by Lexie Davis
Parker pulled her up and kissed her lips before rolling her to her back. He fit between her thighs easily as he stared down at her.
“You’re nothing but trouble.”
“You’ve told me that a time or two.”
He dropped his head to her breasts. “How about we stay right here forever?”
She smiled. “Sounds good to me.”
Chapter Nine
“You missed a spot.”
Parker glanced up at Aubree who sat on the porch with a donut in her hand. It was ridiculously early, but she’d insisted on finishing the one section of the porch that she didn’t finish last night. She even reminded him that he said he would do it.
He dunked the paintbrush in the can and smeared the white paint across the wood. His shoulders weren’t as tense. He’d slept a few hours longer than most nights, and he enjoyed waking up to the sexy woman sitting on his porch. He dipped the brush in the thick white liquid and smeared more on the banister.
“You’re in an awful grouchy mood, Sheriff. You’d think after three orgasms, you’d be a little happier.”
He couldn’t help it. He grinned. After the amazing work she’d done with her mouth, they’d went another breathless round that left them both spent and tangled in sweaty limbs.
He painted the last section of the porch and stared at his handy work. “I’m grouchy because I’d rather be doing what we did last night instead of painting my porch.” He sat the paintbrush down and walked up the stairs. He snatched a donut from the box in her lap and propped his hands on the railing. “What are your plans for today since you’ve completed my project?”
“I need to make up with my mom, so I thought about hanging out at the beauty shop.”
“Don’t spread more rumors about us.”
Aubree selected another donut. “I think she wants us to be married more than we could ever possibly want to be married.”
He licked his fingers. “A little birdie told me that your mom and my mom planned for us to marry when they got pregnant.”
“Who told you that?”
“My mom.” He laughed. “I wasn’t really into girls back then. You were icky and annoying. I wasn’t down with the idea.”
Aubree smiled. “I miss your mom. She always stood up for me against all you yucky boys.”
“I miss her too.” Parker reached for Aubree’s coffee and took a drink.
“Do you get along with your stepmom?”
He shrugged. “I don’t really hang around her that much. Dad tried to get us together when they were dating and after he first got married, but I really didn’t want to deal with a new family.”
“Please tell me you at least spend holidays with her.”
“Yeah.” He took another sip of coffee. “She tries too hard to make me like her. I intimidate her daughters. My dad said they were scared of me.”
Aubree frowned. “You scare them? Why? Because you’re the sheriff? That would scare me.”
He laughed. “Yeah, but you’re a troublemaker.” He handed her the coffee cup back and wiped his mouth with his fingers. He didn’t care enough to get to know his father’s new family. He’d gone to the wedding like a good son should, stood next to his father as his best man. He took photos and congratulated him on his nuptials, but that was as far as it went.
“You’re staring at me like you’re up to something.”
“Why don’t you invite your family over to see your new kitchen?”
He groaned. “Because. My house isn’t that big and I don’t want people going through my things.”
“They’re not people. They’re your family.”
“My dad can come over. Your dad can come over. Your mom can come over.” He shook his head. “Not them. Please. It’s just the way it is. I don’t really want to change it.”
“No.” She stood. “I want to meet them. We’ll have a summer cookout. Barbeque ribs or something. It’ll be fun.”
“Do you do stuff like this at your house?”
She grinned as she set the donuts and coffee cup aside. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him close. “No. I’d invite you over though. Sleepovers are fun.”
He kissed her, smoothing his hands along her sides. “You’re killing me.”
“Not yet.” She gave him a mega-watt smile.
“You get the food and invite the guests. I’ll just show up.”
“Good. We’ll do it tonight if nobody has plans.” She let him go. “Do you want ribs or steak? Maybe I should get both. But if she has daughters, they might like something simpler like hot dogs and hamburgers.”
“They’ll eat whatever you get.” He moved around her to go inside and get ready for work. He couldn’t say he minded her taking over his little house and putting her touch on it. He liked that when he looked around, he saw her. He felt her presence in every room.
He glanced back and she had her phone out, making calls to what he assumed was the guest list. He wasn’t sure how happy they’d be at seven in the morning, but it didn’t matter. She was happy, and if he was honest with himself, for the first time in a long time, so was he.
****
“So you’re not getting married?” her mother asked her for the tenth time.
“No. We’re not getting married.” Aubree moved about Parker’s tiny kitchen, that seemed even tinier now that her mother stood next to her, and dipped her finger in the baked beans to taste them. “We’re fornicating instead.”
“Aubree Grace.” Her mother swatted her behind with a dishtowel.
She laughed and turned to her hug her mother. “Relax, Momma.” She kissed her cheek. “I promise, the moment Parker proposes, you will be the very first person to know. I’m actually going to tell him that if he is going to ask for my parents’ blessing, he needs to ask you instead of Daddy. That way we both have you covered.”
Aubree moved away to check on the cooking corn. She had the entire meal planned. Her father, Tom, and Parker were going to man the grill. Julie, and her two daughters—Rachel and Chloe—were coming to socialize with her and her mother. It was going to be their first family barbeque.
