Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Why didn’t I just reply to Vanessa on the damn boat?
Then again, why do I need a woman who goes through my phone?
I don’t have time for that drama shit.
Still, I open the texts as soon as I fight Andy off from licking my face. The dog has a sixth sense for trying to cheer me up the only way he knows.
Honestly, I was so freaked out by Piper ghosting that I didn’t even notice Vanessa’s messages until now.
I read through them and hit call.
“Brock, hi! What’s shaking?”
“Returning your call,” I say tightly.
“Oh, well, I just wanted to thank you again. AJ never ever would’ve gotten into NYU without your letter, and the scholarship…you are a lifesaver, Mr. Winthrope. I never could’ve swung the expense without you.”
Even with the thunder cloud over my head, I smile.
“It’s the least I can do. If the situation was reversed—”
“Brock, no way. I never would have let Darren marry your widow, knowing what he was like. And after all that, the way you’re still here for us.” Her voice trembles. “You’re such a good man.”
“Keep it to yourself, lovely lady. It was a long damn time ago and it’s all in the past now,” I say.
The burning line of scarred tissue across my chest reminds me it’s not as distant as I like to think.
“Well, I appreciate everything you do. We all do, but it’s not necessary And how’s Mr. Fyo?”
“He’s great, enjoying some downtime in Mexico right now,” I say. “Does AJ need anything else? Lunch money, software, books?”
“Oh, no. I’ve got that covered,” she says with a laugh. “You still do a pretty good job of hiding how nice you can be, you know.”
“I’m not nice, Vanessa,” I say flatly. “If that’s all—”
“See?” She laughs again. “A man of few words, but a kind one. It wasn’t easy signing those divorce papers.”
My jaw tightens.
Am I kind?
Fuck no.
I’m just your run of the mill rich dick with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Sometimes my only relief is solving everybody else’s problems when I can’t fix my own.
“Everything okay? You’ve gone quiet on me. I’m not accusing you of being some softy. I don’t think anyone ever would, but you’re not the raging tyrant some people think.”
Tyrant.
What is it with that word?
Everyone pins it on me, particularly one insufferable woman I can’t pry out of my head.
“Am I really that terrifying?” I ask.
“I—you already know what I think.” Her voice is tense now. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. It’s not my place.”
“It’s okay. I had a—” I pause because I don’t even know what to call it. Fight? Spat? Feud? “A serious disagreement with someone recently. It left a bad taste in my mouth and I just wondered if I really come across like Satan with a bad case of hemorrhoids.”
She’s quiet for a minute like she’s mulling it over. “You’re an intimidating man with skin thicker than a pumpkin. Sometimes you come across a little cocky, and yeah, the whole billionaire thing doesn’t help with that. But everyone who knows you gets that it’s just an act. For someone who doesn’t—well, you can seem a tad abrasive.”
I snort at how diplomatic she’s being.
“Be honest, Vanessa. I’m fucking sandpaper, number ten grit.”
That gets a laugh out of her.
I wish I could join in.
After Vanessa, Piper might be the only woman I’ve ever allowed to know me. Or I thought she did.
“Can I ask who you’re fighting with?”
“No one. It isn’t important,” I say.
“Well, I hope you smooth things over, Brock. You do so much for me and my son. Can I give you some friendly advice? If you don’t like it, you don’t have to take it.”
“Sure,” I say, knowing full well I probably won’t take it.
“This person you’re fighting with, you have to decide how badly you want her in your life. And if you do, it never hurts to swallow your pride. Apologize, even if you don’t think you’re wrong. If it’s someone you work with, ignore me and do whatever you think is best. That usually works out pretty well for you.”
“Thanks, Vanessa.”
“Anytime. And you should drop by for dinner. AJ would love to see you again before school starts.”
“Send over a few dates when you’re free and I’ll see what I can do,” I promise.
I hang up.
My mind instantly snaps back to the woman who’s invaded my house, my space, and my thoughts.
Vanessa said if I want to keep her in my life, I’d better shut my yap and apologize unconditionally.
