When We Fall

by Marquita Valentine

  My tongue grows thick and my throat starts to feel tight. “Th-that wasn’t a st-stunt.”

  “Th-then w-what was it?” she mocks, and I feel like a little girl again. No, not a girl, but that overweight, shy teenager with a stutter and a yearning for a mother to love and accept her.

  “I want you to tell Daddy to leave Jase and me alone.”

  Her perfect face flushes. “You want me to dictate to your father?”

  “He listens to you.”

  She laughs bitterly. “All this for a fling, sugar? He must be good in bed.”

  I don’t answer her. How can I?

  “Actually, I do know how good Jase Simmons is,” she begins, and I feel sick. Wait. Jase would have told me if he had ever been with her. He would have. I refuse to believe otherwise. I’ll have faith in him, even if I have to confront his past. “That sweet-as-pie Beverly, whose daughter is Bentley, used to say he was an animal in the sack. Some even wonder if he’s the poor child’s father.”

  “Hard to father a child from prison,” I point out.

  “My, my, Piper Ross. Aren’t you full of yourself today.” Mother arches a brow, then opens her purse. She pulls out a lighter and a cigarette, giving me a look before lighting it. “You might want to stand over there in case your condition can’t take a little smoke.”

  “Don’t you care about me at all?” I ask, taking a step back.

  “I care about you getting this boy out of your system and doing the right thing,” she says. “This little act of rebellion has to stop.”

  I cross my arms. “I’m not giving Jase up.”

  She laughs. “Who said you have to?”

  “My dad, for one.”

  “He’s so old-fashioned when it comes to you,” she says. “Honey, just marry the right man and you can still have fun with the wrong one.”

  “I should get married so I can cheat on my husband with Jase?”

  “It’s The Oaks way.” She winks, then sobers. “Well, not for everyone, of course, but darling, girls from The Oaks don’t marry boys like Jase Simmons. He’s good for sex but not much else.”

  I can’t even defend Jase to her. Mostly, because I know it won’t make a difference. Her mind is set.

  “I can’t believe he’s the reason you moved out. You could have come to me, Piper. I would have understood. I had my own Jase Simmons when I was younger. Hell, he could be your daddy for all I know.”

  My mouth drops open in shock.

  “I’m only teasing. Your daddy is your daddy. He made sure of that,” she says cryptically. Opening a nearby window, she stubs out her cigarette and waves the smoke out before spritzing perfume on and eating a mint. “I’ll have a talk with him, sugar, make him understand what’s going on. But I’m going to need some assurance from you.”

  “Assurance?” I have no idea what she could mean by this and I’m not sure if I want to know.

  She walks to me and touches my cheek. Involuntarily, I lean into her touch. I’ve always wanted affection from her. “Marry the right man, Piper. Promise me that, and I’ll make sure your daddy leaves Jase alone.”

  Marry the right man? The only man for me is Jase, not some preppy asshole who—“You have my promise. I will marry the right man.”

  “Thank you. I knew I could count on you.”

  I watch as she hurries back to her meeting, not bothering to invite me to go with her. Fine with me. I have other things to do.

  Like convincing the right man to marry me.

  —

  “How did it go?” Jase asks as soon as I walk through the door of Tattoo Shop, but before I can answer, he gives me a hot kiss that sends my brain whirling for a moment.

  When he finally stops, I have to gather my thoughts once more. “My mother says I should enjoy my fling with you. That she’ll intervene on my behalf with my dad.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me?”

  “No, for once I believe her.”

  He slices his hand through the air. “Not that she’ll intervene, but that she thinks we’re having a fling.”

  “My mother assumes that’s what we are doing, and I allowed her to think as much.”

  He blinks at me for a moment. Then a grin curves the corners of his mouth. “Piper Ross, you lied to your mother?”

  I squirm a little. “Not really. I let her assume whatever she wanted.”

  “Shit, baby. I’m impressed, but how long do you think it will take before she realizes that we’re more than a fling?”