“You and that sassy mouth of yours.” Her mother reached for a spoon to stir the green beans. “Did you make dessert?”
“Shit. No. I forgot.”
“Watch that language. You go from classy southern belle to raunchy sailor within seconds. I’ll whip up something. Margaret has a great recipe for a 7Up pound cake. I’ll go across the street and get it.”
“Thank you, Momma.”
“Well, if it isn’t my future daughter-in-law.”
Aubree smiled as she glanced over her shoulder. “Hey, Tom.”
Parker’s father was the same age as her father. With dark brown hair that now had a hint of salt and pepper coloring and deep blue eyes, Tom was an older version of Parker. Aubree dried her hands off and turned around to hug him.
“How have you been?” she asked.
“Doing okay. I see you’re faring better than the handcuffs I last saw you in.”
She grinned. “Yeah. We’ve come a long way from that night.”
Tom glanced around the kitchen. “Parker actually let you do this? I mean, willingly? You don’t have him tied up in the closet, do you?”
She laughed as she turned off the stove. “He complained, but he said he’d show up.”
Tom chuckled. “Wow. You’ve got magical powers.”
Aubree glanced over at the woman and two teenage girls she didn’t know. “Is that your wife?”
“Oh, yes. Where are my manners?” Tom stepped back. “Julie, this is Aubree. Jim and Annette’s daughter. She and Parker grew up together.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Aubree said.
“Likewise.” Julie glanced around. “Parker’s had this house two years and I’ve never been inside.”
“Oh, well, have a seat and make yourself comfortable.” Aubree glanced over at the two girls. “Are those your daughters?”
“Yes. Ra
chel and Chloe.”
Aubree shook their hands. “Nice to meet you girls. I hope everyone brought their appetite, because we have a lot of food.”
Tom smiled at her. “You’re good for him.”
Aubree felt a blush creep across her face. “Uh, the only person we’re missing is Parker. He hasn’t called me, so I hope he’s going to be on time.”
“Aubree?”
She turned to see her mother with Ms. Malloy. “I forgot our new Bible study started tonight at the church. I’m going to leave for about an hour, is that okay?”
“Yeah, sure. Are you coming back afterward?”
“Of course.” She came toward her and kissed her temple. “You’ve got this.”
“Aubree, the grill is ready.” Her father came in the house. “Where is the meat?”
“Fridge.”
“You want me to grill everything?”
“Why not?”
Her father grabbed the meat from the fridge and Tom followed him outside. Julie and her daughters sat on the sofa, stiff as boards. It was almost as if they knew that they weren’t welcome in Parker’s home.
“So, Julie, Parker tells me that you’re a hairdresser.” Aubree joined them in the living room.
“Yes. I’ve been doing it for seventeen years now.”
Aubree nodded. “That’s great. What do you girls want to do when you graduate?”
Rachel folded her arms over her chest. “I want to be a social worker.”
“I want to be a vet,” Chloe replied.
Aubree didn’t hide her surprise. “Wow. Those are great career choices. I’m a financial advisor.”
All three of them didn’t look the least bit interested in Aubree’s life. She licked her lips and glanced toward the door as Parker came in. He made her smile without saying a word. His Ray Ban sunglasses covered his eyes as he walked in, dressed in his khaki uniform that made him look completely sexy and one hundred percent badass.
“Something smells good.” Parker pulled his sunglasses off as he dipped his head to kiss her. “Let me change my clothes before you make me socialize.”
Aubree didn’t say anything as she watched him walk away from her. She noticed that he didn’t greet his stepmother, and they didn’t say anything to him. She couldn’t imagine being like that, but then again, she talked to everyone about anything.
She watched Julie and her girls. They didn’t even talk among themselves. They sat there staring at the television as if they willed her to go away.
“Girls, why don’t you help set the table out back?” Aubree waited for their response.
“Do we have to?” Rachel asked.
Aubree blinked a few times. “Yes.”
The two teenagers stood and reluctantly came toward her. She grabbed the bowls of food and handed them to both girls. Julie didn’t move from her perch and Aubree chewed on her lip. She was a hairdresser. She should be used to talking to people.
“All right. What do you want me to do?” Parker came out dressed in an Army T-shirt and khaki cargo shorts. He even wore flip flops.
She nodded her head toward Julie. “She won’t talk to me.”
Parker moved around her, heading toward his stepmother. She watched as he made an effort to talk to her. Julie responded a great deal more to him than she did to Aubree, which was understandable. She was a stranger and Parker was family.
Aubree collected the last of the food items. “Parker, will you get the lemonade and cups?”
He sent Julie out back with everyone else and came into the kitchen, wrapping his arms around Aubree’s waist. “We could be rolling around naked in my bed right now, but you just had to have a cookout.”
She rolled her eyes. “Get the lemonade.”
He kissed her. “How do you like my step-mommy?”
Aubree shrugged. “She won’t talk to me.”
He laughed as he grabbed the pitcher of lemonade and the Silo cups from the counter. “It’s probably because she doesn’t know you. She talks my ears off when I’m around.”
