by A. M. Myers
I grip her hips and move with her as we both race toward completion. Smacking her hands against the roof of the truck, she moans again and again, teetering on the edge of her release. My body tenses and I wrap my hand around the back of her neck, pulling her to me and slamming her lips to mine as we both shatter around each other. Her pussy grips me, waves of pleasure milking my cock as I spill into her with a groan and we pull apart, both of us fighting for air as our eyes meet.
“Oh my God,” she whispers before a giddy little giggle slips out of her mouth and I grin, pulling her to me as I lean my head back and close my eyes.
Fuck.
That was good.
“That one got me pregnant, for sure,” she says into my neck and I laugh as I run my hand down her back.
“You think?”
She nods. “Oh, for sure.”
We sit in silence for a moment, both of us just soaking up the quiet time with one another, before she sits up and locks eyes with me.
“Now, where is my surprise?”
Laughing, I reach behind the seat and grab the black case off of the seat before handing it to her. She scowls at it, looking so goddamn adorable I want to take her again, before she looks up at me.
“What is it?”
“Open it,” I tell her, laughing as my stomach flips. I have no idea how she is going to react but I hope she’ll know I’m just trying to keep her safe. She flips the lid open and stares down at the pistol inside without saying anything and my heart climbs into my throat.
“Why?” she asks, meeting my eyes and I cup her cheek in my hand.
“I just want to know you’re safe, baby.”
She glances down at the gun. “If I agree to this, will you let up on the whole ‘you are not to be alone in the studio and I’ll drive you everywhere’ thing?”
“No.”
“Then I don’t want it,” she snaps, shoving it back into my hands. I refuse to take it, sighing as I run a hand through my hair.
“What if I let up on the whole alone at the studio thing as long as you check in with me often and I’ll follow you to work and home in my truck?”
She studies me for a second before nodding her head. “Okay. If this will make you feel better, I’ll carry it with me.”
“Good,” I answer as relief rushes through me like a tidal wave. I’ll be able to breathe so much easier knowing that she has a way to defend herself when I can’t be with her but I hope to God she won’t ever need it.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Piper
“Smack That” by Akon spills out of the studio’s speaker system and I growl as I lean back in my chair and study the photo I’ve been working on for the last hour. Normally, it wouldn’t take me this long to edit a photo but I’m distracted today. My gaze drifts to my purse sitting on the desk where the pistol Wyatt gave me a couple of nights ago is hidden and I sigh. Honestly, I’m not even sure what is making me pre-occupied tonight but every time I try to focus on the task at hand, my mind wanders to the other night when Wyatt brought me dinner, drove me down to the river, and taught me how to shoot. Closing my eyes, I remember the way he stepped up behind me and wrapped his hands around mine, showing how to properly hold the pistol and a shiver works its way down my spine.
God, I’m hopeless lately.
It seems like all I can think about is screwing my husband every which way and it doesn’t matter that he was inside me this morning as I woke up because I want it again. The memory of him whispering instructions in my ear makes my pussy clench with need and I shake my head as I lean forward and try to focus on the photo again. More than anything, I would like to just call it a night and head home but if I don’t get these photos finished up, I’ll be behind and I hate that.
As I start fixing something in the background, my gaze flicks to my bag again and I grit my teeth as I lean back in my chair. My mind drifts to that night again, remembering the way we came together in his truck and I smile. God, I love that man. Life would be so good right now if it wasn’t for this stupid threat hanging over our heads. When Wyatt was showing me how to hold and shoot the gun, I thought I was going to hate it but it ended up being pretty fun and I do feel a little more secure now that I have something to protect myself.
Not that it seems to have helped Wyatt.
He’s just as high-strung as ever and I have no clue how to help him. He won’t talk to me about it but I know he’s still worried, so worried that he’s barely eating and not sleeping well at all. Not once has he gotten out of bed in the middle of the night but several times I’ve woken up to get a drink of water or pee and found him wide awake next to me. The guys still haven’t found any new evidence and I feel like it’s slowly driving them all crazy and so fucking overprotective that us girls can hardly breathe.
Tate and I finally grabbed lunch yesterday but Wyatt and Kodiak were lurking at a table not too far from ours the entire time so it was hard to really talk about anything. In fact, she spent a good amount of time roasting her husband, loud enough for him to hear and telling him she was going to tase him if he didn’t back off. He just grinned at her, though and I’m starting to think it’s some kind of foreplay for those two but who am I to judge?
To each their own and all that.
I turn back to my computer and tell myself that I’m going to buckle down but I don’t even get one thing done before my gaze drifts to the bouquet of a dozen calla lilies on the counter. They are my absolute favorite and I couldn’t believe it when the delivery man dropped them off today. Even in Wyatt’s stressed out state, he’s still thinking of me and it honestly means everything. I know enough from the few dating mishaps I had while trying to move on and Eden’s exploits to know that men like Wyatt don’t come along very often and I know how lucky I am to have him. Still, I wish there was something I could do to ease this burden off of his shoulder but I think the only thing that will make it better will be catching this guy and removing the threat from all of our lives.
