Wrecked (Axle Alley Vipers)

by Sherilee Gray

  “I thought you knew what this was, Pipe?” She pressed her lips tight together, like she was holding whatever she wanted to say in. “You know why I pulled away.”

  “It still didn’t feel great,” she muttered.

  “Have you changed your mind?” Please don’t change your mind. Not yet. “About what we’re doing, about spending time with me?” The words felt like sandpaper leaving his throat.

  She shook her head, blond hair slipping forward to cover her face. “No.”

  Thank fuck. “Come here, baby.”

  When she lifted her head, her cheeks were flushed, eyes bright. The woman was killing him. Tucking her hair behind her ear, she moved around to his side of the table and climbed into his lap like she belonged there. God, he wished that were true.

  Maybe his shrink was right. Maybe, just maybe, he could have this. All of it. This woman. This life.

  Maybe there was a way.

  Maybe…

  Piper turned in his lap, looking up at him, open, sweet. “Are you staying tonight?”

  “Yes.” No way could he get up and walk away. Not now.

  Not ever, a voice whispered in his head. He locked the voice down as quickly as it rose. He couldn’t afford to have thoughts like that.

  Hands on her hips, he turned her in his lap so she was facing away from him. Right then, looking into her eyes was too much. The way he felt in that moment, she’d see right through him. “Lean back on me.”

  She did as he asked, her breathy sigh causing his spine to tingle. He rested her legs on the outside of his spread ones, so she was open, exposed, then slowly slid his hands up her thighs, taking her dress with them. Turning into her, he gently sucked and nipped a perfect little lobe. “How much did you miss me last night?”

  “Too much,” she whispered.

  Yeah, she was killing him. He palmed her over her panties, the fabric beneath his hand damp. He groaned. “I can feel how wet you are, how hot. Do you hurt, sweet girl?”

  She wriggled. “Yes, so much.”

  “I’m going to fuck you with my fingers, right here with you on my lap, then I’m going to strip you bare, lay you on that table, and watch your beautiful tits bounce while I fuck you hard. You want that?”

  She moaned, tightening under his hand. “Yes.”

  Sliding his hand down the front of her underwear, he hissed when he felt just how slick she was against his fingers. Piper tilted her hips, asking for more, and he obliged, sliding two fingers deep into her tight, needy body. She gasped, her grip on his forearms tightening, nails digging into his skin. He fucked her like that, deep and fast, close to losing it every time she moved her hips, pressing her round ass down on his erection.

  Her arousal coated his fingers, getting wetter with every thrust, every time he went deeper. He cupped her breast with his other hand, rolling and tugging her stiffened nipple through her dress. “Feels good, doesn’t it? You love my hands on you?”

  “Yes. God, yes.” She whimpered. “Nothing’s ever felt this good. Nothing.”

  Yeah, and nothing felt as good as hearing her say it. It frightened him how good it felt. Sent a spike of longing, of dread, shooting up his spine, nailing him in the back of the head. A warning telling him to wake the fuck up. He ignored it and held her tighter.

  Seconds later, she pushed back into him, head on his shoulder, and cried out, her inner muscles gripping his fingers greedily. “That’s it. Shit, that’s it, baby.”

  Before she’d completely finished trembling on top of him, he stood, taking her with him. He couldn’t wait, not one more damn second, to get inside her. Gripping the hem of her dress, he pulled it up and over her head, then tore her bra and panties from her body. He swiped the empties off the table, and they clattered to the ground as he lifted her onto it. “Lie back.”

  Eyes on him, she lay back, presenting herself to him like his own personal banquet. Yanking his shirt over his head, he tore open the front of his jeans, freeing his cock, and grabbing a condom from his wallet, quickly suited up. Moving between her parted thighs, he gripped his dick and slid it through her drenched folds. “Wrap your legs around my hips and hold on to the top of the table.”

  She did as he asked, heels digging into his ass, arms going above her head. He leaned in, pushing inside her. They both groaned as he filled her completely then withdrew slowly. He watched the way she stretched around him, the way his cock glistened from her arousal, showing him just how much she wanted him, scars and all.

  His body wasn’t the same as it had once been. He was marked, inside and out, by what had happened, but Piper didn’t seem to care, the lust in her eyes never dimmed, not when he stripped down, not when he had those scars on display.

  You’ve kept the worst ones hidden.

  And that’s the way he planned to keep it. He never wanted her to see that part of him.

  “Please,” she gasped as he pushed in, slow and easy, tightening her legs around him.

  “You want more?”

  “Yes.”

  “You can’t get enough, can you, baby?” He had to hear her say it. Hear that she craved him, needed him, even half as much as he did her.

  She shook her head from side to side. “No…I-I need you. Please.”

  He lost it. The sound of her voice, her desperation, for him, tipped him over the edge, a precipice he’d been hanging from all week. The half-lidded gaze, the heat, all of it was his, all for him, and he snapped. “You have me,” he groaned. “Fuck, Piper. You have me.”

  He didn’t want to analyze his words, what they meant—how true they were—couldn’t, not then. So he did what she asked, he gave himself over to her. Made love to her like she needed, like they both needed.

