by Ali Parker
I cried his name to the ceiling.
He bucked against me and pushed my legs back farther. I showed him how flexible I was when I parted my legs and pulled him down to me between them. He gave me a predatory smile before grinding deep against me.
My toes curled.
Right before I came again, he flipped me onto my side and held my left leg up, draping it over his shoulder. He worked me over, slow and deep, until I could take all of him hard and fast. Every thrust made me more and more delirious until I submitted to another climax that stole a scream from my throat and made my thighs tremble.
Camden came with me, and when we were done, he collapsed onto the bed beside me. Our chests rose and fell in unison as we recovered, and when he caught his breath, he rolled over to face me.
“We have three days left,” he breathed.
“Do you think that’s enough time to make up for all the sex we could have been having this month?”
Camden flashed me a wicked smile. “I hope you’re ready for an orgasm marathon.”
Giggling, I propped myself up. “I’ve always wanted to do a marathon.”
Chapter 24
Camden
Piper and I slept until ten in the morning on Christmas Day.
When she stirred awake, I was already lying on my side, facing her. I’d been watching her, and when her eyes fluttered open, she smiled.
“Good morning,” she whispered, lifting her hands from under the blankets to rub the sleep from her eyes. “How long have you been awake?”
“Not long. I’ve been waiting for you to wake up.”
“For?”
I ran a hand up the inside of her thigh.
Piper giggled. “Oh. Right. Of course. Why did I even ask?”
She rolled toward me, swung herself over me, and straddled me. Her strong thighs squeezed my hips as she braced herself against my chest. She was naked. Her tits were perky as hell and her nipples hard. I gripped her hips as she rocked against me, rubbing her clit along the length of my cock.
She reached up to plunge her hands into her hair and arched her back, creating a dramatic curve of her body. I ran a hand up her stomach, following the lean line from her navel to her breasts. She took my hand and guided it up to the base of her neck, where I left it as she lifted up and sat back down on my cock.
“Condom?” I asked as she took one of my fingers in her mouth and sucked. She was my little vixen. My beautiful, sexy, dangerous vixen.
Piper rocked forward. “We’ll use one. Just let me have a little fun.”
She bounced on my cock until I told her I was going to lose control, and then she rolled off and lay on her stomach to fetch a condom from the nightstand. As she reached for it, I pinned her beneath me and slid a hand between her thighs. She spread her legs for me, and I rubbed her pussy, wet and delicious beneath my fingers.
I pressed two fingers inside her.
She bowed her head and lifted her hips from the mattress. Then she looked over her shoulder at me and handed me the condom. I kissed her shoulder blades as I fucked her with my fingers, and she whimpered into the mattress.
When I couldn’t take it any longer, I put the condom on and slid deep inside her.
She craned her head back to look at me as I rocked against her.
I gathered her hair off her back and held her in place beneath me, forcing her to keep her neck craned back. Her eyes were half-closed, and her lips parted in a silent moan. I tightened my grip in her hair, and her pussy tightened in response around my cock.
“Fuck,” I growled.
“Harder,” she pleaded.
I gave her what she wanted and fucked her harder. I released her hair and pushed her deep into the mattress. Her scream of pleasure was muffled in the sheets, and I came in seconds.
She rolled onto her back beneath me and brushed her hair out of her face. “That was a nice way to wake up.”
I slapped her ass and she yelped. “I’m not through with you yet. Up. Shower.”
She giggled and leapt out of the bed to dash for the bathroom. I followed her in and fucked her in the shower from behind. She took my cock like a champ, like her body was made for me. And when I was about to blow, she forced me to stop. She proceeded to stand under the hot water for several minutes, and then she went to her knees and opened her mouth.
I fucked her throat while she rubbed her pussy until I came.
And then I pinned her against the glass and earned another orgasm out of her with my fingers.
And that was all before noon.
Piper and I made pancakes for brunch after our vigorous morning workout. She smothered hers with maple syrup and blueberries, and we stuffed our faces in the living room while the tree glittered and the city grew whiter under a fresh snowfall down below.
“I’m famished,” Piper said as she cut off a massive bite of pancakes.
“You earned it.”
She giggled and her cheeks turned pink. “It was a team effort.”
“I’d say. I think I pulled a hamstring.”
“Stop it.”
“I’m serious.”
She giggled louder, and I rejoiced in the sound until it faded away. Then I was hungry for more and did everything I could to hear it again.
When we finished eating, we put away our dishes, and I brought her into the living room and sat her down on the sofa. “I know we did all our gifts last night, but I had a little something special for you that I wanted to give you in private.”
Her eyebrow quirked. “Oh?”
I went to the tree where I reached between two branches and pulled out a little red-velvet jewelry box. I brought it to Piper and placed it in her palm. She blinked at the tiny box and then lifted her gaze to me. “You didn’t have to get me something.”
