Chapter 25
TWENTY-FIVE
PIPER
Ivy & Piper’s Guide to Life Rule Number Thirty-Four:
Don’t wait for perfect.
I entered the living room to find Dane slumped in the armchair with Avery curled up against his bare chest. His arms were wrapped tightly around her little body as if protecting her from nightmares.
Since finding the man responsible for robbing the bakery dead of an apparent overdose two weeks ago, this had become their nightly routine.
Almost as soon as Dane’s eyes drifted shut, he jolted himself awake again with a panicked gasp. He refused to let himself sleep, and aside from telling me they found pictures of me in Isaac’s house, he refused to discuss anything about that night.
With a sigh, I padded over to where he sat, brushing a strand of hair from his brow before reaching for Avery. “I’ll take her. You should try to get some sleep.”
Dane’s arms reflexively tightened around our daughter in a silent plea not to separate them. My throat constricted at his unspoken desperation.
“Hey,” I whispered, blinking against the sting of tears. “She needs to sleep in her own bed. And so do you.”
He reluctantly let me take her before settling back against the chair. “I’m fine.”
There was nothing fine about his clenched jaw and the dark circles rimming his eyes, but I wouldn’t waste my breath arguing. My vision blurred, and I turned away before the tears spilled over onto my cheeks.
I carried Avery to her room, gently laying her in her crib and tucking the teddy bear Dane got her in beside her. She stirred briefly, little fingers clutching the stuffed animal before she stilled.
As I quietly closed the door behind me, Dane’s low voice drifted down the hall from the living room. It sounded like he was on the phone, but he was speaking too softly for me to make out what he was saying.
My stomach clenched when he stepped out onto the front porch, and I wrapped my arms around myself, fighting back a fresh wave of tears.
A small, traitorous part of me wondered if he was talking to another woman. He hadn’t touched me since the night they found the rental car. I’d spent the last week racking my brain and replaying every moment, trying to pinpoint what had gone wrong.
Was it the role-playing?
The fact that I was on my period?
I didn’t know, but I couldn’t keep living like this. I needed answers.
Taking a deep breath, I slipped out onto the porch. Dane was leaning against the railing, his broad shoulders hunched forward. A cigarette dangled from his fingers, wisps of smoke curling into the night air. His head hung low, and for a moment, I thought he’d fallen asleep standing up until I heard the sharp intake of breath.
He was crying.
Without a word, I wrapped my arms around him from behind, pressing my cheek against his back. I could feel the tension in his muscles, the slight tremors running through his body as he fought to maintain control. My hands splayed across his abdomen, rubbing small, soothing circles.
Dane’s body went rigid for a moment before he turned, pulling me tight against his chest. His massive frame vibrated with silent sobs as he buried his face in my hair. I held him tightly, my own tears falling freely now.
We stood for what felt like hours, the weight of unspoken words hanging heavy between us. Finally, I forced myself to voice the fear that had been gnawing at me for days.
“I feel like you’re pulling away,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “Have you...have you changed your mind? About us? About me?”
He stiffened, then gently disentangled himself from my arms, and I knew I’d guessed right.
“Sit down, darlin’,” he said, leading me over to a chair. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
My heart plummeted to the porch, and I dropped onto the chair, my legs suddenly weak. Dane crouched in front of me, his red-rimmed eyes filled with a mixture of guilt and anguish, leaving me with a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.
“Levi’s death...it put me in a bad place. I did something that—” He broke off, nostrils flaring as he tried to rein in his emotions. “In light of recent events, I’m afraid it might change how you feel about me. It’s already changed how I feel about myself.”
A sickening dread flooded my veins, and I pressed a hand to my sternum, feeling like I might hyperventilate. My mind raced with possibilities, each worse than the last. I knew he was capable of killing to protect me. Had he done something even more extreme? Or was it simpler but no less devastating? Another woman. A child I didn’t know about.
“Just tell me,” I said, bracing myself for the implosion.
“There are 3,123 Pipers living in this country,” Dane said abruptly.
I blinked, caught completely off guard. Of all the things I’d imagined him saying, a random fact didn’t make the top ten.
“Okay,” I said slowly. “That’s…interesting, I guess?”
“I’m not done,” he continued, his eyes never leaving mine. “There are 3,123 Pipers living in the United States. I know because I’ve spent the last two years tracking down every single one. Had I been searching for an Amelia Piper, I might have found you sooner.”
My mouth fell open in shock. “You...what? ”
“At the time, it seemed romantic,” Dane said, his voice thick with self-loathing. “But after seeing the extent of Isaac’s obsession with you... Christ, Piper, I can’t help but feel I’m no better.”
