Double Coverage (22 page)

The time she spent with Mason was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. The damn macho man was right¸ there was some kind of pull that was bringing them together and she couldn’t deny it. The fact that she was in love with Jax, but felt up Mason in a tattoo parlor, teased him and in return was turned on by him to the point of an almost-orgasm was inexcusable. Before she opened her door, she sat on the step in front of it and put her head in her hands. What was she going to do?

She banged her head against her door and leaned into it, trying to think of a way to get out of her predicament. Why couldn’t Mason continue to be a giant ass? Why did he have to turn on the charm and claim her as his? Shouldn’t that be turning her off anyway? She never liked to be told what to do.

All of a sudden, her door flew open and she landed on her back…half in her apartment half on the stairs outside. She looked up and saw Jax standing over her.

“What are you doing?”

Piper scrambled to get up and walked into her apartment to see a cold dinner on the table, two empty beer bottles on the counter and a disappointed Jax staring at her. She felt like a massive pile of dog shit.

She went to put her hands around him, but he moved away from her. Her throat instantly clogged up and tears threatened to fall. She couldn’t do this; she couldn’t make Jax upset.

“Jax, please I’m so sorry. I lost track of time. I didn’t know you were planning dinner for us.”

He sat down on her couch and massaged his head with his palms. When he looked up at her, his face looked so tired and distraught Piper thought she was going to start crying right there on the spot.

“Where were you?”

She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t want him to know she was with Mason because he would get upset, but she didn’t want to lie either. Instead, she didn’t say anything. She couldn’t even if she wanted to because her throat was so tense from not wanting to cry. She felt like she had a grapefruit-sized lump in her throat.

“You were with him, weren’t you?”

Piper couldn’t hold back any longer, the tears she was so desperately trying to hold back came flooding out of her eyes.

“It’s not what you think. We’re just friends.”

“Then why are you crying?”

“I feel bad that I forgot about dinner and I know how sensitive you are about my friendship with him, but there is nothing to worry about, Jax.”

Jax blew out a frustrated breath and looked at her with total despair in his eyes. More tears fell from her eyes.

“It’s not that you went out with him and left me alone in my bed, although that does sting. It’s the fact that you forgot it’s your boyfriend’s birthday today…the man that you supposedly love. I’m a little rusty when it comes to relationships, but I’m pretty sure birthdays are a big thing.”

Piper felt like a speeding train smacked her into a brick wall. She felt dizzy and lightheaded. She sat on the floor and put her head in her hands. She could not stop crying, she could not even comprehend the awful twisting in her stomach. She forgot her boyfriend’s birthday and, instead, spent it with another man, holding his hand, laughing with him and almost climaxing from his touch. She knew what she was doing with Mason was wrong, but it felt so right and now she was facing the consequences. She hurt Jax, terribly.

She couldn’t even look at him, she felt so ashamed. How could she ever forgive herself for doing such a thing to him? He had been nothing but loving and caring toward her. She didn’t deserve him or his love.

She looked up at him to find him looking at his hands. He couldn’t even look at her, either; she didn’t blame him.

“Jax…I’m so sorry,” she sobbed. She got up and pushed him back on the couch so she could straddle his lap. “I don’t expect you to forgive me, but I’m so, so sorry.”

Jax put his head down and shook it. “Do you even love me?”

“How can you even ask that? Of course I love you. Jax…” A shattering sob escaped her as she tried to catch her breath. “I love you so much. I feel at home when I’m with you.”

“It just seems like you would rather be with someone else. Maybe this isn’t working….” A tear fell from his eye and she quickly kissed it away.

“No, please, don’t say that. Please Jax. I’m so sorry. I told you, Mason and I are just friends. There is nothing to worry about. If you want, I won’t ever see him again. I promise. I only want you. I need you.”

“You would do that? You would stop seeing him for me?”

She gripped both sides of his face and stared into his eyes. “I would do anything for you. I love you so much. Please don’t walk away from me. You’re the reason I’m here, the reason I hung curtains, the reason I haven’t left for a new city. I don’t want to go anywhere now that you are in my life.”

“You really mean that?”

“I wouldn’t lie to you. I promise.” As she said those words, guilt washed over her because she would lie to him and she had lied to him. She said Mason was nothing to her, but that wasn’t true. Mason was something to her, she just didn’t know what. She couldn’t stop thinking about him, his touch, the way they connected on a deeper level or how she wanted to explore every last inch of his body, but the thought of losing Jax was incomprehensible. He made her realize that running to a new city every month wasn’t the key. He helped her find a home.

“I can’t tell you how good that makes me feel. I love you Piper and I don’t want to lose you. I don’t want to tell you who you can hang out with and I know we have talked about this before, but I only want you for myself and myself alone. I can’t handle knowing you are with a man who thinks he can get whatever he wants.”

“He can’t have me, Jax. I’m not his for the taking and he knows that. I’m yours, only yours.”

“Good.”

She swept his lips against hers and she took the initiative to deepen the kiss, while moving around on his lap. She could feel his erection already and smiled to herself.

“I can’t help myself. It happens the minute I see you.”

“Good to know you will always be ready when I’m around. So about your birthday…”

“What about it?” He smiled, while she undid his shirt.

“I need to make it up to you.” She took his shirt off and started working on his pants.

“And what did you have in mind?” he said in his husky southern voice that got deeper whenever they were intimate.

