She hadn’t realized she was frozen until Cole moved up behind her. “Piper? What is it?”
Scooping it up quickly, careful not to tear her dress from top to bottom, she shoved it in her purse. “Nothing.”
Goddammit.
The last thing she needed was Cole going all overprotective, ex-cop on her, or worse, telling her brother. They’d gang up on her and make her move. Deacon already hated the idea of her living on Axle Alley alone. If he knew someone was harassing her, bombarding her with calls and showing up at her front door unannounced, trying to push her to sell the cottage, he’d force her to move out. She had no doubt her sister and Alex would take his side as well. Her house was sitting on prime land, and apparently this particular real estate agent was having trouble taking no for an answer. The guy needed to clue in, she would never sell her gran’s cottage. Never.
“Doesn’t look like nothing.”
She forced a grin. “Just some junk mail. Do you want a drink or something?” She looked over her shoulder to find him studying her, bright blue eyes taking her in, like he was trying to figure her out but failing miserably.
“I’m checking the place before I go.” Then he limped past her, into her house.
Guess that’s a no on the drink, then? “I have an alarm, remember? You put it in yourself,” she called after him. Of course he ignored her.
She threw her bag on the couch and went after him. He was walking out of the bathroom, crossing the hall to her bedroom. “Cole.” She didn’t want him in her bedroom. It was kind of a mess. It was also the place where she’d had numerous dirty fantasies about him. Somehow it seemed far too intimate for him to see where she slept, where she occasionally touched herself while thinking about him. She jogged clumsily after him in her heels. “Cole…”
She rounded the corner and found him standing by her bed, body locked, eyes fixed on the scrap of pink silk and lace she’d bought on a whim when they’d all gone shopping for Alex’s honeymoon. Usually, she’d save something so expensive for a special occasion, but that was before. Before she decided to enjoy herself. Before she’d decided to stop waiting around for things that were never going to happen. Now she had a whole collection of silky nighties, and she wore them all.
He made a noise in the back of his throat that sounded a lot like a growl, then lifted his head. His cheeks had darkened, and his eyes glittered when they locked with hers. Crap. She jammed her lips together, cringing inwardly, and rushed over, shoving it under her pillow.
“That’s just my… It’s…” She turned to face him, but he’d moved. He now loomed over her, all big and scarred—and beautiful.
“Your what?” he rumbled.
“My nightie?” Why she posed it as a question she had no idea. Right then all she could focus on was the way her pulse had narrowed to an agonizing point between her thighs, pounding so hard she had to squeeze them together to stop the ache.
His breathing grew heavy, eyes wild. “You wear that to bed?”
She bit her lip and nodded, not sure what was happening here but damn sure she wanted to find out. The product he’d used to tame his shaggy locks had given up, and his hair fell forward, brushing his forehead. Without conscious thought, she stepped forward and lifted her hand to brush it back.
He grabbed her wrist, and she sucked in a startled breath. “Cole?”
Without a word, he tugged her forward, so close only a breath separated them. He stared at her lips, licking his own, like he wanted to devour her.
She unconsciously mimicked the action.
Please, take a bite.
He lifted his hand, then hesitantly ran a gentle finger over her lower lip, watching its progress with an intensity that confused and excited her. She held her breath, time standing still. She wanted this, wanted him so bad it hurt. Cautiously, she cupped his scarred cheek. Silently telling him to do it. Kiss me.
A harsh breath rushed past his lips. And before she knew what she was doing, she went up on her tiptoes and pressed her mouth against his.
An agonized sound tore from him, and he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her tight against him. His lips were firm, warm—and unmoving. She slid her tongue along the seam in an attempt to coax him, and when he didn’t respond, she sucked on his lower lip, then nipped.
He hissed against her mouth, and one of his hands slid up her spine, cupping her neck, fingers thrusting into her hair. He held her immobile, and just when she thought he might pull away, he slanted his mouth over hers and kissed her, hard.
He started walking, and she stumbled backward until she hit the wall. His other hand moved to her ass, and he hoisted her higher, shoving her legs apart.
Oh God.
Was this actually happening?
He ground against her with a growl, cock hard and insistent between her legs. His mouth moved along her jaw to the sensitive spot below her ear. “Jesus, Pipe, you have a body made for sin.”
His muttered words thrilled her, excited her.
Cole wanted her.
He pinned her to the wall with his body, and the hand on her ass moved around and skimmed her belly before sliding down between their bodies.
She whimpered, wanting to beg him to touch her but too afraid to speak in case she broke the spell. She clung tighter, hands on his shoulders, moaning when his fingers brushed the bare, heated skin low on her belly…
Music came from the living room, Rusty’s ringtone, blaring from her phone.
Cole stilled, resting his forehead against the wall, panting heavily. “Fuck.”
“Don’t stop,” she whispered, squeezing his hard biceps.
He released her abruptly, letting her slide to the floor, and stepped back. His eyes were dark, heavy with lust. His cock strained against the front of his pants, and his fingers were curled into tight fists at his sides.
He wanted her as much as she wanted him, but for some reason he was pulling back, pulling away.
