Nasty (Naughty #2) Read online

  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. ??

  Lainey: I already texted Kayla and Simone. We’re all very excited.

  Piper: LOL. That was fast. I’m excited, too. Just be gentle with me. It’s been a while since I had a night out.

  Lainey: Ha-ha-ha-ha! You got it. It’ll just be drinks and a band. No pressure.

  Piper: Thanks. Text me the details.

  Lainey: I’ll check with the other two and get back to you.

  Piper: Sounds good. Talk to you later.

  Lainey: Later.

  With a smile, Piper turned the screen off her phone and made her way to the backyard. For the first time in a long time, Piper was looking forward to a Saturday night.

  Ten minutes to six on Saturday, Nate knocked once and pushed open the door to his parents’ house. Not surprisingly, no one greeted him at the door. He walked to the back of the house where the kitchen was and was greeted by his stepmother.

  “Oh, hi, Nate,” Tricia said. She smiled at him, but it was hesitant.

  “Hey.” He nodded in greeting. “Where’s Dad?”

  “He’s not home yet.”

  Nice.

  His father had guilted him into coming and wasn’t even here.

  “Is Tiana here?” Nate looked around for his sister since his dad had said it was going to be a family dinner.

  “No, she’s not here yet. You know her. She shows up right on time or five minutes late.”

  Great.

  That meant it was just him and Tricia.

  The two of them had come a long way, but a part of Nate—the seven-year-old in him—just couldn’t seem to forgive her. They had a pleasant relationship now, but she wasn’t a doting mother. At least, not to him. She was a good mother to his sister—her birth child—and he was thankful for that.

  “So, how’s work?” Tricia asked as she started taking plates out of the cupboard.

  Nate shrugged. “Good. I got a promotion about a month ago, which put me in charge of about six people, and that’s going well.”

  Tricia, who’d had her back to him, swung around, her dark eyes wide and her mouth parted in surprise. “Nate, congratulations. Your father never said anything.”

  Nate took the plates from her. “I never told him.”

  Nate saw the look of disappointment on Tricia’s face, but he ignored it as he went to set the table.

  It wasn’t that he was trying to keep his dad out of his life. It was just that he and his dad weren’t close, and Nate hardly ever talked to him. The only memories Nate had of hanging out with his dad when he was growing up was when the two of them would fix up houses, which was where Nate had learned everything he knew in the trade. If he’d called his dad up just to tell him about the promotion, it would have felt too much like bragging.

  “I haven’t seen you guys since before then, so I haven’t had a chance to bring it up.” He didn’t know why he felt like he needed to explain the situation more. Maybe it was to wipe away the look of distress on his stepmother’s face.

  Nate walked around her and went to the silverware drawer. “What are we having for dinner?”

  “Pot roast with potatoes and carrots.”

  Nate grabbed the appropriate silverware for four people and took it to the table. He just finished setting the table when his father walked in from the garage door and into the kitchen.

  Jerome kissed his wife on the cheek and then came over to Nate. “Hello, son.” His dad tried to give him a hug, and it was all kinds of awkward. It ended up being a half-embrace, half-pat on the back.

  “Jerome, did you know that Nate got a promotion at work?”

  His father’s brown eyes opened wide and filled with pride.
“No. Congratulations, son.”

  Nate rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, thanks.”

  The look of satisfaction in his father’s eyes pissed him off. His father didn’t really have a right to feel that way, as if he were responsible for Nate growing up the way he had. His grandparents were the ones who had pushed him to do well in school and go to college.

  This was why Nate hated coming to his parents’ house. Overall, he was a happy, easygoing person. But, when he was here, in the house he had grown up in, surrounded by his parents, it made him bitter. He didn’t like thinking of himself as a resentful person. He didn’t want to be that type of person.

  The front door opened and slammed closed.

  “Where is everyone?” Tiana called out.

  The second she walked into the room, their father asked, “Did you know that Nate got a raise at work?”