His hands shook as he reached for me, his grip desperate. “I’m disgusted with myself. I’ve been making all the decisions since I came into your life, and it’s not right. You deserve to know the truth, to decide for yourself if…” He trailed off, throat working. “I’ll understand if you want me to leave.”
My mind reeled, trying to process the enormity of what he’d done. Two years of his life, dedicated to finding me. I thought back to when we met, how he’d looked at me even then like it was more than a one-night stand.
Because it was.
Men like Dane Riggs were typically only found in the pages of a romance novel, and I would have been an absolute fool to let him go.
A small smile tugged at my lips as I echoed the words I’d said to him that first night. “Hey, I’m here, aren’t I?”
Something like hope ignited in his brown eyes, and he swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. “What are—what are you saying, darlin’?”
I slid from the chair and into his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck. “I’m saying I want you. All of you. The guy who searched the country for me. The daddy. The biker—” I hesitated for a moment before softly adding, “The husband.”
Dane made a low noise in his throat, his eyebrow lifting in surprise. “The husband? Are you proposing?”
A flush crept up my cheeks. “Well, you said I was your Ol’ Lady, so I figured…” I trailed off, suddenly unsure.
Had I misread everything?
His large hand cupped my chin, tilting my face up to meet his intense gaze. He searched my eyes for a long moment before his lips curved into a slow smile that made my heart skip.
“Come here,” he murmured, scooping me up as he stood.
Dane carried me bridal style into the bedroom and gently set me on the edge of the mattress before stepping into the closet. When he emerged, he had one hand behind his back and an uncharacteristically nervous expression on his face .
“I thought when I did this, I’d have some grand speech prepared. Wouldn’t be sleep-deprived and emotionally wrung out.” He lowered himself to one knee before me, suddenly looking almost bashful. “But hell, baby. When have we ever done things the conventional way?”
I pressed a hand to my mouth when he pulled a small velvet box from behind his back, opening it to reveal a stunning emerald-cut sapphire ring flanked by diamonds.
“Bought this a few weeks after we met,” Dane admitted. “Carried it with me for two years, hoping I’d find you again so I could tell you I never wanted one night. I want them all.” His voice grew husky with emotion. “Marry me, Amelia Piper Kelly. Be my wife and my Ol’ Lady.”
Tears spilled down my cheeks, and I nodded frantically, choking out, “Yes. God, yes.”
For the first time in weeks, Dane’s face broke into a genuine smile, dimples and everything. He slid the ring onto my finger before capturing my mouth with his.
I melted into him, wrapping my arms around his neck as he deepened the kiss, his tongue sweeping into my mouth. A moan slipped past my lips as his hands skimmed down my sides, and I broke away, panting, “Make me yours, Dane.”
My back hit the mattress with a bounce, and I pushed myself up onto my elbows, watching with hungry eyes as he stripped off his kutte and shirt.
The dim light from the bedside lamp cast shadows across the muscled planes of his torso, highlighting every ridge and valley. He turned to toss the clothes onto the dresser, and I drank in the full expanse of ink covering his broad back.
I’d seen glimpses of the intricate tattoos before, but never like this—never with the knowledge that this beautiful, dangerous man was all mine.
“See something you like, baby?” he asked with a cocky smirk, his hands moving to his belt buckle.
“Yep. Everything,” I replied honestly, too far gone to lie or play coy.
He chuckled darkly as he worked his jeans and boxer briefs down over his muscular thighs. My mouth went dry as his hard length sprang free, eagerly jutting up against his abdomen .
Dane crawled onto the bed with predatory grace, caging my body beneath his larger frame. His skin was hot against mine, and I could feel the barely restrained power in his muscles as he hovered above me.
Slowly, he peeled off my T-shirt before moving to my panties until I was bare beneath him. One hand circled my wrists, pinning them above my head before he claimed my mouth in a searing kiss.
“Tell me to stop, and I will. No questions asked,” he said when he broke away, his voice rough with need.
I shook my head frantically. “Don’t you dare stop.”
A low groan rumbled in his chest as he lowered his head to my breast, rolling one nipple between his thumb and forefinger while taking the other in his mouth. “Mine.”
I gasped at the sensation of his teeth grazing the sensitive bud before he soothed it with his tongue. “Yes, yours. All yours.”
“Christ, you’re gorgeous,” he murmured against my skin, switching his attention to my other breast.
When he finally released my nipple with a wet pop , I forced my heavy eyelids open to find him staring down at me with an expression of awe. The corners of his eyes crinkled as he studied my face, and I inhaled sharply, suddenly fighting back tears.
I’d seen the same look in his eyes in the hotel room the night we met and again when he saw Avery for the first time. It was one I’d seen so many times since then that its meaning never fully registered.
