by Ali Parker
“I have time for whatever I want. And right now, I want you. Jeans. Off.”
I stepped out of my boots before struggling to get my jeans off. I nearly toppled over, and Piper giggled as she caught my arm and steadied me. I offered her a bashful thank you. Even though she was going to be my wife soon, she still had a way of making me flustered. Then I peeled my jeans off.
Piper let my shirt fall from her shoulders to the grass. Then slowly, she snapped open the button of her jeans. She put on a show for me, wiggling her hips from side to side as she pushed her jeans down over her ass, thighs, and then knees. Once she had them down around her ankles, she stepped out of them, and she stood before me in her little gray bra and white panties with a thick elastic waistband.
I realized they were an exercise set and I wondered why I hadn’t seen her in something like this before.
She looked ravishing, like a tight little athlete in need of some limbering up. I was more than happy to help her out with that.
I moved in on her again, backing her up against the loafing shed to brace her with a hand on a hip and one against the wood slats above her head. She gazed up at me, her fingers lingering at the top of her panties, and snapped the waistband.
“Now what, cowboy?”
“Now,” I breathed, moving in close enough to feel the pressure of the length of her body up against mine, “you spread your legs for me.”
Piper pinched her bottom lip between her teeth before she shifted her feet farther apart.
“Good girl,” I said.
“Tell me what else you want me to do.”
“Not a damn thing. I want you to stay right there, on your feet, until I tell you otherwise.”
She giggled. “Now who’s the bossy one?”
“You love it.”
I dropped to a knee before Piper. Her hands fell to my shoulders, one running up the back of my neck to play with my hair, and I lifted her leg to rest it over my shoulder. Then slowly, I pulled her panties to the side. They were already slick with her juices. A rush of need coursed through me, pushing an eager moan from my throat that made Piper tighten her fingers in my hair.
I ran a hand up the inside of her thigh. Goosebumps rose on her skin beneath my palm and I paused at her center, teasing her. Piper let out a breathless sigh and pushed her hips forward. I wanted to prolong her suffering but it was impossible to resist her.
I ran a finger along her slit, dragging her juices up around her clit and swirling my finger around her sensitive spot. Piper whimpered. I eased a finger inside her. She tightened around me as if trying to pull my finger deeper inside her pussy. I gave her another finger.
Piper hung her head back against the wood slats. Her breathing quickened and so did my pace between her legs as I leaned in to flick my tongue over her clit. She flinched, her body reacting instinctively, and I suckled, pulling her clit between my lips.
Piper rolled her hips.
I smiled into her pussy and sucked harder. She moaned and writhed, her fingers tightening in my hair to an almost painful level. It didn’t matter. I worshipped her until she came untethered. I loved holding her at my mercy like this. She broke and came hard, and I stood up, gathered her in my arms, and carried her under the cover of the loafing shed to lay her down in the hay.
Her hands roamed all over my back as I kissed her deeply. She let out little coos of contentment into my mouth as I worked to pull myself free of my boxers, and then she let her legs fall open, creating space for me to settle between her thighs, drop my hips, and drag my cock through her wetness.
Piper reached down and took hold of me. “I can’t wait any longer.”
She eased me into her. I planted my hands on either side of her head and watched her come undone as I pressed in deep. I loved the way her eyes rolled back in her head and her eyelids fluttered closed. I loved the way her lips parted and her breathing sharpened and the tendons in her neck stood to attention. I loved the way the corners of her lips curled up in a smile when I filled her up.
“Harder,” Piper moaned.
My girl got what she wanted. I hovered over her and peppered her collarbones and throat with kisses as I fucked her deep and hard. She writhed beneath me. Her back arched and she clung to me. I quickened my pace until she melted back into the hay with her second climax.
I couldn’t hold on to my own. She was too sexy. Way too sexy. Every little sound that escaped her dared me to lose control, and when she looked me in the eye and told me to come inside her, I did what any good man would do.
I did as she asked.
Chapter 13
Wyatt
Piper’s voice filled the speakers of my truck as I drove through the busy streets of Austin.
“Are you close to the airport?”
“Yeah, about fifteen minutes,” I said.
“Good,” she said. I could hear she was a little frazzled this afternoon. Her voice was tight, strained, and I knew her thoughts were all over the place. The wedding was tomorrow, and there were still a lot of things to tend to. Which was why I’d offered to shoot out into the city to pick up her parents and her brother at the airport so she didn’t have to worry about it.
Sending a car seemed impersonal.
It might have been fine prior to this, but we were getting married, and soon, they would be my family.
Family received a better welcome than a stranger.
“Their flight just landed. By the time they pick up their luggage, you should be there. You remember the flight number?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Okay. Perfect. Mom is like me and doesn’t like flying, so don’t mind her if she’s a little moody. It’ll pass. Maybe stop and go through a drive-thru and pick up some coffee or something. That usually helps.”
“Piper?”
“Yes?”
“It’s going to be fine. You don’t have to worry about us.”
Piper sighed into the phone. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I just think I really need a vacation.”
