Nasty Page 4

  “Long, I—oh, hey, Piper. Have you seen Luke?”

  Nate and Luke often called each other by their last names. Probably because they’d known each other since elementary school.

  Piper opened her eyes wide, hoping she looked innocent, and shook her head. It was the truth. She hadn’t seen Luke.

  Nate scrunched up his nose. “Are you okay? You look…”

  Guilty, like a creeper, embarrassed…turned on?

  “I-I—”

  Nate raised his eyebrows at her stammering.

  Piper cleared her throat and tried to compose herself. “What did you need Luke for? Maybe I can help. I just have to get changed first.”

  Nate frowned. “I don’t know. It’s pretty heavy. You really don’t know where he went?”

  Just then, the door to the laundry room slid open, and Luke and Elise walked out. They tried to look casual, but it was pretty obvious what they’d been doing.

  “Really, dude?” Nate said. “What is it with you two and laundry rooms?”

  Luke walked past Piper and punched Nate in the arm. “Shut up, man. You weren’t supposed to say anything.”

  It was obvious the two of them were talking about something that Piper wasn’t privy to. She glanced over at Elise to see if she knew what the guys were talking about, and this time, it was her face that was a deep crimson.

  “Way to go. Now, you’ve embarrassed my wife.”

  Nate shrugged. “She shouldn’t be. Now, will you come and help me?”

  “Yeah.”

  The two guys walked into the backyard, leaving Piper alone with Elise. The air was heavy with awkwardness.

  Up until Jordan died, Piper had always been sexual and pretty open on the subject. But it had been a while since she was physical or even talked about sex with another person. And Piper and Elise’s friendship was still on the newer side.

  “I’m going to—”

  “I’m sorry we were doing it in your laundry room,” Elise blurted out as she looked at the floor.

  “Oh, well…” Piper didn’t know what to say.

  “At first, I was sick,” Elise said, rubbing her belly, “and tired all the time. I just wasn’t in the mood much. And, now, I’m the opposite.” She swiped her hand out. “But that’s no excuse for me commandeering your laundry room just so I can get laid.” She finally looked up at Piper. “I’m sorry.”

  Piper smiled. “It was a little…unexpected, but all is forgiven. I was married once, so I get it.”

  Elise smiled sadly. “I bet you miss him, huh?”

  “Every day.”

  Elise leaned closer and whispered, “Do you miss sex?”

  “Up until recently, no. It was like that part of me was shut off. But…”

  “But what?”

  Piper thought about the last week. Her reaction to Nate’s innocent touch last weekend, her interest in Nate’s hard-on after they’d fallen asleep, and now, her newfound voyeurism. Piper shrugged. “I don’t know honestly, but I think that part of me is waking up again.”

  Elise’s eyes brightened. “That’s good, right?”

  Piper wasn’t sure. “I’m going to go change my clothes. I’ll be right back.” She didn’t answer Elise’s question because she didn’t know how to.

  “Oh. Okay. I’ll be in the backyard if you need me.”

  “Thanks,” Piper said as she headed down the hall to her room.

  As she changed her clothes, she contemplated her sexuality and the return of it. She’d always had a healthy libido, and while she wasn’t the girl she had once been, she wasn’t the girl she had been a year ago, right after Jordan’s death, either.

  Being a widow was something she had never thought she’d have to worry about in her twenties. She’d assumed that, when they married, the two of them would grow old together. But, obviously, life had had other plans.

  She tried to think of it from another angle. What would she do if this had been a breakup? She’d take the time to get over her ex, and then she’d get back out there. So, maybe that was what she needed to do.

  Piper tried to picture herself with another man, a faceless stranger, and she cringed.

  Okay, so she needed to take things slowly. She didn’t have to date someone right away, but she should at least put herself in a position to meet someone.

  Piper brushed her hair and pulled it back into a ponytail. She then picked up her phone and pulled up her Contacts. She went to the Ls and opened a new message.

  Piper: I thought about it. Count me in for Saturday.

  Less than a minute later, her phone pinged.

  Lainey: *Squeal* Really?

  Piper: Really.