Piper and her very cute kid were not reason enough to stop traveling, to make changes to his life. He really liked Piper and he adored her body—couldn’t seem to get enough of her, actually—but there was something else besides his commitment phobia making him gun-shy.
Piper was like a very fine Zultanite. The rare gemstone had the ability to change from a kiwi green in the sun to a raspberry-purple-pink in candlelight. Like Piper, the stone didn’t stop there. It could also be a dull green and morph into a sage green before changing to a whiskey-shaded pink. Zultanite, like Piper, had a million shades and a dozen secrets.
He needed to know Piper’s secrets, needed to know what she was hiding. Oh, she’d told him a little—just enough, she thought, to satisfy his curiosity. Her eyes reflected her soul and he saw all her colors, and, like Zultanite, each color was a revelation.
Thanks to his missing memory—and his experience with Jess and Andrea—he couldn’t deal in half truths and evasions. Yeah, he knew some of what had happened directly before the accident, but he couldn’t see the full picture, and that scorched his soul.
Thoughts of what he’d missed tortured him. How did he and Piper meet? What did they speak about? It was like looking at a photograph that was out of focus.
He needed details and...
He needed the truth, the whole truth.
Last night, after rocking each other’s world, he’d tried to ask Piper again about Milan, but she’d changed the subject by rolling onto him and kissing her way down his chest, his stomach...
When she’d run her tongue down his erection, talking seemed like a highly overrated activity. This morning he could see her actions more clearly; she’d wanted to distract him and, yeah, sex was a fantastic way to sidetrack the conversation. But she’d shut him down, shut him out. She wasn’t letting him see the full picture...
Why didn’t she trust him? He wanted her to trust him.
But what would he do with that trust? It wasn’t like he could take their relationship any further. He wasn’t prepared to risk his heart on someone who would walk away and take his love with her. That wasn’t part of his plan.
Okay, yeah, being around Ty was curing him of his baby phobia, and he rather enjoyed the little guy, but he knew there was a hell of a difference between babysitting for a night and being an ongoing and consistent part of a kid’s life. Piper was a package deal. If Jaeger wanted her, then he had to take on her kid, too. And...no, he wasn’t up to being a part-time dad.
When his folks died, Connor had jumped into raising Jaeger and his sibs with enthusiasm. He’d never doubted Connor’s love or commitment to them. Jaeger wasn’t prepared to take on a kid unless he could do the same. First because whatever he did, he did properly, and second because doing a half-assed job of parenting would be an insult to Connor’s memory.
If he fell in love with Piper then he had to fall in love with Ty—so easy to do!—and that would mean losing not one but two people he cared for if—when—the deal went south.
Because with love, the deal always went south.
Piper sighed and rolled over, her big eyes widening when she saw him. Her look of confusion was easily interpreted. She wasn’t used to waking up with a man in her bed, and he liked the idea that she didn’t treat sex casually. Yeah, double standards, yada yada. He was a man and he liked knowing no one else slept on her sheets.
“Hey, you’re still here,” Piper said, her voice deeper and sexier.
Jaeger used his index finger to push a curl from the corner of her mouth. “Were you expecting me to leave without saying goodbye?”
“I—um—” Piper glanced at the door as she pushed herself up. Then she glanced down, realized she was naked and yanked the comforter over her breasts.
Jaeger responded by tugging the material down again. “You’re too pretty to be shy.”
Piper just pulled the covers up again and Jaeger let her, wishing she could see herself through his eyes. Messy hair, wide eyes, perfect skin. So hot it hurt.
“I need to check on Ty,” Piper said, sounding flustered.
“He’s fast asleep, Piper. Relax.”
“But what if he sees you in my bed? What will he think?”