by Parker, Ali
“What?” Laina asked incredulously.
“Yeah. I know. I thought it was crazy too. But he insisted I keep it. We paid him way more than what the Boxster is worth, and he thinks she should stay with me since I won with her and all.”
Laina looked shocked. “Wow. That’s generous of him.”
“Right?”
She picked up her mug and sipped gingerly from the rim. “Now you only have, what, three hundred thousand to spend?”
I chuckled and rubbed the back of my neck. “Yeah. Give or take. I gave a good chunk to Tobias. He earned it. Any suggestions on how I should spend the rest?”
She shook her head. “It’s your money. I can’t advise you on how to spend it. Although that mattress of yours could be replaced.”
“Noted.” I grinned as I draped my arms over the back of the sofa. She leaned into me, and I rubbed her shoulder with my thumb. She was lowering her head to my shoulder when I said, “How about we go somewhere warm? Tropical? Somewhere the two of us can spend plenty of uninterrupted time together.”
She sat up and peered at me. “Are you pulling my leg or are you serious? Because if you’re joking, that would be incredibly mean.”
“I’m not joking. I think we both deserve a vacation. Don’t you?”
“Um. Most definitely.”
I chuckled. “It’s settled then. We go away.”
She sighed and snuggled into me. “Where should we go? Hawaii?”
I shook my head. “Nah. Farther than that.”
Her eyebrows lifted. “Oh. Interesting. Okay. What did you have in mind?”
“Fiji?”
She blinked. “Seriously?”
I nodded.
Laina sat up a little straighter as her eyes lit up. “Oh my God. I’ve always wanted to go to Fiji. Are we being irresponsible? Are we sure this is a good idea?”
I laughed and gathered her up in my arms. “I won that money fair and square. I’m going to spend it how I see fit. And I think taking my woman on a vacation is the perfect place to start.” I cupped her cheek and leaned in to kiss her.
We were interrupted by my front door opening. Laina looked up and blushed, and I turned around to see Benji walking into the living room. “A ruler-length apart, if you will,” he said.
Laina rolled her eyes and stayed where she was. “Don’t be such a prude, Benji.”
Rick and Ginny came in after him. Ginny dropped down onto the sofa beside me and peered over at Laina. “How are you feeling? We wanted to come and check on you. I was going to bring you soup but wasn’t sure if you’d be up to eating after, well, you know, all the puking yesterday.”
Laina smiled. “I’m fine. Mason took me to see the doctor today, and they ran some tests. Whatever they gave me yesterday is out of my system.”
“Probably because of all the puking,” Rick joked.
“Shut up,” Benji said.
“Bite me,” Rick retorted.
Laina shook her head at both of them. “Thank you all for your concern, though. I appreciate it.”
Benji and Rick took their seats on the other sofa. Rick nodded at me. “So how does it feel man? Any different?”
“What?”
Rick stared at me blankly. “Being victorious over Sid and Mark. Having your title back. Come on, keep up.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. It feels the same, but a little less dangerous, I guess. It’s nice to not have Mark or Sid gunning for me anymore. And nice not to have to prep for a race, even though I enjoy that part.”
“How do you know they’re not still gunning for you?” Ginny asked curiously.
“I don’t, I guess.”
“Sid and Mark are unpredictable,” Rick said. “They could rear their ugly heads any time they damn well please, but I think it’s safe to say they won’t be back in The Streets. They know they have no favor with anyone anymore. It would be best for them if they moved on.”
“And Evelyn?” Benji asked.
I chewed on that question for a moment. “I don’t know. I told her she should leave. I have no idea if she took my advice.”
“I think she would have,” Laina said.
I looked down at my girl. “What makes you say that?”
Laina shrugged. “Well, just because she’s a shitty person doesn’t mean she didn’t trust you. I think she knew you were giving her good advice when you told her to leave. In a way, you were still trying to keep her safe.”
“I wasn’t—”
Laina shook her head. “I’m not upset about it. I’m glad you tried to help her. It’s the sort of man you are, Mason. She hasn’t had anyone looking out for her in a long time, and when you said that, I could see how surprised she was. I think she would have packed her bags right then and there and bailed before Mark got home.”
“You might be right.” I nodded.
“Where do you think she would have gone?” Benji asked.
“Who gives a shit?” Rick smirked.
“I second that,” I said. “I’m just happy all that shit is behind us. Now we can move forward. Together.”
“Amen to that,” Benji said. “Although, I wish some of us weren’t so together. If you know what I mean.” He looked sharply between me and Laina.
Laina giggled and shook her head at her brother. “Sorry, Benji. But you’re going to have to get used to this.” She looked up at me.
“Yeah,” I said. “But I’m not sorry.”
