by Ciara Shayee
“If you tell me you’re clean, I’ll believe you. I trust you, Kellan,” I whisper, cupping his beard-covered jaw.
“Fuck. I’m good, Piper, I swear. I wouldn’t lie to you.”
Shifting a little, I get us lined up and arch upward. It breaks him. His restraint shatters. The snap is a mumbled curse, my surrender a gasp as he gives a lazy thrust before lifting himself up.
Before I know it, my bikini bottoms and his briefs are off, gone. On the floor with the rest of our forgotten clothes. I barely have a chance to catch my breath before Kellan is back, his chest to mine, his hard dick right there. I’d be embarrassed by how turned on I am if I couldn’t see the way his jaw ticks as he slides himself through my wetness before pausing with just the tip of his erection pressing against my entrance.
“Tell me if I hurt you. I’m…you already feel too good.”
Enough talking.
With one shift of my hips, Kellan is buried deep within me. He releases an animalistic growl and buries his face in my neck as he rocks jerkily into me, his hands gripping my waist as he holds himself up above me. “Christ, Piper.” His gravelly groan spurs me on.
“Kiss me,” I beg, panting the words into his hair. He’s so big, and it’s been a while. The sting of feeling so full flips a switch in me. I’m desperate. I can’t get close enough, clawing at him, breathing him in, begging him for more, harder, faster.
Lifting his head, Kellan’s lips crash against mine in a messy kiss full of need and passion. It’s pure fire and the dissolution of any leftover restraint. He’s everywhere; over, around and in me.
Every thrust pushes a gasp from my lips until I’m breathless and shoving his chest to get him to roll over. The darkening of his eyes tells me he’s not opposed, so I straddle his hips and flip my hair back over my shoulder as I give him a few slow passes of my hand around his dick before slowly sliding down until he’s all in.
We both moan, our hands free to roam wherever they please.
The energy in the room is electric, my orgasm barreling toward me faster than ever before. I need a release, but I don’t want to stop. Furrowing his brows, Kellan uses one hand to help keep my faltering rhythm steady. The other drifts down over my belly to my clit.
“Oh, shit, Kellan.”
It’s the perfect torture. I’m chasing that high even as I pray for this to never end.
“I’m close, Piper,” he grits out, redoubling his efforts when I tip my head back and grind my hips over his, the position allowing him to hit all the spots that make me cry out.
It only takes a few more moments of his touch and an unexpected, deliciously hard buck of his hips to set me off.
Falling forward, I let him catch me as I fall over the edge I’d been clinging to. I lose all sense of where I am for an endless moment, then I register the deep moan and the sound of my name ghosting over Kellan’s lips as he reaches his release. Gathering my wits just enough to swivel my hips, I breathe an airy laugh when he grips my waist and rumbles a curse.
“Too good. Fuck, Piper.”
Twisting to move off him, I find myself smiling against Kellan’s chest when he gives me a squeeze. “Where do you think you’re goin’?”
I might quickly become addicted to the gravelly, post-orgasm timbre of his voice.
“I don’t want to squish you,” I whisper, not wanting to destroy the perfect atmosphere with my voice.
Kellan scoffs, pressing a kiss to the top of my head before releasing a big, content sigh. “You weigh a buck-fifty soaking wet. If you’re comfy, stay right there.”
Squirming, I flush and sigh at the raised-eyebrow look he shoots me. “I need to clean up…”
Who ever said romance was dead, huh?
Blowing out a laugh through his nose, Kellan lightly swats my butt before closing his eyes and smiling. “The bathroom is directly opposite the bed. I’ll wait right here, don’t be too long…” His eyes snap open, unexpected vulnerability shining through. “Please.”
“I’ll be right back.” I don’t hesitate, leaning down to press a quick kiss to the tip of his nose before hopping off the bed and walking quickly to the door opposite the foot of the bed.
