by Tabatha Kiss
Piper Lynch (Belle Academy Female #13) has officially been checked off the list. I hadn’t even thought about the bet at all until now. It used to be so important to me, one of the only driving forces I had. But now?
“No,” I finally answer. “Congratulations, man.”
He raises his hands in the air and celebrates to himself while I walk out of the room.
Chapter 15
Piper
“Where’s Kai?”
I glance at the couch over the top of my mug as I pour a bit of steaming brew down my throat. I lick my lips, relishing in the fresh French coffee taste, far better than anything I’ve had back home. The blanket he used is folded neatly on the cushions but Kai is nowhere to be found. “I don’t know,” I answer my mother. “He must have left early this morning.”
She stares at me from across the table and for a moment, I think that maybe she knows what happened between us. I thought at the time I had been careful and managed to keep my usually loose tongue silent, but I underestimated how good Kai would feel inside of me. The memory of it surges through my core, begging for me to take him for another ride — but it’s officially more complicated than that.
“Did you two have a fight?” she asks.
“No…” I bite my lips. “Not exactly. Well… I told him I wasn’t going back home and he didn’t like that. At all.”
My mother raises an eyebrow. “Well, I’m not the least bit surprised,” she says. “He followed you all the way here.”
“I know.” I comb my fingers through my hair. “I know.”
A quick smile graces her face. “Are you sure you want to stay here?”
“Of course!” I say. “I meant it, Mom. I’m not going back.”
“Okay.” She keeps her eternal calmness about her and I wonder how it managed to skip a generation. “But you may want to consider making things right with him before he does.”
I stare at the table between us. “I don’t know what good it’ll do.”
“It’ll give you a little peace of mind, I think,” she says. “And you’re not going to enjoy the rest of your European adventure with Kai Casablancas in your thoughts.”
“Maybe you’re right,” I say, filling the silent air.
“Parents make a whole lot of mistakes,” she continues, “and, eventually, we won’t be around at all. But your siblings — god willing — are the ones that’ll be by your side through it all. They know where you come from and they understand you better than anyone else. Sure, you’re not real siblings, but you’ve known each other long enough to be as close as the real deal.”
I take a deep breath and follow with a slow sigh. She’s right, of course she is, but I’m not sure I trust myself to go through with it. If I see Kai again, I might not be able to walk away as easily as I could before. Last night was a mistake in many ways, but perhaps it’s a mistake worth making twice. “I’ll go and say goodbye,” I say slowly. “Then I’ll come back here, grab my stuff, and make my train to London.”
“You sure you don’t want me to join you?” she asks.
“I think I want to do this one on my own,” I says. “No offense.”
She grins. “None taken. I remember my first time in Europe alone. There’s no better freedom.”
I nod. Freedom. It’s all I ever wanted, or so I thought. Freedom to wander. Freedom to live. Freedom to love…
My lips vibrate from the memory of us together — finally together. I touch my bottom lip, the feeling of his teeth nibbling at me still very fresh upon them.
Kai fucking Casablancas.
How am I supposed to say goodbye to you now?
***
Mandy closes in on me. “Take care of yourself, Piper,” she whispers.
I wrap my arms around her and she returns my embrace. “You do you, lady,” I tell her. I look over her shoulder and my eyes lock on Kai’s for a second. He looks away, pretending to pay attention to something else within the busy airport.
Mandy chuckles. “You do you,” she repeats.
I cup her face and kiss her softly on the lips to taste her sweet cherry lip balm on mine. We smile at each other and she takes a step back to join Shawn. I shake my head at that look of immature intensity in his eyes after seeing two girls kiss. “Bye, guys,” I tell them.
“Bye, Piper,” they both say as they turn away.
“You guys go ahead,” Kai says, his eyes on me. “I’ll catch up.”
Damn. No. Kai, just go.
Shawn nods and continues on his way, but Mandy’s gaze lingers on me. It’d be easy to ask her to stay and get out of this moment with Kai, but it would never bring me the closure I need to let him go. I gesture for her to move on and leave us and she gives me an understanding smile in return before pushing through the crowded airport.
“Piper…” he begins.
“Have a safe trip, Kai,” I say.
“Piper, please,” he whispers. “I’ll go, but I want to ask you something first.”
I cross my arms over my chest to hide my nervous shaking. “Okay,” I say.
“I want a genuine, honest response from you. Can you do that?”
I take a deep breath, wishing that he would just turn around and leave before I change my mind. Every time I look up into his eyes, I feel the urge to leave with him bubbling beneath the surface of me, fighting to get out. “Yes,” I answer.
He studies my face. “Why did you come to me last night?” he asks.
“I… wanted to know if it felt different with someone that loved me.” I say the first words that travel through my mind. They feel so very real and powerful, I believe beyond the shadow of a doubt that they’re true.
“Did it?” he asks.
I blink, unable to answer the question. I want to, I really do. But…
Kai takes a step closer to me. His hands travel to my arms and rest lightly on my elbows. “Come home with me,” he says.
“No,” I say.
“Piper, please.”
