“Yes, Parker?”
He cleared his throat, which only made her goose bumps double. “Did you forget something?”
“Oops. You’re right.” She spun on the spot, stripping off her top as she turned. She swung the fabric on her finger, as if considering hard. “Another trail to follow?”
She flung the material down the hall, and it landed on the chair beside him. By the time he’d looked back at her, she had her pants off, slipping them over the doorknob to the bathroom. His grin of anticipation grew wider as she backed away, stripping off her clothes under his eager gaze. “You’re trouble, aren’t you?”
“Uh-huh. But I’m your trouble.” Lynn breathed the words out on a sigh as she let her panties fall to the floor of her bedroom. Naked before him.
He swept her up, and suddenly she was naked under him, his fully clothed body pinning her to the bed. The stiff fabric of his jeans rubbed against her thighs and sex, the soft cotton of his shirt abrading her tight nipples as he slipped a hand up her torso. Teasing her skin, making her come alive with desire.
His big palm cupped her cheek, and he rubbed his thumb over her bottom lip. “Let’s try that again. I fucking love you, Lynn Davidson. And now, according to all the rule books I’ve read on romance, you need to say it back to me.”
“Really?” Lynn had his belt undone and his button unsnapped, working frantically between them to free him. “Well, if you’re sure that’s how it works.”
A desperate groan escaped him as she wrapped her fingers around his cock, pulling him from his jeans and guiding him between her legs.
“Lynn, you’re not ready.”
“Baloney.” She rocked her hips, and the head of his cock slipped between her folds, dragging another helpless sound from his lips. “I’ve been ready since the first moment I laid eyes on you.”
Parker linked their fingers together, pressing her hands to the mattress by her head. His familiar green gaze locked with hers as he slid into her in one thrust. Filling her completely. Body and soul.
Pleasure surrounded her. She bunched up the front of his shirt, desperately trying to get it off him, needing to feel his warm flesh against hers. But the feel of his cock inside her was too damn distracting, summoning a frustrated groan from her throat.
“Take this off before I rip it to shreds,” she blurted out.
Grinning, he peeled the button-down off his broad shoulders, got rid of the wifebeater beneath it, and settled over her once more. Bare chest pressing against bare breasts, heartbeats pounding in unison. Lynn had never felt so connected to anyone before. Physically, emotionally.
“Parker?”
He withdrew slowly and she felt every inch of the motion. “Yes?”
“I fucking love you, too.”
This time he was the one to laugh. “You are trouble. My trouble. All mine—” He thrust forward on the final word, and a gasp escaped her. Lynn squeezed his fingers tighter as he picked up the pace.
Belonging. Sheer and total rightness. It was the only way to describe it.
She hooked her legs around his hips, welcoming his quickening thrusts, deepening the contact. And the entire time, she kept her gaze on his, watching in wonder as a kaleidoscope of emotion moved through his eyes. Heat and passion and tenderness and love, and yet those rough edges of his didn’t fade, not even when his expression glazed over with impending bliss. Instead, a wicked glint reflected back, an even wickeder request trailing after it.
“Come all over my cock, baby. Show me with your body how much you love me.”
It had started as a slow, sweet buildup, but the final product was a burst of intense, exquisite agony that brought a wild cry to her lips. The pleasure was too much, an explosion of ecstasy that curled her toes and seized her throat and took her to a wondrous place where only she and Parker existed. A place she never wanted to leave.
“God, Lynn, I love you,” he choked out.
One last thrust then he stilled, messy hair tickling her chin as his head dropped and his cock jerked inside her. His release heated her channel, filling her, and another shockwave rocked her body. She clung tightly, planting soft kisses on his neck as he trembled above her, and when his head shifted and his mouth met hers, she kissed him with everything she had.
“Mine,” he whispered into her lips. “You’re all mine.”
Breathing hard, she nipped at his bottom lip. “And you’re mine.”
With his green eyes shining and his lips curved in a smile, she’d never seen a more beautiful sight. “And I’m yours,” he murmured. “I’m all yours.”