Fuck, that’s a bitter pill to swallow.
I can’t believe I’m even considering it.
After I sink down in my chair with Andy snoring next to me for the better part of an hour, I make up my mind.
It’s just an excuse to take my car out and get some fresh air. Even at the risk of Piper Renee clawing apart what’s left of my pride.
I bang on her door, holding a colorful bouquet bigger than my head in my other hand.
No answer.
I wait ten seconds and knock again. When no one appears, I try the knob desperately, and I’m surprised when it opens.
“Piper?” I call through the darkness.
I walk into the small, dark house and find her on the couch with a glass of wine and shadows around her eyes. “Hey.”
“Why didn’t you answer the door?”
She shrugs. “I didn’t know who it was, and I kept hoping they’d go away. Or burst in and put me out of my misery.”
“You left the door unlocked?” I flare.
“Jenn was here earlier. I guess I just forgot to lock up when she left.”
“Can I come in?” I growl.
She gives me the side-eye. “You’re already in.”
“I brought flowers,” I say, holding them out.
“Take them to the cemetery. Dead people need them more than me.”
“You’re still upset.” I square my shoulders.
“How observant.”
Fucking hell. I knew this wouldn’t be easy.
I shut the door behind me and cross the room, stopping to lay the bouquet on the coffee table in front of her.
“We need to talk,” I say bluntly.
“Do I have a choice?”
“Sunshine, I came to apologize. You’re not making that easy. I shouldn’t have gone nuclear, even if you had no right to go digging through my shit.” I still sound mad, even after rehearsing these lines in my head.
She looks at me slowly like she’s sizing me up. Then her gaze softens.
“Brock, listen… I will always appreciate what you did for my family. I also don’t need your apology. We don’t need some big ugly breakup when we were never really together.”
Shit, that stings.
Never mind the fact that it’s technically true.
She’s staring at some stupid show with the volume turned down so low I don’t even think she can hear it.
I stomp over, pick up the remote, and switch the TV off. “Look at me. I promise you that those messages you saw are not what you think.”
“Okay.” She still doesn’t look at me.
“You don’t believe me, do you?”
“You’re an only child, so I know she’s not your sister,” Piper says miserably.
Goddammit, why won’t she look me in the eye?
I stomp in front of her, fold my arms, and glare until she finally looks up. I might as well spit it the fuck out or go home.
“You want to know who she is? She’s Darren’s fucking wife—and for a couple months, she was mine.”
That gets her attention. Her eyes bug out and she makes a strained sound, scrambling up on the sofa.
“She’s what? You…you were married?”
“She was widowed. Then she married me. We were never in love. It was a legal formality,” I say, reaching for her hands.
She’s so stunned she doesn’t fight me.
“I don’t understand, Brock. What does that mean?” Her eyes are glistening and red.
“Where do I even start?” I mutter, looking down.
My eyes land on my chest and I pause, bringing my hands to the seam of my shirt.
“Fuck it,” I say, grabbing both sides.
In one fierce jerk I lose half the buttons, exposing my bare chest.
Piper stares at me like I’m possessed.
“What are you doing? Um, you can’t striptease your way out this…”
“Miss Sunshine, if you’ll shut it and listen, I’d like to direct your attention to this.” I stab a thumb at the jagged line cutting across my chest.
Her jaw tightens and her eyes follow, tracing that hideous scar.
“You remember the day you asked me about it?”
“Yeah. You didn’t want to talk about it. Combat, you said, right?”
I nod grimly. “It’s from the day I almost died. I can’t go into specifics, but I’ll tell you what’s relevant.”
She glances away. “If it’s from a war and you don’t want to talk about… I get it. I wasn’t going to mention it again. My dad still has nightmares from Iraq—that highway of death—so if something terrible happened, don’t go there again for my sake.”
“I said I’ll tell you what happened. I want to,” I admit.
She bites her lip and nods slowly.
I sit beside her, clasping my hands.
“Darren was my copilot. We were flying a surveillance mission along the Syrian border. Maybe it was a malfunction or we took a hit from one of those Russian missiles the brass swore they didn’t have—I’ll never know—but either way, we barely bailed out before we went down.”