My laughter echoed hers. “Soon. The honeymoon will be worth all the stress. I promise. Now, I’m going to let you go. Try not to work yourself too hard, all right?”
“Right. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
She hung up and I knew she wasn’t going to heed my warning and take it easy. Even though she was stressed, she was loving every second of the planning process so far. Sure, there were some evenings where she collapsed face-first into bed and grunted at me, her voice muffled by the pillow, about how tired she was and how long her day was, but she still managed to smile through the fatigue, and she woke up bright-eyed and excited every morning.
Having her family on the ranch was going to improve matters for her, too. They didn’t strike me as the sort to sit on their hands and wait for direction. I suspected her mother would be right in there helping with the planning while her father and brother helped with setup.
I was slightly nervous about picking them up this afternoon. Without Piper, there was no buffer. It was just me and the three James family members and an hour and a half car ride back to the ranch. That was plenty of time for things to go wrong.
But it was also plenty of time for things to go right.
And I had a little something up my sleeve.
When I pulled up to the terminal, Piper’s family was walking out of the sliding glass doors of the airport. A breeze tugged at their coats, but none of them flinched. The weather was significantly milder here than in New York.
I hopped out of the truck, waved at them, and rushed to meet them on the sidewalk to relieve Mrs. James of her bags, which I loaded into the bed of my truck. I’d put the cover on last night in case it rained on us. Phillip and I tossed the other bags in the back, and then I opened the back doors for them.
Mrs. James sat up front with me while the guys climbed into the back.
“How was the flight?” I asked as I pulled away from the curb and back out into the bumper-to-bumper traffic in fr
ont of the terminal.
“Short,” Phillip said.
“Tight,” Mr. James added.
I smiled at them in my rearview mirror before shooting a look at Piper’s mother. “And how was it for you, Mrs. James? Feel good to be on solid ground again?”
She gave me a sweet smile that reminded me of her daughter’s. “Yes. Quite good. I’ve never fared well in the air. Probably because I’ve hardly ever done it.”
“It’s all right,” I said. “Flying makes me anxious, too.”
Phillip leaned forward in his seat and put his hand on his mother’s shoulder. “He’s just saying that to make you feel better, Mom.”
The three of them chuckled, but I shook my head. “No. Honest. Not a fan of being thousands of feet up in the air with nothing around me but a compressed metal tube. And then you add in the people? Nah. It’s not a good time.”
Mrs. James nodded. “See?”
Phillip waved her off and then gripped the back of my chair. “How’s my sister faring? She keeping you on your toes with all this wedding stuff?”
“She’s good. She’s got most of it under control. I’m helping where I can, but she and Janie tend to shoo me out of rooms rather than invite me into them.”
“My sister, the control freak.” Phillip fell back in his seat and looked out the window. He and his father indulged in a brief conversation that I couldn’t really hear, and Piper’s mother stared up at the buildings as we drove through downtown Austin.
“It’s a beautiful city,” she said. “I wish we had a bit more time to see it.”
“Actually,” I said, shooting a glance at Mr. James and his son in the backseat. “I was wondering if the three of you would indulge me in a short detour?”
“Where?” Phillip asked.
“It kind of takes the fun out of it if I tell you now,” I said. “It’s just something I’d like to show you before we head to the ranch. But I understand if you’d rather head right there. You’ve been traveling and probably want to freshen up.”
“It’s all right, Wyatt,” Mrs. James said. “We have time.”
“Excellent.”
I made sure to take the best route to our destination so they could see some of Austin’s highlights, like the art district and the Capitol building, which captured Mrs. James’s attention fully. I took Piper’s advice and offered to go through a drive-thru for some coffee and was met with enthusiasm. About four blocks from our destination, we picked up coffees and then finished the drive.
I pulled over to the curb on a quaint street with colorful banners fixed to lampposts and brick buildings of various colors of yellow, pink, blue, green, and purple. They had metal roofs and all kinds of window displays. Businesses ranged from second-hand bookstores to coffee shops to antique stores. There were some fashion boutiques, a handmade jewelry store, and a cheese shop, where they made all their cheeses in-house. I’d had the luxury of sampling quite a few of their savory delights, like their jalapeno Havarti and spiced cranberry brie. To say it was a dangerous shop to walk into for both your waistline and your wallet was a fair claim.
Two shops on the right side of the street were closed. One was for lease and the other, a soon to be brewery, was under construction.
“Follow me,” I said before leading the way down the sidewalk to the bright blue building on the end, the one that was for lease.
We stopped in front of it. I crossed my arms over my chest and soaked in the sight of it. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen it, of course. I’d discovered it in the middle of December, before I even knew if Piper was going to choose me, and I’d made an arrangement with the realtor to let me know if they had any offers on it. As of yet, none had rolled in, and I was the only interested party.
The windows were framed in crisp white. The inside was a blank slate with clean concrete floors and white walls. It was plain, a canvas in need of painting, and I had a vision of what it could be.
I turned toward my soon-to-be in-laws. All three of them were staring blankly at the building.
I rubbed the back of my neck. “I know this might seem a bit odd. And it sure as hell is forward of me. But I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. And I wanted to talk to you three about what this has the potential to be. I just hope I’m not crossing any lines in doing so.”
