She wrinkles her nose. “So, should I assume your other sisters are somewhat like Elena? Your mother, too?”
I chuckle. “Yep. They’re going to be all over you the second we walk in there, and I doubt I’ll have another chance to say this.” I pause. “And it’s really something I feel like you need to hear.”
“Oh. Okay. Go ahead then, Professor. No secrets between us.”
I wince, knowing I am keeping something from her. Shoving that to the back of my mind, I take both of her hands. “What you said to me? About my dad being proud of what I’ve done for my family? I”—I glance down where our hands are joined—“don’t bring women home to see this part of my world unless I’m absolutely sure of them. I want to make sure you understand I don’t have any further questions as to what we are to each other.” I gaze into her eyes. “And I hope bringing you here today drives that home for you.”
She worries her lip and looks off to the side for a second before returning her gaze to mine. “You understand that not having you meet my parents yet doesn’t mean anything about how I feel about you, right?”
“You have a very different relationship with them than I have with my family. It’s okay.” I lean in and kiss her. My initial intention is just to reassure her, but then, as is quickly becoming our habit, lips crush, teeth nip, and tongues stroke until we are in full-on make-out mode on the front steps of my family’s home. I can’t get enough of her. I will never get enough.
“Well, well, well. I see I was right.” Esme grins broadly at us from the open doorway before shouting over her shoulder. “Bella! We were totally right!”
Piper hides her face against my chest for a second, and from the way her shoulders are shaking, I think she’s trying to smother her laughter. She pulls away from me and grins. “Come on, Damon. Let’s see what else lies in store for us here.” She grabs my hand and walks right through the door, addressing my sister. “You must be Esme.”
She nods. “That’s me.” From the far side of the house, Arabella barrels down the stairs, Elena hot on her heels. Esme points over her shoulder. “And that’s Arabella, and you know Elena.”
Piper grins. “I hear I have you to thank for getting Damon set up on Tryst, Arabella.” She drops my hand as she walks ahead of me, immediately taken in and surrounded by my sisters.
“Ms. Mathison, do I have to call you Ms. Mathison here?”
Piper looks fondly at Elena. “No, sweetie, you can call me Piper. Just not at school, okay? How’s Fahrenheit 451 going for you? You know once we finish that, I think I can twist your brother’s arm and get him to loan us the books his class has been reading.” She winks at her conspiratorially.
I groan inwardly, but love that it’s going so well. I can already tell this is going to be very dangerous. Just as I’d assumed, Piper and my sisters are like four peas in a pod. It’s almost as if she’s always been a part of our family, and they’ve just been waiting for her.
Upon entering the kitchen, I find that Piper has already introduced herself to my mother and they are chatting away as if they’ve known each other forever. My heart squeezes in my chest so hard I have to put my hand over it to keep it from blasting straight through my ribcage.
I just hope she’s okay with what I spoke to Jake about yesterday. If it comes between us, I’ll never forgive myself. And now I don’t know if my family will forgive me either.
Bubbling laughter catches my attention. “I was afraid to ask, but with your children’s names—well, at first I thought you might have a thing for vampire books, but then it dawned on me it had to be a crazy coincidence because the books came out after your kids were born.”
Iris laughs. “We get this all the time, but no, I just happened to choose those names. I do like Twilight and The Vampire Diaries, though.”
Ah, great. I knew it was too much to hope that Piper wouldn’t pick up on that—no woman I’ve dated before has—but I’ve noticed she reads literally every genre you can think of, so it’s no stretch to imagine she reads paranormal romance.
Piper turns back to me, excitedly. “What did you do with my bag?”
My brows raise, but I say nothing and just go retrieve it from the chair I’d set it on when Esme had whisked her away earlier.
I come back with it, and both Piper and my mother look excited. I’m somewhat terrified. I chuckle, handing it to her.
“Thank you.” She digs into her bag and pulls out a book.
I snort. “You have a book with you?”
“Always.” She turns it so my mom can see it. “Have you read it yet, Mrs. Madero?”
