by Harlow James
“I promise, Mom. I need some sleep, so I’ll call soon, okay?”
“At least just text me once a day at this point, Pfeiffer, so I know you’re alive, alright?”
“Okay. I can do that.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too, Mom,” I whisper before ending the call and letting the sinking feeling of doubt and paranoia swallow me whole once more.
Chapter 16
Cash
“Is she really coming?” Birdie questions as we sit around the table in the game room, waiting on Piper to arrive. She text me to let me know she was on her way, but she should have been here by now.
“Yes. Calm down, please. I know you’re excited.”
“You bet your little behind I’m excited! My boy is actually dating someone, someone that I approve of whole-heartedly. You’d better not mess this up!” She points a finger in my face.
“Who says I’m the one who will mess it up?”
“Uh, news flash, Cash… but most of the time, it’s the man that’s screwing shit up,” Samuel interjects.
I hang my head. “True. But believe me, I’m doing everything in my power not to fuck this up, okay? I really fucking like her.”
And that honest-to-God truth still unnerves me. When I got home from our date last week, I laid in bed staring up at my ceiling, contemplating how the hell I got to this point—me, Cash Williams, self-proclaimed playboy and hater of love, is obsessed with a woman I’ve only known for a few months and have taken on one real date. I hate to say it, but Cooper was right. I’m eating my own words I threw in his face months ago—that dating and sticking to one woman would never happen to me. But it has, and I’m immersing myself in her.
“Ugh! This just makes my heart so happy.” Birdie clasps her hands over her heart, just as Piper walks through the door.
Standing to greet her, I rise from my chair and make my way over to her, but not before noticing the box of Cheez Its in her hand. “Did you stop for Cheez Its?”
“Well, you said you always have them when you play, so I didn’t want to arrive empty-handed.” She seems nervous, but her smile makes my chest tighten.
“You’re incredible.” I bend down to kiss her, stopping myself from mauling her in front of the entire room, but more importantly, Birdie and Samuel.
“Birdie, Samuel, you remember Piper?” I lead her over to the table, pulling out a chair for her to sit right next to me and then place the box of crackers in the center.
“Bless your heart, you brought the best snack there is and they’re the right flavor.” Birdie smiles and I swear, I see her eyes water.
“Cash said you always have some for the games, so I wanted to make sure I secured my spot for future matches… because after I beat you all, I don’t know that I’ll be invited back unless I bring the goods.” Piper’s playful grin is sexy, but her words catch us all off-guard.
Everyone’s eyebrows pop up, including my own, shocked by Piper’s confidence. “Wow. You have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into, sweetheart. Let’s see if your survive one game before you throw around words like those.”
“I like her. Her confidence is almost as overbearing as yours, Cash. A match made in heaven,” Birdie chides as she shoots me a look. Rolling my eyes, I urge everyone to draw tiles so we can begin, but internally I can’t help but agree with Birdie. If there was any woman I feel could be the right one for me, it would be someone like Piper. There’s still so much to learn about her, but what I know so far is enough to keep me intrigued and desperate for more.
“Well, Cash won the last game, so he gets to start,” Birdie declares once we’re all ready to go.
“Convenient,” Piper mutters.
“Just sit back and learn from the master.”
Everyone takes turns, laying down words and frustrating each other, claiming letters and spots that someone else had their eyes on. But nothing could have prepared us for Piper’s skills on the board. She and I are neck and neck in points, each round only allowing us to edge the other person out by five points or less.
It comes down to the last turn, and I know Piper has the Q tile since it hasn’t graced the board yet and I don’t have it. Birdie and Samuel cast knowing gazes at each other and then back at me. With the looks we’re all firing, you’d think we were about to launch a nuclear attack as soon as someone speaks.
“Well, I just want you guys to know, I had a great time today,” Piper finally breaks the silence.
“Are you leaving or something? ‘Cause we’re not done.”
She places her hand on my forearm. “Oh, not at all. I just want you to know how appreciative I am for the invitation to join you all today. You know, before I win and you don’t want me to come back.” The pleased smile on her face is borderline mischievous, and fuck, it’s turning me on—how confident she is that she’s about to win, even though I hate to lose. I have one word I can lie down, but it won’t use all of my tiles and will only get me twelve points. So if Piper lays down the Q only, matching it up to just one letter, she can easily beat me. Our scores are only separated by five.
“You’re so sure of yourself.”
“I am. But it’s your turn, so please make it quick, that way I can put an end to this and everyone can eat. I’m starving.”
I shake my head, contemplating all the delicious things I want to do to Piper’s body in retribution. She’s teasing me in front of Birdie and Samuel, making me rock hard with nothing I can do to relieve the tension. Her eyes flick down to my crotch and suddenly, I don’t just think she’s talking about being hungry for food.
“Well, it’s all I’ve got, but here it is,” I declare, laying down the tiles around an E already on the table to make the word twenty.
