Page 27 of The Keeper

I could see the war raging within her, the battle between her head and her heart. A better man would have backed off, but I was too far gone to stop now. I dipped my head, my lips ghosting over the racing pulse point in her neck. She let out a soft whimper as my teeth grazed her collarbone. “Whatever it is can wait.”

“Dane—”

The sound of her breathy, pleading voice shattered the last of my resolve. I tugged her head back to expose the slender column of her throat, but before I could capture her lips with mine, her phone buzzed against the bar.

Piper jolted away from me and fumbled for her phone with shaking hands. “I’m so sorry,” she said, glancing between me and the screen. “I have to take this.”

The breeze caught the hem of her dress as she stood, exposing a brief but tantalizing glimpse of the curve of her ass. It was impossible not to picture the material bunched beneath my fist as she lay across the chair, legs spread wide open and ready to be devoured. My dick strained against my zipper, the image seared into my brain permanently.

She walked a few steps away to take her call, leaving me in a state of frustrated arousal. My eyes followed the sway of her hips, and the way her dress clung to her curves. I tried to regain some semblance of control, fighting against the growl building in my throat.

“She what? Mom, slow down. I can’t understand what you’re saying.”

Piper’s voice raised the hairs on the back of my neck. My instincts—honed from years in dangerous situations—were on high alert.

Her hand flew to her mouth, and I was moving before I even consciously registered what was happening. I tossed down more than enough cash to cover our drinks before grabbing her purse, my chair screeching against the concrete as I strode over to where she stood.

“Which hospital?” she asked, the color draining from her face as she listened to the reply.

Her knees buckled, and I locked my arm around her waist before leading her toward the elevator.

I didn’t know who was on the other end of the call or what they were saying, but watching Piper fall apart in front of me was like being gutted with a dull knife.

“My purse,” she mumbled as we stepped into the elevator, looking around the elevator car in confusion.

“It’s right here.” I pressed the button for the lobby before turning so she could see it hanging off my shoulder.

Her lower lip quivered. “But my phone…”

“It’s in your hand, darlin’,” I said, giving her a soft squeeze. “You’re doing good. Just breathe.”

She nodded numbly and blinked at me, unshed tears turning her already gorgeous green eyes into a deep emerald. “I have to go. My daughter fell,” she choked out, her voice little more than a whisper.

Daughter?

The news was as subtle as a sledgehammer to the chest.

She had a kid. Which meant she likely had a man too.

Was that what she’d meant by complicated—baby daddy drama?

I swallowed past the knot in my throat, shoving down the irrational surge of possessiveness at the thought of her with someone else. Of her carrying another man’s child. A man I couldn’t kill without depriving her daughter of a father.

We spilled out into the hotel lobby, and Piper’s phone slipped from her hand, clattering to the floor. I scooped it up and pocketed it before steering her outside.

She clapped her palm over her mouth and lurched toward a nearbyflower bed before doubling over to puke up the liquor. I held back her hair and rubbed circles over her back as she retched, quietly encouraging her to breathe.

“Shouldn’t have had that second whiskey,” she croaked when there was nothing left in her body. “I don’t know how I’m going to drive?—”

“Oh, you’re absolutely not driving,” I said firmly before guiding her over to a bench so she could sit while I searched her purse for the keys. “I am. Tell me where you’re parked.”

***

I kept sneaking glances at the car seat in the back as I drove, searching for any clues as to how old her daughter was.

Had Piper met someone after our night together?

Would he be waiting for her at the hospital?

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