Sinful Desires Vol. 4(8)

His face softened, and he leaned toward me.

“No matter what else had happened between us, I should have known better than to accuse you of something like that. I did know better. You'd never force yourself on anyone. I was out of line, and I'm sorry.” I twisted my fingers together as I waited for a response.

“I'd never hurt you like that, Piper.” His voice was more intense than it should have been to simply accept an apology. And it definitely shouldn't have made my stomach clench with desire.

He continued, “I'm sorry I lost my temper. I came there to apologize and made things worse.”

“Well, I think we're about even now,” I tried to joke, but one look at those near-black eyes and my mouth went dry. I hated that my body responded to his that way.

“So you accept my apology?”

There was a hopeful note in his voice that I tried to tell myself wasn't there. “I do,” I said cautiously. “And I want to thank you for the gift.”

“I'm glad you accepted it.” He reached across the table and curled his fingers around my hand. “And I'm glad you're back in Philadelphia.”

I pulled my hand away as quickly as I could without being rude. I didn't want to start another fight, especially not here where Britni could be back at any moment. My skin tingled where it had touched his and I rubbed my hand on my leg under the table, wishing I could scrub away the feeling. “After I graduate from the studio, I hope you find another dancer to extend the grant to. There are a lot of talented people who don't get the chance to fulfill their potential simply due to a lack of funds.” I could hear the stiffness in my voice and hoped he understood that I was closing off the personal part of the conversation.

He opened his mouth to say something, but I never heard what it was because at that moment, Britni returned. She glared at me, but I gave her a polite smile and sipped at my champagne. It was Reed's decision to tell her about the grant. As far as I was concerned, he and I were done. We might see each other at events like this, but I would make a point of not being alone with him again.

My stomach twisted as I thought of it. Sure, I'd told myself that I wanted to be free of him, but in truth, his touch was almost enough to make me forget everything that had happened.

It was crazy, I knew, but I couldn't help the way my body reacted when he was near. My brain said to quit being stupid and my heart agreed, but other parts of my anatomy were still asking why I hadn't kept holding his hand. And it wasn't helping that, even with Britni at his side, he was still watching me.

“Would you like to dance?” Julien's voice came from my left and I nodded quickly; grateful for any excuse to look away.

I slid my hand into Julien's, feeling the heat of Reed's gaze on the back of my neck. “I'd love to.”

He led me onto the dance floor and I slid my arms around his neck. His hands started on my hips, but I stepped closer and let him slide them around to the small of my back. I needed to stop thinking about the unattainable and focus on what I had. Julien was a sweet guy who'd never tried to be anything more than a friendly ear. I needed to focus on my friendship with him and not get bogged down with all that emotional, romantic shit.

The only thing was, now that Reed had touched me, it was like a switch inside had been flipped and I wasn't able to turn it off. I kept feeling the way the warmth had spread through my hand and then remembering what it had been like when he'd touched me other places. I wondered what it would be like if he was the one I was dancing with.

“Don’t break your brain,” Julien said, cutting into my thoughts. I glanced up at him, unsure of what he meant and he laughed. “You seem to be thinking about something awfully hard.”

I flushed as I realized what I'd been doing. How could I be angry at Reed for watching and thinking about me while he was with his wife when I was thinking about him while I was with someone else? Granted, Julien and I weren't even dating, but it was still rude and unacceptable. And dangerous.

“Sorry,” I said. “Won't happen again.”

He smiled his easy smile. “Don't mention it. If you knew how often I daydreamed at these things, you'd think I was even more of a rebel than you already do.” His eyes were sparkling with good humor. “That is, if you think I'm a rebel at all and not just a bored rich kid with too much time and money on his hands.”

My body began to relax as we talked. Other people danced around us, but they were nothing but peripheral shapes moving in the background. The only ones I saw clearly were the faces I knew. Brock dancing with some petite blonde who didn't look like she was going to need any extra encouragement to fuck him tonight. Rebecca leaning against a handsome young man whose smile probably cost more than my apartment. And, of course, Reed and Britni. No matter how Julien and I moved, Reed was always there, at the corner of my eye. I kept my face at an angle, not wanting to look at him full-on. It was bad enough that I could feel him watching me. I didn't want to have to acknowledge it when his wife was right there in his arms.

