Seeing is Believing (15 page)

Sometimes she tried to visualize who and where she would be if she had stayed with Mark, and it wasn’t a pretty picture. Contacting her younger half brother Marcus had confirmed that. He was a crystal meth addict at eighteen, with sallow skin and dead eyes. It had been devastating to see him like that.

She felt a rush of emotion and was going to hug her mom when she realized it wasn’t Jessie in the front entry.

It was Brady.

He was carrying a yoga mat and a blanket. “Hey,” he said to them with a smile.

“You going to bust into a downward dog?” Amanda asked him.

“No. This is my bed for the next few weeks. Shelby didn’t mind giving it up. She said yoga is for people who can sit still, which is not her. The mat has been collecting dust in her basement.”

“You’re going to sleep on hardwood floors on a yoga mat?” Amanda looked horrified. “What is this—
Survivor
?”

Brady snorted. Piper laughed at the comparison.

“Well, that’s just ridiculous, and Piper had a great solution,” her mother continued. “There’s no reason we can’t just bring Piper’s bed over here in the next day or two. It needs to come over anyway in a couple weeks, so why not now? That way you won’t damage your back.”

While her mother explained, Piper watched Brady’s face. His nostrils flared, like he was picturing exactly what they could be doing on that bed.

“Where is Piper going to sleep?” he asked, his eyes trained on her, dark and seductive.

Piper felt her nipples harden and she crossed her arms over her chest so it wasn’t noticeable. But he noticed. He glanced right down at them.

Where was she going to sleep? With him. That was where she wanted to sleep. Among other things.

“In the guest room at our house, of course,” Amanda said.

Piper could feel the weight of her stare as she watched them, evaluating what she was seeing. Her mother was not stupid. She had to be able to see the sexual tension that stretched between them.

“That’s really nice of you to offer,” Brady said. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your generosity.”

If he only knew how generous Piper was feeling.

Then again, maybe he did.

“And I’m more than happy to help you get the bed here, plus anything else you’re moving. Feel free to put me to work.”

More than anything, she would love to put him to work between her thighs. Piper felt flushed in the small room, both aroused and embarrassed that she was so easily turned on, and in front of her mother.

Her mother who had clearly lost patience. “Well, I think we’re done here for the night, Piper, so we’ll let you get to settling your yoga mat, Brady. Though if I were you I’d get a hotel room.”

“Why doesn’t he come out to the farm and use the guest room tonight?” Piper said, surprising herself at how normal and innocent her voice sounded. “We have plenty of room and we can’t just leave him here on the floor, can we?”

It was a question that effectively backed her mother into a social corner. She couldn’t refuse.

“Of course not. Brady, you’re welcome to stay with us.” Amanda’s face was carefully neutral.

Not that Piper necessarily wanted the torment of knowing he was sleeping a room away from her and she couldn’t do a damn thing about it, but it felt phenomenally rude to not at least offer. She wouldn’t want to sleep on the floor.

There was a lengthy pause then he said, “Why, thank you, ladies. I would really appreciate it.”

And Piper felt both excitement and fear explode inside her.

It seemed like it was going to be another sleepless night for her.

Chapter Nine

WHAT THE FUCK WAS HE THINKING? TALK ABOUT GOING
into the lion’s den. Brady pulled up in front of the Tuckers’ Victorian farmhouse and shook his head at himself. So he hadn’t wanted to sleep on the floor. Big deal. He could have sucked it up for one night. So the house was empty and smelled a little like old lady. He would have been fine.

It would have been smarter, and possibly safer, than staying in the Tucker guest bedroom, a door or two away from Piper. And her parents. He hoped they’d had ample time to warn Danny he was showing up, but then again, Danny probably had no idea that he and Piper had, um, expressed an interest in each other. He would after tonight. It had taken Amanda about sixty seconds in the company of the two of them to figure out the score. Much like it had Shelby. Hell, Shelby had read it in his voice on the phone.

