Page 66 of Breaking Free

Chapter 18

EARSPLITTING SCREAMSin the night jolted Tristan upright in bed. Disoriented at such an abrupt awakening, it took a moment for him to register that the screaming was an alarm, and it was seeping through the wall he shared with Piper. Fueled by adrenaline, he didn’t bother with clothing, dashing down the stairs and out his front door in his boxer briefs and bare feet.

In seconds, he crossed the courtyard and bounded up her steps. Amidst the cacophony of the blaring alarm, he could hear her frantic mutterings as she desperately struggled to silence the system.

Tristan entered her passcode, relieved she hadn’t changed it, and was through her wrought iron security door in seconds.

She shouted in desperation while frantically pressing buttons. “Why won’t it reset?”

He brushed her trembling hands aside and quickly entered an override. When the alarm finally fell silent, Piper released a ragged breath, her eyes meeting his in gratitude.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know, but it startled me out of a sound sleep, and I jumped out of bed.” She bent to rub her leg. “I banged my shin so hard, it’s definitely gonna bruise.”

When she straightened, she ran her fingers through her sleep-tousled hair. His gaze skimmed down her front, taking in her ribbed white tank and short shorts, revealing her long,tanned legs. The temptation was too strong for his exhausted mind and weary body to resist. He had to go, but first, he needed to do a safety sweep to make sure everything was secure.

“Stay here while I check things out,” he said more abruptly than he meant to. But even in the dim hall, he could see the outline of her nipples through the thin material.

After checking every door and window, and finding everything in order, he returned to her.

“It could have been a bird or the wind. I’ll come by tomorrow when it’s light and check the sensitivity settings.”

“Okay, thanks.” Her voice, still husky from sleep, had the same seductive quality as when she’d come so spectacularly from his hand in her panties.

One minute, he was telling himself to get out of there, fast, and the next, he had her against the wall, her soft curves molded to his hard body. His mouth covered hers, and his tongue swept inside, savoring her honey sweetness. The passion wasn’t one-sided. Piper kissed him back, hungrily, her leg around his hip with her heel digging into his ass. It ignited from there, their hips grinding together, his cock pressing against the warm haven between her thighs. Her breathless moan broke through the haze of his runaway desire, and he tore his mouth away, breathing hard.

“We should stop...”

Her hands slid up his neck, one gliding over his head. “What if I don’t want to?” she asked, as winded as he was.

“I want you, Piper, but I’ve got baggage.”

“Don’t we all?”

“Not like mine. Nothing has changed. I’m not interested in long-term.”

“Who said I was? Can’t we just be...neighborly?”

“Is that what we’re doing?” he quipped. “I’ve never dry-humped a neighbor against the wall before.”

“Me neither. But it’s going swimmingly so far, don’t you think?”

Caught off guard by her teasing, he stifled a laugh. In a complete 180 from the intensity of seconds ago, he brushed her hair back from her cheek, tucking it behind her ear. “I don’t want you hurt when this ends.”

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