Must Love Wieners (32 page)

Piper gasped with each soft peck he gave her until her hips were grinding closer, craving more. His tongue darted out over and over again, building her need until he finally dragged it all the way up, long and slow.

Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fell back against the pillow. All she could focus on was the swirling of his tongue, his lips closing around her, holding her there. Soon his fingers joined in and it all blended into one mind-blowing sensation that made her toes curl, her hips rock, her legs quiver. This was definitely better than her vibrator.

She’d lost complete control of her body. It bucked on its own, her back arching to the movement of his fingers. Her moans grew louder, building steadily. Then, with a curl of his finger, like he was motioning for her to come, he took her by surprise. She cried out and clenched the sheets beneath her as her body began to convulse with pleasure.

Long after her shudders subsided, the sensations continued to run through her veins like a drug. Aiden kissed his way up her body to end on her lips. She kissed him back hungrily, craving more than his tongue, his fingers. She wanted all of him.

Piper knew that whatever issues might lie between them still, it would never be enough to keep them apart. She trusted Aiden, wanted him, and at that moment she desperately needed him inside of her.

Rolling on his back, he reached into his bedside table. He’d barely finished rolling the condom down his exquisite length before she threw a leg over him. Unable to wait another second, she finally opened herself up to him, her heart, her soul, her body. Sliding down, she took him in all at once, his own moan of pleasure rivaling hers.

Piper felt a sudden onslaught of satisfaction and fulfillment after imagining that moment a hundred times since the day they met. She rocked her hips back and forth, feeling his girth slide in and out of her. He met her with thrusts of his own, matching her greed for more, to fill her, all of her—her longing, that need in her life, to escape from her worries and fears, from the stress and the loneliness. She didn’t have to do it alone. They would do it together.

And together they did.

His hands came up to grip her hips, moving her faster and faster, matching the rhythm of her delighted pants until the world, everything going on in Piper’s crazy life, melted away into oblivion. It was just her and Aiden.

When his final moan joined hers, their bodies shuddered and trembled together, and in that moment the weight of the world seemed as light as a feather.

30

In the Doghouse

When Piper rolled over in the California king bed Monday morning, she reached out, searching for Aiden, but her hand landed on empty Egyptian cotton sheets. He’d already gone to work. In his place, however, she found a little box of her favorite chocolates—and two big lazy balls of fur. It seemed Colin and Sophie had joined her in a snuggle session at some point that morning.

As tempted as she was to eat chocolate for breakfast, she thought a balanced meal would better prepare her for another full day at the center. It was Zoe’s turn to open early—well, to show up, since no one was allowed inside the building yet. Piper had planned to arrive at the same time; however, she was currently transportationless. As it was, she didn’t know how she was going to get to her telegram gig.

Aiden’s collared shirt was still lying crumpled on the floor where she’d stripped it off him the night before. She slipped it on and headed for the kitchen. After pulling out some ingredients for an omelet, she headed to the sink. While she washed the vegetables she tried to organize her day, but her disloyal mind wouldn’t cooperate. Instead, it wandered back to her night spent with Aiden.

Things couldn’t have been more perfect. They were finally on the same page together.
Together
. The word instilled a calm in her, a fullness. Rather than feeling as though she’d given something up, had become dependent upon this other person, she felt stronger for it. It wasn’t about being reliant or needing help. She was part of a team. They were definitely headed in the right direction.

As she stared out the window above the sink, something red caught her attention in the driveway. It was her VW Bug. Abandoning the vegetables, she ran upstairs to throw on some clothes—she remembered to make a mental note to pick up some more underwear that day—and headed outside.

The fresh new poppy red paint job sparkled in the late morning sun, hiding any evidence of Laura’s love note. Piper rounded the car and noticed the passenger window had been fixed.

Grinning, she opened the VW’s door to have a look, and a wave of pine freshness hit her. It had that new car smell to it. All the broken glass had been cleaned out, every nook and cranny. Her old VW Bug looked like new. Well, sort of.

