CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

“ W here? Tell me the address and I’ll meet you there,” Piper replied, excited.

“I’ll text you the details,” George said. “No recording devices, etcetera. They just want to meet you and see if you’re trustworthy.”

“Sure, fine. No problem. I’ll see you in about an hour,” Piper said, hanging up and doing a little dance.

Today was going well. She’d had a little sleep in after her gymnastic-level sex evening with Oliver and then spoken to her sister.

Finally.

Now she was heading to meet up with a handful of bloggers who had information about vampires. This was the break she’d been looking for. She was confident she’d gain their trust.

Her phone pinged with an address, and she smiled.

BioZen had been one big brick wall, so she needed these guys. If they failed to come through, then she’d find out where the pharmaceutical employees went for Friday after-work drinks. Drunk lips were loose lips.

She tracked the address and pinned it on her map and then reflected on her conversation with Sage. While she was relieved to hear her sister was safe, the chat had raised even more questions.

Her holiday details were vague as fuck.

“Where did you stay in the Caribbean?”

“A hotel. It was nice. Flash. Super-hot,” Sage had replied, describing every five-star hotel on every tropical island.

“So, like the Marriott?” Piper asked.

Silence.

“Um, you know, I can’t remember. I think so.”

Liar. There was no Marriott in the Caribbean.

“So you just turned off your phone for two whole weeks? I don’t think I could do that,” Piper had said.

“It was great. You know, it’s easy to do when you’re away with a sexy man.”

Now that was the truth.

Although, two weeks and no TikTok or Instagram? That might be a push. Then she imagined a week in the tropics with Oliver and knew if anyone could distract her, he could.

“So things are going well with Ari?”

“Yup,” Sage had replied. “Are you around next week? Mom is having us over for dinner. I’d love for you to join us.”

Piper’s eyes had widened. “Since when did you like family dinners?”

“I just thought, after being away, and now Ari is in my life... we have news.”

“Oh my God, you’re pregnant!” she’d gasped.

“I’m not pregnant.” Sage had groaned.

“You eloped. Shit, tell me you didn’t marry him.”

“Piper. Stop. Are you coming for dinner or not?” Sage had snapped.

The thing with being a journalist, maybe not all but many, was you could generally smell a rat anywhere. Right now, her nose was twitching. Piper could barely remember Ari and she knew it had to do with Oliver messing with her memories. It was like a bunch of jigsaw pieces she was trying to piece together.

She didn’t know if he was dangerous to her sister or family, but she knew she didn’t trust him.

She should feel the same way about Oliver. Yet, whenever he was near, it was like watching an enormous tiger stalking you and all you could do was admire its beauty, knowing it was going to eat you.

And God damn, he did that well.

But she did trust him for some strange reason. He seemed to want her out of LA and back in Seattle to keep her safe. He wouldn’t elaborate and there was so much they weren’t telling each other.

In some ways, it felt like she was sleeping with the enemy, and yet she couldn’t stop.

“Sage, I would, but I’m in Los Angeles,” she replied. “For work. I’m on an assignment.”

Silence.

“Sage?”

“Oh, that’s great. What story are you working on?” Sage asked, her voice forced.

Of course. Oliver had told Ari, and he’d told Sage.

“But you knew that, right?” Piper shook her head. “What is going on, Sage? Who are these guys?”

“Piper, can you just come home, please?”

She frowned. “Are you in trouble? Forget all the shit between us, Sage. I’m your sister. I love you. If you’re in trouble, I’ll help you.”

She felt her emotions bubble up. She was so frustrated right now. Something was going on and Sage was acting incredibly out of character.

“No.”

“No? That hardly sounds convincing,” Piper ground out. “I think these guys are trouble. Maybe you haven’t connected the dots yet with Ari, but I’m following a lead and it’s pretty shocking. Just... maybe stay away from them for a few days and then I’ll tell you everything. Did you, er, go home?”

She didn’t want to confess to breaking into her home, so kept that question short and sweet.

More silence.

Fuck.

“I’ve moved in with Ari, Piper. Look, just come home and I will introduce you to him and you’ll see how much he loves me. I love him.”

What?

Sage had only met him a month ago, and their first time had been with another man. She’d read about it in Sage’s diary. Again, she wasn’t going to confess to knowing those details, but love ?

“Are you kidding me? You’ve known him five damn minutes!”

Was that a growl?

“Listen, sometimes you just know and with Ari, I knew almost immediately. He’s... okay God, don’t tell Mom I told you first, but he asked me to marry him.”

Piper shot to her feet.

No, no, no, no, no.

Really slowly, her blood pumping loudly in her ears, Piper had asked, “And what did you say?”

“Yes. I said yes. I love him, Pipe.” The use of her nickname filled her eyes.

“Oh, Sage.” Fear had spread through her body.

Something was very, very wrong about all of this. Maybe she did need to get home and see her sister. If this man was manipulating Sage, using her sister’s desire for love as a weapon, she was going to stop him.

“Please come home,” Sage repeated, and she was starting to sound just like Oliver

Piper shook her head.

Her world was spinning.

Vampires could be real, and her sister was marrying a man who was friends with Oliver, who had the ability to wipe her memories.

How?

She was going to do her best to find out.

“Why did you leave BioZen?” she had asked.

“Congratulations Sage, I’m so happy for you,” Sage said, mockingly. “Fuck’s sake Piper. Given our history I would think you could find five minutes to put aside your career goals to just be happy for me.”

Piper squeezed her eyes closed. “I am. If you love him, I am. Congratulations,” she had said, and a part of her meant it because doubt was creeping in as she heard the hurt in her sister’s voice. Perhaps she was wrong about all of this. “I’ll be home in a few days. I’ll try to make the dinner. I promise.”

