Still, Parrish is determined. He seeks out every mark and scrape left by his best friend and then proceeds to cover it with one of his own. The single finger inside of me becomes two, sliding deep and hooking slightly to grant me extra pleasure. I reach down with my own hand, adjusting his so that when he rocks his hand, he rubs my clit at the same time.
“I know I should be grateful to them, but I’m just annoyed. You’re mine; I saw you first.”
I use my left hand to cover my mouth, just to stifle all of the sounds that want to come out. It’s too much, with the hot steam and Parrish’s even hotter body, with his hardened shaft pressing into my ass and lower back, his fingers inside of me. He continues to kiss and lick and suck while he works me up to that glittering stage all over again, encouraging my body to clamp around him.
The climax hits me so hard that I actually collapse. Parrish catches me around the waist with his left hand, leaving the fingers of his right one inside of me. He lowers us both to the floor and then leans his back into the wall, pulling me into his lap. He works me until my entire body goes stiff again, trembling in his arms, and then slumping back against him with a shuddering sigh.
Shit, his chest! I try to move, even though my languid muscles seem to be adamantly against it, but he won’t let me go.
“No. Stay here. Don’t be so stubborn.” He pulls me back against him, sliding his fingers out and then wrapping me with both arms.
“You’re an asshole,” I murmur, but then, we both knew that.
“You’re a brat,” he retorts, which is true. He allows me to ‘escape’ the hold of his arms, but I don’t go very far, turning around to look at him, his lean, inked body sprawled in the corner of the shower, one knee propped up, elbow resting against it. He toys with strands of his wet hair with his fingers as he watches me. Between his legs, he’s just as hard as he was before we ever got started.
Licking my lips, I scoot closer to him and reach down with my right hand, curling my fingers around him.
“Shit,” he breathes, letting his head fall back against the wall. “Please, Dakota; I need this.”
I reach up, hitting the screen that controls all of the shower’s fancy functions—yeah, I know, a computer screen inside a shower is weird; I just hope Justin can’t spy on us with it—and adjust it so that water isn’t falling directly over us anymore.
I hold my palm out for Parrish, just like I did in the basement room that day. He smirks at me, capturing my wrist and licking my palm, sucking on my fingers, clearly enjoying himself. I can barely breathe as I watch, shivering at the feel of his hot tongue on my skin. We’re going to be at this all week; I can already tell.
As soon as he releases me, I wrap my hand around the base of him and grip tightly, leaning in to kiss and suck on his lower lip. I work him with fast, hard motions, knowing that we’re really pushing the limits of time here. This is not how we want to be caught by Tess. No fucking way.
Parrish tries to pull me closer, but I resist. I don’t trust either of us not to make a mistake here. I should probably get birth control somewhere. The thought flits in and out of my head, and I file it away for later.
For now, I keep my grip firm, my pace even, until Parrish lifts his hands to grab my shoulders, digging his fingers in as I bring him to his own release. I sit back up, rising to my knees and reaching out to grab one of the movable shower heads. A push of a button activates it, and I use the warm water to clean him up.
He looks up at me, and we just sit there, staring at each other.
“I meant it,” he tells me, and my cheeks heat. I don’t look away though; I want to hear this. “When I said that I loved you.”
“I meant it, too,” I promise, and then we both jump slightly at another knock on the door.
“You guys are really pushing it: Tess is starting to get weird. Hurry up.”
With another scowl, Parrish leans forward, grabbing my chin and crushing his mouth to mine for another desperate, needy kiss. He uses the wall to stand up and then holds out a hand for me. We very quickly rinse the remaining conditioner from one another’s hair, turn the shower off, and hurry to dress ourselves and change.
Maxx has brought Parrish some white Whitehall Prep sweats and a matching hoodie. A school for innovators, engineers, and world leaders, it says on the back. Eye roll. For me, he’s retrieved … my Pokémon pants and a black tank top.
My lips twitch … until I see that he’s also brought me fresh panties.
Am I annoyed that he went through my underwear drawer?
