Page 73 of Forty and Fighting Dirty
So far,my grand reveal hadn’t exactly gone to plan. But as I stepped into the master bedroom and turned to see Piper’s face, a knot in my chest loosened.
She still had tears in her eyes, but this time, the panicked edge to her expression was gone. Her hands rose to cover her mouth, and she shook her head. “Rhett,” she whispered.
“I know you’ll probably want to change it all when we go to sell, but I figured it’ll work for the time being.”
Stepping forward, Piper placed her hands on the end of the bed covered in the plain white duvet I’d chosen, her hand sinking into the down. “It’s so pillowy,” she said.
“It’s only a queen. A king would’ve been a really tight fit in here. These old houses have small rooms.”
“It looks like it belongs in a hotel room.” She tugged at the throw blanket I’d folded on the end of the bed, feeling the wool between her fingers. “A reallynice hotel room.”
“I need you well rested to get the lodge over the line,” I said gruffly, reaching for humor to push away the swell of emotions that rose up within me.
Piper saw right through my deflection. She turned to face me, eyes glimmering with unshed tears, and shook her head. “You did all this?” She took two steps and stood in front of me, her hands lifting to rest on my shoulders. “This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me, Rhett. Ever, in my entire life.”
“Well, I do have a reputation to uphold in this town…”
“Stop it,” she said, smiling. Her thumb stroked my jaw. “You didn’t have to do this, and you know it.”
Exhaling, I shook my head. “You’re wrong, Piper. I did. I couldn’t let you move to some crappy apartment in Ridgeview. I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night knowing you might not be safe when this house sat empty.”
“We’ll have to talk about when we want to list it,” she said, gaze turning serious again. “I’ll need a little bit of a heads-up so I can plan, find a new place, get the boys organized?—”
I kissed her once, a little more roughly than I meant to. Then I pulled away and held her chin with my thumb and forefinger. “We’ll talk about that when the time comes,” I promised. “I just want you to move in and rest for a while.”
Her eyes were liquid as they stared at me, her throat moving as she gulped. “I thought you were faking it, Rhett, but now I know you’re the real deal. You’re the best man I’ve ever met.”
Her praise made me uncomfortable. I was pragmatic. I’d crafted my reputation in town on purpose, because I was sick of people looking at me with suspicion or pity or both. Did I enjoydoing good things, paying for young athletes’ surgeries, supporting the community, helping a single mom? Sure. I wasn’t a monster. But I hadn’t embodied that persona the way Piper seemed to think I had. Itwasa mask. A really good mask that felt pretty good to wear most of the time.
“This just makes sense,” I deflected again, tilting my head to the room at large. “It’s your house as much as mine, and you need a place to stay.”
Her smile widened, and she tilted her head to accept another kiss. Against my lips, she murmured, “You’re a complicated, contradictory, beautiful man, Rhett Baldwin.”
That wasn’t quite as uncomfortable as her previous statement about me. Instead of answering, I wrapped her in my arms and deepened the kiss. Her hands swept over my shoulders and back, tangling at the nape of my neck. She pulled me close and kissed me harder, a soft moan slipping through her lips.
“I thought I’d be spending all evening with a paint roller in my hands,” she said when we pulled apart. “But it’s all done.”
I grinned. “I can think of something better we could do.”
She laughed, tugging me by the collar to kiss me again. I loved her like this—demanding and playful and free. I loved her when she was stubborn and determined too, when she fought back against me, when she was principled and outspoken.
I wasn’t sure when it had happened, but I’d fallen for Piper Darling. She’d made me feel like a house could become a home, and that happiness wasn’t just a fantasy. She made me feel safe in a way that was terrifying. Like I could open up to her, and she wouldn’t use it as ammunition against me later.
Her hands tugged at my shirt, and I reached behind myhead to rip it off. Standing before her, I groaned at the feel of her soft palms sweeping over my chest. She ran her hands all over my upper body, tracing the muscles and bones that she found, pressing a soft kiss above my heart.
I was hard as stone as she explored my body, but my touch remained light on her hips. The room was dark, with only the light of the moon and a distant streetlight coming in through the gauzy curtains I’d put up earlier today. Piper lifted her arms in invitation, and I exhaled as I brought her shirt up and over her head. It fell to the floor silently, soon followed by her bra.
Gathering Piper up in my arms, I laid her on the plush mattress and enjoyed the sound of her sigh. “This is a fantastic bed,” she said. “And the duvet is insane.”
“Like I said, I need you rested to get to the finish line on the lodge.” My grin widened at the arch of her brow. “What? You don’t believe me?”
“Not even a little bit,” she said, and tugged me down to meet her lips. Her knees rose up and bracketed my hips, her back arching as I ran my hand down her side and back up to palm her breast. I squeezed, my thumb running over her nipple, loving the way she shivered at my touch. When I brought my mouth to her breast, Piper buried her fingers in my hair and rocked her body against mine. She gasped when I scraped my teeth against her peaked nipple, tugging my hair in response. I growled against her skin and moved to the other breast.
“Love the sounds you make, Piper,” I said. “I want to hear you scream tonight.”
“We have the house to ourselves,” she panted. “I think we can make that happen.”
Grinning, I glanced up and shifted my body down. My shoulders pressed against her inner thighs, and I tugged at the button of her jeans once more. They came off with one strong pull, revealing her long legs. I ran my fingers over her calves, spreading her knees as I took my position. My thumb rasped over the gusset of her panties, damp from our earlier play, and Piper shivered on the bed before me.
