In Bed with His Rival
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Katherine Garbera
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One
Piper Holloway loved a wedding. Who didn’t? They were joyous events.
Her niece Harley and Grant Everett had waited a long time for their happily ever after. Piper didn’t begrudge them their wedded bliss, but a part of her wished she wasn’t going stag to all of their festivities.
These happy-couple kind of events always made her reevaluate her life choices, even though she was perfectly content as a single woman. She had her art, which was way more reliable than a man, and a thriving—well previously thriving—business. Though she had never had any stake in Wingate Enterprises, many people suspected she might be part of its allegedly shady business dealings, and her clientele was down recently.
But none of that mattered. She was here to celebrate her niece’s wedding day and support her sister, Ava, who’d recently gone through a really tough decision to move out of Keith’s house and set up her own residence. Standing on her own after the death of her husband had been a struggle for Ava and she’d leaned on her good friend Keith until she’d realized he wanted a romantic relationship with her. Now, they all needed a fun day.
It was a gorgeous November Saturday in Royal, Texas. As much as Piper loved living in Dallas, there were times when she truly missed Royal, though she had been home a lot recently as her sister and family navigated their way through their business scandal. Of course, she didn’t miss the gossips who’d been making her family’s life a living hell since the drug-trafficking scandal had broken.
All of the Wingate assets had been frozen and their home seized. Harley wasn’t able to be married on the Wingate estate, which Piper knew had been a dream of hers. But Grant’s family’s ranch was perfect for the small wedding celebration. It was mainly family and friends—those who had stuck by the Wingates and Holloways through thick and thin.
The Everett ranch was large and sprawling, and the grounds were decked out for the wedding, which had been beautiful. Harley was big into the environment and her choice of venue reflected that. Therefore, it seemed apt that she and Grant had decided to be married in the old barn, which had been decorated under the supervision of her older sister, Beth. The chairs were lined up, and despite the fact that the Wingates were no longer the favored family in Royal, there was a nice intimate group of attendees.
Everyone was happy that “Uncle” Keith wasn’t in attendance today, mainly because of how that would have affected Ava. Piper’s sister was still dealing with the heartbreak of losing her beloved husband a little over a two years ago and no one had approved of Keith’s interest in her. Piper had kept her mouth shut because she didn’t like to fight with Ava, especially over men, but it had seemed to her that Keith had been a little too overprotective of Ava. Her spunky sister had become a shell of the woman she had once been.
Right now Ava looked gorgeous in her mother-of-the-bride dress, but she seemed tired and thinly drawn. Moving out of Keith’s house had only been the first step to Ava taking back her own life. Piper thought that Ava was finally getting past the crippling grief. Though Piper would never say it to her, the events of the last few months had certainly taken a toll on the Wingate matriarch. Ava was nineteen years older, and Piper had always craved her sister’s attention and approval.
“What’s that you’re wearing?” Ava asked, coming up behind her. “Even though the wedding is small, you could have made more of an effort.”
Piper turned to face her sister, biting her tongue as she always did. Ava was in a mood and Piper was giving her a little leeway, given that she’d lost her home, her husband and was on the verge of losing her company, as well.
“It’s a designer Grecian gown,” Piper said, air kissing her sister’s cheeks. “I thought it would be perfect for this occasion and when I texted Harley, she said it was fine. Have you heard any news on the investigation?”
“No. I believe Miles is getting closer but there is still nothing but rumors,” Ava replied.
“Do they have any suspects?” Piper asked. She wasn’t too close to the business side of things, but she knew that Ava was trying to get back into running the company so she would have something to do. But now, with the precarious state of affairs, those plans were up in the air.
“Yes, but I can’t really share that with you,” Ava told her in a terse tone. “I know you’ve never been married, but this really isn’t the kind of conversation anyone wants to overhear on their wedding day.”
“Of course, Ava. I see Zeke and Reagan waving me over. I’ll catch up with you later. I’m sure you need to circulate as the mother of the bride, especially since Trent is not here.”
Trent Wingate’s death had left a hole in all of their lives, and Piper knew that Harley missed her beloved father terribly. She’d escaped to Thailand to start her own business, which was thriving now.
Piper knew her words hadn’t been nice, but her sister had a way of making her react like a...bitch. She turned, thinking she should apologize, but Ava had already moved away. There were times when she wondered if anyone could melt the ice around her sister’s heart. Piper didn’t want to impose on her nephew and his new wife, so she drifted toward the bar.
“Buy you a drink?” a man asked. His voice was dark, sexy and straight out of dreams that she channeled into her art.
