Blue Lines: The Assassins Series: A Loveswept Contemporary Romance by Toni Aleo
Piper scared him.
And the ticking time bomb she carried inside her scared him even more.
He wasn’t father material! Why was God playing this cruel joke on him? He could barely remember to take care of his dog, let alone be the father to his precious child. He was happy his parents were moving to Nashville, because they would be a great help with taking care of the baby, but he knew he couldn’t just pass the kid off and not be there for him. That’s exactly what his dad would have done, and he needed to be stronger, he needed to be more involved and caring, not abusive like his old man.
Shaking his head, he couldn’t help but think that if only he had stayed away from Piper from the start he wouldn’t be in this situation. He knew when he first met her that she was going to break him; he would’ve bet his career on that. When he saw her at Wanna B’s he was drawn to her like a magnet and he couldn’t stop himself … his body wanted her no matter what his mind was telling it.
Stupid penis.
Leaning back in his chair, he started to smile. Even if his penis was stupid for getting into bed with Piper, he had to admit it was by far the best night he had ever had with a woman. At the time he didn’t think she was going to ask him up to her apartment—thank God she did. The entire evening they had been all hot and heavy, and he remembered thinking that he would die if she didn’t ask him to spend the night. She was the good girl, the sweet one out of all the Allen girls, but man, she was a different type of sweetness between the sheets. Thinking back on it he could still feel her soft skin under his rough hands. She was a dream and he was starting to think it was natural for him to still want her.
Closing his eyes, he found himself drifting back to that amazing night with her.
Holding on to her hips, Erik followed Piper up the stairs to her studio apartment. She threw the door open and leaned against it as he entered. He noticed the bright blue walls but only because he was looking for the nearest soft surface to lay her on—the couch was calling him. The door clicked behind him and he turned to find her looking up at him with gorgeous lust-filled eyes. He had been so attracted to her eyes when he first met her, but then when she smiled she had him captivated with that little gap between her teeth.
So fucking hot.
“It’s not much, but I like it,” she mumbled.
Reaching for her, he brought her little body against his large one, lifting her from the ground to press his lips to hers. Her fingers tangled in his hair as his hands squeezed the bottom of her ass.
When they parted, he smiled against her.
“It has a couch.”
“And a bed,” she noted, placing a small kiss along his chin.
“Too much work. I need you now.”
“Now?” she asked, her fingers tickling the back of his neck.
“Right now.”
He placed her on her feet and slowly pulled her dress down, tracing kisses all over her trembling body. Reaching for the front of her bra, he snapped the clasp and slipped it off her arms. Piper was all tanned and sexy as hell, especially with the tattoos that came up the side of her breast. Reaching out, Erik turned her around, pushing her against the wall and pressing himself against her ass as he took in the beauty of her ink. It was a large tree that had branches going up her shoulders, along her ribs, and to her breasts. Big, beautiful, red blossoms were the only color against the black tree, and he soon found himself so hard that he could barely breathe. Erik never really enjoyed big tattoos on females, but Piper’s was elegant and looked great on her.
When he ran his fingers slowly down her back, tracing the limbs, she let out a soft moan and pressed her sweet ass against his raging hard-on. He slid his hand around her body and into her panties, to feel her moist, hot center. Piper leaned her head against his shoulder, turning her head to kiss his neck as he moved his fingers very skillfully against her swollen clit. She let out short breaths, her teeth grazing his neck as he started grinding his hips against her back, wanting his own release. Moving his fingers faster, he moved his mouth to hers, kissing her hard as she began to move herself against his hand. With his other hand, he opened her juicy lips up and buried two of his fingers into her deep, tight hole. She let out a strangled moan as she withered against his body.
Her tight little body was a masterpiece and when she slammed her hand onto the wall she came hard against his hand, screaming of satisfaction. Fully flush against the wall her firm ass poked out at him. Arching her back in the most luscious way, he bent down so he could see the little red and black bows that were inked under her ass cheeks.
Turning her, a little more forcibly than he meant to, he pressed himself against her, pressing his hardness into her. Right then he decided that his jeans needed to go. Pushing them down, he took his cock in his hand and ran it up her wet opening.
“Oh God,” she moaned, “please, put it in.”
“Not so quick,” he bit out.
He then picked her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her to the couch. His cock throbbed under the heat of her center and he was surprised he didn’t ejaculate all over the living room floor. He laid Piper on the couch with her body open to him. Bending down, he ran his tongue up the middle of her breast before gripping her hip with his hand. She slid down the couch and reached for his cock, and with a naughty little smile she moved him into her. Erik took charge and sank farther into her tight, hot, pussy, and the world as he knew it blew to smithereens. She was so tight, so wet … oh God, he was going to lose it.
Wrapping her legs around his waist, she moved herself up and down him while Erik concentrated on trying not to blow his load. He was going to come, and he was going to come hard. When she stopped suddenly, he opened his eyes to find her smiling at him.
“You’re hot when you’re about to come.”
He smiled as he slowly whispered, “You’re the one who’s fucking hot.”
