Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Cole reached for the door, only to have it crash open in front of him. The thing glanced his shoulder, knocking him back a step, then bounced against the wall. Piper, arms wrapped around herself, blond hair flying, came tearing into the room and collided with his chest.
His arms automatically came up, and he sucked in a breath when his hands met warm, smooth—bare skin?
What the fuck?
He tried to step back, but she buried her face against his chest and pressed closer. “Don’t move! Don’t you dare move, Cole Black.” Her voice was high, panicked.
Gripping her shoulders, he tried to pull back again, so he could see her face, but she clung on for dear life. Anger mixed with concern swelled inside him. “What the hell happened?” He shook her shoulders lightly. “Did someone do this to you?”
She lifted her chin, cheeks blazing, and shook her head. “No.”
“Then why are you…” He motioned at her chest, swallowing hard. “What happened to your dress?”
“Wardrobe malfunction.” She buried her face in his chest again, her warmth, her softness pressed against him. “The straps snapped,” she mumbled.
Cole reluctantly released her so he could slide his jacket off and drape it around her shoulders.
She looked up at him, offering a wobbly smile.
His chest tightened almost unbearably and, predictably, so did his groin.
Now that he knew she was okay, he became painfully aware of the way she felt flush against him. “I’ll leave so you can fix it.”
She bit her lip. “I need your help.”
Is she trying to torture me?
“Can you undo the zipper at the back? I can’t pull the dress over my…” Her already flushed cheeks darkened, the wash of heat traveling lower, turning the tops of her full breasts a lovely shade of pink. “…ah, up without undoing it first.”
Yeah, this was definitely torture.
“Turn around, Pipe.” His voice sounded deeper, more wrecked than usual, and he cringed at the roughness of it.
Mumbling her thanks, she turned, giving him her back.
His heart went haywire in his chest, mouth dry, hands clammy. Cock like a fucking iron bar, straining toward her. Shit. He wiped his palms on his trousers and reached up, noticing how his fingers trembled. Thank fuck she had her back to him and couldn’t see how pathetic he was.
This woman tested his control, made him feel vulnerable. It wasn’t a feeling he liked. Not one fucking bit. Letting your emotions lead you only ended in disaster.
He’d learned that lesson the hard way.
Lifting the jacket from her shoulders, he laid it by the wash basin. Her skin looked smooth and creamy, silky, and his body responded with a fierceness he’d never experienced before, and not just with the need for sex. He wanted to touch her, possess her in every way.
Shit.
He wanted Piper. Period.
It was a long time since he’d touched a woman intimately—before he’d had his accident—and he realized he hadn’t let anyone but medical professionals get close to him.
Until today, he hadn’t realized how much he missed human contact.
When Piper had wrapped her arms around him on the dance floor, it’d taken all his strength not to bury his face in her hair and nuzzle the soft, sensitive skin between her neck and shoulder.
For a few minutes he’d felt normal, whole. Had reveled in what it would be like if Piper was his.
But she didn’t feel that way for him. How could she?
No, Piper was the kind of woman who made the people around her feel good, no matter who they were.
She’d always been that way. Even when she was in high school she’d been sweet to everyone.
It never occurred to her to ignore kids who might be considered outcasts or unpopular like others did.
She’d do anything for her friends and family, even at the expense of what she wanted or needed.
Tonight was a prime example. He’d watched her run herself ragged making sure Alex and Deke’s day went off without a hitch while everyone else drank and had a good time.
Then there was the way she’d been with him.
“Cole?”
Shit. “I’m just…” The fabric had rolled down, so he had to unravel the bit at the small of her back.
Piper reached up and brushed the soft, wavy length of her blond hair to the front of her shoulder. The silky mass whispered across the back of his hands, and he had to clamp his mouth shut so he didn’t groan out loud.
His every nerve felt alive, oversensitive, zeroing in on the tiniest bit of contact with the voluptuous woman in front of him.
As he attempted to work the zipper down, his fingers brushed against her velvety skin, and he had to fight not to take more, not to run the backs of his fingers over her supple flesh—or bend forward and taste the tempting spot between her shoulder blades.
