I shake my head in confusion. My hope is that if I do meet this other woman, I’ll see a clearer course of action, and maybe have a little less guilt over everything once I know what the actual stakes are. I don’t like feeling like a cheater when I’m not even in a relationship with anyone.
Piper, though … She’s something. If we had no other issues between us—no department chair position, no demanding parents, no sister to send to college, no Sherlock4Love—I’d go after her without wasting another second. Fuck yes, I would. I see that now.
My phone pings, and I glance down to see a message has just come in from Sherlock4Love. The first message that comes in is a photo—which we’ve never exchanged before—and oh my fucking God, it’s a hotter-than-hell partial image of a woman bathing, her legs emerging from water in a bathtub, bubbles all around the soft-looking skin of her thighs, feet propped up on the edge as she soaks. Holy hell. I can’t tell if my dick is still hard from thoughts of Piper or if I’m getting turned on by this woman online. Maybe both at the same time. I don’t know what to do with that.
The photo is accompanied by one single message.
Sherlock4Love to Prof.M.: I wonder how I’ll figure out who you are tomorrow night? The game is afoot. :)
Oh, boy. As much as I think I’m starting to feel things for Piper, I can’t back out on this girl—whoever she is. I just can’t.
Prof.M. to Sherlock4Love: Can’t wait to see you tomorrow. I’ll be the one waiting for you, of course. Use your razor-sharp deductive skills to figure it out, Sherlock.
Chapter 23
Piper
Fresh out of my bath, I pull on leggings and the T-shirt with the Sherlock quote that Madison had given me for Christmas. I felt decidedly naughty sending that sexy photo to Prof.M., but it’s now or never. I’m completely out of control with no idea which end is up anymore. I feel like I’m being torn in a thousand different directions at once. The only steady, dependable thing in my life is my state of utter confusion. And I’d decided while lying there in the bathtub—thinking about the craziness that is my life—that if I’m going to figure this out, maybe I need to really shake things up. Hence my first semi-naughty photo ever. I can’t believe I actually had the nerve to both take it and send it. It’s out in the cyberverse now; there’s no taking it back.
Thank goodness for our book club meeting tonight because there’s no better source of comfort for me than an evening with my girlfriends. We’ve been reading a new romantic suspense by my favorite indie author, and I wish I could say I’m ready to discuss it, but I have so much else on my mind, I’m afraid I’ll be no good to anyone. I’m mostly looking forward to girl talk, which is ironic because it’s usually me trying to keep everyone on track and talking about the actual books. Not tonight, though.
Thank goodness I’m hosting and had decided on a girls’ night in so that we can relax—not to mention have some privacy. I don’t need any extra people overhearing anything about the brand of chaos my life has become.
A light rap on the door has me breathing a sigh of relief. Oh, thank goodness. The cavalry is beginning to arrive. When I open the door, a smiling Quinn automatically holds out both hands to me, a bottle of wine in one and my favorite hat and gloves in the other.
“Come on in.” My brow furrows as I reach for the knitwear. “Oh my gosh, did you go back and get these for me? I’d written them off after leaving them at the cider mill on Hadleigh’s birthday.”
“Oh.” She presses her lips together, eyes casting down for just a quick second. She refocuses on me with a wink. “You seemed upset that you’d left them behind, so after I dropped everyone off for the night, I went back for them. I keep forgetting to bring them to school for you.”
I narrow my eyes at her. I can tell there’s something not quite right about her behavior and wonder what she’s hiding, but then the doorbell rings again and the thought flies from my head.
Quinn whirls around and pulls the door open, finding everyone else has arrived at once. “Hello, my lovelies! Come on in. Piper and I were just about to crack open the bottle of wine I brought.” She eyes the other assorted bottles in their hands. “Looks like we are in good shape for the evening. Maybe too good.”
The girls rush inside, discarding coats and hats as they go, smiles all around. No one is aware of my inner turmoil yet, and I’m going to try to keep it that way for a little while, at least.
