He laughed, ending with a wolf-sized grin and a nod of his head. He moved close to her side, close enough for her ears only.
“Joe…oh, Joe…yes…whatever you say, Joe, yes…right there, Joe,” he said, mimicking her. She gave him a quick, hard jab into his side, and he laughed. “What?” he said, watching as she turned away, hips swinging.
* * *
“Thanks for coming and for helping me,” she said to Joe as he sat on a stool next to the counter. Piper stood behind it passing out drinks, meeting and greeting the families that came to what she called Zydeco Christmas. It was definitely family night today, even more so as locals brought their family members along that were in for the holidays. Everyone was dancing, clearly in the mood for celebrating.
Taylor, Kennedy, and Shane were holed up in the corner on a video game, four of them at a time, playing, fighting or whatever the game of choice involved. It was near midnight.
Piper loved having people here; it always brought her back to her childhood days. She looked over at Joe, who sat engaging in a little people watching of his own. She’d caught his eyes on her often, pleased and hopeful…just a little hopeful, anyway.
“You love this,” he said, and she smiled.
“Yes, I do. Always. The shops help me feel connected,” she said, looking around the room before turning back to him. “I’m glad you’re here, you and Shane,” she added in case that was too much for him. He smiled but didn’t say anything.
She was glad he’d attended, and that he’d stayed. They’d danced earlier, and, of course he could keep up with her. Joe of the many surprises—dancing, a good uncle, good friend, great and way more creative in bed than she’d known a person could be. Who came up with all those positions?
“What?” he said, catching that look in her eye.
“Nothing.”
“Sure, nothing,” he said, but he let it go and gave her one of his killer smiles. She shook her head.
He continued to sit at the makeshift bar, watching her as she laughed and talked with her customers. She was one talkative woman. She could talk to just about anyone. He’d known that, but watching her in her element was a learning experience. He only talked when he had to, kept to himself mostly, cordial for work, but nowhere near her on the social scale.
Had he ever been that free and unguarded? It had become second nature to keep his feelings to himself. But it hadn’t always been that way, had it? There were times he remembered from his childhood, good times; every now and then he’d catch a glimpse of them, some old forgotten memory of life before drink ruled their home. There were some happy times after he moved in with his foster family. They had given him a slice of what a family could be, but he’d stopped looking for that long ago.
He had spent a lot of time with her this week, she and her sisters, him and Shane, a make-shift hodgepodge of a family. They’d taken in a few movies, gone skating, bowling, just about anything the kids could come up with. He found himself relaxing this week. The fact that Piper was a friend lessened the pressure of having to entertain her. He could just be himself and not have to worry about keeping it simple, fending off the inevitable questions about taking this relationship further.
“Joe.” He heard his name and turned to find her smiling at him. “Want to help me find something in the back?” Her grin let him know that there was something special to be found back there.
This was fine for him now. He didn’t need more or want more.
* * *
January
It was the last Monday in January. Where had the time gone? Piper lay in her bed, waiting for Joe. They were meeting at her home this morning instead of at the coffee shop.
It was a convenience for them both, a superb tactic to accommodate their appetites for sex. No more long stretches of time in between; neither seemed able to do that anymore.
She heard the front door open, followed by his footsteps in the hall, moving closer to her room until he was there, standing in her door. Her heart did a double take. Him and that sexy-ass smile, cocksure and confident. He deserved it to be confident; he had earned all of his strut and swagger, at least as far as she was concerned.
“I like it when you’re here, waiting for me,” he said, smiling, kicking off his shoes, slipping out of his jeans and ditching his t-shirt as he sauntered over to the bed, slowly removing his boxers.
Her eyes roamed over him and he smiled. He pulled back the covers, immediately sliding in and situating himself on top of her, loving the way she felt underneath him.
“So what are you up for today?” she asked as he lowered his head, taking her lips in a kiss.
He didn’t respond, caught up in the pleasure of his mouth on hers, hot, moist, and mesmerizing. He’d think about tying her up later. Right now he just wanted in; he pushed her legs apart and moaned into her mouth as he entered her.
* * *
“What’s that?” she said, turning on her side about thirty minutes later, looking over to a package he’d dropped by the door when he’d entered earlier.
“That’s for you. Or at least I had you in mind when I purchased it,” he said, and watched as she stood up and walked toward it. He stared, transfixed by the sight of her nude form. He watched her from his perch on the bed, on his back, pushing up to his elbows as she stood there and opened his package.
Her mouth fell open after she’d removed the packaging. “What am I supposed to do with this?” she asked, holding it up in her hand.
“Wear it.”
“Not much of it to wear. It’s just an apron. Is there something missing?” She tried the apron around her waist. “A French maid? Really, Joe? Where’s the rest of it? I know there’s supposed to be a dress with it.”
“Don’t forget the cap. Those were the only pieces I wanted,” he said. His eyes started to smolder again.
“You are one strange man,” she said, putting on the cap and walking back toward the bed.
“You’ve led a sheltered life, Renee, if you think that’s strange,” he said, observing her as she strolled over to him.
“Where are those boots I like so much?” he said, smiling, his eyes becoming darker now, a smoky grey.
