Page 45

PATRICK

Walking out of that room was the hardest fucking thing I’d had to do. All I wanted was to bury my cock inside Piper and forget about everything else, but my mom was downstairs, and until she went to sleep, there was no fucking way I could do anything else with Piper.

I slid down the stairs on my ass again, refusing to take the time to jump on one foot.

I was tired as hell of these crutches and couldn’t wait until my leg was healed.

Then I’d really be able to fuck Piper the way I wanted.

I paused mid-slide and shook my head. Piper wouldn’t be around when I was healed.

She’d be back in New York. That was the plan, and I had to remember that.

“She’s lovely,” my mom beamed as I got to my feet and shoved the crutches under my arms. “Why did you let me push all those women at you when you already have someone who’s in love with you?”

I almost opened my mouth and told her Piper wasn’t in love with me, but that would ruin the whole point of this visit. “She lives in New York. I wasn’t sure if she would come back.”

“She doesn’t want to be anywhere else. I can tell.”

“She was still hungover from the flight,” I smiled. “I’m not sure she even knows what she wants right now.”

“Honey, that woman weathered a plane ride after her horrifying ordeal with you. Trust me, she’s in love with you.”

My chest warmed at the thought, but I quickly rubbed my palm against it, pushing the feeling away.

I couldn’t afford to like the feeling of Piper falling for me.

I didn’t want to get married. Hell, I didn’t even want a relationship.

That shit was for people who wanted families and commitment.

None of that was in the cards for me. I happened to like my life the way it was.

“You’re just like your father,” my mom laughed, “always denying what’s right in front of you.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Your father was the same way.” Her smile twinkled unlike any other time I’d seen her talk about Dad.

She was always sad, but right now, she looked like a young woman in love.

“When I first met him, he would deny left and right that he was interested in me. Boy, did I give that man a run for his money.”

I had never heard her say anything like this before. It was always about after they were married. “I thought he took you out on a date and that was it.”

“No,” she chuckled. “I hounded that man for months. If my parents had known how I was chasing him, they would have locked me in my room.”

“What happened?”

“It took me a few months. He would take other girls out and pretend he liked them, but I always caught him looking for me. Even in church, his eyes were on me.”

“Dad went to church?”

“Well, he had no choice back then. Of course, I think he only showed up because he wanted to see me. Every week, he would sit further and further away from me, but his eyes…they were always on me.”

“Maybe he was making sure you wouldn’t make an announcement in the middle of church,” I muttered.

“That’s what I thought at first, but those dates he went on became fewer and fewer.”

I shook my head. I couldn’t believe it. “You were a stalker.”

“For the man I loved? Absolutely. I followed him around like a lost puppy. And one day, he turned around and waited for me to catch up. Then he slipped his hand in mine and told me he was taking me out to dinner that night.”

Shock didn’t even begin to cover what I was feeling right now. Dad always seemed in love with Mom, but I never thought he was mad about her like that.

“How long did you date?”

“Six months. That was more than enough time to make him wait.” The twinkle in her eyes grew. “He said he was going to marry me that spring, but I wanted a fall wedding. He was so impatient, and after how long he made me wait, I felt it was only fair to return the favor.”

“Wait, so you’re telling me that Dad was the one who had to wait?”

“Oh, I made him suffer.”

“Un-fucking-believable,” I muttered, completely ignoring the way my mom chastised me for swearing. “All this time…I never knew.”

“Well, your father was always more of a silent romantic. He never said much.”

“No, he didn’t.” I remembered all those trips with him. He was never really relaxed. “He never wanted to leave you.”

“Those trips were all my idea. Oh, he loved taking you on them, but he hated that I wouldn’t go with. I always felt the two of you needed some bonding time, and absence does make the heart grow fonder.”

“So…all this time…”

“I tried to tell you that he was the love of my life, but you’ve always been stubborn.

It’s like you didn’t want to believe that your parents could be that in love.

When he died, Lord, he took my heart with him.

” She sighed, smiling at me for the first time while talking about him.

“That’s all I’ve ever wanted for you, Patti.

The chance at a love that would encompass you so completely that you’d know what I know. ”

I wasn’t sure what she knew, but now I understood a little more what she was talking about. And now this whole charade felt so wrong. I couldn’t trick her, not when I understood how she really felt about my dad. “Mom, Piper isn’t the one. I don’t think there ever will be a one .”

“Not if you don’t open your heart to it. I’ve seen the way you look at her. If there was ever a woman for you, it’s her.”

“Mom—”

“Trust your heart, Patti. Life is too short to waste living alone.”

I didn’t doubt her words, but I wasn’t sure I felt the same way. The love she was talking about with Dad, I didn’t think anything like that was in the cards for me. Yeah, I really liked Piper, but love was…

“I’m going to bed early. So much excitement has gotten the better of me.”

I nodded absently as she walked away. We hadn’t even eaten dinner yet. It was only seven o’clock, but now I found myself wanting to go upstairs and check on Piper again. Maybe lay down beside her and?—

I gritted my teeth, ignoring what I wanted. If I went up there, I’d fall into some trap set by my mother. I wasn’t an idiot. She told me those things to get me thinking. She wanted me to get married and have kids. That’s the only reason she sat here and told me all about Dad.

Well, I wasn’t falling for her tricks. She could play her mind games all she wanted, but I was smarter than that.

I laid back on the couch and turned on the TV, determined to spend the night down here.

If I went upstairs, I’d only find myself in trouble.

