by R B Hilliard
The next morning I woke to the sound of Piper singing in the shower. It took me a minute to recognize Taylor Swift’s Blank Space. When she hit the chorus, I tried not to laugh at how off key she was. My woman was great at many things, but singing was not one of them. Not wanting to miss showering with her, I hopped out of bed and padded into the bathroom. Opening the shower door, I stepped in and pulled her against me. She let out a gasp of what sounded like both surprise and delight when she discovered how ready I was for her.
“Good morning, Cowboy.” Her sultry voice made my heart race. Standing in my arms was the only woman who had ever managed to turn me inside out.
Lowering my head, I gently touched my lips to hers. She moaned and opened her mouth for me. Not one to waste time, I swept in and took what I needed, making sure I poured every bit of my soul into the kiss. A minute or so later, she pulled back. We were both breathing heavily. Her lust filled blues told me exactly what she needed, and I was going to give it to her, but first I was going to touch every inch of her gorgeous body. As I flipped her around to face the shower wall, I snagged the body wash from the overhang, squirted some into my hands and rubbed them together. Once they were nice and lathered, I ran them from her shoulders down to the tips of her fingers. Skipping over her breasts, I lathered up her stomach and upper thighs. Her shallow breaths told me I was getting to her. Reaching up, again, I grabbed the bottle and poured more shower gel into my hands. Then, I continued my path down her legs. After thoroughly taking care of her feet, I concentrated on the backs of her knees and her deliciously tantalizing ass, before making my way back up to her breasts.
“You’re killing me,” she huskily admitted.
I paused mid-stroke and teased. “That’s not my intent. Would you like for me to stop?”
“Stop now and I will Lorena Bobbitt your ass,” she replied. I couldn’t help but laugh. She rested her forehead against the shower wall and smiled. “It’s so good to hear you laugh again.” She said with a happy sigh.
Instead of apologizing for how I had been acting lately, I decided to show her how sorry I was. Reverently, I rubbed both hands over her breasts and tight little nipples, before sliding them down her stomach and between her legs. Slowly, I began stroking.
Reaching up, she snagged the shower gel, flipped open the lid and poured a generous amount into her hand. My mouth instantly went dry. As she lathered her hands she turned to face me. I groaned out loud when she placed them on my chest. Instead of teasing me, like I expected, she dropped both hands to my hard cock. Latching on, she began stroking me up and down. This was going South much faster than I wanted. Before she could finish me off, which was what was going to happen if I didn’t gain back control, I lowered my head and kissed her. At the same time, I lifted her up and pressed her back against the shower wall. She wrapped her legs around my waist and we both groaned as I slid deep inside. In this position, I had all the control, something I desperately needed these days. Mouth on hers, I began moving. After a few slow strokes, she dug her heels into my back and whimpered for more. Not wanting to hurt her, I dialed it up, but just by a notch. As I held her against the wall, I slid in and out of her tight, slick body. It took a few minutes, but finally, she ripped her mouth away long enough to scream out her orgasm. A few thrusts later, I was coming with her. Carefully, I lowered her back down to the shower floor.
She wrapped her arms around my waist and sighed, “I’m not going to break, Cowboy.”
The scars on her body told a different story. Not wanting to argue with her, I said, “I know.” Before she could say anything else, I gave her a quick kiss, helped her rinse off and turned off the water.
As I stepped from the shower, she called after me. “Oh, I almost forgot, Max called and wants you to call him back.”
I quickly toweled off and called Max back. Garrett had news for us and wanted to meet. Max suggested we do this without the women, but I wasn’t ready to let Piper out of my reach just yet. I was making progress, but still… Anything having to do with Dooley Shane made me nervous. I informed Max that Piper was coming with me, so he might as well bring Ellie. He agreed without hesitation and even sounded in a relatively good mood about it.
