Her Keeper

by Rianna Campbell

  That would certainly explain why her mother hadn’t been home when she’d called a couple weeks ago looking for a place to stay.

  There was only one way she was going to get the whole story, but she couldn’t bring herself to actually ask her mother what was going on. She wasn’t sure she was ever going to be ready for that conversation.

  She ducked into her room and locked the door behind her. Pulling her phone out of the pocket of her dress- her favorite for that particular reason- she set it on the bed while she undressed. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail, and dug through her bag to find her bathing suit. She put it on and then looked at herself in the mirror.

  Not bad…

  The suit was a two-piece in her favorite shade of blue, a deep sapphire blue that complimented her eyes. High cut bottoms and a simple bandeau with a tie in the middle, it was classic and comfortable as hell.

  She threw on a fluffy robe, compliments of the hotel, before checking her phone. Alexandra had texted and said she’d meet her at the pool in about ten minutes. Slipping a handful of bottles from the minibar into her pocket along with her room key, Amanda went in search of the pool.

  She hesitated as she passed Parker's room, but only for a second. What was it about him that drew her like a magnet? She ran through the list in her head as she continued down the hall, casting a longing glance at the supply closet as she went.

  He was absolutely gorgeous, for starters. Handsome, muscular with amazing hair and beautiful green hazel eyes. He had a magic tongue. And hands. And dick. He had been so sweet and gentle with her after… well, after. They liked a lot of the same things and it turned out he even had a sense of humor under all that broodiness.

  He could be downright playful, and wasn’t that just a kick in the tits? She’d been drawn in by the surly tough guy he appeared to be at first glance. But what had really hooked her was the warm, caring man underneath. Still waters really did run deep.

  Speaking of which…

  She’d nearly walked past the door to the pool area, lost as she was in her thoughts. It couldn’t possibly be healthy to be this obsessed with someone after just a week, could it? Who was she kidding? She’d been obsessed with him for months already.

  “Hey! You’re just in time!” Alexandra said, popping up off of the deck chair she’d been sitting on and speed walking over to her. She was clearly excited, but rule follower that she was, she would never run on the pool deck.

  Alexandra was in a simple black two-piece that was surprisingly similar to hers except for a higher waist and a set of straps. Amanda envied her sister for a lot of reasons, but top of the list was definitely her… assets. Alexandra had apparently inherited all there was to be had in that department and there’d been none left for her.

  Her sister certainly did a much better job of filling out a swimsuit than she did. Did Parker mind that she didn’t have more than a handful of… well, anything, really? He hadn’t seemed to mind, but-

  No. Bad Amanda. Stop it!

  “Just in time for what?” Amanda asked.

  “Some good gossip!” Alexandra was bouncing on the balls of her feet.

  Amanda automatically panicked. Was it about her and Parker? Was it about their parents? There were so many things she was trying to keep quiet, she really didn’t know if she wanted another secret to keep track of.

  “About who?” Amanda asked, stripping off her robe and tossing it onto the chair beside Alexandra’s.

  “I’m not really sure, but mom just called me because she wanted to know if Connor and I were making out in a broom closet on the third floor. Apparently, some lucky couple was having a really good time in there when mom went up to her room.”

  Crap, crap, crap…

  Her mother- scratch that- her parents must have walked by while she and Parker were… busy, and then ducked into her mother’s room for a few minutes. She must have caught them as her father was leaving.

  She seemed to have the absolute worst timing lately.

  “Ooh,” Amanda asked, trying to seem genuinely surprised and curious. “Who do you think it was?”

  “I don’t know.” Alexandra tilted her head and looked at a point somewhere over Amanda’s head.

  That was a sure sign that she was thinking about something. Hard.

  “But most of that floor is booked for the wedding, so it’s almost certainly someone we know. I mean, I can rule out Jackson since Janie isn’t here, and it wasn’t you or Parker. Angel’s not here yet and even if she was... Oh!”

  Amanda could practically see the lightbulb appear over Alexandra’s head as an idea occurred to her.

