by Lexie Davis
He reached out to cup her breast, her hard nipple poking into his palm as he squeezed lightly. A soft moan matched his groan of satisfaction when he leaned down to press his lips against her neck. She arched her back, seeking more. More of his touch, more of his mouth, and he’d give it all to her. He’d give her anything she wanted.
“I can’t resist you.” He moved so his groin lay nestled in the wet warmth between her thighs. “I’ve tried, believe me. I simply can’t.”
Pleasure and anticipation flooded her cheeks. “Then don’t.” She widened her legs. “I’m all yours.”
He fused his mouth to hers, losing himself in her. The slick thrusts of his tongue into her mouth drove his temperature higher. She ground her hips as she wrapped her fingers around him, angling him toward her entrance. When he was with her, he could let go and feel. Feel the way she loved him. Feel the way he loved her back. Rock-hard and completely in over his head, he pushed inside her. He needed the closeness. He needed her.
He’d ached for her for so long. Needed her when she wasn’t there. Every time he got lost in what he couldn’t control, he focused on Aubree. She grounded him unlike anything he’d ever known, and if he ever got to a point where he found himself falling, as stupid as it sounded, he believed she’d catch him. He could get lost in her and be completely okay. He felt it. Believed it. Relished it. Everything about her made all the other bullshit in his life okay.
He rocked into her, the friction driving them both wild. Her breath came faster and hotter against his neck as he slid deeper and harder into her slick body. He closed his eyes, letting himself enjoy the moment. As much as he wanted it to, it wouldn’t last forever.
“Parker!” She cried out, digging her nails into his ass. Her lips pressed against his shoulder before he felt the harsh scrape of her teeth.
The love bite sent his pleasure spiraling out of control. He held her long after they’d cooled down, not quite ready to give up the contact. He lifted his head and stared down at her, taking in the droopy eyes and goofy smile. She looked completely and thoroughly loved.
“Did you bite me?” he asked.
Heat flooded her cheeks. “I was in the moment.”
He chuckled and withdrew from her. Moving to the side, he pulled her close so she lay in his arms. He didn’t feel like sleeping. Sex normally calmed the thoughts running through his mind, but tonight, it didn’t work.
She smoothed her hand along his abs. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” He kissed her and closed his eyes, pulling her tighter as he feigned sleepiness.
His mind simply didn’t shut off. Thoughts of how they would mesh their lives together played over and over in his head. When they’d been kids it was different. They didn’t have anything so starting a life together was simpler. Now that they were adults, they couldn’t simply drop everything, pack up and move, as tempting as it sounded. It was stupid for her to give up her job, and he honestly didn’t know how he could leave his either. He’d never admit it aloud, but he like the crazy clan in Prospect. He liked that they trusted him to be their Sheriff.
“I could give you a massage.” Her fingertips caressed his arms, lulling him as she stroked his skin. “It’ll help you relax and you can get some sleep.”
The thought of her hands roaming all over his body did have its appeal.
She sat up and urged him to his stomach before she straddled his ass. Digging her thumbs in deep, she pushed on the achy muscles in his back. He’d grown attached to her in such a short period of time. He wanted to wake up next to her, wanted to have those rambling discussion about the oddest topics. She liked touching him and he liked that about her. He liked everything about her. She rubbed his aches away, making his limbs fall limp and useless.
She leaned down and slid her tongue along his spine. He closed his eyes as his thoughts slowed down. Hot open mouthed kisses covered the back of his neck and his shoulders. She was pretty good at distracting him. Grounding him.
“You feel better?”
“Yes.” He gave her a smile. “Thanks.”
She cupped the back of his head and kissed him. “Sleep does the body good.”
He pulled her to him and held her close. “You do me good.” She chuckled and he grinned. “In more ways than one.”
Chapter Sixteen
Two weeks later…
He’d waited for this weekend for what felt like an eternity. Aubree had been gone for two weeks—two very long weeks—and he couldn’t wait to see her. To ask her to marry him and build a life together. He drove the three hour journey and had call after call of encouragement from Prospect town members. He wasn’t nervous. Not really. He sat down with his father, Jim, and Annette to talk over the details. Everyone was so happy.
Parker pulled in her building’s parking garage and typed the code she gave him. She was supposed to meet him at her place since she had to work late. He found his way to her designated spots—she had two—and parked his truck in one of them. Afterward he got out and grabbed his bag to head upstairs.
The nightmares were less frequent. He still saw the images and relived the experience, but it wasn’t as intense. He should have been embarrassed about needing to talk to her in the middle of the night, but he wasn’t. Aubree talked him through it, even though she wasn’t right next to him. She helped him through the panic attacks and got him to focus on saving lives even though it didn’t feel that way most of the time.
Once inside the elevator, he punched the code to her floor. She was the light in his life. He’d been wallowing in that darkness, and she gave him hope of actually making it through it. The elevators opened and he walked in her penthouse. He didn’t know what to do since everything looked like a home out of a magazine where he couldn’t actually touch the stuff inside.
