Take the Fall

by Marquita Valentine

  “No—”

  I jab my elbow into her side, and she coughs. “No one she wants. Quite a few of them can’t keep their paws to themselves,” I lie. Okay, so it might not be a total lie. I did see Charlie Davis attempt to palm Piper’s ass when she bent over the cooler to get a drink. “Mostly Charlie, though.”

  Jase’s eyes narrow in on Charlie, his blue gaze becoming icy. “I’ll have a talk with him.” He turns his attention to Piper. “Anyone else gives you shit, come straight to me and I’ll take care of it.”

  “Absolutely not,” Piper says firmly, shocking me and, from the look on Jase’s face, him, too. “I won’t have you getting in trouble on account of me. I’m the daughter of a cop and can handle myself.”

  Charlie Davis chooses that exact moment to wink at Piper, and she shudders. Thank God for divine intervention.

  “You might be all grown up now, kitten. But you haven’t learned how to use those claws yet.” Jase grabs her hand and slowly turns it so that the palm is facing up. “I’d be happy to teach you, though, if you want some private lessons.”

  Giddy at this turn of events, I let go of Piper and begin to edge away, wanting to give them some privacy.

  Her eyes fly to mine, and she almost staggers to one side as she yanks her hand away. “That won’t be necessary.” She looks at me, her cheeks all flushed. “I’m hot. Are you hot? I’ll go get another drink.” Without another word, she rushes off.

  Punching Jase in the shoulder, I say, “What was that about?” I lower my voice to mimic him. “I’d be happy to teach you how to use your claws, kitten.” I make a face. “Is that really how you work your mojo?”

  “Shut up, Ro.” He stalks off in Giselle’s direction, instead of Piper’s. Damn it.

  “Always meddling in other people’s business,” Seth says, sidling up to me.

  “How would you know what I’m always doing? You haven’t lived here in seven years,” I snap. God, the perfect way to end my night, with Seth seeing right through me.

  “You want to get Piper and Jase together, so he won’t keep messing with Giselle. How’s that for knowing you?”

  Pretty damn good, but there’s no way I’m admitting it. “Impressive,” I say dryly. “Did they teach you that in Marines—how to skulk around in the shadows and eavesdrop?” I take a drink of my beer and then cross my arms.

  “I must not be skulking in the shadows very well if you noticed me.”

  I blush. “You’re a mouth breather.”

  Seth snorts. “Tell me another one.”

  “Halitosis gives you away?”

  He steps closer to me and dips his head. My entire body sways forward to meet him. I inhale his hot, male scent. He smells so good that I could eat him. I could nibble on him all day and come back for more, starting at his luscious bottom lip.

  Yeah, yeah, I lied about the halitosis, but a girl needs self-preservation tactics when she’s around her ex.

  One of his arms slips around me, hauling me close, and I can’t help but love the feel of him. “I get that you want to protect the one you love the most,” Seth begins. “But Piper’s in for a world of hurt if Jase were to decide he wanted her instead of Giselle. Can you imagine how Giselle would retaliate? Piper’s not like us. She’s a good girl, from the good side of town, and her dad is the fucking chief of police.”

  “Haven’t you caught up on all the gossip?” I try to stalk away, but Seth tightens his grip, and it’s like struggling against a stone wall. I glare at him. “Let go.”

  “Promise you’ll quit trying to put the two of them together.”

  “Why, because we Simmonses aren’t good enough for anyone?” I say, biting back the ridiculous tears that suddenly appear.

  “No, baby, because Piper is your best friend and she’ll get hurt. You love her too much to do that to her.”

  He’s right. So damn right, and I hate it. “But I love Jase.”

  “I know you do.”

  Before I can say something sweet or incredibly stupid, a flash of movement catches my eye. A guy shoves my brother, repeatedly, and it’s all Jase can do not to fight back. Instead, he holds up his hands and shakes his head.

  I grab onto Seth, my nails digging into his skin. “Oh, God, not again.”

  Seth peels my fingers away and grabs my chin, forcing my gaze to his. “Calm down, Rowan. Nothing’s going to happen.”