“Shit.” He shoved a hand through his hair, making it stick up on one side, and shook his head. “That should never have happened.”
She crossed her arms, and she noted the way his gaze dropped to her chest before lifting back to hers. “Why not? We’re both consenting adults.”
His heated expression shifted, twisted into something else, something that looked a lot like pain. “I shouldn’t have to spell it out for you.”
“Well, you do. Because I can’t think of a reason.” She stepped forward. “You want me.”
He let out a shaky breath. “It doesn’t matter. I can’t do this, Piper. This can’t happen between us.”
Then he turned away and, gait unsteady, walked down the hall and out the front door, closing it quietly behind him.
She stood there for several seconds, body hot and buzzing with the aftereffects of his kiss, of having his hands on her. She’d never felt more desirable, more wanted than she had in those few minutes with Cole, his body pinning her to the wall.
She didn’t know what was holding him back. Maybe loyalty to her brother? It didn’t matter, whatever it was.
She now knew the truth.
He wanted her, too.
Chapter Four
West Security was completely deserted when Cole walked in. He hadn’t expected anything else at six thirty in the morning.
Sleep eluded him. In fact, he hadn’t been able to sleep for four shitty nights. Every time he closed his eyes he saw Piper. Blond hair down around her shoulders, his suit jacket swamping her curvy body. So tempting, so sexy. So damn sweet.
He rubbed his hands over his face. Jesus, he needed to stop this. She wasn’t for him. It didn’t matter that he could still feel her soft lips against his, the way they’d parted for his tongue, the way she tasted like wine and wedding cake. Jesus, he’d been hard ever since he pinned her to the wall, could think of nothing but the heat between her l
egs pressed against his aching cock.
And the sweet, urgent sounds she’d made while she’d clung to him, shit, they played on a constant loop in his head. He dragged a hand across his chest, where the overflowing mounds of her breasts had crushed against him.
Piper had kissed him, and instead of walking away like he should have, he’d kissed her back.
Idiot.
The realization that she’d wanted him, too, if only for those few minutes? He could barely believe it. Why? Why the hell would she want to kiss him?
Yeah, she’d had a thing for him back when they were kids. And she sure as hell hadn’t made it easy on him. Seventeen-year-old Piper had baited and harassed the shit out of him. Flaunted her new curves in that cute, sexy, completely clueless way of hers. Driven him damn near crazy with wanting her.
But she was over that now, wasn’t she?
He shook his head. It didn’t matter. She was as off-limits now as she was then.
God, he still remembered the first time he really saw her, saw her as more than Deke’s baby sister. He and Deke had been at the Wests’ cottage, shooting the shit out back, when the girls arrived home. The Axle Alley Vipers the local boys had called them. The name had definitely fit. All three girls beautiful, full of fire, and a truckload of attitude. Well, he’d always thought Alex and Rusty lived up to the moniker, but Piper, not so much. He’d seen her as sweet and shy, a little awkward.
Until that day.
Shy, little Piper had changed. And not just her attitude. She’d gone from a kid to a smokin’ hot seventeen-year-old with more tits and ass than a girl her age had a right to. She’d worn cutoffs and a bikini top that barely covered what she had going on. And when she’d spotted him, her big blue eyes had warmed, lips curving into a smile. Not the way she had in the past, all shy and rosy cheeked, no, she turned all that new attitude on him. If he hadn’t already been sitting, he would have fallen on his ass.
That was the day he fell for Piper West. From a motherfucking great height.
And since he’d returned to Miami, it felt like some sick bastard had his finger on the rewind button, taking him back to the point of impact, just to let him smash into the unforgiving ground over and over again. Blowing his attempts at maintaining control over his life all to shit.
He’d wanted Piper to be in his future, and not just as his best friend’s little sister. He was still struggling to accept that dream was well and truly over. He wasn’t the same man he’d once been. Now, he was fractured, messed up, beyond redemption. He had nothing to offer anyone, shit, he had nothing left to give. And Piper deserved a fuck of a lot more than that.
Turning on the lights, he headed to his office and fired up the computer. He had several quotes for possible new clients to work on. He did not need to be thinking about Piper, or the way she’d gone up on tiptoe and pressed those full, sweet lips against his.
It was clear the woman had been put on this earth to tempt him.
A few months ago she’d called him by mistake, completely shit-faced. He’d held the phone to his ear, jealousy pumping through his veins at the things she said. The call was clearly meant for someone else. But he hadn’t corrected her. No, he’d stayed on the line, listening, wishing the words pouring out of her mouth were for him.
He hadn’t felt one shred of guilt for possibly screwing things up between her and the numb-nuts she’d really wanted to talk to. If the guy was too stupid to know what he had, if he’d let a woman like Piper slip through his fingers, he didn’t deserve her.
I’m done waiting for you to make a move. So I’m telling you, I want you. If you want me, too, come get me…I’m yours. If I don’t see you by the end of the week, I’ll know that you don’t feel that way about me. You’ve got one week. Then I’m moving on. I’m getting over you.
He’d lain there in his bed, struggling to breathe, to stay where he was.