He’s taken all this on, feels responsible for the state of everyone’s safety and as much as I wish he could see that it is not all on him, I love how much he cares. Seeing him like this shows me that he is going to be an amazing daddy once we get pregnant and I smile as I glance down at my belly, wondering if there is a little peanut in there already. Everything I have read says that it takes time and to just enjoy the process but Wyatt and I both want this so badly that it feels like it’s taking forever. Not that I’ll ever complain about a little quality time with my man.
Turning back to the computer, I sigh and shake my head as I scoop my phone off of the desk. I’m not going to get anymore done today and there is no point sitting here all night when I could be spending time with my husband. I dial his number and lean back in my chair as I press the phone to my ear.
“Hey, baby,” he answers and I smile, the sound of his voice soothing all the frayed ends that a long day left in me.
“Hi. I think I’m ready to head home now.”
He laughs. “That’s good since I’m on my way to the studio now to drag you out if I have to.”
“No dragging required.”
“Good. How was your day?”
I spin back to the computer to save the edits I already made to this photo. “Long and I keep getting distracted.”
“By what?”
“Oh,” I murmur, grinning to myself. “Just thoughts of you and how I can convince you to reenact this morning.”
He barks out a laugh. “Baby, all you gotta do is ask… no, wait… that’s not true. All you gotta do is look at me.”
“You’re so easy,” I tease and he laughs again. It’s a glorious sound and one I haven’t heard a whole lot this past week so I close my eyes to soak it in.
“Maybe you’re the easy one. Did you ever consider that?”
I shake my head. “Never. Maybe you did some like voodoo on me or something to make me extra horny.”
“You caught me,” he practically groans. “And don’t say
the word horny when I’m still two blocks away and can’t do anything about it.”
There is a fluttery feeling in my belly as I lean back in my chair and press my hand to my chest. “God, baby… I’m so horny…”
“Woman!”
“You’d better hurry. I need you, Wyatt,” I moan, dragging my hand across my skin and teasing myself as much as I’m teasing him. His growl on the other end of the line makes goose bumps race across my flesh and the bed in the studio that Eden and I use for boudoir sessions pops into my mind.
“Open the door.”
My gaze flies to the front door and my lips part as his eyes meet mine, full of all sorts of filthy promises and a shiver races down my spine as I stand up. “Jesus Christ. How did you get here so fast?”
“I was very motivated. Now, open the door,” he orders, his voice full of power as he arches a brow in warning. I stare at him and when he points to the lock, my feet start moving without any instruction from me, carrying me closer to him. As soon as the door is unlocked, he yanks it open and charges inside, pulling me into his arms and sealing his lips to mine. I moan, wrapping my arms around his neck as we stumble back into the counter and something crashes behind us. He rips his lips away and glances over my shoulder.
“Shit, baby. Your flowers fell.”
I jerk back. “Oh, no.”
Peeling myself out of his arms, I round the counter and grab the bundle of flowers off of the floor, shaking the water off before setting them on the counter and kneeling down to inspect the vase they came in. It was a gorgeous glass vase with little hearts blown into the sides but now it’s in multiple pieces all over the floor. On one of the shelves under the counter is a roll of paper towels and I grab them as I try to mop up the water. Wyatt crouches down next to me and takes the paper towels from my hand.
“I’ll do this. I don’t want you cutting yourself.”
I nod and stand up to inspect the flowers. They don’t look too worse for wear but there is no saving the vase they were in. I thought it was so sweet when it was delivered earlier today and even thought it’s just a vase, I’m kind of sad it broke. When he stands up with the pieces of glass in his hand, my bottom lip pokes out.
“Aw, baby,” he whispers, dropping the pieces into the garbage can before walking over to me and wrapping me up in a hug. “I’ll buy you a new one, okay?”
I point to the garbage can. “But I liked that one. It was so cute and sweet.”
“Well, where did you get it? We can go right now.”
Huh?
I pull back and meet his gaze with a scowl on my face. “I didn’t get it anywhere…”
“So Eden did, then? Text her and ask her where we can get another one. Or was it a client?”
“What are you talking about?” I ask, taking a step back as I search his face. Is he just messing with me right now? “You sent them to me.”
He shakes his head. “No… I didn’t.”
“But… they were delivered today… I just assumed they were from you.”
“No…” he answers, his gaze flicking to the flowers on the desk before dropping to the trash can. When he meets my eyes again, his eyes are narrowed and he takes a step toward me. “Who the fuck is sending you flowers, Pip?”
I shake my head. “I don’t know. I thought they were from you.”
“Obviously not,” he snaps, staring at the lilies again as his nostrils flare and he clenches his fist. He turns back to me, glaring daggers into my skin. “Who the fuck is sending you flowers and vases with cute little fucking hearts on it, Pip?”
“I don’t know!”
“You don’t know? Well, he obviously knows you well enough to know that calla lilies are your favorite fucking flower, doesn’t he?”
My eyes widen. “He? Are you accusing me of something right now?”