She turned to see Brian Cooper standing behind her. He was tall, over six feet, and had thick, close-cut black hair that made his face seem all strong, masculine angles. He had an easy smile and his eyes beamed with intelligence. He’d asked her to coffee more than once and she’d always said no.
He ticked a lot of her boxes. Whip smart with oodles of charisma...and the innate ability to make her forget things that she shouldn’t. She really believed in the adage older and wiser. Which was why she had decided to stay away from him.
But it wasn’t just the age difference—she was nearly eleven years older—but also the fact that he was Keith Cooper’s nephew. Keith had gone from being a family friend to Ava’s overprotective friend, and that complicated things. Piper preferred to keep things simple. It just was easier.
“It’s an open bar,” she pointed out.
He waggled his eyebrows at her. “I know. Figured this way you wouldn’t say no.”
He was effortlessly charming with the kind of square jaw and impish grin that made her pulse beat a little bit faster. She’d tried to be subtle when she turned him down, but as she’d already observed, Brian was a very smart man. “I’d love tequila straight. But Ava would have a fit if I had one, so sauvignon blanc please.”
“Do you always do what Ava wants?” he asked. “She has so much power over everyone in her circle.”
“Even your uncle,” she pointed out. Keith had been rumored to be taking Ava’s decision to distance herself from him without grace.
“Yeah, I guess. I don’t really see that much of him normally. I have been busy opening my own law firm in Dallas,” he said, then he groaned. “Did I really just say that out loud?”
She had to laugh at the way he said it. “Yes, you did.”
“I wasn’t bragging. I was just trying—”
“It’s okay. What do you want to drink?” she asked as they moved forward and were next in line at the bar.
“Grey Goose on the rocks,” he said.
“Damn. Now I’m beginning to rethink my promise to be classy and have white wine,” she lamented.
“Why not just be yourself and have what you want?” he asked. “But then again, I’m not related to Ava Wingate...”
Piper appreciated Brian’s acknowledgement of that, and yet at the same time, he reminded her that it had been far too long since she’d just let go and been herself. That thought was at the top of her mind as she stepped forward and ordered their drinks, getting the tequila for herself.
She turned to Brian and handed him his glass as they walked away from the bar toward the side of the dance floor. The band was playing and couples moved to the music, but they stood far enough away that they could still hear each other.
“I think I am a bad influence,” Brian remarked. “But I don’t regret it. Cheers.”
“Cheers,” Piper said, clinking her glass to his. Although she didn’t comment on his admission, she had to admit the tequila tasted way better than a glass of wine would have. And truth be told? She felt like herself instead of the perfect sister she tried to be every time she arrived back in Royal. Piper hated that she was forty and still trying to get Ava’s approval.
“You just reminded me it’s okay to have fun,” she said. “I am a little disappointed that I needed that, but I’m glad you did.”
Brian enjoyed the vodka but sipped it slowly. It seemed like forever, but in reality, it had only been a few months since he’d first noticed Piper Holloway. She had a cool, funky aura and of course she was so damned hot. He wanted her. She plagued his dreams and left him waking up with a hard-on, and if he was being honest, he’d thought he was way past those days.
He’d asked other women out and taken them home, but no one could satisfy that Piper-sized ache in his gut. He was pretty sure it was just lust and the more she turned him down, the more determined he was to have her.
Possibly he was wrong and the sizzle between them would fade out after they had a drink. His intuition said that would never happen and it rarely steered him wrong. But Piper had been pretty hard to reel in, no matter what he tried.
Was it pride?
He hoped it was something more than that, but as he stood next to her sipping vodka and finally having the conversation he wanted, he didn’t care.
They really didn’t have much in common—after all, she was a free-spirted artist and he was a high-powered family law attorney—but there was something to be said about opposites attracting...
His eyes slowly drifted over her again.
Piper had a creative vibe, from the way she wore her hair—this month colored dark brown—in an angled bob that was longer in the front than the back, to her Grecian-styled gown in a vibrant sapphire color with a plunging neckline that revealed the inner curves of her luscious breasts.
She was tall, at least five-seven, but she wore heels, giving herself another couple of inches and making it so they came eye to eye. He watched as she savored the tequila, closing her eyes when she took a sip. There was something wildly erotic about the way she drank it, and he knew he needed to play it cool, but he couldn’t help but think of throwing back shots with her alone in his place.
God, he could picture her standing next to him in nothing. Hell...just the thought made him rock hard. Earthy and sensual, a bona fide modern goddess, and even though his family and hers had grown apart, he couldn’t care less.
“I stopped by your gallery a few weeks ago but you weren’t there,” Brian said, realizing he needed to up his game around this woman. First, he’d sounded like a braggart talking about his law firm and now this clumsy conversational gambit.