  “But nothing was supposed to happen before. I can’t go through that again, Seth. Not when I have both of you—” I sniff. Not both of them. Seth didn’t come home to me. He came home to make life and career decisions. I happened to be a convenient lay for him. “Not when I finally have my brother back home.” I glance back at Jase and my stomach turns when I recognize the other guy. “Oh, God.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll just kick his ass out of the party.”

  “No,” I practically scream and Seth freezes. “The guy—” I swallow. “You can’t throw Mark Williams out. He’s the mayor’s son and Giselle’s latest sidepiece. I wouldn’t put it past him to call in some BS story to the cops about us serving beer to minors.”

  “There goes plan A.” He exhales. “I’ll take care of it. You stay right here.”

  “Thank you,” I whisper as he lets go of me.

  “And no lip,” he calls out from over his shoulder.

  “Whatever,” I mutter, but I see the smile that ghosts over Seth’s lips.

  That’s exactly what makes things so complicated between us. Given the choice, I always turn to him for help—when he’s here at least.

  Seth

  I stride over toward Rowan’s brother, calling out his name. “Jase, l need help with my truck. Can you drive me down to Gardner’s to get some tools?”

  Both men turn to look at me. I know what they’re thinking. Jase’s garage has every tool known to man. Or at least it did seven years ago. Who knows what’s happened in the meantime?

  Flashing me a grateful look, Jase grabs his helmet from a nearby table. Mark opens his mouth to say something, but I stomp down on his foot and he howls in pain instead.

  I grin.

  Rowan didn’t say anything about putting the asshole in a little accidental pain.

  “Damn, bro. I didn’t see you standing there.” I keep walking, making sure to keep between Mark and Jase. “Might want to get that looked at.”

  He flips me off and I salute him with two fingers.

  “I wasn’t planning on getting in a fight with him,” Jase says as we walk to his motorcycle.

  “Best-laid plans and all that shit,” I remind him. “But I gotta be honest with you. Giselle’s not worth it. Any woman who can’t wait for you isn’t worth your time.”

  Rowan waited, and look at what you did to her.

  But I’m trying to make up for that.

  “Yeah.” He pauses before strapping on his helmet. “You know, besides my sister and your grandmother, only one other person ever thought of me while I was serving.”

  “Who’s that?” I ask, playing dumb.

  He looks back at his house. “Piper.”

  “Saw her at the party.”

  Jase nods. “She’s all grown up now.”

  “Then what are you waiting for?” I ask, just to test him. “Hook up with her and get it out of your system.”

  His lips thin as he glares at me. Now, that is damn interesting. “Can’t.”

  “Why?”

  Jase grunts an answer as he throws his leg over his bike. “When you work your shit out with my sister, then give me advice, but until then, fuck off.”

  I tip up my chin to him. “Later.”

  Piper appears out of nowhere, breathing so hard she begins to wheeze. “Jase. Your.” She bends over at the waist. “Wallet.”

  Jase is off his bike and has Piper in his arms before I can move. “Breathe, beautiful. Breathe.”

  “I’m fine.” She takes a deep breath, but the air rattles around in her chest. “Sorry. I’ve had a cold.”

  Jase smiles at her, a
tender look appearing in his eyes that up until now has been reserved for his sister. “Need me to take you home?”

  She shakes her head and holds out a wallet, a shy smile teasing the corners of her mouth. “Here.”

  “Thanks.” He takes his wallet and shoves it in his back pocket. Then captures her small hands between his and starts to rub them. “You’re freezing, kitten.”

  “No, I’m fine,” she says, but I notice she doesn’t pull her hands away.

  “Let me take you home. Get you nice and warm.” He leans in to her and whispers something in her ear that makes her turn red.

  “I don’t know,” she practically stammers.

  Yeah, and this is turning awkward. “Want me to walk her back for you?”

  “Seth,” Piper squeaks. “I forgot you were standing there.”

  “Yeah, me, too,” Jase says wryly. It’s obvious that he’s not happy I interrupted him. But the dude’s not thinking straight. Can’t blame him, though. I can barely think straight around Rowan.

