Abandon Ship (Anchored Book 4) Read online

“Are you sure you aren’t still a cop?”

  “Not a cop.”

  “I have my sources.”

  I open the folder. It’s an entire write-up of Piper Queen. Or, should I say, Piper Smith.

  “June?”

  “The only person she’s open with is Odessa, Maddox. If you want to know the real Piper, you read this, and then you talk to her.”

  Chapter 5

  Piper

  Instead of going to the club, I stayed home.

  This is the second week in a row, and I know June is starting to worry about me. I know Odessa is, too, but I’m just not ready to leave the house. I’ve explained to my boss that I’m sick with pneumonia, forged a doctor’s note, and am working from home.

  I’m not leaving the house.

  I’m not leaving my castle.

  He’s out.

  Tad is out, and I know he’s going to find me. I know he’s going to come for me, and strong Piper? That woman is gone. Brave Piper is gone, dead, buried. All that’s left is me, and I’m terrified.

  I’m scared, and I have no one. Nothing. All I have is a pile of work I’m slowly making my way through. I know that sooner or later, I’m going to have to actually show my face at the office. My superiors are really flexible with me, but even they have a breaking point, and I have a feeling I’ve got about three or four more days before they call my bluff and make me come in.

  And I’m dreading that moment.

  My house has become my cave, my hiding place. I’ve been living off of dried ramen noodles and random non-perishables I happened to have around, but even that’s going to run out soon. I’m being ridiculous. I know I’m being ridiculous, but the truth is that I’m terrified.

  I hate Tad for what he did to me, and I hate him for what he’s doing to me now.

  I hate knowing he’s the reason I’m locked away. He’s the reason I’m not out there, living my life. He’s the reason I’m too scared to do anything.

  Him and those stupid letters.

  I stare at the latest one. It’s on top of my kitchen table, spread out with the others. They’re all the same, pretty much: pseudo-love letters with indirect threats. It’s nothing I can take to the cops. They’ll tell me I’m being ridiculous. They’ll say this is an overreaction on my part. They’ll say I’m being completely crazy.

  They’ll say all of these things and more.

  I know because I’ve been there before, and the truth is that they’re right. He hasn’t threatened me directly. He hasn’t come to my house. He hasn’t discovered where I live, but Tad is a smart motherfucker. He’s going to find me sooner or later, and I have to be ready.

  Only, I’m not.

  There’s a knock at the door. I glance at my phone. It’s midnight. Who would be coming to my house at midnight? It doesn’t make any sense, unless it’s him. Unless he’s found me.

  Unless this is it.

  I stand up and brush a couple of crumbs off my thin pajama tank top. I haven’t showered or dressed today. Okay, it’s been a couple of days. Okay, it may have been four days. And yes, I know I’m disgusting.

  It’s just hard to know what to do, hard to know how to focus when it all comes down to this.

  The truth is that I’m tired of running, of fighting, of being brave, and Tad? His letters are wearing me down. I take a deep breath and walk to the door, steeling myself to see his face for the first time in three years. I close my eyes, and I breathe in and out.

  The knock sounds again, and I open the door.

  It takes me a minute to realize who is at my door.

  It’s someone I never would have expected to come over.

  Two someone’s, to be precise.

  “Told ya,” Odessa says, shaking her head as she looks me up and down. “Sweetie, you are a hot mess.”

  “I…I…”

  “Piper,” Maddox Blake speaks, carefully focusing on my eyes. “May we come in?”

  “I…”

  “That means yes,” Odessa explains, and she pushes past me into the house. She takes one look around and turns back to me. She crosses her arms over her chest, but it only pushes her breasts up more. I’m guessing they came from the club because she’s dressed in a tiny black dress and Maddox?

  Maddox looks good enough to eat.

  “What the hell, Piper?”

  “What…what do you mean?”

  Why are they here? I look from Odessa to Maddox and back again, but I can’t figure out why they would have come to my house.