When I step back into the room after washing up, I can’t help but pause in the doorway. Kellan is right where I left him, bathed in moonlight and looking for all the world like something an artist would dream up.
“Are you just gonna stand there and stare all night?” he wonders aloud, an almost delirious giggle bubbling free as I bite my lip in a fruitless attempt to stifle my crazy-person smile.
“I don’t know. The view is pretty great from here.”
“I happen to agree, short stuff.” He pauses, a soft chuckle warming the dark room. “Get your sweet ass over here, Piper.”
Thirteen
Kellan
In our eagerness to stumble into bed last night, neither of us closed the drapes. The warmth of the sun shining through the big windows wakes me. The next thing to register is shock.
I never sleep past the sun rising.
Tightening my grip around Piper, I hum into her hair and make no effort to stifle the grin curling against her shoulder. Every muscle aches, but it’s a delicious agony as I shift at her back and feel myself stirring against her thigh.
“Mmm, good morning,” she groans, arching her hips back into me.
Between lingering kisses against the soft skin joining her neck and shoulder, I wish I were still in my twenties. My mind is all for round…three? Or maybe four…but my traitorous body is protesting. My shoulder cracks as I adjust my hold and stroke light circles over her stomach with my thumb.
“How did you sleep?” I murmur, clearing my throat.
“Like a log.” Twisting in my arms, Piper flashes me a still-sleepy grin, presses a closed-mouthed kiss on my lips, and snuggles up against my chest. The feeling of calm spreading through me is as comforting as it is unexpected, her slight body a perfect fit to mine. More so when she throws a leg over my waist and wiggles even closer, like she can’t get close enough. I’m not complainin’. I’ve never been a cuddler, but this…
It’s perfect.
“How did you sleep, handsome?”
“Like a log,” I echo, glancing at the clock on the wall. I’m more than stunned to see that it’s past eight. “I haven’t slept this late in years.”
“I’m so glad Mom believed my story,” she admits after a few minutes of comfortable silence. Her nails lightly scratch up and down my back; from my shoulder blades to the spot where my back meets my ass, and back up.
“Me, too.”
Just as I was passing out after the best blowjob of my life, the beep of Piper’s cell on the floor reminded us that her parents were expecting her home. Having to worry about parents isn’t something I’ve had to deal with for over twenty years, but she managed to think on her feet and sent a text to Bethany explaining that she was staying over in the apartment above the restaurant. Thankfully, her mom seemed to buy it.
Piper blows out a relieved sounding sigh, showing me the illuminated screen with Bethany’s message.
Okay, honey. Make sure KP locks up behind himself when he leaves. Give me or Dad a call if you need a ride home in the morning xxx
“Does that mean I get to keep you here?”
The rosy flush that steals over Piper’s cheeks makes me wish I was twenty years younger and had heaps more stamina than I actually do. “It sure does, if you want me to stay?”
Instead of answering her out loud, I gently take the phone and set it on the floor, pulling her down against my chest so I can get one last taste of her sweet lips before I crash.
My arms instinctively tighten as she makes to move away, pulling me from a memory I already know I’ll never want to forget. Her light, lilting laugh brightens the room and my mood more than the morning sun already has.
“I need to pee, dammit. Let me up.”
I hesitate for a beat before pres
sing a quick kiss against her forehead, breathing her in. She smells like sex and sin all rolled into one. A gentle smile and the caress of her fingers through my beard are my very welcome thanks. Not to mention the stunning view of her naked back as she escapes my hold and sashays toward the bathroom. Propping myself up on one arm, I adjust myself through the sheets. She’s all tan skin, flowing pink-red hair, and curves in all the right places. There’s the barest hint of nerves in her eyes as she glances back over her shoulder before shaking her head and ducking out of sight, the door clicking shut behind her.
