Chapter 4
HUDSON
Piper is standing before me, and yeah, I get my kicks out of her face turning slightly crimson. What are the chances that she and I were connected all along? Damn my niece and her love for nicknames, but this is a fucking fantastic twist.
Or at least, I’m enjoying this ride.
Piper, on the other hand, looks like she may combust. And I don’t mind one bit.
“I’m going to check in on Jeff. Do you mind?” April asks us both.
Piper is quick to shake her head. “Of course not.”
“Oh, don’t you worry. I’m sure I can find something to talk to Piper about to keep her occupied.” I throw on a cunning grin.
April smiles in appreciation before walking off, but my eyes remain on the woman who has been haunting my thoughts for weeks.
The breath of fresh air that I had for one night before she disappeared.
“This is not happening.” Piper seems to be speaking to herself. Her chest is moving visibly up and down.
Stepping closer, I ensure that I’m close enough for the next few minutes of our conversation to be only between us.
“You know this coincidence is, well…” I can’t pinpoint it, but a sound escapes me.
Her eyes dart up to my own. “April can’t know about us.”
“What? The part that we already met or the part that you love to sit on my face.” I offer her a tight smile. I’ve never had qualms about taking people out of their comfort zone, that’s what being a coach is all about.
Piper seems to grow a little agitated by my comment, proven by her sexy-as-hell death stare, but I don’t care. After all, she left before dawn.
“You may find this humorous, but… damn it, I told her a few details about that night, not realizing who the hell you were. Oh no.” She touches her mouth in a panic. “Exactly why she can’t ever know.”
Admittedly, it’s going to be an awkward-as-fuck conversation with April one day if she does ever find out, but I can’t help but point out the obvious.
My smirk stretches. “Ah, so you do remember that night in great detail and felt it was worthy of discussion.”
Her eyes survey the room before she steps a smidgen closer to me. “That night wasn’t… I mean, I don’t normally do what I did.”
I feel like she is trying to justify her actions, and I won’t be having that. “You don’t need an excuse, just own it. You are allowed to ride cock the way you do.”
“Jesus,” she curses. “Do you not have a filter?”
I chuckle under my breath. “Around you? No.” That I’m honest about. “Besides, I don’t exactly owe you manners after you left a cold spot on your side of the bed.”
She sighs and looks away then back to me.
“It was supposed to be one night. I thought it was easier that way. Sorry if I didn’t follow procedure, but fucking a man old enough to be my father who turns out to be the godfather of my best friend doesn’t exactly have a playbook…
” Her last word drags for a second, and she seems to be considering something, then she laughs softly, and I’m adoring her all over again.
“Now I get it. Foul. You chose the safe word.”
I tip my glass to her. “Ding, ding.”
She shakes her head but can’t suppress a smile. “Clever.”
“Is it?” There’s doubt in my tone. “You didn’t find me after. Could have easily done a quick search on the internet. Handsome guy, Hudson, killer tongue, Chicago, and I’m sure I would have been the first name to come up.”
“And you could have done the same. Gorgeous, Piper, lingerie, Chicago, and I’m sure your world would have been blown,” she chides but in a playful way.
This back-and-forth on my level is what has me drawn to her like a moth to a flame.
Taking a sip of my drink, I highlight a point. “You made the message clear that you wanted to forget that night.”
Right? That’s what it means when someone leaves without saying goodbye, or is it just how kids these days are playing the game?
“It’s not that, it’s just…” She chokes on her words. “I’d never done something like that. I thought it would be easier, and trust me when I say it wasn’t something to forget.”
That is exactly what I wanted to hear, because it means her departure has nothing to do with our connection.
Stepping dangerously closer to her, I lean in which causes the scent of peppermint to hit me. I know it’s her shampoo because I had a fistful of her hair at one point that evening.
“It’s okay. I didn’t look for you, but that doesn’t mean I forgot. On the contrary, you’re on repeat in my head far more than I would like to admit.” I hear the heat in my tone, and as I step back, I see her slightly trembling as her lips part open.
But this conversation is going to have to take a pause because I see my sister waving at me from the other side of the room and motioning for me to come to her.
“Go grab yourself a drink, a very dirty martini, Piper. It may be a long night,” I suggest before I walk away.