  “She said I should marry the right man while continuing my affair with you.” I don’t bother mentioning Beverly. Besides, my mother isn’t known for always telling the truth.

  “What the fuck is wrong with that woman?”

  “It’s…what she’s accustomed to, but I don’t want that. I don’t want her life.”

  “What do you want?” For the first time in my life, I see Jase as a man with vulnerabilities and it breaks my heart.

  “I want…” My heart speeds up and I let my words trail away.

  “It’s okay, kitten. Just tell me,” he says encouragingly.

  “I want to marry the right man, which means that I…” I begin again. I can do this. I can tell him what I want and what I think will keep us safe. “Marry me, Jase.”

  Chapter 20

  Piper

  He stares at me, his sexy blue eyes wide. “What?”

  “Marry me. We can go to South Carolina instead of applying for a marriage license here. You’re allowed to travel there, right?”

  He nods. “Yeah.”

  “We’ll go there, marry, and come back as Mr. and Mrs. Simmons. My parents won’t expect this response from us. They expect us to roll over.” I give him an encouraging smile. “If you marry me, they won’t touch you—their reputation won’t be able to take the hit in their eyes.”

  “What about Rowan?” he asks, running a hand over his face. I can see that it’s shaking, but I can also see that he’s considering my words.

  “Seth can protect her. Plus, Rowan’s business has the support of so many people now, especially on the state and federal level with her Jailbird to Jobs program. My father might think he’s powerful, but he’s not.”

  “Are you sure, kitten?” he asks. “I don’t want to get married and then you regret it.”

  I grab his hand as the consequences of our potential marriage hit me. “I won’t regret marrying the love of my life.”

  “I don’t have a ring for you.”

  “I don’t care.”

  “But is it enough for you?”

  What he’s really asking is if he’s enough. “You are more than enough for me. Marrying you is something that I never expected, not in my wildest fantasies.” Tears fall on my cheeks. “You’re so worried that one day I’ll wake up and wonder why I made the mistake of falling for you, but when you and I…when we fall in love, it’s not a mistake because neither of us gives our love to whoever happens to come along. For better or for worse, Jase Simmons, you have me for the rest of my life.”

  This time there is no hesitation at all when he says, “Let’s go now. We’ll take my Mustang.”

  “I’ll call Ginger to let her know I won’t be in tomorrow.”

  “Shit. Your job. I know Emmett can hold down things for me, but your career is important.”

  “Jase, when are you going to get it through your head that you are more important to me?” I lace my fingers with his. “Besides, it’s not as if I’m asking off to play hooky. I’m getting married. We’re getting married.”

  “We’re getting a honeymoon?”

  I giggle and blush a little. “Yes.”

  A slow, sexy smile covers his face. “Then you’d better tell your boss you need the entire week off.”

  Jase

  I’d like to say that I remember every detail of our ceremony, but I’d be lying. What I do remember? The sweetness of her face, the way the wind blew her hair around, and the sound of the waves as they lapped at the shore. How her eyes sp
arkled as brightly as the diamonds in her ears. How she said her vows in a strong, clear voice. How I couldn’t stop shaking. How good it felt when the preacher pronounced us husband and wife.

  We got married at a seaside chapel near Charleston. Piper assures me that everything was perfect, even for a hasty marriage.

  I know it was perfect for me, and since I trust her to tell me the truth, I know it was perfect for her as well. But now…we’re in a small cottage near that seaside chapel and we’ve eaten dinner, taken showers, and changed. It’s our first night together as husband and wife.

  To be honest, I’m nervous as fuck. So nervous that I didn’t bother to have shower sex with her. Hell, she washed my body and played with everything she could reach while I stood there, trying to wrap my mind around the fact that I’m a married man. A man married to the woman of his dreams.

  How amazing and terrifying is that?

  “Jase?” Piper softly calls my name and I turn to look at her. In a simple baby blue nightgown, she takes my breath away. Sure it’s see-through and barely covers her ass, but she looks like an angel.

