A Beautiful Lie (Playing with Fire, #1)

by Tara Sivec

  Garrett suddenly didn’t care anymore about shocking Parker with his need for her. He wanted to hear more of her moans and soft cries of need, even if they were more for the benefit of those listening than for him.

  Still holding himself up on his elbow behind her, Garrett slipped his hand under the blanket, immediately feeling warm skin where the cloth had fallen open. Garrett tugged at the towel that was bunched between them as Parker lifted up enough for it to be pulled out from under her, and then she heard the sound of it being thrown across the room. Garrett’s hand came back to its spot on her hip under the covers and leaned his head down, gently sucking her ear lobe into his mouth, letting his tongue swirl around it in his closed mouth. His hand slid to the smooth skin of her stomach and pulled her body back until his chest touched the bare skin of her back and his towel was the only thing that separated his hardness from her softness.

  Parker kept her eyes closed and enjoyed the sensations of Garrett pressing his body into hers. She could feel how hard he was and an ache spread between her legs, knowing there was only a thin piece of cotton that separated them. With a slide of the towel and a thrust of his hips, he could be pushing himself into her waiting heat. That thought and the things he was doing to her ear with his mouth and tongue made her push back against him.

  Garrett groaned as Parker slid against him, the feel of her completely naked body threatening to undo him. He removed his arm from around her waist now that she was securely pressed into him. His palm rested on the curve of her hip, and he looked down into the profile of her beautiful face.

  “Say it,” he whispered against her ear as his tongue licked the edge of her lobe.

  Parker shuddered against him. She knew exactly why he instructed her the way he did. He was giving her an out. He was letting her know that she could stop everything right now if she wasn’t comfortable. If she didn’t say anything, they would probably just go forward with the plan of pretending and make a bunch of noise in an attempt to satisfy the walls that had ears. If she spoke, if she confirmed her needs, nothing would need to be faked. Garrett would make sure of that. With two simple words, he had let her know that he was all in and would do whatever she asked. He had given the control back to her, knowing she was floundering without it.

  Parker immediately forgot about their audience, forgot about where they were and what lines they were crossing with each other and just let her mind and body be taken over by Garrett.

  Garrett held his breath and kept his mouth against Parker’s ear, waiting for her reply. If she didn’t say anything, their friendship would remain exactly like it was and once this mission was over, they’d go back to living their lives and forget how close they’d come to hurtling themselves off the edge of a cliff. If she spoke, if she voiced the words Garrett had longed to hear, since the day he met her, he would gladly take her hand and jump.

  Parker brought her arm up and reached behind her so she could run her fingers through Garrett’s hair. She pulled his head down to her neck and voiced her decision at the same time.

  “Touch me,” she whispered as his lips attached to her neck. “Please.”

  Garrett let out a groan of relief as he sucked and licked every inch of Parker’s neck and slid his hand down her hip and over her smooth thigh. He let his hand dip between her legs and gently pulled the top one back and over his hip, opening her to him.

  Parker’s heart beat a frenzied rhythm in her chest. She was bare and wide open for him and panting with the need to feel his hands on her, inside of her, and claiming her once and for all.

  Garrett’s hand resting on her knee slowly slipped back down the inside of her thigh. He stopped when his fingers came in contact with her smooth lips, and he swallowed thickly. He knew there was no turning back from this point. And right now he didn’t care.

  He removed his hand from her inner thigh, and Parker moaned in protest. Before she could tell him to keep going, he came back to her, cupping the heat between her legs. He kept his palm flat against her, the heel of his hand pressing down on her most sensitive area, his fingers ghosting over the wetness that pooled around her opening. Parker’s hips jerked automatically at the feel of his warm hand against her, forcing the tip of his middle finger to just barely enter her.

  Garrett and Parker both stopped all movement and held perfectly still. The anticipation was enough to kill Parker, and Garrett needed to slow his breathing. He buried his head into the side of her neck and squeezed his eyes closed. The first touch of her and he was already about to fall apart. He couldn’t believe how wet and warm and perfect she felt.

  Parker let go of her iron clad grasp on the back of Garrett’s head and slid her arm under the covers, gliding her hand down Garrett’s forearm, until her hand was right over his between her legs. Parker wrapped her fingers around Garrett’s wrist and with the slightest pressure signaled Garrett that she needed more.

  With Parker’s firm grip on Garrett’s wrist, together they pushed Garrett’s finger the rest of the way inside of her welcoming heat. They both let out a moan; Garrett’s followed with a guttural, “Fuck.”

  Parker moved her hand from Garrett’s and reached back to grab his hip, pulling him harder against her. She moved her hips so he sunk even deeper inside, and she could rub herself against his hard length.

  A second finger joined the first to stretch Parker and drive deep inside her. The heel of Garrett’s hand grazed the sensitive bundle of nerves with each deep stroke deep. The sounds of Garrett’s fingers pumping in and out of her wetness filled the room, even muffled under the covers.

  Parker’s own muttered curses of “Fuck” and “Oh God” started playing on a loop as Garrett’s fingers and hands brought her to the brink. He pulled out of her slowly, letting the tips of his two fingers glide sluggishly through her slit, pulling the wetness with him as he found her swollen nub and circled it over and over.

