Chapter 19

19

Cutter

Morning.

In typical Piper fashion she's in her own little place in the bed. She's curled up, facing away from me, yet I can't help but stare at her bare right shoulder poking out of the covers.

Last night.

I lean across the bed and lower my lips down to her shoulder.

Just a barely even touching kiss.

Then I slip out of the bed.

I find my boxers on the floor and put them on.

My jeans? They're still out on the deck, probably glistening with morning dew right now.

That's part of… last night.

I exit the bedroom, make a quick stop to the bathroom, wash my hands, throw some cold water on my face, and realize that I'm smiling.

Down in the kitchen I make coffee, making more than I normally would.

Because Piper is here.

Piper stayed the night.

Last night…

The coffee drips slowly.

I feel myself daze off.

I know I'm going to do it.

My mind slips right back to last night.

Take me from behind?

Fuck, sweetie. Just… fuck.

I do as she needs. But I have my own way of doing it too.

That's why I make her stand up. That's why I play with her breasts. That's why I slide my left fingers down to her clit and tease.

She reaches back and grabs for my hips. Then my legs.

She starts to finish again.

The look on her face tells me plenty. Things I'll never bring up to her.

First, she's never been fucked outside. That we all know.

There's more.

She's never been fucked standing up. She's never orgasmed this way either.

Her hips start to drive in all directions.

I follow the movement, which has me stepping back, my arms now wrapped around Piper's body…

I find a chair and sit down.

Piper on my lap.

Piper riding my cock.

The coffee is done and I put two mugs on the counter.

It's been a long time since I've had two coffee mugs on a counter in the morning.

Last night.

Still driving me crazy.

Her hips. My goodness.

Her hands grabbing the arms of the chair.

Her hips…

I'll finish my thoughts of last night with this…

She sits on me, my cock throbbing. She puts her head back against my shoulder. We just sit there, both of us breathing heavily, both of us staring up at the night sky.

All those stars…

I find myself turning my head a little. I smell Piper's hair. Her skin. She's shivering.

My hands touch the backs of her legs and I move toward her ass.

I lift her up and she groans. Loud.

I stand up and move her as need be so she's cradled up in my arms.

That's the night.

I carry Piper into the house and upstairs to the bedroom.

I place her down on the bed and join her.

She rests her head on my chest.

Something tells me she's not the type to really cuddle all night long. That would require her to be a little extra vulnerable.

Piper is predictable yet surprising.

And here I am…

I can't get enough of her.

I'm standing at the exact spot on the railing where I sat Piper last night.

I hear a little noise from inside the house and I look over my shoulder.

I see glimpses of her head in the window as she's awake and in the kitchen.

My hands tighten their grip around the coffee mug. Hard enough that I have to remind myself not to break the mug.

Piper appears at the glass door and slides it open.

You want to talk about heaven right now?

She's wearing my t-shirt.

The sleeves go down to her elbows. The bottom of the shirt flirts with her knees. I know for sure she's naked under the shirt too.

"Hope you don't mind I stole your shirt," she says.

"Looks better on you anyway," I say.

Piper rolls her eyes.

She then looks at the bedsheet on the deck.

I move from the railing, walk to the top step and sit down.

"Join me, sweetie," I say to her.

I watch Piper walk toward me. I can't help it.

Her messy hair. Sex and sleep.

The way she looks in the morning. The natural tone of her skin. How can someone look this beautiful right after waking up?

She sits down and my t-shirt slides up her legs a little.

She smells like herself and like me.

My mind can't stop thinking about last night again.

"Nice out here in the morning," I say.

"Very," Piper says. "Peaceful. I don't get that so much at home."

"Well, you have a good reason."

"Not what you think. I'm talking about Maryanne. She wakes up with the birds. Literally."

"What's with her?"

"She's a good person. She just really loves birds. Her and those damn binoculars too. But you know what? She pays her rent early. She doesn't cause any problems for me. And if I'm ever in a pinch with Saxon she's usually there."

"Yeah, I couldn't imagine the stress of chasing someone around for rent money. Especially if it was you. You're scary."

"Shut up," she says with a prideful smile.

"I'm serious. It's a badass move, Piper. You own the house. Rent out half."

"I saw an opportunity and took it. That's how life goes sometimes."

"Well, it's damn impressive, sweetie."

"Why, because I'm a woman?"

"No," I shake my head. "You just have a way to keep pushing forward in life. Some people can't do that. And you do."

"So you've gotten into my panties multiple times and you still talk like this?"

"It's not all about sex, Piper."

She laughs. "So you're just the nicest guy in the world?"

"Far from it."

I sip my coffee.

She sips her coffee.

"Did you have a backup plan, Cutter? I mean, for baseball… what if it didn't work out?"

"Truthfully?" I look at Piper. "And this isn't some heartfelt quote. I had nothing but baseball. My mother was a single mother. Never knew my father. She busted her ass to keep things afloat. My only dream was to make a ton of money and spoil her. I wanted to sign that big contract, then take her to a car dealership and let her buy anything she wanted. I wanted her to pick out a house, no matter the size, and I would buy it. Clothes. Jewelry. Vacations. Anything she wanted."

"Well, you did sign a big contract," Piper says with a small smirk.

I take a slow breath. "My mother never saw it happen, Piper. She passed away when I was twenty."

Piper's face drops. Her eyes well with tears. She covers her mouth with her free hand.

She shakes her head.

