The flight wasn’t long, and before we knew it, we were back in Boston. We collected our bags at Logan Airport and headed over to pick up Jorge’s car from short-term parking. As we were packing my things into the trunk, Jorge’s phone went off.
“Nora,” he said with exasperation in his voice. “Be right there.”
I smiled and went to sit in the car. While I waited, I took my own phone out to check my messages and found a new text from my mother.
Your stuff is in the garage. You have a week to pick up your things before we give them to charity. You can use the key we gave you to get in, but leave it in the mailbox when you’re done.
My heart sank. Now I needed to get my stuff from my mother’s. I’d have to get a storage locker for everything if I didn’t return to school. God, how much was that going to cost? What about my school loans? My mind raced with all the expenses before me.
“Nora invited us out for drinks tonight,” Jorge said as he settled behind the wheel. He drove through the parking garage. “Eric is alright with you staying, but he has a girlfriend. So on the nights she’s there, we’ll have to be creative for thirty minutes at least.” He chuckled and turned to me noticing I wasn’t responding. “Why are you so quiet?”
I focused on the windshield wipers. “Sorry. I have a lot on my mind.”
“That’s understandable. So what do you think about going out for drinks tonight?” he asked as he pulled up to the gate to pay the attendant.
“I don’t want to spend money right now,” I said.
“I can pay for drinks,” he offered.
I dropped my head. “I’m not in the mood. It will be better if I look for work, store my stuff, find a permanent place to stay and figure out how I’m going to go back to school.”
“It will all work out,” he said with conviction.
I wanted to disagree, but instead turned on the radio and wouldn’t you know, sad break-up songs were on every channel. And boy, did they hit home. With lyrics like “She’s gone. You better learn how to face it.” Yeah. Easier said than done. Or, “You hurt me. I hate you.” Maybe a little. I turned the music off, and we rode the rest of the way to the dorm in silence.
When we arrived, we found Eric wasn’t there. Jorge immediately sprang into action, clearing space in his side of the closet for me. That was when it all hit me again. I was basically homeless and jobless. I swallowed a sob and went about putting a few things away before sitting down on the bed with my laptop. Jorge went to his desk and worked on his coursework. I smiled at the familiar scene. It was how the two of us spent most of our time together during the school year.
I opened up my laptop and solemnly reviewed all the photos from the road trip I hadn’t sorted. I still needed to send the remaining to the group as well as work on their websites. So I spent a few hours placing the images in Dropboxes and updating the entries. After I was done, I went about sending my resume to every job I could think of. However, I didn’t know how many would take on someone for less than two weeks. I needed fast money. I eyed a few of the fast-money jobs and blanched. Most involved things I wasn’t sure I could do. Hmmm. Gentlemen’s club.
“No,” Jorge said coming up behind me and dropping his paper for me to edit.
I started looking through the website. Kitty Cat Club. “For a couple of weeks? They have the work today, get paid today, plan. I can’t be too picky.”
“You think it’s glamorous like you see in movies? It’s not. The things they make women do there.…” He shuddered.
I frowned. “I’m not going to the strip club on skid row. I’ll try the upscale ones first.”
“Somethings you can’t undo. You’re working in the media. I would hate for you to have your options cut because of prejudices that haunt you later,” Jorge said.
I closed the window on the screen and hunched my shoulders. He had a point.
“Nora will be over soon. She might have some ideas,” he said casually. “She offered to have you stay at her place with Faith.”
“So I can kick Taylor’s ass again?” I gave a dry laugh.
“Fucking asshole. You won’t need to. They broke up,” Jorge said. “But I told her you’re staying here. So I can keep an eye on you,” he said then went about picking out his clothes.
I groaned and took out my phone and was happy to find a reply message from Aunt Luna. This could be my break. I pressed play and had to listen to it twice as I could barely hear through her crying.
