Worth the Wait (The Harvest Ridge Series Book 1)

by K. L. Ramsey

  “Yes.” she breathed out her answer and before Tag had a chance to react, she pushed up his body, her lips finding his. He pulled her in closer, taking over the kiss. Tag ran his tongue over her lips, asking permission to enter, which Piper gave. He thrust his tongue into her willing mouth, to find hers. Piper groaned and ground her hips on his. He felt his entire body come to life. She fit so perfectly with him, he knew that she was worth all the waiting and suffering that she put him through.

  Piper pulled away from the kiss, breathless. “Wow, that was way better than I thought it would be.” Tag couldn’t help his laugh at Piper’s praise.

  “Gee, thanks, honey. I have to admit, I’m a little rusty at this.” He motioned between the two of them, Piper still straddling his now bulging erection.

  “Rusty? What do you mean? You’ve obviously kissed plenty of women.” Piper rested the palms of her hands against his chest, blazing a path of fire to his core.

  He grabbed her hands, taking them into his, stopping the inferno that she was igniting in him. He knew that if she didn’t stop touching him, he wouldn’t be able to control himself. He wanted Piper, but right now she needed for things to move slowly. He didn’t want her first experience to be in a little room filled with fake artifacts and clues for escape. He wanted her in his house, in his bed, where he could take his time with her.

  “I mean that I haven’t been with anyone in over two years.”

  Piper’s eyes widened at his words. Yeah, it was hard for him to believe too. Torren had given him such a hard time about not dating, even offering to share women with him. But Tag didn’t want to share anything or anyone with his twin brother. He wanted Piper.

  “I guess that once I decided that I wanted you, no one else would have been good enough.” Tag pulled her in for another quick kiss. She was so willing now, he was almost afraid to ask his next question.

  “Piper, I need to know that if we escape this room, you won’t disappear. I want to go out with you, not just on one date, but many.” Tag could see Piper’s wheels turning again, thinking about her next move.

  “You’re overthinking again.” Tag kissed the corner of her mouth, working his way down her neck and back up. Maybe a little distraction would help his cause, and he certainly didn’t mind kissing Piper.

  “Do you mean something like going steady?” Piper’s voice was a soft stutter, giving him hope.

  “That’s exactly what I want, Piper. I want to date you, take you out, and give you more firsts. We can go wherever you want, do whatever you like. I can go as slow as you need me to.” He pulled back from his attention to her neck, looking into her eyes. She needed to know that he would never hurt her, never just leave her.

  “Let me show you that I am not going anywhere. I’m here for the long haul.”

  Piper barked out her laugh. “You can’t promise me that, Tag. I know how everything can change, in just seconds. But, I know that you would never hurt me. Yes, I will go out with you. But I need for you to promise me one thing.”

  Tag could feel his heart beating out of his chest. Was she finally agreeing to go out with him? “Name it.”

  “I want you to promise me that you will make me no more promises. I’ve had too many broken to believe in them anymore. I just want to live in the moment, enjoy the here and now.”

  Tag considered Piper’s words carefully. He understood where she was coming from. She had lost everyone that she loved, at a very young age. He could relate to her pain, but she wasn’t ready to hear that from him. He could agree to her terms, if she agreed to his.

  “Fine, I agree to make you no promises. But I need for you to agree to give me a chance. Stop shutting me out Piper.”

  Piper nodded, slowly. “Sure, I can do that, give you a chance. I want that too, I just didn’t realize how much until we were locked in this room together, with no way out.”

  Tag smiled at Piper; he’d finally got what he wanted. He wasn’t going to spoil the moment by telling Piper that he had already solved the puzzle while he was waiting for her to show up. As far as he was concerned, they could stay locked away in that little room for days. He was afraid that once Piper got a taste of freedom, she would change her mind. His job was to distract her enough that she’d forget all her fears.

  “I’d like to kiss you again Tag, if that’s okay with you.” Piper’s question was a whisper against his sensitive neck. He didn’t know if he could get his mouth to work properly, to answer her question.