Quinn leads the way into the kitchen and we trail after her like little ducklings. I hand her my corkscrew from the drawer, and she makes quick work of opening several bottles of wine. Sophia turns around, opens a cabinet, and pulls down my stemless wine glasses, wrinkling her nose as she hands them off to Zoey and Madison. “I just figured, you know, after what happened the last time we all had wine together …” She tries hard to suppress a laugh.
Hadleigh catches her eye from where she’s seated at the kitchen island and lets out a rather unladylike giggle-snort. “Stemless, eh? I can’t help it that you hadn’t heard the joke about the sign hanging on the door of the out-of-business brothel.”
Madison snorts loudly as she accepts a full glass from Quinn. “Beat it! We’re closed!”
That sends us all into gales of laughter. At least this time no one is knocking over stemmed wine glasses as we lose our shit over the joke … again. I still say it was Hadleigh’s fault for not warning us. I’m still trying to get the wine stain out of the shirt I was wearing that night.
I gesture for all of them to follow me out to the living room where I’d planned for us to gather. I’ve got a selection of cheeses, crackers, sliced salami, and grapes among other things on a platter for us to nibble on while we talk. I look up from where I’ve just perched on a big pillow on the floor to see Sophia and Quinn each bringing a bottle of wine over to the coffee table. “Awesome. Now we don’t have to move for a while.”
I pull my Kindle off the end table and look at some of the highlights I’d made while reading as everyone settles in.
Madison starts us off. “I really liked this one. The romance was still the main plotline, but adding the suspense factor of not knowing who the killer was took it to a whole other level.”
“I had a heart attack moment when I thought Jon was the killer—and it occurred to me during a scene where they were having sex. I almost died.” Hadleigh’s eyes are wide as she takes a sip of her wine.
“I’m glad you guys liked it.” I smile carefully, then zone out as they continue to chatter away.
“Piper?”
“She’s totally not paying attention.”
“Earth to Piper.”
With a start, I jerk my head over toward the voices. Oh, man. I’ve been off in la-la land. I grit my teeth together, looking at the curious faces of my friends. “Um. Sorry. What did you say?”
Quinn tilts her head to the side. “Well, first, I asked if you wanted more wine but you didn’t answer. That’s when everyone started calling your name.”
“Where’d you go? Daydreaming?” Zoey frowns, her eyes roaming over my face as if she’s scanning it for clues.
“Ooh, was it a sexy daydream about a hybrid Damon and Professor Moriarty character?” Hadleigh wiggles her eyebrows at me. “That’d be hot. Like everything you want in a man all rolled into one.”
My heart rate kicks up, sending color up my neck and over my cheeks. I slap my hands to my face, which is now decidedly hot. “Oh my God, stop.” My eyes flick over their faces one by one. I don’t sense any judgment at all, just interest.
Sophia’s eyes widen. “‘The lady doth protest too much, methinks.’” She grins and takes a sip of her wine. “That’s language you understand, right, Piper?”
I smile weakly at them “I’m really sorry, girls. I knew when you came over that my head was not in the best place tonight.”
Madison, who is sitting on a poufy pillow next to me, reaches out and runs a hand over my back. “What’s wrong?”
“A lot of things, actually.” I suck my lips into m
y mouth for a few seconds before nodding briefly and taking a sip of my wine. “I’m about ready to throw my hands up and just be done with trying for the department chair position. I’m no longer up for a battle of wits with Damon. I guess if I get the position, great. My parents will be off my back for a little while. If not, I’ll applaud Damon for his victory.”
“Do you really think he’d be the right choice? Over you?” Quinn questions.
I shrug. “I know you all see him as this newcomer who’s given me grief and aggravated me this whole damn year, but he’s really smart and he’s a good teacher. I could totally see him doing a fantastic job.”
More than one pair of brows go up.
“Truly. He’s confident, decisive, a born leader …”
Sophia blows out a breath. “But you’d do an amazing job, Piper. We know you know it, too. We know how badly you’ve wanted this. How long you’ve waited …”
Zoey’s voice is quiet. “It’d break my heart to see you give up on it.”
I shake my head. “I don’t know if I do want it anymore.” I heave out a shuddery breath before continuing. “Damon kissed me again yesterday.”
