Chapter 34
Piper
I was in Austin’s bed, watching the sun peek through the blinds. It wasn’t often I was up at this hour. It also wasn’t often I did something this insanely impulsive. When I’d messaged Cerise to let her know I wasn’t coming home, she’d said nothing about my reason, but I was certain I’d hear her concerns later. She wouldn’t make me feel like an idiot, but she wouldn’t pretend she wasn’t worried.
“What are you thinking so hard about?” Austin asked as he rolled to his side to wrap an arm around my waist.
“How crazy this is,” I admitted. “This is the second time I’ve impulsively jumped into bed with you.”
“This is totally different from last time,” he argued. “I’m not going to say something stupid and mess this up. I should do something to take your mind off worrying about what happened last night.”
“What did you have in mind?” I asked with a playful smile.
“First, I’m going to make you scream my name again.” He rolled on top of me and began to kiss his way down my body. “After that, I’m going to fix you a fantastic breakfast.”
“I like the sound of that,” I uttered. There was plenty of time before I needed to leave for work. Just as Austin reached my hip in his downward trek, I remembered the one problem with Austin’s plan.
“Don’t you have a flight to catch?” I asked.
Austin froze. “Shit. What time is it?”
“A little after nine,” I replied.
It was then that I heard the front door slam just before Gage shouted, “Austin! Are you ready to go?”
“Gage has a key to your house?” I asked as I tried to scramble out from under Austin.
Austin seemed more amused than embarrassed about being caught together. “Yeah, we all have keys to each other’s places.”
“Austin!” Gage shouted from much closer.
“Be out in a minute!” Austin called back, rolling off me so I could scramble off the bed in search of my clothes.
“My clothes are downstairs,” I whispered.
“Can you grab the clothes from downstairs?” Austin asked Gage.
“So, that is your purple bra and panties,” Gage said with a laugh from right outside the door.
“Very funny,” Austin muttered. “Can you bring them up?”
“Only because I need to get your ass to the airport,” Gage replied. “We’ve been calling you for an hour.”
“I got distracted and forgot to charge my phone,” Austin explained.
Gage quickly returned and reached a hand in the door to give Austin my clothes. “No offense to the woman you brought home last night, but this isn’t cool. I thought you were done playing the part of the rebound guy.”
I grabbed my clothes and tried to decide how to handle the situation. Austin hadn’t responded to Gage yet.
“You can stay here until after I leave,” Austin whispered. “Gage doesn’t need to know you’re here. I’ll leave the keys with you.”
“You had better not be messing around with your date,” Gage warned. “We need to go or we’ll miss our flight. If that happens, Madi will have your ass.”
Madi was the manager for Reckless Release, and she hated it when everything didn’t run smoothly.
“I’m getting dressed,” Austin assured him as he quickly dressed. “I’m going to smell like you the entire flight,” he murmured. “Do you have any idea how crazy that’s going to make me? Your scent on my skin is hot as fuck.”
An involuntary whimper slipped past my lips, and Austin grinned.
When we were dressed and had brushed our teeth, Austin kissed me softly. “Moment of truth time. How do you want to play this? You can take my car. I’ll pick it up at your place when I get back.”
“I can’t take your car,” I argued.
“Why not?” he asked.
“It’s a very expensive car,” I stated.
“And I’ll bet you’ve never even had a speeding ticket,” he accurately guessed.
Since it was the best way to get home, I nodded. “Fine. I’ll take your car.”
“Now, are you going to walk out with me, or should I leave you the keys so you can lock up?” he asked.
“I guess it’s walk of shame time,” I said on a sigh.
Chapter 35
Austin
When we walked out of the room, Gage looked irritated, but not pissed. At least, that’s how he looked until his eyes landed on Piper. I was glad it was Gage and not Xander. Much as I loved Xander, he didn’t have a lot of tact, and he’d have said something offensive.
Gage’s eyes widened. “This is a surprise,” he remarked.
“For me, too,” Piper admitted.
“Where’s your bag?” Gage asked me.
“In the closet by the front door,” I replied. “Sorry about being late. I don’t know how I forgot.”
Gage chuckled. “I can figure that part out, but I won’t embarrass Piper anymore by explaining it to you. She’s already embarrassed about being seen with a lowly drummer.”
“Sorry about making him late,” Piper said with a slight smile.
“It’s no problem at all,” Gage assured her. “We’ll still be on time. Can I assume we’re dropping Piper at home on the way to the airport?”
I shook my head. “Piper’s taking my car.”
“She is?” Gage practically gasped.
“Yeah,” I replied, hoping Gage would let it go.
He didn’t.
“You don’t let anyone drive your car,” Gage argued.
“Is that true, Austin?” Piper asked. “Am I special?”
“More than you can possibly imagine,” I uttered before leaning in to brush my lips against hers. “Can I call you tonight?”
“I’ll be working, so it depends on how late you call,” she replied.
“I’ll stay up late,” I assured her before following Gage to the waiting car.
As I watched Piper drive off, I grinned. Our night together had been incredible. I was going to miss my girl while I was away.