She came around the corner and stopped. “You’re here.”
“Yeah.” He smiled, taking in her jeans and black off the shoulder blouse. “I thought you were working.”
“I was.” She swallowed, looking guilty as hell. “Crap.”
He tilted his head. “Nice to see you too.”
She laughed. “No. I just…” She blew out a breath. “Your birthday present was supposed to be delivered before you got here. But you’re here now and it just arrived.”
She walked over to him and kissed him. “I’m very glad you’re here.”
“I don’t care about that.”
“I know.” She smiled at him. “You’re going to love it though so at least pretend to care for a little bit.”
“My birthday is tomorrow. Can’t it wait?” He slipped his hands beneath her shirt to feel her warm, soft skin.
“Come on.” She grabbed his hand. “You used to love getting presents.”
He set his bag on the sofa and let her lead him out of the penthouse. They went down to the lobby of her building and outside to the main street. He glanced around and blinked when he saw a car with a red bow on it. A car that looked exactly like his old Camaro.
“What did you do?”
She smiled. “Well, I felt guilty. I had Colton track your car down to the junkyard, and I had my mechanic work night and day on it until he got it running and all beautified.”
He rubbed a hand over his face. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Well, you don’t have to say anything.” She held up the keys. “Let’s go for a ride.”
Like a kid at Christmas, he took the keys and the two of them went over to the car. Aubree pulled the bow off and stuffed it in the backseat before getting in next to him. He sat there a moment, feeling like that sixteen year old kid again. It’d been a piece of crap when he’d bought it, but it was his. It had been the only thing he owned and he was so damn proud of it.
Stuffing the key inside the ignition, he started the beast and listened to her purr. The seventy-six Camaro was his baby and Aubree got her back for him.
“I don’t think words can express how much I love you right now.”
She laughe
d. “Well, for your thirtieth birthday, it made sense. You loved this car more than anything—even me.”
“Nah.” He stroked the steering wheel. “Close, but not quite.”
“Let’s go for a drive,” she urged.
Parker pulled out of the parking spot and into traffic. He couldn’t get rid of the grin on his face as he drove. It was in a much better condition than what he remembered, but it had so many memories. They spent an hour driving around the city.
She showed him where she worked and some of her favorite places in Dallas. Aubree rolled the window down and the wind blew her hair. She looked so damn happy, and he couldn’t deny he felt the same. When they got back to her building, she told him to park in her other spot. Her car was in her neighbor’s parking spot since he was out of town.
“Well, what do you think?”
He grabbed her and pushed her up against the car. His mouth crashed against hers as he lifted her legs, holding her against the car with his hips. He needed her like his next breath, and if they didn’t get inside soon, anyone that came into the parking garage would know.
When he pulled his mouth from hers, he stared into her eyes. “Thank you.”
She smiled. “I love you, Parker Montgomery. More than you can ever imagine.”
His heart felt so full. He sat her down and chased her to the elevator. After long drugging kisses up, they reached her floor. They fought to take off their clothes as they went to her bedroom. She teased him with lace and bare skin before he lowered himself over her on the bed. It felt like forever since he’d touched her. Hooking his fingers in her panties, he dragged them off. He pulled her legs apart and kissed the inside of her knee. She stared up at him, face flushed with excitement, her eyes full of love. He couldn’t ask for anything more.
He filled her with one smooth thrust and propped himself over her body so he didn’t crush her. Her jaw grew slack as she closed her eyes, the pure pleasure on her face damn near breathtaking. He loved the way she dug her nails into his back as he moved over her. The raw need had shifted into something deeper. She scratched her nails down his back before gripping his ass and holding him tighter. He couldn’t stop kissing her, needing it like he needed his next breath.
Her pleasure came first and then his spiraled out of his control. He dropped his head to her sweaty chest and forced oxygen into his lungs. They lay there together, entwined and sweaty, neither one moving. He needed her. He always had.
“I forgot to close the blinds. My neighbors just got a show.”
He glanced over at the floor to ceiling windows. “Yeah, it’s definitely different than my one windowed bedroom.”
She combed her fingers through his hair. “I went to the grocery, but I thought we could eat out. I’m definitely taking you out tomorrow since it’s your birthday.”
He rolled to the side and propped his head up on his arm. “I have a feeling you’re going to make me do things on my birthday when I’m perfectly fine staying right here. Actually, the only thing I need to leave this bed for is the bathroom and food.”
“You only turn thirty once.” She kissed his chest and sat up. “I wanted to talk to you about something before I forget.”
He frowned. “What?”
She stood and went to her dresser. He watched as she grabbed a white card and came back, holding it up for him.
“I did some research. This guy is one of the top psychiatrists in Dallas specializing in PTSD. He’s a former war veteran himself.”
He took the card.
“He comes highly recommended.” She swallowed, watching his face. “All I ask is that you make one appointment. Just go and see if he can help you. If it doesn’t work out, fine. But I want you to try.”
He rubbed a hand over his face. “You think I’m messed up.”