Until now.
“You love me,” I breathed, shaking my head in open-mouthed disbelief. I thought of the words he’d whispered the night he learned about Avery, the words I thought I’d dreamed.
Dane’s eyebrows pulled together, creating two vertical lines of confusion between them. “Was that not clear with the whole wanting to marry you and make you my Ol’ Lady?”
“No, you love me,” I repeated before trying again. “You loved me even the first night?—”
“Loved you then,” he interjected, dropping his head to kiss the space between my breasts. “Love you now.” His mouth moved lower, reverently tracing the stretch marks on my belly before he moved between my thighs. “I’ll love you until I take my last breath, darlin’. ”
I pushed myself up and wrapped my hand around his thick length. His breath hitched as I slowly pumped his shaft, using my thumb to spread the bead of moisture at the tip.
“Mine,” I whispered, guiding him to my entrance.
Dane’s eyes locked on mine. “Yours.”
Slowly, I guided him inside me, both of us releasing a groan as he stretched my body around his. He held still for a long moment, letting me adjust to his size.
“Fuck, you feel so damn good,” he said, lowering his forehead to rest against mine.
I nodded and wrapped my legs around his waist, silently urging him to move. When that didn’t work, I rolled my hips experimentally, drawing a sharp hiss from between his clenched teeth.
Bracing himself on his forearms, he began to thrust in a slow, deep rhythm. My walls clenched around him, each drag of his cock sending shockwaves through my body.
“Look at me,” he said, waiting until my eyes fluttered open before moving again. “You’re mine. No one else gets to touch you like this. No one else gets to make you fall apart. You hear me?”
“Only you,” I gasped, keeping my eyes locked on his.
He groaned and buried his face in my neck, his movements growing urgent. “Say it again,” he growled, nipping at my earlobe.
“I’m yours,” I said, clinging to his shoulders to anchor myself. “Only yours. Always.”
Dane’s hips snapped forward with more force. “That’s right, baby. Mine.” He slowed his thrusts, gazing down at me with a soft smile. “My woman. My Ol’ Lady. My wife.”
The words sent a shiver through me, and I reflexively tightened around him, drawing a low groan from his throat.
He shifted our position, rolling onto his back and pulling me on top of him without breaking our connection. I braced my hands on his broad chest, relishing the new angle as I began to ride him.
His hands gripped my hips, controlling my movements as I rose and fell on his thick length. “That’s it, baby,” he said. “Use me. Take what you need.”
I leaned back, changing the angle and gasping at the increased friction against my clit. “So good,” I babbled, rocking my hips faster .
Dane watched me through hooded eyes before sliding one hand between our bodies, coating his fingers in my wetness.
My breath caught when he reached around to cup my ass, kneading the flesh as he guided me into a faster rhythm.
“Gonna claim you here next,” he said, circling my puckered entrance with one slick finger. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you, having me stretch this tight little hole?”
I gasped at the unfamiliar sensation, my hips faltering in their rhythm. “I’ve never…”
“Shh, I know, baby.” He pressed his lips to my collarbone. “We’ll take it slow. I’ll make it so good for you.”
The promise in his voice sent a thrill through me. I’d never let anyone touch me there before, but the thought of Dane claiming every part of me was intoxicating.
“Yes,” I breathed. “I want that. Want you to have all of me.”
His finger continued to tease my rim as I rode him, each brush sending jolts of pleasure through my body. I gasped when he pushed his finger past the tight ring of muscle, tensing up at the unfamiliar sensation.
“Relax for me,” he murmured.
I forced myself to take a deep breath, focusing on the taboo sensation of having him in two places at once. Gradually, the tension eased, and his finger slipped deeper.
“Oh, fuck—” The burn of the intrusion mixed with the pleasure coursing through me, and I came with a breathless cry, my body clenching rhythmically around him.
“That’s it,” he growled, working a second finger into my ass as I trembled through my orgasm. “Keep being good for me.”
I whimpered at the fullness, continuing to rock desperately against him. “I can’t…it’s too much.”
His free hand gripped my chin, guiding my eyes down to his. “Breathe for me, baby. You’re doing so good. Just a little more.”
He curled his fingers inside me, gently stretching me until the initial discomfort faded into pleasure so intense it bordered on pain. I ground down against his hand with a soft whine, spiraling toward another climax embarrassingly fast.
Dane sat up suddenly, wrapping an arm around my waist to hold me close as he thrust up into me, growling, “There we go. Come on my cock like a good girl,”
The change in position had him hitting even deeper, and my eyes rolled back in my head. I was reduced to breathless moans and whimpers. When he sucked my nipple into his mouth, I came apart with a scream. It was almost too much, but I never wanted it to end.
