15. Piper
15
PIPER
I can't believe how well the night has gone, despite my initial trepidation over Elio spending time with Elysse. Watching them together, laughing and joking as they skate around the rink, fills me with a bittersweet mixture of joy and anxiety. Joy because it's been so long since I've seen Elysse this happy, her eyes sparkling with delight as Elio helps her perfect her skating technique. And anxiety because with every passing moment, I worry that Elio might start to notice the little things about Elysse that remind me so much of him.
But even with that underlying fear, I can't deny that this has been one of the best nights I've had in a long time. Elio is a natural with Elysse, patient and kind, making her feel at ease in a way that Gabriel never has. It's clear that he genuinely enjoys spending time with her, and the feeling seems to be mutual.
As I watch them together, I feel a sense of contentment wash over me, a feeling I haven't experienced in years. For just a moment, I allow myself to imagine what life could be like if things had been different. If Elio kept his promises. But I quickly push those thoughts aside, knowing that dwelling on what-ifs is a waste of time.
For now, I'll cherish this moment, this brief respite from the harsh realities of my life. Tonight, I'll let myself enjoy the company of the man I once loved and the daughter we created together.
As the evening draws to a close, Elio insists on driving Elysse and me home, not wanting us to order a car this late at night. My heart races at the prospect of spending more time with him, even as my mind screams that it's a terrible idea. But with Elysse's eager agreement and Elio's charming insistence, I find myself agreeing.
The drive home is filled with laughter and easy conversation, Elysse regaling Elio with stories of her favorite books and movies while he listens attentively, asking questions and sharing his own experiences. I try to focus on the passing streetlights, but my gaze keeps drifting to Elio's profile, his strong jawline and the way his lips curve into a smile as he chats with my daughter.
Too soon, we arrive at our house, and Elio walks us to the door like a true gentleman. As I fumble with my keys, Elysse pipes up, her voice filled with hope. "Elio, do you want to come inside for a bit? Maybe we could play a game."
I freeze, my heart leaping into my throat. "Oh, sweetie, I'm sure Elio has other plans. It's getting late, and we shouldn't keep him."
But Elio just smiles, his eyes locking with mine. "I'd love to."
I hesitate, torn between the desire to spend more time with him and the knowledge that it's a dangerous path to tread.
“Please, Mommy.”
Elysse's pleading eyes and Elio's earnest expression are difficult to refuse. "Okay, sure. Come on in."
As Elio steps inside, I can't shake the feeling that I'm inviting more than just a man into my home. I’m inviting danger. Danger if Gabriel finds out. Danger from Elio’s profession.
As I go get some wine, Elio and Elysse play a game of Chutes and Ladders. When she wins, I send her up to get ready for bed.
“Will you tuck me in?” she asks Elio.
His expression is sweet, nearly awed, and it makes my heart swell. He recognizes the beautiful nature of my daughter.
“I’d be honored.”
She rushes up to her room, leaving me and Elio alone.
I hand him one of the glasses of wine and settle on the couch. I’m sitting several feet away from him, but the air around us feels charged, a mix of familiarity and uncertainty. I take a sip, the rich, red liquid warming my throat as I gather my thoughts.
"Elysse seems to have taken a real liking to you," I say, breaking the silence. "She's not usually this open with new people."
Elio smiles, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "She's a great kid, Piper. You've done an amazing job raising her."
I feel a flush of pride at his words, mixed with a twinge of guilt. If only he knew the truth about Elysse's parentage. "Thank you. It hasn't been easy, but she's worth every sacrifice."
“I’m ready,” Elysse calls from the hall.
“We’re coming.” I rise, and Elio follows me to Elysse’s room.
“What do you think of my room, Elio?” Elysse asks as she jumps into bed.
He takes in Elysse’s version of a fairy garden, with pastel floral flowers in greenery, a sheer canopy over her bed, and fairy lights everywhere.
“It’s wonderful.”
“It’s fairies.”
“Aren’t fairies naughty?” he asks.
She laughs. “Some are. Not me.”
“You’re a fairy? Where are your wings?”
She giggles, and while it’s wonderful to watch, it fills me with guilt that she’s not happy like this all the time.
Elysse gives Elio a hug and a kiss on the cheek. There’s no missing how moved he is by her affection.
“Goodnight, sweetie,” I say to her as I tuck her in.
“Goodnight, Mommy. Thank you for the fun day.”
