Chapter 8 #3
“No. No. It’s fine. It surprised me. That’s all.” Piper’s heartbeat thumped in her ears. What was that expression on his face?
Was he sending messages? Or was she overreacting?
“Just an accident.”
She swallowed a sigh. She was definitely overreacting.
The instant Emilio opened the back door, Gus nearly plowed them over, jumping and licking as they walked inside and closed
the door behind them. Piper was about to suggest they chat more when her phone beeped with a text from Gabby.
I’ve examined the photos from every available angle. He wants you. I can tell.
Piper let out a nervous laugh. She was sure her face had turned every possible shade of red.
“Something funny?” Emilio asked.
Piper shook her head. “My sister. She’s being ridiculous.”
“Ah. Well, I’m going to head to bed. I didn’t sleep well last night, and I need to be at Mega early in the morning for a team
meeting.”
Another text came through, but Piper wasn’t about to look. She’d be horrified if Emilio knew her sister was talking about
him. “Oh, yeah. Me, too. I mean, not the part about having a team meeting tomorrow morning,” she said, flustered. “I should
probably just go to bed.”
As soon as she got upstairs, she closed the door behind her. She leaned against it, feeling a strange mix of confusion and
excitement. What had just happened in the past few hours? A heart-to-heart conversation in the living room led to dinner and
an invitation to stay with him at his grandmother’s in Spain? How was that even possible?
Her phone lit up with another text.
You’re not going to answer me?
Don’t you have better things to do? You’re getting married soon.
Mom is nagging me about the wedding so I’m distracting myself with your love life.
I do not have a love life. Emilio and I are friends.
More like friend-ly. And that’s a recent development.
You’re going to regret it if you don’t sleep with the super-hot Formula One driver when you have a chance.
Sleep with him? That’s a leap. We’re friends. I don’t want to ruin that.
Friends can have sex. It doesn’t have to mean anything.
Was that really true? Piper wasn’t sure. Sex always meant something, didn’t it?
New subject, please.
Believe in yourself. Believe in the power of your lady bits.
Piper shook her head.
They’re out of practice.
It’s like riding a bike. Now go get him.
Not happening. Go find something to watch on Netflix. Love you.
I’m calling you tomorrow. Love you, too.
Piper plugged her phone into the charger and stared at her closed door. Sleep with Emilio? Ridiculous. Plus, how would that
even happen? If ever there was someone completely unskilled in the art of seduction, it was Piper. She didn’t have a sexy
nightgown, and it wasn’t like she’d knock on his door naked. She didn’t have that kind of nerve. Never had. Never would.
Feeling clueless, hopeless and all things less, she changed into her pj’s—a cami and a pair of sleep shorts, then stepped into the bathroom and brushed her teeth and washed
her face. When she shut the light off, she heard a scratch at her door. She opened it. There sat Gus. This was strange. He
was normally in Emilio’s room with him. “What’s up, buddy? Do you need to go out?”
Gus looked at her with his best puppy dog eyes, then pawed at the door frame.
“Do you want to sleep in here?” Piper opened her door all the way, but Gus turned and ran down the stairs. Piper crept out
onto the landing and looked down the stairwell. A moment later, Gus scratched at Emilio’s door.
Dammit. Piper wasn’t sure how best to handle it, but she was responsible for Gus at all times. She tiptoed downstairs and found Gus
sitting in front of Emilio’s closed door. “Gus? What do you want?” she whispered.
He pawed at the door.
Piper knocked quietly. “Emilio? Are you still awake?”
“Yes. Come in. Did Gus come upstairs?”
Piper cracked the door, only to see Emilio sitting on the edge of his bed in a pair of black shorts and no shirt. Warmth charged
through her body like a conquering army. Gabby was right about one thing—Piper would regret not sleeping with him. “I can’t
figure out what he wants. I thought he wanted to sleep in my room, but then he ran back down to your door.”
Emilio patted the spot next to him. “Come on, Gus. Let’s go to bed.”
Gus hopped up onto the bed and Emilio gave him some ear scratches.
The vision of them together, peering into each other’s eyes, made her heart gallop. Despite the times when he’d been kind
of a dick to her, no one would ever convince her a man who loved his dog so much was anything less than a beautiful soul.
“I’ll leave you two. Good night.” Piper closed the door and hesitated. She blew out a breath, then returned to her room, feeling
frustrated. She was just climbing into bed when there was a knock.
“Piper?”
She hopped out of bed and padded to the door. Out in the hall was Emilio, with Gus. “What’s going on?”
“As soon as you left, he whimpered at my door and scratched at it. He ran up here when I let him out.”
“Gus?” She bent over and looked the dog in the face. “What is going on with you? What do you want?”
Gus looked at Piper, then at Emilio, then walked over to Piper and pushed on her legs with the top of his head. Piper was
forced to take a big step and nearly landed against Emilio’s chest. His so very well-defined chest.
“Is he mad because we went to dinner?” she asked.
Emilio peered down at Gus. “It’s like he wants both of us.”
Piper was instantly flustered, her mind running so fast she felt dizzy. “Well, how is that supposed to work?” she blurted.
Emilio placed his hands on his hips. “Gus, I need to sleep and so does Piper. Which means you need to pick where you want
to sleep.”
“Right. I mean, we can’t all sleep in the same bed.” As soon as the words came out of her mouth, she wished she could take
them back.
Emilio looked at her and offered the slightest of shrugs. “Unless that’s a benefit of being a fake couple. I don’t know the
rules.”
Oh, Lord, was he good at being tempting. It was like he’d conspired with her sister. But the truth was that Piper wasn’t sure
she had the nerve to say yes. Even if Gus was there in bed, between them. “Our fake relationship is pretty new,” she said,
desperate for a joke. Lighten the moment so she could take a beat and think. “I’m not ready to sleep in the same bed with you yet.”
“Yet?” He arched both eyebrows at her. He reached over and patted her on the shoulder. “Good to know.”