“Kai… no.” I shake my head. “I can’t. I’ve made my decision.”
I can see his teeth clenched together behind his lips. “You’re so damned stubborn, Pipes—”
“I’m stubborn?”
“Yes. You. You’re stubborn.”
I stop myself from continuing the banter, no matter how much I want to. It’s so easy to slip into that mode with Kai. It’s probably what I’ll miss the most about him. “Kai…” I smile. “Go home.”
“I don’t want to leave you without know where I can find you again,” he says.
“I’ll be around…”
“That’s not good enough.”
“Kai, please…” I’m slipping fast. If I don’t walk away soon, I won’t be able to at all.
“Fine,” he says. He takes a step back. His warm hands drop from my arms, leaving behind a wave of goosebumps. “It’s a real shame.”
“What is?” I ask.
He bends over and grips his duffel bag. “After twelve years, I was just starting to really get to know you.”
My heart breaks and I can’t say a word. A crushing sorrow knocks me off course. I close my eyes. If I keep them open, I know I’ll only look at him again and this time, I won’t be able to leave him.
“Goodbye, Piper.”
I open my eyes to see his back drifting off into the crowd.
“Goodbye, Kai,” I whisper.
***
My heart thumps harder in my chest with every step I take through the train station in Paris. My next stop is London and anyone with half a brain can look at a map and tell you that two are separated by a good stretch of water. I never thought much about it until just now when I realized I would be riding a train underneath the damn English Channel. Claustrophobia begins to set in, a sensation I’m certain I’ve never felt before, but I continue on in the name of adventure.
Besides, it’s a good distraction.
My phone buzzes in my hand and I pause to check the incoming message.
Have
fun, sweetie!
I smile at the message from my mother. We just said goodbye nearly an hour ago and I already miss her deeply. It feels nothing like the last time I said goodbye to her as a young, confused girl of sixteen. Back then, I didn’t know when I’d see her again, but now, I know I’ll see her in a week’s time.
After that, my future is blank and I love everything about that. Nothing is written in stone for me by someone else’s hand. I’ll write my own adventure, make my own choices, and be my own person.
I chuckle softly to myself. Happiness swells within me, calming my senses as I hold the power button down on my phone. I promised my father I would keep it turned on for the entirety of the trip so he could check where I am at all times. The itinerary I gave him is now officially outdated.
“All right, Piper,” I say to myself. “Let’s do this bitch.”
I continue on and find the train with a few minutes to spare. It’s crowded, far more so than any other train I’ve taken so far. It’s full of so many different people, from obvious tourists to locals commuting to and from work. I push through the narrow aisles and double check my ticket for the correct seat. I wonder who I’ll be sitting by this time and surprise myself when my first thought isn’t whether it’ll be a tall, dark, and handsome stranger.
I enter the next car and freeze in the aisle. A smile touches my lips as I step closer to my seat. Kai Casablancas sits slouched back in the window seat next to mine with his arms crossed over his chest, like he was always meant to be there. I blink repeatedly, convinced that I’ve once again succumbed to a trick of the mind, but he’s still there every time I open my eyes. I don’t say a word as I raise my bag up and slide it into the compartment above the seat.
I sit down beside him in silence. Kai’s eyes are locked on the window, but I can clearly see his amusement pouring out of them. His satisfyingly smug grin teases the corners of his lips. Finally, I can’t take our silence anymore. “Don’t you have to be at school in two days?”
Kai shrugs his shoulders. “I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be right now,” he answers. “And the first week is nothing but orientation junk anyway…”
I sit back as my heart trembles. His presence now… it’s overwhelming me, but I can’t dwell on it without bursting. “So, I guess Shawn was happy to hear you finally completed your collection,” I say, attempting to play it cool.
He meets my eyes. “Actually, he was really disappointed when I told him I couldn’t pull it off,” he says.
I raise an eyebrow. My skin erupts in tiny sensations. “Was he now?”
“You remain the holy grail of Belle Academy lays, Piper.”
“Yeah, and what happens when you go home and have to explain this to everyone?”
“I honestly haven’t thought that far ahead yet,” he says. “And I don’t really care to.”
I exhale and grip the armrests to hold myself steady. “What did you lose?” I ask.
“What do you mean?”
“In the bet,” I say. “What were the terms?”
“Oh…” He tilts his head. “My car.”
“You gave up your car?” My jaw drops from shock. “You love that thing.”
“There will always be other cars.”
“But—”
“There are more important things worth holding on to,” he interrupts me and slips his hand around mine. “There’s only one Piper Lynch out there.”
I shake my head at him. “You’re an idiot.”
“I know,” he smiles. “I can live with that… but I can’t live without Piper Lynch.”
“Okay, that’s enough,” I laugh. “You’ve proved your point.”
“Really?” he asks. “I have like six more good lines before I’m tapped out.”
“Kai…”
“Yes, Piper?”
“Shut up.”
I lean in and kiss him softly. He stays still until I pull away and see that damned smug glint in his eyes once again. I shake my head at him before leaning in to steal another kiss. He returns my kisses this time, reaching out to cup my face with one hand to hold me against him.
