“What are we going to do about yoga?” I asked. As much as I didn’t want to talk about it, we had to talk about it.
“You can still teach me, can’t you?” she asked.
“I shouldn’t,” I said. “There’s no ethics board in yoga, but it’s definitely not encouraged.”
She sat with that for a second.
“We can’t do both?”
I should tell her that my reputation was on the line. I should tell her that she could have me in her bed or she could have me as her yoga teacher.
“Are you okay with both?” I asked.
“I want both,” she said. “But I’m worried about you.”
I should tell her so many things, but instead I said, “don’t worry about me,” and kissed her.
We went back upstairs, and I put my clothes back on reluctantly.
“Do you think there’s a chance you could stay the night sometime?” she asked.
“I’d have to tell my sister and the Carrs that I’m somewhere and I don’t want to lie to them,” I said.
Piper sat up in bed and pressed her lips together, thinking.
“Then don’t. Tell them.”
I pulled my shirt over my head.
“Are you sure? People are going to have all kinds of opinions. Are you ready for that?”
Piper got out of bed and came over to me.
“I don’t want you to have to sneak around like some dirty secret. I want to be with you, however long it lasts, and whatever that looks like. I want you, not just in my gym.”
“You know that saying you’re seeing me is going to open you up for a whole lot of other questions,” I said. I wanted her to know what was going to happen. If one person was going to know, everyone was going to know. Coming out in a small town was different than living somewhere else.
“I’ll tell anyone who asks that it’s none of their fucking business. How’s that?”
I put my arms around her.
“Works for me.” We shared a kiss and then she walked me downstairs.
“I’ll see you soon?” I said after I put my shoes on and found my keys.
“Please let me know you got home safe.”
“I will.” We shared one more kiss and then I was walking down the steps to my car.
Holy shit.
Chapter Eighteen
Everyone was back when I got home, and I was greeted by a chorus of people asking where the hell I’d been.
“I was at Piper Patrick’s,” I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt. I was still sort of in a sex haze, so that was probably helping.
Every single voice in the room exclaimed at once and I put my hands up for silence.
“One at a time,” I said.
Hollis raised her hand.
“Hollis,” I said, pointing to her.
“Excuse me, what did you just say? And are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
Julia also raised her hand. “I have the same questions.”
“I said that I was at Piper Patrick’s. We’re sort of seeing each other.” We hadn’t talked definitions or anything like that, but I think it was safe to say that we were dating.
“You, and Piper?” Julia said, her voice squeaking. “Since when?”
“Well, it’s sort of been coming on for a while now and we went to dinner on Friday and decided to take things to the next level.”
I could feel Amanda dying to say something.
“Are you sure that’s wise?” Amanda asked. “Since she’s your client?”
“It’s not ideal, but she wants to continue with yoga. She’s already paid, so it seems silly to cancel it. We’ll keep the yoga piece separate from the personal piece.”
Hollis and Julia shared a look.
“I know that all of you are going to have a lot of things to say, and a lot of advice and I want to ask you to, please, just let me have tonight. You can ask me more questions tomorrow, but can I have right now?” I could hear the pleading in my voice, and I hated the way I sounded.
“Of course you can,” Amanda said, coming to give me a hug. “You’re a grown woman, and you can make your own choices. As much as I feel like you’re one of my girls, you’re not. I’m here if you need any advice,” she said. I hugged her back.
“Thanks,” I said. I got hugs and similar sentiments from everyone else and breathed a sigh of relief.
“On that note, I’m going to bed,” I said, and felt all the eyes in the room on me as I walked up the stairs. They were absolutely going to talk about me the minute I closed my bedroom door. That was fine. I was going to crawl into bed and remember everything that had happened with Piper. I stripped off my clothes and put on pajamas before getting into bed and sending Piper a text that I’d gotten home and had faced the jury and asked them for a brief recess until they gave me their verdict.
I hope they don’t give you too much grief. Tell them to come to me and leave you alone. I’ll defend you she said, and I could feel that fierce energy in her words. It made my heart do a slow somersault. The idea of Piper defending me made me horny all over again, and I got into bed and satisfied myself with my hand.
Everything about Piper turned me on, made me want her. Her body was just the beginning. It was everything else all combined that made her the person I couldn’t stop thinking about.
I finished quickly, but I wasn’t completely satisfied. I wished she was here with me, wrapped in my arms. If we spooned, would she want to be the big spoon or the little spoon? What side of the bed did she sleep on? What time did she wake up in the morning? What did she have for breakfast?
I wanted to know.
Now that we were going to be open about wanting to see each other, it meant I didn’t have to hide and I could stay over and find out.
So…what are you doing on Wednesday night? she sent.
It was as if she was reading my mind.
I don’t know, I think probably going out with a gorgeous woman whose name starts with a P I replied.
I can’t believe you would ditch me for someone named Penelope she sent.
I burst out laughing.
I would never. What did you want to do?
She threw out some suggestions and I was pretty much up for anything.
How about dinner and then we can come back, put Preston to bed, and you and I can be by ourselves? Are you up for spending the night?
Hell yes, I was.
I wrote back that sounded perfect to me, and she could pick the restaurant. I didn’t care, as long as I got to see her in a gorgeous outfit and fight her for the last bite of dessert.
It was a plan, and I went to bed dreaming about our next date and what it was going to be like to sleep in her bed.
“I’m going to ask you not to talk about me and Piper to everyone,” I said to Julia and Hollis as we drove to my parent’s house for Sunday dinner.
“No problem,” Hollis said.
“Of course,” Julia said, and I could feel her bursting to give me her opinions on my new relationship, but she was holding back.
“Come on. Lay it on me,” I said.
“It’s not just that she’s your yoga student, and it’s not that I’m not happy for you. But she’s a single mom and she just got divorced and that’s a lot, you know? That’s a lot to take on.”