She laughed and straddled him, pushing him back on the bed.
“No boots. And I’ll show you sheltered,” she said, laughing.
* * *
Later on that morning, Joe waited for Piper to come back to bed. She’d gone downstairs to retrieve cups of coffee for them both. He was now hanging over the side, nude still, on his stomach, his BlackBerry in hand, waiting for her to return. They needed to cover the week’s events.
He heard her feet in the hall outside and looked up as she entered, smiling at her. She was a pretty woman. He hadn’t thought so at first, and couldn’t tell you when he began to see her that way. He’d always loved her body and would have thought he’d gotten used to seeing it, but it continually had the power to arouse him. He liked that she didn’t seem overly concerned with her looks, didn’t make a fuss over herself.
She strolled over, sat two cups of coffee down on the nightstand, and laid down next to him. They were both crossways on her bed now, on their stomachs, BlackBerries in their hands, legs stretched out behind them.
“Okay, what does your week look like?”
“Training off-site, most of it starting tomorrow, strictly eight to five, so I should be able to pick Shane up from school after basketball practice this week.”
“Friday the kids are out all day—parent teacher conferences,” she said. “Have you signed up for yours yet?”
“Yep. I’m scheduled for 9:30. You?”
“Afternoon,” she said.
“I’ll drop Shane off here Friday morning before I go in?”
“Sure,” she said, mind focused on entering information. “Can you pick up the kids on Thursday?”
It was quiet while he looked over that day’s calendar.
“Yep.”
“Training at the shop?” he asked.
“Anything else?” he asked, looking over at her, reaching for the coffee cup and taking a sip.
“Nope. It’s all good.”
“It looks like I have a few more minutes before I need to get moving,” he said, taking another sip from his cup before setting it back down on the nightstand. “Was there anything else in that package?”
“Yes, but we’re not using it,” she replied, turning to face him, her look skeptical. “Duct tape, Joe? Really? I don’t even want to know.” She watched as he set his BlackBerry on her nightstand, reaching for hers and placing it next to his.
“Hey, it’s pink,” he said, grinning.
“I don’t care if it’s gold-plated and covered in diamonds.”
“Fine. Too soon. I understand. We’ll have to figure something else out, then,” he said, reaching for her again, laughing, pulling her in as she pretended to resist.
* * *
Valentine’s Day
Joe stood by the punch bowl in the small gym at Shane’s school. His assigned task was to pour drinks for the participants and to act as a chaperone. Easy. Taylor and Shane’s class was having an old-fashioned Valentine’s Day dance, which meant dancing with air and daylight between two bodies.
The kids were now paired up, dancing their version of the waltz, trying to avoid looking at each other, except the girls that were into boys.
“Taking a break from the cake-cutting?” Joe said to Hassan, another parent.
“Yes. I was just filling in for my wife, who was running late. Thankfully she’s here,” he said, reaching for a cup of punch for himself.
“Where is your wife?” Hassan asked him.
“My wife?” Joe said, startled. “I’m not married.”
“You aren’t? I thought you and Piper…” Hassan said, his voice trailing off at the look on Joe’s face. “I’m sorry. I just assumed. I see you two together so much, I just thought…”
“No. I’m not married. She’s a good friend of mine. Her sisters are good friends of Shane’s,” he explained.
“Oh, I see. Sorry. I didn’t mean to offend.”
“I’m not offended.”
Piper walked over to the table dressed in a sexy black and red dress, some kind of print, her hair pulled up, feet in some pretty red shoes, toes painted red with small hearts. When had oddly-painted toes become a turn-on for him?
“Hey, Hassan. Joe,” she said, smiling at them both.
“Hello,” Hassan said, looking over at Joe again. “I’d better go back and help my wife,” he said, turning and walking away.
“What’s up with him?” she asked.
“Nothing,” Joe said, shrugging. “He thought you were my wife. Isn’t that funny?” He smiled, like that was the best joke of the day.
“Yep. Pretty funny,” she replied, her tone neutral, her face blank.
“The room turned out great. Good work on the decorations,” he said, looking around again.
“Thanks,” she said, watching the kids. They’d stopped dancing and were now headed toward the food and punch tables. “You’re about to get busy,” she said, handing him an empty cup to fill. “The kids are headed this way.”
He took the cup from her hand and filled it with punch, then reached for another one. He’d filled a few already, so he had a head start on the rush.
“Hey, Trudy,” Piper said, handing a drink over to her as she walked up.
“Things turned out really nice. You look great. Doesn’t she look nice, Joe?” Trudy asked, looking over at him.
“Yes, she does,” he said, running his eyes over Piper as he took another empty cup from her hand.
“You two make a really attractive couple,” Trudy added.
“We’re not a couple, and we are not married,” Joe said with a little more force than he’d intended.
“Oh, okay. I’m sorry,” Trudy said, taking in Piper’s uncomfortable silence. “Sorry. I’d better go check on the children,” Trudy said and quickly walked away.
The kids kept coming over for drinks. Heather and Stan walked up to their table a few moments later, reaching for a drink. Most of the kids had gone back to dancing by then.
“Hey, you two,” Stan called out in greeting.
