by K. A. Linde
“You’ve been acting like I hurt you personally for weeks.”
“You mean, besides you being a jerk to me for the entire time I’ve known you?”
He chortled. “Well, I suppose, yes. It felt like more than that. That didn’t used to get to you.”
“Ah, well…” I came to my feet. His hands slid across my ass before finally releasing me. “Do you remember two girls that you dated several years ago? Khloe and Quinn?”
He shook his head. “Doesn’t ring a bell.”
I breathed out heavily. All this time, it had completely wrecked my world, and he didn’t even remember them.
“Well, they were my roommates.” His brow furrowed, and I pushed on, explaining what had happened. How he’d dated them both, led them on, and how it had decimated their relationship. The only reason I’d found a way to buy my own house was because of that horrid situation.
“Shit,” he said, running a hand back through his hair. “No wonder you were mad at me.”
“You always claimed that girls knew what was going on when you started, but I knew for a fact that neither of them had any idea.”
“When was this again?” I told him the year that it had all gone down, and he looked far away, as if doing the math. “Ah.”
“What?”
“That was before I got better about putting my expectations out there.” He sighed and looked down and then back up. “Don’t go spreading this around, but I actually have had one real relationship.”
I blinked at him. That was not what I’d expected from him. “You dated someone?”
“For two years,” he admitted.
“What? How did I not know this?”
“I don’t hang out with a single person who knew me at that time. Campbell was gone. Nora knew about her, but she was still in high school. She doesn’t even remember. And after her…I cut everything out of my life related to her. Which meant I cut everything, except the winery and my family, out of my life.”
“Jesus, what happened?”
“She…I don’t know.” He blew out a harsh breath. “It didn’t work out. She left. I didn’t hear from her for a couple months, and then she came back. Rinse and repeat for the next year. When she was finally gone, I decided I’d never deal with that again. So, I did a one-eighty.”
He’d been hurt. He’d lashed out and been an idiot, but at least everything was starting to make sense about his behavior.
“I gave up on relationships.” His hand came out and caressed my cheek. “Until you.”
“This is only our first date,” I whispered, staring down into those perfectly earnest eyes.
“Second. I’m counting lunch.”
I laughed. “All right, second. I don’t think we count as a relationship yet.”
“Yet,” he repeated, drawing me back into him.
His arms wrapped around my waist as I slung mine around his shoulders. We danced among the grapevines with nothing but the moonlight and stars glimmering down upon us. He’d said yet. As if he was here to prove to me that this was more than another one of his conquests.
When his mouth fitted onto mine under the lights of the Milky Way, I believed him.
24
Piper
I wasn’t in my bed. I rolled over and shielded my eyes. The sun slanted in at an odd angle from the windows. They were covered by blinds, but enough light came in to illuminate the room around me. No blackout curtains. A navy bedspread. A distinctly masculine design.
I was at Hollin’s house.
The night rushed back in with perfect clarity. The kiss in the vineyard. The ride back to his house. The several bottles of wine we’d consumed before falling passionately into his sheets, drunk and delirious on the other. We’d passed out at some ungodly hour.
A smile crept onto my face as I shifted and my sore bottom rubbed against the sheets. Oh, right. Last night had been…perfect. Or as close to perfect as I’d ever gotten on a date. Never in a million years had I thought it would happen with Hollin Abbey. But it had.
“Morning,” he growled low, pressing a kiss onto my shoulder.
I rolled over to face him and caught a glimpse of his sun-drenched face. The morning rays lightened his baby blues to nearly translucent. A five o’clock shadow graced his sharp jawline. His pouty lips continued their path up my shoulder and to my neck.
“Mmm, good morning,” I purred, angling my head to the side to give him better access.
“I could get used to this.”
“This?”
“You in my bed.” His hand roamed freely across my bare stomach to my hip, drawing circles on my skin before reaching for my ass. I gasped as pain reared up from the night before. He pulled back with a lazy smirk on his lips. “Sore?”
“How could I not be?” I arched an eyebrow.
“Fair.” He drew my lips toward him and planted a sensuous, long kiss on them. “Too sore for more?”
“Depends,” I teased.
“I’ll just have to take care of you,” he said with that mischievous glint in his eye.
He rolled me onto my back and covered my body with his. My ass protested the sudden movement, but eventually, I was comfortable back against the soft sheets. But Hollin was kissing his way down the front of my body, and I forgot the pain entirely. He sucked one of my brown nipples into his mouth, kneading the other breast with his hand. I arched against him as he moved from one breast to the other, giving each ample attention.
“This doesn’t hurt?”
I shook my head. “God, no.”
His kisses ventured south across my stomach, down my navel. He swirled his tongue around my belly button before reaching the waistband of my thong.
“Don’t need these,” he said as he slid his thumbs under the material and dragged them down my legs.
He tossed them over the side of the bed and lifted one leg up to his mouth. He kissed the inside of my knee.
“This doesn’t hurt?”
“No,” I murmured.
He dropped it onto his shoulder and worshipped the skin up my inner thigh. I moaned softly as his lips touched the sensitive skin at the apex of my legs. When he stopped before reaching my pussy, I pushed upward, but he chuckled under his breath and stared on the other leg.