No, not really. He brought me fresh clothes, even knowing that I was likely having sex with his best friend in the bathroom while he stood guard outside. If anything, my love and admiration for him grows substantially.
Parrish and I step into the room at about the same moment that we hear Tess’ heels clacking down the hall. His eyes flick back to the bathroom where my pink, bloodied gown lies on the floor in a heap.
“Shit.” He pushes me toward the bed, slipping into the bathroom and snatching the dress, my panties, and my shoes from the ground. He comes back into the room, drops to his knees, and shoves it all under the bed just before Tess pushes the door in.
Her eyes flick over to me, sitting on her son’s bed with my wet hair hanging around my face, and then over to Maxx who’s holding GG and leaning against the edge of the dresser. Chasm is sitting in one of the gaming chairs, fingers threaded together behind his head.
Tess smiles as Parrish rises from his crouch.
“How was your shower?” she asks, and he shrugs, slipping his hands into the front pocket of his hoodie.
“First shower in weeks where some creeper isn’t watching me through a camera,” he says, and Tess’ face twitches with a mixture of rage and sympathy. She pushes the former aside as she moves into the room, her eyes sweeping over the four of us.
If she only knew the things we were involved in …
“I’d like you to sleep in my room tonight,” Tess begins, and Parrish lets out one of those harsh, arrogant laughs of his, the ones he usually saves for people he wants to ‘bury’. You know, like he used to laugh at me. The sound doesn’t bother me anymore; I like it. I love it. That’s a problem, isn’t it?
“Mom, seriously? I’m seventeen fucking years old. I’ll be eighteen in January.”
“Which means you’re still seventeen for more than half a year,” she argues, her smile softening. “You’re still a baby.”
Parrish’s jaw clenches, and he shakes his head.
“I’m not sleeping with you. Don’t be weird, please.” He cocks his head in my direction. “My friends will sleep in here with me.”
“You can just as easily sleep on the couch in my room,” Tess argues as Parrish curls his hands into fists and shakes his head.
“No.”
Uh-oh. I look up at him, hoping he knows what he’s doing here. He must, I guess, since he knows Tess so much better than I do. I’ve seen him at work before. As protective as Tess can be, she also spoils her kids rotten. It’s a toxic mix.
“No?” Tess repeats, but I can see that she doesn’t want to get angry with Parrish right now. She missed him too much; she thought he was dead.
“We’ll sleep on the floor, won’t we, Maxx?” Chasm suggests, and Maxx nods, still stroking his hand over GG’s long ears.
“Mom, you need to relax,” Parrish starts which was very clearly a mistake.
Tess’ eyes widen and she moves into the room to stand in front of him, putting her hands on his shoulders and sliding them down his arms.
“Relax? Honey, I know you’ve been through a lot. I can hardly even imagine how scared you must’ve been.” She cups the side of his face, and he allows it, staring her straight in the eyes. With her heels on, Tess is almost as tall as he is. “But you were kidnapped from this room in the night. I cannot let you sleep in here.”
Parrish reaches up and takes her hand away from his face, but he doesn’t let go of it, giving it a little squeeze.
“I need to be in my own room,” he breathes back at her, his eyes widening. “I do not want to sleep on the couch with you and Paul.”
“Dad,” Tess corrects and Parrish sighs dramatically. He looks so tired all of a sudden. I mean, of course he is. I feel protective of him, standing up without realizing what I’m doing. Tess flicks a look my way, but then turns right back to Parrish. “I’ll sleep on the couch; your father can sleep in the guest room. You can have our bed.”
“You’re being weird,” Parrish says very slowly, very carefully. “Dakota is here; I am here. We are both here, Mom.”
Tess’ eyes fill with tears, and she starts to tremble, withdrawing her hand from Parrish’s.
“I know you’re scared, but it’s okay. It’s going to be okay.” Parrish puts his arms around his—our?—mother and squeezes her tight. She grabs onto him, clinging and sobbing quietly as he keeps her wrapped up for several minutes. The rest of us do our best to disappear into the floorboards. I sit down hard on the bed and stare at one of the yellow faces peeping back at me from the fabric of my pants. “If you care about me, and how I’m feeling, and how scared I was, let me sleep in my own bed with my friends around me.”