  “Maybe it was Sam. I don’t think he’s seeing anyone, but Charles is here. Maybe-”

  “Lex, how many times have I told you to stop trying to set them up! It’s super weird and kind of offensive that you’re pushing them together just because they’re the only two gay men you know.”

  “That’s not why.” Alexandra rolled her eyes. “I think they’d actually make a good couple. They’re both smart, attractive professionals. Connor has told me a lot about Sam and I think he and Charles actually have a compatible sense of humor and a lot of common interests.”

  Amanda blinked at her sister. “Fair enough, just don’t be too obvious about it.”

  “Please.” Alexandra’s eyes went wide and her mouth popped open in disbelief. “Have a little faith in me, will you? I managed to get Janie and Jackson together, didn’t I?”

  “Yeah, and look how well that’s turned out,” Amanda replied. “Poor Janie.”

  “Oh, I wouldn’t count them out just yet,” Alexandra said with a devious grin.

  “What do you know?”

  “Nothing.” She looked away, waving off the question.

  “Bullshit. Spill.”

  “I can’t. I gave my word,” Alexandra sighed. Then she glanced around as if they weren’t the only two people in the room before continuing in a hushed tone. “Okay, don’t say anything to anybody, especially Janie, but Jackson’s got this plan and it’s super sweet and amazing and if Janie doesn’t forgive him, I’m going to put my stiletto up her ass.”

  “Wow,” Amanda pulled back a bit. “First Angel, now you?”

  Alexandra raised an eyebrow, but Amanda waived it off. She pulled out two of the tiny bottles she’d brought and cracked them open.

  “You’re not supposed to drink and swim.” Alexandra accepted the open bottle of tequila anyway.

  “The pool is literally four feet deep and that's about a thimble’s worth of booze. I think we’ll be okay.” Amanda held up her tiny bottle and Alexandra’s bottle made a clink as they tapped them together.

  “To Jackson and Janie getting their shit together,” Amanda toasted.

  “Here, here!”

  Alexandra took a dainty sip of her bottle and Amanda proceeded to chug hers like a shot.

  “Now if only I could get you and Parker together,” Alexandra mused.

  Amanda choked. Tequila went everywhere, including into her lungs and out her nose. Her entire chest and sinus cavity felt like it was on fire and she continued to cough until she thought she was actually going to die.

  “Jesus! Are you okay?” Alexandra asked, handing her an open bottle of water, which is presumably what Alexandra had brought with her to the pool instead of booze.

  “I-” Another coughing fit ensued. She managed a few sips of water and finally replied in a croak.

  “I’m fine. Just swallowed wrong.”

  “Ouch,” Alexandra said with a wince.

  “Yeah. Breathing tequila is a very bad idea. Would not recommend.”

  Her coughing fit had one benefit. Alexandra forgot all about what she’d said and moved on to other things. Amanda didn’t want to lie to her sister. Not telling her would be one thing, but if she asked, Amanda didn’t think she could actually lie to her.

  And as much as she wanted to tell her sister all about it, especially now that she finally had something to brag about, she di
dn’t want to put anything more on her plate this close to the wedding, even if it was good news.

  Besides, she and Parker had both agreed and she wasn’t going to change the plan without talking to him first. He seemed convinced that telling anyone right now was a bad idea. She wasn’t sure why, but his reluctance alone was enough to make her question if maybe it wouldn’t be a good idea to take things slow and keep them private for a while.

  After all, if things didn’t work out, it would be easier to keep it to herself than explain what happened to everyone they knew. She wished she knew why he was so pessimistic about their chances. Maybe then she could decide whether or not he was right.

  Unless, of course, it was just his way of keeping her at arm's length, and not get her hopes up because he didn’t intend for it to be a long-term thing. Would he do that? She didn’t think so, but then again… there was still a lot she didn’t know about him.

  Suddenly, more than the sex, which she definitely still really wanted, she wanted to just… talk to him.

