“I will. Thanks.” With a slightly confused look on her face, Georgia walks away, leaving us alone once more, but the damage is done.
I hate myself for it. I fucking loathe what I did to her. In the end, Piper will thank me for doing this. For letting her know right away where she stands. Better to nip it in the bud now. This is what a good guy would do, right?
I clench my hands into tight fists. I want to hit something—mostly myself for hurting Piper.
The waiter appears with our food and refills our drinks.
“Looks good, huh?”
“Yes.” Her eyes are downcast, hiding her emotions from me. “I’m sure I’ll enjoy it.”
“You’re invited to the party, too.”
“I won’t be able to attend, but thank you for the invitation,” she says in the most formal tone of voice I’ve ever heard.
“But you live with me.”
“I have plans.”
“With who?”
Finally she looks up at me, her dark eyes suspiciously shiny. “My parents.”
“Sounds swell.”
“Mm-hmm.” Piper pushes around the food on her plate. “Always is.”
“You could always skip it.”
“I really don’t have a choice. Besides, you should know what it’s like to have to spend time with someone you don’t really want to be around.”
Ouch. “I like spending time with you.”
She holds up a hand. “Stop talking and let me attempt to finish my meal. Please.”
Jaw working, I nod once and dig into my food, tasting nothing. When the waiter comes by with the check, it’s a relief for both of us. I pay the bill and head outside, making sure she’s following me.
Where would she go—you’re the one who brought her here.
Fuck my life. I’m adding insult to her hurt feelings. She has no choice but to ride with me.
“You want me to drive you home and then we can get your car later, or do you want me to take you to the shop to get your car first?” I ask, fitting the helmet on her once more. She stands there as docile as can be while allowing me to touch her.
“Whatever is more convenient for you,” she says, avoiding my gaze.
“Either one works.” I swing my leg over the seat and hold the bike steady while she climbs on behind me. It’s almost a repeat of earlier today, but all of the excitement and anticipation have been sucked out of the air.
“Which one is closer?” she asks.
“The shop.”
“I want to go there first.”
Fuck. I did not mean to hurt her like this. “Piper, I’m sor—”
“It’s okay, Jase. I mistook your kindness for something more, and that’s on me, not you. Don’t worry about it.” She pats my shoulder a couple of times, and I bite back a groan.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
“Are you sure we’re okay?” This time, I turn to look at her, but the tinted visor is over her eyes.
“Peachy,” came her muffled reply.
The ride back to her car isn’t anything close to what it was on the way over. Despite the fact that she’s holding on to me, her body is stiff as a board. As soon as I pull into the parking lot and come to a stop, she practically jumps off and yanks at the straps of the helmet before tossing it to me.
“Thanks for the ride and dinner,” she calls out.
Without a backward glance, she unlocks her car and gets in. I wait while she does whatever her routine is before she finally starts up her car and pulls onto the highway. I follow her home, but instead of pulling in after her, I take off, needing time to get my shit together.
For the first time in my life, I have no idea what to say to a woman.
Chapter 5
Piper
When I realize that Jase isn’t pulling in behind me to park his motorcycle in the detached garage, I put my car in reverse and drive straight to Rowan’s house. It’s after seven, so she and Seth should be home from work by now. They don’t eat out a lot since they’re saving for a wedding and an extra-long honeymoon. Rowan has never traveled anywhere and Seth spent the last seven years traveling to war-torn countries. They are so adorably in love that I can’t help but root for them to be together forever. Or for me to find my own true love one day. Maybe Jase will—
Stop thinking that way. Life is hard. It’s not a fairy tale, no matter how much you wish it were.
Rowan is outside when I pull up to the curb. She’s messing around in the flower beds out front, something I never thought I’d see her do—until I realize she’s holding a golf club.
“Show your head again, damn vole, and I will knock it into the next county,” she shouts as I get out.
“Is this a bad time?” Please don’t let it be. I’m holding on by a thread. The urge to cry is weighing down on me so hard that I can barely walk to her. If I didn’t know better¸ I would say this felt worse than an asthma attack.
She whips around, her long blond hair flying as her scowl turns into a genuine, dazzling smile. At five feet eleven, Rowan has the looks of a supermodel and the mouth of a sailor—two reasons why Seth is attracted to her. At least in my opinion.
However, the reason he loves her is her heart. It’s big and full of love for those she holds dear. I thank God every day that I’m included in her small circle.
“Oh, shit. That son of a bitch hurt you,” she says, dropping the club and running to me. She wraps me up in a tight hug. “You haven’t even been there for twenty-four hours. I’m going to kill my brother.”
Immediately, I begin to sob all over her, finally giving my pent-up emotions free rein. “I told him how I felt and he just…he only thinks of me as his kid sister.” My heart pinches at the admission.
“So soon?” Rowan gasps, then shakes her head. “I’m sorry—it doesn’t matter when you told him. You were brave to tell him.”
Sniffing and wiping my nose, I shake my head. “I was stupid for admitting my feelings. It’s obvious I’m not his type.”
