Hyde and Seek (46 page)

In spite of all that, I mourned the loss of his Doll Face, his men, and the Z I thought I’d known.

The Z he could’ve been.

*******

When the nightmares started, Jake put his foot down about me seeing a professional counselor. Since I knew I needed it, I didn’t fight him.

It was hard to keep reliving what had happened, but my mind was doing it whether I wanted it to or not. At least when I went over it during therapy, I received the tools I needed to cope and move on.

Jake, just like Kase, felt incredible guilt for not protecting me. He knew I’d never have gone home alone had he not said such awful things.

While that may have been true, I explained that Z had intentionally goaded him into pushing me too far. He promised he’d try to tamp down his possessiveness, and I promised to keep being patient.

Keeping his word, I did the cake for Static in the Sun’s album drop party without a peep from Jake. It probably helped that Blake Green was freaked way the fuck out and wanted nothing to do with me.

Having a crazy dude use you in his plot to kidnap a chick would calm anyone’s shit down.

Jake understood why I’d been so harsh when I’d been forced to break up with him. However, I also knew the stuff that Z had made me say was real. They were insecurities Jake had and they ran deep. My vulnerable badass worried that I’d leave him and I knew that fear wouldn’t disappear overnight.

Lucky for him, I was ready to spend every day of my life proving to him how much I loved him. I wasn’t going anywhere.

Jake had wanted to get married right after we left the hospital. I wanted to wait until all the swelling and bruising was gone. It wasn’t a vanity thing.

Okay, it wasn’t
just
that.

I didn’t want to look back at pictures and see the reminder of what had happened. I wanted my wedding day to be brightness with no dark cloud looming over it.

When I told Jake how I felt, he understood.

It was almost a month before he mentioned marriage again.

I woke, as the sun was just touching the sky, to Jake’s fingers sliding slowly inside of me as his eyes studied my face intently. When I smiled sleepily up at him, he moved between my legs.

Tenderly, he eased into me as his fingertips drifted lovingly over my face and neck.

“Marry me tomorrow?” he asked, his lips brushing against mine.

“Yes,” I answered simply.

Then Jake did another thing he’d sworn he couldn’t do. His movements stayed slow as he savored me, worshipped me, made love to me.

It was beautiful in a way that was so profound I knew I’d remember it until the day I died.

Shortly after, I fell back to sleep with Jake’s body curved along mine.

It was a few hours later that he woke me to straddle him so he could fuck me bossy.

I’d be hard pressed to say which I preferred, but I was looking forward to a lifetime together to decide.

*******

When Jake said we’d get married the next day, he was
not
messing around. We were on a plane to Vegas that afternoon.

After getting in late, we checked into a gorgeous hotel that I barely saw through tired eyes. Collapsing into bed, we slept well into the next morning until a knock on the door woke us.

I lifted my head slightly and watched my fiancé pad across the room, the muscles in his back, ass, and legs flexing. He bent and scooped up his pants, pulling them on as he walked.

If I attempted something like that, I’d fall on my face.

Easing the door to our room closed behind him, his footsteps trailed off as he went through the rest of the suite to the main door.

I snagged his pillow and burrowed under the blankets. I started to doze back off when I heard voices filling the sitting room.

When Jake returned, I greedily enjoyed the view of his shirtless front.

His unbuttoned, loose jeans hung low on his hips. I knew where the deep vee of his pelvis and the sparse trail of blond hair led, but I still wanted nothing more than to explore.

My eyes slowly moved up the taut muscles of his abs, intricate swirls of ink, and the definition of his chest that had my name on it. I took in his broad, tattooed shoulders, masculine neck, and strong jaw with ever-present scruff that my fingers still itched to touch.

His full and slightly quirked lips, high cheekbones, and the harsh angles of his face made him so masculinely beautiful, I felt it was a disservice to womankind that he had yet to be sculpted in marble.

His green eyes were hooded, lit with a mix of amusement and arousal, and I knew my perusal had not been subtle.

Since I’d failed to notice that he’d stopped walking at some point, it had been in depth.

Oops.

When my eyes dropped down and I looked straight ahead, I saw something else that was far from subtle.

“You keep lookin’ at me like that, sweets, and our family and friends out there are gonna hear a lot more than they want to.”

I sat up quickly and the blankets fell around me.

Jake’s eyes went even more hooded as he did a little perusing of his own.

Going back to the door, he opened it and said, “We got in late and Piper’s still tired. We’ll meet you in the lobby at one.”

I heard muffled conversation fade as they left.

I got up on my knees. “Well, that was rude. Shouldn’t we get dressed and go see everyone?”

Jake’s eyes dropped to my naked body. “Fuck no.” Prowling towards me, he pushed his jeans down and removed them as he walked with the same gracefulness as when he’d put them on.

God, that’s hot. Why’s that such a turn-on?

Maybe because I know all the other ways he’s in control of his body.

And mine.

“No, I really think we should. I’ll just get dressed.” Turning from him, I leaned down and pretended to reach for my clothes.

My head shot back as he entered me hard, filling me.

His hands ran up my sides before reaching around to palm my breasts. He pulled me up so my back was pressed to his front. One of his arms wrapped under my chest to support me as he moved in me. His other curled up, his hand curving gently around the side of my neck as his thumb stroked my jaw.

The first couple of times his hand had gone to my neck, I’d flinched and jerked away. He’d understood, but I hadn’t. I hated feeling the panic grip me, and seeing the pain and rage resurface in him. I missed feeling his rough thumb rub my jaw.

