by Casey Hagen
Her eyes dropped to the front of his boxers and she gasped.
“Piper! I’m shocked at you,” he said with a raise of his brow.
She rubbed her neck and avoided his eyes. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me right now. Here I just jump up your ass about treating me with respect and I—”
“I don’t know, I think I might have earned it. Don’t worry, I won’t hold it against you. Go ahead, take the rest off.” With those words, he dragged his boxers down his legs.
“You won’t look.”
“Nope. Will you? You know, again?”
She gave him no answer, unless he counted the strangled sound that came from her throat when he asked. She hurried and dragged her pants and underwear off in one swoop. In the next breath, she was a streak of skin, beautiful skin, as she hightailed it to the massage bed and yanked a sheet over herself.
“Smooth, Piper. Very smooth.”
Chapter 5
Massages were supposed to be relaxing. Instead, Piper spent the entire time calling herself all kinds of an idiot because of the way her girl parts practically sighed with Trevor’s every moan.
How humiliating was it to be twenty-five and still infatuated with your high school crush?
She'd worked backstage for years, with every kind of male dancer out there; the prima donnas, the macho cocky ones, the lazy lot, and the perfectionists.
She had seen some of the best bodies out there and she had always managed to keep her libido in check.
When she dated, she dated business types not so into fitness and their looks, but solid, respectable men with 401K plans and goals for a house, a family.
She wanted what her parents had, well, minus the stay at home mom part. She loved designing, loved working, she just needed to take the leap and hire a team so she didn’t have to do it all to make time for the rest.
Time for a man.
So what the hell was she doing here, in upsCartwright New York, shamelessly kissing her childhood crush, who might actually be the definition of a womanizer.
She jumped in the shower after the massage under the ruse of wanting to wash off the oil, as well as the traveling and shopping, but what she really did was stand under a frozen spray. Wasn’t it usually guys who claimed to take cold showers?
Well, she tried it. The thing was, it worked, until it didn’t. It started off shocking her system so all she could think about was her misery, until she became all too aware of the tightening of her nipples and the way those sensations shot right between her legs.
So, instead of cooling off, she fought the urge to take care of business, and stepped out of the shower with nipples hard enough to cut glass.
Frozen and a little bit pissed off, she threw on a pair of leggings and a thin sweater. She neatened her braid and ventured into the main part of the house where she found Trevor leaning against the black granite kitchen island with a beer in hand.
He smiled at her, the calculated gleam completely gone for once. “Thirsty?” he asked, raising his beer in the air.
“Parched.” She took the bottle out of his hands and tipped it back.
He smirked. “You must be, pilfering my beer and all. Would you like one of your own?”
She shrugged. “Sure.”
Trevor opened the fridge and grabbed a fresh bottle, popped the top, and traded it for the one she stole from him.
They stood side-by-side, leaning against the island, their focus out the floor to ceiling windows along the back of the house giving them a glimpse of their secluded spot in the world.
From the curve of the lake's edge, the house sat nestled in the corner. She’d bet that the boss owned the whole bend, ensuring his privacy from residents that might peek through the trees.
“It’s a great house, but where is everyone?”
“They’re on the back deck while Davidson mans the grill.”
“All of them?”
“Yup.”
She pushed away from the counter and looked for the doors to the deck. “Then what are we doing in here? I hate being the last one to arrive.”
“Hey, relax, I waited for you to come down, and I wanted to give you a rundown on who’s out there. So you can be prepared.”
“I thought you already did.”
“Yes, but now I can tell you about their significant others.”
“Okay, hit me with it.”
“I’m up against three candidates. Mike Higgins who’s here with his wife, Christina. Then there’s Kent Brochu and his fiancée, Deanne. The third is Rachel Clark.” He held his hand in the air. “I know, she was in the binder, but this is where it gets dicey,” he said with a wince. “I had a fling with Rachel.”
“Oh, goodie. The girlfriend meets the notch on the belt.” A flash of jealousy rose up, unwelcome, and the words hurled out of her before she could swallow them and send them to the bowels of hell where they belonged.
“I’m sorry,” he said, glancing down at his feet.
She shrugged, the aforementioned flash all but a distant memory. “Why? It’s in the past and you’re not mine, so other than for this, it’s none of my business.”
He nodded and straightened. “Okay. Harsh, but true. The thing is…it didn’t end well and she wants my blood. She’s here with this guy, Steve, and I’m pretty sure they aren’t really dating because, while I’m not positive, I think he’s her second cousin and she just borrowed him for the weekend.”
Which made her feel a whole lot better about Rachel. If she reeked of desperation, she wasn’t competition, because in the bit of time she had spent with Trevor, she sensed total desperation would be a huge turn off for a man like him. “That’s gross.”
“Only if they make out…actually, you’re right, it is gross. But the thing is, she’ll do anything to bury me. I never expected to have to compete with her, but Davidson had this bug up his ass about hiring someone settled and she’ll do anything to get to the top.”
“Like you?”
He paused. “Yeah, but I draw the line at dating my cousin,” he said with a tilt to the corner of his mouth. “Even if it’s only pretend dating.”
