Page 3 of Forbidden Desire

It’ll be nice to spend some time on her ranch, not be bothered by anyone at the company. I shake my head, then lift my phone and look at the text message.

Hey, Beau. How’s things going? You all settled in Piper’s guest house? It’s quite a place huh? I must say I’m so proud of all she’s accomplished. I just wanted to make sure you’ll still be coming to the event I’m hosting in her honor in a couple of weeks? Let me know! Looking forward to seeing you soon. John.

I almost forgot. He wants to have a celebration for Piper since she’s launching something new, and I was invited to it. Not that I expected anything less, but I’m not sure who else will be there and I’m also not entirely certain Piper will want me there. I might be a big part of her and her father’s life, but that doesn’t mean she’ll want me at a party being held in her honor.

When I glance at the time, I groan. I’ve been sitting here for hours drawing, and a headache is starting to take form in the back of my skull. I stand, stretch my arms over my head with a loud yawn, then head over to turn the lamp off. I’ve got most of the details down, aside from the ones I’ll need when I look over the space.

For a yoga studio, I’m thinking something with more natural light, while the fashion area will probably be more closed off. Maybe a sound system inside? I’m not sure if she listens to music while she does her work though, so that may not work out. This will be enough for tonight though, at least until I give Piper the drawing I came up with and see what her thoughts on it are.

As soon as my head falls onto the fluffy pillow, my eyes droop closed and I smile at the relief of being able to finally fall asleep, even if I do have to wake up in a few hours.

I’m in the middle of brushing my teeth when the sound of a horse neighing outside the window filters through the walls. I quickly rinse my mouth, then head downstairs to find Piper out on a horse. There’s a smile on my face as I watch her gallop through the field, her hair blowing in the wind.

When she comes back to the barn down the hill, I make my way over to it with my hands in my pockets. “Seems like you’ve had a good morning so far,” I say, startling her.

“Jesus,” she mutters. “You scared the crap out of me Beau! You could’ve made your presence known.” There’s something inside of me that likes seeing her all feisty.

“We still on for that breakfast?” I ask her. Unfortunately, I woke up a little later than I had hoped, but maybe she’ll still take some time to sit with me to at least go over the addition.

She chuckles. “I ate an hour ago, Beau.”

I clear my throat and run a hand along my neck. “Yeah, sorry about that. Sleep was rough last night.” Then I reach into my back pocket for the blueprints. “I worked for a few hours instead and I drew up an idea I think you’ll like. Do you have time to go over it?”

Her phone pings a few times from her pocket and she aggressively lifts it from her jeans. “This damn thing,” she mutters, pounding at the screen as if it did something to her. Then she growls loudly and pushes it back into her pocket. “Sorry, Beau, maybe later? Work calls.”

Before I can try to stop her, she’s shutting the stall where her horse rests, then heads up toward her house. I run a hand over my face, then sigh as I make my way back to the guest house. At least while she’s gone I can get a better idea for the blueprint, put more detail into it by the time she gets home.

And, since I missed breakfast with her, I’ll head into town and pick up a few groceries, along with breakfast afterwards at the cafe I saw on the drive in. I’ll also make dinner for her tonight so she doesn’t have to think about that when gets back. If what her father told me is true, I’m surprised she even has the strength to get out of bed in the mornings. I’m sure a reprieve from making dinner will be a relief for her.

I watch as she hurries down the steps, her phone covering her ear, and her voice echoing around the property. She’s talking to someone about a delayed shipment and gets into the front seat of her shiny Audi before driving away. It seems as though a bit of relaxation is what she needs for a few days, and maybe I can try to help with that.

John sends me another text, reminding me of the details for the event, and I bite back a groan. I hate wearing suits, always have, even if my job requires me to wear them most of the time. Maybe I can manage to leave the event early. One could hope, at least.

Since I still haven’t grabbed my things from the car, I head back outside and pop the trunk and take my bags back inside, setting my toiletry bag on the bathroom counter. Since it’s a nice morning, a walk around the property would do me some good right now, maybe even a run. This place seems big enough that I can get my morning runs in while I’m here, and have a nice view while I’m doing it.

I wonder why Piper would want to live on a property like this, and not have anyone or even a pet to keep her company inside of it. The pictures don’t lie — all I could tell from the frames she has inside her house was that she loves spending time with John, but no hint at a man in her life. There’s no doubt in my mind that she would be able to make someone very happy, and I wonder why she hasn’t managed to do that yet.

A weird feeling settles inside of me, something that has me angry, and I can’t quite place it. I’d say jealousy, but what could I possibly be jealous of? Piper has always been a little girl to me, my best friend’s daughter, nothing more.No, I shake my head,this is nothing more than me being protective over her.

Right?

I shake away the thought and walk around the back of the house, eyeing the space where Piper wants the addition, then make quick notes of it for my drawing. This is what I came here for — not to get into Piper’s love life.

Chapter Three

Piper

Ibreatheoutasigh of relief when I park in front of my house, not that it will ever last long since I’m sure there’s a large list of emails waiting for me once I get inside. It never stops. The work never seems to stop, and I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to hold on if it keeps going this way.

Beau’s walking outside as I step out of the car, carrying something large in his hand, and heads up the steps to wait for me at the front door. If I could walk fast, I would, but these heels are absolutely killing my feet. When I finally make it onto the porch after what seems like years, I give him a small smile and unlock the door.

“What are you doing here?”

He passes me by, then heads straight for the kitchen down the hall, and pokes his head outside the doorway. “Are you ready to eat, or what? I’m starving.”

I cock my head to the side and slip the heels off, groaning at the relief I feel when my feet get air. I’m surprised to find a plate made for me sitting on the kitchen table, and Beau already shoving a forkful of the stuffed shells into his mouth.

“Did you make this?”

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