Phillip frowned and shot me a look while his parents continued to stare dubiously at the storefront. “I don’t get it, man. What’s the deal with this?”
“Well,” I said, resenting the way my stomach rolled over with nerves. “I was going to leave that to your discretion.”
Mr. James stared at me. His wife was still gazing at the blue building.
I swallowed. “Here’s the thing. All of us? We’re going to be family in less than a day. And growing up the way I did, I learned that there is nothing more important than family. And mine? Well, they’re not here anymore. I lost them a long time ago. But if they were and if I knew there was something I could do to help them, I would do it without blinking. I want to do the same for you. For Piper.”
“I don’t understand,” Mrs. James said softly. She’d finally turned to face me. There was something familiar about the sadness I saw in her, something I’d seen in Piper before. It was a quiet sadness, like she kept it locked away somewhere deep inside. I wondered if she even knew I could see the way it lingered in the depths of her eyes and the corners of her mouth, like it did with her daughter. She had no idea where I was going with this and I prayed like hell it didn’t rub them all the wrong way.
“Okay, here it goes,” I said. “In less than twenty-four hours, I’m going to stand up in front of everyone I care about and vow to spend every day of my life doing everything in my power to make Piper happy and to protect her. And I don’t see how I can do that if you’re all still living in a completely different state while your family business—a business that is part of Piper’s heart and soul—goes under. I want to help. And this was where I thought we could start.” I turned toward the blue building and slid my hands into my jean pockets. I rocked back on my heels and the others followed my stare, their eyes lingering on the crisp blue and the white trim. “How do you all feel about opening Piper’s Paradise 2.0 right here in Austin, Texas?”
The silence that hung in the air after my question dared me to run back in my truck and drive away, leaving them behind on the sidewalk. But I held my ground and peered around at the three of them.
Phillip’s mouth was wide open with surprise, while his parents seemed a little shell shocked. They stared at the building, their complexions pale, and then looked at each other.
I grimaced. “Did I overstep?”
Phillip’s open gape transformed into a wide, toothy grin, and he turned his attention to his parents. “Mom? Dad? Say something. Don’t leave the man hanging.”
I was overcome with the urge to hug my soon-to-be brother-in-law with gratitude. In-laws were intimidating no matter what way I looked at it. I respected the hell out of these people. They were the ones responsible for raising the girl of my dreams, after all. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t also a little afraid of them.
Their opinion meant everything to Piper. And so did their wellbeing. If I crossed a line, she would hear of it and I didn’t want to put that kind of burden on her shoulders. She was already carrying enough.
Mrs. James swallowed. “Wyatt, this is too much.”
“No,” I said hurriedly. “It’s not. It’s just enough. It’s everything you deserve and more. A fresh start. A chance to build the business of your dreams. And I can help you do it properly. We can sit down with professionals and devise a business plan. We can go through this step by step and really see success here. If that’s what you want, of course.”
Mrs. James lifted her big brown eyes to her husband. That sadness I’d seen in her was almost completely gone as she smiled up at him before putting a hand on his upper arm. “What do you think, honey?”
Mr. James stroked his chin. He didn’t look at me. In fa
ct, he didn’t look at any of us. All he had eyes for was the empty blue building. What he saw within its windows was for him and him alone, but I hoped he was picturing his restaurant and his family and his future, his legacy.
Chapter 14
Piper
“Laurel, I don’t know how to thank you enough for everything you’ve done this week.” I meant every word. The wedding coordinator had been a Godsend. Without her, my vision never would have been realized and I never would have achieved the level of calm I possessed now.
Laurel gave me a genuine smile. Over the past week, we’d become close enough to call each other friends. If she lived in Austin, I would have been happy to get coffee with her once every couple of weeks to hear all the drama about her brides and mothers of brides, who, according to Laurel, were always the worst part of any wedding.
Except for mine, of course. My mother was as much of a gem as Laurel herself.
“It was my pleasure, Piper. Truly. I’m honored to have been part of your special day. I’ll be back tomorrow morning to make sure everything is running smoothly. And you have my number. If anything comes up and you need me—and I mean anything—just call. Okay?”
“Thank you.”
She put her hand on my shoulder. “You and Wyatt are the kind of people that inspired me to get into this business in the first place. And there aren’t many in the world who love each other the way you two do.”
“Are you sure you have to go? You can sleep in the bunkhouse with Boone and Dodge, and any time I need a pick-me-up, I can run to you.”
Laurel threw her head back and laughed, showing me her very white teeth. Her blonde curls danced and she shook her head at me. “No, I don’t think so. Don’t get me wrong. Boone and Dodge are…” She paused and fished for the right word.
“Entertaining?”
“They are that,” she agreed. “And however much I enjoy their company, I do not think I would enjoy bunking with them. In fact, I don’t think I’d enjoy bunking at all.” She lifted one foot and flashed her red-satin pumps. I didn’t know what brand they were, and I didn’t ask, but I had no doubt they were expensive. “I wasn’t made for bunk beds and hay. Silk sheets and high rises are more my style.”