  He nodded, and she was once again pressing her sweet lips to his, allowing him to take over the kiss. For someone who didn’t have much experience with kissing, Piper sure didn’t show it. She was like a little vixen, straddling his lap, rubbing her body over his. She was so responsive, he knew they would be explosive in bed together. Piper moaned into his mouth, stroking the fire that burned inside of him.

  He rubbed his palms over her taut nipples, through her t-shirt, earning him another breathy sigh. “Is this okay, honey?”

  “It’s more than okay. More, please.” Piper’s pleading was his undoing, he flipped her over so that her back was pressed against the hard, wooden table. His front was pressed up against hers, his cock aligned with the heat coming from her pussy. She was as turned on by this as he was. Thank fuck!

  He cautiously reached under Piper’s t-shirt to find her little lace bra. She filled his hands perfectly, thrusting her breasts into his palms. He couldn’t wait to taste her, she was hot and writhing under his body. He ground his jean-clad erection against her belly and Piper froze.

  “I’m sorry, honey. I shouldn’t have pushed you.” Tag started to move from Piper’s body, but she pulled him back down on top of her.

  “You didn’t do anything wrong, that was just the first time that I have ever felt—well—you know what I felt.” He liked the way she turned red while talking about his cock. She covered her eyes with her hands, as if trying to hide from him.

  “Honey, look at me.” Tag laughed, gently pulling at Piper’s hands. “It’s alright to be a little shy. Hell, I’m sorry that I pushed you. I want to take this slowly, not rush you.”

  “You’re not rushing me. I have waited almost twenty-six years for this. I think we should speed things up a bit.” Piper reached for Tag’s zipper, causing him to hiss out his pent-up breath. If Piper got his fly down, he wouldn’t want to stop what happened next.

  “Piper, I think—”

  He was interrupted, mid-sentence, by the door unlocking and swinging open to reveal one embarrassed teenage boy.

  “Um, you guys can’t be doing that in here.” The teenager who had let him into the room earlier was standing in the doorway, red as a beet. “My boss will fire me if he finds out that you two were making out in here.”

  Tag quickly removed himself from Piper, pulling her up with him. He helped straighten her clothing and stood in front of her, as if shielding her from the teenager’s gaze. The poor guy couldn’t seem to find his tongue, looking Piper up and down like she was his prey. Tag growled, drawing the boy’s attention back to himself.

  “Sorry, dude. We will grab our things and get out of your hair.” Tag tried to sound like he didn’t care that they’d just been busted by the teenage Escape Room police. The truth was he didn’t want this night to end. He was afraid that Piper would go back to her place and forget all about him. He couldn’t stand the thought of starting all over again with her.

  Piper grabbed her bag and started for the door. She was going to bolt, and he couldn’t let that happen. Tag grabbed her hand as she tried to get past him.

  “Let me take you home.” Piper seemed torn about what she wanted. The fear in her eyes told Tag that she just wanted to run and hide, but there was also something else. Something new. He didn’t want to get his hopes up, but he was sure he also saw desire.

  “I don’t know. Sunny is probably waiting for me.” Piper pulled her jacket on, trying for nonchalant.

  “Oh, that hot girl and her friend left.” The teenage bo
y was still checking Piper out and standing way too close to her for Tag’s liking.

  “They left? Why would they just leave me here?”

  “I’m guessing that overly optimistic Sunny thinks that I’ll drive you home.” Tag reached for Piper’s hand, hoping like hell that she accept his. “Come on Piper, I am an excellent driver. I’ll get you home safe and sound.”

  Tag’s teasing tone earned him a laugh from Piper. Her whole face lit up and she was beautiful. He couldn’t help himself; he took her hand and pulled her into his body.

  “You are gorgeous when you laugh, honey.” He kissed her lips, pulling away at the groans of disgust coming from the teenage boy who was still in the room with them.

  “You two should get a room.” He laughed at his own joke.

  “Well,” Tag interrupted the kid’s moment. “We had a room until you came barging in, telling us to get lost.”

  Tag led Piper from the building out into the dark night. This whole evening couldn’t have gone better, even if he’d planned it himself. He owed Sunny for not sticking around for Piper, and, damn it, he knew that she would collect. He just needed a little bit more time to convince Piper that changing her mind was not an option. This might have been one crazy first date, but Tag couldn’t wait for their second one.