“I wanted to.”
She licked her lips nervously.
“It’s not a ring.” I laughed. “Just open it.”
Piper popped the lid open. Sitting nestled in the box was a dainty pair of diamond earrings. They caught the light above instantly, and they seemed to glitter like they were alive.
Piper gasped. “Camden, these are beautiful. And they’re way too much.”
“No, they’re not. They’re just right. As soon as I saw them, I knew they needed to be yours. Please. Do not try to convince me you don’t deserve them.”
Piper searched my eyes. “Thank you. I love them.”
“Put them on.”
She did. They winked in her ears, and she checked her reflection in a mirror in my hallway. She gushed about how beautiful they were and told me she didn’t own anything as beautiful as them. It made me happy that I could share some of my wealth in a way she didn’t have.
She deserved to feel special because she was. It was just that simple.
Piper slipped her hand into mine when she came back to the sofa. She was bare-faced and wearing her Christmas pajamas, and as I soaked up the sight of her, I knew in that moment that things had changed.
That I’d changed.
For the first time in decades, there was room in my heart for a little something else. For joy. And love. And a girl with full red lips and the most dangerous body I’d ever laid eyes on.
It hurt to know I would lose her in two and a half days, but the pain was worth it. She was worth it.
“What do you usually do on Christmas day?” Piper asked.
“Nothing.”
“That can’t be true,” she said, resting her chin in her palm. “Come on. There must be something you like to do while the rest of the city is all cozied up in their homes.”
She was right. There was something. But it was silly. And it definitely wasn’t happy or the kind of thing I wanted to drag her to on Christmas day.
“Nah,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s all right. I don’t want to do my old thing. I want to be here. With you.”
“Tell me,” she breathed.
I licked my lips. “I visit my parents.”
I could feel he
r confusion as she looked at me. “You visit them?”
“Yes. I go to their graves. I know it’s silly. But it’s the only time I go. The anniversary of their deaths. You would think I hate them. And sometimes I do. But once a year, it’s nice to just let the animosity go. Does that make sense?”
“Of course.” Piper rolled to her feet. “Come on. Let’s get changed.”
“Why?”
“To visit your parents.”
“What?”
“Come on.” She smiled, flicking her fingers in a come-hither motion at me. I stood up. She took my hand, and we went upstairs, where we changed out of our lounge clothes and got bundled up in preparation of going out in the cold. Then we went back down to the elevator, put our coats and scarves and gloves on, and left my suite to make for the graveyard in the city where my parents were buried.
It was snowing when we arrived.
The tombstones were covered in a light dusting of flurries, and I walked Piper across the frozen grass. It crunched beneath our boots until we arrived at my mother and father’s graves. They were bare. Nobody had brought gifts or flowers like their dead neighbors.
Hell, I don’t think I’d ever brought them anything except my own somber company.
Piper tightened her grip on my hand and rested her head against my shoulder. “Do you usually talk to them?”
“Sometimes.”
“Is there anything you want to say to them today?”
“Not really.”
Piper nodded and was quiet for a minute. A cool breeze blew flurries into our faces, and we tucked our chins into our scarves. Then she piped up again. “Do you mind if I talk to them?”
“What? No. Of course not. If you want to.”
Piper smiled. “I want to.” She turned toward their graves, and to my surprise, she crouched down. Balancing on the balls of her feet, she began talking to them. “Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Wood. My name is Piper. I’ve been dating your son since the beginning of the month. I know you’re probably already aware of this, but I just wanted to tell you how good of a man he turned out to be. He’s strong. And kind. And good. And he made me feel very welcome and safe when I was at my lowest. I’m eternally grateful for him. And therefore to you. Thank you.”
She smiled over her shoulder at me.
I cleared my throat and hoped she couldn’t hear the lump that had gotten caught there.
Piper stood up and took her spot by my side once more. “They would be proud of you, Camden. I know they would. I am.”
There were no words I could say to the girl who’d changed so much of my life in a short month. So I just held her close and relished the way she wrapped her arms around me.
“I can’t believe December is almost over,” she whispered.
“I know. I’m not ready.” Not ready to lose you.
“Me neither,” she said softly.
“I need to tell you something,” I said, turning and taking her hands in mine.
She stared up at me. “Camden, please. No confessions of your feelings or gratitude. I can’t take any more. I just can’t.”
I shook my head at her. “It’s not that. I don’t want to make this harder for you.”
“Okay,” she said nervously, her eyes flicking back and forth between mine. “What is it then?”
“It’s about the decision you have to make at the end of the month.”
“What about it?”
I stared at the girl I knew I was in love with. I saw a future that wasn’t mine in her eyes, a future of love and laughter and family. I saw the indistinguishable reflection of the man she would choose, and I was not him. “I want you to know that I am grateful for the time we had together. And that I don’t expect anything from you now that it’s over. If we get to be friends at the end of all of this, I will consider myself a lucky man. I know your heart lies with someone else. I’ve known it since you came here on the first of the month. And I need you to know it’s okay.”