The zipper started to work loose, and he let out a shuddery breath as more of her pale skin was exposed to his hungry gaze.
He could see the way her waist cinched in, then flared out to full, rounded hips.
And at the very top of her ass were two, perfect, sexy dimples, just above each cheek.
God, he wanted to slide a finger lower, run it along the tempting crease.
“I think that should do it,” she said shakily.
He couldn’t speak as she wriggled, dragging the gown back up to cover her large breasts. Fuck. He was this close to losing it completely. This close to wrapping his arms around her, taking those heavy mounds in his hands, and testing their weight.
He swiped the back of his hand across the side of his mouth, almost expecting to find drool.
“Do you mind zipping me back up?”
Yes, I fucking mind. Taking a few deep breaths, he stepped closer, and making sure to touch nothing but the fabric this time, he dragged up the zipper.
Piper turned to face him, hands clutching the top of her ruined dress, her color high. The woman was so damn lovely he could barely look at her. “You’re a life saver. Can I still borrow the jacket? I’m not sure how long this will hold.”
“Of course.” He picked it up and wrapped it around her shoulders. She slipped her arms in the sleeves, which were way too long. Before he could stop himself, he’d lifted her hands and rolled the fabric back. “If you have any more trouble, just let me know.”
“Oh…I…” Her mouth dropped open, then snapped shut.
He hastily added, “I can give you a ride home, if you want to leave.”
Her gaze darted away, and she looked down at her fingers. “You don’t have to do that.”
Her obvious reluctance to be alone with him, to get in his vehicle with him, helped clear away the lust that had been thrumming hard and relentless through his veins. The spell of being alone with Piper, of touching her, had done a number on him. Made him forget. Even if just for a few seconds.
Glancing up, he caught his reflection in the mirror.
No, he would never be the man he used to be.
A real man could get behind the wheel of a car without almost suffering a panic attack.
He certainly didn’t wake in the night drenched in sweat, screaming.
And he could damn well dance with a beautiful woman without freaking out.
“Most of the guests have been drinking. But if you’d prefer another driver, I’ll ask around.” His voice sounded resentful to his own ears, and he hated it.
Her gaze shot up, soft blue eyes sharpening, then narrowed. “Oh, for Christ’s sake.” She flapped her arms in the air, sleeves unraveling.
Could she be more adorable? Even pissed she was cute. She looked sexy drowning in his jacket, her hair wild around her face like she’d just rolled out of his bed.
“Cole?” she barked, snapping him out of it.
He wanted to wrap his fingers around the back of her neck and drag her in close, kiss that frown off her soft lips. “What?”
“Stop doing that,” she said.
“Doing what?”
“Assuming you can read my mind. I’m not worried about getting in a car with you. I trust you.”
That feeling, like a vise tightening in his chest, started up again. “I can tell you’re nervous being alone with me. You’re uncomfortable now.”
She wrapped her arms around herself. “You’re right. I am nervous.”
If his chest got any tighter he’d go into cardiac arrest. “Yeah, like I said.”
She shook her head. “Not for the reason you think.”
“What other reason is there?” You look like a monster.
He’d seen Piper blush plenty, but right now the woman’s face was on fire. “One you don’t want to hear.”
No, he didn’t want to hear it. Hearing her tell him the way he looked disgusted or frightened her wasn’t something he could deal with right then. “You’re right, so let’s keep it that way.”
Something flashed in her eyes, something he couldn’t name. “Fine. Whatever.”
Jesus.
He needed to get the hell away from her. Knowing that with one gentle tug, her dress would be down around her waist? Shit, it was driving him crazy. “Pipe…”
All trace of emotion vanished from her face, her expression going blank before she forced a smile. A false smile, all teeth. “You know what? I think I’ll take you up on your offer. Give me fifteen minutes to say good-bye, and you can give me a ride.”
I’d rather you ride me.
Dammit, he needed to stop thinking like that. It didn’t matter how much he wanted her, nothing could or would ever happen between them. For many reasons.
One of the main ones, the woman he wanted more than anything in this world felt about him the same way he felt about himself.
Disgusted.
Monster.