He couldn’t help it. He smoldered when Piper was in front of him. Like a slow-burning coal fire, red-hot in the center.

Any man with a lick of sense would run. He should turn his wimpy car around and head back to Chicago, where his life was . . . what? What was his life in Chicago? Boring? Nothing like he had intended? Surrounded by casual friends and nothing more?

No, he was staying in Cuttersville. He wanted to know what had happened to the old Brady Stritmeyer, Rachel’s fiancé.

And he wanted to know what had happened to the new Brady Stritmeyer. He’d lost the spunky kid he’d been somewhere along the way. He wanted to feel alive again, to feel excited about something.

So he got out of the car, leaving the yoga mat behind, and climbed the solid wood steps of their impressive front porch, right up to Piper, who was waiting for him in front of the back door.

“Thank you,” he told her. “You’re very sweet.” Because he couldn’t resist, he stroked his thumb across her bottom lip. “Like sugar.”

Her eyes darkened in the porch light, but she just shrugged. “I wouldn’t want to sleep on a floor in an empty house.”

“I really, really want to kiss you,” he murmured, cupping her cheek and moving closer, the floorboards creaking as he shifted. “But I suppose that’s not a good idea.”

“We’re alone,” she said, tilting her head into his touch. “If you’re quick about it.”

He was starting to think being quick about it with Piper was not going to work. He was starting to think that there weren’t enough days in three weeks to satisfy his need to be with her, both sexually and otherwise.

But he was damn sure going to try, because the other option was to walk away right now, and he just couldn’t do that.

So he leaned forward, closing the distance between them, and brushed her lips with his. It was fascinating to him that the most innocent action, a simple kiss, could have that kind of impact on him. But it did. It was soft and teasing, and it triggered a whole range of feelings in him from lust to impatience to awe.

Her fingers trailed across his chest, and down even lower, as he kissed her, and Brady forgot where they were. The kiss turned hot, frantic, and he buried his hands in her hair, grinding his hips against hers. Her breathing was hot and quick on his mouth and she made a sound, a little gasp of delight that nearly undid him.

He wasn’t sure where he would have gone next, but he was pretty sure it involved his teeth on her nipple through her T-shirt, but he’d never know because the front door opened.

“Hey, uh—oh!” Danny cleared his throat. “Piper?”

She broke the kiss and spun around so fast her hair smacked him in the face. “Dad!”

Awkward. Brady put his hand on the small of her back and stepped in line beside her, reaching his hand out to shake Danny’s. “Hey, Danny, long time, no see. How are you doing?”

Fortunately, Danny had always been a good guy, reasonable, polite. So even though he clearly wanted to snatch his daughter away from Brady and lock her in a convent, he shook the hand offered. “I’m good, Brady. How are you?”

“Aside from being unemployed, I can’t complain. Thanks for letting me stay here tonight. I’m sure it’s a bit unexpected.”

The wheels were turning hard in Danny’s head. “Not a problem,” he said carefully. “Happy to have you. Even if you were just making out with my daughter.”

“Dad!” Piper’s cheeks were the color of a ripe tomato.

“What?” Danny held his hands out. “I don’t see any point in beating around the bush. So here’s the deal—no funny business in my house, you understand? So Brady, that means remove your hand from my daughter’s backside before you go in the house.”

“Oh, my God,” Piper whispered. “His hand is on my
back
.”

“As far as I can figure, he hasn’t known you long enough for his hand to be anywhere on you, but you’re an adult. I don’t have a say in who you date. But I do have a say in what goes on in my house.”

“It’s not what you think,” she said.

Brady tried not to laugh. It was clearly everything Danny thought it was.

“Why don’t you head in and help your mother set up the guest room? I’d like to speak to Brady alone for a minute.”

“No,” she said, surprising both her father and Brady. “I’m not going to let you threaten him.”