“Fuck, Piper,” he panted, burying his face in my neck as his movements became erratic. “Where do you want it, baby?”
“Inside me,” I gasped, squeezing his shoulders. “Want you to fill me up.”
Dane pulled back to search my face. “You know what you’re asking for?”
My teeth sank into my bottom lip, and I nodded. “Real.”
His fingers dug into the soft flesh of my hips as he thrust upward with a guttural groan, flooding my body with his seed. I clung to him, shuddering through the aftershocks of my own release as he pulsed inside me.
We stayed like that for several long moments, our bodies still joined as we caught our breath. He peppered soft kisses along my neck and shoulder, his beard tickling my sensitive skin.
“You okay?” he murmured, gently easing his fingers from my body.
I gave him a thumbs up, feeling boneless and utterly sated. “Super duper.”
He chuckled and carefully lifted me off his cock before laying me on the bed. “Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”
Moments later, he returned with a warm washcloth and carefully wiped away the evidence of our lovemaking before tossing it in the hamper and climbing back into bed. He draped himself over my body like a blanket, nuzzling his cheek against my breasts.
“I love you,” I whispered, cupping his jaw in my hand.
“Love you too, darlin’.” Dane turned his head to kiss my palm, his fingers tracing lazy patterns on my hip. “More than you know.”
I stroked his damp beard, savoring the feel of the coarse bristles beneath my fingers. The room was quiet except for the occasional rustle of sheets. “I have a question about being your Ol’ Lady… ”
Dane tilted his head back to meet my gaze, his brow furrowing slightly. “Having second thoughts already?”
“No, not at all,” I assured him quickly. “I just... I have some questions.”
He relaxed slightly, shifting to prop himself up on one elbow. “Shoot.”
I bit my lip, trying to find the right words. “Will I have to give up my career and just blindly obey whatever you say while being stuck at home all day? Because that’s not who I am.”
His expression softened. “Baby, the last thing I want is for you to be something you’re not. This is a partnership. I want you by my side, not behind me. So work if you want to work and call me on my shit when I’m being a dick. I can take it.”
“Honestly, I don’t think I want to go back to the bakery,” I quietly admitted. “After everything that’s happened... I’m not even sure I’m cut out to live in the city anymore.”
Dane’s arm tightened around me protectively. “You’re one of the strongest women I know, darlin’, and there’s not a doubt in my mind you could live anywhere and make it work.”
I nodded even as my heart sank. Because when it came down to it, I didn’t feel very strong.
“But I wouldn’t be the man you chose to spend the rest of your life with if I let you step foot back in that building.” He paused, his forehead wrinkling as if he was debating his next words. “Truth is, I was hoping you and Avery might want to move to Lubbock.”
Relief flooded through me at his words. “Really?”
“You’ve already given up a hell of a lot because of me, so I don’t want you to feel pressured. If you’re open to the idea, I reached out to Carnage,” he continued. “He’s into commercial real estate and bought a shopping center for his Ol’ Lady’s dance studio.”
I nodded, not quite following.
“There’s an empty space next to it,” he said, his eyes lit with excitement. “Prime location, lots of foot traffic with people coming and going to classes. Could be the perfect spot for a bakery. Your bakery.”
My heart raced at the possibility of owning my own place before reality quickly set in. Between medical bills from Avery’s birth and just trying to keep my head above water as a single mom, I hadn’t exactly been able to save up.
“Dane, that sounds amazing, but I don’t have the capital for something like that,” I admitted, my voice small. “And starting a business from scratch?—”
“Hey,” he interrupted, gently gripping my chin and forcing me to meet his gaze. “You carried our daughter for nine months and raised her alone for her first year. Now, it’s my turn to take care of you both. This is part of being my Ol’ Lady.”
Tears pricked at my eyes as the full weight of his offer sank in, and I blinked rapidly to keep them at bay. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Say yes,” Dane murmured, his lips brushing over my jaw. “Let me help make this happen for you.”
I opened my mouth to argue further, but Dane silenced me with another kiss. “Stop overthinking it, Piper. You want this. Just say yes.”
My own bakery. A fresh start in a new place. A future with the man I loved. A giddy laugh bubbled up from my chest, and I nodded.
“Okay, yes,” I said, unable to keep the smile off my face. “Let’s do it.”
“That’s my girl.” He rolled so I was beneath him once more, trailing kisses down my throat. His beard scraped deliciously against my sensitive skin as he made his way down my body, and I shivered.
“Now, spread your legs for me, baby, so that I can celebrate our engagement with a proper meal,” he growled before burying his face between my thighs.