“Why did you quit your job?” I asked.
Piper didn’t respond right away, making me worry she wasn’t being completely honest about how she was handling the aftermath of her attack. “It was time,” she finally replied.
“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” I asked.
“I’m fine,” she insisted. “This is going to work out better for me.”
“Are you sure you should make a big career change now?” I asked. “You loved managing Euphoria. Is there any way you could take a leave of absence?”
“It’s not just what happened,” she replied. “Things have changed. My situation has changed. I’d rather talk to you about all of this in person. We’ll see each other soon.”
“Not soon enough,” I replied. “Please, tell me what’s going on, Button. You’re scaring me.”
“I’m fine, Austin. This really isn’t a bad thing. I need to go. There are a bunch of things I have to take care of today, but I promise I’ll try to call you later.”
“All right,” I reluctantly agreed. After we ended the call, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I needed to get to Piper. I stared at my phone for a long time while I contemplated what I was about to do. I had a little over a week until our next show, and I should use that time to rest and practice with the band. Grabbing my phone, I made the call.
“Hello,” my dad answered in a distracted voice.
“Hey, Dad, it’s Austin. I need a favor.”
There were definite advantages to having a father with a private jet.
Chapter 78
Piper
It was my last day managing Euphoria, and my emotions were all over the place. While there was no denying I wanted a change of career, I was also sad. This had been my big break. Not too long ago, I’d been proud of what I was doing at Euphoria, and with good reason. I’d helped launch a successful club. It was an impressive accomplishment. My new job also didn’t pay as well, but I’d still be able to pay all my bills, and it allowed me to keep my medical insurance. That had been a big consideration with the pregnancy.
“How are you feeling?” Andy asked as he came out from the back office to find me working on paperwork at a table near the bar.
“Starving,” I admitted.
“I guess it’s a good thing you’re almost done here. How does it feel to be leaving me again?” he asked as he took a seat across from me.
I laughed at his question. “Leaving you? You don’t work at Euphoria. Besides, I’ll be working with you now that I’m handling the bookkeeping for both clubs.”
“Good point,” he said with a grin.
“There’s also the fact that I still live with you. I wonder if Austin would still be pursuing me if he realized you and Cerise may never move out of my house.”
“You make it sound like we’re squatters,” he complained. “Need I remind you that we pay rent, and I cook for you on a regular basis?”
“True. I’m glad you’ll be around to help me with midnight feedings and diaper changes. Andy had been calling himself Uncle Andy since he’d found out about the baby, but he hadn’t warmed up to the idea of changing diapers.
“I didn’t knock you up,” he argued. “That’s a job for your little drummer boy.”
“Little drummer boy?” I asked with a laugh. “Only someone your size would consider Austin little.”
Andy was about to say something more when his eyes widened. “Holy shit!”
I turned to see what had him so surprised and blinked twice. The bouncer had just let Austin into the club. My eyes remained locked on Austin as he approached. He looked good—no better than good. I wanted to run my hands over every inch of his body. I’d missed him.
When he was standing in front of me, I simply said, “You’re here.” I was blaming my inability to do more than state the obvious on my shock at his presence. I hadn’t spoken to him in two days. We’d texted, but he’d made no mention of any trips home.
“It sounded like something was bothering you when we talked,” he explained. “We have a week before our next show, so I decided to come back to see you. I was also missing you like crazy.”
“I’ll leave you two alone so you can talk.” On those words, Andy walked away.
“Are you mad about me coming here?” Austin asked.
I shook my head, fighting back tears. Stupid pregnancy hormones. “No, I’m just surprised and happy. This isn’t how I pictured seeing you again. My plan was to pick you up at the airport and then talk to you about why I changed jobs.”
“I already know why you quit your job,” he told me. “I understand your reasoning, even if I am worried you’ll regret it.”
“No, you really don’t know my reasoning,” I insisted. “After the robbery, I considered quitting. My therapist convinced me to give it more thought, and I realized I didn’t want to give up a fantastic job just because I was afraid. I decided I should work through things.”
“Then why are you quitting?” he asked, looking genuinely baffled.
“Technically, I’m not quitting,” I clarified. “This is simply a different job. It’s for the best.”
“You’ve lost me here, Button,” he admitted.
“This isn’t how I planned to tell you,” I muttered. “I guess, I don’t have a plan yet, but that’s because I thought I had more time. Now, I feel like I should have told you on the phone. This seemed like the sort of thing I should tell you in person, but if I’d told you over the phone, you’d already know. I was afraid I’d mess up your tour if I told you. Club management was never something I expected to do forever. It’s good for someone without a family, but the hours suck if you’re trying to raise kids.” Great! Now, I was babbling.
Austin’s eyes widened. “Are you trying to tell me you’re pregnant?”
I nodded.
He grinned. “We’re going to have a baby?”
“It would seem so,” I replied.
Austin’s face sobered, and he sat beside me, taking my hand in his. “How do you feel about all of this?”
“A little scared,” I admitted. “Mostly, I’m tired and excited. It definitely came as a shock.”
