Falling

by Kris Bryant

  “I’m glad she did.” Piper squeezed my leg.

  I shivered remembering the wonderful things I’d done to Piper in the hot tub. I doubted we could get away with anything tonight since we had guests, but I had a great memory and an even better imagination. Tomorrow, after Jason and Marisa left, I would suggest it again. “Oh, I’m happy, too.”

  The meal was fabulous and the conversation even better. We got along so well. I smiled the entire meal. Piper was charming and touched me a lot, something that wasn’t lost on Detective Bower. Marisa lifted her eyebrow at me a few times when Piper’s hand disappeared under the table and my body language changed. Piper wasn’t teasing. It was just her way of being close.

  It was almost ten by the time we got settled at my house. I poured the wine while Marisa passed out gifts.

  At my insistence, Jason opened mine first. He held up the two-inch-wide, smooth silver disc and looked at it quizzically.

  “Flip it over,” I said.

  He held it in his hand and didn’t speak for a bit. Marisa leaned over to see what it was.

  “Look in the box.” I knew it would take a minute for them to figure it out.

  Marisa found the box cover and read the piece of paper inside. She teared up instantly and gave it to Jason. He read it and pulled me close to him. We clutched one another and cried. Marisa and Piper joined in. We were all crying and laughing and sobbing.

  “I don’t even know what’s going on.” Piper wiped her tears on her sleeve.

  “Shaylie made a good luck token that I will carry around in my pocket. It’s from the plane.” Jason gave it to her to look at.

  Piper traced her finger over the date and “thank you” carved in it.

  “Is that from the piece that was inside you? I thought they wanted all pieces for the investigation,” Marisa said.

  “I’m pretty sure the piece of chair that stabbed me wasn’t the reason the plane went down. Vicky, my nurse, cleaned it up and gave it to me as a survival reminder. I didn’t know what to do with it until recently.”

  “It’s amazing. Thank you.” Jason squeezed my hand.

  “You’re welcome. Let’s open more presents before this gets even further out of hand.” I opened one of my presents from Marisa. It was a beautiful desk accessory set made of dark brown Italian leather.

  “You know, for when you finally figure out what you’re going to do,” she said.

  I ran my hand over the smooth texture of the leather. This was Marisa’s way of telling me to go for it, to start my own business. I hadn’t told her my plans because I wanted a peaceful celebration, but in the long run, I knew she would support me. “Thank you.”

  We traded gifts until it was clear all of us had gone overboard. It was one in the morning when we finally broke for the night. Jason and Marisa headed to the guest room on the first floor.

  “Sleep well,” I said to them. I pulled Piper in my arms. “Are you tired?”

  “I’m too excited to be tired. Let’s go upstairs so you can unwrap your gift.” She led me upstairs by the hand and started undressing me when we turned the corner.

  I pulled her sweater off while she unbuttoned my blouse. I let down her beautifully thick hair. Tendrils from her earlier shower sprang out from her normal waves. I wrapped my hands in her hair and brought her mouth back to mine. What happened at Bodhi was just the beginning. I kissed her and walked her back to the bedroom. We stumbled in and I managed to kick the door shut before tumbling with her onto the bed. I stood long enough to kick off my pants and strip hers off. When I nestled my hips between her spread legs, she moaned. I pressed against her with my hips every time my tongue entered her mouth. I sucked her tongue, bit her lips, then pulled away to bite a trail down her body. I tore off her bra and panties so she was completely naked in my arms.

  “You’re shivering. Let’s get under the covers.” I quickly pulled the comforter down and slid between the cool sheets with her. “We’ll warm up quickly.”

  She slipped her hands under my bra and pushed it up over my head. The only thing between us was a pair of lace panties. They were drenched and I was anxious to take them off. I moved quickly and kicked them off. Being naked in bed with Piper was the best feeling, emotionally and physically, that I’d ever felt. We both knew I wasn’t going to take it slow tonight. She gasped when I slid down her body and pushed her knees up.

  “I need to taste you,” I said right before my mouth claimed her wet pussy. We both moaned at the contact.