While she takes care of business, I shuffle up the bed a little to recline against the headboard with a sigh. I used to think of myself as a strong man—someone capable of handling emotions and wants. It’s been a long time since I caved to anything, but giving in to Piper last night wasn’t something I could have resisted. I’ve tried. God knows I’ve tried. With her steel gray eyes and the taste of Oreo and something that I now know is inherently Piper on her lips, no amount of self-control would have been enough to withstand the temptation she posed.
The guilt will come later, I’m sure.
There’s no ignoring the fact that Piper is the daughter of my best friends. She bulldozed right through my mantra and all the barriers I’ve spent years erecting, but I can’t bring myself to regret a moment of the night we just spent together. At some point, I’ll have to deal with the repercussions of caving to my desire, but not right now. Now, I can bask in the comfort Piper brings me.
The view out of the window isn’t half as pretty as the one on the other side of the bathroom door, but it’ll do. The sea rolls in calm undulations that make my eyes start to blur. I’m so hypnotized by the motion that I don’t hear the door open.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Piper asks softly, leaning in the doorway without a stitch to cover her from my greedy gaze.
She makes my chest ache, she’s so beautiful—inside and out. “They’re not very interesting, trust me.”
“I don’t believe that for a second.”
The heat in her eyes and flush spreading across her chest give me a good indication of where her thoughts have gone.
“You’ll be the death of me,” I laugh-groan. “I need to recuperate. I’m an old man.”
Piper’s laughter makes me grin ruefully. “You’re not an old man, Kellan.” She crosses the room in a seductive saunter that makes a liar out of me. My body is very much up for the occasion. “And besides, haven’t you heard?”
She’s at the foot of the bed now, her body a scintillating distraction from her words as she kneels on the mattress at my feet.
“Heard what?” I mumble.
Her impish smile would be cute if it weren’t for the sinful look in her steel gaze. “You’re only as old as the woman you feel.”
I hum a chuckle as she crawls up my body, her lips branding me everywhere they touch. It’s a great view. Tucking my hands behind my head, my voice comes out in a low rumble. “Well, you better get up here so I can feel you up good and proper, then.”
Smirking, she sings, “Sounds good to me. I’m all for helping the aged.”
“Oh, you…”
There’s no stifling the grin that takes over my face as I hoist Piper up to kneel over my stomach so I can tickle the snark right out of her. Everywhere my fingers roam, they find soft skin. My lips finally join in when she’s breathlessly panting her surrender, trying to hide her face in my neck. Pressing a kiss to her temple, I slide one hand down to her ass. The other skims up her spine to bury itself in her hair.
“You’re mean,” she finally huffs, pulling back just enough to give me a cool stink-eye.
“You started it.”
Eyes wide and mouth open, she shakes her head. “You did not just resort to preschool insults. I’d expect a man of your age to have better retorts than my four-year-old.”
“A man of my age…”
Piper’s lips curl up.
“I’ll show you exactly what a man of my age has got.”
She yelps as I quickly flip her over, so she’s pinned underneath me, the sheets tangled between us and her hair fanned out across the slate gray pillows. She’s stunning. Beyond beautiful. I wish I knew more pretty words to describe her, because she’s all of them.
And all mine? I can only dream.
The faintest touch of her fingertips trailing over my cheek pulls me from my wistful thoughts. Refocusing, I lower myself to press her into the mattress and delight in the shudder that tears through her when I whisper all the filthy things a man of my age can do before giving her the live-action demonstration.
*
“So.”
“So,” Piper parrots before snorting and twisting in her seat to face me better, a silly smile on her lips. Now I know what they taste like, it’s almost impossible not to lean over and steal a kiss. The fact that any of her family members could be looking out of the window right now puts a stop to it.
My stomach knots, a headache already setting in. I can see the moment she realizes my good mood is starting to wane.
Did we make a mistake?
Instead of looking frustrated, she flashes me an understanding smile and reaches over to squeeze my thigh. “Thank you for last night…” Her eyes spark with mischief. “And this morning.”
I bark a laugh and rake a hand through my hair as my ears heat up. It’s a curse my brother was lucky enough to escape, but surprise or embarrassment often turns my ears pink.