Chapter Nineteen
Lynn adjusted her chair, staring around her new office in shocked disbelief. Even after seeing the official documents, it still seemed like a dream.
“Nice flowers.” Suz stuck her head around the door. “Permission to enter hallowed ground requested.”
“Shut up and get your butt in here.” Lynn leapt to her feet and raced around her new oversized desk, the one with the shiny mahogany surface, to grab her BFF by both hands. She pulled Suz into a very undignified spin, accompanied by a heartfelt squeal of delight. The new Director of Digital might have to be serious about the people she was in charge of at Bay City Press, but with the people who were closest to her heart?
“Wheeeeeeeee!”
Suz laughed, dragging them to an unsteady stop. “You done good, girl. I’m so proud of you.”
Lynn shrugged nonchalantly before letting her grin escape. “I did rock it, didn’t I?”
“You did. Also, if you can take a minute from your Exalted Gloriousness of Director-dom, want to watch something interesting go down?” The evil delight on Suz’s face was enough warning something going down involved trouble for someone who deserved it.
Lynn grabbed her purse, giving her fancy-shmancy new office one last happy glance. “I’ll lock up for the day—it’s time to party anyway.”
“All the more reason to tie one on tonight with the boys. Come on.” Suz led her to the elevators and down to the lobby. “Your throne awaits.”
She wasn’t sure why they were there, but Lynn settled into one of the chairs at the side of the wide foyer as directed. “Are you going to tell me what’s happening?”
“A little birdie warned me today was the day. I thought you might like to see this in person.” Suz laid a hand on Lynn’s arm, her cheerful smile fading slightly. “Not that you’re nearly as vindictive and nasty as me. Just, more for closure, I guess. I’ll stop gloating.”
Lynn didn’t get a chance to ask for clarification when escalating voices and shouts rang out from the opening doors of the elevator.
Phil, surrounded by a group of very vocal women, was being escorted from the building by a uniformed guard. Phil held a cardboard box in his hands, and the weight of the world on his handsome face.
“Oh dear.”
“No,” Suz ordered. “Don’t you feel sorry for him. Anything he got, he deserved.”
Lynn sighed as more guards closed in and separated the mob of women from their target. “He made mistakes. We all make mistakes.”
“Uh-uh, girlfriend.” Suz caught her by the chin and tugged until Lynn had to look her in the eye. “A mistake is being scared to tell the truth for a while. A mistake is forgetting a birthday, or being a little bit selfish and not telling someone about a shoe sale so you can go through the stock first.”
“Fine. Phil chose to do what he did. I know.”
“The sexual harassment charges are all on his head,” Suz pointed out. “He’s not even getting dinged for what he did to you.”
Lynn knew that as well. Dana had told her they were planning on lodging a complaint—she and the other women, who it turned out Phil had all promised career advancement in exchange for their “favors”.
Still, there was something she had to do. Lynn rose and set an intercept course for Phil. His eyes widened as he spotted her, placing his guard between them. His bruises were fading, but still the lingering touches of blue colore
d his jaw.
“Can I have a minute?” she asked quietly, a noticeable contrast to the continued ranting going on behind them.
The guard checked with Phil. He jerked his head abruptly, easing the box in his hands into a more defensive position.
“You want your chance to slap me down like the rest of them?”
Lynn swallowed a sigh. “No. I just…” She could feel Suz’s disapproving gaze burning into her back, but she forced herself to keep going. “I want permission to text you a phone number, if you’re open to it.”
He laughed—a hard burst of derision. “I don’t need any more women offering their numbers. I have enough of them on my back as it is.”
“It’s not a woman’s number—it’s a man’s.” She hesitated. “A therapist. After we had our little ‘incident’, I wondered. It’s obvious you’re not in a healthy place right now, and…well, sometimes it’s good to have someone to talk to.”
“And you’re not offering to be that someone.”
Oh hell, fuck no. “Afraid not.”
“Too much to hope, I suppose.” Weariness lined his eyes. “I’m not crazy, Lynn.”
