Trying to concentrate on her game, she listened as he moved around the bathroom, getting ready for bed. When the door opened and he came out in a pair of gym shorts, it took everything out of her not to jump him. The tattoos on his body tantalized her, and when he pulled the blanket back to crawl into bed beside her, instead of scooting over, she scooted toward him.

He lay back onto the bed and let out a groan as his skin touched hers. “God, this bed is like butter.”

Piper smiled as she nodded. “It is really comfortable.”

“Yeah, it is.”

She didn’t want the conversation to end, so she said, “It was a good day.”

He nodded. “My parents are crazy.”

“I love them.”

“And they love you. Thank you for naming the baby Dimitri; that really means a lot to my parents. You didn’t have to do that.”

“Do you not like it? Dimitri Blake Titov. I think it is amazing,” Piper said with a worried look on her face, just now realizing she didn’t even make sure he liked it. It was his decision, too.

“Oh, I love the name, Piper, it’s perfect. I’m just saying that you didn’t have to do that for my parents.”

“When you love someone, you do everything you can to make them happy.”

Erik paused, running his tongue along his lips as he looked deep into her eyes. With a nod, he turned to his side, giving her his back as he sank deeper into the bed to go to sleep. Disappointment filled her as she watched the rise and fall of his back.

“Are we not going to read tonight?” she found herself asking.

He shook his head. “Not tonight.”

Piper didn’t agree; they were going to finish what they started. She opened their book on her Kindle and started to read out loud. Halfway through the chapter, to her delight, Erik turned on his back looking over at her as she finished the chapter. He reluctantly grabbed the Kindle and started to read the next chapter, his low voice making the hairs on her body stand as his words washed over her. She loved these moments with him, and sharing a bed with him while they did read made her fall even deeper in love with him. With a smile on her face, she cuddled into his shoulder and closed her eyes.

He was coming around. She just knew it.

Chapter 16

Erik wasn’t sure how much more he could take.

He didn’t know what he was going to do, but he knew he wasn’t going to be able to resist her much longer. Last night, being next to her, in her bed, just about killed him.

He loved feeling her sweet little body against his. Her legs were soft and warm as they tangled around his, and when she pressed that fine ass against his crotch, it took every ounce of willpower not to pull his pants down and slide his c**k inside her.

Fuck, he wanted her.

The whole night, his dick was pitching a tent while he watched her sleep. He knew it had been a bad idea to climb into bed with her. He’d been awake most of the night ready to pound into her and go at it for hours.

Erik rarely ever had a girl stay with him overnight. He was usually pointing to the door ready for them to leave after a long night of screwing. But that wasn’t the case this morning, no, he had scooted closer, his hands itching to hold her as she lightly snored. It was insane the things she was making him want, and they made him nervous. Instead of wanting to keep his walls up, he wanted to knock them down and let her in.

Erik thought this weekend was going to be hard, having to play husband in front of his parents, but it was easier than he thought. It was easy to act like Piper was the center of his world and to touch her with no reason but to touch her. He enjoyed it, and in a way, he craved it. He craved her. She was such a goofball, and he loved her laugh. She was amazing and everything about her made his dick harden.

The line between love and their fake, sham marriage was getting confusing. Cooper said to follow his heart, but Erik couldn’t help but think that maybe he should listen to the voice inside his head telling him to run.

Erik had no clue what to do, but at that moment he wasn’t ready to let her leave his side. He didn’t understand the effect she had on him and he was starting to think he never would. He was beginning not to care, either. He needed her, and after sleeping next to her hot little body, there was no denying that.

He had been sitting with Piper in her neighbor’s hammock at their annual Fourth of July celebration. Erik watched her now as she laughed and talked with her neighbors. She looked beautiful today in her short dress, giving him a teasing view of her exceedingly luscious thighs.

Hoping no one noticed his hard-on, he hopped out of the hammock and hurried across the yard to join Piper in her conversation. When he reached his mom, wife, and his new neighbor, Mrs. Anna, he found himself wrapping his arm around Piper’s shoulders, bringing her in close to him as his mom said, “Anna and I were talking about a baby shower!”

Piper smiled up at Erik before looking over at Alla. “Oh?”

“Yes! We should do one when we move here, beginning of September. What do you think?” Alla asked.

“I’ll make all the food and Alla wants to do the decorations,” Anna said with a loving smile. Erik hadn’t really gotten to know his neighbors, the Browns, but he was finding them to be really good people.

“I’ll call Rowan and see what she wants to do. Maybe we can have it at her house,” Alla responded, causing Erik to roll his eyes. His mom was a nut about this kind of stuff. “Sure,” Piper said with a nod. “It sounds great.”