  “I mean,” Odessa says, stepping forward. “That you haven’t shown your face at the club in two weeks, sweetie. Your boss called me this morning because I’m your emergency contact, and he wanted to know how your recovery from pneumonia was going.”

  “Oh, about that…”

  “You don’t look like you have pneumonia, Piper, so why don’t you tell me what the hell is going on? I was going to wait until you got to the club to ask you, but you never showed.”

  Odessa’s eyes are bright, fierce.

  “So, what? You brought backup?” I jerk my head toward Maddox Blake. I can’t think with him standing there so calmly, quietly assessing my situation, my house, my life. I know his type. He’s got cop written all over him and yeah, he might not be on the force anymore, but I know one when I see one.

  And I don’t want him here.

  I can’t think with him here.

  I’m embarrassed with him here.

  I haven’t showered. I haven’t done dishes. I haven’t done anything but mope around in my own misery. I don’t want them to see me like this, but something tells me I’m not getting rid of Odessa or Maddox that easily.

  “Piper,” Maddox steps forward. “I want you to go take a shower. Get dressed. Brush your teeth. Then come back, and we’re going to talk, and we’re going to figure out what’s wrong.”

  “I…”

  He narrows his eyes at me, and I turn and go upstairs. I hear Odessa make a little gasp, and I know she’s shocked that I obeyed him without question, but I don’t have the energy to argue anymore. I certainly don’t have the energy to argue with Maddox.

  I make my way into my bathroom, close the door, and start to cry.

  Chapter 6

  Maddox

  “That was weird,” Odessa says, and she starts to follow Piper up the stairs. “I should go check on her.”

  “Not so fast,” I place my hand on Odessa’s shoulder and she turns to me, surprised. “Give her a couple of minutes.”

  “You don’t know her like I do,” Odessa points out.

  “You’re right, but you don’t know her the way a Dom does.”

  “No offense, but you’re not her Dom.”

  “Trust me, sweetheart. I know that better than anyone else.”

  Odessa looks me up and down, and then she shakes her head.

  “You’re really crazy about her, aren’t you?”

  “It’s why I asked for your help.”

  After I talked with June last week, I did a little digging of my own. As it turns out, little Miss June was correct. Piper does have a terrible ex-boyfriend. Luckily, she never married the guy, so she doesn’t have to deal with fighting for a divorce from her abuser. That’s one more nightmare she doesn’t need, but it doesn’t mean she’s in the clear.

  Apparently, the brave little subbie reported him for attacking her and he was arrested. She had gathered enough evidence that he was arrested and sentenced to jail for aggravated assault. He got four years, but with good behavior, was recently released.

  Thus Piper’s weird behavior.

  As far as June and I could figure out, Piper fled Cherryville and left behind her family, her job, and her apartment. She left everything, changed her last name, and came here for a fresh start. It took some begging, but Odessa finally was worried enough that she caved and confirmed what I’d already suspected: that Piper is terrified of her former abuser.

  “She knows he’s out,” Odessa glances around Piper’s home. “I’m going
to start cleaning up,” she says. “I don’t know if she’s going to want me to stay, or if she’ll want you to stay,” she adds pointedly. “But let’s get things tidied up a little bit for her. It’s the least we can do.”

  No, the least I can do is tie Piper up and make love to her until she forgets all about Tad.

  The least I can do is spank her for hiding this from me.

  The least I can do is give her orgasm after orgasm until she’s begging me to stop, until she promises not to keep anything this big from me again.

  The least I can do is make her mine.

  Odessa heads for the stack of dishes in the kitchen and I walk around to the kitchen table. It’s covered in papers. No, it’s covered in letters.

  “Odessa,” I say, picking one up. “Did you know he’s been writing to her?”

  The shattering of a dish lets me know she didn’t know.

  Odessa doesn’t bother cleaning it up. There will be time for that later. Instead, she comes beside me and starts to read.

  “What the hell…” Her voice trails off as she looks at the paper I’m holding. “I had no idea. She didn’t tell me.”