  Lit candles brighten the bedroom and rose petals cover the bed. At least I had sense of mind to do that for her.

  “Here, kitten.” I take her hands and lead her to the bed.

  “It’s beautiful. I feel like a bride on my wedding night.” She blushes. “I know that’s what I am, but this…the candles…the bed…you…” She takes a shaky breath and smiles at me so tenderly that my heart lurches in my chest. “I’m ready for tonight.”

  Since I’m wearing nothing but boxer briefs, I let go of her hand and hook my thumbs into the waistband, quickly divesting myself of them. She climbs up on the bed, giving me flashes of her enticing ass and pink pussy.

  I climb in after her. The bed is a ridiculously tall¸ four-poster rice bed—according to the lady who rented the cottage to us. Apparently, that’s a selling point, but I’m so hard and ready for Piper that a bunk bed would work for me.

  “How do you want me?” she asks, sitting so primly with her legs to one side. Her hands are clasped in her lap, and I check to make sure her knuckles aren’t white.

  Assured that she’s relaxed, I tip up her chin and say, “Like the first time, baby. On your back. I want to look at you when you come the first time.”

  She lies back on the bed, a fucking vision of perfection in the candlelight. I lower myself between her thighs but keep my weight on my forearms, which rest on either side of her.

  I carefully frame her face with my hands. “I love you, Mrs. Simmons.”

  Her lashes flutter to her cheeks and then her eyes open. “I love you, Mr. Simmons.”

  Time seems to slow down as I kiss and caress her body, as I touch her everywhere and follow my fingers with my mouth until she’s shaking and moaning my name. My only thought is to make this better than ever for her. Better than the first time and better than the last time.

  Her neck arches, a slim column begging to be bit, and I give in to that urge, sinking my teeth into her skin. Her hips bump up against mine, my cock rubbing against her pussy.

  “Please, Jase,” she whimpers, her head thrashing back and forth as I suck on her nipples through the flimsy material of her nightie. “I want you inside of me.”

  I grab the base of my cock and squeeze, relieving the building pressure slightly, before I slowly work my way inside of her, inch by glorious inch. As soon as I’m balls deep, she squeezes me and I curse.

  “Tight and wet,” is all I can say before she fuses her mouth to mine. I work my cock in and out of her, taking my time. I use every bit of experience I have to keep my orgasm at bay and to make her writhe beneath me.

  But I don’t want her mindless. I want her to know who’s making love to her. Gradually, I pick up my pace until the headboard is slamming against the wall and Piper is moaning so loudly that I can’t hear my own thoughts. Her breasts bounce, hard nipple scraping against my skin. I reach between us, flicking her clit with my thumb, and she starts to come, her inner muscles milking me hard.

  My eyes open wide and I strain against the biting urge to come with her, but it’s not time. This is for her, not me. Suddenly, I feel her fingers on my ass, dipping between my cheeks and stroking me. She bites my shoulder.

  —

  “Holy—” I groan as my orgasm shoots down my spine and straight into her pussy. I come so hard that I have to grab the headboard instead of her. My knuckles crack as I pound into her for all I’m worth, as I pour every bit of me into her. Passion. Love. Desire. I don’t want this moment to end. The way we’re joined…the way she takes every thrust. It’s fucking perfection.

  My hips finally slow of their own volition and I let out a ragged breath. As I crash back to earth, I let go of the headboard and lower myself onto her, while keeping most of my weight on my arms. I nuzzle her throat while my heart feels as though it’s about to slam out of my chest.

  “Jase,” she sighs, and I smile against her skin.

  “Here, baby.”

  “That was perfect.”

  She’s perfect. I roll onto my back, taking her with me. Our skin is slick and the air smells like sex. I stroke the curve of her waist. Her long dark hair tickles my chest as she snuggles against me.

  I can’t remember the last time I felt this settled, this grounded. Have I ever felt settled?

  I don’t think I have, but I love it.