“Yes, you are. He probably doesn’t want to—”
“I don’t care what he wants. For once I want it to be about what I want.” I pull out of her embrace and stalk to the back door, not even bothering to wait to see if she’s following me. All I know is that I need to get inside because I won’t make a further spectacle of myself by crying on the front lawn.
“Piper, calm down,” she says as I open the back door and go inside.
“Don’t tell me what to do. If I want to throw a hissy fit over a guy, I will!”
Rowan grabs my shoulder, and I have to stop in the middle of my stomp-off. “I’m concerned about your asthma flaring up, that’s it. If you think you’re good to go, then I’m here to listen to you.”
Almost all of my self-righteous anger leaves me, deflating my body. “I wasn’t thinking about my asthma.” Mother likes to pretend I don’t have such a disgusting problem while my father barely notices anything about me at all. “Rowan, it was so embarrassing. Right after I told him how much I cared for him, he flirted with the hostess and got her to give him her number so he could invite her to a stupid party he’s having next Friday night.”
“Is that all he did?” she asks, letting go of me.
I move to the living room, kicking off my shoes so that I can curl up on the sofa. “Yes.”
“He didn’t ask her out?”
I give her a look. “Does he ever ask women out?”
She shrugs before sitting beside me. “Honestly, I don’t think so. Mostly, from what I remember and what I’ve seen since he’s been out, they chase him.”
“I’m thrilled to be counted among that number now.” I drop my head into my hands. “What was I thinking?”
“That you wanted to take life by the balls and go for it, instead of letting it happen to you,” she says firmly.
I peek out at her from between my fingers. “Life sucks.”
“What happened after his invitation?”
“He stopped flirting with her and we a
te dinner, then he drove me home. Well, I rode on the back of his motorcycle because my car was at the shop.”
Rowan gets a thoughtful look on her face. “He only invited her to a party, stopped flirting with her, and allowed you to ride his bike—a first, by the way.”
“No, I’ve been on his bike before…before he went to prison,” I say, then blush when Rowan tilts her head to one side to study me.
“He’s never had any woman but you on that bike. I’ve never ridden that bike, and now you’re telling me that it wasn’t the first time for the two of you?”
“You make it sound so forbidden. It wasn’t like that. I’d had a disagreement with Mother, and you weren’t home—you were with Seth—so Jase offered to get my mind off of things.”
“Piper, I swear to God if you’ve been lying to me about being a virgin all these years, I will kill you,” she says fiercely. “And if my brother was the one to sweet-talk you out of your v-card, I will kill him dead.”
“No, no!” I can’t get the words out fast enough. “It wasn’t like that at all. He was genuinely nice to me and only took me for a ride on his bike around the block a couple of times. Strictly platonic. I swear, if I’d given him or any other guy my virginity, you’d be the first to know.”
Slightly mollified, Rowan settles back down against the cushions. “Good.”
“Kinda hoped he’d be the one, though,” I whisper miserably as tears well up again. “Everyone else sees him as this villain, but I don’t, Rowan—at least not until tonight.”
“Men are stupid,” she says as I put my head on her shoulder and wipe away the useless tears I keep shedding over Jase. She begins to run a hand through my hair to comfort me. “Maybe you need to do that matchup thing your mom set up for you.”
I frown, but deep inside I know Rowan’s right. There’s no escaping what’s meant to be, and the only thing I’m meant to be in life is a trophy wife.
“And I completely lost my mind for suggesting that.” Rowan shudders. “Listen, I don’t think you’re down for the count when it comes to Jase. I think you threw him for a loop. Next time, if you want to take the chance on him again, back up your words with some action.”
“I’ll consider it.”
Rowan laces her free hand with mine. “We’ll talk more about strategy later.”
I let out a breath. “Why is this so important to you?”
“Because you’re my best friend and I love you. I want you to be happy and I think with a little push, you and Jase would be good together. You’d be better than any other girl.”
Since I know the reputation of the other girls he’s dated, I’m not sure her bar is set very high. “I don’t think—”
“Trust me, okay? Besides, do you really want your mother and her matchmaker to set you up with Mark Williams or someone like him?” she asks.
No, but I’m more than a little afraid that when I meet with Mother and Father that they will insist I use the service, and I won’t be able to say no because I won’t have a reason to say no—at least beyond my own wants and needs.
“Fine,” I huff.
“Good girl,” Rowan coos, and I roll my eyes, but I know she’s only teasing me.
“Thanks for being home,” I say.
“You’re welcome.”
Jase
“Shouldn’t you be out with Piper?” Emmett asks when I walk into the shop.
“Shouldn’t you be out fucking whatever happens to land on your dick?”
Taking my bad mood in stride, Emmett flips me off and goes back to working on a design for one of his late-night clients. “I take it dinner didn’t go well.”
“Not exactly.”
“So did you break her heart before or after dessert?”
“Before,” I mumble.
He drops the pencil he’s holding and pins me with a steely gaze. “Damn it, Jase. If she quits before she gets started on our books, I’m holding you personally responsible.”
“Would you rather we get involved and then I break her heart? A lawsuit is more to your liking?” I’m grasping at straws trying to defend myself.
“What makes you so sure you’ll fuck things up?”