  After three sad, tiny bottles of booze and a couple hours of swimming and laughing with Alexandra, Amanda was feeling pretty good. They said their goodbyes and hugged each other hard before they parted ways, Alexandra off to her gorgeous fiancé, no doubt, and Amanda destined for her empty room.

  She stripped out her wet suit, draping it over the towel bar in the bathroom to dry, and then took a quick shower to wash the chlorine from her hair and body. Clean and dry, she tossed on a tank top and a pair of shorts and prepared to sleep.

  Only she couldn’t. She lay there for a solid hour and was still wide awake. Her mind was way too busy. Between Parker, her parents, and Alexandra’s gossip the evening had been an eventful one. And she wanted to share it with someone. No, not someone, Parker.

  She picked up her phone off the nightstand and checked to see if she had any messages, but it was a whole lot of nothing. She wasn’t surprised considering the way she and Parker had left things.

  She knew he was mad at her about her behavior at dinner, but she really needed him right now, even if it was just a quick text wishing her goodnight. She typed out a short message and hit send before she could change her mind.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  To say Parker was having a rough night was an understatement. After what had happened with Amanda, he’d gone back to his room, taken another cold shower, and formed a plan to keep himself from knocking on her door in the middle of the night.

  He’d packed something in case of an emergency. He hadn’t planned to use it quite this soon, but desperate times and all that…

  He opened his door, took two steps to the room next door, and knocked.

  Jackson opened the door and grunted an ambivalent “Hey,” leaving the door open as he returned to the minibar and the tiny glass of scotch he’d apparently just poured himself.

  “You don’t have to sound so disappointed.” Parker laughed as he shut the door behind him. He felt for his buddy but he was trying to keep things light. The last thing either of them needed right now was some sort of alcohol-fueled pity party. Nobody liked a sad drunk.

  “Sorry, man. I’m just wound a little tight right now.” Jackson sighed, running his hand through his hair. By the looks of it, he’d been doing that a lot.

  “Yeah, I know. Your girl’s MIA. That’s bound to make anyone a little crazy.” Parker could sympathize. Amanda was just down the hall and he still missed her.

  Jesus, what was happening to him?

  “More than a little,” Jackson grumbled, downing the contents of his glass in one gulp.

  “We can do better than that,” Parker said. He nodded toward Jackson’s empty glass and held up the paper bag he was holding. Parker pulled a bottle of Jack Daniels out of the bag and set it on the table beside the minibar.

  “Thank you, Jesus,” Jackson said quietly.

  “You’re welcome, my son.” Parker smirked, grabbing a couple of glasses and pouring Jackson a drink. He poured one for himself and held it aloft.

  “What should we drink to? Wayward women? The pitfalls of love?” Parker asked. He told himself it was a joke, but honestly, he hadn’t just been referring to Jackson’s problem.

  “How about you just shut your pie hole and drink,” Jackson grumbled.

  Parker took a sip of his whiskey and felt it burn its way to his gut. He sighed, sinking into one of the armchairs each room had positioned next to a small table by the window.

  “So, what’s the story, man?” Parked asked. Jackson had only given him the basics. He hadn’t said anything about what he was thinking or what he planned to do, if anything.

  He had a serious habit of insisting on helping everyone around him, but never accepting or asking for help himself. As far as character flaws went, it wasn’t a bad one, but it meant that he tended to isolate himself in times of crisis until he figured out how he was going to fix things all on his own.

  But Parker had learned a long time ago not to push too hard, but right now it wasn’t easy. Jackson was more keyed up than he’d ever seen him. He was seriously worried that Jackson might have an aneurysm if he didn’t calm down.

  “Nobody knows where she is. She left her dad’s house on Wednesday and was supposed to be back in New York later that night. No one’s heard from her and Angel says she hasn’t been home. I’m freaking out here, man.”

  “Alright, what can we do?”

  This was worse than he’d thought. No wonder he’d been so tense at dinner. Shit, something like this was a nightmare for Jackson. Not only could he not control the situation, but he didn’t even know exactly what the situation was. Jackson was totally helpless. Parker was surprised he’d held it together at all.