  Parker’s head rested on her arm and her hand dangled lifelessly out in front of her. While Garrett’s fingers worked her into a frenzy, sliding back and forth, he moved the arm holding him up and reached out to place his hand over hers. Parker intertwined their fingers and squeezed his hand as she felt the buildup of her orgasm.

  Her hips thrust against his hand working between her legs as he kissed and sucked the back of her neck. Garrett tried not to push his aching hardness against Parker but it was out of his hands now. She clutched his hip and pulled him against her forcefully every time he tried to move back a little, his towel slipping away with each shift. His fingers glided through her wetness, and he increased the pressure against her, listening to her moan and breathe heavily.

  Garrett suddenly wished he would have left the bathroom light on. He wanted more than anything to be able to see Parker when she came, to see the blush spread across her chest and the look of pleasure on her face, knowing he was the one to bring her there.

  Garrett’s fingers slid back down through Parker until they plunged back inside her as deep as they would go, leaving his thumb to flick back and forth over her clit. If he couldn’t see her come, he at least wanted to feel it.

  He held his fingers still, as deep as they would go, and put his mouth against her ear.

  “Let go, baby,” he whispered, urging her on.

  The feel of Garrett’s breath, his whispered command, and his fingers working every inch of her aching flesh pushed Parker over the edge. Garrett’s thumb continued to work her over while his fingers remained immobile inside of her while she came apart around him. She pushed her hips forward and held still against his hand as her toes curled and the release spread up through her thighs and burst from her center.

  “Oh God…Garrett…fuck,” Parker moaned as Garrett felt her tighten and throb around his fingers. She rocked her hips against his hand and milked every last drop of the orgasm out of herself. She was floating on adrenaline and ecstasy as the movement of her hips slowed, and she felt the beat of her heart pulsing around his fingers, still sheathed deep inside of her. Parke
r knew she’d never felt anything more intense in her life.

  As she came down from her high, Parker realized Garrett was still rock hard up against her. His towel was gone and she could feel every inch of him against her skin. He slowly removed his fingers from her, and she tried not to whimper at the loss of that small part of him inside of her. Instead, she focused on him.

  Garrett moved his hand up to Parker’s hip as she slid her leg off of his. He attempted to move away, but her hand was still clutched tightly to his own hip. She slid her hand further back, until she was gripping his ass and pulling him against her.

  With Parker’s hand pulling and her hips pushing back into him, the base of Garrett’s cock slipped between the cheeks of her ass and he involuntarily jerked his hips forward, sliding through, groaning in pleasure with the contact.

  Garrett needed to stop. He didn’t want to use her for his release. This was all about Parker and her pleasure tonight. But the more she pushed her hips back and moved herself up and down his length, the more he forgot about everything except the connection and release he had wanted to share with her since the moment he first laid eyes on her. With his arms wrapped around Parker, all he wanted was to bury himself deep inside her and ride out his orgasm with her.

  Parker could tell Garrett was holding back. She needed to feel him lose control so she wasn’t alone. Even if they couldn’t say it with words, they could say it with their bodies. She needed to know that he craved her as much as she did him.

  “It’s your turn, baby,” Parker whispered as she craned her neck so she could try to see Garrett’s face in the darkened room. Garrett raised his head when Parker turned, and she pressed her lips lightly to his, moved her hips faster and ground herself harder against him before turning away from him again.

  Her words and the soft touch of her lips sent a jolt through him, and he couldn’t stop himself from pushing his hips into her if he tried. Her scent surrounded him and her soft moans and sighs of pleasure echoed in his ear. He tightened his hold around her waist and held her body against his, wishing he never had to let her go. Parker’s hand was still grasped in his, above her head, and Garrett clenched his fingers around hers tighter, pulled their joined hands up towards his mouth, and turned her hand over so he could press his lips to her palm.

  Parker opened their joined hands so her palm was wide open for Garrett’s mouth. He continued to place open mouthed kisses to the skin of her upturned hand and grazed his teeth against the heel as he thrust himself against Parker. Her skin was soft and her body was hot, and he almost couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that this was his Parker, naked and writhing against him as he pushed himself to release, using the body he’d always fantasized about. Garrett wished more than anything he could just shift his hips and push his length deep inside her, connecting them like he’d always wanted and needed. It was bad enough what they’d already done had been shared with others. He was not about to make love to her, to do something that special, when he didn’t have her all to himself. He would never share that with anyone.

  Garrett dropped their joined hands back to the bed using his elbow to hold himself up as he continued to thrust against her. Parker turned and lifted her head so she could press her lips to his again. She lightly ran her tongue along Garrett’s bottom lip before giving him another soft kiss.

  “Come for me, Garrett. I need to feel you,” she whispered against his lips. He thrust against Parker two more times until he felt his balls tighten and his orgasm shoot up through him.

  “Oh fuck, I’m coming,” Garrett moaned hoarsely against her lips as he came in hot spurts against her. Garrett clutched Parker’s body tightly to his and held her firmly in place as he rode out his orgasm.