“It was going so well! I told him all that happened to me in the past, but he still took advantage of me. He’s married! Oh, Piper. I don’t know what to do. I paid for the rest of the retreat, so I’m staying. I’m sorry about Ella. She won’t take my calls. You can use your ticket soon to work on the farm.”
I told Jorge when he came back from his shower.
“Yeah. But you’re talking about Luna. She could meet the next love of her life in the next hour. You’d best make a plan for the long term,” he said picking out a printed t-shirt.
“Yeah. That’s true,” I said thickly.
“Hey, don’t look so glum,” he said. “We’ll figure it out.”
There was a knock on the door and he went over and opened it for Nora. She was dressed up in a pretty patterned summer dress and heels. Her dark hair swept in a high ponytail. Jorge went to kiss her cheek in greeting, but she moved her mouth and gave him a deep dirty smooch. Marking her territory, I supposed. She didn’t need to bother.
“Hello, Piper.” She gave me a tight smile.
I mischievously stretched out on his bed and put my arms behind my head like I was one of the guys and said. “Hey.”
“Knock it off,” Jorge said trying his best not to laugh at me.
“I don’t know if Jorge mentioned it, but we have a sofa bed in our apartment if you need it. I mean it’s better than squatting with two men in a dorm,” she said.
I bit the inside of my cheek. Or perhaps she’s worried about my squatting in Jorge’s bed with him? I didn’t think it would be too bad, but I was grateful for her offer. “Thank you. I just may take you up on it if it goes beyond two weeks.”
She turned toward Jorge. “You can stay over if you want tonight. I can get you up in time for your classes. Faith has your notes from the one you missed yesterday.”
“Yeah, she emailed it to me. I got it done. Piper is editing the paper for me,” he said.
I lifted the stack of papers next to me for emphasis.
“Oh, I see,” she said quietly.
Jorge got his jacket. “If you need anything just call. If you change your mind, we’re at The Warehouse.”
My face fell. The Warehouse. “Nope. I’m alright.”
“You sure you’ll be okay?” he asked. He came over to stand by me.
“I will. Go, have fun,” I said and waggled my brows.
He pushed my hair over my face, then dropped his car keys next to me. “In case you decide to get another burger. See you later.”
Flashes of lightening illuminated the room as they left and the sound of rain hitting the window pane weighed on my mind as I finished editing Jorge’s paper. I couldn’t help but think about my things in Royce’s garage. Cast out. I imagine it all getting splattered and damaged. This was pretty much unlikely. Still, the second I was done, I grabbed Jorge’s car keys and left.
*
I HADN’T DRIVEN Jorge’s car for a while, but after adjusting the seat, I had no problem driving out of the parking lot and onto the highway. I was going on over to my mother and Royce’s home in Chestnut Hill, after all that had happened and her telling me that she never wanted to speak to me again. Not only that, I was going over there without calling or leaving a message. In fact, I hadn’t planned it out at all. This realization didn’t hit me fully until I took the exit and was moving through the affluent neighborhood. What if they’re not home? What if they are home? I didn’t want to go through a confrontation. But it was too late. I had already arrived at their massive estate. The li
ghts were on, but I knew they left them on for security. The driveway was clear too, but they could have parked in the garage. So I went on and parked as close as I could to the door, reminding myself that I was given an invitation to collect my belongings. I would get in and out quickly I told myself. I tried the side door first and found it was locked. As I dug through my jeans for the key, the door suddenly opened to Royce. His large frame filled the space. He was dressed only in a pair of pajama bottoms. A smug smile spread across his face as his beady green eyes took in their fill of me standing in the rain.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m here to get my stuff. Mom said it was in the garage. I will only be a few minutes,” I stammered.
“Come in,” he said looming in the doorjamb. I waited for him to move back, but he merely left a little space around his body to get past him.
“Could you move?” I asked.
“I could,” he said unmoving.
I was getting soaked. “Just pass me my stuff. I will get out of here.”
“It didn’t have to be this way; you know,” he said.
“Where is mom?” I asked finally giving up and moving past him. He took that opportunity to try to get every part of my body to brush against him.
