by K. A. Linde
She sprinted across the open field toward where we’d congregated. Even at a full run, she looked like the graceful ballerina she was.
She crashed into me, hugging me hard. “Pipes, you’re okay.”
“Hi, seester.”
“I can’t believe this happened. Do you have any idea what started it?”
I shook my head. “Electrical fire? But it’s just a guess. They’ll figure it out.”
“It doesn’t matter anyway. Nothing we can do to fix it.”
“Your dress, Peyton. It was still inside.”
She blinked. “Oh.” Then, she deflated. “Well, I guess I’ll find another one.”
“In less than two weeks?” I asked skeptically. “And where are we going to have the wedding? It was supposed to be in the barn.”
“That’s what you’re worried about?” Peyton asked. She was wide-eyed, and her crazy curls were up in a slightly relaxed ballet bun. But she still looked frazzled. Just as frazzled as the rest of us. “You were inside a burning building, Piper. I care about you and Dad and Hollin.”
Hollin smiled at her. “That’s what I’ve been saying.”
“I know. I know,” I said, tears coming on strong again.
“We’ll figure it out,” Peyton said. She pulled me into another hug. “It’s going to be okay.”
“Honestly, mija, the wedding is going to be wonderful, no matter where it’s held,” Mom said. “No matter what our beautiful ballerina is wearing. It will be perfect because it is the joining of two people, who were made for each other, in front of their families. It is not about the place or the dress. Just the family and love.”
I nodded, swiping at my tears. “You’re right. But what are we going to do?”
“You can have it at Wright Vineyard,” Hollin piped up automatically.
My entire family looked at him with dropped jaws.
“Really?” Peter asked.
“Are you sure?” Peyton asked.
“Oh, but that’s so sweet,” my mom said, melting at his words.
“We can’t…I don’t know if we could afford it,” I blurted out.
Hollin gave me the dreamiest smile and took my hand. “I wouldn’t expect you to pay for it.”
“Oh, Hollin, that’s…wow,” Peyton said. She stifled her own sob. Tears came to her big brown eyes. And then she hugged my boyfriend. “I don’t know how Piper got this lucky.”
He laughed and tapped Peyton’s back. “We don’t have any events that weekend. You’re already working with Nora. It shouldn’t be too hard to move everything across town.”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“Of course.”
“I’ll get on the phone with Nora,” Peyton said, going into planning mode. “See what she thinks and if she needs me to do anything.”
Peyton took out her phone and walked away from the group. My mom and brother went to talk to my dad. Chase Sinclair had arrived at some point, and he was in deep conversation with him. Right, a lawyer—probably a good idea. I was too shell-shocked to have even gotten to that point of processing.
I turned back to Hollin. “Thank you for doing this.”
“Hey, it’s not a problem. I know that you wanted it here. I get how much it means to you, but if I can help, I will.”
I stood on my tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his lips. “How did I get this lucky?”
He snorted. “I’m the lucky one. Who else would get a girlfriend stubborn enough to walk through a burning building for a wedding dress?”
I covered my face and laughed. “Oh my God, I’ll never live it down. What was I thinking?”
“You love your sister. You were concerned about her wedding.”
“Yeah. True.”
He passed me the water bottle that the paramedics had given us when they arrived with the firefighters. “Drink some more water. Your voice is all scratchy.”
I took the water from him and downed half of it. We sat in the grass until all was said and done. The longer the adrenaline wore off, the worse I felt. Not that I was sick or anything, but I felt like I’d been hit by a bus.
“Come on,” Hollin said, offering me a hand. “Let’s get you home.”
“Ugh,” I groaned. The last thing I wanted was to go home and have to talk about this more with Blaire and Jennifer. I’d texted my friends to tell them what had happened. But I didn’t feel ready to discuss it. “Can we…go to your place instead?”
He raised an eyebrow. “If you want. I thought you’d want your own bed.”
“I just…want to be alone.”
