15. Piper
PIPER
The Neon Saloon is already busy by the time we make our way inside with Rory dragging me toward the large oak bar as if we’re still in our early twenties and not almost thirty. Despite my earlier griping, I do like it here.
And when was the last time we went out anyway?
I hate that I can’t remember. That our lives have been consumed with work and we’ve forgotten how to have fun. Maybe it’s because the guys I’ve dated in the past haven’t been into a night of dancing, or maybe it’s just that I forgot how to make time for myself.
But maybe that’s just me. My mother raised my siblings and me to work hard, and we all stuck to that, ping-ponging around the country after she passed away.
She was the glue that held us together, and once she was gone, we never went back to our hometown—like the thought of being there was too painful without her.
Now, Dallas tries to be our glue, mothering us the best he can and firing up the group chat if he hasn’t heard from us in a few days. I can’t remember the last time we were all together—Ainsley’s wedding, maybe?
That can’t be right.
PIPER: When was the last time we were all together?
AINSLEY: My wedding
LEVI: Didn’t we have a weekend together after that?
AINSLEY: No, my dick of an ex-husband never would have allowed that
LEVI: I have a glitter-bomb package in my online cart at all times—there’s no expiration date on revenge, big sister
DALLAS: There’s no expiration date on felonies either
LEVI: You’re such a buzzkill and also I already looked—it’s definitely not a felony
DALLAS: You’re too pretty for prison
LEVI: That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me
Chuffing out a laugh, I shake my head, my heart aching because I miss them.
PIPER: After you’re done debating the merits of glitter as a revenge plot, could we try to plan something in the next few months?
PIPER: Ainsley, we could come to you
DALLAS: I’ll track down the best dates to fit everyone’s schedules and report back
LEVI: It’s a wonder no one has snatched you and your color-coded spreadsheets up already
DALLAS: I hate you
Knowing they’ll be at it for a while, I pocket my phone and scan the bar for Mack, frowning when I don’t see him.
His radio silence since this afternoon has done nothing to ease my nerves, but I think that’s the point.
He wants me anticipating whatever he has in store tonight, and honestly, I’m excited.
“What are you drinking?” Rory says over the crowd. Her normal drink is a Manhattan but I haven’t had a usual in a long time.
“Rum and Coke.” She wrinkles her nose but turns back to the bartender, Rodney, who looks exactly the same as the last time I saw him with his bald head and neon green shirt, as “Copperhead Road” by Steve Earle comes on and the dance floor fills.
Standing next to her, my body starts bobbing to the steps like it hasn’t been forever since I’ve done this.
“You were right,” I tell her as she hands me my drink and we watch the group all fall in step.
“I know.”
“Thanks,” I say wryly as she snorts and nudges me with her elbow.
“You work too hard and you deserve a night out. We both do. This event has consumed every waking moment, and I think even I forgot what it’s like to have fun.”
“It’s going to be worth it.”
“I know. We just need to remember to do this”—she waves around the bar—“more.”
“We will,” I affirm as “A Bar Song” by Shaboozey comes on and Rory pulls me out into the crowd.
I yelp and then laugh, needing a second to get my bearings before I let the music wash over me, my cowboy boots stomping and sliding across the floor with everyone else. For a minute it feels like I’m back home in Ransom, nostalgia making me ache for the small town in North Carolina that raised me.
But as quickly as it comes, it’s gone again, replaced with the feeling of being watched.
Observed.
I have an audience, and his name is Mack.
MACK
I stayed hidden as long as I could, watching Piper and my sister grab drinks from the bar before heading out onto the dance floor. Annoyance covers me like a second skin as I politely decline requests for a dance and refrain from rolling my eyes at the pouts that follow.
I did this to myself and I’ll own it, but I can’t pretend I don’t hate it when all I want is Piper. These girls are fine, but they’re not lookin’ for anything more than a night, and I’m not that guy.
Not anymore.
Piper laughs along with my sister, her eyelids fluttering shut for a moment as her hips sway, her boots echoing as she stomps and pivots in time with the music.
She’s got me half hard just from watching her, those sexy denim cutoffs and a cropped white T-shirt with a scoop neck giving me a delicious peek at her tits.
They’re seriously great tits.
I should know—I’ve had my mouth and hands all over them. Perfection.
But they’re mine.
My lips pull down as I look out at the guys crowded around the bar. I can just imagine what they’re thinking and hell, I used to be one of them. Piper’s got me locked up tight and yet she still has doubts.
If she only knew the kind of power she holds over me.
I can feel my blood pressure ratcheting up the longer I stand here. Odds are not every asshole in this bar is staring at my girl, but there’s enough and I don’t fucking like it.
Piper is already trying to pull my sister over to the bar as the song ends, while Rory bats her lashes at some guy that has absolutely no chance with her. I’ve seen her play this game before—learned a lot from her too.
She likes the chase and so do I.
I’ve just been playing the marathon version with Piper.
And now it’s time to make another move.
Skirting my way along the periphery, I throw my arms over both their shoulders and grin. “Evenin’, ladies. Fancy meeting you here.”
My sister chuffs out a laugh and pushes my arm off her. Piper’s move is much more subtle, turning into me as she drags her hand down my side before stepping a reasonable distance away.
“Rory thought we needed a night out.”
“Y’all definitely deserve to let loose. You work too hard.”
“Stop laying it on so thick.” My sister glares. “Ask the girl to dance and bring her right back. I told you I don’t have the time to deal with the fallout right now.”
“Ouch.” I place a hand to my chest, hamming it up as I grab Piper’s hand and turn to her. “Can you believe how mean she is to her favorite brother?”
“You’re my only brother. Now git.”
Rory makes a shooing motion, and I don’t waste another minute getting lost in the other couples two-stepping around the dance floor.
“What are you doing?” Piper hisses, giggling when I spin her out and back in. She feels perfect in my arms, letting me lead as we engage in this new kind of foreplay.
“Makin’ sure every guy in here knows you’re mine.” The words are low and dangerous as I whisper them in her ear. She shivers and I pull her tighter against me, my cock hard where it rests between us.
“Mack, you can’t—”
“I can, Honey Girl. You’re out of your mind if you think I’m letting anyone else lead you around this dance floor lookin’ like you do.”
“And how do I look, Mack Crosby?”
“Like a fucking dream, Piper. You’re driving me wild in these little shorts, the denim molded to your perfect ass. You have no idea how bad I want you, how bad I want to peel them off your body and—”
“I’m supposed to be out with Rory, Mack. You cannot say things like that to me.”
“Why, am I makin’ you wet, Honey Girl?” My grin is wolfish but turns feral the second she opens her mouth.
“That is not the point.”
“Lemme take you home.” I nuzzle my face into her neck, my Stetson shielding me from view as I drag my tongue up the column of her throat.
“But Rory—”
“Is makin’ out with someone by the bar. Tell her I’m taking you home,” I beg, pulling back enough to look at her.
“This is crazy, Mack.”
“But you want it, right?” Swallowing hard, I add, “You want me?” Her mint-colored eyes are so warm and open, filled with hope and lust and something that might be adoration. It’s a heady combination, something that has my heart beating a little faster in my chest.
“Let me just go tell her goodbye,” she says, batting my hand away as she steps out of my embrace. “You’re gonna get us caught before we even get out of here.”
“Then move faster, baby. I don’t know how much longer I can last.”
And I realize as she walks toward my sister that I don’t just mean tonight. I don’t know how much longer I can keep this thing between us under wraps.
More importantly, I just don’t want to.