Rising, she watched a figure emerge out of the darkness and walk by her, hands in pockets. The man took shape and she realized it was Dylan. He stopped at the edge of the paved area and looked up at the mountains. His exhale was loud and slow, and then his shoulders slumped and his head dropped. It was defeat she saw now in every line of his body.

The anger she’d been carrying toward him slipped away. He’d been rude to her and Joe, but she also knew he had a lot on his mind.

“Dylan?”

He turned.

“Piper?”

“Yes.”

His eyes located her, and his feet started moving. In seconds he was there standing above her. She couldn’t read his expression, but wished she could because something was worrying him.

He ran a hand down her cheek, his fingers cool from the night air.

“Why are you here, Dylan?”

“Because your cousins told me to walk around here and look up at the mountains before I drove home because it would clear my head.”

“Why does your head need clearing? I know it’s not from the beer, or you wouldn’t have driven.”

“It’s complicated.”

She felt his eyes running over her body, even though it was concealed by darkness.

“Why are you out here now, Piper? It’s 2:00 a.m.”

“Grace always wakes about now and has a bottle. I give it to her, then sometimes when I can’t sleep I come out here for a while. Plus, I fell off my horse today and my body is one big ache.”

“Charlie told me about that. Are you okay?”

“Sure.”

“What happened?”

“My horse bucked me off.”

“Ouch.”

“She had a cut under her girth. I must have missed it when I put the saddle on. She then objected to galloping because it rubbed.”

“What?” He bent and his hands gripped her shoulders. “Was it deliberate?”

“The cut?”

“Yes.”

“No.” Piper shook her head.

His exhaled loudly.

“What’s going on, Dylan?”

“Nothing.” His hands soothed her shoulders.

Silence settled between them, a heavy, thick silence that had Piper swallowing.

“Tell me to go, Pip,” he said, lowering his head.

She rose up to meet him, and their lips touched igniting a fire of need inside her. He pulled her up his body.

“Christ, you’re naked,” he rasped.

“Join me.”

He lowered her back into the water, and Piper braced herself for him to walk away. Instead he started pulling off clothes. When he placed one large foot into the tub, she looked at the beautiful body that followed. Tall and lean, he was muscled in all the right places and she wanted her hands on him.

“This is wrong, Pip.”

“I know.” She grabbed his hand and yanked him down. He fell onto the seat and she straddled him.

“Your cousins—”

“Will already be sleeping.”

“You do realize it’s freezing outside this tub right?”