“Respectable attempt,” Piper compliments me as Birdie and Samuel chuckle across the table, clearly loving our banter right now. I can’t help the look I cast their way, knowing they should be prepared for my wrath later. “And now to claim the win with one letter,” Piper exclaims, laying down the Q next to an I, on a triple letter score, earning her thirty-one points with the word Qi and officially making her the winner.
“Fuck,” I mutter as she shouts, “Yes!”
Birdie and Samuel burst out in laughter as I sit back in my chair, utter defeat weighing down on me.
“Damn. Great game, Piper! Although you kicked all of our butts, I would love nothing more for you to join us again soon,” Birdie says as we all rise.
“I’d love that if you’re sure. I don’t want anyone’s feelings to get hurt.” Her shoulders bounce with her silent laughter as she celebrates her win. And even though I hate losing, I quickly realize she’s the only person I could want to beat me if it makes her light up the way she is right now.
“If the three of us haven’t killed each other yet, I’m sure we will be okay adding a fourth player to the group. It was so lovely to spend the evening with you,” Birdie says as she pulls in Piper for a hug and whispers something in her ear.
It’s hard to read her face from here, but I can see Piper’s demeanor change slightly from Birdie’s words, striking an emotional cord.
“I’ll see you later this week.” Leaning in to kiss Birdie on the cheek and then shake Samuel’s hand, we say our goodbyes before I lead Piper out to the parking lot to our cars. I can’t help but notice how Piper’s head veers around as we walk, like she’s searching for something.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Why wouldn’t it be?” She asks as she unlocks her car and throws her purse inside.
“You just seem kind of jumpy, like you’re watching over your shoulder. It’s not the first time I’ve seen you do it.”
Lifting her eyes to mine, she swallows hard. “My mother always told me to be aware of my surroundings, especially in a parking lot. It’s a habit, I guess.”
Tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ear, I lean in closer to her. “Nothing wrong with that, I suppose.”
“I also always walk
with my keys tucked between my fingers in case someone comes up behind me, that way I can jab them in the eye.” Sure enough, as she lifts her keys, I notice the jagged metal woven through each of her digits.
“Nice. Did you take a self-defense class or something?”
“Uh, yeah. I just wanted to feel like I could defend myself if need be.”
“That’s smart, yet another thing to admire you for,” I agree, but something tells me she didn’t just do it to give her confidence. That fear is back in her eyes. I haven’t seen it in a few weeks and certainly not the other night on our date.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I search her face for any indication that I’m missing something, but I’m having the hardest time reading her right now.
“Yes, I’m fine. Hungry, but great really—especially because I won our game.” A lift of her eyebrow and she’s back to being playful and sarcastic.
“Yeah, I’m not gonna lie. I was impressed. We definitely need a rematch, but let’s grab some food first.”
Piper follows me to Peggy’s Diner, where we stuff ourselves and replay our Scrabble game. I watch Piper smother her meatloaf with ketchup, baffled with how someone can love a condiment that much, and then we prepare to say goodnight.
“So when do you want a rematch? I mean, I can make time to kick your ass again.”
I huff as she stands against the side of her car. “Name the time and place, sweetheart.”
“How about right now?” She shoots me a hopeful yet challenging gaze as her eyes find me beneath those dark lashes I’ve become so accustomed to.
“Tonight? Do you have Scrabble at your place?”
She nods. “I do actually. I mean, if you don’t want to, I understand. But I just thought…”
“No, let’s do it.” I cut her off before she can retract her offer, because I know I want to spend more time with her tonight, without a doubt. I wasn’t ready to say goodnight anyway.
Her lips tip up in a pleased grin. “Okay. Follow me to my place,” she says before getting in her car, and then we make our way across town to her apartment complex.
Once inside, she offers me something to drink. “Just water would be fine. Gotta drive home later.”
“Oh… yeah, of course.” She heads into the kitchen, retrieving two glasses of ice water for us both.
“So, I was thinking as we were driving over here—care to make this game interesting?” Piper takes a seat across from me at her dining room table as I open the box to her Scrabble game she retrieved from her closet.
“How so?”
“How about we play dirty Scrabble?”
She narrows her eyes and then lets out a small laugh. “Are you serious?”
“As a heart attack, sweetheart. I bet if we played a game where we could only use dirty words, I could definitely beat you.” Honestly, I don’t give a shit if I win or lose. I really just want to push Piper out of her comfort zone and see how flustered I can make her. I wanna see her give in to her need for me, the way I’m fighting to let her arrive at that decision on her own.
“You think I can’t beat you using only dirty words?”
“I think if anyone would win that game, it would be me.”
“Get ready to eat your words, Deputy,” she teases, while sitting up tall and reaching for the bag of letters.
It’s just past eight, so I know we have plenty of time. I don’t have to work until tomorrow night and I know tomorrow is her first full day off this week, so not feeling rushed makes this little challenge all the more pleasant.
“You can go first since you won earlier,” I fan my arm over the board, offering her first dibs.
“Fine,” she says as she lays down cowgirl, making a strong start to the game.
“Cowgirl?”
“Uh, yeah. Like the sexual position?”
