All Fired Up (DreamMakers)

by Arend, Vivian

  Holding her felt so perfect. Being with her was so right, but an edge of uncertainty had crept in, and for the first time, Parker wasn’t sure how the next part of this relationship was going to play out—what came next between them.

  It was no longer sex for fun. So much more than getting-to-know-you dates. They’d come a long way in the past weeks and were headed into unexplored territory. All he knew for certain was while he had no idea where this was going, hell if he wanted it to stop.

  He was addicted. Totally and completely.

  Chapter Eleven

  The only thing not moving in the immediate vicinity was the solid weight of Parker’s hand pressed to her lower back. Lynn leaned harder into the point of contact as she took another incredulous glance around the room.

  “Let’s go clubbing, he says. It’ll be fun, he says.”

  Parker’s wicked chuckle sounded in her ear, the noise around them low enough they could hear each other without shouting—that part was a nice surprise. She’d never been to a club where the music wasn’t deafeningly loud.

  On the other hand, she’d never been to a club where half the clientele was soaring dozens of feet above her.

  “What kind of dance club has trapeze swings lining the walls?” she said in amazement.

  “One with swingers?”

  Oh. God. Lynn whipped around to stare at him. “You’re not serious. This isn’t a place where they’re going to…? I mean, no one will ask us to…?”

  Damn it. She flattened her palms against her burning-hot cheeks, but it was no use. He’d already seen her blush for the millionth time.

  His husky laughter trickled over her like a caress, broad shoulders momentarily blocking her view of the central wine bar and the teeny standing-room-only tables filling the center of the room.

  “Not swingers in the dirty sense.” He slid his fingers to her wrists, tugging her hands away and leaning in to kiss her briefly. Their lips were still touching when he murmured an assurance. “No way would I take you to that kind of bar.”

  Her heart was still pounding, but now because of the expression in his green eyes. “Really?”

  His jaw tightened and he nodded curtly, then changed the topic. “There’s our mark. In the blue by the wall.”

  Lynn pushed the question on her tongue aside, although she was curious. He’d had no trouble sharing her with Dean that first time.

  The fact he didn’t want to share her anymore made something inside warm.

  “Let’s get closer.” Helping with his recon was exciting, even if she was a touch uncomfortable. She felt weird tracking down some poor unsuspecting woman, but she supposed Parker’s mark would thank them after she got the date of her dreams.

  Parker guided her through the crowd toward the woman they were supposed to shadow. Immi Duncan was doing circle after circle on a gymnast’s bar, long black hair whipping around and her fair face flushed from exertion.

  High Flyers wasn’t like any club Lynn had ever visited, that was for sure.

  “Are there a lot of places similar to this?” she asked Parker as they found positions along the narrow bar counter.

  “Places that serve alcohol and let you act out as circus wannabes?”

  “Clubs that aren’t just music and dancing and alcohol.”

  He answered her slowly, inching them closer to where Immi was preparing to grab the trapeze swing. “Not adding in the typical darts, pool tables, and fight clubs, I know places where you can’t get in the door without an appropriate costume—Regency dress or monkey suit.”

  “Monkey suit?” That didn’t sound too weird. “Tuxes, you mean.”

  “No, fur. Long arms. Tails.”

  “You’re pulling my leg.”

  He slid his hand from her hip over her butt. “I wish.”

  Lynn sighed. “I’ve led a very sheltered life.”

  “Stick with me, babe, and I’ll open a world of possibilities.” With a naughty grin, he leaned in again and swiped his tongue over her earlobe. “Ever done it in public before?”

  Her pulse instantly sped up, but she managed to shoot him a brazen smile. “Why, are you offering to do me right here, right now?”

  “You are getting bolder and bolder,” he said, then licked his lips. “And I fucking love it.”

  She had to admit, she liked it, too. Parker brought out a naughty side she usually only shared with Suz.

  “Well, hold that thought,” she said sternly. “First, tell me exactly what we need to find out about our mark.”

  He quickly snapped into business mode. “Likes, dislikes, what she finds romantic. Her boyfriend wants to wow her, but he says she’s impossible to please.”