  The sounds of sex filled the night, their mingled cries, skin slapping against skin as he moved inside her, pounded into her hard enough to make the table shake. When she was close, he leaned in, covering her body with his, and swallowed her screams, letting her do the same when he came hard, groaning low and long from the sheer intensity of it.

  He shuddered above her, while her soft hands moved over his bare back, not shying away from the scars there. No, Piper never shied away from anything.

  “You blow me away, sweetheart, every damn time,” he said against her damp skin.

  She threaded her fingers in his hair, tugging gently for him to lift up. “I’m not ready to lose this, not yet,” she whispered.

  Again, she showed him how fearless she was. He could learn a thing or two from the woman wrapped around him. She was so brave. Never afraid to lay it all out.

  “Me, either.” Then he took her mouth in a searing kiss, showing her how he felt because right then words were impossible.

  Carefully pulling her into a sitting position, he helped her from the table, then took her hand and led her inside.

  That shy, teasing smile was back, making his chest ache.

  He couldn’t wait to wake up beside her. Couldn’t wait to take his time savoring her body in the morning. To sit across from her while they ate breakfast together, making plans for after work.

  Piper went to the bathroom to clean up, and Cole headed to her bedroom. Pulling back the covers, he grinned to himself. Maybe he’d take her out for a meal tomorrow night, make reservations at a nice restaurant?

  His phone started up in his pocket, and he pulled it free, glancing down at the screen.

  And froze.

  Kate.

  His smile died as he stared down at her name. Kate told him she was coming to Miami to stay with family. He knew why she was calling. She wanted to meet up. Piper’s lovely face flashed through his mind, and guilt shot through his veins like ice. God, what was he doing? While he’d been spending time with Piper, while he’d been happy—for the first time in twelve months—Kate and Davey had been missing Adam…

  “You going to answer tha
t?” Piper asked as she came in behind him, climbing into bed.

  No way could he talk to her while he was with Piper. He hit the end call button. “No.”

  She frowned. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah. Just work stuff. It can wait.” The lie was like dust in his mouth. How many more would he have to tell her if he stuck around? Too damn many.

  He pulled off his jeans and settled in beside her, dragging her in close, needing to feel her by his side. Just for one more night. “Everything’s fine. Get some sleep.”

  Piper curled in, resting her head on his shoulder, arm around his middle, and he struggled to breathe.

  Smoothing her hair back, he watched her eyes drift shut in the dim light, listened as her breathing slowed and evened out. When he was sure she was asleep, he leaned in, kissed the top of her head, and breathed in her scent, holding her tighter. Selfishly taking what he needed.

  Locking it away in his memory.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Piper woke to an empty bed and a sinking heart.

  Rolling to her back, she brushed her hair from her face. Idiot. She’d thought after this last week, after last night…

  Her phone rang beside her, and she jumped. Grabbing it off the bedside table, she quickly answered it. “Hello.”

  “Miss West, it’s Daniel Taylor.” Okay, this guy was starting to freak her the hell out. “Please…don’t hang up. I wanted to let you know my buyer’s still interested.”

  “Well, that’s too bad because, like I’ve already told you, I’m not.”

  “Just hear me out.” There was a bite to his voice, an abruptness that made goose bumps lift on her arms. The man was getting impatient with her. Annoyed that she wouldn’t sell.

  “You’re wasting your time; I won’t change my mind.” She hung up.

  This was getting crazy; the man was relentless.

  Rolling out of bed, she tried to forget the encounter as she dragged on her robe. She was just glad it hadn’t been Rusty calling to grill her for information. Cole told her last night that Reid knew they were seeing each other. He’d promised to keep it to himself, and though he was the kind of man to keep his word, she couldn’t help but worry. She shuffled out to the kitchen for a much needed caffeine injection.

  Her thoughts scattered, and she stopped in her tracks when she saw Cole’s wide, bare back. He’d taken time to pull on jeans, but nothing else, and the soft denim cupped his delectable butt in a way that made her mouth go dry. Even the man’s bare feet were sexy.

  He was hunched over, messing with the coffee machine, the muscles in his shoulders and back moving in a way that made her want to run her hands all over him.

  Play it cool, Piper. She’d nearly given too much away last night. She’d stupidly thought they were making progress, that even though he’d told her he didn’t want more, that maybe that was where they were heading. When he’d pulled his hand away from hers, it’d hurt. Of course he’d pulled away. She totally understood why he had. Still, she’d let her emotions get the better of her, and she’d nearly ruined everything.

  That was her problem. Not his.

  Ignoring the urge to run at him, jump on his back, and hang onto him like a limpet, she moved casually into the kitchen. “Want some help?”

  His shoulders stiffened slightly before he turned to her, gaze roaming over her body. Something was different this morning. He’d lost the lightness she’d seen in him over this last week. That glimpse of the old Cole. Her Cole. “I’ve got it.”

  She moved up behind him, and nerves spiked through her when she got close. It was silly after everything they’d done together, to each other this last week. But she felt a distance radiating from him that hadn’t been there before. The man could be skittish at times, and there was still that fear in the back of her mind that if she pushed too hard, too fast, he’d bolt.