Julien spun me around as another song began to play and I laughed as I whirled away from him... right into someone's waiting arms.

I hit the muscular chest and caught a whiff of subtle aftershave, confirming what I already knew. I looked up into those obsidian eyes and was lost.





Chapter 6

“Piper,” he murmured my name as his arms closed around me and it was all I could do not to lean into his embrace.

I could see the truth in his eyes. He really did want to be with me. It wasn't just lust I was seeing there, but something deeper I wasn't sure I wanted to name. It connected to a point inside me, a flame of hope I thought I'd extinguished, and it latched on, drawing me to him. His hands were on my bare back, the heat from them setting my skin on fire.

It felt like the moment lasted a lifetime, but when I found the strength to step back, only a couple of seconds had passed.

“Thanks for stopping me from falling.” The words sounded stiff and wooden, but I hoped they'd be enough to satisfy any gossipers.

“Dance with me.” Reed took a step toward me, seemingly oblivious to the people still dancing around us.

I shook my head and went another step back. “You should dance with your wife.” A sharp pain went through me, but I knew it had to be said. I couldn't keep doing this. To me or him. “You're starting a family. You can't dance with me. You can't see me.”

I hurried away before he could protest. Julien didn't try to stop me, though I did catch a glimpse of him coming after me. I followed the discreet signs and ducked into the bathroom before he could catch up and then went into a stall. I leaned against the wall, taking deep breaths and trying not to cry. I'd told Reed all this before, but somehow, this time felt more final.

When I was sure I wasn't going to do anything completely embarrassing, I flushed the toilet and stepped out to wash my hands. While I was still at the sink, the door opened and I automatically glanced up. I stiffened as I saw Britni enter. I'd never spoken to her one-on-one, only general comments in a group setting. Since she was striding toward me, I knew that was about to change.

“Piper.” She stopped about a foot away and folded her arms.

I nodded in acknowledgement as I dried my hands. I didn’t indicate that I had any idea of why she wanted to talk to me. For all I knew, she was there because of Brock. Sisters could be protective.

“Listen to me, you little bitch.”

I clenched my jaw and reminded myself that it wouldn't be a good idea to knock her out.

“I don't know what kind of game you're playing here, with my brother and my husband and Julien, but whatever it is, Reed's not a part of it anymore.” Her eyes narrowed. “Brock told me what you did for a living in Vegas, and I know that you're dancing at Madam Emilana's now.”

I wasn't sure which revelation shocked me more, though I was leaning toward the dance studio. How had she found out about that? And if she knew I was there, did she know that Reed was paying for it?

“If you don't stay away from my husband, I'll make sure everyone knows that you're not just a gold-digger, but that you used to be a stripper. The only reason I'm not announcing it right now is because you're with Julien and the Atwoods are a very influential family.” Almost as an afterthought, she added, “And most everyone here knows you were dating my brother, and I don't want to spread it around that he sank that low just to get laid.”

My hands clenched into fists. I wasn't going to do or say anything that could ruin Julien's family's event. I owed him that much. Still, it took all of my self-control to let Britni walk away thinking she'd sufficiently cowed me. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, counting to ten. When I was certain I wouldn't go after Britni and at least knock out a couple teeth, I walked back out to the tents.

I didn't have to go far to find Julien. He was standing at the edge of the canopy, anxiously looking in my direction.

“Are you okay?” he asked as soon as I was close enough to hear.

“Do you have anything else you need to do here?” I ignored his question and asked my own.

He shook his head, a puzzled look on his face. “No, why?”

“Because I want to go home.”

He didn't ask for an explanation or offer some excuse as to why he couldn't go. He simply slipped his arm around my waist and started toward the path leading around to the front of the building.