Chapter 35
Piper
I follow after Holt a bit in shock. We are heading towards the field where his SUV is parked and I am trying to cool down.
My cheeks heat again when his words, “Only good girls get to come”, echo in my brain.
And the speech that he gave me beforehand about him not going anywhere?
I didn’t realize how badly my heart and brain needed to hear that.
I would have cried if I hadn’t been so turned on.
I can’t believe he worked me up like that.
I can’t ever remember a time that that has happened.
We reach the SUV and Holt opens the passenger door for me and waits patiently until I am seated inside.
He winks at me and closes the door securely before making his way to the driver side.
My phone dings with a text message and I reach into my bag. I see that it’s from Meg and roll my eyes.
Meg: A little birdie told me that you were on a date with Holt at the fair…
I huff a little and start typing.
Piper: Where did you hear that?
Meg: The Chamber took some photos of the fair and posted them on socials— you love birds are the cover photo for the album.
Piper: You are joking…
Meg:
Meg: It’s a great picture— you should frame it.
Piper: So much for keeping this low key.
Meg: Low key? Have you met Holt?
Piper: Fair enough. Talk later?
Meg: You owe me details.
I roll my eyes again and go back to look at the photo one more time. Meg isn’t wrong— the photo isn’t bad. The pretty fall background pops and we are both smiling and looking at each other.
“Care to share with the class what’s so interesting,” Holt says slyly.
His large hand lands on my thigh and he squeezes gently.
I debate for a second over whether or not I should show him.
That little bitch in my head already whispering about how it may ruin what is happening here. I quickly dismiss it.
“Meg texted me a photo of us at the fair. Apparently the Chamber posted it on social media,” I say cautiously. He nods.
“Good, we make an excellent advertisement,” he says authoritatively and squeezes my thigh again. I pretend not to be shocked at his reaction.
“I told you Piper, you are mine. The more people that see us together the better,” he says gruffly. In a rare show of courage I take his hand in mine and squeeze it. I’m not sure if I have the words but he smiles wide at the gesture and focuses his eyes on the road.
With my free hand, I hook into his bluetooth system and start playing turn on my early 2000s playlist. My Chemical Romance pours out of the speakers and Holt looks at me out of the corner of his eye and shakes his head.
“Hey, I have varied taste in music,” I say jokingly. He smirks and continues driving. The song is interrupted by a phone call from Carter.
Holt only releases my hand to accept the call and then grabs my hand again. He squeezes it and my stomach flutters again. I never believed in butterflies— but apparently the universe is laughing at me— or maybe I am coming down with a stomach bug.
“Carter, you are on speaker,” Holt says as his greeting. I look over at him and chuckle quietly.
“Hey Piper,” Carter greets. His deep voice rumbles through the speakers and I raise my eyebrow at Holt.
“How do you know I’m here,” I ask Carter. I am genuinely curious. Carter’s laughter rings through the SUV.
“Like Holt would have you anywhere else,” he says in a tone that makes me think he and Carter have talked about this situation. Holt clears his throat.
“What did you need, Carter,” Holt cuts in in a serious tone. I smack his arm and he grabs my hand.
“Rude,” I mutter. Holt chuckles. Carter pauses and clears his throat. The tone in the vehicle changes from good natured to tense.
“You may want to take Piper to your house,” Carter says grudgingly. My mouth drops open. Before I can tell him that is unnecessary, Holt cuts in.
“What happened,” he says tersely. He is clenching his teeth so hard I’m concerned for his oral health.
“Well, the good news is we have the asshole on camera. The bad news is that Piper is going to need new windows,” Carter says grudgingly.
“What the hell,” I can’t help but exclaim. This is just ridiculous. I look over at Holt. His hand is white from gripping the steering wheel so hard.
“Get over to my place, I want to take a look at the footage. We are 10 minutes out,” he says to Carter and hangs up the phone.
“This guy has a thing for windows,” I say trying to joke. Holt looks over at me and shakes his head again.
“Jesus, how can you joke about this,” he asks. His tone a mix of exasperation, worry, and admiration.
“Well, if I don’t joke about it, I may have a nervous breakdown. Trust me, joking is infinitely better than that,” I say seriously. Honestly, I’m trying hard to take this in stride. On the bright side, I could be dealing with this alone— at least I have a group of people rallying around me.
My poor house. I hope nothing inside is damaged. I guess I’ll find out from Carter once we get to Holt’s.