Captivated: Emerson Falls, Book 3 (Emerson Falls Series)

by Harlow James

“Just needed a change. Wanted to spread my wings, you know… all those classic clichés.”

  Clara gives me a calculated look that instantly makes my guilt rise. “Understandable. So how long have you and Cash been seeing each other?”

  “Officially? Only about a week. But I met him for the first time shortly after I moved here when he pulled me over.”

  Clara laughs loudly. “Oh boy, I feel like I need to hear this story.”

  So I fill her in on the general details of how Cash and I met, what lead to the slap in the bar, and how we started dating.

  “I’m not going to lie, seeing Cash with one person is surprising. You’re aware of his reputation, obviously. But I always knew it would just take the right woman for him to settle down.”

  Thinking about Cash fondly in that moment, I can’t help the smile that stretches across my lips. “I’m not naïve about who he was before, but he’s different with me. I’ve seen so many sides to him I don’t think he truly shares with others. I like him… a lot.”

  “Well, he needs someone to keep him in line. And I truly think you’re good for him, Piper. Welcome to the group,” she gives me a satisfactory nod.

  Before the conversation can continue, the doorbell rings, drawing Clara from the kitchen so I feel like I can finally breathe. Cooper and Cash are outside where Cooper is smoking some kind of meat, so it was just Clara and me in the kitchen talking.

  “Piper, this is Liv, Cooper’s sister and my best friend, and Kane, her fiancé. Liv, Kane… this is Piper, Cash’s…”

  “Girlfriend,” I finish for her, realizing right then and there it’s the first time I’ve used that label out loud. All three of them raise their eyebrows in shock before Clara grins.

  “Wow. Cash has a girlfriend?” Liv says before reaching down to a car seat on the floor, extracting a beautiful baby girl with dark hair in a blush-pink outfit that sparkles and shines in the light.

  “She needs a diaper change. Can you take her?” She turns to Kane, who intercepts his daughter willingly.

  “Sure thing, babe. Be right back.” He leans in to kiss her on the cheek as Clara hands Olivia a glass of wine.

  “Thank you. I need this. Evelyn has been teething the past few nights and then fought a nap this afternoon when I picked her up from daycare, so she’s been a handful,” she declares before taking a sip. “Going back to work and not getting a good night’s rest is killing me. Are you gonna have a glass?” She asks Clara.

  “Oh. No, not right now. Maybe with dinner,” Clara answers as she pulls something from the oven.

  “Meat’s almost done, babe,” Cooper calls into the house from the back door, Cash standing behind him as he shoots me a look that hints to all the dirty thoughts in his mind. Damn, he’s so sexy. And seeing him around his friends gives me this entirely new perception of him.

  “Oh, is Evelyn here?” He perks up before scooting around Cooper and barging inside. At that moment, Kane comes around the corner and hands the baby directly to Cash, like this is completely normal.

  “Hey, pretty girl. How’s it going?” He speaks to her softly while bouncing her around, making Evelyn coo and giggle. And I swear, my ovaries burst.

  “Cash is the baby whisperer,” Olivia speaks in my ear, catching me by surprise that she was watching me watch him.

  “I’m shocked by this right now.”

  “Oh, believe me, we all were. But I swear, Evelyn loves him. He’s going to be the best father someday.” She winks at me and then turns around to say something to Clara.

  Rising from my chair, I make my way over and study him as he sways around the room.

  “Why do babies smell so fucking good?” He inhales deeply while pulling Evelyn closer to his chest, her eyes drooping with every bounce, fighting the sleep we know is inevitable.

  “Do you think you should be cursing around the baby?”

  “She’s like five months old. She’ll never remember this.”

  “Good point.” My eyes track his movements as he cradles the baby in his arms. “You sure aren’t making it easy to resist you right now, Deputy,” I tease him and then lick my lips, drawing his attention to my mouth. My heart feels like it’s about to break out of my chest, this intense emotion hitting me as I watch him hold a baby like it’s the most natural thing to him. And in that moment, I let myself fall just a little bit more.