The look, with just a hint of his dimple, reminded her of all the times he winked at her when he stood up for her with her brother. This time though, she’d swear there was more behind it. “Okay, so I have to watch out for jack nut Rachel. Got it.”
“Jack nut?”
“It’s a technical term. Very scientific. It’s a special kind of nut job, the master manipulator kind, most often women since we’re far more complicated. Our minds are a minefield of intertwining information. Men have compartments. Simple. I’ve danced my whole life with hundreds of jack nuts. I’ve got this.”
“That totally sounds made up.”
“Touché, but a gentleman wouldn’t call me on it.”
His eyes flicked away for a moment. “Don’t look now, but the jack nut is coming and she’s sharp.”
“Ahhh, so we’re on.”
“We’re on.”
Piper turned on her million-dollar smile, enjoying this idea a little too much. She slid her hand over the black t-shirt stretched over his broad chest. For someone who spent so much time in the office, he looked like he spent a couple hours a day in the gym.
It had to be the genes.
The sound of the door opening told her it was time to make her move, establish her territory. That’s what she had been reduced to, a woman staking her claim.
She kissed the corner of his mouth. “That bed gave me all kinds of dirty ideas. Later…” Another kiss to the other corner. “When everyone has gone to sleep…” She dragged her lips from his chin to the underside of his jaw, the scruff of the day scraping over her sensitive flesh, reigniting the fires that had cooled since her shower. “I’m going to devour you from head to toe and linger at all of my favorite spots in between.”
This went against everything she had told him about treating her respectfully, but establishing boundaries with other wom
en was different than staking claim in front of the guys. From the sounds of things, Rachel was on the hunt, and one thing Piper had learned was that you set those women straight from the very beginning.
The hand that curled around her upper arm tightened. She shouldn’t have gotten a perverse pleasure in turning him on and getting a real reaction out of him, but she did.
How many nights had she wished for him to notice her, only he hadn’t? She’d been permanently relegated to best friend’s baby sister status and there never seemed to be a way to break the mold.
Until he saw her walk out of her building.
The thought crashed over her like a freezing cold wave of sea water. Was he only attracted to her because of the curve-hugging dress and stilettos?
Their shared history made her hope that she rose at least a notch above some weekend lay.
Why the hell was her mind even going there? This wasn’t real. None of this was real.
He pulled back and searched her face. He looked like he could see right through her to that girl with the messy bun and leggings. That girl that would have gladly followed him like a puppy dog if he’d stayed local.
Thank God he hadn’t.
He pinched her chin between his thumb and forefinger, the pressure causing her lips to part. Screw it. This was her chance. For three days she could touch and kiss this man to her heart’s content and she intended to do just that.
Surrendering to the urge, she darted the tip of her tongue out and tasted the end of his thumb. She gave him a sly, close-mouthed smile before sinking her teeth into his flesh.
His blue eyes flashed with something she had never seen before. It was so much more than the ladies’ man expression.
This was primal and filled with heat.
This look told her that later that night, despite the fact that she was just putting on a show for Rachel, that Trevor might very well hold her to her words.
Between now and then, she’d be wise to pull her missing willpower out of her ass so as to avoid following him right down the road to seduction.
***
Has anyone seen Trevor Myers around?
No?
Yeah, Trevor didn’t seen him anywhere, either.
He didn’t know what the hell to do with Piper. Well, he knew what he wanted to do, but he had no way of knowing how to make it last, or if it didn’t, how to go on without destroying whatever friendship they might have a chance of holding onto.
But the die had been cast when she sunk those straight, white teeth into his thumb. In that moment, Rachel, the vacation home, his boss, the partnership, none of it mattered.
He balanced on this precipice of the playboy he’d become, staring down at an endless fall to returning to the guy he had been, the one who took her to prom. He should be terrified.
Elation took over and as much as he wanted the promotion, he wanted this, too. He wanted her to understand that no matter how this all turned out, he wanted something with her.
What something, he didn’t know. A chance. Time together to see if this attraction that blazed like lightning between them might actually be something more than pheromones. He’d never really thought about the future, but his mind had adopted a laser sharp focus on it now.
He’d been in this loop of drink and women, and the thought of going back to that exhausted him to the very core.
What if he had a woman to come home to? Someone in this world who cared about the small details of his day. The details he had never shared with anyone before.
And what about Piper? He’d never even asked her what she does. He hadn’t asked her brother, either.
He’d acted like a total jackass and assigned her a history, a life, without one thought as to whether or not it fit her.
Why the hell hadn’t he called her and worked this out with her?
Because he was a user of the worst order, and the realization sent humiliation coursing through him.
“Well, aren’t you two cozy? You could practically burn the cabin down with the heat zipping between you two. How long have you all been dating?” Rachel asked.
“A year,” Piper lied effortlessly.
“Huh, that’s interesting,” Rachel said, swirling her wine glass.
“Why is that?” Trevor asked.