I kissed her, and she kissed me back. Benji groaned while Ginny and Rick chuckled at his expense.
Epilogue
Laina
One Month Later
I buried my toes in the wet sand seconds before the wave rolled up the beach to engulf my ankles. The water was warm and crystal clear.
I lifted my gaze to stare across the turquoise waters and out at the horizon. There wasn’t a thing in sight as far as the eye could see. Nothing but water and blue sky and sunshine.
This was paradise.
I wiggled my toes in the sand, feeling the grains nibble at my skin as they settled deeper. I smiled as I sank a little farther with each wave.
Mason came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. His chin pushed into my shoulder, and he kissed my cheek. “What are you thinking about?”
I stared out at the horizon again. “How good life is.”
He chuckled. I felt the rumble in his chest as he pressed up against my back. “Life is good. You’re right. And this view,” he said with a sigh, “this view is unlike anything I ever thought I’d be lucky enough to see.”
He let me go and turned around to pick up two piña coladas. The bottoms of the glasses were covered in sand, but I didn’t care as I took mine and sipped it through the straw. A pineapple wedge clung to one edge of the glass, and a couple of cherries floated within the blended concoction.
Mason had booked us a stay at a private bungalow in Fiji. The white sandy beach was all ours with no risk of any other tourists or locals interrupting us. We had only been there two days, and I already didn’t want to leave.
The drink was heavenly.
“I don’t want to go home,” I said.
“Then we can stay. For as long as you like. Or go somewhere new after this.”
I smiled and looked back out at the water. The waves continued to kiss the sand as the sun started to dip lower in the sky. If the sunset was anything like last night, I would be spending the evening out here, sitting on the warm sand, watching as the sky turned pink and then purple. Then, at the right moment, the sun would plunge beneath the horizon and the stars would emerge.
In another life, I must have been a pirate. Or a siren. Or a mermaid. The ocean spoke to my soul.
“We have responsibilities back home.”
“Like?” Mason asked.
“Like my job. They were already unhappy that I asked for two weeks off to come here.”
“Screw ‘em.”
“It’s not that simple.” I laughed.
Mason pursed
his lips. He turned to the ocean and spread his arms wide. “This all seems pretty simple to me. Beauty. Ocean. You. Me.”
I smiled and sipped more of my drink. “I still have to work.”
“Maybe.”
“What do you mean, maybe?”
Mason shrugged. “I don’t think I’m through with racing. And it’ll be a whole lot safer with Sid and Mark out of the game.”
I nodded. “True. But I still have my own bills. And rent. And—”
“Move in with me. For good.”
“Sorry?” I blinked.
“You heard me,” Mason said. “Stay with me. You and I both know this thing isn’t going to end between us. At least, I know that. I want you beside me every morning when I wake up. I want you there when I fall asleep. I just… I want you, Laina. I’m in love with you.”
My heart fluttered like a dopey butterfly.
He lifted his hand and cupped my cheek, then ran his thumb along my bottom lip. His touch was salty. “I love you too,” I whispered.
He smiled. His eyes were warm, and his gaze was soft. Then he slipped his thumb between my lips and traced my bottom teeth. “I’m going to show you how much I love you. Right here.”
I pressed my tongue up against his thumb. He watched my mouth as I reached behind my back and tugged apart the strings of my bikini. They came undone in one pull, and it fell to the sand. Mason pushed his thumb deeper into my mouth, and I sucked on it.
I undid the strings on my hips that held my bottoms up. Those, too, fell to the sand.
I was naked before him on the beach in Fiji. The sun kissed my skin, and the water lapped at my ankles as he walked me backward. Then we went to our knees. The water danced around out thighs as he took his hand from my mouth and pressed it up between my legs, cupping my pussy and pushing against my clit with the heel of his hand.
We both still had our drinks.
I sucked mine back through the straw until the cup was empty. Then I tossed it up on the beach. Mason did the same.
We came together for a kiss with sheer desperation. He tasted like coconut. I was sure I did too. The salt from the ocean lingered on our lips and skin as we kissed each other’s bodies.
Mason lowered me to my back. The water tugged at my hair and drew it up the beach with each wave. It rushed in my ears and the shifting sand tickled my skin as Mason began rubbing my clit in slow circles. I moaned and lifted my hands above my head.
He slid a finger inside me.
My eyes closed of their own volition. The sun glared against my eyelids, and I was in my glory beneath him. Mason’s lips sealed over mine and silenced my moan as he eased another finger inside me.
Then he began fucking me in earnest.
I gripped his tanned shoulders and writhed beneath him as he brought me within seconds of an orgasm. Then he slowed down and backed off and proceeded to kiss me.
“You’re the worst,” I breathed in his ear.
“You love it.”
“I love it more when you make me come.”