“It was fun, wasn’t it?” I feel like I can see the light dimming in her eyes as we return to reality. “We’ll do it again soon.” I hope I’m not giving her a false promise.
“Can Elio come?”
“We’ll see. You go to sleep now. You must be exhausted.” I give her a kiss and exit her room where Elio is waiting.
We stare at each other, and my heart stops as I wonder if he’s figured it out yet. How can he not realize this is the child he’d been adamant that he didn’t want to know about all those years ago?
We head downstairs, and I think I should ask him to leave, but I don’t. Instead, we return to our wine. We chat for a while, catching up on the years we've missed. The details aren’t deep or detailed. It’s like small talk, each of us not wanting to share too much.
The way Elio looks at me holds more weight than the words we’re saying. His gaze is intense and searching. For a moment, I wonder if he's piecing together the timeline, realizing that Elysse's age lines up with our past together. But he doesn't say anything, and I push the thought aside, not wanting to shatter the calm, sweet moment.
"Tonight didn't go as I initially planned. But it's been the best night I've had in years,” he says.
I tilt my head, curious. "What do you mean? How did you plan for it to go?"
"To be honest, I showed up at the restaurant for business. But when I saw you and Elysse there, I couldn't help myself. I had to come over, to talk to you."
“I can’t believe you own the restaurant.”
Elio's eyes lock with mine, his gaze intense and sincere. "I bought it because of you. Because I knew it was your favorite. I never forgot about you, not for a single day."
My ego needs his attention, and it’s getting harder to push my yearning for him away. To remember that he hadn’t wanted me or Elysse. To remember I’m married to someone else.
I shake my head, a wry smile tugging at my lips as I meet Elio's gaze. "I can't believe you still haven't improved your skating skills after all these years. It's like high school all over again."
Elio laughs, his eyes sparkling with mirth. "I didn’t have my roller skating partner. Besides, I had to grow up. Join the business."
"Fair enough," I concede, my heart fluttering at the sound of his laughter. "But I have to admit, it was kind of nice seeing you look a little vulnerable out there. The great Elio D'Amato, stumbling around like a newborn colt."
He grins, a hint of mischief in his expression. "Well, I'm glad my lack of skating prowess could provide you with some entertainment.” He looks down for a moment. “Being with you is like skating.”
I narrow my eyes. “Off balance?”
He reaches out, his hand gently cupping my cheek. "Exhilarating, challenging, and capable of sweeping me off my feet in an instant. After all this time, the feeling is as strong as ever."
I lean into his touch, my eyes fluttering closed for a brief moment. When I open them again, Elio's face is mere inches from mine, his breath warm against my skin.
"Elio, we shouldn’t?—”
“Just tell me you feel it too, Piper.”
I should deny it. “I do, but?—"
His thumb brushes across my cheekbone. "I've missed this. Talking with you, spending time together. It feels like no time has passed at all."
I swallow hard, my heart racing at his touch. "I've missed it too," I admit, my voice barely above a whisper. "But things are different now. We're different people."
Elio nods, his expression thoughtful. "Maybe so, but some things never change. The way I feel about you, Piper… that's never changed."
A lump forms in my throat, tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. I want to believe him, to let myself fall into his arms and forget about the past. But I know I can't, not without risking everything I've built for Elysse and myself.
"Elio, I—" I begin, but he cuts me off, his finger pressing gently against my lips.
"I know things are complicated. But for tonight, can we just enjoy each other's company? No expectations, no promises. Just two old friends catching up."
I hesitate for a moment, then nod.
He leans in. His lips press against mine, soft yet insistent. My mind screams that this is a mistake, that I shouldn't be kissing him back, but my body betrays me. I melt into his embrace, my fingers tangling in his hair as I pull him closer. The kiss deepens, and I can taste the wine on his tongue, the flavor mingling with the intoxicating essence that is purely Elio.
His hands roam my body, leaving trails of fire in their wake. I should stop this. I'm playing with fire, but I can't seem to find the strength to pull away.
Elio's lips trail down my neck, his teeth grazing my sensitive skin. I arch into his touch, a breathy moan escaping my lips. It's been so long since I've felt this way, so alive and desired. With Gabriel, intimacy is a chore, a duty to be fulfilled. But with Elio, it's electric, a connection that transcends the physical.
His hands slip beneath my shirt, covering my breast. The friction against my nipple sends waves of need through my body. I moan, and it’s like it opens the floodgates. All of a sudden, our hands are a flurry of activity as we try to get to each other’s skin.