  “Of course.” Tiana put her arm around Nate’s waist. “I’m surprised you’re not running the place already.”

  Nate put his own arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “You’re just biased because you’re my little sister,” he said with a grin. He drew himself away to get a good look at her. “Why did you go blonde?”

  She pretended to fluff her hair. “Why? Do you like it?”

  Nate studied her. He thought his sister was beautiful, of course. She had her mother’s dark brown, almost black, eyes, but her skin tone was closer to their father’s. Her smooth skin was a warm brown, compared to his sandy-beige complexion.

  When he had been young, it was another thing that had made him feel like an outsider. His father was half-black, his stepmom was full, and his sister was three-fourths while Nate was only a quarter-black. His skin and his light-blue eyes stood out among their sea of brown.

  When he had been little and they went out in public, people would actually ask questions ranging from if he was adopted to why his stepmother always brought the neighbor kid to the park with her.

  As a man, he was proud of his heritage, but as a kid, it had been awkward.

  “Your hair looks great,” he told Tiana.

  She narrowed her eyes at him.

  “What? I’m telling the truth.”

  She smiled. “Okay, I believe you.”

  Tricia clapped her hands together. “All right then, let’s eat.”

  Tiana left his side as she said, “I can help. What do you need me to do?”

  Soon, they were all seated around the table, plates full, and they dug into their food.

  “Your grandfather didn’t want to come tonight?” Nate’s father asked him.

  The truth was, he never even asked Geepa if he wanted to come. “Nah, he decided to go down to the American Legion tonight.”

  “Speaking of grandfathers,” Tiana said, “when are Grandma and Grandpa coming again to visit?”

  Their father finished chewing the bite of food in his mouth and said, “Next month. They’re looking forward to it.” He looked at Nate. “Are you going to be around?”

  “No big plans so far. You know I always make time for Grandma and Grandpa.”

  Nate’s father’s parents were older and had retired when Nate was a baby. They’d promptly moved to Florida to get away from the cold Minnesota winters. Due to their living so far away, Nate wasn’t as close to them as he was with his mother’s parents, but he still loved them and always looked forward to them visiting. Nate had even gone down there a time or two to see them.

  “It’s been a couple of years since I’ve been to Florida. I should look into going there this winter. I could take Piper with me.”

  She could use the time away and a nice vacation. He bet they would have a lot of fun. He knew they had talked about Florida before, but he couldn’t remember if she’d ever been there. It would be exciting to show her around.

  Nate set his fork down and picked up his glass of water. He took a sip, and when he set the glass back down, he realized everyone was staring at him. “What?”

  Tiana raised her brow at him. “You want to go on a vacation with a girl?”

  “Woman, not girl.” He shrugged. “What’s the big deal about that?”

  “That just doesn’t seem like you.”

  He could play dumb and pretend like he didn’t know what his sister was talking about, but he knew she wasn’t happy about his lack of commitment to any one particular female. “Piper’s different. She’s my friend. You’ve met her. You know there’s nothing romantic going on between us.”

  His sister burst out laughing.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “You just used the word romantic. I’d have thought that word was struck from your vocabulary.”

  “Ha. You’re hilarious. I could be romantic if I wanted. I just choose not to be.”

  Tiana’s eyes widened with incredulity. “Whatever you say.”

  Nate threw his napkin at her.

  “Hey, hey, hey. No fighting at the table,” their father told them.

  Tiana stuck her tongue out at Nate, and he grinned.

  “That’s real mature for a twenty-four-year-old,” he teased her.

  She shrugged and smiled at him.

  The four of them finished up dinner, and as Nate was cleaning up his dishes, he got a text. It was from his friend Ty.

  Ty: Busy?

  Nate: Not really.

  Ty: Ethan and I are going to head downtown tonight. You in?

  “Do you guys mind if I head out soon?” he asked his sister and parents.

  “I was hoping you would stay for a while,” his dad said.

  “Well, I was going to leave, too,” his sister said. “I have a date tonight.”

