by K. A. Linde
“I didn’t fuck anything up.”
Julian snorted. “I’m your best friend for a reason. I’ve seen you three-date-rule a lot of girls.”
“I’m not three-date-ruling anyone.”
“Yeah and you better not fucking do it to Piper.”
I had no intention of doing anything to Piper that she didn’t want me to do to her. But I didn’t know how to explain what I was feeling. That I actually…wanted to date her. Or at least, I wanted more.
“Forget about it,” I said. Julian dropped it and we went back to our warm-up.
Isaac called us in for a pregame pep talk. The ref blew his whistle for us to get on the pitch, and my blood started pumping. The Tacos was the best team I’d been on since college rec. Blaire and August played offense. Though August was mostly there to assist Blaire since girl goals counted for two. Isaac, Julian, and Nora played midfield. It was one of the few times my sister was out of her high heels. I sometimes forgot that she was so freaking tiny, but she was fast. I played defense with Annie and her doctor friend, Cézanne. And our goalie, Gerome, was Cézanne’s boyfriend.
The rest of our friends watched from the stands as we all set up to play. When I looked up at the audience, Tamara waved and called my name. I cringed and let my gaze shift to Piper. She’d settled onto the bleachers next to Jennifer and their other close friend, Sutton Wright. Her husband, David, was on the sidelines with his adopted son, Jason, while Sutton sat with their daughter, Madison. Jennifer was cooing at her while Piper looked on uncertainly. She was here. She was sitting with her friends. She was acting like nothing had happened. What the fuck?
Then, the whistle blew, and I had no more time to think about it. I dove into the game headfirst. Taking out the days of pent-up frustration on the opposing team. It was a little too much energy, considering the other team was terrible. By the end of the first half, we were up thirteen to one. Blaire pulled back to let August shoot since the score was so embarrassing.
I took a water break and glanced back at Piper. But she was no longer sitting next to Jennifer. She’d slid across her seat and was next to Chase. Jordan had moved away from him, so the two of them were alone. All alone and looking awfully chummy.
What the fuck were they talking about? Chase said something with this big smile on his face. Piper was laughing. She was laughing at whatever he’d said. They weren’t even touching, but already, I could see that she had none of the anger that I brought out in her. This was just Piper.
Piper flirting with Chase Sinclair.
My blood boiled.
“Hollin?” Julian called.
“I don’t like that guy,” I growled.
Julian looked up into the stands and grimaced. “Well, join the club. Us Wrights aren’t too fond of the Sinclairs either.”
Julian would know. He’d dated Ashleigh Sinclair before Jennifer. Before she’d gone off the deep end.
And even though I only needed a quarter of my brain to win this match, I played like we were in the finals. At one point, Isaac even came back to try to bench me if I didn’t calm the fuck down. He rarely got mad, but apparently, humiliating our opponents was his line.
At the end of the game, Piper was still sitting with Chase. And I was still pissed.
I ripped off my shin guards, tossed them into my bag, and took a long swig of my water bottle.
“So, pizza?” Blaire asked with a little dance. “We should celebrate.”
“It was a massacre,” August said. “I’ve never scored so much in my life.”
Nora leaned into him. “It was hot.”
He grinned. “Thanks, baby girl.”
“Can I invite Tamara, too?” Nora asked.
“Sure,” Blaire said.
I grimaced. Great. Just what I needed. Then, my gaze shifted as Piper dropped out of the stands to head over to Blaire. “Nice game.”
“Thanks! Pizza?” Blaire asked.
“Sure. I’m down.” And she had this bubbly excitement to her.
“I’ll pass,” Isaac said. “Need to get home to Peyton and Aly.”
Annie, Cézanne, and Gerome bowed out as well for work. Annie and Cézanne were on call, which always made the games up in the air if they’d be there at all. That left me, Julian, and Jennifer to go with Nora, August, Tamara, Blaire, and Piper.
“Sutton?” Blaire called. “Pizza?”
She groaned. “I’d kill for it. But the littles.” She gestured to her children.
“I can take care of it,” David said.
“You sure?” she asked.
“Go. Have fun.”
Sutton skipped forward. “I’m in. Pizza sounds divine.”
I wanted to talk to Piper, but she stayed purposefully away from me. There was never an opportunity that wouldn’t have been much too obvious for the company.
I ground my teeth together and left the parking lot. I followed behind Blaire’s shiny silver Lexus until we reached Capital Pizza, which was The Tacos’ typical after-game celebration. There were only two parking spots left by the time we got there. I pulled in next to Blaire with my door facing Piper in the passenger seat.
Blaire waved at me as I got out. She looked to Piper, who was stepping out of the car. “I’ll see y’all inside,” she chirped happily and then hightailed it away.
Piper crossed her arms. “What do you want?”
I slammed my door shut. “You’ve been avoiding me.”
“Get over yourself. I haven’t been anywhere near you all week.”
“You’re near me now,” I growled, stepping into her personal space.
“And?” She tried to brush past me, but I put my arm out against my truck, blocking her way. “Real mature.”
“What were you and Chase talking about at the game?”
She rolled her eyes. “Why? Jealous?”