I arrive at the corner where my sister—well, technically half-sister, but family is family—Catherine, watches the room. I can tell she’s not herself tonight. That makes two of us.
I pass her a glass of wine that I picked up on my way over and hand it to her.
Catherine is thirteen years my senior and works as a lawyer.
Her mother was married to our father before they divorced, and he then married my mother.
Despite our age difference, we’re close enough, as proven by the fact she asked me to be April’s godfather.
My guess is that since Catherine and April have a different last name than me, theirs is Morris.
These missing pieces of the puzzle made it possible for Piper and me to remain a mystery to one another.
Especially as I’ve rarely seen April in the last few years.
“You think there are enough bruschetta plates?” my sister asks as she tugs on her earring. Ah, she’s nervous that everything is right for the party.
“Trust me, I think people are more occupied with drinking tonight.”
My sister snaps her eyes into my direction. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
I shake off my comment and scan the room to find Piper, with no luck. “Nothing. Everyone is having a grand ole time.”
“Should your publicist be worried?” She has a closed-mouth smile at her reference. “Use those NDA forms I gave you.”
I shake my head. “Absolutely not.” If I make a woman sign some form, then I’ll never have a chance to find someone. “I’ll take my chances, and besides, it just means that I need to be on good behavior at all times.”
“Oh joy, you’re thinking wisely.” She mocks me the way siblings do.
“You’ve done a damn good job at maintaining a positive image in the press on a personal level.
That article on you giving kids a tour of the stadium was golden.
In fact, you have been in the good books…
which causes me to worry, because I know you, and you’re my brother.
Something must be up. You seem different. ” She waves a finger at me.
Looking to my sister, I can see she is hinting to something. “As in?”
She shrugs a shoulder before drinking her white wine. “All this wedding stuff getting to you? I mean April, and also Drew.”
Now I proudly smile. My son is getting married. The son I didn’t even know I had until a year ago, yet we’ve been trying to bond to make up for lost time. “I guess that’s what happens when kids grow up.”
“Except you never got to see him as a kid, you haven’t experienced the childhood years. All of his firsts. Nor have you found a woman to tame you.” She tips her head at me and flashes me knowing eyes.
Fair points on all counts.
Even though Catherine went into motherhood of her own will, she later found a man to call husband, but he only entered April’s life when she was already an adult and they’re not so close.
Me? I’ve never been married, and as fun as the glorified bachelor title has been, I would like to shake it off at some point.
“Is this a therapy session? Anyways, Drew is sorry he isn’t here, but it was just too much with his own wedding coming up next week.”
Catherine places a hand on my shoulder. “It’s okay, I understand, especially as it is a bit of a drive from Bluetop.”
We both stand there in a moment of silence as we watch the room and people enjoying themselves. I don’t see Piper, which has me slightly concerned she took off, but she must be here somewhere.
“How is Lake Spark?” Catherine asks.
My lake house is where I hide when the training schedule allows or in the off-season. I much prefer small-town life. In the city, I have no peace, and although I’m appreciative of the fans, it’s nice to get away.
“I’m going to head there after Drew’s wedding and stay up there through summer training.
” Quickly my eyes dart to the flash of peach fabric on a fine body.
I spot Piper, and she sets an empty martini glass down on the bar before she walks in the direction of the ladies’ rooms. “April explained my responsibilities at the wedding then introduced me to some of the bridal party, including Ginger who she sometimes mentioned, yet her actual name is Piper.” I play it completely casual in hopes my sister doesn’t question it.
“Oh yeah.” She smiles. “Piper is such a good friend to her. She’s a fashion designer, and they met a few years ago at some workshop.
A bright girl. I’m not quite sure why she doesn’t have a boyfriend, except she seems to be a bit of a workaholic.
That reminds me, I need to talk to her about arranging a bridal shower. ”
“Right.” I swipe a hand over my chin. Can’t exactly ask more without Catherine becoming suspicious.
It also registers in my head that I’ll be seeing more of Piper, whether she likes it or not. I’ve seen it with Drew, that weddings involve a lot of small events prior to the big day.
Lucky me.
“Sorry, I need to go chat with Jeff’s parents,” my sister mentions.
“Not a problem in the slightest.”
It gives me an opportunity to find Piper.