Page 34 of A Little Luck
I’ve been flying all day, taking the small jet to San Francisco, where I caught a commercial flight cross-country. Now I’m finally home. I thank the driver as I step out, hustling up to the front door and quickly typing in the code.
Aiden has been stopping by a few times a week to bring in the mail and make sure nothing is broken or out of place while I’ve been gone.
I don’t even switch on the lights, leaving my bag in the living room and heading straight for my bedroom. The amber lights in the hall are enough to help guide me to my fully dark bedroom.
I go into the bathroom and brush my teeth. I splash warm water on my face and dry it with a towel. Stripping off my shirt, I drop it along with my jeans on the floor. I could use a shower, but I’ll wait until morning. No one’s expecting me home this early, so I can unpack, do laundry, take care of everything after I sleep.
Returning to the pitch-black room, I rub a hand over my face. Pulling the blankets aside, I slip into my oversized bed. I consider checking the thermostat, because it’s not as cool as I expected it to be as I stretch out under the sheets.
I grab my pillow and pull it under my head before instantly dropping into a dead sleep. Consciousness is gone, but the humid breeze carrying Hawaiian scents is also gone. I know I’m home because it’s cold and quiet.
Still, my dreams are so intense, I could swear she’s here with me. I smell her honeysuckle fragrance on my pillows, in my bed, and my body lights up with desire.
Will I always be tormented by dreams of her?
My cock hardens, and I groan, moving farther into the center of my bed. Reaching out, I touch her body. She’s here, and I bury my face in her soft hair. Through the thick curtains of sleep, I kiss her warm skin. I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her back firmly against my chest.
The dream is so real, I don’t want to wake up. I feel her skin against my face, and I slide my lips down the column of her neck, pressing a kiss to the top of her shoulder.
“I only want to love you.” My voice breaks with exhaustion, but Sheila’s command is in the front of my mind. “I want to give you a home and keep you safe. Why won’t you let me?”
It’s an aching plea from the depth of my soul.
“Because I’m afraid.” Her soft voice snaps my eyes open.
What the fuck?Electricity shoots through my body, and I’m wide awake, lying in my own bed in my own house, with Piper in my arms. I’m not dreaming. I’m holding her. Her arms are over mine, and her fingers curl against my forearms. She’s not pushing me away. She’s pulling me closer.
“What are you doing in my bed?” I’m sure she can feel my heart beating fast against her back, my erection against her ass.
The energy of lust burns beneath my skin.
“I didn’t have anywhere else to go.” Her voice is soft, barely above a whisper. “Aiden said I could sleep here.”
“Where’s Ryan?” As much as I love that little boy, please God, don’t say he’s here, too.
“He’s spending the night with Owen.”
Relief washes through me at her answer. The reality of what’s happening is the next wave that hits me.
I’m completely nude, and I’m very aware she’s only wearing a thin cotton tee that smells like one of mine. I don’t understand what’s happening or why she’s here, but she’s talking.
She answered my question.
“What are you afraid of?”
“I need to tell you my truth, but I’m afraid you won’t understand. Or if you do, I’m afraid it’ll change the way you feel about me.”
My lips graze her shoulder as I speak. “I can’t think of a single thing you could say that would change how I feel about you.”
She turns her face, pressing her lips to my temple. “Don’t say anything tonight. Don’t ask me anything. Just love me.”
A pain is in my chest, because I have so much to say. I want to tell her I love her, and I want her to say she loves me, too.
Instead, I lift my chin, covering her mouth with mine. Her lips part, and my tongue slides inside to curl with hers. My fingers curl in the thin cotton shirt, bunching it higher until my hand finds the warm skin of her stomach. A noise breaks from her throat, and my dick aches with need.
Sliding my hand lower, I guide my fingers beneath the elastic of her panties, continuing down until I find the place between her thighs that’s hot and slippery.
“Fuck, Piper. Is this a yes?” My fingers graze her clit, and her head falls back against my shoulder.