“I’ll be there,” he reminded me.
“Alone together.”
He nodded, as if understanding. He’d carried me out of a burning building. I wouldn’t have to say a word to him about it. So, I followed him to our cars. My hands were shaky, but I shook off Hollin’s concern about me driving myself. I parked out on the driveway before dropping onto the ground below and walking in through the front door.
“Shower,” Hollin said, gently pushing me toward his bedroom.
“What? Why? I was thinking alcohol and nap.”
He laughed. “Have you smelled your shirt lately? Your hair?”
I brought the front of my shirt to my nose and immediately started coughing. “Oh Jesus. Smoke.”
“Yeah. So, shower.”
“Does my hair smell like it too?”
He shot me a look. He knew how sensitive I was about my hair. It took forever to clean and doubly forever to dry. I hated washing it and hated blowing it out. But letting it air dry was worse. It meant it would be five times the size I wanted it to be with frizz for days. Who knew if or when I’d get all the smoke smell out of it?
I grumbled under my breath and followed him into the bathroom. He put the water on its hottest setting as I stripped. When he turned back around, I was topless, and he gaped at me.
“I feel like we’ve been here before,” he said with an arched eyebrow.
“I wasn’t topless that time outside Wright.”
“No, but I thought you were.” His hands slid around my sides and pulled me into him. “Your bra was nude, and at first, my brain didn’t process it. And that was when I knew.”
“What?”
“How much I wanted you.”
“Because I was almost topless?”
“Well, yes, but we found the ring.”
He unbuttoned my jeans and slid them down my legs. I stepped out of them, cringing at the memory.
“Oh yeah. I try to block that out.”
“I was irrationally angry that he’d think about proposing to you.”
“But you didn’t even like me.”
“Sure I did. I liked pushing your buttons. And when I thought about you with someone else, I got pissed off.” He hefted his own shirt over his head. I ran my hands down his bare chest, taking in his words. “I wanted you to myself.”
“And now you have me.”
His smile was blinding. “Every stubborn inch of you.”
He slid out of the rest of his clothes and dragged me into the shower under the spray. I laughed as the water hit my back, soaking through my smoky hair. He drew us both under the jets. He kissed me hard, stealing my breath and all conscious thought.
My back hit the white tiles, and I lifted a leg around his hip, drawing him in closer. Today had been harrowing and exhausting. The adrenaline had dissipated, and with it had come a hollow emptiness that I didn’t want to touch.
But this…
This I still wanted.
Hollin Abbey had saved my life. He had been an actual hero today. And more than that…he was now my official boyfriend. And I wanted him to make me forget the last terrible hours and remember the bliss I’d been in when we put a label on our relationship.
He grasped my ass in his hands, digging his fingers hard into me before lifting me into the air. I wrapped both legs around his waist as he leveraged me against the shower wall. Steam fogged the shower window. It clung wet and warm ag
ainst our bare skin. My breathing was ragged and my throat raw from the smoke.
I dragged his bottom lip between my teeth, biting down just hard enough for him to pinion me against the tiles.
“Fuck,” he ground out.
His cock jutted up between us, long and throbbing.
“Please,” I gasped.
He obliged, lining us up and thrusting hard upward. I gasped and cracked my head on the tile. My vision was blurry at the edges as he plunged inside of me. I shook with the exertion of holding myself up. Even Hollin’s massive legs quivered as the slick surface threatened to undo us.
I was close when he finally dropped me to my feet, spun me around, and pushed my body forward. I braced myself on the bench, and he drove back into me. His hands returned to my hips. With better leverage, he used all his momentum to jerk into me. I met every thrust with my own push backward against him.
It was only a matter of minutes before I was crying out into the shower. My orgasm forced his, and then he held me fast against him as he finished. I dropped onto my knees. My head was light, and everything felt woozy.
I looked up at him from heavily lidded eyes. “Hi.”
He chuckled and bent down to kiss me. “Hey you.”
