Jeremiah_Casanova Club 6 by Ali Parker

Author:Ali Parker [Parker, Ali]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: BrixBaxter Publishing

Chapter 14

Jeremiah

The outside fire on my patio flickered behind the frosted glass as Piper came out and joined me. She had a cup of tea in hand, as well as a blanket from my sofa, and she dropped down into the spot beside me to throw her legs over my lap and cover us with the blanket.

Everything with her felt so comfortable. Easy. Right.

Like we’d been doing it for months already.

Her feet were bare, and I squeezed her ankles as the fire made her red lacquer polish shine. Outside the ring of light cast by the fire and the light at our backs above my patio door, all around us was nothing but darkness and silence.

“You said you called your friend tonight?”

Piper nodded. “Before I showered. It was nice to hear her voice.”

“Are you homesick?”

Piper gazed at the flames as they licked the inside of the glass. The orange light danced across her cheeks and nose and painted her dark eyes amber. “Sometimes. It comes in waves.”

There were other questions I wanted to ask but dared not speak aloud.

Were you more homesick with the other men?

Did they even care?

Did you share quiet moments like these with them?

Were they lucky enough to have you in their bed?

Do you still crave their touch?

If so, do you long for it more than mine?

Piper shifted and drew her knees up so that her heels rested against the outside of my thigh. She tore her gaze from the fire and rested her heavy eyes upon me. “What about you? Where is your family?”

I picked at the edge of the blanket over our laps and contended with my answer. It was never a pleasant conversation and one I intentionally tried to avoid for as long as I could. But it looked like now was the time to bare the parts of my soul I preferred to keep locked away.

“I don’t have any family.”

Piper cocked her head to the side with curiosity she was likely to regret in the next five or so minutes. “None?”

“None.”

She put her hand over mine. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It was a long time ago.”

“Can I ask what happened?” All of her attention was on me.

“It’s not a happy story.”

“One that ends with no family ever is.” Piper shifted so that she was even closer to me, caging me in beneath her legs. Then she reached up and rested a hand on my chest. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I understand. We can talk about something else.”

I closed my hand over hers. “No, I want you to know.”

“Take your time.”

The hardest part was always figuring out how to start. How to get the ball rolling. Once I started talking, I knew the words would come. It was just starting that always seemed to kick me in the groin.

“I was young,” I said. Piper perched her elbow on the back of the sofa and rested her cheek in her palm as she listened. “Fourteen. Old enough to grasp the severity of the situation but too young to cope with it.

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