“I know.” He kissed her softly. “You might not remember, but you spilled a good bit of the tequila. If you were a drinker, you’d have gone for it the very next morning, but you didn’t. Stop overthinking. I see who you are, and I like who I see.”
She craned to reach his lips, and he met her halfway in a long kiss that confirmed everything he said.
“Dude?” Pete came out of the store, a bell ringing behind him as the door swung closed. “I thought public displays were off the table?” He laughed as he reached for Parker and hugged her. “How’re you doing?”
She knew he was kidding about their kiss, but she liked kissing Grayson, and she didn’t want anyone to think otherwise. “I’m doing well, thanks. And public displays are not off the table.” A fluffy golden retriever pushed past him. Parker crouched to pet him and let the excited pup drench her with kisses. “Aw, hello. Who are you?”
“That’s Joey, Pete’s other daughter.” Grayson gave Pete a quick hug. “How’s Pop doing?”
“Good. Seems a little tired, but he’s on his feet a lot. Other than that, he’s solid as a rock.” Pete gave him a reassuring nod. “We’re just heading out. Haven’t seen you guys at Seaside. Come tomorrow for breakfast; we’ll catch up.”
Grayson looked at Parker. She loved that he checked with her before answering, though she wouldn’t have minded if he’d just accepted for the both of them.
“We’d love to.” The girls had been asking her to come over for breakfast, too. They’d had a great time on their outings. Earlier in the week they’d spent the day at the beach, and a few days ago they’d met for lunch and then gone to a library sale in Brewster. But she selfishly hadn’t wanted to give up her mornings alone with Grayson.
“All right.” Pete leashed Joey. “We’ll see you then. Pop’s in the office.”
As Pete walked away, Grayson asked, “You sure you’re up to going?”
“Yes. I love your friends, and you don’t have to worry. I’m not going to hole up, scarfing down candy and watching horror movies twenty-four seven. Abe will always be special, but he’s not Bert. I wish I could see him again, but I’m trying to respect his wishes.” She laced their fingers together and added, “Now, take me to meet the man who raised my amazing man.”
The bell above the door sounded as they walked into the store, and it suddenly hit her that she was meeting Grayson’s father, which was a big deal. An especially big deal for her since she’d never been in this position of meeting a boyfriend’s father before. Her first instinct was to slip into actress mode and make the best impression she could, but she stifled that urge.
“Hey, Grayson!” a pretty brunette called from behind the counter in the back of the store.
“How’s it going?” Grayson said as they walked down an aisle lined with cans of paint and brushes of varying sizes and color. “Mira, this is my girlfriend, Parker. Parker, this is Mira.”
“I think the whole town knows who you are. It’s great to meet you.” Mira had a wide, beautiful smile, olive skin, and a light spray of freckles across the bridge of her nose.
“You saw the picture?” She shouldn’t be shocked that everyone had seen their front-page smooch. Grayson’s siblings had teased them relentlessly, and the girls ended their jokes with, Wait! Let me get my camera!
“Saw it? Me and my friends drooled over it.” Mira gasped and waved a dismissive hand. “Oh, not like that. Not over Grayson. No offense, Grayson. You’re cute and all, but…”
“No offense taken,” he said with an amused grin.
“Whew!” Mira laughed. “What I meant was the passion searing off the page between you two was super hot and super cute. Totally drool worthy.”
She had an easy way about her that Parker instantly liked. “Thank you.”
“Neil’s been smiling about it for days.” Mira lowered her voice. “You can thank Sky for that.” The bell above the door sounded again. “Duty calls. Nice to meet you, Parker. Don’t be a stranger.” She hurried toward her customer.
“I love her,” Parker whispered as they headed to the office.
“Maybe I should grow my hair longer and paint on a few freckles.”
She laughed. When they came to his father’s office and she saw the picture from Us Weekly framed in the center of his desk, she nearly swallowed her tongue.
