Nope. That would be a resounding look forward to it.
* * *
PIPER WAS OUTSIDE her dive shop, locking up, when Cal drove up on his Harley. He had to be the last person she wanted to see right now, so he had no idea why he’d come looking for her. He hadn’t come to gloat or rub her face in it or even to tease, although he doubted she’d see it that way. He’d gotten the call, accepted the congratulations, and yet the whole time, he’d been thinking about Piper. While he was printing out the Fiesta contract and pretending to read the fine print (until Tag had taken the pages from him), he’d imagined Piper getting her call. Someone would be telling her that she’d lost and Cal had won.
With the new revenue, he’d be able to hire more former SEALs. He knew plenty of good guys who were struggling to find the right place for themselves after leaving the service, and Deep Dive could fill that need. He still had plenty of work to do on his own head, but with the Fiesta contract he could give other veterans the same opportunity. He’d listened to Daeg and Tag making celebratory plans but hadn’t been able to drum up any enthusiasm.
He had what he wanted, except...suddenly it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t what mattered most. Piper was.
So he’d headed over here.
Like an idiot.
He killed the engine on the Harley and coasted toward the sidewalk. She had her back to him, so there was the small possibility she hadn’t heard him coming. Faded blue jeans cupped her butt and ended just above a pair of kickass boots. The dive shop T-shirt she wore hugged her breasts and she had a messenger bag slung over her chest. She didn’t look angry, but then again, she hadn’t seen him yet. She turned around, reaching up to pull her hair into a ponytail. The move emphasized the way her shirt clung to some of his favorite places. When she saw him, her face froze.
“You heard the news.” Stupid, he chided himself.
“Congratulations.” She didn’t move, just stood there and looked at him. The three feet of space between them suddenly felt like three million miles.
“Piper—”
She walked toward him. For a moment, he thought she was coming to him, and he wasn’t ashamed to admit he was fiercely glad. Maybe winning didn’t have to mess things up. Maybe she could accept this and even his partial ownership of her dive shop. Then, of course, she brushed past him and straddled her bike. She was leaving.
“I’m going to follow you,” he warned. She didn’t get to run from this.
“I don’t want to talk right now.” She fished in her bag for her keys.
He didn’t want to talk, either, not if he was honest. He wanted to share his good news with her and hold her because the news hadn’t been good for her. Those two things were incompatible, however, and he had no idea how to solve things for her.
“I thought about dropping out,” he admitted.
She grabbed her helmet from the back of her seat. “I didn’t. I’m a big girl, Cal. I don’t need you to hand me things. Or fix them. I lost and I’ll handle it.”
The look in her eyes was part pride, part sadness and humor. “Tell me you’re okay.”
“I’m fine.” She flashed him a quick smile. “I may not like losing, but I do know how to do it. Next time, however, I’m going to kick your butt. Consider yourself warned.”
Next time sounded good to him.
She pulled the helmet on, started the Harley and pushed away from the curb. Definitely leaving. He opened his mouth to say something, although he had no idea what, and then she looked back at him.
“Are you coming? Or are you afraid I’m going to kill you and hide the body so I can get my hands on that contract?”
He could feel a stupid grin tugging at his mouth. “I’m not afraid.”
“Nope?” She moved down the street, and he steered his bike beside hers.
“You bet,” he said, raising his voice to be heard over the engine. “The only thing I’m afraid of is that you won’t put your hands on me.”
“Your place,” she suggested and took off. And, even though she went twenty miles over the speed limit, he was right behind her.
* * *
THE FIRST TIME was fast and hard. Piper blamed that on the adrenaline rush of racing Cal. Not the most responsible thing she’d ever done, but she deserved some fun today. The strip of road hugging the island’s coast was deserted, and she hadn’t gone over fifty. Much. She’d tried to race him into the house, too, but he’d beaten her to the door. Of course, it was his front door and, Cal being Cal, he’d undoubtedly locked it, but it was the principle of the matter. She’d gotten there first.