“Oh my God.” Her face tightens.
“We ejected over hostile territory. I was hurt in the tumble down over northern Iraq. Darren, he had it worse. The internal bleeding made him a dead man before I even crawled over…”
“That’s terrible,” she whispers, fingering her lip. “Let me guess, he was a good friend? You promised to take care of his family after…you know.”
“Fuck no,” I growl, shaking my head. “Darren was a human piece of shit.”
She looks at me in stunned silence, waiting for more.
Goddammit, I hate this.
“He was a drunk and a bully. He was heading for court martial before I got stuck with him on that mission because my usual guy was out sick. Everybody knew he was infamous for cheating on his wife, Vanessa. There were even whispers he’d hurt her. Men heard him threatening her more than once over the phone.”
“Holy shit.” Her lip trembles.
“I watched the miserable fuck groan his last breath before I blacked out in the desert. Woke up on a German airbase being sewn back together. That’s where I got this,” I say, tracing the scar on my chest again. “Of course, they still treated Darren like a big hero. I’m sure Vanessa was relieved his abusive ass died, even if she was too nice to say it.”
“Brock…” She lays her small hand over mine.
I grab it and continue.
“I had to take care of his family. Especially when I knew Darren wasn’t just a rotten apple, but he fell off a whole tree of them. He was into bad shit back home and he owed the wrong people a lot of money. They came calling on Vanessa to collect, threatening her and his son.”
Piper covers her mouth. “So that’s why you—”
“Yeah,” I say with a nod. “I married her until they were done. A little heavy-handed, but it was enough to send them a clear message to fuck off.”
“These people, you put them in prison?” she asks.
I smile darkly.
“Not quite. That’s where I met Fyodor. He wasn’t my driver then, but a man I hired with a rare skill set. He helped me find out where they met. I authorized him to stage a fire.” I watch her eyes light up with more shock. “Believe me, Vanessa wasn’t the only one suffering. They had a former police chief getting kickbacks and they never would’ve gone to court. What we did was easier and faster. I have no regrets. Once they were gone—major credit to Fyo—Vanessa divorced me amicably. I’ve stayed in touch with small gifts for the kid, AJ. He’s about to head off to college and sees me as an uncle of sorts.”
“God.”
She falls back into the sofa, boneless, covering her face. She’s motionless too long.
“Say something, Pippa.”
“…I’m so sorry, Brock. I can’t imagine. And I’m sorry I was such a psycho bitch without giving you a chance to explain.”
She cracks an eye and stares at me in silence.
“You just did. Are we okay now?” I bite off.
“Are we? Because I had the wrong idea. I thought—”
“I know what it looked like,” I interject. “And as soon as I figured it out, I should have told you you’re crazy. I still don’t like that you went through my phone—”
“I didn’t! I was fishing around for my phone on the floor and grabbed yours by accident. The messages just came up.”
“I believe you,” I say, holding up a hand. “But the next time you read my texts, will you ask me about them before you run off in the middle of the night and assume I’d ever waste time sticking my dick in another woman when I could be in you?”
Her cheeks bloom rose red.
“Yes. I’m so sorry.”
“Enough apologies. I get it. If I thought for a second you had another man in your life, I’d dismember him.”
Her eyes are so wide and glassy she knows I’m serious. Especially after my story.
“I should have known. You were just taking care of people as usual, and I went off and accused you of—”
“Sunshine, it’s not important.” I pull her into my arms.
She can’t scare me like that again.
Now that I know what losing her is like, holding her feels so intense it’s blinding.
“Just let me do this,” I say, kissing her neck.
“If you still want to,” she says weakly, hot tears falling from her eyes.
“Do you hear yourself, Pippa? My girl has been gone for two fucking days. If you weren’t crying, I’d already have you against the wall, showing you how much more intense it gets.”
I’m not sure it’s even possible for us to be more intense, but I’m willing to find out.
She turns, blushing, and laughs softly. “Stop. I’m being serious.”
