Chapter 3
THREE
PIPER
Ivy we had to read Lord of the Flies in middle school, and I think it stuck with me because it felt like we were living it to some degree every day. Always fighting to be on top and not caring who we stepped on to get there.” He shook off the memory before tipping his beer bottle at me with a wry grin. “Your turn. ”
“Rowdy Thorne in the eighth grade. But instead of passing him a note. I—” I released his hand to cover my face. “No, I can’t say it. It’s too embarrassing, and you’ll laugh.”
He tugged my hand down, interlacing my fingers with his. “The guy’s name was Rowdy Thorne, so I’m definitely going to laugh, but you’re going to tell me anyway.”
“Fine. Instead of passing him a note, I called him one night and proceeded to play Celine Dion’s Let’s Talk About Love album at max volume to let him know how I felt. Little did I know he was having a sleepover at the time.” My teeth sank into the flesh of my lower lip as I relived the mortifying moment all over again.
“I’m guessing he wasn’t much of a Celine fan,” he said carefully, the corner of his mouth twitching wildly with the grin he was struggling to conceal.
Despite the flush warming my cheeks, I smiled. “No, Ghost. He was not.”
“Dane,” he corrected.
“Well, I guess it’s a step up from Rowdy.”
He let out a low chuckle. “Oh, really? Just a step?”
“Like this much,” I said, holding my thumb and index finger about an inch apart.
Sensing things were about to get juicy, the bartender inched closer under the guise of wiping down the bar again. It would have been believable had she been holding the rag and not just making circular motions across the bar top with her hand.
“That’s it? That’s all I get over the guy who wasn’t sophisticated enough to appreciate the Queen of Power Ballads?”
“Eh.” I lifted my shoulder in a shrug, and his gaze immediately darkened.
I couldn’t decide which I liked better: the reserved giant whose flirting techniques needed some work or the brooding biker who looked like he could eat me for breakfast.
“All right. I see how it is.” He cracked his neck from side to side like a boxer limbering up for a fight.
“No, wait!” I scrambled off my stool and swam backward toward the stairs on the opposite side of the pool, doing my best to send a spray of water in his direction with each kick .
Dane disappeared beneath the surface, his muscular body gliding through the water as gracefully as a sea otter. I changed direction and barely made it to the side of the pool when a surge of movement sent ripples through the water. I shrieked with laughter when he burst from the depths seconds later, capturing my ankle in his firm grip.
The determined glint in his eyes was unmistakable as he reeled me in, effortlessly dragging me through the water while I feigned frustration and tried to wriggle free.
“Got ya,” he said, holding my gaze. We were close enough that the droplets of water cascading off the ends of his dark hair landed on my face in little splatters. Close enough that I could feel the heat radiating off his body.
His fingers trailed down my spine, and the laughter bubbling in my throat morphed into a breathless gasp. I shuddered, and his dark eyes drifted from my face down to where my nipples were straining against my swimsuit top.
“Cold?”
Not trusting myself to speak, I jerked my chin in a nod.
“Want me to warm you up?” he asked, his deep voice thicker than it had been only a moment ago.
The murmured “Please” had barely left my mouth before he was hauling me up in his arms with a low growl, his palms firmly molded around the curve of my ass.
My legs instinctively wrapped around his waist as he carried me to the edge of the pool. The water lapped gently against us, but I barely noticed. I was too focused on the way Dane’s hands kneaded my flesh, sending sparks of electricity through my body.
“Is this okay?” he murmured, his lips brushing against my ear.
I nodded, unable to form words as his mouth trailed down my neck. My fingers tangled in his wet hair, holding him close as he nipped and sucked at my sensitive skin.
“Dane,” I gasped, arching into him.
He pulled back slightly, his dark eyes searching mine. “Tell me what you want, darlin’.”
The intensity of his gaze made me shiver. “I want...” I trailed off, suddenly feeling shy despite our intimate position .
His thumb traced my lower lip, sending another shiver through me. “Tell me.”
I took a shaky breath, my desire overriding my hesitation. “I want you to kiss me.”
A slow smile spread across his face. “Thought you’d never ask.”
He lowered his head, his lips barely brushing against mine. The light touch was electric, igniting every nerve ending in my body. I pressed closer, desperate for more.
Dane obliged, capturing my mouth in a searing kiss that left me breathless. His tongue swept across my lower lip, seeking entrance. I opened for him eagerly, moaning as his fingertips moved along my jaw, angling my head to deepen the kiss.
“Christ, Piper,” he growled, as I rocked against the bulge in his shorts, desperate to alleviate the ache spreading throughout my lower body.
I was vaguely aware of the obscene noises I was making as my wet hands pawed frantically at the hard planes of his chest like a cat making biscuits.
“What would you have done if your friends had been talking to me?” I murmured, hissing out a breath when he thrust forward, dragging the length of his erection over my clit.
“Killed them,” he said with a growl.
My nipples pebbled at the lack of humor in his tone, as much as the scrape of his beard against my jaw.
“Sorry to interrupt?—”
Dane and I jerked apart, breathing heavily. I could feel the heat in my cheeks as I turned to where Ivy stood at the edge of the pool, arms crossed and a knowing smirk on her face.
She wasn’t sorry at all.
“Seriously?” I groaned, dropping my forehead to his shoulder in frustration.
“Yes, seriously,” she said, mimicking my voice. “C’mon. We’ve got a long drive home tomorrow.”
“Walk you back to your room?” he asked, his intense gaze boring into mine.
Despite the disappointment surging through my veins, I nodded. “I’d like that.”