Simon gripped the edge of the counter and his knuckles blanched at the force he gripped the granite. “Whenever you’ve spoken about your mom’s partner in the past, all I’ve wanted was a few minutes in a dark alley with maybe a set of spiked brass knuckles.”
I chuckled at the image and Simon frowned, “I never thought of you as a mafioso.”
He gave me a wry smirk, “No fucking kidding, Piper. I’ve never hated anyone in my life, yet I have so much venom running through my veins for that dude. If wants were wishes he’d be lying in a heap of his own shit, so debilitated he’d never be able to so much as look at another woman again, let alone pull the same domineering bullshit he used on you and your mom.”
“Enough of him, tell me something about you now,” I said because I didn’t want to deal with the tight familiar feeling that had begun to settle in my chest when I thought of particular instances when Colin was particularly difficult toward us.
Placing the food in front of me, he put his plate next to mine and poured two bottles of water from the fridge into the glasses. Once he had given me mine, he sipped at his as he walked around the counter, sliding into the seat next to me.
Lifting his fork, he poked at his food, then shrugged. “I’ve not been the best man so far in my life, Piper.” His comment was blunt and devoid of emotion.
“I think you’re amazing,” I replied.
Chuckling, he stared directly at me, “I wouldn’t go that far.” Taking a bite of his food, he wiped his mouth with his napkin. “How many guys have you been with?” I glanced up at him feeling a little shy at his pointed question.
“You already know the answer to that question.”
“I meant fooled around with.”
“One,” I stated and felt totally out of my depth at my inexperience again.
“I can’t say the same.” His response confused me.
“You’ve been with men?” I joked.
Chuckling he shook his head. “No.”
I frowned because I knew he was addressing how he had lived his life.
“What can you say?” I asked, not sure if I wanted the answer or not.
I watched him stab his fork at his food while he gathered his thoughts and I ate a forkful of mine.
“I guess I can say too many. You deserve my honesty, Piper.
“Then I believe that’s more than I could ask for at this stage,” I told him. My answer was rewarded when he gave me a small smile.
“Gibson’s right. You’re too shiny for me. All the experience I have has dulled my soul and you deserve better, Princess.”
“I love Gibson with every bone in my body for what he’s done for me, but I’ll make my own choices and any mistakes are my own to make.”
“Let’s hope you never think being with me is a mistake. I totally get the way Gibson reacted to this, and he has every right to feel the way he does about me. Usually he’s the most laid back, liberal person I know, but he’s ferocious when it comes to protecting what’s his. You being with me would be most father’s nightmare.”
“Right now, I guess he feels a little out of his depth with his promise to my mom and you being… you.”
Simon chuckled, softly, “That’s one way of putting it. What you mean is you being innocent and me being corrupt?”
I shrugged, “If you want to put it that way, perhaps, but I figure as there’s no chance of you regaining your innocence, if you corrupt me a little then it wouldn’t matter so much.”
“Hmm,” he hummed, “I could have a lot of fun after that invitation. A wicked smile made his eyes gleam and his flirtatious response turned me on in a heartbeat. I squeezed my thighs together to control the strong pulse that shot to my center. As lust rose inside him, his eyes grew heavier and the way he held my gaze was a little more intense.
“It means a lot to me to have his approval,” he admitted, nodding to himself. His unexpected remark took me by surprise.
“Okay, tell me something else about you,” he asked, moving the conversation forward.
Placing my fork on my plate I wiped my mouth and shrugged. “I’m scared.”
A frown creased his brow, and he shoved his plate away and grabbed my hand in his. Caressing my knuckles, he looked at me with concern. “What are you scared of?”
“This. Us. I mean I want… of course I do, look at you… but what if I’m not enough? What if you get bored of me?” I knew I was babbling.
Simon placed his fingers over my lips silencing me, his other hand left mine as he brushed my hair away from my face.
Looking serious he stroked my cheek with a thumb. “I’m not going to tire of you, Princess. Trust me, you’re more than enough for me.” He dropped his hand from my lips and turned to his food.
“How can you say that? You can’t…”
“Trust me, a man knows what he wants. I've been attracted to you since the first day I saw you. It wasn’t only how you looked, but the way you are.” Taking my hand he laced his fingers in mine and stared into my eyes. “You may not believe this… I’m so used to taking what I want, when I want, but I’m a little intimidated by this situation.”
My eyes widened in disbelief at his admission. “Because of Gibson, you mean?”
“No, because of me. I’m scared if we get closer I’ll do something to fuck it up. There’s no getting away from how young you are, and I’ve never really thought about what it would be like to be a girlfriend of mine. When I hear myself say that, I know I sound like a huge selfish fuck, but I promised you honesty and I have to start as I mean to go on with that.”
“How you treated women in the past?”
“No… yeah, maybe, but not just that. Stepping out with someone who is the focus of the world’s media takes guts. Being subject to speculation and conjecture as well, because those reporters can be brutal and highly inaccurate at times. It won’t be easy,” he said, shaking his head.