“I have to make sure the rest of you is okay, too, babe.”
“That doesn’t hurt either,” I promised. Though the back of my thighs told a whole different story.
“What about here?” he asked as he pressed a kiss on top of my clit.
“Fuck,” I breathed.
His tongue swirled around the nub, drawing it into his mouth and caressing it gently. He licked against the seam of my lips, dragging it up to my clit. I bucked at even the softest touches.
“Am I going to have to hold you down?” he asked.
“Please,” I begged.
He grinned and set his hand against my abdomen, so there was nowhere else for me to go. With his arm strapped across me, I couldn’t lift or escape. I had to lie there as he worked me into a frenzy.
“Don’t move now. Be a good girl.”
I groaned as he rubbed his hand back and forth across my lips without going inside. I wanted to rear up to try to escape, to get relief. Whatever he would give me. But I couldn’t move, and he’d told me to stay still. So, I let loose vocally as his tongue swirled harder and more insistent against my clit, coaxing it to its peak.
Finally, mercifully, he slipped one finger inside of me. My legs seized up on their own, drawing closed. He released my clit and used his hand to push me all the way back open for him.
“Hollin,” I gasped as he returned to sucking on my clit.
Then, he thrust a finger all the way inside of me, and everything went molten. I wanted that to be his cock. I wanted him to stretch me and fill me. I might be sore from last night, but, fuck, I wanted it. The second followed the first, and he curled his fingers upward. I saw stars as he worked me to the point of no return.
“Close,” I pante
d.
“Come for me,” he commanded.
He thrust his fingers into me faster and faster. His tongue worked in perfect tempo with his hands. and I unleashed. My body tensing and shuddering under him.
I’d barely come down when he ripped open a condom and seated himself against my opening. He filled me with one long drive forward. I cried out as the last traces of my orgasm rocked through me, and he filled my still-sensitive body. He took both of my hands in his own and shoved them over my head as he pounded into me. My tits bounced. My body shook with the force of it. And all I did was want more.
“Going to come for me a second time?”
“Yes,” I gasped. I could already feel the traces of another orgasm rising in me. “Touch me.”
He switched my wrists into one of his hands as his other hand moved between my legs. He used my own wetness to draw circles around my clit.
“Oh fuck.”
“Fuck yes,” Hollin said. “Fuck.”
Then, he grunted twice and stiffened, emptying himself deep inside me as he came hard and fast. My own orgasm was triggered by his, and I let loose. Stars swam in my vision, and as everything receded, the small triggers of pain returned. Welcome pain. Reminders of our escapades.
Hollin tossed the condom and drew me against his chest. “How are you feeling?”
“Mmm,” I whispered, snuggling into him as sleep beckoned me all over again. “Nap time.”
He laughed and kissed my neck. “What about breakfast?”
“What are you making me?”
“I thought…I’d take you out.”
I slowly rolled over so that I was facing him. Was he asking me out again? “Really? Back-to-back dates?”
“If you don’t mind wearing your dress again.”
“I don’t mind.”
He kissed my nose. “I’m craving pancakes.”
“I’m craving you.”
He grinned. “I can oblige that.”
Then he kissed me, and we both forgot about pancakes for another half hour.
Finally, we hauled ourselves out of bed. I did the best I could with my hair without anything to tame the wild mess. I swiped on some lipstick, and that was that.
The weather had turned murky overnight, and we took Hollin’s truck instead of the Harley. I promised the bike that I’d be back on it later. Hollin beamed at my words. He liked how much I liked it. I’d never, ever thought I’d be a motorcycle kind of girl. But I completely understood the freedom with it. It was an adrenaline rush. And a powerful one at that.
Hollin parked in front of his favorite breakfast place, Stacked. It was a farmhouse design with wooden tables, country decorations, and cotton everywhere. Welcome to Lubbock.
Luckily, we were early enough that it wasn’t that busy yet.
A hostess directed us to a table at the back, and on the way, a woman stopped us. “Hollin?”
She stood from her table, where she was seated across from an older gentleman. He was currently facing away from the table, on his cell phone.
“Eve, hey,” Hollin said. They hugged briefly, and then he gestured to me. “Eve, this is my date, Piper.”
“Breakfast date,” Eve said with a smile. She was a knockout with almost black hair and green eyes, heavy makeup, low-cut top. “Cute. It’s nice to meet you.”
“You too,” I said awkwardly.
“Eve used to play soccer with me back before The Tacos,” Hollin explained.
“Ugh, I should have joined your team when you invited me. My team…sucks.”
“We can always use another excellent striker. You and Blaire together would be a nightmare for every other team.”
“I’ll keep it in mind. It was good seeing you!”
Hollin waved, and we took our seat.
I arched an eyebrow at him. “Eve?”
He laughed. “Seriously, just soccer.”
“And y’all didn’t date?”
“Nah, she and Zach had a thing for a while.”
My eyes darted back to the buxom woman. I imagined her and the giant bouncer at Wright together. “Good for him. Did you see who she was sitting with?”