After telling Piper the plan, she went to talk to Dillon and I made my way to the kitchen, for a much needed cup of coffee. The conversation with Max played back through my head. Apparently the guys had unexpected information on Dooley. This worried me. The man was dead, but yet here we were once again, allowing him to control us from the grave. Gripping the side of the counter, I pulled in a deep breath and let it out. Whatever this is today, I am not going to allow it to affect us. From where I stood, I could see Dillon slowly walking down the stairs. As he made his way into the kitchen, our eyes met and he gave me an eat-shit-and-die look. That’s when I noticed the small raspberry on the tip of his chin and smiled.
“Fuck you, dickhead,” he said, rubbing his hand across his chest. “Did you have to drag me across the carpet? That shit hurts.”
Not able to help myself, I burst into laughter.
Piper walked in, took one look at both our faces, and burst into a fit of girly giggles that warmed me to my soul. Pretty soon, all three of us were laughing.
Dillon insisted on taking separate cars to the garage. When we pulled up to MMG, Max and Kurt’s trucks were already there. Of course, Max had to give Dillon shit the second we walked through the door. Apparently, Isabella had performed at Dragonfly last night. Max said it wasn’t her usual performance. I would have to get the low down on it later. While they were bantering back and forth, Garrett, Bobby, Tut and Cas walked in. I could tell from their serious expressions something was up and I had a feeling we weren’t going to like it.
Thirty minutes later, Dillon and Cas were out the door and we were heading into lunch with the knowledge that Dana Harkins had played a major role in Dooley Shane’s sick and twisted games. For the first half of lunch, Garrett, Bobby and Tut made most of the conversation. From their concerned expressions, the girls knew something was up, but thankfully didn’t ask about it. I had no intention of keeping anything from Piper, but I wasn’t planning to catch her up to speed in front of everyone else. Max, apparently, had other plans.
“These sandwiches are great, ladies. Thanks for making lunch. Sorry for being so quiet, but we are all processing what Garrett just told us…” He hesitated for a brief second, as if contemplating whether or not to say anything. In the end, he let the cat out of the bag. “It seems before Dooley died, he had Dana Harkins on his payroll.”
A heavy silence followed this announcement, until Garrett muttered “Fuck,” and Tut chuckled in amusement.
Piper let out a surprised gasp. “Explain,” she said.
Before I could say anything, Garrett jumped in and relayed what they’d found. When he was done, no one said a word. Garrett glared at Max, and Max shrugged.
“I promised not to keep shit from my wife anymore,” was all he said. Ellie’s face lit up with a beautiful smile and Garrett let out a defeated sounding sigh.
“This cannot leave this room. We are still gathering all we can on Dana,” he explained. “Once we are finished, we will turn it over to the police. They will take it from there.”
“Will she be arrested?” Piper asked.
Tut smiled. “Baby girl, with what we have, there’s no way the bitch won’t serve time.”
Piper and Ellie smiled at each other and promised not to say a word. We talked a few more minutes before Tut turned to Sarah and asked what she did to piss of Cas. The second he asked the question, the room went quiet.
“What happened?” Ellie asked.
“Sarah accidentally interrupted the meeting and Cas blew a gasket,” Tut told her.
“What’s up with that?” Piper asked.
Sarah turned four shades of red before answering, “Uh, nothing, Cas is just a pompous arse-head, that’s all.” This seemed to settle the matter, and the conversation turned to Piper’s bachelorette party, som
ething I was far from excited about.
“No strippers,” Max said, laying down the law.
Ellie’s eyes narrowed. “You have no say in the evening,” she told him.
“I agree with Max,” I said.
Piper choked on her drink. “As if you guys are going to stop us,” she snorted.
“Joss won’t be there, so enjoy your half naked men, ladies,” Kurt said with a smile.
Joss’s eyes drilled into Kurt. “Who says I won’t be there?”
“I do. You do not need to be dancing,” he authoritatively said.
Joss rolled her eyes at him. “I’m not the one who will be dancing, am I? I have no problem sitting while the men are stripping. It’ll give me a better view.” She turned to Piper and asked, “How does this Saturday night sound?” Max, Kurt and I scowled at her, and she smiled. Evil little bitch.