Neil looked up from the ledger he was working on, and when his lips curved up, it was easy to see where Grayson got his good looks. His father’s hair was lighter, and the strong angles of his face were softer but clearly similar. Her eyes returned to their front-page kiss, and her nerves came back to life. The frame sat beside a wedding picture of Grayson’s parents, and another of Pete and Jenna. His love for his children was inescapable. Pinned to the wall above his desk were pictures of Grayson and his siblings, from toddler to man and woman. Parker’s heart squeezed at how much love a few pictures could convey, and she felt honored to have her picture beside the others.
“Gray.” Neil pushed from the chair and embraced his son. He was a big man, though not as broad as Grayson.
“Hi, Pop.” Grayson reached for Parker with pride in his eyes, but before he could get a word out, his father’s arms engulfed her in a warm hug.
“Parker, it’s nice to meet you, sweetheart.” When he drew back, his smile still in place, his eyes moved between her and Grayson.
Sweetheart. She wondered if that’s what he’d called Grayson’s mother, and the thought made her feel even more special.
“It’s nice to meet you, too.”
“Pop?” Grayson picked up the framed picture of them kissing. “Seriously?”
“Your sister gave one to each of us.” He chuckled. “I guess she didn’t tell you.”
Parker stifled a giggle when she realized Sky and the girls hadn’t said anything to her either. Maybe Bella wasn’t the only prankster. Or maybe it wasn’t a prank at all. She smiled at the thought.
“Pete and Hunter have them?” Grayson’s eyes narrowed.
“Yup.” Neil said. “Matty, too. Sky said if we waited for you to give us pictures, we might not ever get any ’cause you’re too busy smooching.”
“Christ.” Grayson shook his head.
“Aw, son. Your sister loves ya. And apparently she and the boys are keen on Parker, too. Besides, I added in the ‘smooching’ part.” Neil’s eyes went serious, and he turned his attention to Parker. “Sky also told me that you don’t want any hullabaloo about being an actress. It’s nice that you’ve done so well for yourself, and I’m sure you’re a fine actress. But whether you’re an actress or selling newspapers on the street corner, what matters is who you are without all that other stuff mucking things up, like how you treat my boy. I hope you’re not just dating him for his good looks and wealth.” He winked. “Because neither one will get you very far.”
“Darn,” she teased. “I guess I’ll have to rethink my plans.”
Grayson smiled at that. “I was worried you weren’t feeling well today, Pop. Good to see you’re still as humorous as ever.”
“I’m fine, Gray. Just a little tired is all.” He sank back down to his chair and reached for his wedding picture. “Real life is now, and we don’t get to live these days again, so tired or not, I’m living it.”
Real life is now. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree, and that familial connection made her feel good all over.
Neil gazed compassionately at Parker. “Sky told me you lost your friend, and I’m sorry you had to go through that. Grayson knows what it’s like to lose someone you love, so you’re in good hands. But if you ever want to talk to an old man, my door’s always open.”
“Thank you,” she managed, touched by his kindness and by Sky’s thoughtfulness. She’d not only thought to tell her father not to make a big deal about her celebrity status, but also to tell him what Parker was going through. She imagined some people might find that intrusive, but to Parker, those were hallmarks of a caring friend.
“With the right people by your
side”—Neil lifted his eyes to Grayson—“there’s nothing you can’t get through.”
Chapter Seventeen
LATER THAT EVENING, after picking up Christmas and all of his doggy paraphernalia, clothes, toiletries, the script Parker was working on, and a few other necessities, Parker and Grayson settled into his cottage. The three-bedroom home was nestled among a sparse forest of pitch pine trees, overlooking a private pond. Christmas sniffed every inch of each room, finally claiming the spot before the fireplace.
As Grayson went through the motions of opening up his private world to Parker, he waited for panic to trip him up. But the only thing tripping him up was how much he loved seeing Parker move from room to room as she put her things away.
“You have such great taste.” She kissed him, her arms full of toiletries, then disappeared into the bathroom. “I love the pictures of your family in the living room and the sculptures in the yard.”