  Was this distance because of her reaction when he’d dropped her hand last night? Was he worried she was getting too emotionally involved?

  Shoving down her uncertainty, she reached for him. The muscles under her palm bunched when she made contact, but she didn’t pull back. She smoothed her hand over his skin, the texture like rough silk. His body was covered in so many scars, the majority she guessed from his car accident. A thick one ran down his right side, and she traced it with her finger. “Your accident…it left you with a lot of scars.”

  “Yeah.” His voice was rougher than usual, but he didn’t pull away when she began tracing the others.

  “Do they cause you any pain?” she whispered.

  “Not anymore. It’s just my leg that still gives me trouble.” He shrugged, a slight shudder moving through him. “I got off light.”

  He still had his back to her, hands now braced on the bench, causing the muscles in his arms and back to flex. She wanted to wrap her arms around his waist and beg him not to withdraw into himself, to stay with her. She wanted to offer comfort, because the man could try to hide it, but she could see he was hurting. Maybe not physically so much anymore, but she’d known him nearly her whole life, and what she saw when she looked in his eyes…

  Pain.

  There was just so much pain, so much grief, sometimes she barely recognized him.

  “What happened…that day?” She rested her hands on his hips, and he turned to face her. “You can talk to me, Cole, about anything. You know that, right?”

  He slid his hands up the sides of her neck, into her hair. “It was a rough time in my life, Pipe. A time I’d rather not talk about.”

  He stared down at her but said nothing more. Subject closed. He softened his refusal by brushing his lips over hers, mouth lingering for a few seconds, holding her to him almost desperately before he pulled away. It was the sweetest, most agonized kiss he’d ever given her. Then he let her go and moved away.

  She wanted to reach for him again, but he didn’t want that, she could see it in the way he held himself, the way he could barely meet her gaze.

  What was going on?

  Didn’t he know he could trust her? That he could tell her anything?

  She opened her mouth to say something, anything, but his phone started ringing. He pulled it from his back pocket and stared down at the screen, a troubled expression transforming his face. The hard lines got deeper, sharper somehow. He closed his eyes for a split second, then shook his head and ended the call, shoving it back in his pocket.

  “Is that the same person who called last night? Is something wrong?” He hadn’t been the same since the call in her room. He’d ended that one without answering it as well. The difference between the man who made love to her outside under the stars and the man standing in her kitchen now were polar opposites.

  It was like the time they’d spent together hadn’t happened. He’d reverted to the way he was when he first moved back. Closed off and distant.

  He ignored her question. “I have to go.” He limped to her bedroom, then came out a minute later wearing his T-shirt and boots. He kissed her on the top of the head like he always used to. “I’ll see you…soon.”

  Then he walked out the front door.

  ...

  Piper pulled into the parking lot under West Security and scanned the reserved spots for Cole’s car.

  There.

  She’d spent the last two nights wondering what was going on. If she’d done something wrong. Had Reid finding out about their relationship freaked him out? Maybe he’d changed his mind about what they were doing—or was something else going on with him? She hadn’t seen him since he walked out of her kitchen the day after her barbecue. He’d texted to say he was working late and not to expect him, but she knew there was something more going on. And yeah, she deserved more than the cold shoulder. More from the man she was sleeping with—or at least had been sleeping with—than being frozen out. Something was bothering him, and she was sure it had to
do with the phone calls he’d received and ignored while he was at her place.

  They weren’t just lovers, they were friends, and the thought that he was hurting, maybe suffering on his own, was too much to bear. All her instincts told her he needed her. He hadn’t come to her, and it didn’t look like he’d been to his apartment, unless he was coming home late at night and leaving early. He could try all he liked, but she refused to let him shut her out. Not now. Not anymore.

  Climbing out of her car, she shoved her keys in her jeans pocket and walked to the elevator. West Security’s offices were located on the fifth floor. They also occupied the floor below, where they stored the majority of their hardware and had a surveillance area set up.

  She’d never been here herself, but Deke had answered her many questions when she’d subtly grilled him about the place after Cole started working for him. She hit the button for the fifth floor, and a few seconds later the doors slid open. She stepped out, doing her best to ignore the nerves assaulting her.

  The room had several desks, and there were people bustling around or on the phones. The waiting area was to the left of the elevator, made up of a large, plush-looking couch and a coffee table. All high-end and very tasteful.

  Piper stood there for a minute, trying to imagine Cole in a place like this. It wasn’t easy. Nice suit, fancy office. Yeah, she’d seen him in his suits, of course, but seeing him in this environment. Weird.

  He seemed too rough around the edges for a place like this.

  She spotted a sign on the wall. A little arrow pointing to the right: COLE BLACK.

  Yep. Totally weird.

  By all accounts, he’d fit in easily, had turned the dwindling business around. So what did she know? Deke couldn’t be happier with the way Cole ran the place. And the man himself seemed to be happy with his new position. Well, she guessed he was happy. That’s all she could do since the infuriating pain in the ass told her nothing.

  Shoving her hands in her pockets, she approached the woman sitting behind the reception desk. Cole’s name was on the door behind her. “Hi, I’d like to see Cole…ah, Mr. Black, if he’s available?”