“I was out of town,” she replied. “I didn’t know you were coming by.”
“Of course... I guess I should have called first.”
“That’s always a good idea,” she said.
“But you haven’t always been receptive to meeting me,” he reminded her. “I did ask you out for coffee at Zeke’s.”
She flushed and tipped her head to the side. “To be honest, I wasn’t sure of you. I don’t really like the influence Keith had over my sister after Trent’s death. I wasn’t sure you weren’t the same kind of man.”
That was a blow, but not unexpected. She was cautious and he guessed he didn’t blame her. While their families weren’t the Capulets and the Montagues, they also weren’t close as they’d once been, before Trent’s death. Brian’s friendship with Zeke had made him aware that Ava’s family wasn’t overly fond of his uncle. And in all honesty, he had thought it a little unseemly how quickly Keith had moved in on Ava after Trent’s death. But Ava had seemed to need someone to lean on.
“Fair enough. I’m not my uncle, but I can understand where you are coming from,” he said.
“Thanks,” she said dryly.
He groaned and realized he either needed more vodka or just to stop talking. The music changed to one of those group dances, the Electric Slide, and Piper looked over at him. “I love this song. Want to dance?”
“I can’t dance,” he confessed.
“Catch you later then,” she said, handing him her empty tequila glass and making her way out onto the dance floor. He stood there, watching her move. There was a smile on her face that lit up the entire room. She moved with lithe, graceful steps, holding the hand of her great-nephew, Daniel, and showing him the moves.
“Dude, why are you standing here instead of dancing with the woman you’ve been trying to get with for months?” Zeke asked him.
“I can’t dance,” he repeated to his friend. “It’s a disaster and I pretty much haven’t been very articulate with Piper tonight, so I don’t think I need another strike against me.”
His friend just shook his head. “The Electric Slide isn’t my thing either, but if your lady wants to be on the dance floor, then that’s where you should be.”
“She’s not my lady,” Brian grumbled.
“She never will be if you stand here like a doofus,” Zeke pointed out. He left to find Reagan, and a few minutes later Brian saw the two of them dancing along with everyone else.
Brian had never let anything stand in the way of what he wanted and he certainly wasn’t about to be defeated by this dance. He finished his vodka in one long swallow, put the empty glasses on the tray of a passing waiter and went for it.
He joined the group on the dance floor next to Daniel. “Hey, can you help me figure this out?”
“Sure can,” the four-year-old said. Then Daniel started calling out the steps, and to Brian’s surprise, it was actually fun.
Piper looked over at him, laughing when he and Daniel went the wrong way and almost crashed into the line behind them. Finally, the music ended, and Brian stooped down to thank Daniel. The little boy was very happy that he had a starring role in the day’s events as his parents had been married. He looked adorable in his tux, cowboy boots and Stetson.
“You really helped me out. I owe you, buddy,” Brian said.
“I like jelly beans,” Daniel returned with a grin.
“I’ll remember that.” The music changed to a slower song, and Brian looked over at Piper. “Dance with me?”
“I’d say no, but you really put yourself out there with the Slide,” she said, taking his hand and coming into his arms.
A tingle went through him, and his blood seemed to run heavier in his veins. More than anything, he wanted to take her back to his place here in Royal, but that felt like it might be too fast for this woman who he’d barely been able to get to have a drink with him. Was he coming on too strong? Hell, he didn’t know another way to be when he wanted something.
And he definitely wanted Piper in his bed.
But if he’d learned anything from this woman today, it was that she was skittish.
Building trust took time, and Brian had never been long on patience, but for Piper he was willing to be. He wanted to explore his attraction for her and wouldn’t let anything stand in his way.
And the attraction that burned between the two of them might be setting him on fire but he wanted to stoke the flames, not just let it go wild and leave nothing but ashes and smoke.
Piper wanted to pretend that she wasn’t interested in Brian Cooper, but after spending some time on the dance floor in his arms she knew that was a lie. The large tent that had been erected in the yard of the Everett ranch had sparkling lights draped around the interior and large portable heaters dotted around the area to keep the November chill away. The reception was full of people she’d known her entire life, but after the scandal that her family had been through lately, Piper realized these were the people who mattered. The ones who’d stood by the Wingates and hadn’t abandoned them.
Brian was one of those men. He’d helped Zeke and Reagan out—her nephew had told her how much it had meant to them. And, of course, there was this crazy sexual attraction between her and Brian. It had been there since the moment they’d met but she’d done her best to ignore it. That kind of passion she reserved for her art. It was safer that way. She just had never been an all-or-nothing kind of woman when it came to her desires, and with Brian it felt dangerous to let go.
