Page 78 of When You Became Mine

I pushed my hand through my hair. That wasn’t what I had in mind, but it wasn’t a bad idea. And it was something I could easily do. I shook my head. “What do you think it is that I actually do?”

“I don’t know. You build firewalls and stare at computer screens all day.” She shrugged and then blew her noise noisily into a tissue before dropping it on the floor.

“Yes, I build firewalls and stare at computer screens all day. But I do it for the Federal Government.” Her eyes widened, but I continued without giving her a chance to speak. “So, if I can’t fix it, I guarantee I know someone who can.”

I racked my brain, thinking of all the guys I knew, and who would have any sort of influence over this sort of thing.

“I don’t know where to even start,” she lamented. “I tried calling the Board, but no one would answer any of my questions. They said I needed to hire an attorney.” Her voice wobbled as she finished her sentence and I knew she was dangerously close to dissolving into tears again.

I cupped her face in my hands and brought it to my own. Our noses were nearly touching when I promised her, “I will fix this for you.”

Her bottom lip quivered as she said on a sigh, “Okay, Lawson. If you say you can take care of it, then I trust you.”

As the last word left her lips I crushed mine to them. It had been four months since I’d felt them and I couldn’

t wait another second. The moment they touched, she pushed into my lap, wrapping her limbs around my body and holding on tight.

I didn’t kiss her hard, but soft and slow, relishing the slide of her tongue against mine and the weight of her in my lap. It had been too long since I’d held her, too long since I’d tasted her, too long since I’d lost myself in her. And despite how desperately I wanted to feel her soft skin pressed against mine, I knew that was the last thing she needed right now.

When she pulled away, my lips burned at the loss of hers. She sighed and settled her head into the crook of my neck.

“I wanted to come home every day I was there.” She laughed bitterly. “I guess I should be careful what I wish for, huh?”

I rubbed lazy circles on her back, burying my nose in her hair, inhaling the scent of lavender that was uniquely her. “I missed the way you smell,” I murmured, my hand stilling on her back.

“I missed the feel of your hands on me,” she whispered. “Don’t stop.”

I resumed my slow rub and asked, “When did you get the letter?”

She hiccupped. “Yesterday.”

“Why didn’t you call me?”

She lifted her head to look at me. Her face was still puffy, but she offered a feeble smile. “I read the letter. Then I read it again. After the third time, all I could think was that I couldn’t be alone. I needed you. My brain just shut down from everything else, except for you. I was like a robot: pack a bag, book a flight, call a cab, get to you. In all honesty, the thought of calling you never even crossed my mind. I just needed to be with you.”

The utter sadness in her eyes punched me so hard in the stomach it nearly knocked the wind out of me. I promised her again, “I am going to take care of this. I swear to God, you’ll be back in Philadelphia before you know it.”

Piper climbed off my lap. “I need a shower.”

“Why don’t you go clean up and I’ll order something for dinner?”

She nodded. “Then you can tell me what exactly it is you do for the government. And why you never told me.”

We both stood and I pulled her into my side. “It’s a deal.” I pressed my lips to the top of her head. “I’m sorry you’re home under these circumstances. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t really fucking happy to see you.”

Her arm around my waist flexed and as she squeezed, she whispered, “Me too. Me fucking too, Lawson.”

33

Piper

“This is bullshit!” Hampton shouted as he pushed through the front door the following morning, not bothering to knock.

“I don’t think you should just walk right in like that,” Smith said dryly, sauntering in behind him.

Hampton didn’t even acknowledge his husband’s comment, just continued to barrel through the living room. “Piper!”

“In here,” I shouted weakly in response. I didn’t have the strength to raise my voice much above a whisper, my throat raw from the tears I’d spent the night before shedding.

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