But as I flipped through the channels, I kept thinking about my tongue on Piper’s body and how she tasted.

There was really no point in staying down here. This was what Piper came for. She even told me she wanted me in bed with her. Denying myself wouldn’t actually solve anything. I flicked off the TV and headed upstairs.

She was only here for one week. I might as well enjoy it.

I crept into the room, trying not to disturb Piper.

She needed her sleep, but if she happened to wake up and jump on my cock, I’d take it.

Moving around in the dark without making noise proved to be slightly more complicated than I thought it would be.

I wasn’t used to being quiet for anyone.

I shed my shirt first, and then my shorts, but the boxers were more difficult.

I’d had to switch to loose boxers for the sake of my cast, which I found annoying as hell.

I sat down on the edge of the bed and wiggled my ass until I got them down, but they snagged on the cast. Cursing under my breath, I wiggled and maneuvered them until I finally got them free.

“That was impressive.”

I smiled at the sound of her voice. “And here I thought I was being so stealthy.”

“Are you kidding? You would have woken a herd of buffalo.”

Glancing over my shoulder, I cocked my brow at her. “Are buffalo often woken up by men wiggling out of their boxers?”

“Not sure, but I don’t want to test it either. I still have arkoudaphobia.”

“Okay,” I chuckled. “And what is that?”

“A phobia of bears. I looked it up. It’s a real thing.”

“And here I thought you were getting along with him so well.”

She shrugged, laying back down on my pillow. “Maybe, but now I have nightmares.”

I rolled toward her, hoisting my leg up on the bed and running my palm over her lower belly where my shirt had ridden up. “Yeah? Is there anything good you dream about?”

My hand skimmed higher, brushing against her breasts.

“Plenty.”

Her voice came out as barely a croak, so I brushed my knuckles against the underside of her breasts and bent down, placing an open-mouthed kiss on her belly. “Tell me.”

When she didn’t immediately talk, my eyes met hers and I moved lower, placing another kiss just above her mound.

“I—” She sucked in another breath as I maneuvered myself between her spread legs. My knuckles brushed against her pussy as I waited for her answer.

“Tell me what you dream about.”

I could practically hear her pulse pounding in the dark. Ragged breaths tore from her chest as I continued to tease her, testing her patience.

“You,” she said breathlessly. “I dream of…of you. Like this.”

I slid a finger inside her, pumping lightly. “You dream of this?”

She nodded, gasping when I slid a second finger inside.

“And in this dream, do I do this?” I bent over her pussy and brushed my nose along her crease before giving one long lick.

She cried out, thrusting her fingers into my hair. “Yes!”

“What about this?” When I dove forward this time, I latched onto her clit, sucking harshly as my fingers plunged inside her harder and faster.

Animalistic noises left her mouth, driving me forward.

Her taste exploded on my tongue and the way she pulled my hair only made me want to make this last longer.

Shoving my tongue inside her, I gripped her ass cheeks and hauled her up so I could properly feast on her. Every second was like heaven.

“Patrick!” she called out, her voice ragged and harsh. “I’m—I’m?—”

She didn’t need to say another word. Her legs clamped around me and her whole body shook as she came apart with my tongue inside her. But still, I didn’t release her. I tongue-fucked her until she was boneless and screaming my name.

“Shh,” I chuckled, lowering her body to the bed as I crawled up her, pressing my lips to hers. “Baby, you’re getting a little loud.”

Groaning, she slapped her hands over her mouth, but I didn’t give a fuck. I couldn’t think about who else might hear the beautiful sounds coming from her lips when all I could think about was driving my cock inside her.

“Oh my God!”

“That was fucking amazing.” I lined up my cock, ready to take her. My cock was aching to feel her pussy clench around me.

“Patrick—”

“Baby, you might want to cover your mouth for this.”

She barely covered her lips before I drove hard inside her.

My bed bounced against the wall as I fucked her hard.

My cast got in the way, but I hoisted her leg up and hiked it over my hip, opening her wide for me.

I couldn’t slow down, couldn’t be gentle when all I wanted was to make her come all over my cock.

Her nails dug into my arms as she pulled me flush against her. Then her fingers were in my hair, yanking me toward her as she sealed her lips over mine. Everything slowed around me with that one kiss. I felt it deep in my chest as she hooked her leg around me and rolled me to my back.

Her beautiful breasts danced before me as she rocked her body against mine.

Long nails skimmed against my abs, brushing over them and taking in every detail.

I’d never had a woman memorize every inch of me with her hands, and I found I couldn’t stop looking at her, how her eyes took in every detail even in the dark.

Those luscious lips called to me, begging me to taste them again.

I sat up, gripping the back of her hair in my fist as I pulled her to my lips in a bruising kiss.

Shattered breaths left her lips as she rode me harder, squeezing my cock with every movement.

But I didn’t let her go. I held her to me, taking every exhale of hers and inhaling like it were my dying breath.

“Don’t let go,” she whispered.

I didn’t understand what she meant, but I didn’t question another thing as my cock exploded inside her, spilling my cum as she rocked against me, crying out as her own orgasm rushed through her. Breathing hard, I kissed her again and again, unable to stop until she slumped against me.

When I laid down, she rested on my chest, not even bothering to move. And since I liked the feel of her heartbeat against mine, I didn’t say a thing. Not that this would become a habit. It was just fucking, after all. But we were both comfortable, so there was no point in moving.

That’s what I told myself as we both drifted off to sleep.