Piper laughed out loud. “Yeah, so you’ve heard that one?” Tag sat on the table next to Piper and pulled her into his lap. She didn’t protest; she didn’t want to. He was right—she needed to give him a chance. She needed to give life a chance. If she knew that it would just take being locked in a small room with Tag to give her some clarity, she would have done it long ago. Heck, it would have saved her thousands of dollars in therapy.
“Is it true?” Tag was checking her ankle, and from the look on his face, he wasn’t happy with it. “Do you not like boys, or do you just not like me?” Tag looked into her eyes, holding her gaze. She wanted to look away, to hide from him, but she owed him the truth.
“No, it’s not true. I like guys, and Tag—I like you. I’ve just never been this close to a boy before,” Piper admitted.
“Man,” Tag corrected, puffing out his chest, making Piper laugh. “Wait, if Robbie was the first boy you kissed, was he the only one?” Tag seemed to be holding his breath, waiting for her answer.
“Yes, he was the only boy I’ve ever kissed. Until tonight, that is.” Piper watched as her words sank in. Poor Tag seemed to need a minute. She never really thought about kissing or not kissing anyone. She wasn’t bothered by the rumors going around town. After her parents’ deaths, she never really thought about boys. She just wanted to stay in her little bubble and try to figure out life. Honestly, she felt that she had enough going on without adding a relationship to the mix. That’s probably why she turned Tag down fifty-two times. She liked her predictable little existence. The chaos that Tag would bring into her daily life terrified her.
“Listen, Tag, if this is all too much for you to handle, I understand. My life isn’t normal, I get it.” She started to move from his lap but was stopped by his arms banding around her middle.
“Just give me a minute, Piper.” Tag sat still, holding her so closely she could feel his heart beating. She couldn’t help but lean back into his hard chest, allowing him to pull her in closer. It felt right to be sitting on Tag’s lap, letting him comfort her. “So, the rest of it—you know the stuff that comes after the kissing part—have you done that?” Piper smiled up at Tag. The man seriously had a way with words.
“Um, you mean sex?” she squeaked. Tag nodded his head, his blush deepening. “Well, no. I haven’t done any of that. I haven’t even been on a real date yet, unless we are counting tonight.” Piper didn’t want to get her hopes up, but she couldn’t help it. Tonight wasn’t too bad, as far as dates went. She could cross going on a first date off her “to-do” list if Tag was willing to play along. When Tag didn’t answer, Piper lost hope. “Never mind, Tag. I know tonight isn’t what you planned. I understand.”
Tag pulled her in tighter, “I didn’t say no, Piper. To me, tonight has always been a date.”
Chapter Five
Tag wasn’t sure what to do about Piper’s admissions. He thought that he was showing up for a date with a willing participant. He never dreamt that Sunny planned the whole evening to trick them both. When he got free from the room and found Sunny, he didn’t know if he was going to kill her or kiss her. She delivered Piper to him, and for that, he was grateful. The problem was that the woman he had wanted for the past year didn’t know what she had signed up for. And now, Piper was asking him for her first date. God willing, she would also want her first real kiss with him. What other firsts would she want with him? If he had his way, he would give her all her firsts and beg her to be her last. Piper, sitting on his lap, did strange things to his libido. He knew he was attracted to her, but being this close to her made him want to wrap her in his arms and keep her safe from the world. He knew that Piper would fight him every step of the way, but he also knew that she was worth the trouble. He couldn’t help himself—he kissed the top of her head, pulling her tighter into his body. If Piper were willing, he would work to give her everything she wanted and more. He would be all her firsts.
“Piper, when I got your—well, Sunny’s message, I was beyond happy. I gave up on you ever saying yes to me, so I joined the stupid dating app and was trying to move on. The truth is, I don’t want to move on. I want you.” Piper turned on his lap. She snaked her arms around his neck, straddling his thighs. His dick sprang to life as if it were waking up from a long winter’s hibernation. Honestly, it was. It had been almost two years since Tag was with a woman. Once Piper entered his radar, he spent most of his time trying to figure out creative ways to ask her out. The first time he asked her out, he brought her flowers and picked up some pastries from Sunny’s bakery. He all but begged her to go out with him, only to have Piper smile and politely decline his offer. He was crushed but determined to change her mind. He did everything from leaving her messages spelled out in tiny river rocks outside of her home to sending her video text messages on her cell phone. He ran out of ideas after about the thirtieth time. From then on, he just showed up at her shop every Monday morning and just flat-out asked her to go on a date with him. Each and every time, he held his breath, hoping that Piper would change her mind and tell him yes. And each and every time she smiled and politely told him no, followed by a polite “thank-you”.
“Fifty-two is an awful lot of times to be turned down, Piper.” Tag pushed a strand of hair that escaped her ponytail back from her face. “I just couldn’t face you telling me no again.” Piper’s eyes filled with unshed tears. Seeing her cry was the last thing he wanted. “Honey, I’m not telling you this to make you sad. Don’t cry.” Tag caught her falling tear with his thumb, rubbing it into her soft cheek.
“I’m not crying because I’m sad or upset, Tag. I think that for the first time in a very long while, I am actually happy. It’s been so long since I have done something for myself that I’m not sure what to feel,” Piper admitted.