I’d made him promise not to stop doing it and he hadn’t. As time passed, my reaction slowly but steadily improved until I was once again leaning into his touch.

I would have made him keep trying forever to get it back.

“If you wanna get dressed, I guess we could,” he whispered harshly against my ear, his tongue edging the side. His thrusts intensified so much so that if his arms weren’t around me, I wouldn’t have been able to stay upright.

He stopped suddenly and began inching out of me.

“No!” Reaching around, I dug my nails into his ass to pull him back in.

Jake’s deep chuckle turned into a groan. “Fuck, I love you.”

“And thank fuck for that.”

*******

He might usually be Mr. Bossy Pants, but Jake was better at compromise than I’d once thought.

When we’d initially discussed wedding plans, the parents had ganged up on us to push for a traditional wedding. They still wanted that, except for my dad.

Dad was in favor of the wedding being wherever I wanted, as long as the end result was his only child being married to someone who would literally shoot a man to protect her.

Dad did tell Jake that given the chance, he’d be there in an instant so he could walk me down the aisle.

Jake ran with that idea.

We got our Vegas wedding, but with our family and closest friends. My mom, Thomas, Gregory, Sarah, Edge, Ray, Harlow, Rhys, and Kase had been ready to fly out on Thomas’ company plane at a moment’s notice. Nat and Dad drove up from California.

Everyone knew that as soon as the bruising was gone, there’d be no convincing us to wait any longer.

After loud and chaotic hellos in the hotel lobby, I asked, “So, what’s the plan?”

“We’re going to do all things girly to get ready,” Ray said, looping my arm through hers and smiling huge at me.

“You all know the schedule,” Jake’s voice rumbled as he pulled me slightly from Ray to kiss me.

“I don’t,” I pointed out.

“And that’s the fun of it. I’ll see you tonight, sweets.”

*******

When the women left the hotel, we headed to a boutique.

I’d have happily married Jake in the jeans and t-shirt I wore. That didn’t mean that once I saw the gorgeous dresses, I wasn’t thrilled we were there.

Nat’s eyes lit gleefully as she handed me a glass of champagne. “Have a seat.”

Taking the glass, I narrowed my eyes as I studied her face. “Why do I get the feeling you’re up to something?”

She shrugged, feigning nonchalance, but her valley girl lilt was strong from her excitement. “Because I am. We’ve been planning this for weeks.”

Her use of ‘we’ve’ wasn’t lost on me, and I grinned at her. It couldn’t have been easy on her or my mom, but it meant a lot to me. When I caught her eyes, I knew she felt the same way.

Sitting down, I watched as Ray and Harlow disappeared into what I’d correctly assumed were changing rooms.

Within minutes, they came out in matching shimmery, dove gray, one shouldered dresses that ended above the knee. The one strap was black ruched. Even with the black, back seam tights and gray three-inch pumps, I was surprised at how low-key the outfit was.

They totally rocked the look, but I got the feeling the moms played a heavy role in picking the attire.

This should be interesting.

“Oh my God, you both look gorgeous! Harlow, I had no clue your legs were so long.”

Though she was only an inch or so taller than me, her legs seemed miles longer.

“Yeah, I get that a lot,” she said, looking off to the side.

The moms and seamstress went to work on Ray, adding pins and walking around her as they discussed alterations.

I caught her gaze in the reflection of the mirror. After giving me her best model face, she rolled her eyes and blew me a kiss.

Standing, I moved closer to an unusually quiet Harlow. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I just… I’m so happy for you, Piper. I love you, and you’re, like, the most kickass friend. I’m just so touched you wanted me here,” she whispered, tears pooling in her eyes.

“Honey—”

“Don’t say another word. If I cry, my eyes are gonna get puffy and my skin will get splotchy.”

“I get Alice Cooper face.”

“Then we both better get a handle on this.”

Looking away as I tried to do just that, I saw the moms go into the dressing rooms.

I sat back to watch a relieved Ray get out of the hot spot as Harlow took her place, looking even more uncomfortable.

Her legs are seriously never-ending!

Within minutes, Nat, Sarah, and my mom came out of the rooms in similar gray, A-line, fifties style dresses.

“Those dresses are perfect!” I squealed.

“I’m thinking I’ll make this my new look,” Sarah joked, her lips twitching like her son’s did.

When it was my turn, I went into a changing room. My knees gave out and I sank down onto a bench. Trying to stop the tears from sliding down my cheeks, I lifted my head to see my mom crouched next to me.

The others wiped at their eyes as they watched through the open curtain.

“I knew you’d love it,” Mom said, reaching up to wipe a tear from my face.

“It’s been one day since I said yes. How did all of this get done?”

“He’s been planning everything with the owner of Ella’s. He said she was almost more excited about the wedding than he was. Especially when he told her his idea for the dress. It’s not my style, of course. But it’s so you that I love it. And I love that he gave it to you. I couldn’t have imagined anyone better for my beautiful daughter.”

Obviously, Dad wasn’t the only one shaken by what happened.

When my mom found out why I’d gone back to my house to change, she was wracked with guilt. We’d talked for hours about everything. She’d explained, which I already knew, that she just wanted better for me than she’d had growing up.

This wasn’t to say she was magically the perfect mom, but she was much closer. She was happier, more relaxed, and I caught more than a glimpse of who she was when she let the walls down.

After getting control of my tears, I stood and helped my mom up. She hugged me tight before leaving me to dress.