Though with his hand on her back and her breasts brushing his chest as they danced, she was sorely tempted to throw caution to the wind. There was something...electric...in the way he touched her, and despite what he’d said about not dancing, he wasn’t half bad, swaying to the beat.
She started to feel restless. Usually she didn’t feel it in Dallas because she had her routines and her normal life. But here in Royal, when everything was in chaos with her family, it felt like things were changing... Maybe she was too. Starting with when she had ordered that tequila. She’d spent too long trying to be part of the society that Ava always urged her to conform to. Now she was on the edge, ready to do something reckless...
But, as attracted as she was to him, she knew that Brian wasn’t the man for her.
He was a family friend. More so than “Uncle” Keith, who Piper’s nieces and nephews didn’t trust after the way he’d muscled his way into Ava’s life after the death of their father. Should she be equally careful of Brian...?
“Another drink?” he asked when the song ended.
“That’d be great,” she said.
“Piper, do you have a minute?” Lauren Roberts asked, coming over to her.
“Go on. I’ll get our drinks and come find you,” Brian said. He turned to walk away, and she watched him go, admiring the cut of his suit.
Down, girl.
“What can I help you with?” Piper asked, pivoting toward Lauren. The brunette beauty was known around Royal for her fabulous food trucks, and her assistant had mentioned Lauren was going to be opening a restaurant soon.
“I was in your gallery while you were out of town and saw a number of pieces I really liked. Your assistant said that it would be better to talk to you so that you’d have a feel for what I really wanted,” Lauren said. “I know a wedding reception isn’t the ideal place to chat, but I was hoping to catch you so I wouldn’t have to go back to Dallas next week. Do you mind?”
Piper shook her head. “No, of course not. I love talking about art, and finding pieces that suit your new restaurant sounds like a fun project. I think someone had mentioned it was going to be a farm-to-table one?”
“Yes. I really want to be as local as I can with the sourcing of the food,” the other woman said.
“I think the art should be from the area too,” Piper mused, thinking out loud. “I have a few colleagues that I can reach out to in order to find some local artists. Are you looking for paintings or photography?”
“I just want really good stuff on the walls so people will feel like they are in a nice place,” Lauren said.
Piper laughed. “So, you’re saying you’ll know what you want when you see it?”
“Yes. Also Gracie Diaz is investing in my business so she’ll be helping me make the choices.”
“Okay, let me look around and see what I can find. I’ll send some images to the two of you and you can narrow down what you like. Then we can go forward from there. How does that sound?” Piper asked.
“Perfect. Thank you,” Lauren said. “I know it’s not my business...but are you seeing Brian?”
“No. We’re just hanging out together. I guess he didn’t bring a date either,” Piper said.
“That’s good,” Lauren said. “I’m sure he’s not anything like Keith. I know Sutton thinks he seems like a good guy.”
Seemed like a good guy.
“Great,” Piper said.
“What’s great?” Brian asked, handing her a glass of tequila as Lauren turned to leave.
“The reception,” Lauren said, walking away.
“It is nice,” Brian told Piper. “I really like that Harley and Grant found each other and that they are going to go back to Thailand. There was a time when everyone would have expected her to give up her life and move back here.”
“Not that long ago,” Piper said. “Grant’s a great guy. I think that even though times have changed, some men still wouldn’t follow their woman.”
Brian took a sip of his vodka and rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m not sure I’d leave the country, but I who am I to judge someone else?”
“Right. Everyone makes the choices that work for them,” Piper concurred.
Watching her niece, she was happy for Harley but another part of her was...leery. Piper had once come close to believing she’d found someone she could share her life with, but she hadn’t measured up to his version of perfection and he’d left. And although it had stung for a time, life hadn’t ended. She was old enough to know she didn’t need a man by her side to complete her. But spending the reception with Brian...exploring the spark of sensuality he’d lit in her...had shown her that she had missed the companionship of having a partner. Not that Brian would be her partner, but maybe it was time for her to start looking again.
She had been put off dating after her bad breakup and watching Ava’s marriage to Trent as his health deteriorated. But her nieces and nephews were all finding love and that made her long for something to help fill the void.
That said, she would never try to change for a man again. And she’d never be with a guy she couldn’t trust. But laughing and talking with Brian had reminded her of how much she’d shut herself off from relationships. Maybe it was fear or something else that had kept her away, but it was time to stop it.
She turned her attention to the coming week. She was looking forward to getting back to Dallas. Even though he had a law firm in the big D, he wasn’t part of her circle. Once she was home, she’d be away from the confusion and desire that Brian was stirring in her.
