Ruin Me (42 page)

Chapter 40

Kai

“What’d you do this time?” Shawn asks.

I stare back at him from the open doorway of his hotel room. “I didn’t do anything,” I say. “Your
ex-girlfriend
, on the other hand…”

Shawn steps to the side and lets me in. “Sorry, man,” he says. “I probably should have stayed home.”

I shake my head and drop my suitcase to the floor. “Don’t worry about it. It’s just one night.” The room is far smaller than the one I reserved for Piper and me, but at least it has two beds.

“I won’t let it happen again, I swear,” he says. “Next time, I’ll bite the bullet and insist she stay with me. Staying out of your way was part of the deal.”

I cringe slightly. I’d never in my life describe Mandy as vindictive, but I can’t help but wonder how much of her threat was true and I fully intend on taking this secret to my grave. “We’ll just look into hotels tonight for the rest of the trip,” I say, “and make sure there’s enough room for everyone.”

“Sounds good.” He lies back on his bed and stares at the ceiling.

“Staying in?” I ask him. “There’s a whole city full of English-speaking ladies just waiting for you.”

“I wouldn’t know what to do with one if I got one,” he jokes. “I forgot how long that flight was.”

A smirk shoots across my lips as my loins recall that splendid quickie in the bathroom. I’ve been dying to get back inside of her since then.

Stupid Mandy Black…

Shawn shoots a thumbs up at me. “By the way—” he says, reading my face. “Good job on your Mile High Club entrance exam. Looks like you passed with flying colors.”

“You saw us?”

“Damn right I did.”

I sit down on the other bed across from him. “And here I thought I had been so stealthy.”

“You were,” he says. “I’m just creepy.”

I chuckle and lie down on the thick pillows. “It was certainly worth the exam fee.”

“Lucky prick.” He kicks off his shoes. “Everything is off to a good start then?”

“I think so.”

“Good,” he says. “I’m happy for you guys.”

“Thanks.”

A good start.

I don’t think Piper and I have ever had a good start. Not with anything. When we first met, she wanted nothing to do with me. Sure, we were five and all I had to offer her was half a cheese sandwich and a purple crayon, but it was definitely the start of a pattern that would last the better part of nearly two decades. Eighteen years of awkward encounters and vocal sparring matches. It’s a goddamn fucking miracle we made it this far in the first place.

Piper Lynch is a puzzle box. I have no idea what’s going on inside of it. It could bring heavenly bliss or hellish calamity to those that attempt to crack it open. There’s too much risk involved with solving it, but I still can’t stop tinkering with the clues. I could solve it and feel really fucking good about myself afterward, or I can let the mystery live on and not suffer the possible consequences involved.

But then again, where’s the fun in that?

***

“Have you seen her naked yet?”

I look up from my plate. “What?” I ask.

Shawn stares across the table at me with expectant eyes. “Have you seen her naked yet?” he repeats.

“I heard you the first time,” I say, my eyes shooting around the cafeteria. “Keep your voice down. And no — of course not. Why would I?”

“Oh, you know,” Shawn says. “Late at night. She accidentally leaves her door open a smidgen. You’re walking by while she’s changing—”

“No.”

He sighs. “You know, Kai. When you said you were moving in with Piper Lynch, I expected more out of you.”

“I didn’t
move in
with her. It’s not like we’re shacking up or anything.”

“Yeah, not yet,” he says. “You’re still in a very beneficial position, Kai. Better than anyone that’s come before.”

I shake my head. “Beneficial position or not, I’m still no closer to sealing the deal,” I say. “Piper’s just as terse at home as she is at school. Almost more so.”

“She’ll loosen up. Just use a bit of that Casablancas charm on her.”

I glance across the cafeteria and catch sight of Piper in the far corner. She’s once again got her face in a book. Her raven hair hangs to one side, exposing the delicate, doll-like skin of her neck. Mandy sits next to her, chatting into her cell phone. “I’ll get to her. It just might take a little time.”

“Like a week or what?”

I nod. “A few weeks.” I grab my drink and bring it to my lips. “A month, tops.”

***

I look at the clock and smile as it shows two in the morning. There’s too much excitement brewing in my chest, refusing to let my pulse rest long enough to get even the slightest bit of sleep.

I sit up on the bed and lean down to grab my shoes. While I’ve never been accused of being a romantic guy, I feel like I can sense an opportunity when one presents itself. Sure, some shitty circumstances have forced a drastic change of plans for tonight, but that doesn’t mean the night is ruined. There’s still plenty of time to improvise and I just to happen to be the master of that.

I rush through the quiet hotel and pause in front of Piper’s door. My hand shoots into my pocket to find the room’s key card still burning a hole in my jeans. I hear nothing on the other side, so I can safely assume the girls have fallen to sleep. With slow movements, I slide the key into the lock and push the door open.

“Piper?” I whisper her name into the darkness. Two body-shaped lumps lie on opposite sides of the big bed. Only the one on the left side stirs. “Piper?” I say again. This time, she shoots straight up in shock. Her thick, black hair covers her panicked, tired face. “It’s just me, Pipes!” I add, keeping my voice low.

She gasps for air and throws her feet around to the floor.
“Jesus, Kai…
You scared the crap out of me,” she says.

I lower myself to my knees in front of her. “Sorry,” I chuckle, pushing her long hair back behind her ears. “Didn’t think you’d be asleep.”

“Just barely,” she says.

“Good,” I say. “I couldn’t sleep either.”

“You don’t have to whisper.” She shoots a glance over her shoulder. “Mandy downed almost the entire bottle of champagne. She’ll be dead until tomorrow afternoon.”