“Please, call me Iris. And, no. I’ve been meaning to get it, but I haven’t had a chance. It’s been out a couple of years now, right?
I tune out. Well, I guess I didn’t have anything to worry about with Piper and my family. They’ve welcomed her with open arms, and she seems to be very happy within their embrace.
Hours later, Piper and I arrive at my townhome, which is located just down the road. We scramble out of the Pathfinder and into the house. After getting caught kissing on the front steps, we’d tried to behave ourselves, but our hands had wandered to each other most of the evening. Even just a casual touch made me burn. At dinner, I’d found her hand on my thigh more than once, fingers squeezing, testing me. Then she’d slyly look over and wink. The little vixen had spent the entire evening like that. And now I’m going to exact some revenge.
“Do I get a tour?”
“Nope. No, you don’t. Maybe later. The only thing I plan on you checking out is my bed.”
Her eyes light up. “I was hoping you caught on to my signals earlier.”
“They were loud and clear. Don’t have to be Sherlock to figure that out.” I lower my lips to hers right before I wrap my arms around her, one at her waist and the other at her ass, and pick her up. She squeals and giggles as I carry her down the hallway and into my bedroom where I climb onto the bed, straddling her. She grins up at me, and I swear I see her heart right there in her eyes. The emotion coming from her is so pure, so powerful, I could easily find myself engulfed in it and not care if I ever made it out again. I want to live in these moments with her for my whole life. I’m hit with the realization that she’s it for me. Now to make her see.
I tease her mercilessly, just as she’d done to me all evening. Only now, in the privacy of my bedroom, the teasing is much more satisfying for both of us. With our clothes discarded, I take my time. I swear, my tongue touches her everywhere I can reach, learning, discovering what makes her giggle, what makes her sigh, and what makes her moan. She wriggles beneath me, pushing the hard peaks of her nipples against my chest as I devour her mouth again. I love the way she moves, the way she tastes … I love her.
She whispers near my ear, “Damon, touch me. I’m so ready for you.”
I reach between us to feel her sweet pussy is indeed wet and waiting for me. I push two fingers inside, pumping slowly, stroking the front wall of ridged muscle, and making her gasp. Shifting back, I take my cock in hand, giving it a few firm strokes. I play with her some more, sliding the head through her wetness. So close, yet way too far away. I’m done torturing both of us. I gather her in my arms and plunge into her warmth. I become still, savoring the moment. The connection we have is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. She’s everything I could ever want and a million things I never knew I needed. She’s the answer I’ve been searching for all my life.
And then I begin to move, and we lose all control. Piper at school can be somewhat formal and demure. Piper in the bedroom is a whole different story. I roll onto my back, letting her ride me. Watching her every move, the way she grinds down on me, those glorious hips undulating, it’s just masterful. Fuck. I’ll never get enough.
She moans, moving faster, and I know she’s getting close. Her fingers clench at my abs, and I’m sure there will be little marks there tomorrow to remind me. “You’re so gorgeous, Piper,” I exhale on a ragged groan. I grip her hips and help her rock again
st me. She grabs her breasts, pinching her nipples, and fuck me, the sight of that alone is almost enough to make me come. Oh, fuck.
Piper continues to slide along my length, my dick entering her rhythmically, in and out. In and out. Over and over until I think I may lose my mind.
She catches the strained look on my face, then her hand slowly makes its way from her breast down, down, down, until she’s touching herself, touching me, and I go off like a canon. She smiles like the little imp that she is and continues to move against me, fingers moving fast against her clit while I watch.
I swear, if she keeps it up, I’ll be fully hard again in no time flat. “That’s it, Piper. Grind down on my dick, baby. Come for me.”
And she does, in magnificent, astounding, fucking-fantastic fashion. Her body practically convulses with it, and I swear the neighbors on both sides probably heard her scream my name.
Neither of us seems to have any desire to move after that. Piper falls asleep on my chest with my fingers stroking gently down her back, my cock still inside of her. All I can do is smile contentedly and hold her. Against her temple, I whisper, “I’m in love with you, Piper.”
