Chapter 15
Everett
Iopened my eyes and realized three things. One, it was morning. Two, I’d slept on the couch. Three, I had a gorgeous woman sprawled all over me.
I was on my back, and Piper was mostly on top of me, her face pressed to my neck and her blonde hair spread everywhere. She was all warm, lush female.
My cock was as hard as steel.
I lay there, counting to ten and thinking about unclogging plumbing. Anything to find some control.
She made a cute sound and stirred. When she lifted her head and opened her blue eyes, I realized I’d never seen her like this before. Completely armor free. No makeup, sleepy, wearing only my T-shirt.
Her gaze focused on me, and I saw lots of emotions flit through her eyes. I expected her to leap up, compose herself, and get her armor back in place.
She shocked me by snuggling her face back into my neck and breathing me in.
Shit. My cock got even harder. “Not a morning person?”
“Not naturally, but I’ve trained myself to be,” she mumbled.
“Sleep okay?”
“You and your couch are surprisingly comfortable, and this is coming from a woman who loves a good mattress.”
Fuck. I didn’t need Piper Ellis to show me the humor she usually kept hidden away under lock and key. “You’re surprisingly easy to sleep under.”
She lifted her head, her gaze on mine.
Then she kissed me.
Her mouth pressed against mine and I opened my mouth. Her tongue stroked inside and I kissed her back. I slid my hands down her body, clenched my palms on her ass. The shirt I’d given her had ridden up and I felt the silk of her panties. She moaned, shifting so her thighs clamped onto my body.
She tasted like heaven and sin all rolled into one. She ground against me, the kiss going deeper, turning wilder. We groped at each other. I couldn’t get enough. She couldn’t get enough.
I sat up, and she made the sexiest little sound. My cock, covered by my jeans, pressed between her thighs. Her head fell back, and I attacked her neck. I lapped at her healing cut, raked my teeth over her racing pulse point. She rocked against me with a moan I felt in my cock.
Spinning, I laid her on the couch and covered her body with mine. Her lips parted and her cheeks were flushed. I took her mouth again, needing more of her. The taste, the feel.
Her legs clamped on mine, and she sexily rocked against my thigh. Without a doubt, I knew she’d be wet and silky between those thighs. I cupped her jaw, sliding my hand around and into that silky hair.
My thumb brushed her cut and I stilled. Her teeth sank into my bottom lip and she made a small sound of protest.
Damn, this was the hardest thing I’d ever done. “We need to stop.”
“Why?” Her voice was breathy.
I gently brushed her cut again. “Because, you had a really rough night, on the heels of a rough few days.”
“I’m not having a rough morning.” She shimmied against me.
I swallowed a groan. “And I’m not a dick. I won’t take advantage of you…no matter how much I’d like to.”
She pulled a face. “Really?”
“Really. This is part of me taking care of you.”
She pouted. “Damn.”
I pushed her hair back from her face, ran my thumb over her full bottom lip. “Not to mention I’m covering a shift at work, one of my guy’s just became a dad. It’s eight thirty already.”
Her eyes went wide. “Eight thirty?” She scrambled off me. “I have a video call with Johannesburg at nine thirty.” She raced for the powder room, long legs flying. “I need my clothes, Murray.”
I sat up. Ah, there was my workaholic city girl.
It seemed she was bouncing back from the events of last night.
I needed to shower and change. Then once I got to the Langston Windward, I’d find Caden. We needed a plan to deal with Chance Ellis, once and for all.
As I pulled out of my driveway, with Piper in my passenger seat, I saw the curtains of my Dad’s front windows twitch.
I’m sure he’d gotten another eyeful of Piper and had questions.
“I can’t be late.”
I glanced at her. Damn, I couldn’t believe she was just as gorgeous with a freshly scrubbed face.
She was back in her fancy, wide-legged trousers and she’d twisted her hair up behind her head.
Even without makeup, she was Glossy City Piper again.
I was glad she looked well rested after the night before.
“You won’t be late, and if you’re running five minutes behind, London won’t crumble and no one will die.”
“My call is with Johannesburg,” she said primly.