“Who said anything about threatening him? We’re just going to have a talk.”

“It’s okay,” Brady reassured her, because this conversation had to happen sooner or later. He’d rather do it now and clear the air. He’d walked into this and he was man enough to own up to it. “I’ll be fine. Danny and I go way back.”

She hesitated, but then she pursed her lips and went into the house, closing the door firmly behind her.

Danny stared at it for a second. “I can’t believe she told me no. Geez, she never tells me no.”

“She’s a very giving woman, Danny. You should be proud of how Piper has turned out.”

“I am. Trust me, I am. She’s special.”

There it was again.
Special
. He wondered if any of them really understood what he was starting to—that Piper didn’t want to be special. She wanted to be like everyone else.

“Yes, she is,” he agreed, because it was true. Piper was a better person than 99 percent of those he’d met.

“Sit down, Brady,” Danny said, taking a seat on a wicker chair. He grimaced. “God, I hate these damn chairs. Wicker sticks to the back of my legs.”

“I kind of like them.” The furniture reminded him of folks sitting on the porch shooting the shit while kids ran around like dust-covered heathens. Brady took a seat next to him and stared out at the inky-black evening sky. Damn, it was dark out here. He’d forgotten what the country was like, how still the air was, how quiet. It settled inside his shoulders, relaxed them, the knots of tension riding around in there for a week loosening.

“Sorry you lost your job. That’s tough.”

“Thanks.” Brady watched a firefly shoot off its tiny glow. “It wasn’t a great job, but it did pay the bills.”

“I understand that. It isn’t always profitable to run a farm. But if you love something, you just keep going.”

“I don’t love advertising.” That wasn’t even something he had to think about. “It was just a job I did because I didn’t know what else to do.”

“Then maybe this is an opportunity for you.”

“Maybe.” Brady waited, because he knew what was coming next. It had been a long time, but back in the day, he’d gotten The Talk from more than one father.

“I’ve always liked you, Brady. I have.”

Here it came. “Thanks.” Brady breathed deep, regretting that he had quit smoking. The sweet country air was perfect for a cigarette. It was a good thing the store was too far to go back to. He didn’t want to start up such a deadly habit again after four years clean.

But it would taste amazing.

“But you’re a little old for Piper, you know. She hasn’t had a lot of experience with men. She falls hard and doesn’t always understand a man isn’t necessarily in it for the right reasons—you know what I’m saying?”

“Yeah.” Because he couldn’t deny it. While he didn’t know any of it for fact, he could imagine that would be true about Piper. And he
was
too old for her.

“I’m sure there are women you work with, in your circle of friends in Chicago, who understand the game. They know if you’re just looking to get your feet wet and nothing more. They’re not going to get hurt when they realize all you want is sex.”

Brady swallowed hard. He had told Piper he would be fine, but now he wasn’t so sure. Danny was right. What the fuck was he doing? Piper was not the kind of woman you played with and walked away from. She was not the type who had a contact list of friends with benefits like half the women he dated in Chicago. Brady wondered when the last time he’d actually had a real relationship was. He’d settled into a routine of random sex with several women he had fun hanging out with, and that was it.

None of that felt appropriate here. Then suddenly he knew the truth of it. “Maybe I’m not just looking for sex. I can have sex with anyone.” If it had just been about sex, he would have been able to resist her, ironically enough, because sex was easy to come by and he got it regularly. He wouldn’t have risked the ire of family and friends if he hadn’t been looking for something more.

But that wasn’t fair to Piper either, and he knew it. He couldn’t give her anything beyond a couple of weeks.

“Oh, my God.” Danny put his fist to his chest like he had heartburn, and his face looked pained. “That might actually be worse. Are you telling me you’re sticking around?”

“No.” He couldn’t. That was preposterous. “Look, Danny, I don’t want to hurt her. That’s the last thing I want. I’ll talk to her, okay? Make sure she truly understands I’m going back to Chicago and that this is it.” He was sympathizing with Danny’s chest pain. His was feeling a little tight as well.

