Page 73 of Definitely (Maybe) Dating
But this felt different. Her heart swelled against her ribcage. Piper closed her eyes and leaned into Josh, her breathing coming in fast puffs, exhaling the residual fear and breathing in his scent and strength.
A while later, when she came to, she found herself leaning against his chest, his arms around her, his mouth languidly kissing her neck. Slowly, her lids opened to find a pair of honest and tender eyes locked on hers.
“A two-fer,” she breathed.
“A two-fer, who?”
“A two-fer, Josh. But I was supposed to be thanking you.”
He chuckled. “That was the best thank you in the history of thank yous.” He looked at the clock above the fireplace. “Ninety seconds left, and you still have your pants on.”
??
The sun was rising, casting a soft glow into the loft and over Piper’s beautiful naked body. They never made it to the bed, working their way around the living room until they ended on his couch.
Piper lay in his arms, her body sated, her breathing slow and steady—but he couldn’t stop touching her. Her stomach, her back, the tattoo at the base of her neck, and her breast—holding it as if he owned it. When what he wanted to own was her heart. He was pretty sure she already owned his.
A shocking realization. Especially after that last time, when they’d moved to the couch. It hadn’t been rushed or frantic but had been a slow merging of two bodies making love under the rising sun.
Making love?Where had that come from? Before the question had fully formed, he knew the answer. Knew he was falling for her. Hell, he’d already fallen. And fallen hard. She was funny and smart and caring—so damn caring. Instead of letting the world chew her up and spit her out, she reached out to others in need.
And he needed her. More than he’d ever needed anyone. His mom, his brothers, his career—all things he loved, but his love came at a cost. When his father passed, Josh had stepped into the role of head of the family and a lot of people counted on him—relied on him to keep their family together and their worlds turning.
With Piper, the noise, the constant barrage of requests, the overwhelming responsibility—it all dimmed. Around her, all he had to do was just be. A state that was foreign to him as the feeling in his chest. Like he wanted to run away and come home at the same time. He liked how she kept him guessing, how she made him laugh. More than that, he liked who he was around her. And that was something he hadn’t felt in a long time.
He nuzzled the back of her neck, right on the tattoo that was a mysterious as the woman herself.
“Faith,” she said her voice rough with sleep. She turned in his arms, her eyes so serious behind those lashes. “The F, it stands for Faith. She was my friend. My best friend.”
The way her voice quivered told him this story had a horrific ending. He tightened his hold and rolled, pulling her on top of him. Running his hands through her hair, he cupped the back of her head. “Tell me about Faith.”
“We knew each other in high school. We both were living in unsafe houses, so I convinced her to run away with me. We made it from Georgia all the way to Portland, watching each other’s backs. Only when we arrived, it was so much harder than I thought. We were only fifteen and thrust into a sea of uncertainty.”
“How old were you when you moved in with Skye?”
“Seventeen.” Jesus, she’d been on her own for two years. A kid, no older than Rebecca, lost in a world that had abandoned her. “Skye found me, and Faith found meth. She overdosed three weeks before her seventeenth birthday.”
“Piper,” he whispered, brushing away a tear with the pad of his thumb. “I am so sorry.”
“I was the one who convinced her to come with me. I made it sound so cool, not understanding what we were really getting ourselves into. Do you know why the park benches are filled with sleeping people during the day?”
“No.” And he didn’t think he was going to like the answer. He’d already learned why he saw so many kids hanging out in the park after dark, and it had changed the way he looked at his city and all the people who live in it.
“Because it’s too cold to fall asleep at night.” She swallowed. “Faith’s situation was bad, but not so bad that she needed to run away.” Which made him wonder, not for the first time, exactly how bad Piper’s past was that she’d have to put two thousand miles between them to feel safe.
His fingers skated down her spine and back up only to repeat the motion. He loved the feel of her soft skin. “Did she live with Skye too?”
She folded her arms on his chest and rested her chin there. “No. Even though we weren’t technically adults, Skye had been trying to get me and Faith to move in, but Faith thought we were safer on our own. Really, it was Skye’s zero tolerance rule. The day after Faith died, I moved in with Skye.”
“I’d like to meet her. When you’re ready,” he added. Piper was jumpy when it came to feelings, so he’d be patient and let her come to terms with what was between them at her own pace.
“She’d like you,” Piper said with a watery smile. “Skye’s the closest thing I’ve ever had to a family.”
“I’m glad she found you,” he said, and Piper rested her cheek on his chest, her gaze avoiding his. “Hey, where did you go?”
She looked up at him, and the raw heartache he saw there gutted him.
“I wasn’t honest with you,” she began. “I didn’t lie, but I left out a few details about the showcase.”