  Chapter Six

  Piper walked in her front door to the sound of her ringing cell phone. She found it on the kitchen counter and saw Sunny’s picture lighting up the screen. She let it go to voicemail, not quite ready to deal with Sunny. Honestly, she didn’t know if she wanted to hug or punch her best friend for meddling in her life. The thing that really rubbed her the wrong way was that Sunny was one hundred percent right about Tag. If she wasn’t so stubborn, Piper could have found out how wonderful he is months ago.

  She smiled at the memory of Tag holding her hand on the car ride home and then sweetly kissing her goodnight on her front porch. A part of her was grateful that Lorna no longer lived with her—she’d have pestered her for all the gory details. Piper wanted to keep them to herself for as long as possible, which was another good reason to avoid Sunny’s call. She went to her fridge and pulled out the wine that the girls had opened last night. She poured herself the last of the bottle and sank down into her kitchen chair.

  She wanted to go over every detail from her evening with Tag, but she found herself smiling like a loon and thinking about the way he kissed her. She touched her lips, remembering the way that he took them. He was so big, yet gentle. His mouth was demanding but Piper knew that he was holding back on her account. She wanted to tell him that he didn’t have to. Piper wanted everything that Tag had to give her and more.

  Her smile faded when she realized that her front door was being unlocked. The only people who had keys were Lorna and Sunny. Lorna usually knocked before just barging in, leaving no doubt that it was Sunny who was there to snoop.

  Piper stood in the entryway, waiting for her friend to finally get in the door.

  “Hey, traitor. I’m guessing you are here to make sure that I got home safely. You are such a good friend.” Piper couldn’t help the sarcasm that dripped from her tone.

  “Pipe, you look hot, mama!” Sunny turned the charm up but forgot that Piper was immune to her wiles.

  “Don’t tell me how hot I look. I know how I look. You set me up!” Piper tried to be angry with Sunny, but it was hard to be mad over the fact that she’d been on her first date with Tag.

  “So, how was your first date? Is he a good kisser? I’m guessing that he is—I mean, just look at him.” Sunny hugged Piper and twirled them both around.

  Piper laughed and swatted her friend away. “Who says that I kissed him?”

  Sunny’s laugh filled the foyer. “Well, the hearts in your eyes are pretty bright. And your swollen lips are a sure sign that you were thoroughly kissed. He is as good as he looks, I’m right!” Sunny jumped up and down, hugging Piper as if she’d just won the grand prize on a game show. “Oh Piper, I am so happy for you—both of you.”

  It was impossible to stay mad at Sunny. She was right, Tag was as good as he looked. If it were possible, he was even better. Of course, Piper really didn’t have anyone else to compare him with, but according to all Sunny’s second hand tales, Tag was pretty much perfect.

  “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here, it was just a first date. If you can even call it that. I’m not sure that it qualifies as a first date if a pesky best friend pushes you into a room where a man is waiting.”

  Sunny giggled at Piper’s account of what happened. “I didn’t mean to push you into the room, but I had no choice. Your panic made me panic, so I shoved.”

  Piper led Sunny into her kitchen; she wasn’t going to get rid of her friend without recounting all the details.

  “So, tell me everything.” Sunny grabbed Piper’s glass of wine and took a sip, waiting for Piper to start her story. Sunny was a good friend: nosey and pushy, but a good listener. Piper couldn’t imagine her life without Sunny—she’d literally be a hermit. Sunny always seemed to know when Piper needed her; she was always there for her. Plus, Piper really wanted to share her amazing experience. Sure, she was about ten years late to the dating game, but she’d finally made it and she wanted to tell her best friend.

  “He was incredible!” Piper squealed, a sound that she couldn’t remember ever making before now. She felt like a teenage girl gushing about her new boyfriend. Was that what Tag was—her boyfriend?

  She decided that she needed to calm down a little if she wanted to get through the whole story. She grabbed her glass of wine from Sunny and downed it.

  “Easy there, slugger. I need for you to tell me about your amazing evening, not drink too much and pass out.” Sunny carefully took Piper’s glass and set it on the table.