  Her hand pressed the back of my head. As much as I wanted to be in her arms, kissing her when her orgasm struck, I needed to taste her at that moment. I wasn’t gentle. I held her legs up and ran my tongue up and down her slit. I pushed my tongue inside her and relished her smooth walls. I moved in and out until she bucked against me and begged me to finish her. I sucked her clit and slipped one finger, then two inside her. I didn’t let up until she cried out for the second time. She squirmed against me, pushing me away and pulling me back into her until she was done.

  “I’m shaking.” Even her voice trembled. “That was incredible.” She paused to catch her breath. My heart, my formerly broken, shredded heart was beating furiously for this woman. I was happier than I’d ever been before. The joy I felt couldn’t be contained and I laughed out loud. “What are you laughing about?” She smiled at me and pushed my hair out of my face.

  “I’m laughing because I’m happy. Because of everything that’s happened with us. I’m laughing because I met you in the worst possible way, under the worst possible conditions, and here we are in my bed.” I kissed her with as much emotion as I could put into a single kiss.

  “We’d make a good book or movie, huh?” Piper’s fingertips fluttered over my shoulder, across my neck, over my face. I captured her fingers and pressed them against my lips.

  “The best kind. Romance, comedy, suspense, intrigue.”

  “Suspense?” Piper asked.

  I playfully sucked the tip of her finger for a second before answering. “Yes, suspense. Will they get together? Will true love find its way back into their hearts? What’s going to happen to the beautiful couple?” I didn’t realize what I said until I saw the look on her face. She looked confused and very serious. My heart plummeted. “That’s just the Hollywood version. The real version is tamer.” I placed my forehead against hers and sighed.

  She shook her head before she softly kissed me. “No. It’s the right version. Everything you said is right. So right.” She pulled me to her and wrapped her legs around me.

  “Are you sure?” I asked. I was completely still except for my heart jackhammering inside my chest.

  She put her fingers under my jaw until she found the pulse in my neck. “This is my favorite thing. This will never lie.”

  “I will never lie to you.” I’d never been more serious.

  “I know. And I love you for it.”

  Everything stopped. My breathing, my pulse, the world, my life. I closed my eyes. “Say it again. Please. Say it again.” I looked at her as tears swelled in the corners of my eyes.

  “I love you.” Piper wrapped her arms around my neck. “I’m sorry I hurt you, especially when you’ve done nothing but support me. I will never doubt you again. I love you, Shaylie.”

  Of course I cried. I lowered my head and tried not to sob into her neck. She held me and placed tiny kisses in my hair while I came to terms with this pivotal moment. In the span of six months, I’d found life and the love of my life. I wiped my eyes and tried to pull myself together. “I love you. I know that you already know, but I do and have for a very long time.”

  “Thank you for taking me back.”

  I looked at Piper, her long hair spread out on the pillow, her lips swollen from kissing, a beautiful blush on her pale body, and told her exactly what I was feeling. “You were always right here.” I pointed at my heart. She pressed her hand against mine and held it there.

  “You’re too good to me,” she said.

  “I know
.” I laughed as she flipped me over and straddled my waist.

  “I love you and I’m going to show you just how much.” Piper kissed me possessively and started a long journey discovering me again. She spent time along my sensitive neck and my delicate nipples, and softly kissed the scar on her way to the junction of my thighs. She spread me, licking me everywhere, touching me in the places her mouth didn’t cover, and built me up until I was almost ready to crest. She stopped short of my orgasm, worked her way back up my body until we were face-to-face. “Turn over.”

  I lifted my eyebrow in surprise, but willingly obliged. She crawled on top of me and nipped her way down my back, over my ass, and spread my legs apart. I slid onto my knees and she slipped underneath, bringing my core down to her mouth. An overwhelming feeling of decadence and eroticism washed over me as I moved on her mouth. I was careful not to push too hard. I wasn’t going to last this way, with my hips up, my face down on the pillow. When Piper slipped inside me, the countdown began. Five, her fingers as deep as she could go. Four, her other hand grasping my hip, holding me against her mouth. Three, her tongue swirling around my throbbing clit. Two, hearing her moan every time I did. One, oh, God, I fell right into two orgasms back to back. I collapsed forward, careful not to crush Piper. I turned so I was on my back, but higher on the bed.