“Camden, I—”
“Please, Piper. Know that it’s okay. I support you. And all I want is for you to be happy. You must choose the man who makes you happy. Promise me you’ll do that.”
Her eyes were glassy. Her nose was pink, and she shivered, but she never broke eye contact.
“Promise me, Piper.”
She bit the inside of her cheek and looked down at the snow-covered ground. “You don’t know what you’re asking of me.”
“Yes, I do,” I said firmly.
Her eyes shot back up to me.
I held her shoulders. “I do. I know why this last week was so hard on you. And I think I know why the Casanova party was so hard on you. You don’t need to tell me. That’s not why I’m saying all this. I’m saying this because I love you. And so do the others. And one of those men is the right man for you. And you can’t turn your back on him. Not after everything.”
She shook her head and tried to pull away. “Camden. Please. Enough.”
“No.” I lifted her chin and forced her to look at me. “You’re going to get in a car in two and a half days and drive away, and I’m not going to get another chance to say any of this. Which is why I’m saying it now. Don’t fuck this up for yourself, Piper.”
Her bottom lip trembled.
Knowing that I might have cost myself our last two days together, I pulled her in for a tight hug. She hugged me back and buried her face in my chest.
I stroked her hair and promised her over and over that everything would be okay.
And it would be. So long as she did what I asked and chose love at the end of this. Because the other option, despite how noble her intentions, would ruin her.
She thought her secret was well kept. And I hadn’t put it all together until her family came over for Christmas and I realized everything Piper did, she did for the love of the people closest to her. For some strange reason, the clarity of the situation made me love her even more.
She was as selfless as they came.
And I’d be damned if she let her true love slip through her fingers for money. That wasn’t who she was.
Chapter 25
Piper
Saying goodbye to Camden on the twenty-eighth of December was painful. Like he did at the graveyard, he tried to get me to promise him that I would choose love at the end of this. I couldn’t say the words, and after a deep goodbye kiss, I left him outside The Laurient staring after my limo.
I’d watched until he disappeared behind the sea of New York traffic before turning forward and burying my face in my hands to shed my tears for him and for us.
For what might have been.
The limo took me to my apartment where Janie was waiting with open arms and a bottle of celebratory champagne. She popped the cork as soon as I came through the front doors, poured us each a glass, and made a toast to the end of the Casanova Club.
“May all other men in Piper’s future come with no strings attached and a cock as big as their bank accounts,” she said happily.
I swatted at her. “Janie. Jeez.”
She took a sip of champagne and tilted my glass back, forcing me to drink as well. “Come on. You know you agree. How are other men supposed to measure up to the last twelve you’ve dated? You think you’re going to find top-grade studs like them on Tinder?”
“I don’t even want to think about dating.”
“What then? You’re going to rely on your vibrator to get you off for the next year while you recover?”
I rolled my eyes at her as I set my bags down near the kitchen island. The Christmas tree was lit and bare underneath, and the living room window was cracking with frost on the outside. A vanilla peppermint candle was burning. It felt nice in here.
But it didn’t feel like home anymore.
It felt like a place to land in between homes.
How was I going to get over these men? How was I going to move on after the whirlwind adventure I’d had? And how the hell was I ever supposed to fall in love again?
“What are
you thinking about?” Janie asked.
“What I do now.”
“The great news is you have time to figure it out. You aren’t going to get shipped away to spend the month with a strange man. You’re all mine.”
“Once the end of the month is over.”
“Of course.”
The end of the month.
Three days from now, I’d be sitting in a room with Jackson Lee. I wasn’t sure what the setup would be, but I knew I would make my decision that day. I knew I would break twelve hearts that day.
“How did it go, by the way? Saying goodbye to Camden?” Janie cocked her head to the side curiously.
“It sucked.”
“Was he gracious?”
“Of course. Perhaps the most gracious of them all. He…” I trailed off and recalled our conversation at the graveyard on Christmas day. It was an odd place to be on Christmas, let alone to have a conversation like the one we’d had, and just thinking about it gave me chills. “He told me not to take the money.”
“What?” Janie asked incredulously. “He knew? How?”
“I think he figured it out for himself.”
“Well shit. Isn’t he a smart cookie? What did he say?”
“He told me I’d be making a mistake if I didn’t choose one of the men. And he told me he knew it wasn’t him. But that he was all right with it. The only thing he wouldn’t be all right with is if I… if I did what I thought I had to do instead of what I wanted to do.”
“Fuck.”
“Tell me about it.”
Camden was a better man than I’d thought he was—and I’d thought he was a pretty good man. All he wanted was for me to be happy. But he didn’t know what that would cost me and the people I loved.
Bankruptcy did not compare to heartbreak.
