Page 40 of Too Fast To Fall
“Is he mad because we went to dinner?” she asked.
Emilio peered down at Gus. “It’s like he wants both of us.”
Piper was instantly flustered, her mind running so fast she felt dizzy. “Well, how is that supposed to work?” she blurted.
Emilio placed his hands on his hips. “Gus, I need to sleep and so does Piper. Which means you need to pick where you wantto sleep.”
“Right. I mean, we can’t all sleep in the same bed.” As soon as the words came out of her mouth, she wished she could takethem back.
Emilio looked at her and offered the slightest of shrugs. “Unless that’s a benefit of being a fake couple. I don’t know therules.”
Oh, Lord, was he good at being tempting. It was like he’d conspired with her sister. But the truth was that Piper wasn’t sureshe had the nerve to say yes. Even if Gus was there in bed, between them. “Our fake relationship is pretty new,” she said,desperate for a joke. Lighten the moment so she could take a beat andthink. “I’m not ready to sleep in the same bed with you yet.”
“Yet?” He arched both eyebrows at her. He reached over and patted her on the shoulder. “Good to know.”
Gus
I would like the record to reflect that I gave a command performance last night. With no ability to speak and no opposablethumbs, I came so close to getting the two of them in the same bed. That seems like a logical progression if Piper is goingto stay. I was fully prepared to sleep out in the hall with my legs over my ears. But no.
Piper’s only here for two more races, and I don’t know if Grandma’s house in Spain is a good place for Piper and Emilio toget closer.
Mmm.Grandma’s house. I can’t wait. I have only been there one other time, but I loved it. The smells. The tile in the kitchenthat’s cool on my belly. Jamón that falls on the floor like magic. I could go on and on. About jamón.
I deserve to be that happy. Jamón happy. I can’t see myself being happy if Piper doesn’t stay. So I can’t give up. I thinkI have to try harder.
Nine
Piper hadn’t slept at all last night. She’d been too busy staring at the ceiling above her bed, wondering if she’d bungledthat whole sleeping-in-the-same-bed situation. Should she have cast aside her inhibitions and strolled into Emilio’s roomand climbed into his bed at the mere suggestion? Her gut was telling her no. She wasn’t that person. She was no seductress.She needed time.
She had a feeling her sister Gabby might have a different opinion on the matter. If they ever got around to the topic. Fornow, the phone call Gabby had promised was all about the wedding.
“I’m just so sick of it. I don’t know what to do anymore,” Gabby said.
I can relate.“Yeah. Of course,” Piper replied.
“Piper!” Gabby’s voice screeched through the speaker on Piper’s phone. “Are you even listening to me?”
Piper had been listening, but she hadn’t beenlistening, listening. “Sorry. What were you saying? About the problem? With the, uh, the thing?”
Gabby groaned. “The thing? You mean our mother? What has gotten into you?”
Of course, the answer to that question was Emilio. Well, notthatinto her. Not actuallyinsideher. She should be so freaking lucky.
No.
But after having been in his arms twice, going out to dinner, joking around about being fake boyfriend and girlfriend, thenmutually deciding not to sleep in the same bed, she no longer knew how to conduct herself. She didn’t know how to dress orspeak or what to do with her hands anymore. Or her eyes. They kept drifting to him and staying. Pondering questions like whatit would be like to touch him. Kiss him.
There was entirely too much inner conflict residing in her body. On a most basic level, she wanted to kiss Emilio. She wantedto spread her hands across that perfect chest of his and comb her fingers into his epic hair. Before the leash-wrapped embrace,she hadn’t realized how starved she’d been for male human contact. It was like she’d been roaming a desert, desperate forwater, and someone turned up with a carafe of perfectly chilled mountain spring water, an umbrella and a chaise longue. Emiliowas the spring water. And the little voice in her head said she shouldn’t have so much as a sip. He was Emilio Baquero, oneof the sexiest men on the planet, and she was an ordinary person, a dog walker from Florida. That was an equation that didn’tadd up. Even if she closed her eyes and tried very hard to imagine it, she could only imagine the moment when she puckeredup... then her mind went blank.
“Of course.Mom,”Piper replied. “She can be a headache. I get it. But she means well.”
Gabby sighed dramatically. “You’re right. You understand what I’m going through.”
“Of course I do.” Piper decided to double down. “She’s second-guessing every choice you’ve made. And you’re already doingthat yourself. What you really need is reassurance everything will be fine.”
“Yes,” Gabby said emphatically. “Exactly. Thank you. You get it.”
It had been a safe guess. “She did that to me, too. When I was planning... you know. My wedding.”