Chapter 36
Austin
Due to an accident on the bridge, I barely made the flight, and my other bandmates did not look amused when I raced in with Gage. Harley looked like she was going to punch me in the junk. It wasn’t until we were in the air that the questions started. Gage had kept his mouth shut.
“What’s her name?” Xander asked.
Harley didn’t give me a chance to reply. “Is Xander right? Did you pick up some skank after you went out with Piper? You are such a jackass.”
“She definitely isn’t a skank,” Gage chimed in with a laugh.
“She definitely isn’t Piper,” Harley snapped. “You remember Piper, right? She’s the woman Austin has been trying to convince me he should be with as more than a friend. She’s my friend, and I don’t want her to get hurt.”
Xander was already bored with our conversation. He had his phone out to take a photo to post online. He loved social media and kept up on all the trending Reckless Release gossip. Before I could defend myself to Harley, Xander said, “No fucking way.”
“What is it?” Gage asked.
Xander turned his phone toward us so I could see the photo of me kissing Piper on the sidewalk. A few months back, photos of Gage with Bentley had nearly ended their relationship. Bentley didn’t like being in the spotlight, so dating Gage was still a big adjustment for her. I didn’t expect Piper to react that way, but I decided to give her a heads-up after we landed.
“How do you think Piper will react to this?” Gage asked cautiously.
Harley waved off his concern. “She’ll be fine.”
“I agree,” I added.
“She is a tough cookie,” Xander said before adding, “Not that Bentley’s not tough.”
“She’s a different type of tough,” Gage stated.
“So, Piper is the reason you were late?” Harley asked.
I nodded.
“How did you man
age to pull that off?” she asked.
“To be honest, I don’t know,” I admitted. “When I tried to kiss her the night before last, I figured she’d cancel our date yesterday, but she didn’t. Granted, she still didn’t start out thinking of it as a date.”
“So, you guys worked everything out?” Harley asked.
“Sure,” I replied. “I mean, we didn’t get a chance to talk this morning, but it’s pretty obvious we’re together after last night.”
My band said nothing.
“You don’t think it’s settled?” I asked.
“You can be a total dumbass,” Xander muttered. “You need to get the words or you’ve got nothing. If she didn’t say you’re dating, then she could just think this was a hookup.”
“No way,” I argued. “Piper’s not like that.” We’d taken things slow. Sort of slow. Not exactly slow, but we could have taken things faster.
“How do you even know that?” Harley asked. “You knew her really well years ago, and you’ve been getting to know her again, but I’ll bet you didn’t even know she was engaged.”
“What?” I practically shouted. “When was Piper engaged?”
“Five years ago,” Harley replied.
“You’re making assumptions about how she feels,” Gage added.
“Piper isn’t the type to sleep around,” I insisted.
“She might just want to get you out of her system,” Xander suggested. “This could be one of those unfinished business deals.”
I glared at my friend. “You have to pick now to come up with reasonable explanations for Piper’s behavior?”
“What can I say?” Xander asked with a shrug. “First-class brings out the best in me. It makes me all refined and shit.”
“It’s much less refined when you add and shit to the end of your sentences,” Harley pointed out. “Still, Xan’s right. If you haven’t talked this through with Piper, and she hasn’t agreed to date you, then maybe she doesn’t plan to date you.”
“You’re right. I need to talk to Piper.” With all we’d discussed the night before, I couldn’t believe this hadn’t come up. It was a technicality, as far as I was concerned. We were dating. Piper had to realize that.
Chapter 37
Piper
Much to my surprise, I got no lecture from Cerise. She seemed happy that I’d come home without tears in my eyes. Like a true friend, my happiness mattered most to her. I’d come into work early to go over orders and interview applicants, so I was on the go from one until nine when I headed back to my office to handle a little paperwork. I was hoping that if I got the paperwork done early I could go home shortly after closing.
Once I sat behind my desk, I grabbed my purse to check my phone, only to discover three missed calls and four text messages from Austin.
Austin: We just got to Boston. I guess you’re busy. I’ll call you later.
Austin: Call me when you get a chance. I keep getting your voicemail, and I hate leaving messages.
Austin: Are you avoiding me? I hope you’re not mad about the photos. I’m really sorry.
Austin: I’m back at the hotel. I know you’re at work, but call me when you get a chance.
Though his reaction to not being able to reach me seemed a little extreme, I decided to call him rather than waiting until I got home. Pictures of us kissing must have gotten out. No one had mentioned them to me yet.
Austin answered on the second ring. “Hey, I’m glad you called me back.”
“Yeah, I’m calling, but I was wondering if I should,” I replied. “It’s a little crazy to call and text me this many times to ask me to call you. Does Boston bring out the stalker in you?”
He hadn’t texted me enough times to qualify for stalker status, but I was in the mood to tease him.
“There were pictures taken of me kissing you,” he explained.
“I knew there might be,” I replied. “It’s not a big deal. There are worse things than having people think I’m enjoying some TLC from the rebound guy.”
Austin was quiet.