Danny sighed. “I guess I can’t ask for much more than that. She’s a grown woman. Almost.” He reached out and clapped Brady on the shoulder. “I told you, I always liked you.” He grinned. “Just not with my daughter.”

Brady laughed. “Story of my life, man. I haven’t met a father yet who wanted me around his daughter. It’s tough on the old ego.”

“Bullshit. You always liked being a ladies’ man. Did you hear Abby Murphy’s pregnant?”

“I didn’t do it.”

They both laughed. Danny leaned forward, his hands between his knees. “You know, when Piper was a teenager I worried that boys could take advantage of her, that they would sense that need she has to belong, and would use it to get in her pants. I worried she’d end up pregnant at sixteen like her mother. And I wouldn’t be able to hate them or blame them because I was one of those boys. I wasn’t thinking about anything other than how good it felt. But Piper was smarter than I gave her credit for—she didn’t fall for any of those lines.”

“Maybe she’s not as insecure as you think. Guilt does funny things to perception, you know.” Brady imagined Danny felt a crapload of it, given Piper’s first eight years of life.

“Yeah. I can’t argue with that.” Danny fidgeted. “But she’s older now. Old enough to go out on her own, do whatever she wants. Get married. Be a mother.”

“So what are you so worried about, then? She seems like a very happy person, Danny.”

“I’m worried some man will change that. And then I’ll have to kill him.”

The words were spoken with a lightness, but there was enough of a seriousness there that Brady’s shoulders tensed again. Great. Just what he needed. Death threats.

“I thought you told Piper you weren’t going to threaten me.” Not that he was particularly offended. Danny was well within his rights to be concerned.

“That wasn’t a threat. It was a warning.” Danny stood up. “I’m getting a beer. You want one?”

“No, thanks. But maybe you can send Piper out here and I can talk to her. Make sure everyone is on the same page.” Brady didn’t want to spell it out, but it was the right thing to do. “But just so you know, you’ve done a fine job raising her. That’s why I . . .” How did he say that he couldn’t resist her because she was unlike anyone he’d ever met?

“You can stop there. I get it. And thanks. I think she’s pretty amazing myself.” Danny opened the front door and retreated into the house. Brady stared out at the stars and tried to decipher his restlessness. He was agitated and he wasn’t sure why.

Piper appeared a second later. “Well, no punches were thrown. That’s a plus.”

“It’s fine.” He smiled up at her. “Want to go for a walk?”

She frowned, but then shrugged. “Sure.”

“Do you want to get a sweater? It’s cooling down out here.” It was a completely dorky suggestion and Brady mentally kicked himself for sounding more like her nanny than her . . . what? What did he want to be? That was the question he kept coming around to.

“I’m fine, thanks.” She smiled softly at him. “Where are we walking to? The farm isn’t exactly a walking path.”

“Don’t you all have a pond?” Funny how he’d slipped so easily back into the speech patterns of his childhood.

“It’s just an irrigation pond. No dock or anything. And it smells like algae.” She turned back towards the door. “Come on, I’ll get my keys and we can drive into the apple orchard. It’s my favorite place this time of the year.”

Was he supposed to follow her into the house? Brady supposed it was only polite he go say hello to Amanda. Trying not to feel intrusive, he followed her into the house. The rooms were large and airy, with comfortable furniture. The living and dining rooms were dark but as they passed the stairs to the kitchen and family room, warm lighting illuminated the back of the house. The kitchen had been remodeled at some point, but it was a classic farmhouse look, with distressed white cabinetry, and a deep copper farmhouse sink. It all spoke of Amanda’s touch and, frankly, Amanda’s money. While nothing was over-the-top, there was no way the Tuckers could have turned this house into the magazine showpiece it was without the bank account of the heiress. Brady wondered how that sat with Danny.