by Parker, Ali
I felt him spasm once and then again. The spasms continued to rock through my body. I couldn’t tell if they started with me and ended with him or vice versa. We stayed joined together for at least another minute, neither of us speaking.
He slowly stood up from where he had draped himself over me. He lifted me as well and slowly turned me to face him. He pulled me into his arms and held me close. Again, words were not needed.
“Wow,” I breathed.
There was a low chuckle in his throat. “No shit.”
There was the sound of a ringing phone. “Not mine,” I said when he didn’t move.
“It’s mine,” he said with a sigh.
He stepped away from me, taking several long strides back to the front-door area where his pants lay in a crumbled heap. He was gorgeous. An Adonis. His body was toned and tanned.
I stared at the tattoo of what looked like Chinese writing on his side, directly on his ribcage. That had to have been painful.
I couldn’t resist the allure of him. I told myself I was only walking toward him because I needed my clothes. Then I noticed the name on the screen.
“My brother,” he said.
“Are you going to answer it?” I asked.
“No. He’ll leave a voicemail.”
He reached for me again. My naked body pressed against his. My nipples were still sensitive. The hardness of his chest against my breasts sent a shiver of desire racing down my spine. His mouth nuzzled my ear, and I sucked in a breath. I couldn’t stop myself from leaning into him. I rubbed against him like a cat. I actually purred, demanding to be stroked.
“Ready?” he whispered.
I turned my face toward his. “I think the real question is, are you?”
“Think I could get a quick drink?” he asked with a sexy grin.
“I think that sounds like a very good idea. I don’t want you to get dehydrated.”
His hands rubbed down my back before grabbing healthy handfuls of my ass. “Stay,” he said the word as a command.
“Are you sure? I don’t want to break any rules.”
“Stay,” he said again. “Let’s have a drink and then maybe we can go for a swim.”
“I didn’t bring my suit,” I teased.
“That’s right. You didn’t.”
“I’ll stay,” I agreed, feeling a little flustered at the idea of spending the night with the man I had repeatedly claimed was just a friend. A sleepover wasn’t really in the friend zone, but I would worry about that later.
I reached down to grab my dress.
“Leave it,” he ordered.
I turned to look toward the windows, feeling a little exposed. No, a lot exposed. “But, um, maybe you can close the blinds?”
He smiled. “No one can see in here, but if it makes you feel better, I will.”
He moved to a touchpad on the wall and pushed a button. There was a mechanical sound followed by blinds sliding down over the windows. Ah, to be rich.
Chapter 27
Xander
It was beyond strange to wake up with a woman in my bed. I had lain awake for several minutes trying to process everything. Evie in my bed, in my arms. It was not how I’d expected things to happen yesterday when she asked me to go to dinner with her and her father.
Her being in my arms was a little confusing. I wasn’t sure what to think of it. Or what to do about it. Did I have to do anything?
For now, I was going to be cool and casual. Just play it off like I did this kind of thing all the time. Or maybe that was the wrong approach. I didn’t want her to think I did this all the time. I didn’t. Not even close.
That was not the right approach. I would just go with whatever she did.
She sighed and stirred against me. “Ugh, what time is it?” she asked in a sleepy voice.
I looked over at the clock. “Just after eight.”
She let out a long breath again. “I should get up.”
I didn’t disagree. Lying in bed naked was only going to lead us to another sex marathon. “I’ll make some coffee.”
“Oh, you don’t need to do that.”
She pulled away from me and sat up, keeping the sheet pulled over her breasts. I smiled up at her. “Evie?”
“Hmm?”
“I think I’ve seen every glorious inch of you,” I told her. “You don’t have to hide from me.”
“But it’s the morning after. This is always the weird part.”
“Always?” I asked, raising an eyebrow as I folded my hands behind my head. “This is normal for you?”
“No!” she exclaimed. “No, no, no. That’s not what I meant.”
“I’m kidding. Do you want breakfast? You don’t have to slink out of here like you are doing the walk of shame.”
She grimaced, running her free hand over her mass of curls while clenching the sheet to her chest. “I am doing the walk of shame, aren’t I?”
“No,” I said, sitting up and giving her a quick kiss.
She slid off the bed, pulling the sheet with her and exposing me in the process. I looked down at my nude body and then back at her. She was a dark shade of red. “I’m going to find my clothes.”
I got out of bed and walked to my dresser to pull on a pair of clean underwear. I walked downstairs to find her shimmying into the dress. I noticed the scrap of black lace that had been the thong she’d been wearing. I grabbed the torn panties and held them up. “I’ll buy you more,” I told her.
Her eyes went wide as she snatched them out of my hands. “Let’s not start doing IOU’s for torn clothing. I think I might owe you more than you owe me at this point.”
I couldn’t help but grin. “You do get a little wild when it comes to getting my clothes off.”
She blushed all over again. “Maybe you should start wearing those Velcro pants basketball players wear. It would make things easier.”
I stepped toward her, cupping her cheek in my hand. “And maybe you should just go commando. It would absolutely make things easier.”
I felt her shudder. I had her going again.