I bring my lips to her ear. “You think I’m not?”
“You took care of my family and I attacked you.”
“I’m not upset. Consider the air cleared.”
“But I feel like a horrible person.”
“A little jealousy now and then is healthy. I told my cleaning lady she could skip out early and I’d take Andy back, though, so can we continue this talk at my place?”
“Sausage puppy! I’d like that.”
“Yeah. Plus, I’ll feel better since I can’t trust you to lock the door here.”
She glares at me. “It’s a safe neighborhood.”
“Atrocious shit still happens in gated communities. I don’t like you being alone here with any prick free to walk in. I’m sure your old man would agree.”
“You’re not my dad.” The look she throws me confirms I’m right.
“We both want you in one piece. I’m sure we’ll probably get along fine.”
And I guess the hint that I want to meet her father saves me. Because she laughs brightly and throws her arms around my neck.
“God, I’ve missed you, you big idiot.”
I’m glad as hell Piper Renee doesn’t hold a grudge.
We’re strolling along the rocky beach behind my house. I have one arm draped around her and Andy’s leash dangling from my other hand.
Is this real life?
Could this be everyday life?
“Were you sad without me?” I ask, reaching down to pull a piece of driftwood out of Andy’s mouth.
“Eh, I kept telling myself at least I wasn’t a carved-up corpse on Law and Order. Did you die without me?”
“Ten times,” I say firmly. “I’m just happy as hell you’re back.”
I wind Andy’s leash around my arm and step closer, tightening my hold on her hand before I lower my lips to hers.
The kiss is purely possessive. I feast on her bottom lip with my teeth, pushing my tongue into her mouth and stealing her breath.
This is for the days we missed.
This is the ferocity of a madman who now understands what he has to lose.
“You have no idea how incredible you are,” she whispers as soon as I pull away.
“It’s adorable you think so,” I rumble, kissing the back of her hand.
Andy yips his agreement and starts bouncing up and down like a sun-bleached log on his stubby legs.
We finish Andy’s little adventure, stealing kisses along the way.
I’ve never been happier that I manned the fuck up and took Vanessa’s advice.
On the way back to the house, Piper says, “It’s funny watching him in the sand. It’s like he sinks and has to fight his way up every time, but he doesn’t seem to mind. He’s a little trooper.”
“You hear that, boy? She’s smitten.” I reach into my pocket and toss him a dog biscuit I loaded up before the walk.
Later, back at my place, Piper heads for the guest room where Fyo dropped her stuff the very first night she came to live with me.
“We’re sleeping alone tonight?” My jaw tenses.
She holds my eyes. “No. But I’d like to get ready somewhere a little more private.”
I kiss her deeply, grabbing her chin.
“Fine. Come join me when you’re ready.”
I have no idea how long she’ll be, or what she’s up to.
Did the fight leave a permanent wedge between us?
I hit the shower after Andy passes out in his bed in my closet corner, exhausted from the walk.
When I walk out naked, I find Piper sprawled across my bed in a sheer white nightgown.
She’s the picture of innocence—and that makes me want to defile her. Especially when that sheer thing looks completely see-through.
“That’s why you needed to get ready?” I growl with a knowing wink.
“You look ready yourself. Come lie down.”
Who am I to argue with the pretty lady?
I climb in bed beside her and we fall into a kissing contest that leaves her moaning.
“Oh. Oh, Brock!”
Her little sighs turn my dick into an armed weapon.
I kiss down her jawline, her throat, her cleavage.
Her tit finds its way into my mouth, and I suck like mad, ripping a hole in her gown with my teeth.
The flimsy fucking silk is no match for my lust.
Piper whimpers beautifully.
She struggles to pull it off before I demolish the rest, but I grab her arms and pin her down.
“No, ma’am. Let me finish my work.” I bring my fist to her neckline, balling up the fabric.
“But why?”
“It’s my job to ruin you. And to buy you a nicer replacement when we’re done.”
“Brock, you’re—”
She never finishes that thought.