  “I don’t think she’s told anyone,” I say, looking around, and suddenly, everything clicks into place. Not only is Piper feeling totally alone and scared, but now she’s feeling threatened. Now she’s worried he’s going to come after her, and she should be scared because these letters? These aren’t anything to mess with.

  “We need to turn these into the police,” Odessa says. She goes and collects a couple of zippered baggies and then begins placing each letter in its own bag. She doesn’t bother reading the others. We don’t need to. They all say the same thing. They’re veiled threats, to be sure, but Tad’s intent is obvious.

  He’s going to find her, and he’s going to take care of his little problem.

  I don’t know what kind of connections this guy has that he was able to locate Piper’s post office box to send her these, but if he could start sending her letters, there’s no doubt he’s planning to pay her a visit in person. Piper Queen is one careful woman. Odessa and June are the only two people who even know where she actually lives, which is why I had Odessa bring me.

  When Piper didn’t show up at the club the second week in a row, we were all nervous. June couldn’t sneak away to help us, but Odessa and I decided to pay Piper a visit and find out, once and for all, what’s been troubling her.

  “All right,” I tell Odessa. “I’m going to go check on our girl.”

  “I can go,” she says softly, but I shake my head, and Odessa doesn’t protest. When I get into the living room, I kick off my shoes and take off my jacket. Piper’s house is warm and cozy. She’s decorated it beautifully and showcased just how sweet and special she really is. Does she even know how fantastic she is?

  The shower is still running when I reach the top of the stairs, but something tells me Piper isn’t in the shower. When I push open the door to the bathroom, I see her sitting in the middle of the floor and she’s sobbing.

  Piper looks up to me, and then she does something that makes my heart clench.

  She reaches for me.

  Piper Queen, beauty of the dungeon, tech wizard of the world, reaches for me.

  I drop to the ground, and I pull her into my arms, and I let her cry on me.

  “It’s not fair,” I tell her, petting her hair. “It’s not fair what he did to you, beautiful. It’s not fair, and it’s not right, but I’m going to protect you, Piper. I’m not going to let him hurt you again, okay?”

  She mumbles something, but I can’t understand what she’s saying, so I keep whispering to her, keep promising her it’s going to be just fine.

  “June filled me in,” I tell her. “Although, to be fair, I already suspected something like this, sweetie, and I want you to know you aren’t alone. We’re not going anywhere, Piper. You don’t have to deal with this all by yourself.”

  Her sobs gradually fade to sniffles, and I keep petting her hair, rocking her on the bathroom floor.

  “Why are you being so nice to me?” She whispers. “You aren’t even my Dom.”

  “I could be, if you wanted,” I tell her, and her body doesn’t stiffen. If anything, she relaxes just a little bit more.

  “You like me, Maddox Blake, don’t you?” She looks up at me. “Scars and all, you really care about me.”

  “I really care about you, Piper.”

  “Then take care of me, Maddox,” she whispers. “Because I can’t do this on my own anymore.”

  It’s as if Piper Queen has given me the keys to her heart. I feel like she handed me the entire world on a silver platter. I stand, bringing her to her feet, and I place my hands on her cheeks.

  “You are beautiful, Piper.”

  “I’m a mess, Maddox. I’m a real, total, complete mess. Not a hot mess, either,” she laughs quietly. “A legitimate mess. I don’t even know where to start.”

  “Let’s start with getting you cleaned up, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “Lift your arms,” I tell her. For a minute, I think she’s going to protest. I think she’s going to say something about her modesty, about how I shouldn’t try to be getting into her pants, but she doesn’t, and that’s when I realize Piper is absolutely, totally worn out. She’s been dealing with everything on her own for so long, but this really is too big for her. That’s fine.

  That’s what I’m for.

  Piper doesn’t have to go through hell by herself. She has friends. She has me. Together, we’re going to get her through this, one step at a time.

  Step one.