  Chapter 21

  TWO WEEKS LATER

  Jase

  Finally we are back home. Purposefully, we stayed in that cottage for two weeks to make her parents sweat and to give the private investigator time. The attorney Piper hired for my defense had one on staff and supposedly he is the best out there. I’m not holding my breath, though.

  Just as we walk inside our house, Piper’s phone rings and she answers it, the look on her face unreadable.

  “Hello, this is Piper.”

  So damn proper, I think with a grin. Wouldn’t have her any other way.

  “Mr. Gibbs. It’s so good to hear from you.” She mouths the words my accountant.

  “Why yes, I did get married. Thank you.”

  Oh fuck. We couldn’t keep it a secret for long, and we really weren’t planning on it, but if her accountant knows, then it stands to reason that her parents know as well.

  “I have a what?” she practically shouts into the phone. Only for her a shout is a slightly raised voice.

  I drop our suitcases and go to her, unsure if I should take the phone or rub her shoulders. Touching her wins.

  “But I thought I didn’t inherit until I was thirty,” she says, and I kiss her head. The tension in her shoulders grows. “Half on my birthday? But-but Mother and Father never—”

  She shakes her head. “No, there was no prenup. Why would there be? I’ve been disowned.”

  Prenup? Why would we need one of those? I know Piper comes from money, but prenups are for the ultrarich and famous.

  “We’ll come in as soon as we can. Let me talk with my husband about his schedule.”

  Piper turns to me as she ends the call. Her eyes are wide and her face is both pale and flushed. “My parents lied to me. They said that I was disowned, but—but in two months, I’ll be—we will be millionaires.”

  Millionaires? I can’t speak at first. “I don’t want your money.”

  “Too bad. It’s ours anyway.” She sinks down in the kitchen chair and drops her head into her hands. “I don’t understand how anyone could hate their child this much.”

  “They don’t hate you.” But I sure as hell hate them in this moment.

  She glances up at me, her cheeks streaked with tears. Only five minutes before, she was happy. Laughing. Teasing me as we drove home. Hell, she went on for twenty minutes about all the new monogramming she would have to get done.

  “They knew I didn’t have enough money to live on but did nothing about it. They knew I needed money for school but let me flounder. Meanwhile, I could have set up a payment plan to pay f
or classes, because in November I get ten million dollars just for turning twenty-five.”

  The weight of her words makes me sink down beside her. “Ten million dollars.” I rub the back of my neck. “Any way we can go back in time and do a prenup?”

  “I don’t know. Jase, I don’t care about money. It’s great to have money to pay for stuff, but it’s my heart that’s been broken by the very people who should love me.” Piper shakes her head. “My dad still hasn’t said a word about Mark attacking me. My mother hasn’t said a word. They get to live their lives and I’m not even an afterthought anymore.”

  That’s it. We’re settling this once and for all. I refuse to allow those assholes to hurt her. “Are your parents home on Sundays?”

  “Yes.” She sniffs and more tears fall.

  I wipe them away. “I think it’s time I met my in-laws.”

  —

  I pull my Mustang up to the front door of the three-story mansion Piper grew up in. There are wings off each side, two stories each.

  “I can go in and talk to them,” she says.

  “Not happening. We’re together in this,” I counter.

  “Which side did you live on?” I ask as I open her door and help her out. She insisted on changing before we came over. I totally approve of her bright blue form-fitting dress and matching heels. The ring I bought her looks mighty fine on her finger, too.

  “East wing. My parents live in the west wing.”

  “You didn’t even live on the same side of the house?” My voice is incredulous.

  “No. I cried a lot as a baby and a toddler because of my medical issues, so they put Nanny and me on the other side,” she says as a matter of fact.

  “I didn’t think it was possible to hate them even more, but I do.”

  When the butler lets us into the house, her parents are waiting in the foyer. Neither of them looks very happy to see me. Us. Whatever. I don’t give a damn. I am here for the woman holding my hand.