“What?”
“Oh my God.”
“I knew it!”
“Oh, man.”
“Was it sexy hotness?”
I can’t even tell which exclamation burst from which mouth—except maybe that last one. I try to smile, but I can’t quite manage it. “But this time it was different. It was soft and sweet. Like he cares about me.” My face crumples. “I don’t know what to do about anything anymore. You know I’m meeting the guy from Tryst tomorrow, right?”
Hadleigh lifts a finger. “Uh, no. You didn’t say anything.”
I lick my lower lip. “Well, I am. In public, like you suggested. I’m hoping I can at least sort that all out if I know who he is and whether I actually like him.”
“But what about Damon?” Quinn sends me a questioning look, her face drawn.
“I. Don’t. Know. This is why I need to do this. I can’t handle not knowing which path to take. I feel like maybe if I meet this guy, my mind will be clearer.”
Madison’s eyes widen. “Or it’ll make things twice as complicated. You have a fifty-fifty shot, I guess.”
“Right. I’ve spent so much time pondering all the what-ifs, this is the only logical next step I can think of.” I sigh. “And I like this other guy. He’s kind and fun and we seem so well-suited.”
Hadleigh tilts her head to the side. “But do you think you like him better than Damon? Who you seem to already have, like, freakishly hot, angsty chemistry with?”
I hold up my hands. “I have no idea. But I guess I’ll find out tomorrow.”
My phone vibrates in my pocket. I pull it out, and everyone stares at it like it’s a ticking time bomb. “That’ll likely be a message from Professor Moriarty. I sent him a photo right before you all got here.”
Sophia asks, “A photo, sweetie? Of you? I thought you weren’t doing that.”
Zoey asks another question before I can even answer Sophia. “Oh, you mean so he can find you tomorrow?”
I shake my head. “No.” I look up at the ceiling before I murmur, “Just my legs. Propped up against the edge of the bathtub.” It’s quiet in the room until my gaze travels back down, meeting each of theirs.
Madison’s hands cover the lower half of her face, eyes wide. “Wow,” she says from behind her hands.
Hadleigh leans in. “Whoa. Wait, so, like a sort of naked photo? Like a whoever this is can imagine the rest of you in the tub kind of photo?”
I shrug. “I guess so.” I glance down at my phone, tapping the Tryst app and opening it. I blink. Rapidly. What I see on the screen has my head spinning. That’s a very delicious-looking man. I look up at the girls and back down to the image. “Wow.” I swallow, my heart racing. “I don’t know if I was ready for that.”
The silence in the room is deafening as everyone waits for me to process what’s just happened. I steal another look at the photo, biting down hard on my lip as I do. It’s angled from above, a snapshot of a sweaty torso in a pair of workout shorts, a tattoo inked on the rib cage. Miles and miles of glistening skin. Hard pecs. Defined abs. A trail of dark hair disappearing inside the waistband of the shorts where there is a very enticing-looking bulge. Something in my brain short circuits. And that tattoo. Wait. That tattoo. I’ve seen it before.
With a gasp, my pulse flies through the roof. I must look a sight because Hadleigh, Sophia, Quinn, and Zoey all set their wine glasses down, and before I am able to say a word, they’re kneeling in front of me in a semicircle. Madison still sits at my side and has resumed rubbing my back.
My hands shake violently, and I hold the phone out for someone else to take from me. Quinn plucks it out of my hand and studies the photo.
Hadleigh whispers at her, “Please tell me it’s not a dick pic. Or are we hoping for a dick pic? I’m confused.”
“It’s just a sweaty man chest with a tat—”
Sophia snatches the phone from Quinn, glances at it, and passes it on.
By the time the phone gets to Madison, I think maybe, just maybe, I’m seeing things. Maybe I’m overreacting.
Or maybe it’s Damon.
“Um.” Madison side-eyes me. “I recognize that tattoo.” She holds it up. “Quinn, look again.”
“Oh. Shit.”
I nod. “So, I’m not wrong. What am I going to do?”
Zoey holds her hands out. “Stop. Fill us in. Some of us are still lost here.”