  Lynn’s gaze strayed to Immi Duncan, who’d just hopped off the swing and was making her way toward them. Lynn experienced a jolt of panic, but it faded when she realized Immi wasn’t walking over to them, but to the trio of women near Lynn and Parker.

  “That was amazing!” Immi gushed to her friends. “I can’t believe Barry didn’t want to come tonight.”

  The tall African-American woman directly beside Lynn snickered. “God, can you see Barry at a place like this? He’d run out screaming.”

  Immi made a tsk noise. “I swear, he refuses to take any risks. He wants to go to the same old restaurants and clubs and he won’t ever try something new. I don’t know why I’m still with him.”

  “Yes you do,” another friend piped up. “We all know you love that man to death.”

  Immi’s features softened. “Yeah, I totally do. I just wish he’d make more of an effort to share in my interests.”

  Lynn exchanged a discreet glance with Parker. She wished Immi would elaborate on what those interests of hers were, but her friends had changed the subject and were discussing a coworker who’d recently gotten engaged.

  The longer they eavesdropped, the more frustrated Lynn got, because Immi wasn’t giving them anything to go on. When the woman eventually excused herself from the group to use the restroom, Lynn glanced at Parker in determination.

  “I’m going after her,” she murmured.

  He frowned. “Might not be a good idea.”

  “Dude, if we don’t step up our game, we’ll be here all night. And I’ll have you know women spill all their secrets in the ladies’ room.”

  He stared at her. “Did you just call me dude?”

  “Got a problem with that?”

  His lips tightened in amusement. “Not at all, bro.”

  A laugh popped out. “Why don’t you grab us a couple of drinks? I’ll be right back.”

  “Hey baby, wanna swing with me?”

  Parker stifled a groan as he got asked the same question for the fifth time. And for the fifth time, he shook his head and declined the invitation, this one from a cute blonde in a skintight red catsuit.

  Lynn was taking a ridiculously long time in the ladies’ room. A glance at his watch revealed another five minutes had passed, making her absence a total of twenty minutes. He absently sipped his beer and wondered if he ought to go after her, but before he could move, he caught sight of a familiar face.

  A moment later, Jack threaded his way through the crowd and reached the table.

  “Hey,” Parker said in surprise. “What are you doing here? I thought Dean needed you on the Johnson job.”

  Jack ran a hand through his sandy blond hair as he looked around the room, eyebrows raised. “This place is bonkers. I’m surprised they don’t make you sign a liability form when you walk in—it’s a lawsuit waiting to happen.” He swiped Parker’s beer out of his hand and took a hearty swig. “And to answer your question, the Johnsons’ anniversary dinner is going splendidly so Dean graciously suggested I take off.”

  Parker narrowed his eyes. “That was nice of him…”

  After a beat, Jack grinned. “Fine, there was nothing gracious about it. We were arguing about something and he told me to get lost.”

  “What were you arguing about?” When Jack simply shrugged, Parker let ou
t a groan. “For fuck’s sake, you two agreed to a ceasefire. I even made you sign that agreement never to discuss it!”

  Jack’s sputtered defense was one Parker had heard too many times before. “I’m sorry, but it’s bullshit! Saving Private Ryan is an epic movie, and one of these days that asshole is gonna have to admit it. I refuse to hear a bad word about—”

  “I don’t want to hear it. I swear, I had to listen to this debate during two tours of duty, and I fucking refuse to listen to it again.” Exasperated, Parker checked his watch. Two more minutes had ticked by.

  Where on earth was Lynn? What the hell was she—wait, there she was. Relief flooded him when he spotted her across the room, her long brown hair falling over one shoulder as she made her way back.

  Beside him, Jack didn’t even try to pretend he wasn’t checking her out. His blue eyes swept over Lynn’s tight-fitting jeans and blue-and-white striped tank top, clearly liking what he saw.

  “Damn, she really is pretty,” Jack remarked.

  Parker’s shoulders stiffened. “Quit ogling my woman.”

