Page 48 of Burn for You (Flirting with Forever 3)

I roll my eyes. It’s true. I’d tossed and turned all night long, trying to figure out how she’d managed it. How she’d figured out it was me and been able to fool me like that. To think before I arrived at Giarelli’s last night, I’d had the fleeting thought to call things off with Sherlock4Love to pursue Piper and say fuck the job. Fuck everything. Just so long as I could have her.

“And over a woman. When’s the last time that happened?” Arabella snorts loudly.

Esme grins, shaking her head. “Like, never.”

“Never what?” Mom comes into the dining room and sets a platter of pancakes in the middle. Elena follows with the syrup and a plateful of bacon.

Arabella smiles. “Oh, just that we haven’t seen Damon this torn up over a woman in forever.”

“What?” Elena sits down next to me. “Are you dating someone?” She bites her lip. “But I thought you liked Ms. Mathison.”

I groan, ignoring her for the moment. “Can we not discuss my love life or lack of one at the table, please? It’s way too early for this.”

Mom frowns. “Oh, boy. Somebody did you dirty.”

“Kind of.”

“Ms. Mathison wouldn’t do that.” Elena’s forehead creases, she’s clearly distressed.

Esme pats her hand. “It wasn’t Ms. Mathison. It was someone he met on a dating app.”

“But if you like Ms. Mathison, what were you doing on some dating app? That doesn’t seem fair to her, Damon.”

And how was I supposed to know that I’d become involved with both? When I joined the app, Piper was just my infuriating coworker. The woman I liked to argue with just for the sake of it so I could see where her brilliant mind would take us. Fuck. A woman I’d respected. Trusted. And look where that’s gotten me.

“Oh, for the love of all that’s holy. Piper is the woman from the dating app. And I did like her. But somehow, she knew it was me. It’s just one more thing she’s been doing to distract me from the promotion dangling between us.”

How had I not seen the signs that they were the same person? No, we’ve never talked about our mutual love for the world’s favorite detective before, but looking back at all the banter we’d had back and forth on Tryst, it seems almost obvious. Somehow, I feel like I should have known.

Mom tilts her head to the side, studying me, “I thought that was going well? You said you thought you had a good chance at it. You really think she’d find you on a dating app just to ruin your chances?”

My elbows land on the table in front of me, my hands gripping my head in frustration. “I don’t know. It just seems too coincidental. It’s improbable that this is all just a big fluke.”

“Well, you never know. Have you talked to her about it?”

I sigh, sitting back in my chair. “No. I was mad. She left the restaurant we were meeting at. The guilt on her face was plain as day. I didn’t have to ask. She knew it was me.”

Esme picks up a piece of bacon, tearing it into pieces. “Has she contacted you?”

“She sent me one message last night. I didn’t respond. I’m not ready to. She’s been lying to me.”

Elena looks on the verge of tears. “You should talk to her. Ms. Mathison isn’t a liar. She’s a good person.”

I grimace. Until last night, I would have completely agreed with Elena. Now I don’t know what to think. “I know you mean well, but please drop it. I need to figure this out on my own.”

How could Piper want the job so badly that she’d thrown aside all sense of morality? I’ve been back and forth a million times wondering how I could have missed that everything she’d done had been a ploy to get what she wants. How had she pulled it off?

And she’s been lying to my face this whole time. Telling me she wants me via the app. Responding to my kisses and melting in my arms.

Jesus, how far was she willing to go to get her way?

Chapter 27

Piper

Damon hasn’t spoken a word to me in four days. My heart screams out for him to say something to me. Anything. Just want me for who I am. Don’t be disappointed Sherlock4Love turned out to be me. He’s ignored me here at school and hasn’t responded to a single message I’ve left him on Tryst. What is he thinking? What is going through his head? It’s taking every last bit of strength I have to get through each day knowing he’s angry with me, sitting right here beside me, but unwilling to talk things through.

I’m quite literally at my breaking point. I can’t go on like this, day in and day out. To have come so close to everything I’ve wanted only to have it all come crashing down hurts me like nothing I’ve felt before. I don’t want it to be this way between us. I summon all the courage I have before I murmur, “Are we never speaking again?”

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