“That’s where Gibson and Chloe will help, they’ve been through all of that,” I replied. “Since last weekend I can’t tell you how many thoughts have run through my head. Every permutation of how this will play out. Either this could be it for me or I could be left with a shattered heart beyond repair, and yet the thought of being with you for even a short time outweighs the risks.”
Simon squeezed my hand and tugged my stool turning me to face him. Shifting in his seat, he positioned his legs either side of mine and placed his hands on my hips.
“Trust me the risks are both ways and with so much at stake I think those risks are what’s holding me back. This stuff with the press has forced me to look at what we’re doing and has changed my point of view. Now that Gibson and the rest of the world know, I don’t feel half as intimidated by our situation. I can’t blame Gibson for wanting stability for you, given what you’ve been through.”
“There’s more to life than stability. From the outside looking in, life at home was full of stability. I had two parent figures, we had a place to live and food on the table, a bed to sleep in, but living on the inside was anything but stable. No one needs to take care of me anymore. I can make my own way. I’m not some ‘Princess’ with high expectations, Simon, I just want to be loved.”
“And I already love you and I’m infatuated with you… mind and body.”
We fell silent and I gave him a look of intent. “Are you taking me to bed?” I asked curtly and smiled.
“Is that what you want?”
“I do, but first I need to be straight with you.”
Simon’s eyes ticked over my face; his serious expression showed me how carefully he was listening.
“Taking my virginity does not tie you to me if this isn’t what I want. Neither does it tie me to you. The last thing I want to take from our time together is either of us feeling resentful of the other, and I don’t want you to stay with me out of some sense of duty because of Gibson.”
Shaking his head again, he shut his eyes for a second then drew in a deep breath, “Damn that’s concise. You th
ink too much for someone so young.”
Suddenly he stood up, scooped me up into his arms and headed down the hallway toward my bedroom. The purpose in his move sparked an instant adrenaline rush and my heart almost burst out of my chest at the expert confidence he handled me with.
Since the second he’d scooped me off the chair, I had been hyperconscious of his nearness, the smell of his cologne and the way his arms squeezed me into his warm, hard chest.
Entering the bedroom, I half expected to be tossed on the bed, but he continued to make his way to the bathroom with me before he sat me down on top of the vanity. “It’s so fucking hot we need to shower. I love living in California but sometimes the heat just pisses me off and makes me feel cranky. Add how frustrated I am, and it feels like a perfect storm going on inside my body right now.” Spinning around, he reached into the shower and turned the faucet on, then walked back over to me.
“Lift,” he ordered tugging at the hem of my top. As I held up my arms, he pulled my it up and over my head, then discarded it on the floor behind him. His Adam’s apple bobbed on his neck as he fixed his hungry eyes on my black lacy bra. “Love this,” he mumbled and slid his middle finger under one of the straps. Turning his gaze from it to me, I saw him swallow again before he leaned in and undid the clasp.
Straightening his stance, he peeled my bra away from me and as soon as his eyes settled on my breasts he licked his lips, dipped his head and planted a slow reverent kiss on each one.
Clearing his throat, he slid his hands under my arms and lifted me down off the vanity. As soon as I took my weight on my feet, I felt a hand trail down my back, stopping to rest on the curve of my ass.
My chest felt tight and I trembled slightly in anticipation of what he would do to me next. It wasn’t the first time we’d been at this point and while I knew he was being considerate, the wait for the unknown was killing me.
Chapter Twenty
Once I was naked, I found my courage and stripped him of his clothing like he’d done with mine. A sexy smirk played on his lips and his eyes widened then closed when my fingers closed around the satiny skin on his cock. My thumb grazed Simon’s shiny tip, and he hissed, his eyes opening to stare intently into mine. “Fuck,” he cussed quietly as his body tensed under my hands.
Standing naked together, my gaze dropped to look at his cock in my hand and I swallowed hard at the size and girth of it. It looked even bigger than before and I swallowed nervously.
“What’s wrong?”
I wasn’t going to lie. “This thing is huge,” I offered, and he wrapped his hand around mine over it.
“It’s not a thing, it’s a cock,” he snickered. He was thick and although my fingers surrounded him they didn’t meet. Glancing up at his face, I noted his eyes were half-closed and his tongue ran the length of his lips.
Without talking, Simon moved his hand over mine and we stroked his cock back and forth. I instinctively knew he was teaching me the pace and the pressure he wanted me to use when I pleasured him this way.
With his other hand, he cupped the back of my head and pulled me closer. “You’re so fucking beautiful, baby,” he muttered as he shook his head like he couldn’t believe I was in front of him.
His lips touched mine and at first it was a slow gentle kiss, but within seconds the passion burning between us made us both leave his cock as he grabbed my butt, pressing me tightly against him.
“Fuck, baby,” he mumbled again and growled as he smashed his lips to mine. I clung to his back, my nails scoring his skin as we gave ourselves over to the sensations running through us. Suddenly, Simon pulled away heaving for breath.
“Shower,” he whispered hurriedly into my ear then smacked my butt. I yelped as the stinging sensation radiated through my body and sent a ripple of desire all the way to my core. My pussy pulsed in desperation and I whimpered at the loss of contact when he moved away from me.
Stepping breathless into the shower, my heart pounded, and I gulped for air in an effort to steady my racing heartbeat.