“I’ll get you there, babe.”
I pulled into the staff parking lot at the back of the hotel. Someone from my team had been through with the snowplow and snow blower. I parked and turned off the engine.
“Don’t move from that seat, Piper. I’ll help you down.”
“I’m perfectly capable—”
“Not in those heels. It’s slippery. I won’t have you breaking an ankle.”
She just stared at me with some look on her face I couldn’t quite decipher.
“Okay,” she murmured.
Damn, did no one ever look out for her? Take care of her?
No. I already knew the answer. She was so busy being Super Piper, being amazing at her job, and taking care of her family, she didn’t let anyone take care of her.
I circled my truck. Too bad, she was going to have to get used to it.
I opened the door, then gripped her waist and lifted her out. I watched her bite her lip.
“What?” I demanded.
“Nothing.”
“Piper,” I growled.
“Okay.” She tossed her head back, a tendril of hair escaping her twist. “It’s hot.”
I frowned. It was damn cold out here. “What’s hot?”
“The way you haul me around. I’m sure I’ll lose feminist points or something, but when you lift me, carry me, or punch a guy in the face for me, it’s hot.”
Fuck. I felt her words hit me hard. I backed her against my truck.
“Everett,” she breathed.
“Right here, big city.”
“This is a bad idea, remember?” Her voice was low and husky.
“I disagree.” I kissed her.
She froze for a second, then that sweet mouth opened for me, and she threw her arms around my neck. I took my time exploring her mouth, my hands molding her curves. With a sweet sound, she pushed into me and very enthusiastically kissed me back.
When we broke apart, my cock was throbbing, and she was panting. I loved the slightly dazed look on her face. I figured not much made Piper Ellis look like that.
“We’re a bad idea,” she said.
“Maybe.”
“Not maybe, Everett, definitely.” She didn’t look happy as she said it. “You’re a mountain man, I’m a city girl. You love flannel and I wear high heels. We have nothing in common.”
I kissed her again until this time I got a purring noise.
“I think we have a few things in common, and maybe we can find a few more.” Her gaze locked on my mouth, and I fought back a smile. “Don’t you have a meeting with Munich?”
She startled. “Oh God, I need to go. And it’s with Johannesburg, which you know. You just love aggravating me.” She spun and took off way too fast.
“Don’t you run on this slick ground, Piper,” I growled.
She slowed down a little, then looked back at me, that look on her face again. “Everett, thank you. For everything.”
Then she disappeared into the hotel.
And hell, I missed her already. Whether she was giving me sharp looks, sniping at me, or kissing the hell out of me, I liked it all.
Apparently, I had a thing for high maintenance city women, after all.
I headed inside and met with my team. The hotel was chaos this morning. It was Saturday, so not only did we have the guests who were staying at the hotel, we had the day trippers who came for the day from Denver to ski, and liked to eat at the hotel, or pay to use the amenities.
I worked through my jobs, then found a quiet moment to pull out my phone.
Caden answered on the second ring.
“Sorry, I know you have today off,” I said.
“It’s fine. We’re having a quiet day at home with Ollie. Already been out to make a snowman.”
I tried hard to picture ex-military man Caden making a snowman with a young boy and failed. “Allie all right?”
“Yeah. How’s Piper?”
“She’s okay. She was really shaken last night, but she pulled herself together this morning. She’s in a video call with Johannesburg.”
“Sounds like Piper. She’s tough.”
I frowned. Because she’d had to be. It sounded like Piper’s friends were used to her being self-sufficient, but no one could shoulder everything all the time.
“The guys who tried to grab her last night said her brother owes their boss a hundred grand.”
Caden whistled. “That’s a lot of money.”
“Ellis didn’t do anything to stop them targeting his sister.” Anger vibrated through my voice. “Caden, we need to know who Ellis is in debt to.”
Caden was quiet for a beat. “I’ll put out some feelers.”
“Ellis still in town?”
“As far as I know. I’ll find him.”
“Good.” I pictured a shaking, scared Piper in my arms. “Because the next time I talk to him, I’m not going to be so pleasant.”