“I should go,” she whispered.
“I’ll walk you out,” I offered.
“You’re only wearing your underwear.”
I shrugged. “So?”
“Your neighbors?”
“They can’t see the driveway,” I told her. “Remember, I told you I liked my privacy. No one is peeping.”
“Okay.”
I walked her to her car, standing barefoot on the black pavement that was fortunately not hot yet. I gave her a kiss as she stood inside her open car door. “I was thinking about taking the boat out sometime this week. Would you like to go along?”
“I would like that. I’ll need to check my schedule first.”
“Do that. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Call your brother,” she said. “Didn’t you tell me he was overseas?”
“He is.”
“You can’t miss his calls!” she exclaimed and slapped at my shoulder.
“It’s fine,” I assured her.
She got in the car and left. I headed back inside. I was in a great mood. A really good mood. Evie put me in a great mood. I didn’t want to get ahead of myself, but the idea of her staying over again was very appealing.
I walked into the kitchen to start some coffee before dropping a couple pieces of bread in the toaster. I grabbed my phone and listened to the voicemail. “What the hell?” I said aloud as I listened to the message.
I hit the return call button.
“It’s about time,” Kade answered.
“Sorry, I was, uh—what are you doing back already?” I asked instead of telling him I was busy with a woman.
“There was a last-minute change and the whole unit was sent home a couple weeks early.”
“That’s cool. That had to be a welcome change.”
“It was. Usually, we get extended.”
“Where are you?”
“We’re up north right now,” he answ
ered, keeping to the vague answers I expected from him. It was all about OPSEC. I had been trained from a young age not to ask questions about my father’s whereabouts.
“For how long?” I asked.
“I’m taking two weeks,” he said. “Then I’ll be heading to Cherry Point for a while.”
I nodded, knowing the base well. “I bet Dad’s excited.”
“As excited as an old Navy guy can be,” he joked. “Come home and visit. We’ll grab a beer, eat some crab and that amazing chowder at that place near the beach.”
“Kade,” I warned. I did miss the clam chowder from Mo’s. After our parents had moved to Oregon, it had become my new favorite restaurant.
“I’m serious. I want to see you. It’s been over a year. You can get away for a day or two.”
I grabbed the carafe from the coffeemaker and poured myself a cup. “Dad doesn’t want to see me. I don’t want to ruin your visit home by ruining the reunion. Why don’t you come down here?”
“He will want to see you,” he insisted. “I don’t want to waste my leave flying up and down the west coast.”
“You are full of shit,” I answered. “The only thing our old man wants to see from me is failure so he can scream he told me so.”
“Come on. One of you has to swallow your pride and put all the bullshit behind you. You know he isn’t going to do it. He is old and set in his ways. He can’t do it. You have to be the one to try and move forward.”
“I’ve been doing exactly that. He just can’t seem to accept that. He thinks I’m a loser.”
“He doesn’t think you’re a loser,” he said. “He just doesn’t know how to relate to you. The service was his life. It’s all he knows.”
“I design fucking ships,” I snapped. “He’s Navy. Shouldn’t that be something we could talk about?”
“One would think, but it’s Dad. I know you two love each other. I’m not sure why you two butt heads so bad, but I think it’s time to bury the hatchets.”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I don’t think it’s possible. Mom was the mediator. With her gone, I feel like we speak different languages.”
“I’m not home very often. I might not be back on the west coast for another year or longer. Please say you’ll come up.”
I sighed. “Fine. Call me when you are in Oregon and I’ll either drive or fly up for a couple of days. But don’t ask me to stay at the house. I’m not staying at that house.”
“Got it. I’ve got to run. I’ll talk to you soon. Answer your damn phone next time.”
I smiled. If he knew why I had been unavailable, I doubted he would be upset. I ended the call, leaving my phone on the counter while I slapped some butter on my toast. I sat down on one of the stools. My muscles were a little stiff. Last night had been amazing and exhausting. I was sure we had only gotten a few hours of sleep.
My body felt used. My muscles were a little sore but relaxed at the same time. She had used and abused me in the best way possible. I regretted nothing, not even the bruised knees. She had been insatiable. Or maybe it was me that was insatiable. Either way, it had been a wild night.
I finished my toast and refilled my coffee cup before going upstairs. I was glad Kade was back stateside. That was always a relief. It was hard to think about him putting his life in danger somewhere far away.
I wanted to see him, but damn, seeing my dad would be difficult. I had never meant for us to drift apart. It just kind of happened. Years of listening to him praise Kade and look at me like a maggot had taken their toll.
It had been tough as a kid growing up in the shadow of my little brother. I used to ask my mother why Dad hated me. She always told me he loved me in his own way. I didn’t know what that way was. I still didn’t. I wasn’t sure I believed her at all. The years of his constant insults that were thinly veiled but very present had made me into the teenager I eventually became.
I could admit I was rebellious. I didn’t jump when he barked an order. I didn’t call him sir. I stayed out too late. I drank and I wrecked two cars before I was eighteen. Every little thing I did to disappoint him only cemented his belief I was a lost cause. Kade was his son. He was the son my dad always wanted. I was the failure in his eyes.