  She raises her arms, and I pull her tank top off. Her breasts bounce free, and Piper watches me as I look at her for the first time. I’ve seen Piper play at the dungeon before, but it’s all been very casual, and she’s never taken her top off when I’ve been there.

  “You’re beautiful,” I whisper.

  Step two.

  I untie her pajama pants and push them down, over her hips. She reaches for me, holding onto me for balance as she steps out of her pants.

  “You’re beautiful,” I promise her.

  Step three.

  I step closer to Piper and slide my fingers under the band of her panties. I push those down and they, too, slide to the floor.

  “You’re beautiful,” I tell her once more.

  Then I take a step back and I begin to undress myself. She’s silent as she watches me. I take my glasses off first, placing them on her counter. Then my shirt, my socks, m pants, and my boxers come off. I’m naked before her, and I don’t bother hiding the fact that I’m completely hard for her.

  I’m completely hard for Piper Queen. She’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life, and I’m about to climb into the shower with her. She steps forward then, and places her hands on my chest. I don’t move. I’m worried that if I move, I’ll scare her away. I’m worried that if I breathe too fast, if I shift even a little bit, that she’ll stop touching me.

  And oh, I don’t want Piper Queen to stop touching me.

  She steps forward once more. This time, she slides her hands around my neck and presses her breasts firmly against my chest. My cock pushes against her belly as she leans up on her tip-toes and whispers against my lips.

  “Maddox Blake, I want you.”

  Then she kisses me, and my heart soars.

  Chapter 7

  Piper

  Maddox Blake tastes like sunshine.

  Hope.

  Strength.

  He doesn’t seem to mind that I’m dirty and tired and worn down. He doesn’t seem to mind that we’re in my messy upstairs bathroom. He doesn’t seem to mind anything except the fact that we haven’t done this already.

  Why, oh why, haven’t I kissed him before this moment?

  I run my hands up and down his hard chest as we kiss. His tongue glides over mine like he’s playing an instrument he’s played so many times before, like he’s practiced this duet over and ove
r in his head. He kisses me like he means it, and I know that right now, Maddox Blake means it.

  Before I can get swept away, before I can get too filled with lust, he pulls away.

  “No,” I mew in protest, but he just presses his lips to my forehead.

  “You need to get cleaned up, sweetie.”

  I don’t even have the energy to protest. He checks the water temperature, and then the two of us climb into the shower, and I stand perfectly still as Maddox Blake cleans me from head to toe.

  It’s nothing like I’ve ever experienced.

  Tad was my first real boyfriend. He’s the guy I measure all other guys against, and that’s pretty pathetic. He certainly never took care of me like this. He never would have dreamed of getting in the shower with me and washing me, caring for me.

  “You’re beautiful, Piper.”

  “Thank you,” I whisper.

  “Have you had a proper Dom since you broke up with Tad?”

  “How do you know I broke up with him?” I ask. “How do you know he didn’t just leave me?”

  What I’m really asking is, how do you know I’m not worthless? How do you know I’m not used goods?

  Maddox just shakes his head.

  “No man could leave you, Piper. Not after getting a taste of how wonderful you are.”

  “Maddox…”

  “Shh…” He presses his finger to my lips, and then he kisses me again. He pulls me against him, and I feel Maddox’s cock pushing against my stomach. It shouldn’t turn me on, but it does. Oh, I want to take him, ride him. I want to show him just how much of a woman I really am, just how determined I can be when I set my sights on something.

  Far too soon, I’m clean, and Maddox turns off the water. I protest quietly, but he just chuckles.

  “Let’s get you dressed, sweetie. Let’s get you dry, and dressed, and fed, and then we’ll talk.”

  “Why do we have to talk?” I moan, pulling him close to me. “Why can’t we just skip the talking part?”

  “The talking is the most important part, Piper,” he whispers, and then Maddox looks at me. He really, truly looks at me. “I’m not going to cheapen this, Piper. Whatever this thing is between us, it’s special, and it’s important, and don’t you dare think I’m going to shortcut this.”