Saying it out loud while she’s sleeping is one thing; figuring out how to tell her when she’s not in an orgasm-induced sleep is another.
Chapter 33
Piper
Well, who knows what on earth this is all about. The day had crawled by as I’d alternated between giddy happiness every time Damon’s eyes met mine with a secret look just for me and anxious nervousness when I’d looked ahead to this afternoon’s meeting.
I’ve decided to go straight to the office, bypassing our workroom. I’ll share whatever this is all about with Damon as soon as I get done. One of the things we’d agreed on was no secrets between us. Nothing but honesty and trust. It’d been an easy pact to make with him, with the singular exception of one tiny thing I haven’t let him know about yet. I think he’ll be happy about it—at least, I should hope so. It’s what he’s wanted.
Oh. And we’ll definitely be deactivating our Tryst accounts. No need for that when I work one desk over from Prof.M. every day. That thought alone makes me smile.
I’m still grinning when I walk into the office. I get the main secretary’s attention and point back toward the administrative hallway. “I have a meeting with Principal Smith.”
“Go on back, honey, they’re all waiting for you.”
My eyes shift toward the principal’s office, then back to the secretary. A tiny crease works its way between my brows, but I clam up and don’t say anything. They’re all waiting?
They’re all waiting makes me feel like someone else is in the meeting, too. My teeth worry my lip all the way back to the closed door and I have no idea what or who is waiting for me behind it. I give a quick rap to it and wait.
“Come in.”
I open the door and peek inside to find Mrs. Smith, Jake, and much to my surprise, Damon. When my eyes land on him, I know my confusion is clear as a bell on my face and it makes me hesitate in the doorway. “Sorry, am I here at the right time?”
“Yes, of course, Ms. Mathison. Have a seat.” She gestures to the lone empty seat in the room. As I walk toward it, both Jake and Damon stand, waiting for me to have a seat before they return to theirs. “Okay, we can get started, then. Mr. Madero, Ms. Mathison—Mr. Jones has brought it to my attention that you’ve both decided against the department chair position.”
I blink. I can’t have heard that right. Damon backed out? “I’m sorry, did you just say we both decided against it?”
Damon groans and gives a low chuckle. “I can’t believe this.”
Mrs. Smith looks back and forth between us. “I’m sorry, did I misunderstand?”
Jake shakes his head. “No, that’s the request they both made last week. I’ve been scratching my head over it for days now, but I didn’t think it was fair to put pressure on either of them. I wasn’t sure what was behind their decisions.” Jake shrugs, then laces his hands together, resting them on his stomach as he sits back in his chair.
“Well. Obviously, with neither of you wanting the position, that puts us in a bind. Kent Burgess and his wife have a new baby at home, and he isn’t in a position to make the commitment at this time. We can’t in good conscience put the new hire replacing Jake in the position to head up the department.” She shrewdly looks between the two of us. “What if we were to offer it as a split position? Would you consider being co-department chairs?”
I press my lips together and shut my eyes for a second. When I open them, Damon’s eyes are on me.
“What do you think, Ms. Mathison? Would we be able to work well enough together?”
I swallow. “I don’t know, Mr. Madero. Do you think we could?”
Jake laughs. “Like I told Mrs. Smith, you argue more than any pair I’ve ever seen, but you also get things done. Seriously, you are two of the smartest, hardest-working, most forward-thinking people I’ve come across in a long, long time. When you both backed out, I hadn’t yet made a decision. I have no clue who I would have ended up choosing. You’d both do a fine job, but—”
Damon leans forward in his chair, resting his forearms on his thighs as he addresses Mrs. Smith. “Would Ms. Mathison and I be able to have just a moment to talk this over?”
“Certainly. The conference room is open.”
He stands and holds a hand out to help me up. I gaze into his eyes, drowning in what I see there. Adoration. My heart pumps double-time as I take his hand and stand, allowing him to usher me out of the office and next door.