“Seriously, though, I appreciate you getting me out of going to the bar last night. I love spending time with my sisters, but bars just aren’t my scene, you know?”
“I get it,” I tell her, because I do. The thought of sitting in a noisy bar with music blaring and voices battling for dominance does absolutely nothing for the me of today.
The me of twenty years ago would have been in his element in that sort of setting. A lot has changed since then.
“All right, well…” Piper blows out a breath, swiping her jacket from the back seat. “I’ll let you get on with your day. Thanks for…everything.”
I want to thank her for giving me the best night I’ve had in years. I want to thank her for making me feel something other than loneliness for a blissful twelve hours. I want to tell her that I don’t want her to go, that I want to squirrel her away and keep her to myself to see how long I can bask in the warmth she emanates.
But I don’t.
“You’re welcome. See you later, short stuff.”
Giggling and shaking her head, Piper leaves me with a parting whiff of my shampoo mixed with her natural scent as she climbs out of the car and strolls up the porch steps.
My lips curl up of their own accord when she pauses before stepping inside, glancing over her shoulder as she offers an almost shy wave.
Bye, Piper.
After dropping her off, I decide there’s no use going home just yet. All I’ll do is mope around. Instead, I turn the car back toward Burger Co., where I can throw myself into work.
In the time it took for me to drive Piper home, Jones has arrived for work. I can tell as soon as I walk through the front doors, because only he would have the Disney soundtrack blaring at full volume.
“Holy fucking shit, KP! You scared the shit out of me!” Jones yells, temporarily muting the music when I announce my presence by ‘accidentally’ knocking into the pans hanging on the drying rack. Honestly, I’m surprised he even heard it.
“Maybe you shouldn’t have your music up so loud then, huh?”
Courtesy of Jones’s Disney obsession, I know the tunes to most of the songs on this soundtrack. I hum along to the next one, although I couldn’t name the movie it’s from.
Jones’s eyes narrow as I copy the shopping list from the whiteboard onto my phone; from the corner of my eye, I watch him lower the potato in his hand. “What’s up with you? You’re all…” he trails off, waving a peeler at me. “Cheerful and shit.”
My eyebrows lift. Jones can be perceptive on a good day. When he thinks there’s gossip to sniff out, he’s downright dangerous, the nosy little shit.
“Am I not allowed to be in a good mood?”
“Sure, it’s just never happened before. It’s kind of creepy.”
Snorting, I hang the whiteboard back on its hook and tuck my cell into my back pocket. “Do you want some help or not?”
With such a busy day yesterday, not a lot got done around here. There’s brisket to finish off, the Pad Thai sauce tub is almost empty, and if Jones is still working on the potatoes, those things aren’t going to get done before we open for lunch in two hours. He could do with the help.
Eyeing me with obvious suspicion, Jones concedes and tells me I can help if he can keep his music on. I’m in too good a mood to let his choice of playlist bother me, so I shrug and grab my white jacket before getting stuck in as he cranks up the volume and belts out the opening words of the next song.
*
Surprisingly, I find myself enjoying the menial work with Jones and his ridiculous singing-dancing routines. It’s been a while since I spent any real time working alongside him in the kitchen; it’s fun. He’s a good guy, a funny guy, and I’m reminded of why I keep him around.
When Lily and Kelly arrive in time to open up for lunch, we’re more than caught up and taking a soda break in the back yard.
“Hello?”
“Out here, Kell!”
Kell, I think with a smirk, hiding it behind my can. They’re so obvious. I don’t understand why they don’t just admit they’re together. It’s blatantly clear to anyone who’s seen them together that they’re not just friends or colleagues.
My thoughts turn to Piper. Will people take one look at us and know we’ve crossed that line, the one between friendship and more?
“Oh, hey, you two.” Kelly grins as she steps out into the sun with Lily on her heels. “Slacking on the job?”