  “Gee, thanks.”

  “Jase,” Giselle shouts. “What the hell are you doing with the uptight puta? I thought you wanted some pussy.”

  Piper’s eyes widen, like she’s never heard anyone talk like that before. Then again, I don’t remember her ever coming to one of our parties, and the ones in the Oaks can’t be nearly as uncivilized as ours.

  “Shut the fuck up. Piper’s done nothing to you.” Jase glares at his girlfriend and then turns his attention back to Piper. “Sorry, honey. But you’re safer with Seth. Don’t worry about Giselle; I’ll make sure she leaves you alone.”

  Piper nods slowly. “I wasn’t worried about Giselle. I was worried about you leaving your wallet behind. Someone could steal it.” She stares pointedly at Giselle for a split second.

  Jase’s jaw works. “I appreciate that. Now, go with Seth and let me deal with Giselle.” He pats Piper on the ass and she freezes. So does he, as if he’s suddenly aware of what he did. “Shit. I’m sorry.”

  Piper nods. “It’s okay,” she says in a whisper-thin voice.

  Why Rowan ever thought the two of them needed to get together is beyond me. It’s obvious Piper’s afraid of her own shadow, and Jase would run all over her without knowing it, breaking her heart in the process.

  “Fuck,” he mutters, then gives me a look. “Take her back to the party.”

  I grab Piper and we walk back to the party. As we get closer to Giselle, I haul Piper to the other side.

  “Bitch,” Giselle hisses.

  “Your weave’s slipping,” Piper says without missing a beat.

  Giselle flips her off. “Fuck off, little girl.”

  Somehow I manage to get Piper to Rowan before a catfight breaks out. “Take her and get her ass out of here before Giselle does something.”

  Rowan nods. She lays a hand on my arm. “Thank you.”

  “Go. I’ll keep an eye on everything here.” I head over to the radio, turn off the music, and raise my voice: “Party’s over. Go home.”

  Chapter 11

  Rowan

  Piper emerges from the bathroom, her eyes bright and her face pale. She didn’t talk much on the way to her place. I think she’s embarrassed.

  Her dark hair falls out of the makeshift bun on the top of her head, and she scrapes it back into place, twisting it tightly. It falls again, and her mouth thins.

  Taking pity on her, I sidle up to her and begin to redo the bun.

  “I’m not helpless,” she says.

  “I know.” I hold out my hand for a hair tie.

  She drops it in my palm and I twist it around her thick hair. “The party didn’t need to end because of me.”

  “It didn’t,” I assure her and she gives me a yeah, right look. “Seriously, Piper, it ended because Jase almost got in a fight with Mark Williams.”

  “Mark is usually nice,” she says.

  “He’s been fucking Giselle.”

  “So has your brother,” Piper replies.

  “True, but you can’t compare the two.”

  She crosses her arms. “At least Mark recognizes Giselle for what she is.”

  I blink at the uncharacteristic bite to my best friend’s tone. “What would that be?” I ask.

  “A disloyal, faithless, potty-mouthed chick with a really bad weave,” she says so primly that I have to swallow the laughter threatening to bubble out of my mouth.

  “Potty-mouthed chick?” This time I let the laughter bubble out.

  She rolls her eyes. “You know what I mean.”

  I hug her tight. “I do, but it’s still funny.”

  “Why do guys like Jase and Mark like women like Giselle?” she asks, and all the laughter leaves me.

  Letting go of her, we sink down and lean against the huge pillows she has piled on the floor. Every time I stay at her house, I feel like I’m entering a museum dedicated to the rich and famous. And it’s cold. Beyond Piper’s room, her house holds no warmth.

  “You want an honest answer, honey?”

  She gives me a mock glare. “No, I want you to lie.”

  “Women like Giselle know what they want and go after it. Men like confidence in women.”

  “And she puts out,” Piper says glumly.

  “That helps.”

  Piper grabs a small pillow and plays with the tassels. “Do you think Jase would like me if I became more like Giselle?”