He helped me to my feet, and on shaky legs, he soaped up my body and then his. He lathered up my hair with his shampoo, running his hands through the thick, long tresses, and repeated it with the conditioner. I’d never been taken care of like this before. And all of the tension from the day swirled away down the drain.
When he finished, he turned off the shower, wrapped me up in a towel, and carried me to his bed. I laughed, but it felt nice to have him tuck me in. He pulled on a pair of boxers and snuggled in tight behind me. He pressed a kiss to my shoulder.
“How are you feeling?”
“Sleepy,” I said, pushing my back against his hard chest.
“Good. That’s what I wanted.”
“You planned this?” I only half-accused, my voice already drifting into dreams.
“Planned to take care of you? Yes.”
I couldn’t even argue. It had worked. It was what I’d needed. Now, I could finally relax enough to sleep. I’d process what had happened tomorrow. Today, I needed this…just him.
28
Piper
Thankfully, my dad dealt with most of the fallout with the barn. It had been caused by an electrical fire that swarmed swiftly through the space. Because it had taken so long for the fire to be put out, the barn was unsalvageable. The entire thing would have to be torn down and rebuilt. We had insurance, but it was disheartening, to say the least.
I had no idea what we’d do until that point. Almost all of the offices had been in there. Most of the wine had been in the cellar, but years and years of work had been lost in the fire. In the interim, we’d given most of the staff time off and moved me and my dad down to the cellar until we figured out what to do.
By the time the weekend came around, I desperately needed the break. The gala for the DII soccer team was tonight. If I hadn’t agreed to go with Hollin, I might have skipped the entire thing. Peyton had assured me it was just what I needed and that I couldn’t miss seeing her perform. Which was true. I loved to watch her dance.
So, I put aside my aching heart and got ready for the event. In years past, the three grandkids had always gone to Abuelita’s house, dressed in our prom attire. Abuelita always wanted to be the first person to see us in our outfits. And even though prom was long past, the three of us had agreed to show off for Abuelita one more time.
Peter stood in his tuxedo as Abuelita, seated at the dining room table, circled her finger in the air. “Do a little twirl.”
He sighed. “I don’t twirl.”
“You took ballet for a few years, like the rest of us,” Peyton said. “You know how to turn.”
He shot her a look and did a perfectly executed pirouette. Peter had been better at the grace of it all than I ever had. If he’d stuck with it like Peyton, maybe he would have ended up in New York, too.
“Lovely,” Abuelita said. “Now, slower. These old eyes don’t see like they used to.”
He obliged, turning in a slow circle as Peyton went into the bedroom to change. “I do look pretty sharp, don’t I?”
I wrinkled my nose. “You’re all right.”
“Hey! Chess will like it.”
“That young man is very dreamy himself,” Abuelita said.
Peter laughed. “What would Grandpa think about that?”
“He’s been in the grave for a dozen years. And when he was here, he knew I had eyeballs.”
I cracked up. Leave it to Abuelita to be checking out guys fifty years younger than her.
Peyton came out next, not in a ballgown, but her tutu for the ballet Serenade. She was performing the solo and pas de deux at the event tonight. It was a stunning display of tulle, perfectly fit to her measurements.
“Oh, mi amorcita,” Abuelita said. “Perfecto.”
“Thank you,” Peyton said, stepping up and pressing a kiss to her cheek.
“I always loved that one,” I told her.
“Me too,” Peyton said wistfully.
Giving up her life in New York City and ceasing performing had been difficult for Peyton. She had a life and a career here as the artistic director that she loved, but sometimes, it was hard. How could it not be? Ballet had been the only thing she cared about for years.
Then, it was my turn. I carried the black dress bag into the room. Blaire and I had picked it out online from a designer that she partnered with. We’d had the thing tailored to my build once it came in.
“Need help?” Peyton called.
“Please.”
Peyton entered the room and buttoned up the tiny buttons at the back.