  “Meow.” His buddy grinned widely. “Did you say that to Dean the night you two banged—”

  “Shut it.”

  Jack wisely chose not to finish his sentence, and Parker was unsettled by the rush of possessiveness that had seized his chest. He might have shared Lynn with Dean that first night, but the thought of a repeat performance, with Dean or anyone else, curled his hands into fists. Lynn Davidson was his, or at least that’s what the caveman inside him kept insisting.

  “Is that for me?” Lynn gestured to the unopened beer on the table as she reached the two men.

  “Yep.” He handed her the bottle, then hooked a thumb at Jack. “And this is Jack. He’s here now so we can go whenever you want.”

  Smiling at the newcomer, she twisted off the beer cap and took a quick drink. “You might not have to stay at all,” she told Jack. “I got you guys so much information I’m demanding a fruit basket for my efforts.”

  The men grinned. “All right, let’s hear it,” Parker said.

  She glanced around to make sure Immi Duncan wasn’t in earshot, but the woman and her friends were no longer in their vicinity—they’d taken up residence on the other side of the room, rapt attention focused on an Asian woman who was walking an honest-to-God tightrope ten feet above them.

  “Okay, first off, let me go on the record and say I don’t think it’s her boyfriend who’s hopelessly unromantic,” Lynn huffed. “I mean it, the girl has the strangest concept of romance. You know what her idea of a dream restaurant is? Sensory deprivation! She wants to eat at one of those places where it’s pitch dark so you can really appreciate the texture and flavors of the food.”

  Jack snorted.

  “I think we can manage that,” Parker said slowly. “What else?”

  “She likes long walks on the beach—”

  His expression brightened. “Okay, well, that’s a nice, normal activity we can work wi—”

  “—only during a crescent moon and when it’s low tide so she can search the sand for any bottles that might have floated to shore,” Lynn finished. “On a related note, her favorite book and movie are Message in a Bottle.”

  “Oh.” Parker rubbed his temples. “I guess we can try to plan something around that as well.” He turned to Jack. “Can you Google moon and tide cycles?”

  “Sure.” His partner looked as if he was fighting laughter. “People are weird, huh?”

  Lynn snickered loudly. “Hey, I didn’t even get to the part about her blog. Want to know what it’s called?”

  “Not really,” Parker said, sighing.

  “Elevator Music: Musings and Reviews.” Lynn’s blue eyes danced. “She visits elevators all over the city, then muses about and reviews the music in them. But she says there’s a shocking amount of elevators that don’t play music at all.” Lynn smirked at Parker. “So how did I do?”

  He had to smile. “You’ve just been promoted to level two reconnaissance. Good work, soldier.”

  “Why, thank you.” She looked around the dimly lit room. “With that said, can we go? Maybe it makes me a total dork, but this really isn’t my scene.”

  “Not mine either,” he admitted. “Jack, can you stick around and find out a few more details?”

  “No prob.” The man cocked a brow. “Unless you two want to invite me to join you…”

  “Nope, not in the slightest,” Parker answered cheerfully. “Later, Jack.”

  “It was nice meeting you!” Lynn called as Parker practically dragged her away from his buddy, whose low chuckles wafted from behind them.

  They were halfway to the door when Lynn leaned up on her tiptoes and murmured into his ear, “He’s really cute.”

  Parker’s grip on her hand tightened. “You think so?”

  “Oh yeah. Maybe we should have invited him to come with us.”

  He froze, his gaze zeroing in on hers. “Is that what you want?”

  A secretive smile stole over her face. “Well, I’ve already seen Dean naked, so why not Jack? We can make it a perfect trifecta, if you will.”

  For ten seconds he wavered, wondering if she was serious. She couldn’t be serious. No fucking way was he going to let anyone…

  The corners of her lips twitched. Troublemaker.

  “You’re messing with me,” he grumbled.

  Her laughter echoed between them. “Of course I am. But I have to admit, it’s fun seeing you get all growly and possessive.”

  “You want growly and possessive? How’s this?”