“Was something else bothering you?” I asked.
“I’m not your rebound guy.”
“It was a joke,” I assured him.
“You understand I want more than sex from you, right?” he asked. “We probably should have talked about this last night, but I got carried away. I also assumed you knew. I shouldn’t assume things like that.”
“We talked enough for me to realize you want more,” I assured him. “You made your intentions clear.”
His concerns made no sense. Sure, we hadn’t defined where we were at in words, but we didn’t need to yet. We were still getting to know each other again.
“I need to respond to these photos on social media. Can I tell the world you’re my girlfriend?”
It’s funny how one word can seem like such a huge deal. In this case, the context was the big deal. Austin was asking if he could tell the world we were in a committed relationship, and I didn’t have an answer he’d like.
“I’m not ready for that title,” I replied gently. “How about if you tell them we’re old friends reconnecting? You can even say we’re dating.”
My suggestion was met with silence, making me worry Austin was either hurt or angry. When he finally spoke, his voice was rough. “What are you wearing?”
I was torn between the urge to laugh at his sudden change of subject, and the desire to lock my office door and listen to him talk dirty to me. “A business suit,” I replied.
“Why don’t you strip down to your bunny slippers, and I’ll tell you all the things I can do for you as your boyfriend.”
This time I had no trouble deciding which urge to give into. I laughed at his ridiculous request. “Bunny slippers are not sexy.”
“I used to think the same thing,” was his reply. “You changed my mind about them.”
“What am I going to do with you, Austin?” I asked with a smile.
“I’ve got quite a few suggestions,” he murmured. “But I’d better let you get back to work.”
“I’ll talk to you later,” I assured him.
“Are you going to call me when you get home?” he asked.
“Probably not,” I admitted. “After last night, I’m exhausted.”
“Then I did something right,” he boasted.
“You did several things right,” I assured him. “I need to get this paperwork done so I can leave at closing.”
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” he said before ending the call.
On a whim, I slipped out of my shoes and put my bunny slippers on. Pulling my skirt up enough to reveal a little of my thigh, I took a picture, and sent it to Austin. I still didn’t think bunny slippers were sexy, but Austin clearly did, and I really enjoyed teasing him.
Chapter 38
Austin
I’m not sure I would have considered moving back to the Bay Area had my dad not moved away. We’d always had issues. His affair with Piper’s mom had simply been the last straw. When I’d asked him about getting together while I was in the area, I’d been uncertain if he’d get back to me or not. I’d also taken the cowardly way and emailed him rather than calling.
I was nervous when I rang the bell at my father’s house. With a deep breath, I reminded myself that I could do this. I needed to do this. He might not be the best dad, but he was the only one I had.
A girl in her early teens answered the door, and I blinked twice, sure I was seeing things. She stared at me with wide eyes. With hair the same shade as mine and features similar to my sister’s, I knew we were related. It seemed my father had another child. I had a sister he hadn’t told me about—at least, that’s what I thought until the girl finally spoke.
“Cousin Austin!” she screeched, launching herself into my arms.
“Iris!” my dad called out from somewhere in the house. “Let him come inside before you bother him with a million questions.”
I didn’t know my dad’s side of the family very well. T
his was definitely my first-time meeting Iris, but I’d heard her name somewhere before.
“Sorry.” She stepped aside so I could enter the house before continuing. “I’ve been super excited about meeting you. I love your music. The kids at school don’t believe you’re my cousin. Uncle Ray took me to your show last night. It was amazing! I even got a t-shirt. Can you sign my CD? Maybe you can even say I’m your cousin when you sign it.”
Iris finally stopped talking long enough for me to respond. “Sure. I’ll sign your CD.”
Iris giggled and jumped up and down as she led me to the kitchen, where my dad was cooking. I couldn’t recall ever seeing my dad cook before.
“What’s going on here?” I asked as I looked around my dad’s kitchen. This home didn’t resemble the one I’d grown up in. My childhood home had often looked more like a museum—staged and unlived in. Everything had been in its place, and a decorator had come in annually to make sure we followed the latest trends. This home looked more lived in and comfortable. The furniture wasn’t old, but it appeared to have been purchased with comfort, rather than style, in mind. On the refrigerator, there were school papers and an old drawing a child had likely done.
“I’m cooking lunch,” my dad explained with a grin. Dressed in khakis and a sweater, he looked much different from the man I’d grown up with. “The doctor says I need to eat healthier, so I’ve been eating at home more often.”
“No cook?” I asked.
My dad chuckled. “A lot changed when I decided to deal with my issues.”
“Deal with your issues?” I asked.
“The ones I had when you were growing up.” He gestured to Iris with his head to indicate he didn’t want to explain those issues in front of her. “I wanted to be a better man, and that desire impacted several areas of my life.”
“What issues?” Iris asked.
“Nothing you need to worry about.” My dad waved a spatula her direction.
“Oh!” she exclaimed. “You must have had a drug problem, like my mom. Did you go to rehab, too? How come you never told me about that?”
Rock & Regrets Page 10