5. Piper

Piper

I walked out of the bathroom and looked around the very dark, very quiet warehouse.

“Hello!” I called out, but there was nothing. Not a sound. Oh god. I swallowed. I could deal with a lot. When we had a mouse in our rental and it freaked out both Allie and Win, it was me who caught it. Not to mention about a million spiders I’d had to rehome. Not much fazed me. But the dark? That I wasn’t a fan of, and double that if I was in the dark all alone. I heard a rustling toward my booth.

My back hit the wall by the bathroom. Had everyone seriously left? Without checking if everyone was gone!? To be fair, I had seen Matty and Brady, the two head organizers and owners of the fair by the huge back doors saying goodbye to vendors as they walked by. They had said goodbye to me, but I’d turned back around when Mother Nature called. I didn’t want to risk it. Last time I did that, my bladder had almost exploded in the middle of bumper-to-bumper traffic.

But they’d seen me!

I mean, I was almost positive they had. Didn’t they?

“Obviously, that’s a negative, Batman,” I mumbled to myself. With a deep breath, I started to make my way to my booth. I was pretty sure I’d left my phone on the table. Anxiety and fear started to trickle their way up my spine. I hated being stuck in the dark! Why couldn’t I have kept my phone attached to me like everyone else in the world?!

No. I would just call someone. I was pretty sure I had the organizers’ number saved in my phone. Or maybe I could search it online? Maybe Matty and Brady hadn’t gone too far? Or maybe they had a security team that drove around who could open the door and let me out?

I reached my table, frowning when nothing was on it. Shit, where did I leave my phone? I shut my eyes for a split second and stopped in my tracks. The box from which I’d pulled the cardigan out for Hugo’s sister. I’d tossed it in there when I took the empty boxes back so I could restock over the next two days. My eyes opened, and I was surprised at how quickly my vision had adjusted to the darkness.

Not a moment later, my heart felt like it leaped into my throat. A big dark shadow cast behind me. Everything in my body, from the top of my head to the soles of my feet, locked up tightly.

“It’s me.” Hugo’s rich voice made my body sag with relief. Before I knew what I was doing, I’d turned around and launched myself at him. Thankfully, he didn’t seem too surprised by my reaction. His long muscular arms simply wrapped their way around me, holding me close.

“I thought I was stuck here all alone!” I shrieked. Thankfully, my words were muffled against his chest. I hoped he didn’t think I was some kind of dramatic crazy woman!

“Shh,” he soothed as his big warm hand stroked the back of my head. “It’s okay. Everything’s ok,” he reassured me. His scent filled my lungs and settled deep inside me. I didn’t want to move, but I knew there was no way I could cling to him like a second skin any longer. It was bad enough I’d embarrassed myself already. He must think I’m such a scaredy cat. I pulled my cheek off his warm chest and glanced up at him.

“I’m usually not this easily freaked out,” I blurted with an overwhelming need to explain. “You have spiders to catch or a rodent, even a frog, I’m your girl?—"

“Pipe—"

“But the dark?” I licked my lips and felt the heat in his gaze shoot right through me. “I’m not good with the dark. I’ve never been. Not since…” My voice dropped off to nothing. Shame hit my cheeks at the memory I’d never shared. Not with anyone. Not even Allie.

“Since what?” His hand rose and cupped the side of my face with a tender touch so gentle and sweet it took my breath away. Who knew a biker like him could have that in him?

“Since I was little.” I swallowed hard. “I’m what you would call the black sheep of my family.” He grunted but didn’t remove his hand. I had no idea why I was telling him this. But I was. And I knew nothing was going to stop me. When I leaned into his touch, the pad of his thumb stroked the apple of my cheek. How could I feel so safe with a man in the darkness I dreaded? A man I hardly knew and a little while ago would have sworn would push me away if I tried to hug him.

“I got in a fight with my sister, and my parents decided to punish me.” His thumb stilled and his body grew taut. “They didn’t hit me or anything. But… they sent me down to the basement. They knew I hated it down there.” I glanced up at him. His eyes were pinned on me. The intensity was overwhelming, but in the best way possible.

“What happened, little one?”

“We had a blackout, and the door jammed. I was stuck there all night. I hated it. Every shadow and sound.” I shivered, and his other hand stroked my back.

“All night?” His eyes widened. “Your dad didn’t rip the door off its hinges?” I shook my head “Why?” he asked, not hiding the disgust in his face.

“They forgot about me,” I whispered into the darkness. “They forgot they had sent me down there and didn’t remember until the morning.” Hugo shocked me by pulling me into his front and wrapping his arms around me, caging me in the warm safety of his embrace.

“Fucking hell, princess,” he muttered on top of my curls. “How the hell is that even possible?” he rasped. I shrugged, blinking away the tears. Even years later, I tried to justify their actions. Leaving a six-year-old all alone in a drafty, ugly, dusty dark basement? All because they wouldn’t dare mess with the structural integrity of their beloved historical home. Forgetting me? Am I that forgettable? Unlovable?

“I’d have killed them,” he rumbled. It made my lips tip up. There was something overwhelmingly sweet about his sentiment. Almost overprotective. Possessive. You wish . I reminded myself of his interaction with Nicole compared to how he dealt with me. “I’m so sorry for being a weenie.” I forced myself to pull away from his embrace to glance up at him.

“I totally invaded your personal bubble,” I sheepishly brought up.

“You can invade my space anytime, princess.”

“Princess?” I repeated with a soft smile before shaking my head. “I don’t think anyone’s ever called me that.” It was true. Not one of my boyfriends or anyone in my life had ever given me a nickname that wasn’t somehow a shortened version of my name.

“Good. That means it’s special, which it’s meant to be,” he answered without missing a beat. My heart fluttered in my chest, along with an acrobatic team of butterflies that started to fly in unison deep in my belly.

“Hugo—“

“I think you picked up on the fact we got stranded here together?” He clearly wanted to change the subject.

“Yeah.” I nodded. “Are the doors locked?” I asked.

“I’m not sure.” I nodded, pulling back, a little sad that he let me go. “We should go check. If not, do you have your phone?” he asked, and I shook my head.

“No. I was about to ask you if you had yours,” I admitted. “I left mine in a storage box in the car.”

“I left mine in the truck. I came back for this.” He pulled a sheet of paper from his pocket.

“Inventory list?” I guessed, and his gaze softened.

“Yeah, baby.” Yeah, baby. Whoosh! My belly didn’t know what to do with itself! First princess, now baby?

“I had to use the bathroom,” I shared way too much and winced. “I mean…”

“Hey,” he stopped me. He didn’t even chuckle. “We all have to go.” He simply winked, taking a step back, and as he did, his hand found mine, tangling our fingers together like he had done it a million times. My eyes dropped to where we were connected, and I had to bite the inside of my lip instead of pinching myself. I liked him holding my hand. His much tanner skin contrasted with my pale one.

“Let’s go see if the doors are locked, and if they’re not, how about we go get dinner? My treat.”

“I’d love that.” I probably agreed too easily when I smiled.

I wasn’t sure if I was hoping we would be stuck together for the next two days or if the doors were unlocked. Either way, it seemed like Santa got to me early this year because the idea of spending more time with the giant rugged biker was suddenly on the top of my wish list.