“Fuck.” Elio tugs at his sleeve, unable to pull it off his arm because of the cuff link.
I glance at it and then him. “I bought you those.” They were nowhere nice enough for a rich businessman like him, but at the time, I’d spent all my allowance and side job earnings to buy them for him.
His smile is sweet. “I know.” He laughs. “How many times do I have to tell you that you’ve always been with me?”
If that is true, then why didn’t he stop his parents from sending my family away? I can’t ask the question, though, because his lips wrap around my nipple and all other thoughts fly away.
I gasp, holding him to me, needing to get closer… closer. Except we’re half naked on the couch in the living room where Elysse could find us if she got up for some reason. God, if she saw us and then told Gabriel… I don’t even want to think about what would happen.
I pull away, straightening my shirt as I prepare to tell him he needs to go.
“Piper.” Elio’s voice sounds desperate. “I want you, more than I've ever wanted anything in my life."
I stare into eyes that show so much. They look at me, and I feel seen. “Not here.”
It takes him a moment, but then he nods. He rises and scoops me up like he did before and carries me to the bedroom. I’ll feel guilty about it later, but right now, I’m powerless to resist him. He’s a romance hero come to life, treating me like I’m his most precious treasure.
His eyes are on me, intense, reverent as he undresses me. He lays me on the bed, rising over me, his hands caressing me gently, coaxingly, slowly building the burn.
“So many times I’ve dreamed of this,” he says as his lips trail along my neck. “You’ve haunted my dreams.”
“Haunt?” The word comes out on a gasp as his tongue flicks over my nipple.
“I tried to forget, but you’re always a dream away.”
I imagine that Gabriel isn’t giving me another thought on his trip. And here Elio is, telling me that I still appear in his dreams after all this time. I can’t make sense of it. Why didn’t he come find me? But the questions disappear as his fingers slide over my clit and his lips tug on my nipple, working me up and up until I come apart.
“You’re so beautiful when you come.” He brings his fingers to his lips, sucking my essence off them. “Mmm… I want more.”
Elio had been a generous lover back when we were younger, but we were both new to sex. He’s had more experience, I can tell. So, while I might have haunted his dreams, he wasn’t celibate. I’m envious of those women he’s honed these skills on.
He moves down my body, lips and hands brushing over my skin, making me come alive again. “Open for me, Piper.”
I do as he asks, and he settles between my thighs.
“Such a wet pussy,” he murmurs. He kisses my inner thigh, and I writhe with need and anticipation.
“Don’t tease me.”
“I wouldn’t think of it.” His mouth consumes me until my pussy is on fire.
“Elio!” A second orgasm blasts through me, more powerful than the one before. He doesn’t stop, though, and soon, another one steals my breath.
My pussy is quivering as he moves up my body. He sits back on his heels, gripping my hips and tugging me to him, driving into me.
“Oh, God.” My fingers clutch at the sheets as he moves in and out, forcefully, deeply.
“Yes… oh, fuck… so good… so good.”
I watch him, his jaw gritted, his head tilted back as he reaches for the apex. It’s so sexy that immediately, I’m on the edge again.
“Elio… oh…” My body tenses and then floods with pleasure again.
“Yes!” He lets out a feral growl, followed by his release. Our bodies move together in a synchronicity I haven’t felt since… well, since he and I were together before.
He collapses on me, rolling to his side, tugging me close. I push away the guilt and regret that try to infringe. I nestle next to him.
“Buying that restaurant was the best thing I’ve done,” he says, kissing my temple. “I suppose deep down, I always hoped you’d return to it, and tonight, you did.”
My heart fills with emotion at how romantic he is. So, what happened eight years ago?
“This has been the best night I’ve had in a long time. Seeing you, spending time with your daughter. She’s a delight, Piper.”
“I think so.”
“She told me your husband isn’t her father.”
I tense.
“She thinks her real father is dead.”
I swallow, wondering what he’s asking. What he might have figured out.
“Is there something you want to say about that?”
He’s figured it out and now he’s judging me, disapproving of my choices. And he just fucked me to what… soften me up so I’d fall for his charm and confess everything? What is he playing at?
He has some nerve. Maybe I should have told her that her father was a Mafia criminal who didn’t care about me or her. Perhaps I should tell him that, see if he really wants Elysse to know the sort of man he truly is.
I scramble out of bed and grab an old T-shirt, jerking it over me as I shake in a mixture of anger and self-loathing that I’d fallen for his charm again. “You have no right to judge me.”