“I’ll be doing this for you next weekend.”
She laughed. “If I can find a dress.”
We’d gone dress shopping at all of the local places, but nothing had fit her that would be ready by next weekend. I’d promised to go look for her in Dallas or New York, if need be, to find something. Someone somewhere could make this happen.
With the dress securely in place, I drew on my black heels and walked into the living room. Abuelita’s breath caught.
“Piper,” she breathed softly. “Where did my little girl go?”
I smiled and spun in a careful circle, letting the light catch the soft shimmer to the black-and-silver dress. It gave her a perfect view of the square neckline, ruched middle, and nearly completely open back. The waist tapered in before falling to the floor in a swirl of beautiful fabric. When I twirled, everything flared up like I was an actual princess. It was better than anything I’d ever worn to prom, and I felt perfect in it.
“I love this tradition,” Peyton said. “You look gorgeous, Piper.”
“Hollin won’t be able to keep his hands off you,” Peter said with a laugh.
Abuelita shook her head. “She won’t be able to keep her hands off of him.”
I rolled my eyes. “Abuelita can’t keep her hands off of him.”
Abuelita arched an eyebrow. “He’s very charming.”
We all chuckled at her. Then, the doorbell rang.
Peter rushed to answer it, and there stood Hollin Abbey in a black tuxedo, carrying a bouquet of roses.
“Abbey,” Peter said, pulling back to let him inside.
My eyes ran down the length of him. My mouth went dry. Abuelita was right. I wasn’t going to be able to keep my hands off of him. My hands, my mouth, my body. Maybe we shouldn’t even go to this thing, and I could stand here and objectify him forever.
His eyes were on mine as he equally gaped. I was the girl who loved blue jeans and boots. I wore skirts and dresses sometimes but nothing fancy. This was next level, and he was admiring me in the same way that I was admiring him.
When I didn’t move, Peyton smiled and took the flowers. “They’re beautiful.”
He cleared his throat. “They’re actually for Nina.
”
My grandma put a hand to her chest. “For me?”
“Yes. I thought you deserved them,” Hollin said with a wink.
I grinned at him slyly. The little charmer. “That’s nice of you.”
“Well, thank you, Hollin,” Abuelita said. She tried to stand, but Peyton stopped her.
“I’ll put them in water for you.”
“Come give me a hug before you go.”
I hugged Abuelita. She felt smaller than before. I pressed a kiss to her cheek and told her that I loved her.
“Have fun,” she told me sincerely.
“We will.”
I waved good-bye to the rest of my family and followed Hollin out to his truck. “What? No motorcycle?”
He slid an arm around my waist and dragged me tight against him. “God, you’re beautiful.”
I laughed. “Me or the fact that I suggested your Harley?”
“Both.” He kissed me long and hard, and I forgot the entire world existed in that kiss. “But mostly, I was worried about your hair.”
I touched the perfect updo that Peyton had worked into my hair. He was probably right. It had taken forever to get my hair to cooperate. But maybe it would have been worth it. “Fair.”
Hollin opened the passenger side door for me and helped me and all the layers of my dress into the truck. It was an effort in a million layers of tulle and satin and four-inch-high heels, but we managed. He got into the driver’s side and turned for downtown and the new Buddy Holly Hall.
“Have you been inside the new building yet?”
He nodded. “I went once with Jordan and Julian, but it was during the day. You?”
“Just the ballet studio.”
Peyton’s company had their own studio space inside the building. It was stunning and reminded me so much of the space she’d had in New York. I was sure that made her feel more at home.
“You’re in for a treat.”
Hollin parked out front, and as we headed inside the building, I saw how absolutely right he was. The hall was beyond impressive. Everything was mile-high ceilings with a giant, circular glass staircase and tiered balconies. A long bar had been set up on either end of the hall. And a string quartet was playing from a small stage, filling the room with music. It was modern, sleek, and stunning. I loved everything about it.