  Garrett’s soft, broken words of his release were hotter than any shouts or proclamations of satisfaction. They warmed Parker and made her feel like she was on top of the world because she did that to him.

  When Garrett’s hips finally stopped moving, they lay together in a tangled heap of sweat, legs, and blankets, trying to catch their breaths.

  Parker had no idea how much time had passed, but she knew she didn’t want to ever move from the spot she was currently in. The careless, wild side of her wanted to roll over and press the front of her body against Garrett’s so she could reach down between them and stroke him until he was hard again. But the professional, best friend side of her wanted to stay perfectly still so there were no awkwardly spoken words or embarrassed movements made in the afterglow of what they’d done.

  Garrett’s arm firmly held her in place, and she couldn’t move even if she wanted to, so the decision was made for her. Parker smiled to herself, enjoying the fact that he wanted to hold her so tightly and not let her go right away.

  As soon as she had that thought, Garrett released her and pulled up his towel from between their bodies to clean off the mess he’d made on her. Now that the euphoria of his orgasm had worn off, he was disgusted with himself for letting his needs take over. Even though she’d told him to, he shouldn’t have used her like. He should have been firmer in his decision to make tonight all about her. Garrett was weak when it came to Parker; that much was obvious as he angrily wiped the evidence from the soft skin of her back.

  When he was done he threw the towel over to the corner of the room. He slid out of bed and stood up, staring down at Parker’s still form. He assumed she was exhausted and close to falling asleep, but he spoke to her anyway.

  “I’m gonna take another shower.”

  He walked around the foot of the bed towards the bathroom, thankful once more that the room was dark. He was hard again and aching to get back under the covers and slide into Parker. He knew a cold shower was definitely in order.

  As the door to the bathroom clicked shut and the water turned on, Parker buried her face in her pillow and let the tears fall silently so no one would hear.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Parker had no idea what time Garrett finally came to bed. She had fallen asleep with dried tears on her cheeks, naked and spent under the covers. She had no idea that when he retreated to the bathroom, he turned the shower on but never stepped inside. Garrett couldn’t bring himself to wash her smell from his skin. He leaned his back against the closed door and sunk to the floor. He stayed in that position until he was certain Parker was asleep and then quietly slid into bed next to her. Parker never knew that Garrett tossed and turned for hours because the smell of her arousal still hung in the air. Her naked body was close enough to touch and memories of how she felt coming apart against his hand swirled through his mind until he had to move away from her before he did something stupid like ask her if she felt the same way as he did or confess to her everything he’d thought, felt, and dreamed about since the day he met her. Every time he opened his mouth to speak the words he’d always wanted to, he had to remind himself the room was bugged, and it wasn’t the time or the place for confessions of the heart.

  Parker awoke the following morning to the sound of Garrett pulling a pair of shoes out of his bag that sat in a chair next to the bed. She opened her eyes but lay perfectly still so she could watch him undetected.

  He wore a navy blue button down cuffed at the elbows. The shirt was tucked into khaki dress pants and finished off with a thick brown belt. There was a frown on his face and a crease between his eyebrows as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and read something on it. Parker ached to crawl to the edge of the bed, curl her arm around his neck, and smooth away the worry lines with the tips of her fingers.

  She longed to press her lips to his and taste him, feel him harden against her stomach, and watch his face when he found his release again. Parker knew all along that doing anything intimate with Garrett would be like bringing a lit match to gasoline, and she was right. His touch filled a void in her, and she wanted that feeling of completeness back.

  Garrett tried to be as quiet as he could all morning so he wouldn’t wake Parker. Aside from wanting to just sit in the chair across
from the bed and watch her sleep for as long as possible, he wasn’t ready to face her the morning after. He was uncomfortable with the fact they would have to act like it was no big deal due to the bugged room, but at the same time, he had no desire to discuss this with her and listen to her remind him it was just a job.

  A small part of him wondered if that would still be the case after last night though. The words of encouragement she spoke, her moans of pleasure, the way her body felt in his arms when she came, it seemed impossible to Garrett that it was all an act. She would have never told him to keep going if some small part of her hadn’t wanted it – hadn’t wanted him.

  Garrett wished they were anywhere but there right now. Somewhere away from this assignment, away from the stress and the sham of the game they were playing—alone in a place without bugs, lies, and ghosts of the past. For the first time, Garrett questioned why the things that happened between Parker and him on this assignment couldn’t continue when they went back to their lives. He wondered what would happen when they were free from the charade and could just be themselves.

  Garrett’s phone vibrated in his pocket, and he pulled it out to see he had missed a call from an unknown number. That would make three in the span of an hour. Garrett knew he needed to focus and stop letting thoughts of Parker mess with his mind and ruin his concentration. He sent Brady a text asking him to try and trace the unknown number, pushing aside his frivolous thoughts of love and relationships when there were much more important matters that needed attention.

  Garrett glanced up to take in Parker’s sleeping form again only to notice that she was staring at him. She was on her stomach hugging the pillow to her, the sheet draped down around her hips. Garrett’s eyes trailed down the smooth skin of her naked back and he decided to do something he wanted to do and knew he had to do for the purpose of the hidden ears that listened.