Simon hugged me from behind, his front to my back; his hard length sliding up the crack of my butt before it settled against my lower back. Even in the shower I could tell I was wet between my legs and it had nothing to do with the water.
Reaching past me, Simon squirted some bodywash into his large palm in front of me and rubbed his hands together. Starting at my shoulders he smoothed the silky soap suds over my shoulders, down my arms and back up underneath them. He tickled my armpits making me giggle and my butt inadvertently thrust back against him.
Never missing a beat, Simon caught my hips and held me there, gyrating his hips against me. The feel of his stiff cock pressing hard against my butt made me desperate for more and little scared at the same time. Leaning forward he whispered in my ear, “Your ass is a peach, baby.”
Continuing to wash me, he soaped from my collarbone and allowed his hands to slip over my breasts, his thumbs strumming my pebbled nipples gently. Leaning back, I closed my eyes and sank back against him, sagging a little as I got used to the feel of his hands on my skin.
“You like this?”
“Mm-hm,” I said sounding a little shy once again.
“Say it,” he demanded.
“I like it,” I replied immediately.
“Good, because I’m going to be doing this pretty regularly with you, if that’s okay?” he remarked.
“Is that a promise?”
“You can take it to the bank, baby,” he said sounding amused, and he smiled against my neck as his hands slid lower.
When his fingers stroked the outer lips of my pussy, my body stiffened a little, not used to being touched in this way. “Relax, sweetheart, I got you,” he coaxed, and I took another deep breath. Stroking the length of my seam his middle finger slid past my hard clit and down toward my entrance.
“How does this feel?”
“Good.” The word was totally inadequate for how he made me feel. Buzzed, heady, horny, would have been better.
Turning me toward him, he lifted me up and wrapped my legs around him, leaned me against the wall and crushed his body to mine. His hard cock brushed my lips, but he repositioned it and it nestled along my entrance.
My hands trailed from his shoulders into his hair and my fingers gripped two handfuls. I tugged it back gently to look at him, “Oh, mm,” he moaned. In small rhythmic movements he rocked his hips, his cock sliding between my thighs as he kneaded the soft flesh on my butt.
“Your ass feels amazing,” he said, complimenting it, “and your pussy feels so fucking tempting,” he said before he stopped talking and kissed me deeply again.
Breaking the kiss, he slid my front skin-to-skin against his until my feet reached the floor. “Come on, before I take you against these hard tiles,” he mumbled and led me out of the cubicle and back into the open space of the bathroom. My heart thudded like crazy at the thought.
Grabbing a towel, I patted myself dry and saw Simon enjoying the view.
“You know what amazes me about you?”
I glanced in Simon’s direction as he wrapped a towel low on his hips. I sighed heavily in awe as I took him in and he smiled, then I felt myself blush because my reaction was so spontaneous I wasn’t prepared for how he affected me.
“What?” I asked skipping past my embarrassment of how he made me feel.
“I love that you’re not body conscious. Even though your innocence radiates from every pore, you’re not trying to hide yourself from me.”
“I am… I’m fighting that feeling because I know it’s not the first time you’ve seen a naked woman.”
Simon grinned and chuckled softly. “Every woman is different, Piper. What can I say? Men are visual creatures. We love looking at tits, ass, and pussy.” I felt heat flush my face. “But that’s not what I see with you.”
“Stop, you don’t have to…”
“Yeah, I do. All those other women, that was what they were. Pretty faces, nice tits, firm ass, tight pussy,
but that’s all they were. I figure I should tell you that’s all I thought about them before someone else does.”
I lowered my eyes because I’d never heard anyone talk in such crude terms about women apart from in the movies.
He cupped my chin and raised my gaze to meet his again. “This is important, sweetheart. What I’m saying is you have no need to ever feel jealous of anyone I’ve been with in the past. In you I see things I’ve never noticed on any other women.”
I frowned.
“You don’t believe me? Did you know you have a tiny strawberry birthmark at the nape of your neck? I know you have a freckle on your left pinkie finger? I love this gorgeous tiny beauty queen nose you have and I love how your huge brown eyes turn me the fuck on every time you glance shyly at me. Do you need me to go on? When I touch your skin, my dick instantly reacts like there’s some kind of invisible magnet. I’m so drawn to your body I ache all over. No other woman has had an effect like this on me since I was about eighteen.”
He stopped and smirked, his sudden admission bringing us right back to the age thing and the difference between us.
“I don’t care about the others. I can’t allow myself to do that or I’ll lose all confidence in what we’re building here. All I care about is how you treat me.”
It was the truth. I bore no malice toward the women he had been with before. Maybe that was due to ignorance or the fact that I never expected to be anything in Simon’s world, but my philosophy had always been to try not to dwell on the things I could do nothing about.
Chapter Twenty-One
Simon came toe to toe with me in my bathroom and lifted me up onto his torso. Wrapping my legs around his waist, he cupped my butt cheeks in his hands.
As he walked me to my bed, I could feel how wet my entrance was as it brushed against the fine hair trailing down from his belly button.
Piper: A Last Score Spin Off Page 18