She smiled and slid her body off his, then moved to her knees before taking him deep in her sexy mouth. He let out a choking moan as his fingers tangled in the mass of her hair. It was so long, so fucking soft and she was rocking his world. As she moved her mouth up and down his cock, he struggled to hold on, but when she raked her teeth up him before swirling her little tongue over the tip of it … he was gone. Gripping her head he held her in place as he came hard, his body jerking and thrashing as she drank him dry.
Piper sat back on her heels and smiled up at him. When she wiped the side of her mouth he reached for her again, bringing her burning-hot body to his. Somehow, he ended up back on top and began to smother her with kisses. His hands grabbed her breasts, tweaking the nipples as she rubbed herself up and down his flaccid cock. She was getting him hard again, but first he wanted to take care of her, then he’d fuck her to the point of no return.
Erik positioned Piper so she was right in front of his mouth, ready for the taking. He leaned forward, digging his fingers into her ass as he buried his face between her thighs. As he moved his tongue in every direction, she thrashed and collapsed against him, falling forward to brace herself on the back of the couch. He continued his invasion, his fingers dipping inside her as her body shook over his mouth. As he bit her thigh, she let out a little gasp before he moved his mouth back between her lips and began to hum against her clit. That did it, and she came hard against his mouth, shouting along with her release.
She was gasping for breath, and her body was red where his fingers had bit into her skin. He could see the bite marks on her shoulders from earlier, and for some reason that turned him on. Reaching out, he ran a single finger up her glistening pussy, causing her to jump from the sensation.
“Erik.”
It was only his name, but she might as well have been talking dirty because she had his attention. He moved behind her, pressing his erection along her slick opening. This was it. He submerged himself into her and they both moaned with pleasure as her inner muscles squeezed him. He nestled his nose into her hair, his hands moving along her ribs
She was screaming with pleasure, and he was pretty sure he was, too. Biting into her shoulder, he groaned as she squeezed him with another orgasm. Piper was shaking underneath him, her knuckles white as she hung on to the couch and he continued to drive into her. His cock was throbbing, almost ready to burst. Piper moved her hands up into his hair, then down the back of his neck, holding him tight as he sucked on her neck. When she let him go, her hand suddenly cupped his balls, and the next thing he knew he was crying out as he spilled himself inside her.
His nails bit into her hips as he thrust into her, riding his orgasm to the end. Collapsing against her, he took in deep breaths before moving his lips up her back to her neck. She was breathing just as hard, and he could feel her heartbeat pounding inside her. Moving her hair out of her face, he placed a soft kiss on her cheek. When her eyes met his and she smiled, he couldn’t breathe. She had the kind of smile he had never seen before. It was a “kiss me” smile, and every time he saw it, he swore it hit him straight in his gut. He would be forever changed by her.
* * *
Leave it to him to think of sex when his world was falling apart. If only he had known how much she was going to change his life. He had never told anyone about Alla and Cooper being his adoptive parents. No one could tell; they were as doting as real parents were. But he told Piper. He told her that he had been abused before Alla came to rescue him. When he looked into her eyes and told her that she was different, he meant it. He needed to get away because she had touched him in places he thought he kept locked up. He didn’t know what it was about Piper, but he knew she was different.
And now he had to be married to her for the next three months. Or he would hurt her all over again?
Chapter 8
Piper sat with her legs tucked under her bottom and her sketch pad on her knees as the cool air from the lake brushed her face. It was a cool morning, which was unusual this time of year. She loved sitting on the dock while she drew; this place just enhanced her creativity. Wearing a large sweatshirt and a pair of short red shorts, Piper slowly drew Mrs. Olive Octopus’s fifth-favorite thing, which was her friend, Mrs. Sandy Squid. The friendly squid was coming over for a spot of tea and then later the two would go shopping.
Sitting in her favorite rocking chair, with a glass of orange juice and a muffin, Piper could almost forget the last two days, except for the fact that her husband liked to sleep naked. After gawking at his naked thighs as he was sprawled out on the couch in the living room, she hurried outside to get away. How was she supposed to draw in the same room when her version of Michelangelo’s David lay on her couch? She could have gone into her office but even in there she felt like the walls were caving in. He was cramping her style and she didn’t like it one bit, but out here on the dock, nothing mattered. It was only her and her sketchbook.
Pure bliss.
There was one thing Piper was worried about and that was looking into her best friend’s eyes and bluntly lying about her marriage. She had never lied to Audrey before, and she hated to start now. It would help tremendously if she could tell Audrey the truth; having someone to talk to about all this would be great, because right now she’d never felt so alone in her life. Tempting as that was, she would not do that to Erik; she made a promise, so she had to man up to it. She would never beg him to love her but she would at least be there for him like she said she would.
Looking back down at her sketch pad, she began to draw. Piper was dragging ass this morning; she’d barely slept at all. The first half of this book was due back to Emmaline by the end of the month, so she really needed to focus and quit thinking of her naked husband—especially about how she wanted to accidentally trip and land with his dick between her legs.