“Try.”

“You can tell Mom and Dad on your own.”

God, their father would be thrilled. Successful Sage getting married and achieving another life goal. One that Piper hadn’t. It would be really fucking uncomfortable seeing the judgment in her father’s eyes.

Yet again.

“I want you there when I tell them,” Sage had said.

Piper had let out a long sigh. “Okay.”

She would just have to work fast in LA, and maybe seeing Ari again would change her mind.

So, while the conversation had gone quite differently from what she’d expected, she was happy her sister was alive and safe.

TWENTY MINUTES LATER , she stepped out of her hotel room and bumped straight into a huge chest.

“Going somewhere, gorgeous?”

“You gave me a heart attack.” She slapped one of Oliver’s pecs, mostly so she could cop a feel.

“Where are you off to?” he asked, holding the door open above her head with the palm of his hand and she shivered at the feel of him dominating her with his size.

“You look like shit,” she said.

He didn’t, but he looked tired around the eyes, as if he’d been awake all night.

“Headache. Now answer the question.”

Before she could say anything, he scooped her around the waist, picked her up, kicked the door wide open, and carried her inside.

“Oliver, put me down. I need to get lunch and head out to a meeting.” She squealed.

“Now we’re getting somewhere.” He placed her on her feet, smiling. “Where?”

She raised a brow. “I was thinking about the sandwich place on the corner. I fancy taco’s but—”

“Piper!”

“You are so growly.” She pouted but this time he raised his brows and crossed his arms, which just made his biceps bulge more out of the sleeves of the navy Hollister t-shirt he was wearing.

She swallowed.

“Like what you see?”

“Why are you so arrogant?” She huffed. “Look, I really have to go.”

She turned for the door and he gripped her hips, pulling her back to face him. “Uh, uh, princess. You’re staying right here.”

“That would be called kidnapping. So no. Let go, Oliver, I have a job to do.” She slapped at his hands.

His lips pressed together and he glared at her.

“Then tell me where you’re going. I want to know you’re safe. Address. Now.” His piercing blue stare was full of genuine concern, and she let out a sigh.

Fine.

It was not a bad idea for someone to know where she was going. Piper whipped out her phone and showed him.

“Why do you care? Is this about Ari and Sage?”

“What about them?” he asked, but his poker face wasn’t working on her this time. She wanted to ask if he knew about their engagement or where they had really gone on their holiday. She wanted some goddamn truth from someone.

But she knew she wasn’t getting it from Oliver.

“Nothing. I have to go, or I won’t have time to eat and I’m starving.” Piper let out a small sigh.

It wasn’t a lie. She was hungry.

A part of her, though, liked that he cared and even if there were other reasons behind it, she felt he genuinely did. She was going to hang on to that feeling.

“Who are you going to see? Who are the people at this address?” Oliver asked, taking her phone.

She snatched her phone back. “Jesus, Oliver, this is really overstepping the mark. You won’t tell me anything about who you are, and you expect me to tell you what I’m doing? Well sorry, but I’m not going to. This is my job.”

“What if something happens to you? For an intelligent woman you are being really stupid.” He took a step closer.

She fish-mouthed it for a bit.

How dare he?

“Nothing is going to happen to me. And I’m not stupid. This is what journalists do.” Piper slammed her hands on her hips.

He took another step toward her looking like the predatory tiger she’d envisaged earlier. She backed right into the wall and his hand slapped above her while those big eyes stared down at her.

“I have plans for us later tonight, so there better not be a scratch on you.” His voice was thick with promise.

Oh.

Heat roared through her already flushed body as her lips stretched into a smile. “Now that I can get on board with.”

His demanding mouth took hers and she knew she’d be changing her panties before she left the room again. Especially when his thigh pressed between hers. The hand above her dropped, cupping the back of her head, and their kiss deepened.

Gasping, they pulled apart.

“Fuck that, I can’t wait.” Oliver tugged her skirt up.

Thank God.

She ripped off her panties as he undid his jeans and tugged them down a little, then lifted her legs around him.

“Pull your breasts out,” he ordered.

Piper glanced down and noticed one of her buttons had come undone. Oliver nudged his cock at her entrance.

“Faster,” he growled as he pressed his swollen head inside her.

“Shit.” She tried to unbutton faster, but he reached between their bodies and ripped open her top. Then he tore at her bra. Both her breasts sprung free, and he stared at them like they were the seventh wonder of the world.

Piper was just about to smile when he sunk further inside her.

“Fuck.”

“God, I want all of you, all the fucking time,” he ground out, lifting her so he could suckle on a nipple.

“Fuck,” she cried out again.

She lost her goddamn mind when Oliver was near her. All her questions and concerns literally dissolved, and her body took over. He was the most dominant and demanding lover she’d ever had. In the most delicious but also scary way.

“Look at me while I fuck you, Piper. Eyes on me.” His hands gripped her ass, and he began to pound into her. “I want to eat your pussy, but I know you don’t have time.”

Suddenly, she wasn’t in such a hurry after all. He grinned at her as if he could read her mind. She went to smile back, but his cock hit the spot. The spot, and her body roared.

“Oli, fuckfuckfuckfuck.”

“Jeeesus, Piper. Your pussy is so damn tight.” He cried out and his cum poured into her.

Oliver staggered to the sofa, sat while keeping her on his lap, then leaned his head back against the cushions. She collapsed on his chest while his thumb rubbed circles on her hips.

“Can you just stay here, and we do this for a few hours?” he asked, not lifting his head.

Tempting, very, very tempting.

She sat up.

“I wouldn’t survive. Are you trying to kill me?”

“No, you pain in the ass. I’m trying to keep you alive.”