All I could think about was what happened at Ellie’s bachelorette party. We arrived in time to see some of the guys still decked out in their stripper gear. Piper and I were split, but that didn’t matter. She was still mine. When I saw her across the room talking to a guy who had just taken off his clothes and all but shown his junk to her, I saw red. Instead of kicking his ass, I dragged Piper to a closet where I put my hands all over her before telling her she was the worst thing that ever happened to me. Talk about messed up. As the girls discussed who would do what, Max gave us guys a conspiratorial wink.
Not only were there not going to be strippers, I wasn’t sure there was even going to be a bachelorette party. I was secure in my knowledge of this, so I decided to let it go for the moment. The rest of lunch we talked about what was up with Dillon and Isabella.
Chapter Five
Piper
‡
NORMALLY I HATED when Gage had to leave town. I missed him terribly while he was away. This time was different. Gage leaving town was the only way I was going to get a bachelorette party. Gage, Max and Kurt decided it would be more fun to have a couple’s party, instead of the individual parties Ellie, Joss and I had planned. Gage announced this in bed two mornings ago, right before telling me he had to go out of town for a few days. While pretending to listen to him ramble about all the reasons a couples party would be better, I mentally planned how it would really go down.
Ever since the kidnapping, Gage had been off the charts protective of me. I loved that he wanted to put me in a safe little bubble, but at the same time, I hated it. Things weren’t the same between us. Sometimes, I felt as if I was slowly suffocating under the watchful eyes of a polite stranger. I missed the Gage who told me to go to hell when I needed to hear it. I missed the Gage who wanted me all the time and liked to play rough. He disappeared the day I was shot, and I hadn’t seen him since. That was over three months ago. After Max and Ellie’s blow out fight in Kurt and Joss’ driveway, he’d gotten better, but he still wasn’t the Gage I fell in love with. Lately, I found myself picking fights with him. When he was frustrated or angry, his polite mask would slip and I would see glimpses of the man I’d fallen in love with. However, as quickly as the old Gage appeared, he would go, and I was once again left feeling sad and empty.
Max was picking Gage up this morning and they were driving to Kentucky for a last minute meeting with some prospective clients. I was in the kitchen pouring coffee when Gage appeared carrying his duffle. Wearing jeans, a short sleeve button down and cowboy boots, he looked all kinds of yummy. No matter how much of a stifling ass he could be, he was mine. He crossed the room with a smile on his face. Once he was close, his hand shot out and wrapped around the nape of my neck. I leaned into the comfort of his arms.
“I hate leaving you, Princess.”
“I hate you leaving me, Cowboy. How long did Max say you’d be gone?”
“If I have any say about it, we’ll be back later tonight, but it looks more like it won’t be until tomorrow afternoon. Max thinks they’ll want to have dinner and drinks after the initial meeting. Tell me again what your plans are?” he asked.
I didn’t want to lie to him, so I told him a half truth. “Ellie, Joss and I are hanging out.”
“I talked with Kurt. He’s working tonight. Why don’t you hang out at Dragonfly?” I could tell he was struggling with asking and not ordering me to do so. I didn’t respond to his suggestion. I knew if I gave him an inch, he would take a mile, and there was zero chance we were going to Dragonfly tonight. Gage was controlling enough when he was here. I wasn’t about to let him take charge when he wasn’t.
I mentally squirmed under his expectant stare and finally gave him something. “We might just do that.”
Before he could pursue the point further, a horn honked in the driveway. Pulling me close, he gave me one of his soul-searing kisses. Then he snagged my hand and led me out the front door with him. When Max saw us coming, he rolled down his window and lowered the music.
“Ellie says you are hanging out at Joss’ place tonight,” he stated.
I almost rolled my eyes, but decided it wasn’t worth it. “Either there or here,” I told him. Gage’s eyes shot to mine and I quickly added, “But we may just go to Dragonfly. Honestly, I haven’t really thought about it.” To head off any further conversation, I leaned onto my tip toes and gave Gage another kiss. Letting go of his hand, I stepped back and watched him climb into the truck.
“I’ll call you later,” he said with a wink and a smile. It reminded me of the old Gage, and I couldn’t help but respond with an earsplitting grin.