"She hadn't been feeling all that great for a while but hid it. By the time she was forced to go to the hospital, it was too late. She had a heart issue. I'm not sure if she had caught it earlier if it would have mattered. I try not to think about it, you know? I don't want to imagine things being different because it would just piss me off."

"Cutter…"

I inch toward her and bump my shoulder into her. "Hey, don't do that. I hate when people do that to me. Make that face. It's why I'm considered to be such an asshole in baseball. I don't do interviews and articles because everyone wants to write about it. If I want someone to know about my mother, I'll tell them myself."

"It's mean," Piper says.

"What is? Me?"

"No. Not you. The situation. How does that happen? She raised you and…"

"The last thing she said to me, Piper? She said she was happy. She wasn't afraid to die because she got to raise me. She knew I would be okay. She knew I would play baseball and chase my dream. That's all she ever wanted. To her, she fulfilled her life's goals."

Piper looks forward and exhales. She pinches the bridge of her nose.

I can't believe how emotional she is right now.

I touch her back with my left hand. "You're like her in some ways, Piper. Fierce. Stubborn. You love your son with all your heart and soul. You'll do anything for him."

"It's not easy though," she whispers. "This whole thing is hard. And I'm angry about it, Cutter."

"Angry about what?"

"I can't…"

"Can't, what? Tell me about your messy life?"

"I was the star swimmer and Hunter was the star football player. The big tight end. I was destined to travel the world and swim, win gold medals and end up on cereal boxes. I didn't have the best upbringing in so many ways. My parents didn't like each other. They stuck together for money reasons. They actually live out in California now and really aren't interested in being involved in my life or Saxon's."

"That's awful, Piper."

"Is it? They aren't good people. I'm not sure having my son near them would be good anyway. I was kind of a meal ticket for them. They were chomping for me to get deals and medals and make them money. So when I got pregnant with Saxon, it all changed. It all went to hell when I made it very clear I was keeping the baby."

"They didn't want you to?"

"It was the most my mother visited me," Piper says. "A couple times a week for months. Setting up appointments. Begging me. Telling me I needed to do this. She finally exploded one time and told me I was ruining my life and she could not watch it."

I make a mental note that I hate Piper's parents. Never met them. No clue what they look like. But I hate them.

"I thought I had Hunter in this. Now when I think back on it, he was never there. I would go to him for comfort. He was just there. You know?"

Piper looks at me. She sips her coffee.

"I won't ask any questions, sweetie. You can keep talking if you feel like it."

"Don't know what else to say, Cutter. The thought never crossed my mind when I was pregnant. I was terrified. Hunter finally told me the truth. He was out. Done. Wanted nothing to do with me. Or the baby. He wanted to go pro. Focus on his football career. He promised me all kinds of money. In other words, he was going off to find himself, get rich, and then come back."

"In other words, he wanted to fuck other women."

"Exactly. Karma kind of bit him in the ass though. Not that I should be happy about it but… first day of a pro training camp and he messed up his knee. He tore everything. A really rare kind of thing to have happen. He never played football again after that. By then I had given birth to Saxon. I was figuring out how to survive on my own. Working any job I could find. Putting money away. Taking care of Saxon. Then Hunter started to snoop around again. That didn't work for me. First time he showed up, I kicked him in the balls."

"Good for you."

"It was hard, Cutter. I don't know what kind of person Hunter would have been at that time. But I see it now. He sees Saxon once a week. That's it. Saxon understands more than he lets on. It's a hard thing to watch. But I have to stay calm and let it play out. I would never keep Saxon from his father. So that's that. I never got back with Hunter. Never even so much as kissed Hunter. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like. But I'm good. I worked, saved, rented an apartment and took care of myself and my son. The guy who owned that building actually helped me buy the house I'm in now. He told me to buy the duplex and rent out the other half. That was scary to do. I made it work. I still make it work."

"And you swim when you can, huh? But nothing professional?"

"At my age?" Piper laughs. "That's cute, Cutter. I think you and I both know how the athletic world works. You're ancient when you're in your thirties."

"Tell me about it," I say. "These young ballplayers come in and they're talking about analytics and algorithms and stuff like that. They have launch angles and statistics. I'm over here just swinging the bat."

"What comes after baseball?" Piper asks.

I smile. "Maybe I buy this house and park it here for good. What do you think of that?"

Piper lets out a nervous laugh and suddenly hands me her coffee mug. "I actually need to go, Cutter."

"What?"

"Yeah. I have to get home and stuff. Need to check on Saxon."

She jumps up and starts practically running across the deck.

I put both coffee mugs down and chase after her.

Piper is on the move. She finds her clothes and grabs her bag and then stands in the hallway upstairs as I block the steps.

"I could get changed quick," she says.

"Keep the shirt, sweetie. Stay for a little bit longer. I can make some breakfast. Or order something."

"No."

"Did I say something? Was it when I-"

"Cutter, if you don't move I will push you down the stairs."

I step to the side and Piper rushes to the steps and down them.

She's… gone…

By the time I slowly walk down to the first floor and look out the front door, her car is no longer there.

I wander through the house to the back deck.

I scoop up the sheet she wore last night.

I ball it up and actually smell it.

Sure enough it smells like Piper's sweet skin.

My eyes glance down at the two coffee mugs sitting near the steps.

Good job, Cutter. You scared her away. Telling her you're going to retire and move here?

"Fuck," I growl.

I walk to the coffee mugs and kick them off the deck, one at a time.

My right foot is covered in coffee.

I smell the sheet again.

I miss Piper already… oh, fuck.