Wow, what was wrong with her? Did being pregnant make you horny? Ugh.
As she worked through the morning, the sun became hotter. Piper stood up, taking her sweatshirt off, and fixed her yellow bikini top over her enlarging breasts. Just as she was about to sit back down, she heard Stanley’s big paws running down the dock. Turning to greet him, she also was treated to her topless husband’s physique. Man, he was hot.
Stanley came right up to her and started sniffing and licking her legs as she tried very hard not to look at Erik’s mouthwatering body. She failed miserably, though, and soon found herself gawking at his dangerously low-hanging shorts, showing off every bit of the star tattoos that had driven her crazy those many months ago. He stretched his arms above his head, causing each of his chest muscles to move with his motions. With his hands laced behind his head his six-pack highlighted how defined he really was.
“Morning,” Erik muttered as he looked at her swollen abdomen. This was the first time since he’d been there that she really felt self-conscious.
Reaching for her sweatshirt, she held it in front of her body as she said, “Morning.”
He looked away, out toward the lake, as he said, “What time is Audrey’s thing?”
“Five.”
“Okay, so I’ll be back by then. We’ll ride together, okay?”
“Sure.”
“All right. Well, I got practice, so I’ll see you later.”
Without having had a chance to say anything, she watched as he made his way back up to the house with Stanley close behind him. She wanted to chase after him, ask where else he was going today since practice wasn’t all day long. It was only eight in the morning. What could he be doing until five that afternoon? Was he going to go meet someone, another woman? Stop, she told herself. She couldn’t think like that; if she did, she’d drive herself mad. He said he wouldn’t cheat on her so she had to trust him. Piper watched until he disappeared into the house. A tear rushed down her cheek as she thought, I just have to trust him.
* * *
Erik was breathing hard as he leaned against the boards, squirting Gatorade in his mouth. For an easy practice, as Shea called it, Erik sure was having a difficult time. He assumed they would pass the puck, play a little one-on-one with Tate in goal, but no, Captain Shea Adler had the team running drills! The crazy thing was, everyone was doing better than him. Even Tate was and he’d been gone for a month! It was insane and Erik was disgusted with himself. He needed to get a treadmill for Piper’s house; it had only been a couple of days of not working out and he was already feeling it. He’d do that today on the way back. He had no clue where he’d put the damn thing, but he’d find space. It was too far of a drive to the arena just to come and use the gym, and he never joined public gyms—too many people and you never were able to use the equipment you wanted, when you wanted.
“Slow ass.”
Erik turned quickly to find his brother grinning at him as he said, “You’re sluggish.”
“I haven’t been working out much,” he said sheepishly.
Jakob was the last person he wanted to appear weak to.
Jakob chuckled as he shook his head.
“I remember when Harper and I first got married, we couldn’t stay off each other.”
That wasn’t the problem. The problem was the restless nights because he knew his wife was in the other room. Between the hot, sexy dreams he still had of Piper’s body, Erik’s persistent hard-on, and Stanley’s snoring, sleeping wasn’t an option. Instead he found himself playing Call of Duty more than he usually did.
Pretty sad.
“Yeah, it’s been kind of wild,” Erik said, placing his drink down.
“So we’re still going with the happily married scheme?”
Erik looked up at his brother and rolled his eyes. Although they were four years apart everyone thought that they looked the same age. While Erik’s eyes were a dark brown, Jakob’s were a dark green. They had the same dark brown hair and the same hard lines to their faces. They were basically two good-looking dudes who could have any girl in the world. But while they resembled each other in looks, they were completely different
That should have been a warning; Allen women were different and played for keeps.
Shaking his head, he should have realized this a long time ago.
“There isn’t a scheme, Jakob; we’re happy.”
“It’s bullshit and you and I know it. I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s fixable,” Jakob said.
It made Erik feel good to know that his brother would go to the end of the earth to help him.
“Jakob, let it go. We’re married. We’re happy.”
Jakob shook his head.
“I know you. I know you don’t want this.”
“Things change, people change.”
“Sure, but not overnight. I know for a fact that you went home with that redhead a week ago. You weren’t thinking of Piper then,” Jakob pointed out.
“This is true, but like I said, I had a come to Jesus moment and realized that Piper was the girl for me.”
Jakob started to laugh hysterically, causing Erik to glare at him and ask, “What?”
“I see right through you, dude. Mom and Dad may not, but I do. Stop this before someone gets hurt.”
“Jake, leave it be. Nothing is wrong; everything is great.”
They shared a long look until a hard slap came down on Erik’s shoulder. Turning, he saw his captain.
“Hey, Shea.”
“Hey, Erik. I think congratulations are in order, from what I hear. Wow, marriage and a baby, I am totally stunned,” he said with a grin on his face.
“Yup, we are really excited.”
“I bet. Kids are a blessing, and Piper is a wonderful girl. She worked at the jewelry store where I bought Elli’s engagement ring; she was the one who helped me pick it out. Piper seems like a great gal; you really are lucky.”