“Parrish,” Tess warns softly, backing up just as Paul enters the room. He stands there with his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes on his son. He’s much more attentive than usual, his gaze soft and caring in a way I’ve never seen it. Tess glances back at her husband. “He wants to sleep in here tonight.”
“We need to let him make that choice,” Paul tells her gently, and she frowns, glancing back at their son. “As long as Maxx and Chasm are in here, I don’t see why not.”
Tess sighs and takes a step back, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Okay, Parrish,” she says, and he lets out a small sigh of relief, pushing wet hair away from his forehead. “But only so long as your friends are here; you won’t be sleeping in here alone.”
She says that, but I’ve been sleeping in my room all alone this whole time. Kimber, too. Ben as well. Amelia and Henry share a room that’s connected to their parents with a huge Jack and Jill bathroom. I get it though. Tess knows that she’s fixed the security system, that there are extra cameras, extra guards, police officers, all of that. Logically, she understands the chances of Parrish going missing again are slim to none.
But still, she had one kid disappear for fourteen years and another for almost three weeks.
It makes sense that she’d be paranoid.
“I won’t be alone, not even for a second,” Parrish assures her, digging his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants. “Deal?”
“Deal,” Tess sighs, rubbing at her temples. “It’s nearly five in the morning; I know you’re all excited to see each other, but Parrish needs his sleep.” She glances at me. “Dakota, you should get to bed as well.”
“Okay.” It’s the only word I can get out. The thought of going back to my room all by myself is horrifying. I want to stay here. Maybe I should just sleep on the floor, too? I just won’t mention that to Tess right now.
She retreats reluctantly as Paul takes her by the arm, smiling over at his son.
“I’m so happy to have you home,” he says, and Parrish nods, his gaze impossible to read. He waits for them to move down the hall toward their own bedroom before creeping forward and very carefully closing the door until it snicks shut.
He turns around with his back pressed against it.
“She’s going to be pissed if she sees you’ve closed it again,” Chasm warns, standing up from the chair and moving into the bathroom. I can hear him opening the closet door. When he comes back, his arms are piled with fresh bedding.
“Yeah, well,” Parrish offers with a tired sigh. “I just need a minute. I understand where she’s coming from, but I want some space and privacy. Is that too much to ask?”
Maxx slips GG back into his cage as I stand up and Parrish casts me an annoyed look.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he asks, and I cock a brow.
“Um, do you think I could get away with sleeping on the floor, too?”
Parrish laughs, pushing off the door to come around the bed. He stands in front of me and crosses his arms.
“No. You’ll sleep in the bed.” He points at it. “With me.”
“Uh,” Chas starts, exchanging a look with me. Parrish notices, and his face tightens up. “Tess will panic.”
“Not if we do it right.” Parrish reaches out and takes my arms in his hands. His gaze is laced with equal parts possession and affection. I imagine that I’m looking at him the same way. I can’t help it: I think of him as mine. Not Chasm’s or Maxx’s, not Tess’ or Paul’s. Mine. “Back-to-back. Nothing sexual.”
“She knows Chasm and I have been … intimate, so I guess that could work,” I muse, and Parrish’s brow crinkles.
“Why the fuck does she know that?” Parrish demands, and Chas sighs, coming over to stand beside his friend. The two of them stare at each other in silent communication before Chasm murmurs something in Korean, and Parrish cringes.
“Meaning …?” I prompt as Maxx joins us, standing on the opposite side of the bed.
“He told him how the cops found the condom,” he offers up, and I cringe slightly. Poor Chas. He had to put up with a lot of shit that had nothing to do with him at all. He handled it well and without complaint, too.
“So yeah, I got my ass chewed out by Tess over your sexual encounter with your stepsister.” Chas reaches up to undo his tie, and I step forward automatically to help him. Parrish notices and Chasm very carefully pushes my hands away. “We did that for you.”
“I understand that,” Parrish whispers, sighing again. “But I have a right to be jealous, don’t I? Just let me feel this way for a while.”
