I bit my bottom lip instead of pulling her flush against my body and kissing her breathlessly. That would come later at my house. “Maybe.” I raised my eyebrow at her. She leaned in and brushed her lips across mine.

  “Let’s go.”

  I looked around at the already empty room. “Where’d everybody go?”

  “Like us, they have places to be. Let’s get out of here. We don’t want to be late.”

  It was as if she’d talked to Marisa. I waited until she slipped on her sweatshirt and coat and turned off the lights. She kissed me in the hallway near the front door. Her lips and tongue ignited the passion that was always brimming just below the surface and I kissed her back, pushing her against the wall. She pulled my body closer until my legs were between hers. I rolled my hips into her. I laced my fingers with hers, brought her hands up over her head, and held them hard against the wall. She whimpered in submission and for about five minutes we stayed there, kissing, moaning, and taking from one another.

  I released her hands so I could touch her. I held the back of her head with one hand and slipped the other one inside her coat. I moved my hand from her waist down to her ass. She moaned when I moved my hand to rub between her thighs. She widened her stance, allowing me full access to her. Her clothes were too tight, so I couldn’t get inside. I rubbed my fingers up and down her warm slit and listened to her breath hitch higher and higher until she growled in frustration. She pulled her yoga pants down to her knees and cried out when I slipped inside her. She was deliciously wet and tight. I leaned my forehead against hers and watched her face flush with passion. Her lips pressed against mine, but her gasps and short cries made it hard to kiss. I ran my mouth down to her neck, scraped my teeth over her shoulder, and bit down on the soft muscle just below her neck.

  “Faster, oh, God. Faster, Shay,” she said between ragged breaths.

  I pumped my fingers in and out of her until she clutched me, growled deep in her throat, and fell weak against me. I kissed her until she pulled away, gasping for breath.

  “Wow. You should pick me up after class every day.”

  We kissed again and again until Piper put her hand on my chest and gently pushed me away. “We need to go. We’ll have to pick this back up later.” I stepped back so she could adjust her clothing. She buttoned her jacket and walked into my arms for a long hug. As rushed as this was, we still needed the intimate closeness that followed sex.

  “Let’s go, babe.” I checked the time. It was 6:20. Piper had about forty minutes to get ready. “I’m afraid we’re pressed for time.”

  She locked up and we quickly headed to her loft. I promised to do a good job wrapping the gifts. Her job was to get ready in record time so that Marisa wouldn’t have more ammunition against us. We finished about the same time. I was stacking presents by the door when she came out of the bathroom.

  “Wow. Not only do you look great, but you got ready in time.” I couldn’t hide my appreciation. I pulled her into my embrace. “And you smell wonderful.” Piper never wore perfume, but she had rows of lotions. Tonight she was wearing my favorite, orange blossom and honey. Her hair was damp and pulled up in a messy bun.

  “Thank you.” She zipped up her brown knee-high boots. She wore dark leggings and a taupe sweater that made her light brown eyes pop. She pulled her jacket on, petted Clifford good-bye, and moved to the front door. I picked up the presents and we headed down to the car. She held my hand during the entire drive and pointed out all of the Christmas decorations in storefronts and even apartments.

  “Is Christmas your favorite holiday?” I
asked.

  She was so giddy and childlike that it was hard not to smile at her appreciation. Christmas was definitely my favorite holiday, but I had a feeling my new favorite would be Valentine’s Day.

  “I like all of the holidays, but there is just something magical about this time of year.”

  “You did a great job on picking out gifts for Jason and Mar.” She’d put a lot of effort and thought into her gifts.

  “Thanks. They are easy to buy for. I have something for the rest of the family, too, but since we’re going up to the ranch after our Christmas, I have time to wrap those gifts.”

  “I kind of went overboard on them.” I’d spent more time on Jason’s family than I did my own. My parents had visited me during my off time with Piper, but that weekend was rushed. They knew I would drive down in the spring and hang out with them for a week. Christmas presents were never big in my family. I grew up with anything I wanted, so we spent more time on traditions than gifts. This year, I sent them a card and a wine of the month subscription. They were hard to buy for, but I expected most parents who retired early with fat bank accounts were.

  We pulled up to the valet two minutes before we were expected. I gave the valet the keys and a tip and guided Piper inside, where Marisa and Jason were waiting for us.

  “Told you we wouldn’t be late.” I brushed a kiss across Marisa’s cheek. Jason pulled me into a bear hug until I squealed. I loved him so much. He greeted Piper the same way.

  The host seated us next to the window where we could see downtown draped in Christmas cheer.

  “This is Piper’s favorite time of year,” I said.

  She blushed. “Well, everybody is in a good mood. And it’s cold and perfect for snuggling or sitting by a fire or jumping in a hot tub.”

  “I’m glad to see you’re finally using your hot tub. It took forever to convince Shaylie to buy it,” Marisa said to Piper and Jason.