When I decided to go to college, it was the last straw. It was a little ironic that a parent would be pissed that their kid chose college over the military, but that was my dad. I went to school and that was when our relationship really fell apart. He could barely stand to look at me when I did show up for holidays or other special occasions. The tension grew to a point I couldn’t take it anymore.
I chose to avoid him. Then Mom died and there was no reason for me to visit. I didn’t blame Kade for my father’s behavior. Kade was a good guy. He was funny, kind, and I had no reason to dislike him, even if I was convinced my father tried to turn Kade against me. We were brothers and nothing would change that.
We didn’t always see eye to eye, but we were never mean to one another. Kade used to apologize for our father’s behavior, which was unnecessary. It wasn’t his fault our dad was the way he was. I didn’t hate the man, but I sure as hell didn’t particularly like him. We had a strange relationship. It hurt my head to try and figure out why. That was one of those strings I chose not to pull. Pulling on it would unravel decades of hurt.
I preferred to keep my shit buried deep. I liked it nice and repressed. One day, I would probably need therapy, but for now, I chose to ignore those feelings of rejection and isolation. I knew those feelings were why I was the way I was.
I didn’t care. I wasn’t exactly failing at life. I was doing okay being my reclusive self.
Chapter 28
Evie
“Finally!” Nelle said as she rushed around the bar to greet me. “I was beginning to think you fell off the face of the earth. I texted you last night.”
“I know. I went to bed early. I was exhausted.”
She looped her arm around mine and dragged me to my usual seat at the bar. “Tell me everything. Did your dad like him? Did they hit it off and talk all night and leave you out of the conversation?”
“No. The very few words they spoke to each other were rather ugly. They did not hit it off.”
She frowned. “Well, that sucks.”
“You’re telling me. They hate each other.”
She waved a hand and went back behind the bar to pour my usual glass of wine. “Did you smooth things out?”
I rolled my eyes. “There is no smoothing that train wreck out. Turns out, they know each other. Knew each other.”
“Really? How? I can’t imagine your dad hanging out with anyone younger.”
“Xander was in my dad’s class. You should have seen and heard my father. I have never seen him behave so badly. It was ugly. Horrible. I was so embarrassed and pissed at the same time.”
She winced. “That bad?”
“Worse than bad. My dad has forbidden me from seeing Xander. In fact, he said if I have anything to do with him, I can count him out of my life.”
That seemed to surprise her. I was glad it wasn’t just me that was a little floored by my father’s ridiculous reaction to Xander. “Seriously? What did Xander do? Was he one of those pranksters that superglued the chair or something?”
“No, much worse,” I groaned.
She shook her head. “What? What did he do?”
“He was too smart.”
She blinked. “What?”
I nodded. “Yep. Xander was too smart. Too innovative. Too arrogant. Too everything, and my dad didn’t like him. Xander came up with his ship designs when he was in school. He presented them to my dad and my dad shot him down. Xander used the idea for his final grade in the class and my dad failed him. Fortunately, Xander had a solid A and the failing grade didn’t prevent him from passing.”
“Wow. And they still have beef?”
“Apparently. It was not a pleasant scene. Xander ended up storming out of the restaurant before we ever got around to ordering appet
izers.”
“Holy shit,” she breathed. “I never saw that coming.”
“Neither did I.”
She waved a hand. “Then what happened?”
“My dad and I had some words and then I went after Xander. I found him at his place, we had dinner, I stayed the night, and yada, yada, yada.”
“This was after your father forbade you from seeing him?”
I slowly nodded before taking a drink from the wineglass. “Yep.”
“Holy shit. Have you talked to your father since then?”
“Nope.”
She let out a low whistle. “Well shit. Twenty-eight years it took you, but you finally rebelled against your father.”
“Yeah. I’m still in a bit of shock myself.”
“How are you doing with it?” she asked, her tone gentle.
“Honestly, I don’t know. I’m a little pissed at my dad. He can’t forbid me from seeing anyone. To give me an ultimatum like that was pretty fucked up. I’m a grown woman. I have never, ever, ever made any crazy decision. I have never done anything bad. I always put him first. I always think before I act. He’s treating me like I’m a twelve-year-old who sat next to the girl who wore eyeliner.”
“Do you think there might be more to the story?” she questioned.
“I don’t know. I have thought of that, and it would explain the extreme reaction on both sides, but neither one of them is saying anything.”
“Sounds suspicious. But anyway, how did you get to the sleepover part?”
I grinned. “It just kind of happened.”
“Does this mean this is a thing? Like you guys are going to be having regular sleepovers?”
“I don’t know. We didn’t discuss it.”
“You like him,” she sang the words. “Evie has a crush.”
“Yeah, yeah. The real reason I stopped by was to ask if you can get someone to cover your shift here on Saturday night. I have an event and they want to have a bar. It’s all very last minute. I was hoping you could step in.”
She gave me that look. “Um, duh. Hell, yeah. Is it a swanky gig? I love the rich folks. The men always tip very well and the women tip even better to try and keep me from flirting with their men.”