  “Are you still seeing that Craig guy?” Nate asked her.

  “Yes, I am. Do you have a problem with that?” she asked defiantly.

  Other than the fact that the dude was dating his sister, he was an okay guy.

  “Nah, I met him. He seems nice.” When their parents turned their backs, Nate mouthed, Thank you, to her.

  She blew him a kiss, and Nate picked up his phone.

  Nate: Count me in.

  Ty: I’ll text you the details. See ya soon.

  The next text Ty sent included the place to meet him, and Nate put his phone in his pocket. He helped finish cleaning up from dinner and sat around for another half an hour to be polite.

  But, as soon as he closed the front door behind him, he breathed a sigh of relief. Ty couldn’t have picked a better night to go out for drinks.

  Piper pumped her fist in the air and jumped up and down as the live cover band played Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” She had to admit, she was having more fun than she’d thought she would. She had consumed just enough alcohol to loosen her up, to forget about being a twenty-nine-year-old widow for a while, and to just have a good time.

  She looked over at her friends who were having just as much fun. Lainey had spiked her blonde hair up and was wearing a miniskirt with fishnet stockings and a black leather jacket. Add in the smoky eyes, and she looked rocker chick all the way.

  Simone’s dark blonde hair was piled on the top of her head in a stylish updo. In her little black dress, she was dressed a little more traditionally than Lainey. She always looked trendy and sexy. Piper was convinced that Simone could get dressed in the dark, and she’d still manage to pull together a cute outfit.

  Last was Kayla, who was wearing white capris, which seemed the most conservative. But add in the leopard print stilettos and crop top, and she looked hot as hell. Her long brown hair hung down to the middle of her back in waves, and her plump lips were painted red, which only added to her sensuality.

  Piper had decided to wear an above-the-knee crimson A-line skirt with a sleeveless black top that showed off a nice amount of cleavage. She had large breasts, and her only options were to cover them up or show the girls off a little. It was a night out, and she hadn’t felt attractive in a long time. She might as well use this opportunity to see how comfortable she was with showing off some s
kin.

  So far, she had no regrets. She’d gotten some appreciative looks, but no one had approached her, which was a relief. She wasn’t ready for male attention quite yet.

  She glanced at her left hand. Of course, she still wore her wedding ring, and she didn’t know if she could take it off yet. Most guys would stay far away from a married woman.

  The song finished, and Piper and the others cupped their mouths and screamed their appreciation for the band. They had two lead singers, one male and one female, and they had played everything from country to hard rock, from sixties music to today’s top forty music. They were one of the best bands she’d seen.

  The female singer pulled the microphone close to her. “Thank you all for coming tonight.”

  Whoops and hollers from the crowd followed.

  “This next song is dedicated to Dolores O’Riordan. There is no way I will do this next song justice, but I’m sure going to try. May she rest in peace.”

  The beginning chords for “Zombie” by The Cranberries started up, and the crowd went crazy, Piper included. Her mother was a huge Cranberries fan, and Piper had grown up, listening to the band. She made a mental note to call tomorrow and tell her all about it.

  Piper took a big sip of her drink and closed her eyes to let the music take over her body. Despite the haunting lyrics, the song reminded her of when she was young and didn’t have a care in the world. It felt good to reminisce on what it had been like not to worry about paying bills, go to work every day, or wonder what life would have been like if your husband hadn’t died.

  Toward the end of the song, someone nudged her arm with an elbow, and Piper opened her eyes. Simone was grinning at her.

  Since the music was so loud, Piper shrugged, as if to say, What are you smiling for?

  Simone pulled Piper close and shouted in her ear, “There is a hot guy who’s been watching you.” She stepped back and nodded her head, her eyes wide.

  Immediately curious, Piper looked around but didn’t see anyone. Simone took her arm and spun her around just as the hot guy approached her. He wore dark jeans and a black V-neck tee that showed off a hint of a muscular chest. No wonder Simone had noticed him.