“Daddy Sinclair,” he said dryly.
I laughed at the outrageous nickname. “Daddy Sinclair?”
“Yeah. I don’t know why but it seems fitting.”
I snorted. “What is she doing here with him?”
“I don’t know. She works for Sinclair Realty. She helped me buy my house.”
“I find it hard to believe you never dated someone who looks like her.”
“And why is that? You think she’s hot?”
“She is hot,” I told him.
“You want a threesome?”
I rolled my eyes. “Sometimes you make me forget that you’re still Hollin Abbey.”
He laughed. “Worth asking. I read that book you were reading, you know?”
“You what?”
“Yeah. So, I know that you like reading about threesomes.”
I leaned my elbows on the table and met his smirk with one of my own. “I sure do. Two guys and one girl. You game?”
He winked. “If that’s what you want.”
I couldn’t keep from laughing. “No way. I wouldn’t think you’d be down.”
“I’m not crossing swords or anything,” he said quickly. “But if you wanted an Eiffel Tower.”
“Oh my God,” I said, my cheeks flaming. I looked pointedly at my menu. “We need to talk about something else.”
“What can I get you?” the waitress asked, appearing out of nowhere and interrupting our perfectly outrageous conversation.
After we put in our orders, Hollin took my hand in his. Somehow, it was entirely natural.
“You know this is date three,” I blurted out.
“Yeah?”
“If the guys are right, this means we’ve hit your limit.”
He brought my hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to each of my fingers. “And what if I said that I wanted more?”
“Do you?”
“I want all of your dates. Every single one of them.”
I swallowed the emotions clouding my throat. “You’re serious?”
“Dead serious.”
I was still skeptical. After all, I’d never seen Hollin date anyone. Even if he’d said that he’d done it before. It felt so removed from the present. Yet here he was, offering me the world. What kind of person would I be not to accept?
Part IV
Love Story
25
Piper
I’d been certain my skepticism going into this relationship was warranted. I thought I knew Hollin and the way he operated. That maybe our three dates wasn’t real to him since one had happened with my family and the last had been a continuation of the night before.
Then, we had our fourth date at a bar downtown with live music. A fifth date at Fun Noodle Bar for ramen and dessert at Pie Bar. A sixth date, riding his motorcycle through Ransom Canyon and picnicking by the lake. Old movies at his place for the seventh date. Our eighth, we went trampolining, which was a sight to behold, watching someone as enormous as Hollin Abbey having the dexterity to do flips on a trampoline. We were both sore for three days straight after that. We spent the ninth date in with sushi and a bubble bath. The tenth date, we took my Jeep up to Palo Duro Canyon and hiked the two miles to the Lighthouse. We sat on the edge of the enormous rock, our feet dangling over the edge, and listened to the quiet of the universe.
At some point, I lost count.
There were more dates. More unofficial outings. Just us being together, going out to get dinner, breaking for lunches, stealing kisses after work, nights in his sheets. And all the skepticism faded into nothing.
Hollin had been serious. He wanted this. And he proved it every day we huddled together and made more plans. More and more plans.
Suddenly, a whole new reality bloomed before me. I was doing this. I was actually dating Hollin Abbey. And I wanted more of everything he was offerin
g. Not just the sex, which continued to be mind-blowing, but also the time together and all the silly moments. The fact that he read the books I liked so he could make conversation with me. That we liked the same music and binged the same movies. That I was kind of loving the Harley as much as he did.
“You’re doing it again,” Blaire accused with a laugh.
“Doing what?”
I stared out the front window of my Jeep as I drove me, Blaire, and her assistant, Honey, to The Tacos game.
“Getting that dopey smile on your face. You’re thinking about Hollin.”
“I was,” I admitted.
“It’s so cute!” Honey said from the backseat. She wore a Blaire Blush baseball hat over her shoulder-length blonde hair and lavender matching leggings and crop from a designer that Blaire loved.
Blaire agreed. “So cute. I’m happy for y’all. I knew there was a reason you two were always at each other’s throats.”
“Not sure that’s stopped.”
Buttons were pushed all the time. We were always challenging each other and seeing how far we could go. In and out of the bedroom. But it was the right kind of challenges. It wasn’t anger for its own sake. It was different, better. Who knew I just needed a guy who didn’t bore me?
She laughed. “True.”
“And what about you?” I asked. “Any guy catching your eye lately?”
She wrinkled her little nose and drew her baseball cap lower on her head. “No.”
“You were talking to that guy online,” Honey said, waggling her eyebrows.
“What guy?” I gasped.
“No one,” Blaire said with a huff. “You weren’t supposed to see that, Honey.”
“My bad.” She got a sheepish look on her face. “I handle her messages, and sometimes, I answer fans and see personal stuff.”
I arched an eyebrow at my best friend. “Spill.”
“Fine,” she said with a sigh. “There’s this, like, TikTok star. He’s real hot.”
“He’s a thirst trap,” Honey volunteered.
I blinked. “A thirst trap?”
“Yeah. He’s one of those guys who smiles sexy at the camera and takes his shirt off,” Honey said. “Like a model.”