Chapter 4 Piper
PIPER
I can’t stop thinking about what happened at the bar—Aaron’s sweaty arm wrapped around me, pulling me somewhere I didn’t want to go.
But Jake saved me.
It was like something out of a movie, the way he knocked him out with a single punch. I just keep playing it over and over in my mind, especially when I’m about to go to sleep.
To make things worse, I’ve been dreaming about him.
His eyes, his height, his strong physique, and the way I feel so safe when he’s around.
They’ve been…different dreams than I’ve had before. Maybe adult is the right word? I wake up sweating, tingling all over. Cold showers have been my salvation.
But all that changed last night, when I had my first bad dream involving Jake.
I was lost in a city at night. I was cold, had no shoes, and men were cat-calling and grabbing at the hem of my dress. I could feel Jake was nearby, but when I called out for him, begging for his help, he didn’t respond.
A man chased me into a dark alley, and there was Jake, standing with a woman so much more beautiful than me.
He took one look at me as I cried out his name but simply put his arm around her and walked away. Tears filled my eyes, and my attacker slammed into me from behind.
That’s when I woke up with a yelp that should have woken the entire household.
It doesn’t take a psychologist to figure out why I had this bad dream: Jake made me cry last night.
I forgive him for that. I know he’s a good guy, and I totally owe him. But it doesn’t make the hurt go away.
Or the desire…
Just thinking of how he looked at me before he slammed the door still makes me flinch. He almost held me as I pressed myself against him. If I close my eyes, I can still feel his strong body against mine.
It’s hard to admit that I’m falling for my step-brother, but it’s also impossible to ignore the feelings I have when he’s around. Or even when he’s not.
When he’s at work, I miss him and can’t stop thinking about him. And when he’s at home, all I want is for him to notice me. That’s why I wear the outfits I’ve been wearing.
He probably thinks I’m just so innocent, and I am, but I’m not totally clueless either. I’ve seen the way he stares. How he checks out every inch of me when he thinks I’m not looking.
Lying in bed, I stare up at the ceiling and groan. How am I going to survive?
I’ve been lying around in my room for the last few days. My mom even came to me yesterday and told me I need to get out and do something.
“Why don’t you pick up gymnastics again?” she suggested. “You were so good at it.”
I told her I’d think about it, but I know she really just wants me to get out of the house so she can have some time with her new husband.
Jake doesn’t know this, but I heard his father telling him to stay away from me when they thought I was upstairs.
“Don’t even think about it” were Paul’s exact words.
For some reason, just thinking about it makes me bite my lip with excitement.
Could I actually…get with my step-brother? I mean, he’s not blood related. It’s not like we grew up together. But it’s still taboo, and that actually gets me buzzing when I think about it.
Come on, I can’t be the only girl in the world who thinks that.
My phone rings, and I quickly snatch it up, hoping to see Jake’s name on the screen.
No such luck. It’s Emily.
I’ve been dodging her apology texts for a few days now, but I guess it’s time to finally talk.
“Hello?” I answer.
“Oh, so you are alive.”
“Yeah, I’m alive,” I sigh. “No thanks to you and your amazing blind date.”
“I am so sorry, Piper,” she replies. “Peter told me he was a good guy. I was just trying to help. And he apologizes, by the way.”
I roll my eyes. “Who apologizes? Your boyfriend? Or Aaron?”
Emily can’t help but laugh. “Peter apologizes. Neither of us are talking to Aaron after what happened.”
“I don’t blame you, Emily. I—” The sound of the front door opening shuts me up. I listen and hear the unmistakable sound of Jake’s footsteps coming into the house. Instantly, my arms start trembling.
“I gotta go, sorry.” I quickly hang up, leap out of bed, rush to the top of the stairs, and peer down. What I see nearly causes me to scream.
It’s Jake all right, but he’s leading an absolutely stunning blonde into the living room. She looks like she’s closer to his age than I am, and she is giggling at something he said on the way in. She’s tall, obviously wealthy, and wearing expensive heels.
I’m so jealous I feel like someone just stole my candy.
I descend the stairs, trying to listen in on their conversation, but one of them squeaks, and I freeze. I’m only in underwear and a bra. Not exactly what you wear when meeting someone.
The beautiful woman giggles again, and my heart misses a beat, causing me to clutch my chest.
So you make her laugh, but you make me cry?
I shouldn’t be having such thoughts—such vicious thoughts about Jake. He’s allowed to be nice to other women. I know that…
…but it doesn’t change the way I feel.
I turn and walk back to my room, steaming, head spinning, trying to think about what to do next.
Do I just admit to him how I feel and pray that he feels the same way?
But what if he doesn’t? I could end up bringing down our entire family.
I’ll take a bath. That’s what I’ll do. I’ll take a nice, long, relaxing bath, and I’ll listen to an audiobook while Jake has his…date in the living room.
But as I grab my towel, I realize there’s no way I can go relax now. I have a new plan.
I rush into the bathroom, quickly fix my hair and apply some lip gloss, then head for the stairs.
