Page 41 of The Right Woman

Make sure he gets to work on Monday. If he’s drunk or high, I’ll deal with it.

Rhodes

k

Why is it as soon as I’m feeling some peace, life has to rip it away? Can’t I be happy, too? Just enjoy this time?

I’m less quiet as I use the bathroom, then head downstairs in my empty house. As I stand barefoot in the cold kitchen, I rub the back of my head. What does Piper even like to eat? Thai noodles when she’s sick, yeah. That salad place down on Main on Wednesdays. She seemed to like the diner’s chili. But for breakfast? Muffins from Rainy Day are all I know.

So, that’s where I head after getting dressed in clean clothes that have been sitting in the dryer. I toss my winter coat over my jeans, slip on some boots, and hope the garage door humming open doesn’t wake her before I get back.

The barista she’s always flirting with is behind the counter, and I probably sound like an ass when I say it, but I don’t care. “You know Piper?”

“Uh…yeah. I know Piper.”

“Can you make her favorite? With a muffin, too? I’ll take them to her where she’s lying in my bed right now. Oh, and a large black coffee to go for me.”

Her eyes widen at the order, but she gives me a slight nod and sets to work. If I have to scare off every lover she’s had, I’ll do it. My haunches are raised as I pay for the order, maintaining a fierce gaze at the barista. I know the poor girl has nothing to do with this, but I can’t help it.

Piper seems to need protection all the time. Sure, mainly from herself, but I want to provide it for her.

By the time I get home, I’m worried the coffees are going to be too chill, but when I walk in, the air is filled with a scent of cinnamon and fresh baked bread.

Clouds of white flour dust the butcher block island, along with various baking materials, and Piper stands in the middle, slapping some off her hands as she bounces on her toes. She only wears one of my black T-shirts that’s so large on her, it could be a gown. The sight of it sends my cock into a raging fury of need.

This tiny girl is wearingmyclothes inmykitchen and baking something inmyoven…like she’s trulymine.Fuck, yes.

A broad smile lights up her beautiful face as she spots me. “Hi! Oh my god, I wondered where you went! Did you check your phone?” She hustles to my side and grabs the coffee tray and bag from me while I stand, stunned, trying to keep myself from impaling her on the counter.

“I thought you’d want your favorite after last night.” I shuffle to a stool and wave a hand around at the pans she has laid out. “Not feeling bad, then?”

A deep moan escapes her lips as she sips her latte, and it makes my dick jump against the zipper. Slyly, I reach down to adjust myself. “Nope. Thought I’d make you all cinnamon rolls, but the kids aren’t here, are they?”

With a shake of my head, I’m almost silenced by her admission. She wanted to make breakfast formy kids. “No, they’re with Em this week.”

She dips her hand into the paper bag and won’t look at me. Her voice gives some false confidence as she says, “Oh, yeah. That makes sense. It’s better they weren’t here to see me last night, right?” A laugh escapes her chest with a forced halt.

I stand and sidle up behind her, then grip her shoulders while she pries apart her bakery muffin. My lips nestle against the column of her neck, and she shivers in my hold. “Let’s do this slow, but it will happen. They’ll love you with or without cinnamon rolls.”

My arms drop to her waist as I sway with her held against my chest. She meets my gaze with a shy smile and relaxes back into me as if I just told her exactly what she needed to hear. “Okay.”

I work to help her clean up the disaster she left around us while her creation bakes in the oven, the smell making my tongue water with anticipation. Her phone constantly buzzes with text messages and with every vibration of it, my irritation rises. After the sixth or seventh, I finally snap.

“Who the fuck is texting you so much?”

She scrolls through her screen and hands it to me. “Some spam messages. I’ve been getting them so much lately and don’t know what to do about them. I report them as junk, but they just keep coming.”

My eyes scan over them and she’s right. All of them have links they want her to click and various urgent messages, making it seem like she needs to deal with them or else. She continuesto wash the dishes while I sneakily glance over her other text threads.

A lead balloon fills my stomach as I see the blond kid’s face. Sean’s picture fills me with a bout of jealousy. Piper continues bopping to some unheard music, and I quickly look over their messages to one another.

Except there are only a couple of benign ones. The last is from a few days ago.

Sean

So this is the band I thought you’d be into. Here’s their info.

Piper

---