His lips flatten into a straight line as his gaze bounces around the studio like he’s looking for something and when his eyes finally land on me again, they are cold and hard. “Just tell me who sent the flowers, Piper.”
“I don’t know!” I scream, balling my fists up and gritting my teeth. Wyatt has been the only man to ever own my heart and I thought he knew that. I thought we were past all of this. He sighs, shoving his hand through his hair.
“Is it James? You leaving me for that fucker?”
I stare at him with wide eyes. Jesus Christ. The man has lost his goddamn mind. “Are you kidding me? I fucking love you, Wyatt, and only you. You know that.”
“Then why is some other fucking man sending you flowers?” he roars, pointing to the bouquet still sitting on the counter. He glares at it for a second before scooping it up and chucking it at the wall. “Fuck this. You know what I don’t need, Piper? I don’t need to get my heart pulverized by you again. If you want this little pissant, then get your shit out of the house and go be with him.”
He spins on his toes and walks out of the studio without another word and I stare after him for a few seconds before pain splinters my chest and tears sting my eyes. As I stumble back to my chair, I gasp for air and try to work through the last five minutes in my mind over and over again.
Where in the hell did it go wrong?
My hands shake as I pick up my phone and dial Eden’s number. I’m not leaving Wyatt and I’m not giving up on us but there is no way in hell that I’m going back to the house tonight.
“Hello?” Eden answers and I suck in a stuttered breath.
“Edie… can I come stay at your place tonight? Wyatt and I… we had a huge fight and I…”
“Of course,” she says, cutting me off. I thank her and tell her I’ll be there soon before hanging up and burying my head in my hands as a sob rips through me, echoing around the empty studio before being swallowed up by the upbeat pop music that only amplifies just how shitty I feel. The tears trickle down my cheeks and the pain in my chest grows as his words play on a loop through my mind. God, he was so cold, so sure that I would betray him like that I can’t help but think this is my fault. I lied to him about the real reasons I left for ten years and during all that time, it is all he’s known. I can’t help but wonder if he is still holding onto some resentment about all of that and if we’re strong enough to overcome it.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Wyatt
I clench my fists to keep my hands from shaking as I stomp out of the studio. The door slams behind me but I ignore it. Images of Piper with another man flash across my vision, fueling me as I jump behind the wheel of my truck and peel out of the parking spot. Pain blooms in my chest, pain like I haven’t felt in ten goddamn years and I grit my teeth as I peel out of the parking space and press the gas pedal all the way to the floor. I’ll be better once I put a little distance between me and my lying wife. My mind spins as I fly down the quiet street, going over the last ten minutes again and again in my mind and wondering where the hell I went wrong. Things have been so damn good between Piper and me but those flowers tell a different goddamn story. My knuckles turn white from gripping the steering wheel so hard and I wish I could just crack it in half as rage flows through me. I feel like my hand is attached to live wire, electricity sparking through me and making me want to crawl out of my own skin. My mind spins as I try to put it all together but it just doesn’t make any sense. Who the fuck is sending my wife flowers?
And more importantly, why would she do this to me again?
Why would she do this to us?
My heart cracks in half as I think about going back to the way things were before she walked back into my life and I shake my head, fighting the urge to throw up.
Why would she do this to me again?
The thought bounces around in my head, driving me to the point of madness, before reality crashes down on me and I suck in a breath.
Oh, fuck…
Piper never cheated on me.
Almost like I’m walking through a haze, things become clearer and I run a hand over my face.
Jesus Christ.
What t
he hell did I just do and what was I thinking?
Piper wouldn’t cheat on me. Not now that we’re back together and trying to have a baby. Not when she could have had anyone she wanted only a month ago.
“Fuck!” I scream, punching the steering wheel so hard I hear a crack but I ignore it. It’s not what is important right now.
Goddamn it.
I fucked up so bad.
Shaking my head, I slam my foot on the brake and as soon as the truck slows down a little bit, I yank the wheel to one side, flipping around right in the middle of the street before flooring it to head back to the studio. Maybe she will still be there and I can apologize for being such an epic dumb ass.
I can’t believe I yelled at her like that.
What the hell was I thinking?
My chest feels tight as I race back toward her, hoping and praying that she will hear me out long enough to make it up to her but when I get back to the studio, her car is gone.
“Goddamn it,” I growl, pulling my phone out of my pocket and dialing her number as I head for home. My parting words ring in my ears and I hope to God she’s not there packing.
Fuck.
I can’t lose her again.
Her voice mail picks up and my heart climbs into my throat as I toss the phone into the passenger seat.
Oh, this is so, so bad and also, perfect with all the other shit I’m dealing with. I feel like I’m losing my fucking mind and I don’t know what to do with all this goddamn guilt and worry twisting itself into a poisonous little cocktail inside me. Spots flash in my vision and panic claws at my throat as I reach over and grab my phone before dialing her number again.
“Please, Piper,” I whisper, my free leg shaking like crazy. Just as I pull up in front of the house and park my truck, her voice mail picks up and I grit my teeth, almost crushing the little piece of plastic. Her car isn’t here either and my heart kicks against my ribs as I wonder if maybe I was right.