She followed him out of the house and around the back to the small patio where the grill sat. Everyone had gathered around the picnic table with a few sitting in popup chairs.
“Food’s done,” her father announced. “Dig in.”
They each filled their plates. She didn’t think about getting a chair to sit in when she’d been shopping at the store earlier. Parker’s porch chair had been moved to the back and he sat down with a plateful of food.
“Aubree, you can sit next to me.” Tom patted a spot at the picnic table.
Before she could move around everyone, Parker grabbed her wrist. “Sit on my lap.”
“What? No.”
“It’s fine.” He set his plate on the end of the picnic table. “Come on.”
Jim arched an eyebrow at her. She blew out a breath as Parker dragged her onto his lap. He kissed her before reaching for a roll to bite into. She got what she wanted, Aubree realized. Her father and Tom sat at the end of the table chatting. Julie and her girls talked about the calories in barbequed ribs. Parker ate his food while keeping one hand on her hip.
“I could have sat at the table.”
“Not on your life.” Parker glanced over at her. “If I have to endure this, you’re going to endure it with me. Right. Here.”
Well played.
“I saw the wallpaper you peeled off.” Parker lifted his glass and drank. “Is the bedroom your new project?”
“Maybe.” She ate a bite of her hotdog. “I got tired of the paper flapping every time the air came on.”
He kissed her arm. “You going to paint or put up more wallpaper?”
“Paint.” She scooped the corn on her plate with her fork. “I was thinking of painting the living room blue-gray. Like your eyes.”
He set his glass down and Aubree glanced up to see her father and Tom looking at them. “What did I miss?”
“Nothing,” her father said. “We just find it amusing that you two aren’t together, but Parker is letting you take over his house.”
Parker chuckled. “Do you know your daughter? I said no to this cookout five times. She told me to be here anyway.”
“The Sheriff can’t handle Aubree Grace?” Jim laughed.
“Hey, I put her in handcuffs and locked her in the cell, but you two came to her rescue.”
Jim waved him off.
“I’m not that bad.”
Parker’s arms came around her as he tightened his embrace. “No you’re not. I’ll prove it to you later.”
He nibbled along her neck before she finally pulled away. The promise of later held a sense of urgency that made her squirm. Parker slid her a naughty grin as if he knew exactly what he did to her. She should move away. There was plenty of space next to Tom, and it would be so easy to get up and settle next to Parker’s dad inconspicuously. Parker’s fingers dipped beneath the waistband of her shorts as he rubbed soft circles along her side. She could move, but she was exactly where she wanted to be.
And that scared her.
A lot.
****
The cookout ended with the family dividing into two teams to play cornhole. Aubree knew how competitive Parker was and she played it up. On her team were her father and mother along with Ms. Malloy and Riley. On his team were his father and Julie along with her two girls.
“Give it up, Montgomery. You can’t beat us.”
Parker arched an eyebrow at her trash talk. “Be careful, Manning. All’s fair in love and war.”
“I’m not scared of you.”
Parker laughed and tossed the bean bags. She’d been right. He couldn’t remember the last time he played cornhole and he wasn’t worth shit at the game. He overthrew every single toss. So much for his quarterback status. Moving back, he stood off to the side, watching Aubree who seemed to have had time to practice while he was at work.
“Did you finally take my advice?” Tom asked, coming up beside him. “Are you finally going to make that girl p
art of the family?”
Parker laughed. “Dad, she’s always been part of the family.”
“Not officially.”
“I’m working on it.”
“You look happy, son. I haven’t seen that smile light up your face in a long time.”
Parker shoved his hands in his pockets as he watched Rachel step up to throw. “I haven’t been this happy in a long time,” he admitted.
“How are the nightmares?” Tom asked him.
“I slept four hours last night.”
His father stared at him. “Was she with you?”
He glanced over at him and Tom nodded knowingly. His father rubbed the spot between Parker’s shoulder blades. When his mother had been around, he didn’t have much of a relationship with his father. And when she’d died, his father was at a loss on how to comfort him. They’d grown close over the years, especially after he enlisted. They had been the only family each other had. He honestly didn’t know what he would do without him.
“It’s my turn,” Tom announced. “Do we know the score?”
“I think the Mannings are winning,” Rachel said.
“Well, we can’t have that.”
Parker watched his family. Everyone smiled and laughed. They had fun being together for once and it was all because of Aubree’s infectious personality. He didn’t want to think about her time being temporary. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew she’d be going back to Dallas at the end of the week. He hated the idea of losing her again, hated the notion that there was nothing he could do about it either. He walked up behind her and pulled her away from the crowd.
“What’s going on?” She tried to keep her attention on the game. “Tom is actually getting some points for your team.”
Parker stopped and turned. Cupping her cheeks, he pulled her close and kissed her. Her lips parted and he slid his tongue inside, tasting her. His chest ached and the only thing that could make it go away was Aubree. She stopped protesting and gripped his wrists. Her fingers stroked his forearms while her mouth softly sucked his tongue.
“Fraternizing with the enemy?” Jim’s voice drifted into the fog surrounding him. “Aubree Grace, didn’t I teach you better than that?”