  “You never make it easy to resist you, sweetheart,” he growls at me and then leans down for a kiss, stealing my breath away, along with a piece of my heart.

  Chapter 20

  Cash

  Once Evelyn is snoring away peacefully, I place her back in her car seat just as Clara declares that dinner is ready. We all take our seats around the table, serving up mountains of smoked tri-tip, roasted potatoes, broccoli, rolls, and a salad. The spread smells so good as my stomach growls in agreement.

  “Do you have any ketchup?” Piper asks from beside me, which instantly makes me snicker.

  “Uh, sure,” she replies, rising from the table to head towards the fridge.

  “I hope you have a back-up, Clara, because Piper will probably use all of that.”

  “I have another bottle,” she says, placing the half-empty bottle in front of Piper. Reaching for the ketchup, Piper pops the lid and then smothers her potatoes with the red substance so the potatoes underneath aren’t even visible anymore.

  “I like ketchup,” she shrugs when she notices the whole table is watching her, and then we all chuckle.

  Plates full and glasses topped off, Clara clears her throat and then shoots Cooper a look.

  “So, there was actually a reason why Clara and I asked you guys over for dinner tonight,” Cooper starts, making my brow furrow. He reaches for Clara’s hand and then I realize she’s the only one without an alcoholic drink in front of her.

  “Shut the fuck up,” I say, everyone turning to look at me.

  “Cash!” Piper shoves me with her elbow, but I can’t help but smile.

  “Why didn’t you tell me, fucker?” I scold Cooper from across the table.

  “Because we wanted to tell you all together. And that includes you now, Piper,” he smiles over at the woman who is being welcomed into my group of friends with open arms. “Clara and I are having a baby!”

  Liv screams and Kane smacks the table as Piper gasps and then covers her mouth with her hands.

  “Oh. My. GOD!!!!” Liv shouts, standing so fast she almost knocks the table over in a rush to hug her brother and best friend. “I’m so fucking happy right now!” She yells through her tears. I glance back at Evelyn still sleeping through the noise while I let the three of them get out their hugs and celebrations before I stand and make my way to my best friend.

  “Fuck, dude. Congratulations,” I shake Cooper’s hand and then pull him in for an embrace.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but we wanted to make sure everything looked good before we said anything. We told my parents last night, but she’s only about eight weeks along…”

  I mentally do the math. “So, about the time you got engaged?” I shove him playfully.

  “Yeah, that’s kind of what we’re thinking,” he chuckles.

  “I’m happy for you, man. This is great. And that means another baby for me to play with.”

  “I figured you’d be happy about that.”

  “Okay, okay. Let’s eat before the food gets cold,” Clara redirects everyone back to the table as Cooper pulls her into him and kisses her while she wipes tears from her eyes.

  “Well, can Kane and I make an announcement now then too? Not to steal your thunder, Clara. I don’t want a Monica and Rachel situation here, okay?”

  Clara laughs. “Don’t worry. I already slept with your brother, so nothing worse can happen.”

  Piper starts laughing beside me uncontrollably.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “I’m just replaying that episode in my mind right now. God, I love that show!”

  “Glad to know we have ano
ther Friends fan in the group. She’s officially inducted,” Liv smirks and then faces Cooper and Clara again. “Kane and I set a date for the wedding,” she beams.

  “Really?” Clara pipes up. “When?”

  “New Year’s Eve. It’s gonna be at our house, just family and friends. We decided we didn’t want to spend another year not being husband and wife. So much has changed in the last twelve months, we want the next year to start off being married.” Kane leans over and wraps his arm around her as she speaks.

  “You got plans for New Year’s Eve, Piper?” I turn to her.

  “Not that I know of.”

  “Good. ‘Cause I need a date for a wedding.”

  We spend the next hour eating and talking, the other couples at the table making plans and nailing down details for a wedding and a new baby coming next May. And while I listen to their plans, I start making some of my own, all starring the woman sitting next to me.