“I know what you mean. I wouldn’t have been surprised if you’d gotten pregnant with that broken condom, but this is a surprise. How far along are you?”
“It happened with the broken condom,” I replied. “What I thought was a light cycle around Valentine’s Day wasn’t my period.”
Austin was still grinning, and it seemed to be contagious because I soon found myself smiling.
“Are you upset that I didn’t tell you over the phone?” I asked.
He shook he head and leaned in to brush his lips against mine. “Of course not. It’s probably a good thing you didn’t tell me. If you had, I would have left the tour early. I can handle going back next week because I’ll only be gone a couple more weeks. I’m really sorry about my many fuck ups. I want to promise it won’t happen again.”
“But it probably will,” I finished for him.
“I’m going to do my best to not overreact, but you mean the world to me, Piper,” he admitted. “I love you, and I’m probably going to act like an ass at times because I’m afraid of losing you.”
“Lately, I’ve thought a lot about all of this,” I began “I love you. This is something you need to work on, but I’m not willing to lose you over it. You’re not perfect and neither am I. Just try to avoid making any more drunk calls.”
“I’ll do my best,” he assured me. “How much longer do you have to be here?”
“Far too long,” I said with a sigh. “I’ve got at least another hour of paperwork, and I’m starving.”
“How about if I get you some food while you finish up here?” he suggested. “After that, I want to take you home and show you how much I love you.”
“That sounds perfect,” I agreed.
Chapter 79
Piper
My paperwork took much longer to finish with my mind constantly wandering
to Austin. I couldn’t believe he’d flown back just to see me. When I was finally done, I found Austin waiting at a table in the corner.
“Hey!” I greeted him as I approached.
“Since you aren’t the manager here anymore, is it okay to kiss you at Euphoria?” he asked in a rough voice.
I let out a sigh. “I still work for the club, so no it’s not.”
He flashed me a wicked grin as he stood and took my hand. “Then I’d better get you out of here quickly.”
Austin led me out to my car before pulling me into his arms and kissing me. It was the kind of kiss that had my toes curling in my shoes and made me hate the long drive home. It had been far too long since I’d seen Austin. Had I honestly ever believed I could give him up?
When he finally broke our kiss, we were both breathing heavily, and my fingers were clutching his t-shirt tightly.
“I need you so much,” he rasped out.
“I feel the same about you,” I uttered. “I wish I lived closer to the club.”
“Can I assume you won’t mind that I got us a hotel room?” he asked.
“I don’t have anything with me,” was the only argument I could come up with. It wasn’t easy to find anything wrong with a plan that allowed me to get Austin naked sooner.
“I’ll get you anything you need,” he promised. “Let me take care of you tonight.”
Licking my lips, I nodded. “Do you have your car with you?”
He shook his head. “I went straight from the airport to the hotel to get it ready.”
I raised an eyebrow at his admission. “You were that confident I’d go with you?”
“I was hopeful,” he replied with a grin. “Let’s go.”
I decided to let Austin drive since I was too turned on to operate a motor vehicle. The same was likely true of Austin, but he looked more in control.
As soon as we walked into the hotel room, Austin kissed me and walked me back toward the bed. It had been too long. I was dying to touch him everywhere. My hands slid under his shirt, and I shuddered at how good he felt.
We broke our kiss long enough to strip out of our shirts before Austin’s mouth was on mine again. His kiss was hot and demanding. When my hands went to the fastenings on his pants, I expected him to stop me. I knew how much Austin loved to tease me and draw out our pleasure. Not this time. He didn’t appear to have any more self-control than I did.
“I’ve missed you so much,” he uttered against my lips as he pushed my skirt down and slid his hand into my panties. “I’ve missed everything about you.”
My hands stilled on the fastenings of his jeans when his finger began to expertly strum my clit. He knew just how to touch me to send me rushing toward the edge of ecstasy.
“Like that,” I praised. “It feels so good.”
“Touch me,” he commanded. “I need your hands on me.”
At his urging, I finished undoing his pants and pushed them down with his boxers. His groan vibrated against my mouth when my fingers wrapped around his hard dick. It pulsed in my hand. Despite my own arousal, I had the sudden desire to drive Austin out of his mind, the way he’d done to me so many times in the past. Pulling his hand out of my panties, I held his wrist and brought his finger to my mouth before sliding it between my lips and sucking.
Austin’s eyes darkened as they moved to my mouth, watching me suckle his finger. When I released his finger, I dropped to my knees in front of him and gripped his cock, looking up at him with a smile. “You look good enough to eat.”
“Oh, god,” he ground out when my tongue darted out to circle the head of his dick.
“Tell me you want this,” I commanded, reveling in the power I had over him.
“I want your mouth on me more than words can express,” he rasped out. “Please.”
His plea was all I needed, I took him into my mouth. My tongue swirled around the tip before I sucked his hard dick. I alternated between licking and sucking his cock as he clutched my hair and uttered words of praise.
It wasn’t only Austin I was driving wild with need. I was wet and aching to have him fuck me by the time he tugged at my hair and said, “Bend over the bed. I’m going to fuck you so hard, you’ll feel it for days.”