Damon opens the door to the conference room and waves me in first, then shuts it behind us. He leans back against the door, arms crossed, and I just know he’s waiting for me to say something. I settle my hands on my hips, my lower lip caught between my teeth. For a few seconds, our gazes connect, openly challenging the other to say something.
Finally, it seems Damon can’t stand it anymore. He steps forward, yanking me against him, and kisses me hard. His hands cradle my head, holding me where he wants me as his masculine lips move over mine. I make a little noise in the back of my throat. I’m desperate to show him the depth of my feelings for him. I want him to understand I’d do anything, give up anything for him. I need him to know I will do whatever it takes to make this work between us, so long as I can have him for my own.
Does the fact that he’s let the position go mean what I think it does? Was he willing to give up the job to save our budding relationship? To give us a fair shot?
In my mind, at the end of the day, I don’t care anything about getting the promotion if it takes him from me. But I have to know. I want to know what he was thinking, what his thought process was. As we break the kiss, he stamps another on my lips before he sets me away from him, like he can’t think straight if he’s touching me. Same, buddy. Same. We both take deep breaths, chests rising and falling rapidly.
He rasps, “Why’d you do that, Piper?”
My brows raise. “I could ask the same of you.”
He studies my features as if I’m precious to him. His throat works visibly to swallow. “You want that position, Piper. You’ve worked hard for it. I wanted you to have it. You’re the kind of department head we need right now. You’ll do an amazing job, and I didn’t feel it was right to stand in your way any longer. What were you thinking giving it up?”
My eyes fill with tears, and I imagine they glitter with all the emotion I feel for him. “I wanted you to have it. You deserve it. You need it. And more than anything, I wanted to make sure you were able to help Elena get to college. You both deserve to make that a reality, especially after everything you’ve done to help raise her. You are absolutely selfless when it comes to caring for your family.” I step toward him. “Not everyone would step up like you did, or like you’ve continued to do for all of them. I’ve watched how you are with Elena in particular, and I know how she feels about you. You’re her knight in shining armor. Her champion. Her defender.
Her father figure.” I wet my lips. “I hate that you lost your father way too soon, and it’s true I didn’t know him, but I bet your dad would be so damn proud of you, Damon.” My voice hitches, chin wobbling. “I just know he would be.” I fight not to cry.
He looks troubled, as if he doesn’t know what to do with any of this.
I worry my lip again as I stare into his eyes. “You gave up everything you’d been working toward … for me? I don’t understand. In the end, for me, it’s just a job. No matter how hard I’ve worked for it. To you, it’s more.”
He reaches for me, and I step right into his arms, burrowing my head under his chin. My heart beats rapidly, and he swallows hard and whispers next to my ear. “Piper, don’t you see? I’d do anything to make you happy.” He places a kiss on top of my head and inhales deeply.
The enormity of this moment slams into me. Is he saying what I think he’s saying?
“I would do the same for you, Damon.” I blow out a heavy breath. “So, what do we tell them?”
“I think we accept their plan for us to share the position. We can figure the rest out as we go.”
I nod, slowly at first, then with more conviction. “Okay. We’ll do it together?”
“I think we work well together, don’t you?” He wriggles his brows at me, making me laugh.
“We are good at more than just the job. I’m looking forward to doing a thorough investigation, Professor Moriarty.”
“There’s my naughty Sherlock.”
“Am I yours?”
He takes my head between his hands. “I’m nervous as hell that you’re not ready to hear this from me.”
Our gazes lock, my eyes still wet. “I’m ready for whatever you have to say. We may as well put everything out there, don’t you think?”
He clears his throat. “Okay, then.” He takes a calming breath. “Yes, you’re mine, just as I’m irrevocably yours. It’s an undeniable truth that I can see now, plain as day.” He pauses to check my reaction, and I try to play it cool, but I think my lip is trembling. “Piper, somewhere along our journey I’ve fallen in love with you.” He stops for a few seconds to let those words sink in and my trembling, traitorous lips part involuntarily.
Burn for You (Flirting with Forever Book 3) Page 17