I miss you, I thought as they drove away. As soon as they were out of sight, I pulled out my cell and called Joss.
“Zane said yes,” she squealed into the phone.
“He did?” I couldn’t contain my excitement.
“He sure did. What do you want me to tell Kurt? Gage already told him we might be going to Dragonfly.”
“Tell him we are going to hang out at my place, but we may stop by before the night is over. He’s closing, right?”
“Yes,” she responded. This meant we could stay out until a little after one or so. “You do realize he will be calling all night to check up on me?” she asked.
“Tell him we’re going to dinner first.”
“Good idea. I’ll call him around nine and tell him we’ve decided to watch movies instead of heading his way. I hate lying to him, Pi. You know this.”
The hell if I was giving up my night because she hated lying to her husband. “So, don’t come,” I told her.
“Fuck that! Just because I dislike doing it, doesn’t mean I’m not going to,” she stated.
Her indignant tone made me laugh. “You know, there’s a fifty percent chance we will pull this off without the guys finding out.” She snorted and we both laughed. In a way I wanted Gage to find out. I wanted him to stop treating me with kid gloves. I wanted the old Gage back, once and for all.
After making several phone calls, I got busy and cleaned the house. Gage called around two to tell me they’d arrived in Kentucky and were heading into their first meeting. All was going according to plan. Joss called at four thirty and told me Kurt had just left for Dragonfly and she’d be by to get me in an hour. I was putting the final touches on my makeup when Gage texted wanting to know what I was doing. I gave him a quick rundown on our evening plans and told him I’d catch up with him sometime later. Joss honked right as I finished the text. I silenced my phone and shoved it into my little black clutch, before heading to the car.
Ellie and Sarah squealed when I opened the door and climbed in.
“I cannot believe you pulled this off,” Sarah said.
“I thought Max was never going to leave this morning,” Ellie responded.
“Why is he acting like such a drill sergeant?” Sarah asked. “He questioned me for at least ten minutes this morning about what we were all doing tonight.” Ellie and I both groaned in response.
“We’ll explain later. Tonight is strictly about having fun,” Ellie told her.
I buckled my seatbelt and turned to see
what they were wearing. Ellie had on a sexy sleeveless red dress with black platform heels. Sarah had on what looked like a dark red bustier and black form fitting pants. Her red and black matching heels were the shit. Both ladies had their hair pulled back, and both looked amazing. Joss had on an emerald green silk sheath dress with gorgeous silver heels. Instead of straightening her long blonde hair, she wore it curly. I had on a strapless blue-grey lace top with a black silk knee length skirt. The top fit like a glove and the skirt would allow me to move around on the dance floor. Due to our time limitations and venue choice, there would be no strippers tonight. Truthfully, I was relieved. We’d already done the stripper thing. Tonight, I just wanted to drink and dance with my friends. Joss cranked up some obscure eighties tune and we all groaned at her crappy taste in music. I would usually give her hell. However, with how things had been lately, the normalcy of it soothed my frayed nerves. I can’t remember the last time it was just me, the girls and zero stress.
Zane was waiting at the downstairs door when we arrived at Whisky’s. I didn’t know him very well. I knew he was an old army buddy of Dillon’s, and he’d hired Dillon to work at Whisky’s when Dillon first got out of the army. He had stopped in at Dragonfly a few times while I was working with Dillon and we had talked. He seemed like a good enough guy, but then again, so did Zippo. Zane introduced us to his two managers, Blake and Hunter. All three were extremely nice looking men. Once upon a time I would have mercilessly flirted with all three of them. A pang of guilt swept through me and I twirled my engagement ring around my finger several times. Why am I thinking about all of this now? I gave myself a mental slap, before following everyone upstairs to the roof top deck. My mouth hit the floor when I saw the private table.
My eyes darted from the perfectly set table to Zane. “You didn’t have to do this,” I gasped.
With a smile and a wink, he said, “It’s just for dinner. When you all head to the Dungeon, I’ll open it back up.”