“She’s on a sedative,” he said. “Too distressed about you.”
My stomach knotted. “If you had told her the truth. She wouldn’t be like that.”
“I did tell her the truth,” he said.
“I didn’t blackmail you, and I didn’t send more than one photo to you. One you blackmailed me to get!” I hissed.
“I merely asked you. I gave you five thousand dollars because I wanted to make sure you were okay. You got me all wrong,” he said.
I stared at him in disbelief. He showed no evidence that he didn’t believe his version of what occurred between us.
I moved further into the garage and spotted a couple of boxes marked “Piper” in my mom’s handwriting and my suitcase by the sidewall. I picked up one and moved toward the exit. This time, he stood to the side with his arms crossed watching me carry it out and put it on the wet ground, and then onto the backseat. Shit. Now another thing I would have to fix. I took out some clothing to clean up the damp bottom from setting the box on the wet ground, then situated it on the seat.
“So, where is that biker?” he tersely asked when I walked back into the garage.
“Around,” I said.
“Liar. He’s gone. Men like him are never reliable. They get their fill and move on to the next woman,” he said.
“He’s nothing like that.” I picked up my next box and moved over to the door.
“I would have treated you like a queen, but you prefer to be treated like dirt,” he said.
“You’re my mother’s husband,” I replied.
He blocked my path. “I don’t have to be.”
I grimaced, moved around him and secured my other box in the backseat. Finally, I went back to collect my suitcase. It was heavy. I opened it and was relieved to find my desktop and flat screen monitor with clothing cushioning it. They were all neatly packed. My heart contracted. Even though my mother was upset with me, she’d still taken care. I zipped it back in and put it in the car trunk. I was about to get in the car when I remembered I needed to leave the key.
I went back inside the garage and started removing them from my keychain. “I’ll leave these with you,” I told Royce.
“Hear me out,” he said.
I shook my head. “I don’t want to listen to another word you have to say.”
“I can fix everything between you and your mother. I can help you next semester. All I offered before, would and could be yours,” he said closing the distance between us and blocking my path again. “I’m not interested. She will see you for who you really are or you will move on. I’m willing to wait you out.”
“You think you have me all figured out,” he said. His voice dripping with sarcasm.
I held out the keys for him to take. “I need to go.”
That was when he made his move. He grabbed my hand and knocked the keys to the ground and yanked me to his chest. I tried to twist out of his embrace, but he was strong and had a firm grip on me. I kneed him in his junk. He didn’t even flinch but moved me forward until the side of the garage hit my back. I was in trouble. How stupid was I to come to his home alone?
He grabbed my hair and balled it in his hands. “You will learn to respect me.”
He smashed his mouth against mine. His tongue forcefully pushed between my lips and practically down my throat! I pushed against his chest and gagged.
“What’s going on in here?” My mother’s voice rung out.
He let go of me so fast I stumbled.
I wiped my mouth on my shirt which I planned to throw away later. “Never touch me again,” I hissed.
She had moved from the kitchen entrance into the garage. Had she seen? I looked over at her and wasn’t sure. Her expression was blank. She looked small in her pale silk robe. Her hair, loose at her shoulders. She folded her arms.
“Mom,” I said. She didn’t even look at me.
“You should be resting. Piper is just picking up her things.”
“I am, but mom—”
“Get her out of here,” she hissed and turned away.
My insides crumbled. But I didn’t need to be thrown out. I didn’t waste another minute and left.
Chapter Four
Brody
THE PINK, GRANITE terrain of Pikes Peak summit was before us now. We’d landed an hour ago. The Rocky Mountains were the backdrop of Colorado Springs. It reminded me why I chose this locale. It had the city and small town feel all in one. My house was away from the city part. My oasis of peace. Or I had hoped it would be.
“Can you please drive faster?” Seren pleaded to the cab driver. I tugged on one of Seren’s pigtails of the pink wig she was wearing today. She took extra time to get ready for Cole putting on a sexy halter-neck top and mini-skirt. She looked cute. I liked it when women put in the effort. Cole did too. She also was practically bouncing in her seat. She was restless, but not just because she was impatient for their reunion.
