Chapter Ten
Piper and Tag spent the rest of the day in bed.
As far as birthdays went, Piper couldn’t remember a better one.
Tag showed her a whole new world. She couldn’t remember the last time that she felt so loved and protected.
She knew that letting down her walls wouldn’t be easy, but with Tag, just being herself felt good.
Actually, it felt great. They showered together just before dinner and then went for a small hike on a trail that circled the cabin.
Tag stocked his fridge with steaks and all the trimmings for a nice meal.
“So, were you planning on having me stay over this whole time?” Piper found Tag out by the grill. She had an interesting phone call with Sunny. Apparently, her best friend faked her hurt ankle to give Piper some alone time with Tag.
“I was hoping that you would want to stay the night, but ultimately that was your decision.” Tag shrugged as he threw two steaks on the grill.
“You weren’t a part of Sunny’s latest diabolical plan then?” She couldn’t help herself; she crossed to where Tag watched the grill. She had this strange need to be near him, touching him. He pulled her into his body and wrapped his arms around her waist.
“What’s Sunny been up to now?” Tag kissed the top of her head as she snuggled closer into his body.
“She faked her fall. She is completely fine. It was all a trick to throw us together—again. She told me that it was my birthday gift from her. She thought that I needed some time alone with you. I just assumed that you were in on her scheme this time.” Tag laughed as Piper told him how Sunny made Aaron carry her all the way down the mountain even after Search and Rescue arrived.
The poor guy didn’t find out she was faking her injury until they were at the base of the mountain.
Sunny didn’t want anyone taking her to the hospital, so she finally had to come clean with Aaron.
He was not amused by her little ploy, and he stormed off in his pick-up truck, leaving her to find her way back into town.
“Now that’s funny.” Tag turned the steaks, one arm still around Piper. She loved the way that he seemed to need physical contact with her just as much as she wanted him.
“Sunny is going to go too far one of these times. First, she locked us in the escape room together, and now she faked an injury to get us up here alone. She is becoming the girl who cried wolf, and we all know how that story ends,” she said.
Piper shook her head, thinking about her best friend’s antics.
Tag pulled Piper into his body to face him.
“I have to say, I’m not that upset that she planned all of this.
I wouldn’t give up one second of today.” He dipped his head to take Piper’s mouth in a hard, passionate kiss.
Piper didn’t understand the connection that she felt every time Tag kissed her or even touched her.
Her body responded to him in ways that still seemed foreign to her.
Her knees went weak, she felt butterflies in her stomach, and she turned into a gushy teen girl who couldn’t get enough of him.
“I wouldn’t change any of it either,” Piper breathlessly admitted. She knew that letting Tag in was a risk, but she couldn’t imagine going back to the way things were before today.
“I’ll take that as a yes for us staying the night, then?” Tag put the steaks on a plate and grabbed Piper’s hand to lead her back into the cabin.
“I already called Lorna, and she is fine with handling the shop for a bit. So, yes. I’ll stay the night,” Piper agreed. Tag pulled out a chair for her at his little kitchen table so she could sit down.
“Good, I told Torren that he needed to man the shop until Monday.” Tag started to fill up Piper’s plate with all the yummy food that he made.
“Monday? I can’t stay three days up here. Lorna will need a break.” Piper tried to stand, but Tag stopped her.
“Piper, I have arranged everything. Your shop will be fine. Lorna said it could be her birthday gift to you.” Tag gently pulled Piper back down into her seat. “Besides, you and I need to come to an agreement.”
“Agreement?” Piper pushed her plate away as if protesting the thought of dinner.
How could Tag go behind her back and arrange her life without her permission?
She wasn’t about to give up her control to a man just because they had sex.
She was a strong, self-reliant woman, and Tag would just have to accept that.
“Yeah, we need to figure out how this is going to work because I’m not willing to let you off this mountain without some type of agreement about us,” he said.
“An agreement about us?” she repeated. Tag pulled Piper’s chair around the table so that she was again sitting in front of her plate and closer to him.