“No. I think you’re human and you need someone to talk to that understands the situation better.” She reached for his hand. “You know I’m here for you. I’ll always be here for you. I love you and I want you to work through this.”
“And talking to you isn’t working through it?” He moved to the edge of the bed. He sat there with his head in his hands.
“I’m not a professional. I listen to you, but I can’t offer any advice. Just one visit, Parker.”
He turned to look at her. “Are you coming with me?”
“I can if you want.”
He nodded. “The things I do for you.”
She crawled in behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “No, not for me. For you. There’s nothing wrong with asking for help.”
He didn’t say anything as he stroked her arm with the tips of his fingers. “Is this your way of luring me to Dallas more?”
“Yes.” She kissed his neck. “My boss agreed to let me spend roughly a month in Prospect as long as I spend a month or so in Dallas. We’re going to start off that way to see how my work flow goes. It’ll be a lot of traveling back and forth, but we can make it work.”
“I’m not taking any pills.” He stared at the card. The idea of seeing a shrink again made him cringe. He thought he could handle it on his own and he did okay for the most part. Agreeing to make one appointment didn’t seem all that bad. He hated how much he depended on her. He lost her once and it felt like he’d lose her again if she left his sight. “But if this gives me an excuse to come to Dallas more, then why not?”
She rested her chin on his shoulder. “Not all doctors think pills are necessary.” She kissed his neck. “And you don’t ever need a reason to come visit me. I may be working while you’re here, so it won’t be all fun for us, but I like the idea of getting to see you at night.”
He scrubbed his hand over his face. “Since we’re doing all the serious stuff now, I need to do something before I chicken out.”
He pulled away from her and went to find his bag. He searched through the side zippered compartment and found the ring box he’d put there. He grabbed it and carried it back to her bedroom.
“We’ve got the living arrangements to figure out, but I want a life with you. I want to share my life with you starting now.” He crawled on the bed toward her and handed her the box. “I love you, Aubree. You are sexy and beautiful on the inside and out. Will you marry me?”
“Yes.” Her eyes filled with tears. “A thousand times yes.”
He smiled and opened the box. “It’s not that big, but Riley said you’d like it.”
She glanced down and choked on a sob. The ring he’d picked out was a heart shaped diamond with small round diamonds surrounding it. He pulled it from the box and reached for her hand to slide it on her finger.
“I love it. I love you.” She cupped his face and kissed him. “Oh, my goodness. I’ve got to call my Momma.”
He watched as she jumped up and went to the dresser. She grabbed some clothes and pulled them on before running out of the room staring at her ring. Parker chuckled to himself before standing to find his pants.
When he went to the kitchen, she already had her planner out, going over dates with her phone pressed to her ear. He kissed the top of her head while she ignored him and went to the sofa. He entertained himself for a few hours with TV while Aubree squealed with call after call announcing their engagement. He’d never seen her so happy or so excited.
At some point during the night he fell asleep. She woke him around midnight with soft kisses on his jaw. “Happy Birthday.”
He smiled as she straddled his lap. “Did you call everyone?”
“Oh, honey. I haven’t even made a dent in the list.”
He figured that.
“Momma said you asked her. She said that’s why she avoided my call the other night. She didn’t want to give it away.” She leaned forward so she could kiss his jaw.
“Yeah. I sat down with your parents and my dad. I showed them the ring. Riley was there too, poking her nose in my business as always.”
“Did you pick it out all on your own?” She stared at the diamond on her finger.
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��Yeah. I didn’t know what you liked, so I got what I thought I’d like on you.” He rubbed her finger. “It’s not that big, but I thought it was pretty. The jeweler said it was a classic symbol of love.”
“Let me show you something.” He watched as she disappeared down the hallway. After a few minutes, he stood to follow her into the spare room, watching as she pulled out container after container from underneath the bed. “This is all my high school stuff I saved.”
She searched through one container and then searched through another until she found a little pink journal. She sat back and flipped through the pages, searching for whatever she wanted.
“Here.” She stood and walked toward him, leaving her mess behind. “I know Parker and I will get married one day,” she read. “So Riley and I started to plan my wedding. I want a beautiful dress that is long and flowing. Something that would make his jaw drop when my daddy walks me down the aisle.”
She chuckled and glanced up at him. “I want a cake that is tasty. Something delicious and fattening since I’ll be on a pre-wedding diet and starving myself. Riley said that all brides do it, but I don’t have much weight to lose. It seems stupid to me.”
Parker reached out and kissed her forehead while she continued. “I found a picture of a wedding ring I liked. I don’t know what he’ll get me. I’ll be happy with anything because it came from him. We don’t have a lot of money and that doesn’t matter. Parker is what I really want.”
She stopped and pulled out a magazine clipping she’d saved. She opened it and in the center of the ad was a heart-shaped diamond ring. She held her hand up for comparison.
“I think you did a good job.”
“What do you know?” It was pure dumb luck that he got the ring she’d picked out all those years ago. Hers was much smaller than the one in the picture, but the style was damn near identical.
“What else did you write in there?” He took her journal from her.