Ignoring the urge to call her back, to ask where she was, had nearly done him in. That need, that pain in her voice, it hadn’t been for him, but he’d wished it had been.
Pull it the hell together.
He rounded his desk and planted his ass in the chair. Working, focusing on something else was all he could do.
When Deacon added a security business to his growing portfolio several months ago, he’d asked Cole to help with the change of ownership. His friend knew nothing about security, so Cole had agreed. It wasn’t like he’d been doing anything else. It’d gone well; so well, he’d offered him a permanent job. Being a control freak had paid off. Now he was the new manager of a large security firm, in charge of staff and doing a whole host of other shit he’d never seen himself doing. Yeah, he was grateful, but this was not where he’d seen himself ending up when he’d joined the force fresh out of college.
This life was not the one he’d planned. Becoming this, living with what he’d done…
The phone started ringing. A mixture of affection and guilt shot through him when he saw who it was. He’d gotten close to his ex-partner’s twelve-year-old son during the five years he and Adam had worked together. Cole wanted to be there for the boy, though it wasn’t as easy now that he was no longer in New York, but they spoke often on the phone. He owed Adam that much, at least. “Hey, Davey.”
“Cole! I made the team!”
Cole chuckled. “No wonder you’re up so early. That’s fantastic, bud. But I’m not surprised; you’ve been training hard.”
“Are you coming to New York anytime soon? Do you think you’ll be able to make one of my games?”
His gut tightened painfully. “I wish I could, but I don’t think I can swing it. Get your mom to email me some pics from your first game, though, yeah?”
“Sure thing.” There was a pause. “Be there in a sec, Mom. I gotta go, but I’ll call you after training Wednesday.”
“Sounds good.”
“Bye, Cole.”
“Bye, Davey.”
Cole slumped back, the twisted knot in his gut nearly overwhelming him.
“Thought I’d find you here.” Deke’s voice cut through the noise of his thoughts. Cole looked up to find his friend leaning against his office door. “You’ll turn into a workaholic like me if you’re not careful.”
Cole sat back in his chair. “How long have you been standing there?”
“Was that Adam’s boy?”
Cole rubbed a hand over his face. “Yeah.”
“It’s good you’re still close…”
He cleared his throat. “So, back from the honeymoon already?” He didn’t want to go there, not even with Deke.
Deacon stared at him for several long seconds, then thankfully decided to let it go. “Yeah, unfortunately. I promised Alex I’d take her away again when things aren’t so busy.”
The expression on his friend’s face changed, became all business. Did he know? Had Piper told him what happened? “This is early, even for you. Problem?”
“I need to talk to you about something. About Piper actually.”
Fucking wonderful.
This was the part where Deke warned him away from his baby sister. Well, he was wasting his breath. He already knew he wasn’t good enough for her. He’d never do that to Deke, not after everything he’d done for him, the way he’d stepped up when his world had crashed down around his ears.
He took the chair across from Cole. “I’ll cut to the chase. I know it pisses Piper off when I get involved in her life. She thinks I should butt out and let her do whatever the hell she likes, but I can’t. I won’t. These last few nights I’ve lost sleep over a situation that I just can’t leave alone, which is why I’ve come to you…”
Cole lifted his hands, stopping him before he could go any further. “You’re her brother, and I respect that. But you have nothing to worry about where Pipe’s concerned.” There, surely that was clear enough without getting into it. Because
he did not want to talk about any of this. Not now, not ever, and not with Deke.
The guy frowned, sitting back in his seat, disbelief clear on his face. “You think I should let her live all alone on that street with no other houses close by?”
Okay. That wasn’t what he’d expected. “What are we talking about here?”
Deke frowned. “What did you think I was talking about?”
Cole forced a careless shrug. “Fucked if I know.”
Resting his elbows on his knees, Deke leaned forward. “When Alex moved in with me, I was okay, because Pipe still had Rusty. But now Rusty’s moved in with Reid and Pipe’s all on her own. Every night I worry about her.”
Deacon wasn’t the only one. “It’s not ideal.”
“She told me you drove her home after the wedding. You must have noticed how isolated that road is at night?” He’d noticed. He hadn’t liked it, either. “She won’t leave. I know that much. When I brought it up she closed me down.”
All three women loved that place. The cottage had belonged to Grandma West, and she’d left it to the girls when she passed away. Getting Piper to leave would be no easy feat.
His friend crossed his arms and sat back. “I need a favor.”
Wherever this was going, he didn’t want any part of it. “What kind of favor?”
“Alex’s old apartment above the garage. I want you to move into it.”
He couldn’t be serious? “I already have an apartment.” A crappy shit-hole of a place that he’d intended to be temporary, but still.
Deke held his gaze and looked almost desperate. “I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t going out of my mind. I just need you to keep an eye on her. That’s it. Plus the place on Axle Alley is closer to work than the one you’re in now.”
“I like my apartment.” Disbelief covered the guy’s face for the second time, because yeah, no one would like living in that dump.
“It’s not permanent. Just until I can get her to see reason and move somewhere she isn’t so isolated at night.”
Wrecked (Axle Alley Vipers) Page 4