  “I just needed to calm my nerves.” Piper smiled at Sunny.

  “He was sweet and gentle and so understanding. When I told him that I had never kissed a boy before, he didn’t laugh at me. I thought for sure he was going to bolt when I told him about all the firsts that I’d missed out on. But I’m pretty sure that he knows enough about my past to know that I wasn’t a typical teenager.”

  Sunny nodded her agreement. “Well, a couple summers ago, he asked me about you and I told him. I really didn’t think too much about it, at the time. I just thought that he was being polite. I was dating Torren, if you can call it that.”

  Sunny rolled her eyes at Piper’s expression of disgust. Torren didn’t date; he fucked his way through the town’s women. Sunny had just been a summer fling for a few weeks and she was fine with that. Torren had quite the love them and leave them reputation around town.

  “I am so happy that you and Torren didn’t end up together. You two are so similar, it would have driven everyone in this town nuts. You are both always so … happy.” Sunny laughed at the disgust in Piper’s voice.

  “Well, someone has to be happy, Miss Doom and Gloom.” Sunny yanked on Piper’s ponytail, pulling her in for a quick hug.

  “Tag didn’t have an ideal childhood either, Pipe. He and Torren’s mother died when they were just six. Then their father abandoned them not long after her funeral. He just left those two little boys on their grandfather’s doorstep and took off. They were raised by their grandpa. It must have been lonely for them.” Sunny looked over at Piper and caught her wiping away a tear. “You and Tag have a lot in common.”

  Piper nodded. “He said something about me not being the only kid to lose parents. I didn’t know he was speaking from experience.” Piper wiped her wet cheek. She’d cried more in the past twenty-four hours than she had all year.

  “I’m scared to death, Sunny.” Her friend’s sad smile said it all.

  Piper fidgeted with her mother and father’s wedding bands that she wore on a chain around her neck. She felt a bit uneasy. A large part of her wanted to freak out about everything that had happened with Tag. But that small, secretly optimistic girl that lived deep down inside of her wanted to be happ
y. It wasn’t very often that Piper let that girl out; the happiness usually faded quickly. She wasn’t a changed woman after one night. It was going to take more than a first date and a first kiss with an incredible man to convince Piper to believe in happily ever after. That was what dreams and fairy tales were made of, not real life and certainly not Piper’s life.

  ***

  Tag decided not to give Piper the chance to change her mind. He knew that a gossip session with Sunny and a night’s sleep would only give her time to think up reasons why they shouldn’t be together.

  He woke at 5am and went for a run. When he got back to his place, Aaron was waiting outside, stretching.

  “Hey, I thought we could lift together. You up for a little competition?” Aaron was always turning everything into a competition. Tag had other plans for the morning and they didn’t include lifting weights with Aaron.

  “Sorry, something came up this morning.” Tag slapped his friend’s shoulder and made his way into the garage.

  “Who’s the woman?” Aaron yelled after him.

  “Who says there is a woman?” Tag knew that Aaron wouldn’t buy his lie, but he wanted to keep Piper to himself a little while longer.

  “According to Sunny—”

  Tag groaned, causing Aaron to bark out his laugh.

  “As I was saying, according to Sunny, you and Piper had a little date last night.”

  “Sunny really needs to keep her nose out of my relationship with Piper. I would recommend you do the same, Aaron. I don’t want to mess this up. I have been working to get a date with Piper for a year.”

  Aaron held up his hands in defense. Tag pointed at him. “Keep your nose out of my business.”

  He walked into his house, slamming the door on his friend’s laughter. He knew that both Aaron and Sunny meant well, he just didn’t want anyone fucking up what he had with Piper. That included himself, because if anyone could royally screw things up with her, it was him.

  ***

  Later that morning, at 7:30am , Lorna was banging so hard on Piper’s front door she thought that her aunt would break it down. Piper hopped out of bed, and noticed that her ankle didn’t hurt, although it was still a little bruised. She ran to the front door as fast as she could and answered the door in the t-shirt and panties that she’d slept in. She didn’t even have time to pull on her robe in her hurry to open the door before Lorna kicked it in.