Kai Casablancas.
Freedom will taste just as good with you here with me.
***
RIDE ME
Piper & Kai
Series 2
PIPER
Sex.
It used to be all I thought about.
Until Kai Casablancas, my stepbrother, happened. After that, things got really complicated.
I had a plan to start a new life. It was a good plan. There were charts and graphs. Every detail was in the bag. But then… Kai had to go and ruin that. Feelings came up, feelings I never even knew I had for him. Unfortunately, they weren’t part of the plan and I had to do what was necessary to get back on track.
Now, I can barely even look at myself in the mirror.
Six months have passed. I can’t live like this anymore.
It’s time to return home and settle things with Kai once and for all.
KAI
Sex.
It used to be all I thought about.
Until Piper Lynch, my stepsister, happened. After that, things got a whole lot simpler.
I used to think I’d meet a nice girl and settle down. It was a good plan. Countless generations before me had accomplished the exact same thing, so surely I could as well. But then… Piper had to go and ruin that. I confessed my love to her and for one blissful week, I thought I had everything all figured out. Unfortunately, my feelings were a little bit one-sided and I was tossed out like yesterday’s garbage after she got what she wanted out of me.
Now, I can barely even close my eyes without seeing her face.
Six months have passed. I’m in the prime of my young life.
It’s time to get on with it and forget about Piper once and for all.
***
Chapter 1
Piper
The plane lurches in the air and I dig my nails deep into the armrest. After months of traveling by train across Europe and Asia, I’d almost forgotten how much I hated planes. I pull my coat a little tighter around me as I gaze out the window. I’m not cold, not in the slightest. It just provides me with a more pleasant sense of security — one that I need as I look out the window and catch sight of the Los Angeles skyline.
Hello, America. Piper Lynch is back.
I wasn’t planning on coming back here, especially not so quickly. It’s been six months since I stepped foot on American soil. She and I didn’t exactly part on good terms, either. But it wasn’t her fault. Not at all. I love the country of my birth and I feel a surge of happiness as I look at her again. No, I just wronged a few people here and forgiveness will not come easy. Especially from Philip Lynch, my father.
A week in Europe, I asked of him. That’s all I wanted. I wanted just a few days to do some traveling and see a few new places before I was once again locked down inside a school with a book permanently glued to my hand for another four years. At Belle Academy, my private high school populated by the spawn of the social elite, I was Valedictorian. Everyone knew me. I was Piper Lynch, the headmaster’s beautiful daughter. I was going to go to Harvard and take over the world. It’s what everyone saw when they looked at me…
Except him.
Kai Casablancas. My stepbrother. He saw right through me from the beginning.
He wasn’t always my stepbrother. Before that, he was an acquaintance, possibly even a friend. Our mothers were very close. That was, until my father and his mother had an affair that ripped both of our families apart. My own mother bolted the country because of it on a mission to find herself. She abandoned me, but I never once blamed her for it.
No, all of the blame fell squarely on my father’s shoulders.
So when I asked him for a quick trip to Europe, I wasn’t being completely honest with him. I went to Europe last August with a one-way ticket and he had no idea. No one did, except for my best friend, Mandy Black. She came with me, just as he
llbent as I was to have a good time before responsibility once again reared its ugly head. One last hurray with each other (and handsome European men, of course) before she went off to college at USC and I started a new life in Europe with my mother.
Everything was going according to plan. Until Kai ruined everything.
My idiot stepbrother and his friend, Shawn Monty, made a bet with each other when they were fifteen. Kai had to sleep with all twenty-three girls of our graduating class before college began. He claimed it wasn’t serious until they realized that Kai was indeed capable of pulling it off. For years, I heard whispers in the hallways about Kai Casablancas and his notorious cock picking off girls in our class one-by-one. In all honesty, I was impressed, but certainly felt my fair share of disgust at the very idea of Kai using women to win a bet. But who was I to judge? I’m not exactly the innocent darling my father — and the world — wishes to believe.
Kai made his way through the young women of our class (including Mandy, a fact I never let her live down) until there was only one left: Me. Part of the reason why I ran off to Europe at the end of the summer was to rid myself of his obvious sexual advances.
Was it tempting? You’re damn right it was. Kai is not exactly unremarkable in terms of attractiveness and style. He’s streets ahead of most other men in our class, but that did not dismiss the more obvious issues involved with a stepsister fucking her stepbrother. It still didn’t stop Kai from following me to Europe in the hopes he’d weasel his way into my panties.
Did it work? More than I’d care to admit.
I wouldn’t be on this plane right now if it hadn’t.
Kai fucking Casablancas.
I said before that he saw right through me from the beginning, but that’s not entirely true. He knew I wasn’t the person I was pretending to be, but the image he had of me in his mind wasn’t correct either. It created quite the rift between us, one that I thought would never be healed… until he followed me into the streets of Paris and discovered the real reason why I came to Europe. He came face-to-face with my mother and I confessed my world to him in the hopes that he would somehow understand me. The real me.
