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Lover 60
I debate lying, but something tells me she already knows the truth. That she’s done enough research over the years to bury me without batting her eyelashes twice, especially if her family knows Chad as well as she said.“We had sex, Tilly. But I didn’t know he wasn’t available.”“Did you even bother to ask?” she says with enough bite that I know she’s pissed. Really fucking pissed.“Why would I have asked? He asked me out on a date. That usually means you’re single.”“Or maybe you just didn’t care. You fucked my husband behind my back. That’s what you do. But I promise you, you’ll never have what it takes to keep him satisfied, Piper. West has needs, very specific tastes, and he likes it often. So, I suggest you walk away before you crash and burn again. He’s been through enough.”“And, if I walked away, you’d leave me alone?”“Probably not.” She laughs. “Nothing brings me greater satisfaction than watching you squirm.” She holds out her cell phone and shows me a picture of her fuckin
Lover 61
I slide the balcony door closed. I see the glass of wine next to her. It isn’t even noon yet. I’ve never seen her drink this early.“You okay?”She doesn’t look at me. She just keeps staring at the ocean. Her profile shows a flushed cheek and an eye that’s puffy and red. She’s on one of the lounge chairs with her arms wrapped around her bent knees, her body rocking like she’s riding out the waves.I sit in front of her and reach for her. When she doesn’t fold into my chest, I grab her ass and pull her closer to me. “What did she say to you?”She shakes her head, refusing to look at me.“Piper, I just ran into her downstairs, and she fed me a lie about coming here to see the hotel manager. Don’t protect her. Tell me what she said to you.”Her eyes fill with tears, and when the wind hits her face, it blows the drips down her cheeks. “I didn’t know,” she whispers.“What didn’t you know?”She doesn’t answer, so I cup her face and hold it, squeezing until our eyes finally connect. “Whateve
Lover 62
If Tilly doesn’t stop, I’ll step in. But, until I know what this is really all about, all I can do is wipe Piper’s tears.PiperI wish I could say I felt better after my talk with West, but all he did was open more doors of doubt. I’d thought we had more time. More time to get to know each other. More time to lie in bed and do nothing. Just time. But time has never been on my side.And, now, he’s getting out his luggage for his trip to Boston tomorrow.My ticket has been sitting on the table since he checked in for the flight, and printed out the passes. He didn’t have to print them; he could have used an e-ticket on his phone, but he wanted me to see it. He wanted the option to be right in front of my face, for it to be real.His plan is working. Between his luggage and that damn ticket, all I can think about is what it’ll be like if he goes on this trip without me and accepts a position with a network. Just like that, one quick flight up north, and we’ll be over.My life is in Flori
Lover 63
“Let me guess; this was all part of Tilly’s speech?”I stare at my fingers and nod. “She has pictures. Really awful pictures of her fucking Cannon. It was like being in your house all over again, watching it happen.”West runs his hand over his face. “You know I have to say something to her. I can’t let this go, Piper.”“That’s why I didn’t want to tell you. If you talk to her, it’ll only make it worse.”“When I’m done with her, she won’t come near you again. I can promise you that.”Anything he says won’t help my case. I’m scared that Tilly won’t stop and that those pictures will end up all over the internet, shaming the two of us and ending Cannon’s career. Then, they’ll both come after me.“West, you can’t. Please.”“Are you with me?” he asks.“What do you mean? I’m sitting in bed with you.”“I’m asking you if you’re mine, Piper. Are you my girl?”“Yes, but that doesn’t mean you have to handle this. I can take care of myself.”We both know that’s a lie. Without West, I’d be stuck i
Lover 64
“I thought you were going to join me in the shower?”I walk over to her and grip the top of the towel, pulling it off her body and letting it drop to the floor. “I wanted to, baby. I just had to take care of something really quick.”I love the way her skin feels when it’s a little wet. How she seems extra sensitive because her nerve-endings are still tingling from the hot spray. How she smells so good that I want to lick the scent off her flesh.“Do I want to know what you had to take care of?”I hold her tits in my palms, grazing my thumbs across her nipples. “It doesn’t matter. This is much more important.”She moans, putting her fingers on top of mine. “We have a flight to catch.”“We’ll make it.”I lift both of our hands off her chest and lean my face down to take one of her nipples into my mouth. She groans even louder when I hold it between my teeth, flicking just the end, sucking when I know she needs more pressure.“We have plenty of time, Piper. Let me taste you—”She slips h
Lover 65
I point out my window when the skyline of the city comes into view. “You’re going to see me everywhere out there.”“You mean, on billboards?”“I’m sure some of those are still hanging around, but what I mean is, I think you’ll understand me a whole lot better after this week.”“It sounds like I’m about to meet your best friend.”I kiss the top of her head. “You are.”PiperIt was easy to fall for West in Florida, but here, in Boston, it would have been impossible to deny him. Since we stepped off the plane, his face has been lit up like the Fourth of July. His smile is even more infectious, and his kisses punctuate every memory that flickers in his eyes.“Why don’t you come to the meeting with me?” he says. “I feel bad, taking off and leaving you here by yourself.”The hotel is insane. There’s nothing for him to be worried about. For once, I don’t mind being alone. In fact, I have at least five things I want to do as soon as he leaves. The first is starting in the biggest bathroom I’v
Lover 66
When he pulls away, he chews on his lip, like he’s thinking about coming back for more. I wish he would, but he turns and walks away, completely out of breath.“West!” I yell. “What am I supposed to wear to dinner? You haven’t told me where we’re going.”“Nothing!” he yells back. “I’m going to fuck you first.”I clench my thighs together, his promise hitting me so low, I can feel myself getting wet even though I’m sitting in a bathtub full of water. West’s promises are my favorite. I just hope he gets good news at this meeting and comes back in the same mood he left in.WestIt was one of the best weeks I’d ever spent in Boston. I showed Piper the different sections of the city, the rink, my old condo building, and she even met some of my teammates when we all went out to dinner. It was like I’d never left, yet I was playing tourist in a place where I should have been living.My billboard is still outside the stadium, and when I close my eyes, I can remember what it felt like to be in
Lover 67
“Don’t forget video chats. Those are the best.”“Yeah, those, too.”“What’d you do when you were with Tilly? Wasn’t much different than this, was it? I mean, you told me you were in the same city once you started dating her, but during the season, you were on the road nonstop, so you hardly saw her anyway.”My relationship with Tilly just existed—during season and off-season. We fucked when I was in town, and we had phone sex when I was gone. I did what I needed to do on the ice, and she kept things running back at home.“It was just different, wasn’t it?” he asks, as though he’d heard my thoughts.“Yeah, man. Big time. It was nothing like this at all.”“Have you talked to Piper about moving up to Boston with you?”I glance over my shoulder. The balcony’s off the living room, so I don’t have a full view of the entire bedroom. But I can see the edge of the mattress and how her foot’s hanging off the side.“Nah. I don’t want to put that kind of pressure on her.”“We can figure out plays
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