There were two opinions about that. “Can I send it to you?”
A hint of the old bluster and ego returned. “Up to you. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
Phil turned away without another word, his head held high as the guard took him to the front doors and out into the street.
Suz slipped her arm around Lynn’s waist. “You? Are too saintly for your own good. That man never deserved you.”
“No, but he deserves help, if he’s smart enough to take it.”
“Or brave enough, or honest enough, but I’m afraid that ain’t him, hon.” Suz gave her a final squeeze. “Come on. Enough. Close that door and get ready to open the next one. I hear there’s a party happening, and we both have invites.”
Lynn’s heart lightened. “When have you ever needed an invite? I thought it was more fun to crash?”
Suz’s jaw dropped. “Shit, you’re right. Tell Dean to take my name off the list so I can sneak in. I haven’t used my lock-pick set in ages.”
“You’re incorrigible.” But Lynn was smiling, and as the two women turned away from the lobby, she batted her lashes like an old-time Hollywood starlet. “I’m taking the straightest route possible to get to where I’m spending the night—Parker’s arms.”
Suz made a gagging noise. “Ugh, save the mush and googly eyes for him.”
“Trust me, I will.”
Pepper
She stood with both feet planted on dry land and stared at the magical vision in front of her. The dock leading to the boat was festooned with glittering white lights. Music carried over the water along with the sound of laughter and clinking glasses—the party appeared to be in full swing.
Pepper Wilson adjusted her backpack to fit more firmly in position, the familiar weight comforting. All her worldly goods.
Melodramatic, much? a little voice in her head taunted.
Fine, she corrected herself. She still had stuff at her folks’ place, in a room she planned on moving out of as soon as possible. She wasn’t eighteen anymore, and she wasn’t going to put up with being babied. Not by her parents, or Parker, or his pain-in-the-ass, ever-present sidekick, Jack Hunter The Annoying.
Her gaze immediately shot to the yacht, searching involuntarily for familiar faces. It was the laughter that drew her attention. A deep, booming sound, settling over her like a welcoming hug. Jack and Parker stood near the back of the boat, their handsome faces creased into smiles. She watched for a minute, soaking in the sensation of coming home—the two guys joking together like she’d seen a million times, ever since she’d been a teen.
A woman approached Parker, slim and beautiful, and another sensation hit. That must be Lynn. Pepper could see why her brother had fallen in love.
Jack kissed Lynn’s cheek affectionately, the way he used to kiss Pepper’s. Parker thumped his friend on the shoulder, and Jack slipped away, heading toward the bow. She examined him closely as he paced through the crowd, smiling and nodding at others as if he were the king of the world. He hadn’t changed a bit. Looked just as cocky as ever, and twice as annoying.
A sharp pain struck as she forced herself to turn away. The ache wasn’t only in her heart, but her side, and she eased her arms around her waist in an attempt to stop her broken ribs from moving.
She caught sight of herself in the window of the closed shop she stood beside, the mirrorlike surface reflecting a shabby, waif-like creature. Added to the busted ribs, she knew her black eye and swollen lip were still far too noticeable. Her jeans were ragged, shoes falling apart from too many miles on foot.
Pepper glanced once more at the party. She couldn’t do it. Her arriving in the middle of the glitz and excitement looking as if she’d been mugged? Parker would go apeshit, and she’d not only ruin their evening, it would only make tensions run higher than necessary in the coming weeks.
It was time to come home, though. She was ready to face the world and see what happiness she could find going forward. She just needed to pick her friends a little more carefully in the future. And she would.
Pepper turned away from the people she longed for, and headed into the darkness.
Alone. For now, but not forever.
Chapter Twenty
“Crisis averted. The bartenders didn’t realize I’d stashed the extra booze in the forward cabin.” Jack tilted his head toward the galley. “And the chef says you can invite the entire harbor to hop onboard—he’s prepared enough food to feed everyone twice over.”
Parker figured the brief flutter of complaints had been organizational mix-ups. It wasn’t as if DreamMakers would fuck up while arranging his own party.
His and Lynn’s.