  Piper joins in on the conversation, adding her humor and advice where needed, and I can’t help but feel like for the first time in my life, I have someone besides Birdie that makes me appreciate the little things—like a dinner with friends and a beautiful woman to share parts of my life with I never knew could be so fulfilling. Piper came into my life going the wrong way down a one-way street, but has quickly shown me the path that I’ve been fighting all along.

  Once we get back to her apartment, I pin her up against the door as soon as it closes. “Fuck, I’ve been looking forward to this for the past few hours,” I mumble against her neck, licking and kissing her delicate skin as she rakes her fingernails up and down my back.

  “Tonight sure was full of surprises, the biggest of all, how comfortable I felt around your friends. Seriously, Cash,” she pushes me off of her so I can see her eyes. “I’ve never felt so welcomed by a group of people as I did with them. Thank you for taking me. I can’t remember the last time I felt like I belonged.”

  There’s such a raw honesty in her words, it digs deep into my chest. “You did belong there, sweetheart, because you belong with me. My friends are good people and they loved you. Cooper told me he’s never seen me so at ease. He also gave me a bunch of shit for finally hopping on the relationship train, but I’d only take that shit talking for you.”

  “Well, as much as I love when you’re at ease, I love when you’re fully at attention even more,” she says as her hand cups me through my pants.

  “Are you commanding me to fuck you, Piper?”

  “Yes, sir. Now get to work,” she demands before I crush my lips to hers.

  We’re a fumbled mess of hands and limbs as we strip each other bare before I fetch a condom from my wallet and protect us from joining the parenting club with Kane, Liv, and now Clara and Cooper. I’m happy for all my friends and definitely want kids someday, but not anytime soon. Although the thought of Piper carrying my baby makes my stomach get all kinds of twisted up.

  Let’s not get ahead of yourself, Cash.

  “Put your hands against the door,” I command as she faces away from me, my palms settling on her ass cheeks as I rub them and then smack them playfully.

  “Cash,” she mewls as I dip down to my knees and lick Piper’s pussy from front to back while her ass is pushed back high in the air.

  “Talk to me, baby.”

  “God, your mouth…” She rocks back and forth across my tongue as I feel her arousal increase, dripping with need for me each time I flick her clit. I pump two fingers inside of her and then press my thumb to her asshole, wondering if she’s ever played around with that entrance.

  “Do it, Cash,” she moans.

  “Are you sure? Have you ever done that before, baby?”

  She shakes her head. “No. But I trust you.”

  “Okay, but not like this.” I move to stand and then take her back to her bed, lying down so she straddles me and submerges herself down on my cock.

  “Ride me, baby.” And she does, with her fingers in her hair and my hands on her wide hips that give me the perfect handles to hold on to while she moves. Watching her, afraid to blink in case I miss anything, I savor every flick of her hips and drag of my cock in and out of her.

  “I’m gonna come,” she says just moments before I feel her lose it, and I’m mesmerized by the way her body moves as she rides out her orgasm. She’s wild and open, giving me a front row seat to how incredible I’m making her feel. It only makes me want to pleasure her more.

  “Get on your knees,” I say, directing her to the middle of the bed where she perches her ass high in the air again, but rests her head on the mattress.

  “Are you sure about me playing with your ass, Piper?” Fuck, I want to make her feel good, but that’s an intimacy that is built solely on trust. I know she says she trusts me, but I have to make sure.

  “Yes.”

  With that small semblance of permission, I thrust inside of her, loving how tightly she grips me from this angle as I move back and forth, sliding in and out of her wetness, building her up again for a while. And then with a suck of my thumb, I press the tip to her puckered hole and lightly push, applying just enough pressure for her to feel it.

  “Keep going,” she mumbles into the sheets, turning her head to the side so she can look back and see me. And fuck, she looks exquisite like this—ass high, pussy wet, legs trembling as I move—with a gleam in her eye of mischief and pleasure, accompanied by confidence in me to make her feel good. It’s the most powerful and yet raw moment I’ve ever had during sex.

  A few more pushes and I break through the barrier, greeted with the hot heat inside.