  Before she could blink, he tugged her toward the narrow corridor to their right instead of continuing to the front door. The fluorescent lights were a stark change from the barely-there lighting in the main room, but made it very easy to spot the room marked Supplies. Parker wasn’t entirely sure what had gotten into him as he hauled Lynn into the minuscule room and promptly locked the door behind them. As darkness enveloped them, he yanked her into his arms and kissed her hard, determined to wipe all thoughts of Jack’s cuteness out of her pretty head.

  “Me,” he mumbled against her lips. “You’re only allowed to be with me.”

  She pulled away an inch. “Allowed? I’m not sure I like this alpha side of you.”

  “Oh yeah?” With a smirk of challenge, he deftly unsnapped her jeans and slipped his hand inside. “Look at that—you’re wetter than you’ve ever been, sweetheart. I think that means you like this side of me very, very much.”

  A soft sigh escaped her lips when he rubbed over her silky panties. “Fine, maybe it’s a bit of a turn-on. No man has ever…claimed me before.”

  Parker dipped his head and kissed her again, his tongue stroking hers in a sensual caress. He cupped one breast with his free hand while the other continued to toy with her clit, feeling her panties grow damper and damper beneath his palm.

  A groan lodged into his throat. “I need to fuck you.”

  She breathlessly broke the kiss with a startled squeak. “Now? Here?”

  “Now and here,” he muttered, already reaching for his zipper.

  This was insanity. He didn’t go around screwing women in supply closets, at least not anymore. Not when he was nearing thirty and no longer a horny twenty-year-old who was DTF anytime, anywhere. But lust had clouded his brain, and his cock ached like a motherfucker, having completely forgotten about all the hot sex he and Lynn had already had today.

  All Parker knew was he needed to be inside his woman now. Needed to show her he was the only man she’d ever need.

  Breathing hard, he eased her jeans off her delectable ass, then yanked on his own waistband as Lynn hurriedly slipped out of one pant leg. She fumbled in her purse before pressing a condom into his palm, and he had it rolled on in no time, his shaft impossibly hard as he spun Lynn so she faced the wall. His eager hand pushed aside the crotch of her panties, and she bent forward to brace her hands on the wall at the same moment he drove into her from behind.

  �
��Oh hell,” he mumbled, seeing stars thanks to the tight grip of her pussy.

  Moaning, she bore down harder, and his vision went hazier, his hips moving faster.

  “You drive me crazy.” Her whispered words stoked the fire in his groin, sending him closer to the edge.

  “Uh-uh, you drive me crazy,” he murmured, stroking her hips as he pumped into her. “I’m so close, babe. The second I get inside you, I’m ready to burst.”

  “Good. Because I’m even closer,” she breathed. Her perfect ass wiggled as she met his hurried thrusts, her hand between her legs, furiously rubbing her clit. “So close. I’m…going…to…come…like right now.”

  He felt the instant her orgasm hit, because her pussy clenched around him and her sweet moan of release reverberated in the dark room. There was nothing he loved more than making Lynn come, and as always, her orgasm set off his own. A wave of ecstasy crashed into him, tightening his balls and triggering a mind-blowing climax that made him gasp.

  His chin fell onto Lynn’s shoulder, chest heaving as his release filled the condom. Lord, he wished he was coming inside her, feeling her inner walls ripple over his cock as he marked her with his seed. The mess would have totally been worth it for the extra sensation of going bare.

  Not that he was complaining—he could honestly say this quickie in the club was one of the hottest encounters of his life. And he could tell Lynn enjoyed it too, because she was grinning as they quickly rearranged their clothing.

  “I love recon,” she declared.

  I love you, he almost blurted out, but swallowed the words at the last second. It was way too soon for that kind of confession, and even if it weren’t, there was no way in hell he was professing his love in a goddamn supply closet of a circus club.

  Parker tossed the condom in the wastebasket near the door, smiling when he noticed Lynn’s silver-blue eyes twinkling in the shadows. She looked sated and happy.

  “Ready to go?” she said, still smiling as if she’d won the lottery. “Or do you want to ravish me again?”