I can’t fight the laugh the escapes me. “I know where you were going with that, I just wanted to hear you say it.”
“You’re an ass,” she chuckles as she throws a tile across the table at me.
“Don’t be throwing letters around, babe. You never know how valuable one letter can be.”
“Um, yes I do. Do you not remember me winning earlier with just a Q?”
“Good point. Okay, well let’s add nookie to the board then, shall we?” I reach over and organize the tiles in front of me, pushing the game forward.
A few more turns, and I’m impressed with how many filthy words we’ve been able to come up with.
Twat, Johnson, blowjob, cunt, lick, suck, kiss, sex.
The list goes on and on until I feel like my body is about to explode, watching the skin on Piper’s neck redden when I lay down clench.
“Clench? How is clench a dirty word?”
“Uh, doesn’t a vagina clench around a penis during an orgasm?”
Piper’s throat bobs as she stares back at me, her cheeks now turning a slight shade of pink from either embarrassment or arousal—and I’m dying to find out.
“I suppose.”
“You suppose?”
“It’s been a while,” she looks away from me sharply, and now I feel like an ass.
“Fuck, I’m sorry, Piper.”
Brushing hair from her face, she focuses back on her tiles. “No, it’s fine. Let’s see,” she peruses her letters before settling on her next word, throb.
Speaking of throb, I’m pretty sure that’s what my dick is doing in my pants right now, rising to full mast as I stare at Piper across from me. The energy between us is sizzling, all of my restraint being tested with each word placed on the board and each lick of her lips as she studies me.
Fuck! Who’s idea was this again?
“Cash…” she starts as I notice her breathing pick up speed and her chest rise and fall in a faster rhythm.
“Yeah…”
“I don’t think I want to play anymore.”
“Okay…”
“I think I want to play a different game… a race, if you will.”
That catches my attention. “A race? What kind of race?”
She stands up, her hands fidgeting next to her sides as she swallows hard and then speaks. “A race to see how fast you can get me naked.”
And now it’s my turn to swallow, my throat tightening with just the prospect of finally getting Piper naked and taking that step that there’s no turning back from. “Are you sure?”
Her head bobs up and down as I stand. “Yes. I want you, Cash… Now touch me.”
Chapter 17
Piper
“Cash… touch me.”
As he slowly stands across the table, both of us remain perfectly still—the only movement measurable is the rise and fall of our chests.
“Fuck, Piper. I feel like I need to catch my breath first… because once I touch you, I’m not going to stop, sweetheart.”
And quickly like the flick of a light switch, I relent to the force, the same one that has been pulling us together since we met. “Then don’t.”
In a blink, Cash strides across the floor, eating up the space with his long legs and crashing into me with the force of a thousand bricks. But these bricks won’t leave bruises—no, they’re going to leave a stamp of every fingertip on my body from his touches and every imprint of his lips on mine.
His hands are in my hair, cradling my head as his tongue dives deep into my mouth. And I’m lost—in every twirl, every lick, every treacherous purse of his lips against mine. He kisses me like it will never be enough. And just when I think he’s done, he dives in for more.
“Bedroom, now,” he growls against my lips, moving his hands to my waist as he walks me backwards towards my room. My body is alive with nerves and excitement, a buzzing that almost makes me feel drunk, although I haven’t had a drop of alcohol. But boy, I know, without a doubt, that I’m drunk and hooked on Cash Williams.
I push open the door with my back as we continue to stumble, holding onto each other as if the other person might run away, like I would even consider tha
t nonsense. There’s no way either of us is going anywhere—a hilarious notion, one that actually makes me laugh out loud.
“What’s so funny?” Cash says as he pulls away and scowls at me, nearly out of breath.
“Nothing. I’m sorry,” I shake it off and then pull him back to me.
“No. Spill. Forgive me, but that last thing I expected at this moment was for you to giggle.”
I sigh heavily, but also so I can draw in a deep breath. “I had this thought that we were holding onto each other so tightly right now, almost like we were afraid that the other person would run away.”
The corner of Cash’s lips tip up. “That is laughable, because I’m not going anywhere, Piper. I’ve been fantasizing about this moment for over a month.”
“Really?” I search his eyes, finding nothing but honesty there.
“Without a doubt. Now come here.” We meet again, picking up where we left off in our kiss, devouring each other before Cash’s hands find the bottom of my shirt and slowly start to push it up over my head. As his fingertips graze my skin, I feel the trail of heat burn my flesh, leaving a mark I knew would never truly fade when I let him touch me like this.
“God, you’re fucking perfect, Piper,” he says, studying my torso that’s bare to him except for my black bra. I mentally celebrate the fact that I wore something a little fancier tonight than I would typically wear to work any other day.
Roaming across my skin, Cash’s fingers draw intense lines and patterns as he watches the goosebumps appear in his fingers’ absence. While I watch his eyes move across my body, my heart beats wildly in my chest. I feel like we’re frozen in the moment right now as I wait for him to make the next move.
“Are you sure about this, Piper? I need to hear you say that this is what you want.”