He glanced around again, wondering when the hell she was going to arrive. It had made sense for him to get to the boat early, and Lynn had insisted Suz wanted to drive.
Still, he couldn’t wait to have her in his arms where she belonged.
Parker paused in the middle of his rubbernecking as he caught sight of Jack. His best friend was staring into the distance, a frown building on his usually happy face. “Something wrong?” he asked.
Jack blinked, a momentary flash of guilt vanishing under a familiar cocky grin. “What could be wrong on such a fine night? Did I tell you we finally received the applications this morning from the guys I mentioned to you? They’ll be coming in for interviews starting next week.”
Good. “We need to find a way to ease the load off the team. Bookings are getting crazy to fulfill with just the three of us.”
“Especially since you’re moving off regular recon and into more office work,” Jack teased. “Old man.”
Parker didn’t even bother to argue. “I get to see as much beautiful woman as I want, when I want. I figured you and Dean still need a chance at the lovely ladies.”
“Ha. We don’t need help finding women, dude. Neither of us.”
Jack’s comments faded into the background as Parker finally spotted Lynn.
A long dress of ice-blue silk clung to her curves, her hair coiled up in a fancy do Parker looked forward to messing up later. Every deliberate step that brought her closer made his mouth water, and his body reacted instantly to the entire sexy-as-fuck package. By the time he finally dragged his gaze off her hips and breasts, and up to her face, her eyes were dancing with laughter.
Yeah, she knew she had his number. One hundred percent and unconditionally, the woman got him heated up and stole his damn breath away.
“Your eyes have glazed over,” Jack teased. “Let me guess. Your woman is arriving in three, two, one…” He turned and laughed. “Lynn, you look gorgeous.”
Parker’s best friend leaned in and kissed her cheek, and the faint hint of blush only made Lynn even more beautiful.
“Thanks, Jack. So do you.”
“You call this jackass gorgeous before you even compliment your man?” Park
er said with a mock glare. “I’m rethinking us moving in together, Lynn Elizabeth.”
She tossed him an easy grin. “Bull crap. I bet you’ve already bought us monogrammed towels.”
“Towels? We won’t be using those, sweetheart. There’s nothing in our new place to cover your naked body.”
“And that’s my cue to find someone else to talk to,” Jack said cheerfully. “You two can discuss your naked plans in private.”
Chuckling, Jack slapped Parker’s shoulder and wandered off, leaving Parker to pull Lynn close so he could plant a kiss on her lips.
“Well?” he teased, gesturing all around them. “Did DreamMakers get it right? Is this exactly what you’ve always wanted?”
Lynn’s heart pounded under Parker’s earnest stare. “I don’t know…for one, you’re wearing far too many clothes. And second, this seems way too elaborate for a moving-in party.” Her astonished gaze traveled around the deck, and then she finished her visual tour by settling on the best thing on the entire boat. “You? Are nuts.”
“Nuts? No. Happy as fuck that I’m moving in with my woman? Damn straight.” His white teeth gleamed in the moonlight as he flashed a smile. “We’re celebrating our future, babe. Deal with it.”
She made a noise that was a cross between a sigh and a laugh, then had to ask herself why she was complaining. Parker and the guys had planned the most lavish party she could have envisioned, complete with black-tie-clad wait staff, gourmet hors d’oeuvres, and twinkling lights everywhere.
“Fine, I’ll try to enjoy myself,” she said primly, all the while fighting a grin. “Just don’t tell me how much you paid to rent this boat. I’d probably faint.”
The look he shot her was smug. “Didn’t rent it. We own this motherfucker.”
Her jaw fell open. “Starlight Lady belongs to you?”
“Well, to the company, but yes.”
She shook her head. Sometimes she still had trouble reconciling this romantic Parker with the soldier Parker, the one who proudly wore his Rangers tattoo and whose sexy body boasted battle scars he was only now beginning to shed light on. But whatever side he revealed made her love him even more. Intense, lighthearted, dirty, romantic—all of it.
All Fired Up (DreamMakers) Page 21