Mason chuckled. The sound rippled through me. “Of course you do, baby. Don’t you worry. I’ll make you come. Just not yet. I like to make you wait.”
I moaned out of arousal and frustration.
Then I decided to take matters into my own hands, and I rolled up to my knees. Mason tried to stop me, but I pushed him back firmly. He fell onto the sand and laughed as I swung a leg over him and straddled his hips. “Do you have a condom?” I asked.
He reached in his swimsuit pocket and pulled one out. I plucked it out of his fingers and shook my head. “How are you always prepared?”
“Well, I always want to fuck you. So I have to be.”
With the heat of a blush on my cheeks, I began undoing his drawstring. It took seconds. I pulled his trunks open and freed his cock to stroke him gently. He watched me and gripped my thighs firmly as I rolled the condom on.
He pulled me up, and I lifted off him only to sit back down onto his dick. I was so fucking wet, he slid inside me easily. I moaned as I took all of him and put my hands flat on his chest to brace myself when my knees sank into the sand.
“Fuck, your pussy is good,” he grated.
“I know,” I whispered.
Then I rode him for all I was worth. I bounced and ground on top of him. I rolled my hips and teased him when he was about to come, and he endured it all the while—well, up until I leaned over him and pinched his earlobe between my teeth. Then he lost his composure.
Mason wrapped one arm around me and rolled to his feet. I shrieked playfully as he carried me out into the water. It lapped at our waists, and he let me go. I floated beside him until I sought out the bottom with my feet. The water was up to my breasts.
It felt freeing to be naked in the water with him.
“Come here,” Mason said, reaching for me.
I took his hands, and he pulled me to him. I wrapped my legs around his waist and felt his cock graze my clit. “I’ve always wanted to do this,” I whispered.
He gripped his shaft and guided it inside me. I moaned and hooked my arms around his neck.
“Me too,” he said.
He held my ass and bounced me on his dick in the water. The sun and the salty air and his cock made the best combination. I rolled my hips in his lap as he crushed his lips against mine. His tongue plunged into my mouth, and as I continued to roll my hips, fucking him in the water, his hands moved up my back and threaded into my hair.
He pulled my head back forcefully. I moaned. He kissed my neck and the top of my breasts. He worked his way up my throat, trailed his lips along my jaw, and went to my ear. His hot breath dared me to come.
I quivered.
“Not yet, baby,” he said. His voice was hoarse yet soft in my ear.
“I can’t,” I whimpered.
“Yes, you can. Hold it.” He tightened his grip in my hair and craned my neck back farther. Then he pushed his hips forward, burying himself deeper inside me. “Hold it.”
I was going to come, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I pressed my fingertips into the back of his neck. He pulled out and drove back in. My moan slipped out from between my teeth.
“Okay, Laina,” he whispered against the side of my neck. “Let it go.”
I came right away. He fucked me hard and fast, and I knew he was coming too. His breaths were quick and desperate, and he clung to me in the water as we both strained against our orgasms.
When we were done, I kissed him softly. The salt lingered on my lips.
He kissed the tip of my nose. “So does this mean you’re not moving out?”
I giggled and pressed my forehead to his. His eyes were closed. I could have counted his lashes if I wanted. They were long and dark, and droplets of water clung to them. He opened his eyes and stared into my soul. They were so damn green and streaked with flakes of gold. They were the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen. “Yes. I’ll stay.”
He smiled.
“On one condition.”
“Yes?”
I kissed him again. “You buy that new mattress, for fuck’s sake.”
Mason threw his head back and laughed. I watched him as the sun danced off the water around us. How had I gotten this lucky? What had I done in this life to deserve a man like this?
He held me tighter. “I love you, Laina Harris. I love you so much, it scares the shit out of me.”
“I know the feeling,” I whispered. Mason had outraced his demons, but where there is one there will always be more, and this underground street life was sure to invite more trouble.
But for now I could enjoy this. And him. And us.
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About the Autho
r
Ali Parker is a full-time contemporary and new adult romance writer with more than a hundred and twenty books behind her. She loves coffee, watching a great movie and hanging out with her hubs. By hanging out, she means making out. Hanging out is for those little creepy elves at Christmas. No tight green stockings for her.
She’s an entrepreneur at heart and loves coming up with more ideas than any one person should be allowed to access. She lives in Texas with her hubs and three kiddos and looks forward to traveling the world in a few years. Writing under eleven pen names keeps her busy and allows her to explore all genres and types of writing.
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The Parker’s Wicked Playground
Outracing Demons
Copyright © 2018 by Ali & Weston Parker
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
The novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and plot are all either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons – living or dead – is purely coincidental.
First Edition.
Editor: Angela McCallister
Cover Designer: Kellie Dennis, Book Covers By Design