“I could have sworn that you and Zack spent a week with Harrison Crew and his harem in January. From what I’ve been told, Harrison is all too happy to share and from the way Zack and Trevor looked when they got back to the office the following Monday, they were both happy to partake.” She offered Piper a sly smile and held out a slim hand decorated with an arm full of bangle bracelets.
God, he hated those damn things. Clink, clink, clink.
Clink…everywhere she freaking went.
Of course, on the flipside there was a reason why farmers used cowbells. What clanked was easy to locate…and in this case, easy to avoid.
Piper took her hand and smiled. “Well, I’m sure he did. I mean, it was only about six months ago that we had the exclusive talk, wasn’t it, Trevor?”
God, she was good. He smiled and took another sip of his beer. “Something like that. Long after the Crew trip.”
“Well, isn’t that convenient,” Rachel said, fiddling with the solitaire hanging between her shamelessly displayed cleavage. “So, did you partake, Trevor? You know, since you weren’t monogamous?”
And then the witch had to go there. Rachel was the kind of woman who had been born with her claws out, and that was fine. He knew what she was, he handled it. But seeing her try to hurt Piper, that got on his last fucking nerve. “Wow, Rachel. Kind of fucked up of you to ask, isn’t it?”
Piper patted his chest. “Oh, come on, Trevor. You can tell her. It’s not like it’s a secret.” She met his gaze and winked. “I believe you enjoyed the company of two lovely ladies that weekend, did you not?” She smiled up at him, her honey eyes, shot with copper, full of mischief.
He didn’t know what she was up to, but he liked it. Wherever she led, he’d be happy to follow. “I believe you’re right, but I can’t remember for sure, the weekend being a blur and all.”
“Yes, well, you see, Rachel, Trevor and I are honest with each other. He had full permission to explore his options, as did I, before we agreed to a more serious arrangement.”
Rachel’s eyes widened. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Instead, she stood there looking like a fish that had flailed off the hook and now flopped on the dock.
Open, close. Open, close. He’d never seen her speechless. He should be recording this, because Sebastian and Zack would never believe it.
“I see you’re struggling to find the words, and since you are, I have a few of my own. First, how tacky of you to even bring up that weekend.” Piper waved a dismissive hand in the air and continued. “Now, luckily, I’m not a jealous woman. I know what I have to offer, and Trevor can decide for himself if it’s worth a lifetime. And as hard as you may find it to understand, despite the buffet of women Trevor has enjoyed in the past, he willingly traded those opportunities in for a chance to pursue me. Now, if you’ll excuse us, I hate to be rude to the other guests.”
Trevor spent his whole career needing to know just what to say and when to say it, but in that moment, it wasn’t all on him anymore. It was okay that he didn’t have the right words because with Piper on his team, she had his back and together they were unstoppable.
He gladly followed Piper as she led him to the sliders and onto the deck.
“Hello!” she said cheerfully.
“Hi,” Trevor said as he followed her through the door.
“Well, we were wondering where the lovebirds got off to,” Davidson said on a laugh. “We thought we were going to have to send search and rescue.”
Piper wrapped her arm around Trevor’s waist and snuggled in. “With the way you keep him wheeling and dealing, I have to take my time when I can. Not that I’m complaining. As a matter of fact, I’m looking forward to the next few days.”
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“I appreciate your enthusiasm,” Davidson said as he flipped the steaks on the grill. “Let’s see if you still feel that way when you see what we have in store for you.” He punctuated the words by pointing his tongs at her.
“Bring it,” she said with a challenging smile.
He closed the lid and handed out a schedule. Trevor leaned over her and scanned the words.
“The Newlywed Game?” Trevor said.
“You got it. Time to see how much you all really know about each other.”
This had to be the longest shots of long shots. Other activities were on the list too, kayaking, a couples’ cook off, tubing…none of them nearly as scary as that Newlywed Game slot.
“We’ve got this, Trevor,” she whispered next to him.
He kissed her temple. “We do,” he said, even if he didn’t believe it.
Within twenty minutes they had all settled in with food. The sun fell in the horizon, casting flames over the last of the gentle ripples dancing over the surface of the lake. Before long, the surface would be a mirror putting on a brilliant show reflecting the serene woods at the water’s edge.
Trevor’s shoulders had begun to unclench listening to Piper with his boss and coworkers. She relayed her history, the history he had given her, smoothly, as if she had actually lived it.
Piper hit it off with Mike and Christina right away. Mike had been at the ad agency three years longer, but had only managed to pull in smaller deals. Not that it made him any less valuable. Trevor suspected a lot of this failure in the big deal department had to do with his integrity and loyalty to his wife. Mike chose not to play the game. Trevor couldn’t fault him for that.
Christina's adoration came across in her loving looks and the way she was always touching Mike’s hand, arm, or shoulder. Almost like she couldn’t stand to break that connection.
Trevor glanced down at the weight he’d only just noticed on his thigh. Piper’s delicate fingers rested there as she waved her other hand as she talked. She did it just as casual as can be, as if it belonged there, as if she belonged there.
With him.
He curled his fingers around hers. She gave his hand a light squeeze, but continued on.