Was I? Yes, that was that unfamiliar feeling. That want that went straight to my balls. I ached for her. I wanted to crawl back under her skin. She drove me out of my mind. And I wanted to drive her out of hers.
“I don’t know why you’re denying your attraction to me.”
She laughed. “Do you hear yourself? Obviously, I find you attractive. But that doesn’t change anything, Hollin. You and I would never, ever work out. You’re so…you. Chase is nice, normal…” She paused before saying the final word, “Serious. He’s serious. And that’s what I want. He asked me out, and I said yes.”
“That’s stupid,” I told her.
She scoffed. “Thanks.”
“He’s not serious. He’s a goddamn Sinclair.”
“I don’t need this,” she said.
I pinned her back against my truck. Her breath came out all huffy, and her eyes dipped to my lips before back up again. She wet her lips, as if waiting for me to kiss her.
“Go out with me,” I said in a soft voice, an earnest one.
“What?” she whispered.
“Go on a date with me.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t want to date you, Hollin.”
“Then, whatever happened Saturday, I want that.”
She pushed against my chest. I released her easily. “I don’t want to just fuck you either.”
“I can’t date you. I can’t fuck you. What can I do with you?”
“Nothing,” she spat. “It doesn’t matter what happened, Hollin. We had sex. We both enjoyed it. But that was it.”
“Why are you denying this?”
“Why are you pursuing it?”
“Because I’m fucking interested in you, Piper.”
“For how long? Until the chase is over? Until you get bored? Until you fuck me over? No thanks. I’ll pass.”
She shoved my hand aside and stormed off. I was missing a huge part of the conversation. I’d dated a lot of women who wanted more than I was willing to give. People I’d slept with and moved on from. She’d made it seem personal. As if it had happened to her. As if I’d done that shit to her in the past. But I c
learly hadn’t. Now, I was left out here, more confused than ever.
17
Piper
My date was going fine.
Fine.
Chase Sinclair was personable, easy to talk to, and even charming. He was definitely serious. A lawyer who had moved back to Lubbock last year to be closer to home. He was also handsome. Very handsome. He had on a suit and tie, slicked his hair up, and had on those fancy shoes that only rich kids wore.
It was exactly what I’d told Peyton I wanted.
That was the main reason I’d agreed to go out with him. I’d said I wanted serious, and then bam! There was Chase, asking me out like a fucking adult.
It had nothing to do with making Hollin jealous. Nothing at all.
Though seeing his face when I’d told him was satisfying. I shouldn’t have blown up on him the way that I had. I’d shown my cards even if he had no idea about Quinn and Khloe. Now, he knew there was a reason for how I always acted around him.
And look, there went my mind again…focusing on Hollin and not my date, who had just paid the check at the nicest steak house in Lubbock.
“That was delicious,” I managed, getting my head back in the game.
“It was.” He finished off his wine and set his glass down. “I was glad you suggested the Willamette Valley pinot noir. It was a great match.”
“Wine is what I know.”
“I like that about you.” He pushed his chair back and held his hand out for me. I put mine in his and let him help me to my feet. I’d worn heels, and Blaire had picked out my pink dress. I’d felt pretty when I left the house, and Chase had been flattering me all night.
We headed back to his car, and he held the door open for me. He’d rushed around earlier to get my door and everything. True gentleman.
We chatted about the winery as he drove to my house. At least that was something I could talk about forever. Our conversation had been kind of flat throughout much of dinner.
Once we parked, he jogged around again to open my door, and I let him walk me up to the porch.
“I had a great time,” I told him.
“Me too.” His smile was wide. “We should do this again.”
“Definitely.”
He waited at the front door, as if anticipating me asking him inside. The entire night stretched before me if I did that. I knew every step that would lead to my bedroom. And part of me just…couldn’t…do it.
“I’ll call you,” I told him instead.
“Great,” he said, his face falling slightly. “Yes. Maybe next weekend.”
“Yeah,” I said with a nod as he pulled me into him.
He was going to kiss me. And with a shock, I realized that I didn’t want to kiss him. There was no part of me that thought this was a good idea. I didn’t owe him a kiss for taking me out to dinner. We’d tried this date, and it hadn’t been it for me.
So, at the last second, I turned my face, and he landed a soft kiss on my cheek.
I reached for the door handle. “Have a good night.”
“You too,” he said, as if startled.
Then, I was through the door, slamming it shut behind me with a huff. I kicked my heels off and flicked the clasp on my strapless bra in a matter of seconds.
“Thank fuck,” I grumbled.
Luckily, no one else was home. Jennifer had date night with Julian. Blaire had gone out with Honey for something for the blog. They’d left in case I wanted the house to myself with Chase. But that clearly had not happened. No matter how much I’d put into that date, I couldn’t make myself interested in him. He was exactly what I should want, but I just didn’t. I was frustrated with myself as I grabbed a bottle of merlot and stomped back to my room.
I changed out of my dress and into an oversize T-shirt. Then, I sank down under the covers, flicked the television onto something mindless, and drank the wine straight from the bottle, like an adult.
What was I going to do? I’d had the date that I’d claimed I wanted. And it hadn’t been anything that I wanted. It should have been perfect. Still, it hadn’t been.