“We’re not married,” Piper said, pleasantly, with a smile.
“Okay…” Stan said, looking between the two of them and then over at his wife, confused.
Joe turned to look at Piper, taking in the stone-like set of her face. Why the anger? What did he say that was so wrong? They weren’t married. Just friends, last time he’d checked. Mr. Marshall walked to them, dressed in a nice suit and tie.
“You look awe inspiring,” he said to Piper. “Oh, hello, Joe. Didn’t see you standing there,” he added, continuing to smile at Piper.
Sure you didn’t, Joe thought, viewing the appreciation on the teacher’s face.
“I’m not married,” Piper said, and Mr. Marshall laughed. She joined in.
“Would you like to dance then, single woman?” he said.
“Love to,” she said, putting her hand in his.
Joe watched them walk away, noting the disappointed glances from Heather and Stan before they joined Piper and Mr. Marshall on the dance floor. Okay, that hadn’t been his finest hour. He sighed. Piper didn’t come back to the table after that, so he didn’t get his chance to apologize. She was avoiding him now. He could tell, and it was so unlike her. He was smart enough to recognize that he overreacted to the marriage question.
He’d guessed from the outside it might appear that they were connected, maybe even married or living together. Their lives had become intertwined. He’d come to depend on her, and he loved the physical aspect of their relationship.
He hadn’t been aware of when it started, before Thanksgiving maybe, the whole sense of family he’d felt when all of them were together. Christmas had been nice, too. All five of them. But it wasn’t marriage, or a true family. Her sisters would be leaving at some point, anyway. Would what they had last?
He liked her; admired her, really. She was the closest he’d gotten to anyone other than Reye, not since he had given his heart long ago. And that had so not worked out. Would that be so bad, Joe? he asked himself then, forcing himself to give some thought to the question of marriage.
He was surprised that the idea didn’t elicit the red flags that it used to. He hadn’t given any thought to anyone seriously since Amy.
Amy. He thought back to his high school days. It felt like ages ago; hell, it was ages ago. He’d wanted to marry her. She’d gotten pregnant. He thought she wanted home and hearth. He was ready to skip college, work, make a life for them, but nope, it wasn’t his kid. She’d wanted home and hearth with someone else.
Piper was not Amy, but this was still uncharted territory and he didn’t know the answer to what he’d wanted ultimately with her. Seven months ago, the answer would have been an emphatic no, but he didn’t know what he wanted now. Was this love?
* * *
Joe parked in front in Piper’s drive. He’d returned from delivering all three kids to a party, fulfilling a promise he’d made to her before their dance dispute, before she’d gotten her feelings hurt, before she’d started with the terse answers to all of his questions. He’d stopped by an hour ago for the pick-up and she’d been cool when he and Shane reached her front door.
He’d tried the teasing route. “We’re not married,” he’d said, chuckling, thinking he was funny. Not a good idea. She didn’t appreciate his attempt at humor. At all. The go to hell look she gave him was proof.
So here he was, back at her home, tramping back to her front door. In two hours he’d have to head back to pick up the children. He rang the doorbell, which set off McKenzie and Pepper. He could see her stalking toward the door. She opened it and stood there, looking at him, a question in her eyes, a frown on her face.
“Forget something?” she asked.
“Can I come in?”
&nb
sp; “Sure,” she said, turning and walking back to the kitchen. Music was playing. It wouldn’t be Piper’s if music wasn’t playing. She wore one of those long, floor-length skirts in some soft material, a wife beater on top, with the blue Lights Out logo stitched on the front of it.
He caught her before she entered the kitchen and forced her to turn around.
“I’m sorry,” he said. Her head tilted back to look into his eyes. “I’m sorry for hurting your feelings. I was surprised, caught off guard, that’s all. It’s not that I don’t want to marry you. It’s that I don’t want to marry anyone, at least not now, and I thought we’d agreed to be friends, anyway. Did something change here and I missed it?”
“No. Nothing’s changed. It just bothered me that you were so adamant in your denials. Is it such a stretch that you could be married to me?”
“No, it’s not a stretch at all. You’re a great woman. You’re going to make someone a great wife. Anyone would want to marry you.”
“But not you?”
“I don’t know,” he said and sighed. “Honestly, this is the first I’ve given it any thought. A few months ago it would have been no for sure. I’m still no, but not as absolute.”
“Ouch,” she said.
“I’m sorry, just trying to be honest here. We agreed to be friends. We are, and sex with you is amazing, but I didn’t sign up for more. Told you that at the beginning, remember,” he said.
“Ouch again,” she said, quiet for a moment. “You’re right,” she added, looking away from him. He was still holding on to her arms.
“So are we okay with where we are? If it’s too much, we can find another alternative,” he said, giving her a small shake, bringing her eyes back to him. “I like you, Piper. I like what we have here. I like that Shane loves being here. But if it’s getting to be more than we can handle, just say so. We can find another alternative.”
Well, can you handle it? she asked herself.
“No, I’m cool with this,” she said.
“You sure?” he asked.
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“Good then. Come here,” he said and he pulled her to him.
Lights Out (Indigo) Page 20