Piper finished her mousse and sat back, as if she was studying me.
“What is it?” I asked. I hoped there wasn’t anything on my face or stuck in my teeth. Maybe I should run to the bathroom and check?
“I’m just thinking that I’m not quite ready for this evening to be over, and I’m wondering if you’d be willing to have a nightcap with me at my house.”
“I thought we were avoiding that,” I said.
“You’re at my house two days a week,” she pointed out.
“Not at night. And not wearing this.”
Piper smiled slowly. “That’s a shame.”
I laughed. “Don’t try to change the subject. I’ll come, but only if you’re cool with it.”
“I am,” she said, which was different than the way she’d acted when we’d agreed to come out together. I was absolutely fine with this change in plans.
“Then I’d love to come have a nightcap with you,” I said.
“Good,” she said, sipping the last of her water.
The check arrived and, before I could even do anything, Piper had slid her card into it and handed it back to the waiter.
“Thank you,” she said, and I sat there with my card held out.
“I thought we were going to split it. Since this isn’t a date,” I said.
“I’m changing my mind about a lot of things tonight,” she said.
“Are you now?” I said. “Care to share with me?”
“Maybe later,” she said, and the waiter came back with the slip, which Piper signed with a flourish.
“Oh, I completely forgot. Can I get a slice of the chocolate cake to go?” she asked.
“Of course. I’ll bring it right out.”
She tried to give her card to the waiter, but he waved her off.
“Hey, free cake. I definitely like this place,” I said as the piano player struck up a song I recognized.
“This is my parent’s song,” I said. “They danced to it at their wedding.” I swayed a little in my seat. I really, really wanted to get up and dance.
Piper pulled out her phone and typed something in.
“That’s so romantic. When my parents finally got legally married, they danced to Love Me Tender. I was the Best Maid of Honor,” she said with a laugh.
“I’d love to see pictures of that,” I said.
“I’ll show you when we get back.”
We left the restaurant and I was about to get into the car when Piper pressed me up against the door.
“I think I need to give you a kiss that has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that this isn’t a date,” she said. My heart fluttered in my chest like a trapped bird.
“I’m on board with that,” I said, and she leaned down, kissing me so carefully that it almost seemed like she was scared to break me.
I pulled back, giving her a look.
“Are you scared of kissing me?” I asked.
“No. I’m scared of what it means to want to kiss you so badly that I can’t think of anything else. Do you know how many times I almost got up and dragged you to the bathroom and did things to you that would have gotten us permanently banned from this fine establishment?”
I gaped at her.
“No?”
“Well, there you have it. I’ve been having very naughty thoughts about you all evening and… I couldn’t stand not being able to touch you anymore.” Her fingers danced up and down my arms, causing me to break out in goosebumps and shiver, even though the night was balmy.
“You’re touching me right now,” I said.
“Mmmm, I am. You have the softest skin I’ve ever felt.”
I touched her lips with my fingers.
“Well, you’ve got the softest lips I’ve ever felt.”
“Is it a contest?” she asked.
“I win either way,” I said. “I’m standing here with you.”
“You’re such a charmer, McKenna,” Piper said, running her hand along the buzzed side of my head. “I love the way this feels.”
I stood there and let her touch me, didn’t push for more. If Piper wanted to explore my body in this parking lot, then I was going to let her.
There were times when she was like an animal I didn’t want to startle. So I let her lead the way.
“And this. You have a stubborn chin,” she said, drawing her finger along my jaw.
“Do I?” I asked. I’d heard that one before.
“Very.”
Her lips followed her touch and she placed sweet kisses along my jaw as I tried not to clutch at her gorgeous dress and ruin it.
“You want to know something?” she asked, her voice completely self-possessed.
I made some sort of whimpering noise. That was all I was capable of at the moment.
“I’ve never made out in the backseat of a car. Want to try it out with me?”
“Yes,” I gasped, and she unlocked the car with the button on her keys.
I’d made out in the backseat of a car, but it was a long, long time ago.
It was a very high school thing to do, but I was excited about making out with Piper. Any situation that had my lips on her lips was where I wanted to be.
The first obstacle to getting into the backseat of Piper’s car was her being able to move in her gown. There was a slit on the side, but the rest of the dress was completely form-fitting. It wasn’t a dress made for movement.
Eventually, she managed it. Piper’s car was so clean.
“Please don’t look too closely at the snacks stuffed between the seats,” she said.
I climbed in after her and somehow ended up on the bottom, with Piper above me.
“This dress is one of my favorites, but not right now,” she said, as she tried to situate herself over me.
“Let’s try something else,” I said, sitting up. I found the handle to let the seat go back.
“Please don’t think this is unsexy,” she said as she hiked up her dress.
“There’s nothing unsexy about that,” I said as she straddled me, panting a little bit.
Her head bumped against the ceiling and she started to laugh.
“This was a lot easier when I imagined it,” she said.
I laughed with her, stroking my hands up and down the sides of her dress.
“It’s perfect,” I said, reaching for her.
She brought her mouth down to mine and the angle took a little maneuvering, but we got there and then she started kissing me.
I forgot about everything else.
This time she kissed me fiercely, with so much heat and passion that I was drowning in it. Drowning in her.
I let myself go under.
We kissed so hard that I ignored the angle and the way my neck started to hurt and then Piper lifted her head from mine.
“I know this is going to kill the mood, but I think I pulled something in my back trying to get into the car and now it’s starting to hurt.” I couldn’t see her face in the darkness, but I could feel her blushing.
I thought about making a joke about her advanced age but didn’t.
“It’s okay,” I said. “I think I’ve done something to my neck.”
Piper snorted in a cute way and I helped her get off my lap and into the seat next to me.