She wiggled her eyebrows at him and slid down his body so she was kneeling between his legs. She grabbed his jeans and boxers briefs to slide them off; he obliged by lifting his bottom so she could fully pull them down. When she returned from putting his pants to the side, she got a fantastic view of how turned on he was. Piper licked her lips and smiled up at him.

“Whatcha doing down there, darlin’?”

She ran her hands up his thighs and leaned over so she was an inch from his surging cock that seemed to continue to grow. She stuck out her tongue and circled it around the head of his cock. Jax threw his head back and moaned.

“Damn…uh Piper, please don’t tease me.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, while she licked him on one side and then the other. She slowly cupped his balls in one hand and stroked him with the other while maneuvering her tongue around strategically, but never fully taking him in her mouth. His hips rocked forward begging her to take him in, but she never did; she just kept up the slow torture she was giving him.

“Fuck…fuck, please darlin’.”

“What do you want?”

“I want you to fucking suck me, please for the love of God.” Piper giggled. “I’m glad…you find this so damn amusing. Fuck, come on.”

Piper decided he had enough and took him in her mouth. He let out a loud groan and his hands went to her head, keeping her in place. She giggled, which only turned him on more. She continued to stroke him, cup him and suck him until he was fully satisfied. With one last moan where her name was called out, he sank into the couch, completely spent.

“Jesus…thank you, Jesus.

“I don’t think Jesus had any part in what just happened. I think you’re thanking the wrong person, handsome.”

He chuckled and brought her up between his legs so she was sitting on his lap. He was now semi-hard and Piper knew with a few moves and less clothing, she would have him hard once again in no time.

“I hope you’re not done, mister. I have plans for us and a couple of them involve the dining room table with me bent over, the shower, maybe the balcony, who knows.”

“Balcony?” He cocked an eyebrow at her.

“Well yeah, wouldn’t it be so thrilling? The possibility of someone watching us?”

“No, nope, never going to happen.”

“Why not?”

He grabbed her ass and said, “I’m the only one who gets to see you naked. I don’t want some creep pervert from the street getting the privilege of seeing your fine-ass body. Nope, only for my eyes, but I will concede to doing it on the table and in the shower.”

“It’s your birthday sex, tell me where you want it and how you want it.”

“How?”

She ran her finger up his bare chest, causing him to spring into action again; she knew it wouldn’t take long. “Anything you want.”

“This might be the best birthday ever!”

***

Hannah was sitting around her apartment trying to act like she enjoyed the peace and quiet that surrounded her, even though she hated it. She hated being alone all the time and wished that she was in a relationship with someone who didn’t have a job that required travel. She loved Todd, but it was times like this that she wished he was someone else. She wanted to be able to spend a weekend with the man without worrying whether or not he was going to get a call and have to leave.

The last time she saw Todd was before the baseball game she went to with Ryker, Piper and Mason…and that was a while ago. She would never say it to anyone because she would be too shy, but she was a little hard up too and needing a man at the moment. She also wanted the comfort of strong arms wrapped around her and a man’s head buried in her hair. She wanted a man to take care of her, tuck her in at night and kiss her good morning.

Ryker tried convincing her throughout the baseball game that he was the guy for her and not Todd. He told her that if they were together, he would never leave her alone and would always be there for her…no matter what. She told him that was impossible since he traveled around the country to play ball. He didn’t have a retort for her comment.

It was endearing and great for her ego that a man as hot as Ryker would want anything to do with her. She didn’t think Ryker was serious about marrying her; he was a showman, he exaggerated and made a big deal about everything. It was nice to get the attention from him, though, because she was not receiving it from anyone else.

She poured herself some more wine and took a big gulp. It was just her and her bottle of wine tonight. She thought about Piper and hoped she was finally able to make it up to Jax for forgetting his birthday. She couldn’t believe Piper would do such a thing. Hannah was shocked when Piper told her. Hannah could tell Piper felt awful, though, because Piper cried on the phone when relaying the story. Hannah thought there was more to it, but she wasn’t going to pressure her friend. When Piper needed to talk, she would.

Hannah was flipping through the channels on her TV when her phone beeped with a text message. It was from Ryker.

Ryker: Hey there, future wife.

Hannah laughed and sent him a message back.

Hannah: Keep dreaming.

Ryker: Oh, I’ve been dreaming alright, about you and me.

Hannah: Knock it off.

Ryker: I can’t. I told you, we are getting married one day.

Hannah: You don’t want to marry me. I’m nothing a mom would be proud of. I work at a bar and wait around for a man who doesn’t love me enough to stick around longer than two days before he’s off on his next trip.

Hannah didn’t know why she sent that last message. She was feeling really sorry for herself and extremely pathetic. Now that she thought about it, she wished she hadn’t confessed her feelings to Ryker; he would only use that against her in his pursuit to get her into bed. That was the only reason she could think of him wanting to be with her.

Ryker: Are you alone?

Hannah: Of course. When am I not alone?”

Ryker: I’m coming over.

Hannah: Please don’t, that’s not a good idea. I don’t know why I said that to you in the first place. I’m just having a lonely day, that’s all.

Ryker: All the more reason for me to come over. Come on, we can play a board game or something.

Hannah so desperately wanted to say yes, but on the off-chance that Todd actually showed up, she knew it wouldn’t be a good idea. Todd would flip out on her if he came home and saw her sitting next to Ryker on the couch playing a board game, even if it was all just innocent.

Hannah: It wouldn’t be a good idea. I wouldn’t want Todd to walk in on us and get the wrong impression, but thank you for the offer.

Ryker: I hate that you are alone.

Hannah: I hate it too.