  “Oh, fuck!” She shouts as I press forward slightly, retracting my thumb in her asshole in time with my dick in her pussy. It only takes a minute before she unravels.

  “Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God!” Piper’s screaming as I feel her come apart around me and it only takes two more thrusts before I come apart at the seams as well.

  “Fuck, Piper!” I shout as I shoot my load that feels like it’s never gonna end.

  Out of breath and energy, I gently slide out of her and then toss my body on the bed beside her, her face still pointing away from me. Then slowly she turns and gives me the most satisfied smile. “I don’t even know what to say.”

  “Thank you would be a good start,” I joke, trying to bring light to the situation so she doesn’t feel uncomfortable. Anal play can be taboo and something women are made to feel ashamed of—but every woman I’ve talked to that has done it with the right person says it’s worth the slight pain, especially if their partner takes care to make them feel good, and apparently it doesn’t hurt for very long when done right. I actually have never gone that far with a woman because it’s not something you’d offer for a one-night-stand, but I can imagine how intimate that would be with Piper. I’m officially adding it to the list of things I want to experience with her.

  “God, you’re so full of yourself,” she swats me playfully, but I grab her arm before she can get away, rolling her over and pinning her beneath me.

  “I’m pretty sure you were the one just full of me, so watch your snarkiness, woman.”

  Piper laughs and then leans up to kiss me, tangling our tongues together intimately.

  “Thank you for that experience,” she whispers, her cheeks still slightly blushed.

  “Thank you for trusting me to do that with you.”

  “I trust you a lot, Cash. More than I probably should.”

  “I promise I won’t do anything to break that trust intentionally, alright?” I stare down into her eyes as she nods in acknowledgment.

  Once we’re clean and relaxed, we fall asleep in each other’s arms, granting me with another serene night of sleep. But the conversation I hear that wakes me in the morning brings up that gut feeling I had that something just doesn’t add up when it comes to Piper and that glimmer of fear I’ve seen in her eyes.

  “Pfeiffer, your dad wants you to come home. There was an attempted break-in here last night.”

&nb
sp; A woman’s voice comes from the kitchen that I’ve never heard before as I tiptoe down the hall, following the sound but trying to not make any noise.

  “Oh, my God. Are you and Dad okay?”

  “Yes, the alarm system went off and the police arrived. But they threw a brick through the window and it had another note attached to it, Pfeiffer,” and now I can attest that the voice is coming through the speaker on her phone.

  Pfeiffer? Is that what the woman said? It sure sounded like it.

  “Wh-what did it say?” I can hear the tremble in Piper’s words as she waits for a reply.

  “It said they know where you are.”

  “Oh, God.” Piper chokes out before sounding more frantic. “But Mom, they can’t possibly. Maybe.. maybe they’re just saying that to scare you, to try to get the money out of you.”

  “Pfeiffer, I don’t know if it’s worth the risk. Your father refuses to give into the demands for Mason’s debt. We should never have been involved in this mess in the first place.”

  “I know, I’m so sorry, Mom. This is all my fault. But… I can’t leave.”

  “Pfeiffer, I know you’re making a life out there, darling. But this is your life we’re talking about here. Your father wants you to know that we’re on high alert.”

  “Did he call the police?”

  “Yes. They are aware and he filled in more details after last night. They know that you’ve been relocated, but this is still the Montevallo’s we’re dealing with here, Pfeiffer. These people have no morals. They are capable of anything.”

  As I shift on my feet to try to hear better, my foot makes a noise on the hardwood floor.

  “Uh, Mom, I’ve got to go. I’ll call you back later.” Piper ends the call as I quietly race back to the bedroom door as quickly as I can. Stumbling back down the hall, pretending like I just woke up, I rub my eyes as Piper comes around the corner of the kitchen.

  “Good morning,” she greets me, still a bit flustered I can tell, but she’s trying to play it cool.

  “Morning, sweetheart. How’d you sleep?”

  “Really well. Your body is like a heater,” she says before encircling my neck with her hands and giving me a quick kiss.