That Little Zing
Piper stared at the wall of glass, unable to see the plane on the tarmac through the whirling, swirl of snow. Instead, her own reflection gazed back at her; coppery curls were threatening to escape the careless twist at the back of her head, the normally creamy complexion had been replaced by a sickly, pale undertone, and there were dark circles underneath her red-rimmed eyes, which were the color of soft moss. She barely recognized this woman.
“Damn blizzard! God, I hate this place,” she muttered to herself, as the tears started afresh. “All I want is to get as far away from here as possible.”
Angrily, she swiped the wetness from her cheeks and found a seat, resigned to spending the next several hours at the airport. It was all her fault anyway; she had no one else to blame for her current state of misery. It certainly wasn’t Beckett’s fault. No, she couldn’t blame him for being furious and walking away. In fact, she knew that lying to him had been a mistake; she hadn’t meant to do it. She had gotten lost in his tawny eyes and the words had come tumbling out, completely unbidden. Once the untruth had been told, Piper didn’t know how to take it back. Despite having little desire to relive the events of the past week, she couldn’t stop the memories from taunting her now.
It had been right here at La Guardia airport. They had been on the same flight from Chicago, but hadn’t noticed each other until the baggage claim area, where they had both reached for the same suitcase. Piper had mistaken his dark gray bag for her well-travelled, slightly faded black one and had grabbed it, turning to go. The suitcase didn’t come away with her, but instead, the force of each of them pulling it in a separate direction caused them to rebound into each other. As soon as Piper’s body hit his, it was if she had been struck by a bolt of lightning. She could almost hear the zing of electricity buzzing in her ears.
“Excuse me, I think you’re trying to take my suitcase,” came a soft rumble to her right.
Piper looked up into the most intriguing eyes she had ever seen. They were golden, flecked with green with the iris circled by a deep brown. Once she was able to break free from their hypnotic hold, Piper realized he was possibly the most handsome man she had ever seen. Hair that was reminiscent of her favorite wheat ale, cut short on the sides and slightly longer on top, waving off his forehead, bronzed skin, powerful jaw line and a physique that would make most women swoon.
And then he flashed a smile at her, “Much as I would love to be the gallant knight and let you keep my bag, I doubt that the collection of suits, jeans and tee shirts would be much use to you. We’re not exactly the same size.”
He said this, as his eyes lazily took in her petite frame.
Piper suddenly realized that the handle she was desperately clinging to did not, in fact, belong to her luggage. She could feel heat stealing into her cheeks.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she replied, hastily releasing her grip on the suitcase. “I guess I didn’t look close enough; at first glance it’s remarkably similar to my own.”
“Don’t worry about it; no harm done. I’d be happy to keep an eye out for yours, if you’d like.”
There was that grin again. Piper wondered if there was a woman alive who could resist him. She knew she should send him on his way. She definitely shouldn’t trust him, she was in New York City, for God’s sake, but he was so damn magnetic.
“That’s a nice offer, but I don’t want to bother you. I’m sure you have somewhere you need to be. Thank you, anyway,” she replied, with an answering smile.
“It’s no bother, really. I’m in no hurry to find my hotel. My name is Beckett Thornton, by the way.”
Beckett, of course he would have a name as gorgeous as he is. She stuck out her hand, “I’m Piper Hanson, it’s nice to meet you.”
He grasped her hand briefly, giving it a firm but gentle shake, and sparks flew up her arm.
“Nice to meet you, Piper. Great, I think we just missed your bag!”
Her eyes flew to the carousel in time to see the end of her suitcase go through the flaps.
“So tell me, are you in town for business, Piper?”
What was this; did he not recognize who she was? Piper wasn’t being arrogant, but it was a rare occurrence these days that the general public did not know her name, even if they didn’t know what she looked like. She had just finished penning the fifth and final book in a fantasy series, where the first four books had been bestsellers and the first two had already been made into movies. Seemingly overnight, Piper had become a celebrity, crisscrossing the world in book tours and television appearances. It was the stuff of her wildest dreams, and sometimes her worst nightmares. For there was a price to such stardom; she now wondered if people genuinely liked her or only what she could do for them. Just when she would let her guard down and trust someone new, she would have a manuscript shoved in her face or a screenplay pitched. Unknown authors would plead with her to help them make a connection with her agent. Not everyone she met had an agenda, and she hated to be so cynical, it went against her nature, but she was tired of being burned.
But, maybe, just maybe, this man was unaware of who Piper Hanson was. She was in town to meet with her publisher regarding the last book, but when she went to respond; those words didn’t fall from her lips.
She was brought out of her contemplation when he quirked an eyebrow at her; apparently she had been lost in thought for a bit too long.
“Yes, I’m in town for business. What about you?”
Good lord, for someone who had a way with words on paper, she was having difficulty with the simplest conversation. What is wrong with me?
“It’s a mix of business and pleasure. I have a three day conference, and then I’m going to spend three days taking in the sights of New York. It’s my first time in the city,” Beckett replied, as his arm snaked out, grabbing her suitcase before it could make another loop. “Here, you are, Piper.”
She reached out to take her bag from him, setting it on the ground, as she took a fortifying breath, “Since you’re new to New York, would you like to go out to dinner with me? I know my way around pretty well.”
There were those pearly whites again.
“I’d like that,” Beckett replied.
Over dinner Piper found out that he was a leading surgeon in the field of sports medicine and was the keynote speaker at his conference, he resided in Chicago with his black lab, Tucker, and loved to cook. When he asked about her, she told him most of the truth; she was born and raised in Minneapolis, had a bit of a full house with two cats, Jazz and Shadow, and golden retriever named, Hunter, and could barely boil water, but she didn’t tell them she was an author. She started to; things were going well and she felt very comfortable with him, but as she opened her mouth to answer what type of business brought her there, Piper said the first thing she could think of, advertising.