My heart is racing as I descend. I don’t know if this is the right thing to do, but it’s what I must do.
Still wearing nothing more than underwear, I waltz right into the living room like I own the house.
The woman Jake’s with has her back to me, but he sees me the moment I walk in. And try as he might, he can’t stop from dragging his eyes up every inch of my body.
“Hey, Jake,” I squeak, acting as helpless and small as possible. “Can you come help me? I can’t open a jar.”
It’s such an obvious lie, but he has to save face in front of his date.
She looks back at me, and when she sees what I’m wearing, her jaw drops, and she quickly looks away.
My pulse is racing. My head feels fuzzy, like it’s stuffed with Styrofoam. I’m not even thinking right now. I’m operating on pure instinct.
“Piper,” Jake replies, trying not to sound pissed off. “Can you…give me a second?”
Another second he can spend with this girl that isn’t me? No way.
“I could really use your help,” I reply.
“Okay,” he says quickly. He turns to the girl and whispers, “Sorry, Angela. Can we finish this tomorrow?”
Angela—so that’s her name—nods and stands, shouldering her designer purse. Her heels clack on the hardwood as she walks past me to the door.
When she reaches the door, she glances back over her shoulder, looking past me at Jake with something in her eyes that sets my blood boiling.
Jake moves like he’s going to speak, or run to her, but stops himself.
A sense of relief and triumph flows through me as she exits, leaving me standing in the foyer with Jake, who stares at me like I just robbed her at gunpoint.
“What the hell was that?” he barks. His voice sounds a lot angrier than I anticipated.
“I need a bottle opened,” I reply, playing na?ve. “Did I interrupt your date?”
He advances quickly on me, so fast that it gives me a start. “That wasn’t a date. That was a potential client for me! You know I want to open my own business one day, right?”
My heart sinks. Did I really just let my jealousy screw something up for Jake?
I want to apologize, but I’m buzzing with so much energy that I can’t. Why doesn’t he just grab me and press his lips to mine? Doesn’t he want to?
“And what are you even wearing—?”
“I thought she was a date,” I interrupt. He frowns.
“So what if she was?”
Is he messing with me on purpose? He has to know what I’m getting at.
All the looks he’s been giving me. The stolen glances. The heavy breathing I hear through his door at night when he thinks I’m asleep.
“You want me, Jake,” I finally say. I don’t know how I get the words out, but I do.
His jaw drops, and his eyes narrow. He stares right into my eyes like he’s searching my soul for intent.
For a second, I’m sure he’s going to turn his back on me or storm out the front door with his new client.
But he doesn’t move. He just stands there in all his glory, towering over me like I’m miniature sized.
“Piper…” he says softly.
“I know you do, Jake. I’m not blind. You can’t hide it anymore.”
Before I can react, he has his hand around my arm. He pulls me close, and I’m sure he’s going to kiss me.
I close my eyes and part my lips. Yes, finally it’s going to happen.
But the kiss doesn’t come.
I open my eyes and find myself staring into his. They’re blazing with energy—maybe even anger. And I feel myself starting to melt inside.
His dominance is so sexy. His rough hand holds me strong. He could do whatever he wants with me, and I wouldn’t be able to resist.
Not like I’d want to anyway…
“No.” He shakes his head. “I can’t, Piper.”
“Jake, please—”
“No!” he shouts, causing me to jump. He sighs heavily and shakes his head. “You’re right. I do want you, Piper. I want every fucking gorgeous inch of you.”
My heart leaps. Golden energy fills me. My thighs begin to tingle.
“Jake…”
“But we can’t. I can’t,” he says, lowering his eyes. “You know why?”
“Because I’m your step-sister?” I ask. He nods heavily. “Is that really that bad, though? We’re not really related…”
Again, he shakes his head like he’s carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. “My dad…it would destroy our family.”
I reach up, cupping his strong jaw with my hand. His scruff tickles my palm.
“He doesn’t have to find out.”
Wow, Jake’s really bringing out the bad girl in me. I never behave like this—never would have even thought about it until him.
He reaches out, gently caressing my belly with the back of his knuckles. His fingertips move down toward the waistband of my panties, and for a moment, I’m absolutely sure he’s going to take me.
But then, before I can blink, he’s backed off. At least six feet of distance between us.
“No,” he says, pulling his keys from his pocket. “Absolutely not. I can’t.”
“Why!?” I plead, tears pooling in my eyes. This is beyond simple lust at this point. There’s much more I want from him. Much more I need.
“Because,” he says, moving past me. “If I have you, I won’t be able to stop.”
And then he’s out the door and gone. I hear the engine of his car and the squeal of his tires as he pulls away, leaving me standing, hollow and dejected.
My legs tremble, and I fall to my knees. But I stop myself from crying. That’s too much, too far, and not what needs to happen now.
What needs to happen now is I rethink my strategy. Now that I know he wants me, all I have to do is convince him that it’s okay.
And I’ve never been a girl who backs down from a challenge.
You will take me, Jake. Step-brother or not, I will be yours. And you will be mine.