Over the months they’d been emailing he’d dreamed of her being there with him, but seeing her things mingling with his—her clothes hanging beside his, her perfume and brush beside his cologne on the dresser—made his cottage feel even more like a home.
She returned to the bedroom and put her clothes in the drawer he’d emptied.
“And this bed? Oh my goodness. I’ve never seen anything like it, which means you must have made it.”
She had no idea how big a deal it was for Grayson to want to share his bed with her. He’d never wanted to share his home, or his bed, with a woman before. The bed he’d designed and forged with his own two hands. But when it came to Parker, nowhere was off-limits.
Later that evening they ate dinner on the patio. After dinner he leaned against the doorframe of the master bedroom as Parker got ready for a walk around the pond.
“How did you stand staying at my house when yours is so wonderful?” she asked.
“What’s to stand? You were there. We could stay in a palace or my truck and I would be fine with it as long as we’re together. I was worried my place would be too rustic or too small for you.”
“Too small? You have three bedrooms. How many more do you need?” She grabbed her sandals from the closet and set them in the room.
“Not too small for me. You’re used to big, fancy places. This is anything but.”
“You’re right. It’s not big and fancy. It’s cozy and homey, and I can’t imagine loving anyplace more.”
I can’t imagine loving anything more than you. He’d been having those thoughts more often the last few days, and it was a struggle to keep them to himself.
She bent to slip on her sandals, giving him a clear view of her perfect ass. He pushed from the doorframe and gathered her in his arms.
“Bending over like that was very unfair. Taunting me, when I’ve had to watch you looking torturously sexy in my bedroom all day.”
She wound her arms around his neck. “How did I look in the living room?”
He kissed her deeply.
She let out a long breath. “That good?”
“Mm-hm.” He kissed her again.
“And in the bathroom?” She closed her eyes and tipped her head back, giving him access to her neck.
“Sinful, just like you do now. Like you needed to be stripped naked, bent over the sink, and loved hard.” He slicked his tongue over her pulse point, and she whispered his name. “Mm. My girl likes that.”
“What about…?” she said breathlessly. “In the kitchen?”
“The kitchen?” He pressed his hands to her cheeks and gazed into her heavily lidded eyes. “You should always be naked in the kitchen.”
“Naked,” she whispered, pressing her body to his. “Why?”
The way she fished for dirty talk always turned him on. “I want to make love to you on every counter, spread-eagle on the table, on the floor…” He tangled his hand in her hair and lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her with long, deep strokes of his tongue. She moaned with pleasure, and when he intensified the kiss, she pushed her hands into his hair and held on tight. Damn, he loved that. He grabbed her ass and crushed their bodies together, groaning at the feel of her against his hard, eager cock.
“Baby, I don’t think we’re going to make that walk.” He sucked her earlobe into his mouth, grazing it with his teeth.
“There’s always tomorrow.”
With that green light, his hands traveled over her luscious curves, up her rib cage, over her breasts, and back down the way they’d come. They kissed and groped, nipping at each other’s lips and tongues, their necks and shoulders, until they were both panting with need. He tugged her shirt off and tossed it across the room. In one snap her bra followed suit. Moonlight cut a path across her bare breasts, the sight of her taut nipples heightening his arousal. She unbuttoned her jeans as he stripped off his shirt, and he made quick work of ridding himself of his pants and briefs. She watched, licking her lips and slowly unzipping her jeans.
“Let me.” He moved her hand and held her by the hips as he sat on the edge of the bed and guided her between his legs. Unzipping her jeans, he said, “I want you right here, where I can see and touch and taste.”
Holding her hips again, he visually feasted on her. She was stunning, bare from the waist up, her breasts rising with each heavy breath. “You’re so beautiful, sweetheart.”
He pulled her closer and brought his mouth to her breast, teasing her nipple with his tongue and earning another greedy moan. She arched against his mouth, urging him to take more, but he continued teasing, licking circles around the tight, sensitive bud.
“Grayson, please,” she begged. She fisted her hands in his hair, trying to direct him. But he was too strong, too determined to bring her pleasure.