Before she could blink, dinner had turned into drinks and three hours later, they parted ways to their respective hotels. He called her the next afternoon and asked her out again. They walked around Midtown with her pointing out some places of interest, found a good sushi bar for dinner and then took a cold, but invigorating carriage ride through Central Park. The following evening she had surprised him with tickets to the Broadway show, “Rock of Ages,” after finding out he still loved 80’s music.
After the show, as they waited in line for a taxi, he had leaned in for their first kiss. When his lips met hers, she had felt that zing of electricity again. She swayed closer and could smell his cologne, a woodsy scent with spicy undertones, mixed with his own particular brand of manliness.
Before he dropped her off at her room, he wondered if she had tired of him or if she would like to celebrate the end of his conference the next night. Of course she had said yes; how could she refuse. It felt as if they had known each other forever.
It turned out that his celebration was a romantic dinner at Palma in West Village. They enjoyed an intimate meal, at a cozy corner table, surrounded by charming décor that lent to the rustic Italian feel. Over their second bottle of wine, they made plans to take in some of the city’s best sights with Piper as the tour guide.
She was brought out of her reverie by the buzzing of her phone. A quick glance revealed it was her agent.
“Hi, Lora, what’s up?” she asked.
“I just wanted to check on you. Were you able to make it out of the city?”
Piper fought back a sniffle, “No, I’m sitting in the damned airport watching the blizzard rage.”
“Are you feeling all right, Piper? You sound like you have a cold.”
Lora was so sharp; nothing got past her. It was no wonder that she caught the huskiness in Piper’s voice.
“Yes, I think I am. At least I’ll have a few days to recuperate at home before I head to Los Angeles for a couple of interviews.”
She felt only a little guilty about the fib, but it was too soon to tell anyone about Beckett. Piper wasn’t sure she’d ever be ready to share that piece of her broken heart.
“Well, take care of yourself. Are you going to stay at the airport, or do you want me to find you a hotel room nearby?”
“Thanks, Lora, but I’m going to stick it out here. Hopefully the storm will let up soon. I want to be here if it does, where I can be on the first flight out.”
“Okay, let me know if you need anything. I’ll talk to you next week. Have a safe trip back, Piper.”
“Thank you.”
After Piper ended the call, her thoughts veered back to Beckett. They had had two wonderful days of sightseeing, but somewhere along the way, a photographer had taken their picture. That had been when things had started to unravel.
Today should have been their last day together for a while. As it was, they had already been planning times that they could get together, once they had gotten back to their respective homes; neither wanting their newfound relationship to end. Piper had never felt happier, but that was all about to change.
As she was getting things packed up in her hotel room, there was a loud knocking on her door. Piper hurried to get it, thinking it was the room service she had ordered minutes ago. Instead, it was Beckett and he was livid.
“Piper Hanson, best-selling author and world traveler? Why did you lie to me?” he growled.
She blanched at his tone, “Oh, God, Beckett, I’m sorry!”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
Piper took a breath to steady her nerves, “You don’t understand. Everywhere I go, most everyone knows who I am. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted my books to sell, but I wasn’t prepared for all that came with it. People always want a piece of me. Sometimes, I don’t want to be me, anymore; sometimes I just want anonymity. Then, I met you, and you had no idea who I was. I only wanted to hold on to that for a little while.”
“So, you just assumed that I was like everyone else? That I would want something from you, other than your company? How conceited are you?”
Piper cringed, “No, it wasn’t like that, Beckett. I trusted you from the moment I met you.”
He laughed bitterly, “Ha! You could have fooled me!”
“It’s true. I don’t know why I lied. The words just came out and I didn’t know how to set the record straight without you getting angry; without this happening.”
Beckett looked at her and she could see disbelief in those golden eyes.
“Do you know how I found out? I got a call from a good friend of mine and he asked how I had gotten lucky enough to meet “The Piper Hanson.” I had no idea what he was talking about, and sounded like an idiot when he asked me. He told me he saw our picture in one of the national papers. I was caught completely off guard, Piper. I trusted you, even thought I was falling in love, but I can see that it was completely one-sided.”
He turned to go, but she reached for his hand.
“Beckett, please listen to me. It wasn’t just you; I have fallen in love with you. Please, stay so we can talk about it,” Piper knew she was pleading and didn’t care.
He simply shook his head and turned to go. She watched him, feeling frozen in place, unable to move or breathe. A few moments later, Piper crumpled to the floor, where she sat sobbing until her room service had arrived.
She had eventually finished packing, and was now here, waiting to leave a city that would be forever ruined for her. Piper’s world felt as if it had shattered into a million pieces and there was no way to put it back together again. Suddenly, the overhead light was blocked out by someone looming over her. She looked up and felt the breath catch in her throat. It was Beckett.
“I have never been a fan of snowstorms until now,” he said.
Piper rose from her seat, “Why is that?” She could barely force the words out.
“Because it gave me some extra time to realize that I wasn’t ready for us to end just yet,” he replied, his eyes never leaving hers.
Her knees buckled, but he reached out a hand to steady her and it landed softly at her waist.
“You can’t mean that; not after what I did!” she cried.
She watched as Beckett took a step closer to her, placing both hands at either side of her face.
“I was angry and hurt by your lie, but I think I understand why you did it. I spent all afternoon wandering around the places that you took me and I couldn’t get you off my mind. I came to one resounding conclusion; I love you and want to see where this takes us.”
“Oh, Beckett, I love you, too, and was lost when I thought I had ruined it.”
Any future thoughts were cut off as he tilted her face up and brought his lips to hers, and that familiar zing struck again.
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