She went back inside for her phone and texted Aiden while she continued to make breakfast.

You fixed my car!

A few minutes later her phone chimed.
I was able to get it into the shop early. Tamara drove it back this morning. Are you mad?

Piper’s mouth twisted at the mention of Tamara’s name. For a brief second, she worried about sabotage. How hard would it be for the girl to cut her brakes? As she considered her response, she received another text.

I also had them address that check engine light.

But it’s been there forever. It could have waited.

Until when? When you were on your way to your exam, or your first day at work, and it exploded?

It wasn’t going to explode:P

Your car? Yes. It would have.

Ha-ha. Don’t hate the car just because you’re jealous.

She stared out the window at her perfect VW and knew she wasn’t mad. It was actually a very thoughtful gesture. It also fixed her transportation issue.

Thank you.
To show she was sincere, she added a
:)
.

You’re welcome. X.

Relying on others wasn’t really her thing. It didn’t come naturally to her. She avoided being indebted to anyone—you know, except for the bank, the credit card company, and the taxman. But with Aiden she didn’t feel indebted, at least not since they’d talked it over. It was about give-and-take, and she looked forward to doing nice things for him in return. She went to get ready for work, smiling as she imagined how she would pay him back when he got home that night.

That smile remained there as she crawled into her VW Bug with Colin and headed to her telegram gig—only after testing the brakes. It didn’t even disappear when she noticed that, instead of the same Katy Perry CD that had been stuck in her ancient stereo deck for the last two years, she heard the radio tune in. Startled, she glanced down to see her old one had been replaced with a brand-new, very expensive-looking system. Even then, her smile didn’t waiver … much.

They headed across town in her pine-fresh car to the UCSF campus to tell someone they did a “super” job that year. She’d considered bringing Sophie, but Colin was enough of a handful as it was. He didn’t match her Supergirl costume, but she’d never had to explain his presence during the occasional performance in the past. Everyone would just call him adorable and want to pet him. He’d lap up the attention while Piper would rake in the tips, which were always better when he was with her—because apparently he was cuter than she was.

On her way to the rescue center, she began to think that life was starting to turn around. Sure, she’d been evicted, all her stuff was destroyed, and she was nearly killed a couple of times, but her contentment surrounding Aiden overshadowed all that. As though that giddy joy could get her through anything life could throw at her, even when she took on way too much.

Snorting, she shook her head at her pathetic self. She was starting to think like Addison. But maybe now she understood what her friend was talking about. All those sunshine and rainbow feelings when it came to love.

Love.
There wasn’t even a hint of sarcasm in her attitude as she thought of the word. Was it too soon? Was it possible? With Aiden, she felt anything was possible. With him, nothing was
too much
.

Of course, there were still those doubts, those questions plaguing Piper, about his work, about why he’d been so secretive, doing everything he could to keep her in the dark about the center. But every doubt she’d had so far always turned out to be something silly and insignificant, something that could be explained away. And this was probably the same. She determined that when Aiden got home that night from work she’d talk to him about everything that had been bothering her. There had to be a simple explanation for everything. Right?

But her life was never that simple, as it decided to remind her the moment she pulled into the rescue center parking lot that afternoon. The smile that had been lingering since she woke that morning melted from her face. Lording over the lot was a sign with the title in big, black glaring letters.
Rezoning Application.

She parked the car and frowned at Colin. “Rezoning for what?”

Colin leaned against the passenger window, staring at the sign in the same confused way she was. He glanced over his shoulder and gave her what was most certainly a shrug.
“Beats me.”

Piper slipped on a light coat over her costume and grabbed her backpack with her change of clothes. They jumped out of her car, marching over to the ten-foot sign. Colin sniffed around the pinewood post before raising his leg and letting the sign know exactly what he thought about it.

Piper stared at the enlarged map at the top, at its lines and measurements, over and over, trying to understand what she was seeing. Or rather, trying to find some other explanation, some way to deny what it was telling her. With a shaking hand, she slid her sunglasses on top of her head as though that might make things clearer.