He dragged his tongue in a horizontal path down the side of her breast, to the dip between the two, and over the swell of the other, seeking her nipple. His mouth hovered over the taut peak, licking, then breathing on her wet skin and repeating the tease until her nipple was so tight he knew she could feel it between her legs.
He grazed his teeth over the tip, and she cried out. “Please, please, please.”
“Soon,” he promised, and kissed the space between her breasts.
He hooked his fingers into the waist of her jeans and silky panties and kissed her belly, loving the way her skin jumped against his tongue. She clawed at his shoulders, sure to leave marks, but he didn’t care. It was exquisite, feeling need in her touch, so tightly wound she was almost ready to come. He tugged her jeans and panties down her hip to her thighs, revealing her smooth, bare sex he couldn’t wait to get his mouth on. He kissed her from hip to hip, pausing to thrust his tongue into her belly button as he would his cock into her sweet, hot center. She pushed his shoulders, urging him lower.
“I don’t need guiding, baby. You need patience.”
He brought his tongue to the cleft of her most sensitive lips and slid his tongue over it, tasting her desire. She fought against her jeans, trying to spread her legs, but they were trapped. Perfect for the titillating pleasures he had in mind.
“Ohgod, Grayson.”
“I’ve got you, baby.”
He slicked his tongue over her sensitive nerves. Her thighs flexed, her breathing went shallow, and her nails clawed into his flesh as he took her higher. Stroking, licking, teasing her until her entire body trembled with need. He pressed his hand flat on her lower back, bringing her flush against his mouth, and filled his other hand with her breast.
“Need you,” she said, trying to push her jeans down.
“You’ll get me, baby. I promise. Come for me.” He slid his tongue from her clit to between her swollen, wet lips in a quick repetitive pattern.
“Ohgodohgod, Gray—”
She bucked against his mouth, but he didn’t relent, stroking her faster, as her hips thrust and her sex pulsed against his tongue.
“Grayson, Grayson, Grayson.” She panted, shaking from head to toe, as the orgasm eased.
He rose to help her out of her cl
othes and gathered her in his arms, needing a deeper connection.
“Dontstopdontstop.”
“I’m not baby. I just want to hold you.” In my arms forever. He captured her lips, warding off his confession, possessing every corner of her mouth. He’d crawl inside that sexy mouth of hers if he could. She was so fucking sexy, so sweet, so his. Love coursed through him, dragging him further into her depths. It was all too much, the wanting sounds she made, the passion in her eyes, the way she moved with him.
When their lips parted, she pleaded, “Tellmetellme.”
Holding her in his arms, he sank down to the edge of the bed again. “You’re going to come on my cock, and then you’re going to come on my mouth.” He lifted her easily and guided her legs around him as he lowered her onto his eager erection. They both groaned at the intense coupling.
“Oh God. So good.” She touched her lips to his. “Love this.”
Love coursed through his veins, rode the surface of his skin, and stole from his lips. “I love you, baby.”
She opened her eyes and searched his.
“I do, sweetheart.” It was too fast, too much for her. He knew she’d overthink this, just as he probably should, but his emotions were too real to question.
“Don’t think, Parker. Feel.” He placed her hands on his shoulders. “Ride me, sweetheart. Make me yours.”
“I…”
He kissed her to quiet her thoughts. “Shh. You don’t have to say it. Just know it.”
A worried look hovered in her eyes, bringing with it a new ache.
“What, baby? Tell me. Too much, too fast?” He’d barreled into her life, a life that had been tossing and turning for weeks. He wanted to settle her, make her feel safe and loved. To be her rock, her anchor, her everything. But he could wait a lifetime if that’s what it took.
She shook her head, and a stream of emotions washed over her face—worry, love, lust. It was the lust that seemed to win. “If you come, we can’t…”
He couldn’t suppress his smile at her sweet seductive pleas and the love she wasn’t ready to share with him but that he saw and felt in everything she did and said.
Seaside Lovers: Grayson Lacroux (Love in Bloom: Seaside Summers) Page 15