  Panic races through me. I do not want to hurt my best friend’s feelings, but Seth is right. If Jase stopped seeing Giselle for Piper, then there’s no telling what that hosebeast would do.

  “We can work on your confidence, but the other…it’s not you.”

  Piper frowns. “I can be just as—”

  “No. You are not changing for a man. Change the way you are because you need to be different, not turn into some man-eater because you think Jase would want you.”

  “Tonight he asked me if I would spend the night with him if he got rid of Giselle.”

  My jaw drops and she blushes. “That asshole.” Yeah, he’s my brother and I love him, but my God, do men have to be ruled by their dicks all the time? “I hope you told his punk tail off.”

  She averts her gaze, staring at a spot over my shoulder. “I said I didn’t know.”

  Nonplussed, I stare at her for a moment. “That’s bold for you, but you’re worth more than a momentary lack of clarity.”

  A flash of hurt covers Piper’s face. “You’re right. I don’t know what I was thinking. Momma—Mother—has enlisted the help of a matchmaker to find someone suitable for me.”

  “Like a personal dating site consultant?” The lifestyles of the ultrarich never cease to amaze me.

  “Yes. I had to give her access to all my social media accounts so that a profile could be created based on my user preferences.” She sounds so rehearsed that I feel sorry for her. “Then they’ll find the perfect man for me—socially and financially.”

  “What a promise,” I mutter.

  “I’m supposed to meet with them next week to go over my potential matches.”

  “Sounds awesome.”

  “If awesome means horrible.”

  “You can say no, Piper,” I gently remind her.

  She blows out a breath. “Rowan, if it was so easy to say no, then I wouldn’t be living at home. I’d be like every other twenty-three-year-old who has an apartment and privacy.”

  This is true. Between her mother’s rules and her father’s status as chief of police, Piper has little to no privacy. Nannies raised her, and she was allowed only certain types of friends.

  Until me.

  I’m still not sure how that happened. “How did you get your mom to let you be friends with me?” I ask.

  She bites her lip. “It’s not very nice.”

  “You threatened her? Omigod. Spill.”

  Piper looks at the floor. “I told her that being friends with you would be good community service,” she mumbles. “I was fourteen. I didn’t know what else to say
.”

  “Why, Piper Whitley Ross, how very crafty of you.”

  Her gaze jerks up to mine. “You don’t think I’m a snobby bitch?” In true Piper fashion, she whispers the word bitch, like her mother will come storming into the room if she heard her.

  “Girl, you are a total badass bitch in the making.”

  Piper’s posture changes. She throws her shoulders back and gives me a confident smile. “I really could be, couldn’t I?”

  I nod. “One badass step at a time.”

  “Good. I’ll move in with you tomorrow.” She jumps to her feet and runs to her closet, dragging out three huge suitcases. “I already packed.”

  My jaw drops to the floor again. “What?”

  Seth

  I’m half out of my mind with worry and jealousy as I channel surf. It’s not easy to be involved with someone who doesn’t let you know about the little things, like when she’s not coming home for the night. Rowan can be with anyone—any guy—right now.

  My phone buzzes with a text alert and I scoop it up from the coffee table. “About fucking time,” I mutter.

  Rowan: Houston, we have a problem.

  Me: ?

  Rowan: Piper is moving in with me tomorrow.

  Checking the time on my phone, I grimace. Two a.m.

  Me: It is tomorrow.

  Rowan: Thanks, Captain Obvious, but seriously, she’s moving in. What do I do?

  Me: Help her unpack?

  Rowan: But you’re thinking of selling the house.

  Yeah, I am thinking of selling it. I don’t need it, but Rowan might. Even if everything works out, she needs a place to live while I finish up my contract.

  If everything works out. Rubbing my hand over my face, I text, Don’t worry about it.

  My phone rings. I answer it immediately.

  “ ‘Don’t worry about it’?” she screeches into my ear, except she’s whispering.

  “Yeah,” I say just as softly. “Why the hell are we whispering?”

  “Because I don’t want Piper’s mother to hear me.”

  I should have known she was staying at Piper’s. “They don’t allow talking at normal levels over there?”