  “Come here. I need to hold you,” she said.

  I scooted down until I was in her arms. She covered us with the blanket and squeezed me tightly until I smiled.

  “You’re the best present I’ve ever unwrapped.” I squeezed her back.

  “I’m only one of the presents. Wait until we have our Christmas.” Her lips pressed against my sweaty temple.

  “This? Right here? You, in my bed, is the best present ever. And it’s not just about the amazing sex, but you, Piper Cole.”

  We fell asleep in each other’s arms and didn’t wake up until Marisa and Jason started banging pot and pans and laughing softly. I glanced at the clock. It was almost nine. My life, at this very moment, was perfect. I held the woman I loved in my arms and my best friends were close by. Piper stirred in my arms and blinked.

  “I love you,” I whispered. She smiled and snuggled deeper into me. “I’ve been falling for you ever since I saw you.” I tucked her hair behind her ear and touched her cheek.

  “I wish we would have met under different circumstances.”

  “If the accident never happened and we met at the coffee shop, do you think you would have noticed me?”

  “I would have noticed you. I would have thought about you and wondered who you were.” She rubbed her eyes and leaned to place a small kiss on my lips.

  “I think we both know I would have gone there every day until you talked to me or I worked up the courage to talk to you.”

  “I love that you’re so open and honest with me. It’s so refreshing and raw.” She rested her head on my shoulder.

  “I will only ever be that with you. Piper, you’re my second chance at everything.”

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Piper greeted me with a tiny dance when she opened the door. “Come here. Merry Christmas, Shay.” She kept me in the doorway and kissed me until I was breathless.

  “Wow.”

  She pointed to the mistletoe nailed to the doorframe and winked at me.

  “So, the kiss was only tradition? It didn’t mean anything?” I feigned hurt.

  She pulled me into her loft by the lapels of my coat, pushed me on the couch, and pounced on top of me. “It meant everything.” She kissed me softly just to prove her point. When she pulled away, she looked expectantly at me. “So, where is my present? Yours is in the kitchen.”

  She was so damn cute and playful today. I hoped she appreciated my gift and could see the potential.

  “We have to go on a walk for your present.”

  Her bottom lip jutted out in a playful pout. I captured it in a kiss and ran my tongue across it. She moaned and pushed away from me.

  “Presents first,” she said. I sat when she jumped off me and allowed her to pull me from the couch. “Okay, so yours is behind the blanket.”

  I laughed. “Okay, what is it?” I stared at the quilt she had draped from one cabinet door on the left side, to a door on the right.

  “Pull down the curtain.” Piper was so giddy that she clapped a few times.

  I pulled down the blanket to reveal a beautiful red mountain bike.

  “Now you won’t have to borrow mine. You have your own.” She was so pleased with her gift.

  I pulled her to me. “Thank you. Now maybe we can do our own bike trips. Day trips only because I suck at camping,” I said.

  “We’ll work that out. Do you like it?” She played with her bottom lip, nervously awaiting my answer.

  “I love it. I love you. I love this.” I leaned down to properly thank her.

  “Okay, where’s mine?” she asked.

  “Put on your boots and grab your coat. We don’t have to walk far.” It was my turn to be giddy at her perplexed look and I hurried her up. “Let’s go, let’s go.”

  She bounced up from putting on her boots and grabbed my hand. “Show me.”

  It was only a five-minute walk, but by the time we got to Bodhi she was thoroughly confused. “Why are we here?”

  I unlocked the door to the building and locked it behind us. She didn’t even catch on. She started walking down the hall to Bodhi, but I stopped her. “Where are you going?” I asked.

  “I thought we were going to my office,” she said.

  “Why would my present to you be in your office?” I was being so vague. Her forehead crinkled in adorable confusion. I smoothed out the wrinkles until she smiled and pulled away. “Come upstairs with me.” I stopped at the first door once we reached the second level and pointed. Beck Realty was etched in the glass, and I watched as she ran her fingers over the name.