I rip the gown right down the front in one rough pull so it’s hanging open, splaying her naked body in front of me like a banquet.
Her eyes flick to the torn silk, her chest rising and falling in heated waves.
“Whatever you want,” I tell her. “Don’t worry about it.”
She smiles. “What I want most is you inside me.”
Growling, I gladly oblige, pushing my tongue back in her mouth as I shift between her legs and grab my throbbing cock.
We both groan when I sink into the heaven between her legs.
Goddamn, she’s too hot.
Too wet.
Too everything, and in the madness storming my veins, I want it all now.
She throws her head back, breaking the kiss as I start working inside her.
This is nothing like the last time.
It’s fast and angry and so needy my nerves burn like a flaming rope.
I’m too lost for words, fucking her through her first orgasm and driving on as her pussy squeezes me.
Snarling, I bring my hand down and find her clit.
I cradle her closer, possessively, holding my cock inside her while I torment her nub.
Just feeling every pulse.
Everything she gives.
Her hands tear at the sheets, and soon, she’s begging, her mouth pulled open in a pink ring.
“Brock. God. More.”
I wish I were a stronger man.
But when the woman you thought you’d lost asks you to hammer her into the next century, you don’t argue back.
I kiss her again, growling into her mouth, no brakes on my rhythm now.
Her limbs tangle around me desperately as I move inside of her, my speed and size lifting her up and slamming her deeper into the mattress.
Every stroke becomes a desperate race to the finish, and I—
Fuck!
There’s almost no warning when I blow inside her. She sets me off that much, making my balls hurl fire.
I was put on this Earth to fill this woman. To mark her. To anchor her to my soul.
And the way she clenches and rakes her nails down my back and tries to scream says I’ve done my job.
We come together in a scalding red silence that ruins me right along with her.
I’ll never be the same.
I’ll never fuck like this with anyone else. No one except this angel who wrings my balls dry.
I’ll never fucking let her leave me again.
That psycho realization still torches my brain when I finally pull out and crash down next to her, leveling one sticky-sweet kiss after another on her lips until we both pass out.
In the morning, we sit together with hot coffee and these dangerously tasty blueberry scones she whipped up.
Even Andy is a fan, taking every opportunity to whine for crumbs.
Yeah, yeah, I know the feeling.
She smiles at me over her mug. “So, have you seen the Scottsdale video?”
“Who in America hasn’t?” I sigh.
“I’m working on it, but I’m having a hard time.”
“You and everybody else in Marketing,” I say, biting into another scone.
“Do you think it’s legit?”
“Hell no, but I have people for investigations. If I can prove it, Finch is fucking dead—legally,” I add. I almost hate that I have to remind her I don’t go around slaughtering people with former Soviet hit men out of habit.
The assholes after Vanessa were a special case.
“That girl is the same age as my little sister. If it’s true, I almost feel bad trying to bury it… I know we should, but you have to ditch that manager.”
“I’m still waiting on a name from HR. If it’s true, he’s gone in a heartbeat,” I growl. “I don’t need anyone working for me who talks to people like worms—especially a minor.”
It’s such a bright, beautiful morning, we finish our coffee outside. Andy flies out for a bathroom break, racing across the freshly cut lawn.
“I hate seeing you stressed. I was thinking we should take a trip. Clear our heads and get out of town,” she whispers, reaching for my hand.
“Paris? Tokyo? Or would you prefer somewhere domestic?”
She scrunches up her face and laughs so sweetly it hurts. “Jeez, dude, I meant a road trip. I found this cool little cabin in an ocean town in Oregon. It’s not that far, just a few hours.”
Andy comes leaping to my side with a loud woof!
I guess that decides it then.
“What about the PR hell?” I ask.
She rests a hand on my arm, gazing into my eyes. “We can keep working, but you need to relax a little. It’s just two days.”
The way she kisses me makes it damn near impossible to argue.
“Sunshine, if I’m with you for a whole weekend, the last thing I’ll do is relax. Even if that doesn’t mean work.”
“Last night was fun,” she admits. “I could always use more.”
Now she’s speaking my language.