The doctor had kept us longer, giving every reason under the sun why Seren needed to stay put, making us miss Cole’s first couple of days back in the USA from Afghanistan. He spent part of it getting from Coronado Base in California to Colorado Springs. The other part, getting the basics so we could stay there in the house I had planned to sell.
We hadn’t discussed yet where we all intended to stay if we stayed together. If. I hadn’t given up on the three of us. I just didn’t see how this would work. With Cole on active duty most of the time, we hadn’t had a chance to discuss it thoroughly. I was fine with any place but Los Angeles. That was where my parents lived. Where Mia still lived.
I took out my phone to send a message to Cole and found my screen had changed to the picture I took of Piper in bed after we had sex together the first time. Hell, every piece of her body imprinted on me that night. I remembered how soft her skin was to touch. How sweet her pussy tasted, and how tight it gripped my dick when she came. Fuck. I was aching in my jeans now.
“What are you grinning about?” Seren asked. She was a nosy little pixie. She also knew damned well what I was thinking about.
“I know you’re thinking about Piper,” she confirmed. “I found that one in the batch of photos she sent. I thanked her from the both of us since you’re avoiding her.”
“I’m not discussing Piper with you,” I said in a low tone. “You want me to share; you tell me how you’re feeling.”
She took out her own phone and started playing with it. “I told you. I’m fine. Stop worrying.”
I pressed my lips together. Let Cole be the bad guy for a change. Although I doubted he would.
I stared out of the window and went back to smiling once we turned off the main road and headed around the hilly incline leading to the house. I remembered my first impression that it was a
cabin when I went to buy it, but once in front, the house transformed into a contemporary modern lodge with brick siding, large glass windows, and stonework. It was a house right out of my dreams. Beauty and peace combined. We drove along the slate driveway I had laid and pulled over into a wood chipped space, next to Cole’s SUV and parked. Before we could climb out, the door opened and out ran Cole. Thor, or so some of his military brother’s called him. I could see that because of the bright blond hair and bulging biceps. Not to mention he stood an inch over my height, six-three. He wasn’t showing off much though, in a black pullover shirt and blue jeans. I caught a glance of Seren before she jumped out of the cab to greet him. She was beaming, and that softened me a bit. I loved how much she loved my brother. He deserved happiness. They both did.
“I love you so much, baby,” Seren said.
Cole kissed her. “I love you too. I missed you. I couldn’t wait to get back to you,” He swooped her up and spun her around while I paid for the cab. Once I got out, I inhaled deeply. Nothing like the fresh smell of pine, and grass.
By the time I’d got the suitcases from the trunk, he was all over her. Seren appeared just as excited. Her long legs wrapped around his waist. But I knew Cole, he would fuck her right there, but he needed to know what was going on before he took her for that ride.
“Hey, get over here and help get the bags,” I said, cock blocking him.
“Fuck you, Brody,” he said laughing. But he did put Seren down and come over to give me a hug too.
“Let the bromance commence,” Seren teased prompting Cole to turn my hug into a semi-headlock to muss my hair like he used to do when we were teens. The top of my hair was falling into my face, but I hadn’t wanted to cut it. Not after the way Piper pulled on it hard when I ate her. Fuck. Piper, again.
I didn’t like the word bromance, but I wouldn’t deny Cole and I were close. We always had each other’s back since we met in grade school; though we met through our fathers. His dad managed my father’s custom cars. And when I had nowhere to go, Cole didn’t hesitate in bringing me in with his parents. His father taught me everything about custom auto building because Cole had a call to service as a Marine like all Masterson men in his family before him. Cole didn’t mind his father giving over his legacy to me because he knew he would still be a part of it. We never thought of not being a part of each other’s life.
Piper Dreams: Make It Happen (Dream Series Book 2) Page 3