Maxx studies his friends for a minute and then turns to me.
“I checked your phone for you: no messages.”
I nod; I don’t expect any until later tomorrow. My heart sinks, but I clamp down on the feeling as a yawn overtakes me. I’m exhausted; we’re all exhausted.
“Let’s get settled,” I suggest gently, hoping to break the tension, “and we can discuss everything that happened on both ends. We need to be on the same page.”
Parrish gives me a look.
“Yeah, but only if you sleep in my bed. Otherwise, I’m not listening.” He reaches past me to pull down the covers and then stares at his sheets, lifting his eyes up to Maxx and then looking over at Chasm. “You didn’t fuck in my bed, did you?”
“No,” Maxx says firmly, but with an edge of annoyance on his face. “We almost did, considering you had about an hour before your throat got slit. But we moved into Dakota’s room.”
“Dakota’s room,” Chasm agrees, looking up at the ceiling as he shoves his tie into the pocket of his slacks. “The hedge maze at school. Also, the handicapped bathroom at school.”
“Jesus fucking Christ,” Parrish growls out, climbing onto the bed and then looking over at me. “Get in here with me.” He pauses again and then looks up at my face. “Did they tell you they were both virgins beforehand? Even Chasm. All his whore talk is just a game.”
“Go to hell, Parrish,” Chasm snaps at him, flipping his friend off with both hands. Parrish actually chuckles at that which is a good sign. The chuckles stop abruptly as Chas strips off his jacket and dress shirt, revealing his inked arms and chest. He kicks around the blankets on the floor, making a nest beside me.
On the other side of the bed, Maxx strips off his own bow tie, jacket, and shirt, turning around to grab some folded blankets off the top of the desk. I can see his angel wing tattoos in glorious detail.
My eyes turn back to Parrish.
He stares at me.
Maxx flicks off the lights.
My eyes go immediately to the ceiling, to the glow-in-the-dark stars plastered across it. They glow faintly and pleasantly from above as we settle into the blankets. Parrish does not start off back-to-back with
me as he said.
Instead, he curls his body around mine and tucks me close.
It feels so damn good that I don’t even care if we get caught.
“Start from the beginning, Pear-Pear,” Maxx says, and Parrish sighs, his breath warm against my ear.
“Well,” he begins running his hand up my side and kneading my breast gently through my top. I bite my lip to keep quiet. “Dakota and I had sex—about five times in a row—and then she went back to her room. After that, I laid down in here, and then … I don’t remember anything until I woke up in the wine cellar. Not a goddamn thing.”
We talk as long as we can before we hear Tess coming. Parrish and I frantically turn away from each other, putting our backs together.
She makes an annoyed sound when she finds the door is closed, and then I hear her footsteps as she pauses at the end of the bed. Whatever she thinks of seeing me under the covers with Parrish, she says nothing, retreating back to her room.
As soon as she’s gone, we start all over again. Maxx kicks the door closed from his spot on the floor, Parrish turns back to cuddle me, and we keep going.
He tenses up at the stories of Chasm and me, Maxx and me. He goes stone-still when he hears about the incidents at school. He’s disturbingly stiff and silent when he learns about his bio mom, Caroline. But his hands never stop playing across my body, touching me, kneading, caressing. I don’t mind. Actually, I love it a little too much maybe.
We talk well past the sunrise—even if it’s impossible to see past the fancy automatic shade that Parrish has over his window. When we actually fall asleep, I’m not sure, but Parrish is more or less caught up, and so are we.
He doesn’t know anything we don’t. In fact, all he knows is that a masked man was the one orchestrating everything. He wasn’t even aware that it was Amin Volli—he doesn’t have any classes with the guy—until we told him.
Underneath the covers, Parrish and I reach back and clasp each other’s hands, clinging to one another in secret.
When I finally do crack my tired lids the next day, I can see the clock on Parrish’s far wall (it’s just a basic, battery-powered thing with a dragon on its face, nothing that Justin could use against us).
Payback Princess (Lost Daughter of a Serial Killer Book 2) Page 54