My heart is pounding so hard, my head hurts. I whisper what I know to be true without any further analysis of the facts at hand. “Professor Moriarty is Damon.”
Maybe I black out for a minute because when I snap to, everyone has been calling my name again.
Hadleigh’s voice finally registers with me. “Piper, what are you going to do?”
My hands flail in front of me. “I don’t know. I guess … I guess I go meet him, and try not to die slowly inside when he realizes it’s been me all this time.”
“Piper! Why would you think he wouldn’t be excited she’s, well, you?” Sophia studies me, gritting her teeth.
“I don’t know. Sometimes it feels like he doesn’t like me. Or he’s doing things, treating me a certain way just to ensure he gets chosen for the job.”
Zoey studies my face, and I hate seeing the pity on hers. “Do you really think that’s true?”
“I don’t know.” And that’s the truth. I just don’t know. It’s hitting me way down deep that the man who I’ve been falling for, despite everything standing between us, is also the someone else I was coming to feel things for. And it’s like a double whammy, intensifying all the emotions I was having for the two of them separately. Now that I know it’s one man making me feel all of this, it’s overwhelming. I don’t know if my heart can downshift this fast. And I sure as hell don’t know what to do when I see Damon tomorrow night.
Chapter 24
Damon
I’d been a little nervous last night when Sherlock4Love hadn’t immediately replied back when I’d sent her the photo of my chest. A while later, though, I’d gotten a simple response, telling me she’d see me at Giarelli’s at seven. This place was a good choice. I haven’t been in here since they did some major remodeling, and the place looks great now—a perfect mix of trendy on the inside, while still being small-town Newberry on the outside. I’d planted myself at the bar about twenty minutes ago. I have no idea why I’d arrived so damn early, other than I’m excited and nervous as hell.
I glance at my phone to see it’s only 6:50 p.m. Ten minutes to go. Ten minutes until I meet Sherlock4Love. Ten minutes until my life changes forever. Or not. I groan inwardly. I’m being completely idiotic. I just hope I don’t get fucking stood up. That would be the worst, not knowing if she’s walked in, spotted me, and walked right back out.
The door opens, and I steel myself, wondering if it could be her. I take a sip of my b
eer, and glance casually over my shoulder. Because I’m all sorts of cool right now. On the outside, anyway.
To my amazement and incredulity, Piper walks in, making a beeline to the bar. She shrugs out of her coat and smiles as the bartender works his way over to her to take her order. Once she has her drink in hand—looks like a rum and Coke, maybe—she looks around, her gaze finally landing on me. She lifts a hand in greeting, and I return the gesture.
Of all the crazy nights for her to show up here … I shake my head, not believing my shitty luck. I grab my beer and prepare to go over there, knowing I can’t ignore her. But, fuck me, I can’t move. I don’t know how to handle this. How am I supposed to meet this other woman when the woman I’ve been kissing is right. The fuck. There. I can hardly wrap my head around it. Instead of getting up, I drain my beer and request another. How the hell am I going to handle Piper and Sherlock4Love potentially coming face-to-face?
With a fresh beer in hand, I decide I’ll just say a quick hello to be polite. She’s probably waiting on her girlfriends. Maybe they’ll show up and she won’t pay further attention to me. She runs with a whole damn posse of women these days. I’ve seen them laughing and joking over lunch down in the library on Friday afternoons.
Okay. I can do this. I just have to talk to her for a quick second, find Sherlock4Love, and somehow convince her that we can’t stay here. That’s going to be one hell of a tough thing to do. Finally, I stand and make my way over to the end of the bar.
My eyes take a visual tour of her as I approach. She looks fucking amazing tonight. Tight jeans, tall boots, and a pretty purple floral blouse. Her hair is twisted up in a knot on top of her head, and her lips are painted a slightly deeper pink than she usually wears. How the fuck I’ve noticed what color lipstick she wears I have no idea.
Only, I kind of do. I’ve been secretly memorizing her features for a while now, whether I want to admit it to her—or myself—or not.
Burn for You (Flirting with Forever Book 3) Page 13