“See, I like the way you’re agreeing with me now, Honey.
Yep, an agreement about us. We need to make sure that we are on the same page.
I want you, and I don’t mean for the night or even the weekend.
I’m talking long term, Piper.” She chanced a look at Tag’s face and saw his determination, his desire, and even something more—something that gave her hope.
She forgot what hope even felt like. Her stomach did a little flip at the prospect of Tag wanting her.
She never let herself think much about the future.
She tried to live every day in the moment because tomorrow might not happen.
She knew that all too well. How could she promise Tag long-term?
She shook her head, “Tag, I can’t make you any promises, and I already told you that I don’t want you to make me any in return. You can’t know what tomorrow will hold.” Piper felt her defenses going back up. Tag pulled her from her chair and into his lap, wrapping his arms around her.
“I can’t promise you that tomorrow will happen, Honey.
I can promise you that if it does, I will be right here with you.
” He sealed his mouth over hers, framing her face with his big hands.
She loved the way their bodies fit together.
“Now, we can either eat dinner and talk about what you would like to do tomorrow, or I can take you back to the bedroom and prove that we’re perfect together.
” Piper shivered as she weighed her options, thinking about all the wicked ways he had already proved that they fit.
Tag laughed against her neck, biting and licking his way up to find her mouth again.
“If you need to have a plan in place—” Her voice sounded breathy, even to her ears. Tag kissed and nipped her lips, giving her no time to catch her breath and regain her senses. She pulled away from his lap and sat back down in her chair.
“As I was saying, if you need a plan, then how about we eat dinner? After, you can show me anything you’d like back in your bedroom.
” She liked the way Tag’s eyes flared at her suggestion.
She reached over and ran her hand up his impressive thigh to his bulging cock.
He gently took her hand in his and pulled it up to his mouth to kiss each of her knuckles.
“If you do that again, Honey, I won’t let you finish your dinner.” Tag gently laid her hand on his thigh, patting it into place.
“Good to know,” Piper laughed. She loved that she could affect Tag that way; the power was heady.
She had plans all right. First, she would have dinner, and then she would see just how far Tag would let her ride this new power trip.
With any luck, she would convince Tag that their next three days together should be spent in his bed.
Piper was sure she wouldn’t get too much of an argument from Tag
They spent the next three days at Tag’s cabin, mostly in bed.
That was just fine with Tag since his need for Piper was overwhelming.
He knew he was her first—well, everything.
He wanted to persuade her to let him be her last. Every moment that passed proved to him that the past year of begging her to go out with him was worth it.
He would do just about anything to prove to Piper that they belonged together and not just for three days.
Since it was their last afternoon of freedom before the real world crept back into their lives, he wanted to take Piper on a hike to discuss where they were heading—relationship-wise.
He knew that he would get some pushback on her end, and a hike would provide her with enough distraction to get her to agree to what he wanted from her.
She smiled at him as she took his offered hand to step off the front porch, and he pulled her along the trail that led further up the mountain.
It would take them to his favorite lookout.
From that spot, they would be able to see most of Harvest Ridge.
There, he would tell her that he wanted her to move in with him.
He was afraid that if they both resumed their everyday lives, they wouldn’t get to spend much time together.
That thought scared the shit out of him, so he needed to convince Piper to share a house with him.
He didn’t care where they lived, as long as it was together.
Besides his cabin, Tag shared a condo with Torren, but he had a feeling that both Torren and Piper would object to the three of them living together in such close quarters.
He was willing to move into Piper’s place, but he needed to ease into the subject.
They reached the summit and stood hand-in-hand, looking over the town.
“Hey, I can see my shop from here.” Piper smiled and pointed to her brightly painted ice cream shop.
“I’m pretty sure you can see your shop from space, Pipe. It’s awfully bright,” Tag teased.
“I have to say that I miss it a little. Do you miss your store?” She looked up at Tag, and he couldn’t help but wrap her in his arms.