This had to be Hollin’s fault. Everything had been fine in my life until he inserted himself into it. I avoided him and antagonized him enough to hope he would never turn his sights on me. And then he did. It had all gone downhill from there.
The worst part was that I couldn’t. Stop. Thinking. About. Him.
Like, why?
Sure, he’d given me the best orgasms of my life. But I didn’t even want him. Not after what had happened to my friends. Not with who he was as a person. He wasn’t suddenly going to change. He’d never even been in a relationship. And I didn’t want one with him even if he had. It was a recipe for disaster.
Still, as I lay in that bed all alone, I couldn’t stop my mind from slipping back to that tour bus. The way he’d held me down against him. The ferocity of his kiss. The way he’d bent me over the table and spanked me like he’d been doing it his whole life. The way he’d come undone when I asked him not to go slow. How gentle he’d been after. He’d taken care of me the entire night until I got back into my room and promptly passed out.
All of it sent a shiver through me. I’d gotten off a few times, just thinking about him holding me down on that table.
I was considering sliding my fingers into my panties again when my phone began to buzz noisily. I sighed and set my merlot down on a side table. I hoped this wasn’t Chase. It would suck if he was more into me than I was into him.
But when I turned my phone over, the name on the front said Hollin.
Jesus, had he read my mind? Had he known that I was thinking about him? Or was he just an asshole, calling when he knew I had a date?
Probably the latter. And I should ignore him.
I bit my lip in indecision, silenced the TV, and pressed the green phone icon.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Piper,” he said into the line, his voice dark and sultry.
I swallowed. “Did you need something?”
“Just seeing how your date is going.”
Did I tell him? Fuck.
“Why?” I asked, diverting the conversation.
“You made sure I knew, and I wanted to make sure that you were getting taken care of.” He laughed softly in the phone. “So, is Chase standing right there, wondering who you’re talking to?”
I glanced around my empty room. “No.”
“Ah. Smart. Decided to take the call in the restroom?” he teased.
“Did you call to be an asshole?”
Hollin paused for a beat before laughing. “I can’t be concerned for you?”
“Hollin,” I grumbled.
“All right, all right. Get back to your date.”
“Did you really call to see how my date went?”
“Well, I was hoping you’d tell me it was awful,” he admitted. “And that you needed me to come make it all better.”
I snorted. “I do not need you to come over.”
He was silent for a few seconds. “You didn’t say whether or not the date was going well.”
Well, fuck. I hadn’t, had I? I didn’t want to lie. There was no point. It wasn’t like he wouldn’t find out anyway.
“It was okay,” I finally said.
“Was,” he said, catching on to the past tense. “Is it already over?”
“Yes, Hollin, it’s over. Is that what you wanted to hear?”
“If I admit that I’m happy to hear that, will you hang up?” he asked with a soft laugh.
I rolled my eyes and burrowed down a little more under the covers. Of course he was happy about it. He’d been pissed that I was even going on a date with Chase.
“He was the perfect gentleman,” I added like it was a consolation prize.
“So, not your type,” he shot back.
I gnashed my teeth together. “It was just a first date.”
Even though I had no interest in a second.
“Did he kiss you good night?”
I narro
wed my eyes. “Why?” I snapped. “Jealous?”
Hollin laughed, and I had to close my eyes to ignore the pulsing in my core at the sound. It was the same one he’d used right before he spanked me. Seductive and possessive. And it did things to me.
“Aww, poor baby,” he purred. “He didn’t take care of you?”
“Maybe he did.”
No, he really hadn’t.
Why was I pushing Hollin? Why did I always push him?
But he wasn’t finished. “Oh, I know he didn’t.”
“You’re awfully sure of yourself.”
“I have firsthand experience, knowing what you sound like after you’ve been fucked properly, Piper,” he drawled, low and gravelly. I squeezed my legs together. “The sleepy sound you make when you’re completely satisfied. You don’t have this much anger when I’m done with you.”
“Hollin,” I said, reaching for admonishment, but instead, it came out like a whimper.
“So, I see only one option: he didn’t satisfy you.”
“Try we never even got that far,” I admitted over the line.
Somehow, the phone kept enough distance between us that I could admit it. I shouldn’t have, but hearing him mutter into my ear in that deep voice had made my body shudder with need.
“How far?” he demanded.
“Kiss on the cheek.”
He coughed out a laugh. “How very chaste of you, Medina.”
“Fuck you, Hollin.”
“You could let me help.”
It was an offer as much as an invitation. It was Pandora’s box, just waiting to be opened. I should keep it closed.
“You can’t come over here,” I told him.
“Who said I needed to?”
“What?”
“Spread your legs, babe.”
“What?” I repeated in a breathy rasp.
“Spread your legs,” he said, slow and deliberate.
My brain short-circuited. Was I going to do this? I’d gone on a date with someone else. Granted, it was never going to go anywhere else. There would never be a second date. But I’d sworn off Hollin Abbey after the concert. Except, God, it was so hard. I wanted more of what he was offering. My brain kept shutting off and only listening to what was pulsing between my legs.