The plot of land in question encompassed not only the Dachshund Rescue Center but several of the surrounding properties as well. They wanted to change the classification from commercial to residential. She read the details of the proposal, thinking there must be some mistake, but it confirmed what the map told her. They wanted to build something where the rescue center was. Her beloved rescue center.

Holding out a steadying hand, she leaned against the sign, her breaths coming faster and faster. Right in front of her face, she found a note at the bottom of the sign that said:
Further information can be obtained from Caldwell and Son Investments Ltd.

Of course, she thought, tears prickling her eyes. Because the only person who could apply for rezoning was the owner. Her boyfriend.

31

Hot on the Scent

Gravel crunched under Piper’s tall, red Supergirl boots as she followed Colin, running around to the back courtyard. She unlatched the gate and barreled though, yelling, “Addy? Zoe? Have you seen that sign—”

A lens reared out of nowhere and into her face. She stumbled, catching herself on the tall wooden fence. She got a whiff of Chanel before she was eating a microphone.

“Piper Summers,” Holly accused. Or at least it sounded like the annoying reporter, but Piper couldn’t see anything but her distorted reflection in the camera lens. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

Dogs barked in the courtyard, Colin growled protectively around her ankles, and everywhere Piper turned the camera blocked her path. She shoved the lens away. “Get out of my face.”

Holly snapped her fingers. “Hey, You. Back off. I can’t interview her when you’re two inches from her giant pores. How are the viewers going to see me?”
Achoo!
She rubbed her nose. “Damned allergies.”

Hey, You scrambled back a couple of paces, giving Piper enough room to glare at the reporter, but she heard his lens zoom in on her shocked face. “What the hell is this?”

Her friends stood on the other side of the courtyard watching the interaction with dismay. Addison struggled to hold back Toby, who jerked against his leash, fixated on Holly’s fuchsia pantsuit. Addison gave Piper a shrug, like she wasn’t sure what Holly was talking about.

Zoe opened her mouth to say something, but Holly flew in Piper’s face again, shaking her finger. “I’ll tell you what this is. This is me busting out my investigative journalist skills. You think you can make a fool out of Holly Hart?” She planted a fist on her hip. “Let me tell you. I’ve worked too damn hard to get where I am to let someone like you discredit me.”

“Discredit you?”

“And my getting this job had nothing to do with those rumors that I slept with the producer. Nothing! I deserve this. I’m a real journalist now.” Drawing herself up, she smoothed the wrinkles in her pantsuit and prepared to take it from the top. She cleared her throat. “Piper Summers, is it true that Aiden Caldwell bought the Dachshund Rescue Center a month and a half ago?”

Piper’s annoyance level spiked. “Are these the amazing investigative skills you’re busting out?”

She ignored that. “And isn’t it also true that ever since Aiden Caldwell bought the rescue center it has been plagued with misfortune?”

“Well, it has been a bit unfortunate—” Piper’s anger flared as she realized where Holly was going with this line of questioning. “But—”

“I wouldn’t call three separate attacks
unfortunate
.”

“But he wasn’t involved with any of them, if that’s what you mean.” She wanted to say more, to defend Aiden with what she knew, but Inspector Samuels said that the dirt they had on Barney Miller couldn’t go public yet. They were still investigating him.

“Didn’t Mr. Caldwell just happen to stop by the day of the vandalism?” Holly’s cynicism oozed from each word.

“He came by to see me.”

Holly made a point of scanning Piper from head to toe before widening her eyes at the camera. “Right. And he just happened to be in the neighborhood the night of the fire too, I suppose?”

“Yes. He came by to … to see me.”

“Just in time to save the day? Only moments after your attacker escaped?” she asked sarcastically before wheeling in on Piper. “Giving him enough time to circle around the building and come back inside as the hero,” she declared triumphantly.
Achoo!