  “I called Ian and had him go over to the townhouse,” Jackson said, shaking his head.

  “Nobody’s home?”

  “Nope. Angel’s at work and he said the lights were off and no one answered the door.”

  “Maybe she was just sleeping and she didn’t want to answer the door,” Parker suggested.

  “At eight p.m.?” Jackson said, with a raised eyebrow. “Not likely.”

  “But not impossible, especially if she’d had some kind of travel disaster like a delayed flight, lost luggage, lost phone. It’s possible she just got home, said ‘fuck it’ and went to bed.”

  “I think you’re just trying to make me feel better,” Jackson narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips.

  “I am, but that doesn't mean I can’t also be right.”

  They were quiet for a moment and Parker decided it was a good time to ask something he’d been meaning to get Jackson’s opinion on. It would be good to change the subject and to get Jackson’s take on things.

  “You said you called Ian?” Parker asked, looking into his glass and noticing it was nearly empty. He grabbed the bottle from the table and poured himself another glass, topping off Jackson’s drink in the process.

  “Yeah. He, Cam andTom are holding down the fort while the rest of us are up here celebrating.”

  “You trust him?” Parker asked.

  “Yeah. You don’t?” Jackson asked.

  “I don’t know. He’s so... quiet. He never talks about himself. He’s a wild card.”

  “So you’re saying he’s taciturn, keeps to himself, and isn’t social with the guys at work, and that makes him suspicious to you?” Jackson’s eyebrows went up and a smile slowly spread across his face.

  “It’s not the same thing.” Parker already knew where this conversation was going.

  “No, it’s not. Because you have me as your translator. If you were on your own, you and Ian would be peas in a mother-fucking pod, my man, and you know it.”

  “Fuck you! Translator? what does that even mean?” Parker asked, sipping his drink.

  “It means I translate your sorry excuse for social skills into something normal people can understand and vice versa. And I make you at least go out and talk to people,” Jackson replied with a small laugh. “You remember Alexandra�
��s dinner party back in October before she and Connor were together?”

  How could he possibly forget that? It was the night he and Amanda had met.

  “Yeah.”

  “And do you remember how long it took me to talk you into going?” Jackson asked, taking a sip from his glass.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Say what you want, but you and I both know you had no intention of going. I had to remind you three times and you still pretended to forget about it right up until the day of. I had to promise you free food and guarantee that we’d be out of there by nine to get your grumpy ass in the car.”

  “What exactly is your point, douchebag?” Parker glared at him.

  “It means that Ian is you, except without someone like me to make him do things like go to parties and dinners and meet new people. Where would you be without me?” Jackson asked. “Because that’s where Ian is.”

  Parker thought about it for a second and a flash of panic and despair shot through him at the thought. He immediately felt like an asshole. Without Jackson, he’d be a whole lot worse than just anti-social.

  “Well, shit,” Parker sighed. He guessed he owed the big man an apology after all. Although he still didn’t want him anywhere near Amanda. But that wasn’t personal, it applied to anyone with a dick.

  “What happened?” Jackson asked, leaning forward in his chair.

  “Nothing.” Parker shrugged.

  “Bullshit.”

  “Nothing I can’t fix,” Parker replied.

  “Tell me about it. I’ll help,” Jackson said.

  “Of course you would, which is why I’m not telling you. You’ve got enough to deal with and I think maybe it’s time I start cleaning up my own messes.”

  Jackson frowned into his glass for a moment and then nodded.

  “Alright, but if you need me-”

  “I know, you’ll come running like the white Knight you are.”

  “Fuck you.” Jackson shook his head, but he was smiling nonetheless.

  Two hours later, Jackson was tipsy, on the cusp of being wasted, and Parker knew it was time to cut him off. Any more to drink and he’d either get mopey or start talking about how much he loved everyone, and that would be embarrassing for both of them. Not to mention that Parker was getting tired, which was a good sign that he might actually be able to get some sleep tonight.