I shake my head. “Well, it’s good someone enjoyed it.”

“Sorry things are screwed up already,” she says.

“They’re not,” I say as I stand up and take her hand. “Come with me.”

“Where?” she asks.

I don’t answer. I pull her up off the bed and plant a sweet kiss on her lips. “Get dressed,” I say.

***

She follows me through the hotel with excitement, all the way to the top floor. “Where are we going?” she asks.

Once again, I don’t answer. It’s the third time she’s asked since I pulled her out of bed and each time, I smile just a little wider. I continue pulling her down the hall with me until we reach a black door labeled
‘roof access.’
I catch sight of a hotel employee leaning against it and I greet her kindly. “Thanks again, Julie,” I tell her as I slip her a decent tip into her palm.

She nods as she pulls the door open for us. “Have a good night, Mr. Casablancas,” she smirks.

Piper’s eyes go wide as I lead her up the stairwell. “You didn’t sleep with her, did you?” she finally asks.

“Of course not,” I laugh. “There
may
have been some flirting, though.” I push the roof entrance open and the black night sky above greets us.

“Well,” she says, “I guess it’s just one of the perks to having a stunningly handsome boyfriend.” She detaches from my hand and walks across the roof with wide open eyes. I can’t stop looking at her perfect face; that perfect look of bewilderment in her eyes that makes my knees weak.

I fill my lungs with the warm night air. Flashbacks attack my mind, taking me back in time again to that night four years ago. I finally made the definitive move on Piper Lynch and we spent the entire night in bed together. Just before dawn, we went on a walk through the near-abandoned city streets and watched the sun rise over Big Ben. That was the start of the best week of my life. An almost perfect sequence of memories that were heavily tainted by the days that followed, but I can still remember the bliss I felt during the first few days.

“Uh-oh…”

I look over at Piper to find her staring back at me with a smile. “What?” I ask.

“You have that look in your eyes,” she notes.

“What look?”

“That head-over-heels look.”

I step closer to her. “And what’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing.” She fits herself into my arms.

“You ever think about those days?” I ask her.

“Those infamous days?” she teases.

“Yeah. You and me against the world.”

“You and me against
each other
,” she smiles.

“Sometimes,” I chuckle, “Okay…
mostly,
but not all the time.”

“Yes,” she answers. “I think about them a lot, actually.”

We lock eyes and I once again get lost in the waves of blue in her irises. “Do you miss them?” I ask.

Her gaze falls away and she scans the skyline again. “Is that…” she pauses to take a quick step back. “Is that why you planned this trip, Kai?”

“Is what why?” I ask.

“I mean, is it some quest to recapture what we used to have?”

“
Used
to have?” My heart sinks a little in my chest. “As in… don’t have anymore?”

She shakes her head once. “You know what I mean.”

I cross my arms. “I really don’t.”

“Kai, can we please not—”

“No, say what’s on your mind, Pipes,” I interrupt. I pull back my tone, not wanting for things to escalate too far.

She spins around. “This just feels a little strange, that’s all. I’m sorry I said anything.”

“To answer your question, yes,” I say. “I planned a good part of this trip to relive the past.”

“Why?”

“Why not?” I ask. “They were the best days of my life, Piper.”

“But we can’t keep living in the past, Kai,” she says. “We have to start looking forward.”

“Wow…” I breathe. “My mother really got to you, didn’t she?”

“This has nothing to do with your mother,” she argues. “Believe me, Kai, I miss the glory days, too… but we were just kids. We had no idea what we were doing or feeling and we didn’t care.”

“Maybe
you
didn’t care, Piper,” I scoff. “I cared a whole lot.”

She sighs and looks down at her shoes. “How long are you going to keep throwing that in my face?”

I fall silent and bite my tongue to keep myself from saying something equally as stupid. She turns away from me and walks over to the other side of the roof. I almost expect her to pull the door to the stairs open and leave my ass up here. I honestly wouldn’t blame her at all. Instead, she strides to the edge of the building and sits down to dangle her feet off the ledge.

That’s my Piper. Always living dangerously.

I inch over to her and slowly sit down beside her. We watch the streets below us, gandering at the people passing by. Their voices echo up from the ground, but their words are lost in the wind by the time they reach us.

“I’m sorry,” I finally say. “You’re right. I focus on the past a little too much.” I look at her, hoping that she’ll say something, but she stays silent with wandering eyes. Her raven hair falls down in front of her face. I want to reach out and push it behind her ear, just like I’ve done a thousand times before, but I hold myself back. I know better than to invade Piper’s space after I’ve pissed her off.

“It’s just…” she mutters quietly. “There was a lot of good back then… but also a whole lot of bad.”

“Yeah,” I agree. “I remember.”

“I don’t like thinking about who I was back then. I’m not that girl anymore and I don’t want to be her again.” She glances at me. “So, you understand why reliving the past makes me feel a little uncomfortable.”

I put my hand on her knee. “Pipes…”

“You’ve always been Kai Casablancas,” she continues. “You’ve always been yourself. You know what you want, who you are, and you’ve never compromised.”

I nod along with her words. “I guess that’s true.”

“Four years ago, you wanted Piper Lynch.”

“I still do.”

“Do you?”

“Yes.”
I shift closer to her, pivoting myself to face her. “I wanted the girl I knew back then and I want the girl sitting in front of me now. And you’re right. You’re not the same Piper Lynch that walked across the stage at Belle Academy graduation and I don’t want you to be. That girl was
boring
.” A laugh escapes her lips. “She was an ugly girl — well, on the
inside
. You’ve always been gorgeous.”