  “Wait. What?” she asked.

  I unlocked the door and issued her inside. “Come on. Let me show you around.” The office boasted twelve hundred square feet. I didn’t have a lot of furniture yet, but enough to let her know I was serious about my own business and ready to get started at the start of the year.

  “Shaylie. Oh, my God. You started your own business. That’s incredible. I’m so proud of you.” Tears pooled in her eyes and I held up my hand.

  “If you cry, I cry. And I can’t cry, because my makeup is perfect and we’re headed to the Doogan Ranch in a few minutes.”

  Piper held me for several minutes. “This is wonderful. I can come up and see you anytime I want.”

  “Oh, this isn’t your present.”

  She pulled away in alarm. “What?”

  “Your present is in my office.” I led her by the hand into an office behind the reception area. I leaned against the doorframe and watched as she walked around and touched everything in my office. When she got to my leather executive chair, I told her to sit.

  “Am I going to be working for you?”

  “Open that manila folder on the desk.” I nodded when her fingers brushed over it.

  She opened it and read it twice. “Wait a minute.” She stood and stared at me. “Shaylie, I don’t understand.”

  I sat in the guest chair opposite her. “You never have to worry about losing Bodhi. I took the settlement from the crash and started my own business. I bought the building and now I’m managing it.” I’d obtained my broker license when I was at Mountain View. A blessing in disguise now, but I hated the program then.

  “You bought the building.” Piper’s voice sounded hollow. I knew she was processing the information, so I kept talking.

  “Honestly, this will probably be my only investment. I’m excited to start selling residential. I’m looking at a few properties that I’ll sign after the holidays, and this spring when my noncompete is over, I’ll push commercial again. I have a lot of contacts out there and a lot of clients who are going to need help in the next year or two when their contracts end.” I left out the
part where I stole the building right out from underneath Mountain View Real Estate. I had a better relationship with Thompson Realty than Travis did, and Bob Thompson got a kick out of telling them the building was no longer for sale. I wish I could have seen Brittany’s face when she found out that news.

  “But why is my name on this?” Piper asked.

  “If something happens to me, all of this falls to you. The building is paid for and any repairs needed come from the rent. If I keep everybody’s rent the same for the next three years, I’ll have the invested money back. You were completely right. This area is getting ready to boom.”

  She stood again and walked over to me. “Nothing is going to happen to you, so don’t even talk like that.” She wrapped her arms around my neck. “This is the best Christmas ever. Life gets better every day with you in it. I don’t even know what to say.”

  I kissed her because I was happy. I’d been worried about how she would take the news, but the passion I felt in her kisses told me she was okay with everything. We were going to be okay. I walked with her over to my desk. “I think we should christen my desk. You know, as good luck.”

  A wicked smile played across her lips. She took off her jacket and unzipped her long wool skirt. She stepped out of it and placed it over the guest chair so it wouldn’t wrinkle. She shrugged her sweater off until she stood in front of me wearing black panties, a black bra, and her knee-high black boots.

  “I should have gotten you a whip. Maybe even a collar,” I said.

  She unbuttoned my coat and slipped it off my shoulders. She didn’t undress me, though. She sat at the edge of my desk and slowly spread her legs. My heart jumped in my throat. I swallowed hard. Piper spread out on my desk was something I would never forget. I ran my hands up her thighs and slid my thumbs inside the small gap in her panties right by her slit. She leaned back on her elbows and watched my hands. She gasped when I massaged her mound and pressed her clit softly.

  “I need these off,” I said.

  She raised her legs so her knees were up and her boots were touching. She lifted her hips when I hooked my thumbs in her panties. I spread her legs apart and leaned forward to kiss her stomach, the soft skin at her pelvis, and finally her smooth, freshly waxed lips. I looked at her while I ran my tongue slowly up and down, tasting her, feeling her quiver slightly when my tongue found her clit in folds that were swelling and thickening under my mouth.