Tag decided to take a chance. “Piper, I want to kiss you. Are you going to let me be your first real kiss?” Piper looked both excited and afraid all at once. He could see her mind spinning, thinking about the pros and cons of kissing him. “You’re overthinking this, Honey. Yes, or no.” Tag waited her out hoping that she would just give in and go with her feelings.
“Yes,” she breathed out her answer, and before Tag had a chance to react, she pushed up against his body, her lips finding his. He pulled her in closer, taking over the kiss. Tag ran his tongue over her lips, asking permission to enter, which Piper gave. He thrust his tongue into her willing mouth to find hers. Piper groaned and ground her hips against his. He felt his entire body come to life. She fit so perfectly with him; he knew that she was worth all the waiting and suffering that she put him through. Piper pulled away from the kiss, leaving them both breathless.
“Wow, that was way better than I thought it would be.” Tag couldn’t help his laugh at Piper’s praise.
“Gee, thanks, Honey. I have to admit I’m a little rusty at this.” He motioned between the two of them; Piper still straddling his now bulging erection.
“Rusty? What do you mean? You’ve obviously kissed plenty of women.” Piper rested the palms of her hands against his chest, blazing a path of fire to his core. He grabbed her hands, taking them into his, stopping the inferno that she was igniting in him. He knew that if she didn’t stop touching him, he wouldn’t be able to control himself. He wanted Piper, but right now, she needed things to move slowly. He didn’t want her first experience to be in a little room filled with fake artifacts and clues for escape. He wanted her in his house, in his bed, where he could take his time with her.
“I mean that I haven’t been with anyone in over two years.” Piper’s eyes widened at his words. Yeah, it was hard for him tobelieve, too. Torren gave him such a hard time about not dating, even offering to share women with him. But Tag didn’t want to share anything or anyone with his twin brother. He wanted Piper. “I guess that once I decided that I wanted you, no one else would have been good enough.” Tag pulled her in for another quick kiss. She was so willing now he was almost afraid to ask his next question. “Piper, I need to know that if we escape this room, you won’t disappear. I want to go out with you, not just on one date but many.” Tag could see Piper’s wheels turning again, thinking about her next move. “You’re overthinking again.” Tag kissed the corner of her mouth, working his way down her neck and back up. Maybe a little distraction would help his cause, and he certainly didn’t mind kissing Piper.
“Do you mean something like going steady?” Piper’s voice was a soft stutter, giving him hope.
“That’s exactly what I want, Piper. I want to date you, take you out, and give you more firsts. We can go wherever you want, do whatever you like. I can go as slow as you need me to.” He pulled back from giving attention to her neck to look into her eyes. She needed to know that he would never hurt her, never just leave her. “Let me show you that I am not going anywhere. I’m here for the long haul.” Piper barked out her laugh.
“You can’t promise me that, Tag. I know how everything can change in just seconds. But I know that you would never hurt me. Yes, I will go out with you. But I need you to promise me one thing.” Tag could feel his heart beating out of his chest. Was she finally agreeing to go out with him?
“Name it,” Tag agreed.
“I want you to promise me that you will make me no more promises. I’ve had too many broken to believe in them anymore. I just want to live in the moment and enjoy the here and now.” Tag considered Piper’s words carefully. He understood where she was coming from. She lost everyone that she loved at a veryyoung age. He could relate to her pain, but she wasn’t ready to hear that from him. He could agree to her terms if she agreed to his.
“Fine, I agree to make you no promises. I need you to agree to give me a chance. Stop shutting me out, Piper.” Piper slowly nodded.
“Sure, I can do that—give you a chance. I want that too, I just didn’t realize how much until we were locked in this room together with no way out.” Tag smiled at Piper; he finally got what he wanted. He wasn’t going to spoil the moment by telling Piper that he already solved the puzzle while he was waiting for her to show up. As far as he was concerned, they could stay locked away in that little room for days. He was afraid that once Piper got a taste of freedom, she would change her mind. His job was to distract her enough that she would forget all her fears.
“I’d like to kiss you again, Tag. If that’s okay with you.” Piper’s question was a whisper against his sensitive neck. He didn’t know if he could get his mouth to work properly to answer her question. He nodded, and she was once again pressing her sweet lips to his, allowing him to take over the kiss. For someone who didn’t have much experience with kissing, Piper sure didn’t show it. She was like a little vixen straddling his lap, rubbing her body over his. She was so responsive, he knew they would be explosive in bed together. Piper moaned into his mouth, stroking the fire that burned inside of him. He rubbed his palms over her taut nipples through her t-shirt, earning him another breathy sigh.
“Is this okay, Honey?” Tag asked.
“It’s more than okay. More, please.” Piper’s pleading was his undoing. He flipped her over so that her back was pressed against the hard, wooden table. His front was pressed up against hers; his cock was aligned with the heat coming from her pussy. She was as turned on by this as he was.Thank fuck!Hecautiously reached under Piper’s t-shirt to find her little lace bra. She filled his hands perfectly, thrusting her breasts into his palms. He couldn’t wait to taste her, with the way she was hot and writhing under his body. He ground his jean-clad erection against her belly, and Piper froze.