“My life is one big fuckup. I spent the past seven years in prison, Emmett. What do I have to offer someone like Piper?”
He scratches his jaw, his gaze knowing now. “Seems to me that if she wanted more than what you have to offer, then she wouldn’t have asked you to dinner in the first place. She’s hot as fuck and comes from money—dudes are probably sniffing around her twenty-four/seven.”
Yeah, guys like Mark Williams. “Her dad’s a cop, and not just any cop, but the head guy.”
Emmett puckers his mouth and makes kissing noises. “Come to daddy, and give me some of that forbidden pussy.”
Irritated as shit at him, at me, and at the world in general, my hands ball into fists and I have to force myself not to lay his ass out on the floor. “Watch your mouth.”
“She’s not your concern, but now that I know how you feel, I can ask her out.” He moves to me, lowering his voice as if sharing a secret. “Bet she tastes real sweet. And those tits—fucking a, bro—I could motorboat them for days—”
Instead of hitting Emmett, I shove him hard. If he falls over something, I can claim he wasn’t watching where he was going and not get my ass carted off to jail for assault. “I said to watch your fucking mouth.”
Emmett shakes his head. “You have it bad. Man up and apologize. Tell her how you really feel and let her make the decision. It’s not right you’re doing it for her—her entire life has been managed by her family.”
How he manages to go from sounding like a fifteen-year-old punk to Yoda is beyond me. “You best buds with some punk ass in The Oaks or something?”
“Nah. This girl and her friend I had over the other night wouldn’t shut up about Piper’s rebellion. No one, and I mean no one, can believe she actually moved out of her parents’ house.”
“Those people have serious first-world issues,” I grumble.
Emmett smirks. “We all have issues.”
“I’m taking a smoke break,” I say, heading outside.
We made it a rule that no one smokes in our shop, not even after hours. I actually kind of like it because I instituted the same rule at my own house and I’ve cut down to one cigarette a day. If I were to get serious with Piper, I would have to go cold turkey because I’d read that cigarette smoke aggravates asthmatics.
“Later, dude.” Emmett shuffles back to his workstation.
Fuck, I have so much to think about, so much to consider. It’s not that I’m against being with Piper—hell, I’ve had a hard-on for her for years when it comes to her looks and her personality—it’s…yeah, I know my soul is stained black with my past deeds, but beyond that…does Piper want me because I’m so bad, especially compared to her, or because I’m the exact opposite of what her parents want for her future?
Only, while I was in prison, it did that girl absolutely no good to send me care packages and funny little notes. No good at all. I doubt her parents even knew what she was doing, since Western Prison is operated on a state level and not county. No way she was giving her parents the finger by performing those acts of kindness.
Maybe, just maybe, Piper wants me for me—not my reputation—nothing but me.
—
It’s after one a.m. when I finally pull into the driveway. Piper’s BMW is nowhere to be found, and not for the first time I start to worry about her. I should have waited until I actually watched her walk inside before I left.
Heart racing, I pull out my phone and give Rowan a call.
“ ’Lo?” she says, all sleepy sounding.
“Is Piper there?”
“Yeah, she’s sleeping with me.”
“O’Connor best be in another state,” I growl. It’s ridiculous, I know, but the thought of any man touching Piper makes me unreasonably jealous. In light of what I did to her earlier this evening, it’s downrig
ht idiotic.
“We’re on the sofa, numbnuts,” she says on a yawn. “Seth’s in the recliner watching Cupcake Wars.”
“I’ll come get her.”
“She might not want you to,” Rowan says.
Uneasiness and shame wash over me before settling into my soul. I hate that my sister knows what went down between Piper and me, no matter how much I’m trying to save her heartache and pain.
“Doesn’t matter. Her home is with me.”
“Too bad you couldn’t have said that to her at dinner.”
“I was trying to save her some heartache.”
“Uh-huh. Maybe you were trying to save yourself from heartache.”
“Not going there, Ro.” I begin to jog to Rowan and Seth’s house. It’s not that far away from mine and I’ll be able to drive Piper’s car back…with her in it, of course.
“Whatever. Just don’t hurt my girl again, or I’ll forget you’re my brother,” she says.
Only a woman worth being with could inspire such loyalty in her best friend. “Be there in five minutes.”
—
Seth greets me at the door. His black hair is cut severely short and his dog tags are hanging over his shirt. Even before he was a Marine veteran, he was the only guy I’d ever let get close to Rowan. Now that they’re getting married—well, let’s just say that I’m having visions of kids calling me Uncle Jase. My sister is finally getting the happiness she deserves with a man who knows exactly how much she’s worth. Rowan is fucking priceless in my eyes—his, too.
Always has been, always will be.
“Shit, it’s a little late for a social call,” he says by way of greeting.
“Come to take my girl home.”
“Which girl?” Seth opens the screen door and I walk inside. “Your sister Rowan or your sister Piper?” he asks with no small amount of amusement in his voice.
“Fuck you,” I mutter, striding to the living room.
“Rowan passed out after talking to you. She said to tell you that Piper carries on conversations in her sleep and she can sleep through a nuclear bomb going off, so good luck with all that,” he says.
When We Fall Page 5