“Please,” was all I could manage as I stood and bent over the bed.
Austin gave my ass a stinging smack before he gripped my thighs, spreading me for him. When he finally slid into me, I pulsed around his dick. There was nothing controlled or soft about this joining. Austin stuck to his promise to fuck me hard. It was what I needed.
I screamed and clawed at the bedding as I pushed back to meet each thrust.
“That’s it,” he praised. “Give me everything. I need you.”
“Yes,” I panted out. “Everything. It’s all yours.”
He continued to push me to the edge until I went over, screaming and calling out his name. Distantly, I heard Austin tell me he loved me as he found his own release.
Chapter 80
Austin
I breathed in a huge sigh of relief when I woke up with Piper in my arms. The weeks I’d spent without her had been hell. Lying behind her, I allowed my hand to trail down to her belly. Her hips had gotten slightly rounder, but her belly was still mostly flat. I couldn’t wait to see her swollen with our baby.
“What are you doing up so early?” she asked sleepily.
“Thinking about how lucky I am,” I replied honestly. “You have no idea how good it feels to have you in my arms like this again.”
“I have a pretty good idea,” she said as she wiggled her ass against my erection.
I groaned in response. “Behave woman. I want to feed you breakfast before we play anymore.”
Looking over her shoulder, she gave me a playful pout. “You never used to feel the need to feed me first.”
“You weren’t eating for two back then,” I reminded her.
“I’m not sure if I like this change,” she mused. “On the one hand, I’m starving. On the other hand, I’m horny.”
I laughed and gave her ass a playful swat. “I’ll order breakfast. What are you in the mood for?”
“Is this a trick question?” she asked as her eyes moved along my body.
“Food, woman.” I handed her the room service menu.
With a sigh, she looked over the menu before giving me her order. After ordering, I grabbed some pants and slipped them on, deciding it would be easier to resist the temptation to take her again if at least one of us was dressed.
“Why do you suddenly look so serious?” she asked.
“I want to ask you something,” I began hesitantly.
She sat up in bed and held the sheet to her chest. “Please, don’t tell me you’re planning to propose just because I’m pregnant.”
“No, I’m not planning to ask you to marry me just because you’re pregnant,” I assured her before looking around the room. I’d had roses and champagne delivered to the room before I’d realized Piper couldn’t drink.
“Good,” she replied.
I frowned at her relief. “There’s no need to sound so happy about this.”
“Sorry,” she said with a sheepish smile. “I don’t want you to think you have to marry me.”
I walked across the room to grab my carryon bag before returning to the bed. “I don’t think I have to marry you because you’re pregnant,” I assured her as I pulled out the small ring box. “I want to marry you because I love you. I picked this up in Barcelona.”
Her eyes widened, and she gasped when I opened the box to show her the ring.
Dropping to one knee in front of her, I gave her a nervous smile, not sure how she was going to react. “Originally, I’d planned to ask you when we got back to the room last night, but things got out of hand. Will you marry me?”
Chapter 81
Piper
There were probably a lot of reasons I should tell Austin no or, at the very least, tell him I’d think about it. None of those reasons came to mind.
“You don’t have to give me an answer now,” Austin assured me.
That’s when I looked up from the ring and met his eyes. “Yes,” I replied with a smile.
“Really?” he asked with a perplexed expression.
“Of course, yes. I love you, Austin. If I’ve learned one thing about love, it’s that it’s not always easy. I kept coming back to that when I was mad at you for not trusting my feelings for you. In the end, I love you, and I know you love me.”
Austin quickly joined me on the bed, pulling me into his arms and kissing me. “I love you so much, Button,” he uttered. “I want to marry you today. Now. We can call your parents and drive to Tahoe. Let’s do this.”
“Your band would never forgive you,” I reminded him.
“Why do you have to be so smart?” he asked.
“Someone needs to be the voice of reason in this relationship,” I told him.
“You are the perfect woman,” he murmured. “Are you sure I can’t get you to marry me today?”
“You are crazy,” I accused.
“Crazy for you,” he murmured against my mouth.
Epilogue
Austin
As I ran my fingers along her soft red hair, I couldn’t hold back my smile. “Hey there, beautiful,” I murmured sleepily. I chuckled when she let out an angry little cry. “I know I’m not the person you were hoping to see.”
Lifting her in my arms, I cradled my daughter close, amazed at my luck. She looked just like her mother. Her cries quieted as I carried her down the hall to my bedroom and laid her beside Piper.
“She was not at all happy to see me,” I complained as Piper fed Riley.
“Poor, Daddy,” Piper teased.
“That’s right,” I agreed. “I’m not appreciated. Who do you think provided the transportation tonight?” I asked Riley, who naturally continued to ignore me in favor of eating. “She’s amazing, just like her mommy.”
And then my wife said my favorite words, “I love you, Austin Knight.”
“I love you, too, Button,” I murmured. “Thank you for giving me so many chances to get this right.”
Rock & Regrets (Reckless Release Book 2) Page 20
