CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

PARKER

I open my eyes, and Ryan is staring at me. I’m resting on him as if he were a mattress. His hard dick is throbbing against my stomach. How embarrassing. I move to get off him, but an arm comes around me and holds me in place.

“Where are you going?”

“I need to get ready for work,” I mumble against his chest.

“You promised we would talk this morning. I’m not letting you go until we do.”

In an instant, I’m flipped over onto my back with Ryan on top.

“What the hell?” I squeal in surprise.

“You aren’t going anywhere until I’m done with you.”

He presses a kiss against my neck, then takes a nip. My body reacts with a zap of electricity running through me.

“I’m tired of waiting for you to decide. You’re mine.” He nips my ear and neck, emphasizing his point.

I can’t concentrate on his words because of what he’s doing to my body. I’m soaking, and he’s barely touched me.

I’ll agree to anything at his moment as long as he’ll fuck me. All I can think of is us getting naked and him being inside of me.

“Fine, I’m yours,” I groan and widen my legs, his cock pressing against my core.

“Missed me, have you?”

“Yes,” I moan as his tip pushes against my entrance.

The next instant, he’s buried inside of me, working me over, slamming in and out. My legs wrap around his waist, and my feet lock against his ass.

My body tightens as I climax.

“You’re mine, Parker,” he says as he comes right after me.

I relax my grip, and he pulls and moves to my side. We lie on our backs, breathing hard; hot and sweaty.

“I need a shower. Do you want to join me?” I ask, moving my head so I can see his reaction.

“I would love to.”

He has a goofy grin on his face.

As I slide off the bed, it dawns on me that we’ve once again neglected to use a condom. I know he said he’s clean, and I believe him. I’m on the shot, so I’m safe from getting pregnant. Ryan is the only guy I’ve had unprotected sex with. It’s a little unsettling giving him this much trust.

I never thought about kids before, but I know Ryan wants them; I’m sure he would be a good dad.

My mind goes blank when Ryan pulls me into the shower and rubs me with gel. He starts at my shoulders and works his way down my body, dropping to his knees and massaging my calves. Then he presses his mouth against my core, and I throw my head back, pleasure zipping through me as his mouth and tongue work me over.

By the time we leave the shower, the water is turning cold. We don’t have time to linger; we’re both running late. Ryan is faster getting dressed and I’m still in my underwear when he pops his head into the closet.

“I have to go.”

“Can we talk real quick?”

While I don’t want to make him late, I still need to get this out. I’ve never been nervous about voicing my opinion, but I don’t want to hurt him since everything between us is so fragile.

“I want to be in a relationship with you. But can we keep it just between us for a little longer? Things are so good right now.”

He must realize how important this is to me. He takes his hand in mine and squeezes it. “Only for a short time. I don’t like hiding our relationship.”

His phone buzzes. “I got to go. See you later.”

He kisses me and disappears through the door.

I shake my head, finish getting dressed, and have a quick shot of coffee.

By mid-afternoon, I’m deep into work. I’m never taking time off again. It’s too hard playing catch up. It’s been a lot of late nights and early mornings for an entire week.

When my phone rings, I’m in one of my client’s homes reviewing work that still needs to get done with the contractor.

“Excuse me,” I say, walking out of the building.

“What’s up,” I ask Elle.

“You’re coming to my house tonight for supper.” She doesn’t give me a chance to answer. “You can’t say you’re busy.”

It’s like she’s reading my mind.

“I’ll see you at seven, and if you don’t show up, I’ll come and drag you here.”

She hangs up and I look at my phone, surprised by her attitude. She’s changed since getting married, and I’m not sure I like the new Elle.

I do a final check of the house before moving on to the next place. This project is smaller; it’s just the kitchen being redone. The clients are upset by how long it’s taking. I calmly explain that they’ve changed their minds twice about the backsplash and the cabinet colors. I stay calm and give them a new timeline for completion, noting it’ll work if no more changes occur. They say nothing in response.

I’m back at my store by five, with plenty of time for a desperately needed nap. I checked one more time for any text, but nothing came up. I was hoping to hear from Ryan. I’m sure he’s been busy like me.

I lay on my couch and set my alarm for half an hour. I place my phone on the coffee table beside me and close my eyes. I probably won’t sleep, but I need a few minutes.

The sharp sound of the alarm wakes me, and I sit up and hit the button on my phone to stop the ringing. I rub my eyes to get the sleep out and raise my arms over my head, stretching my back.

I want to sleep more, but I have to prepare. I would love to skip tonight, but I know I can’t back out.

I spring up, head to the bathroom, shower, and grab some comfortable clothes. I put my hair in a ponytail, adding some mascara and lip gloss to finish the look. And then I’m off.

I pull up the driveway a little before seven, and vehicles are already here. I notice Ryan’s black truck right away. I’m a little nervous about seeing him. I climb the stairs to the porch and gently knock on the door. It swings open.

“Hey, stranger,” Catherine says to me.

“Hi,” I say, giving her a quick hug before walking in. I hear loud noises coming from the living room area. “What’s going on?”

“The guys are watching a game.”

I follow her to the kitchen, where Elle has food bowls on the island. It looks like she’s ready to feed an army. The smell of barbecue wafts through the room. My stomach grumbles, reminding me I skipped lunch.

“Do you need any help?” I look around, seeing what I can do.

“Can you grab the potatoes off the grill? There’s a tray out there.”

Without answering, I do as she asks.

I glance at the guys on my way out, and my eyes find Ryan. He’s looking at me. I hesitate, then move along.

I pick up the tray and tongs from the table by the grill. Opening the lid, I fan out the heat and then put foil-wrapped potatoes on the tray. Behind me, the door opens and shuts. I keep working, not turning around; it’s probably Catherine or Elle telling me to speed it up. Footsteps come nearer, and a hand touches my shoulder. It’s Ryan. He kisses the back of my head.

“I’ve missed you,” he says to me.

I can feel the heat of his body against my back, along with something else. “Missed me?” I ask, grabbing the last potato and closing the lid.

He takes the tray from me.

“Thanks.” It was getting heavy.

“Did you know about tonight?” he asks.

I look at him. “No, Elle called me today and told me I was coming or else.”

“Yeah, that’s Elle.”

I let him walk ahead of me. I need a minute.

Elle has everything set up buffet style. We all fill our plates before taking our seats in the dining room. I’m surprised the guys didn’t go back to the living room to watch television. Then again, we’re eating barbeque, and Elle would freak out if anything got on her furniture.

Ryan sits beside me while I converse with Catherine. I ignore how close he is to me.

Halfway into the dinner, I’m more relaxed and don’t even mind that Ryan’s arm rests on the back of my chair. Elle and Catherine occasionally give me looks. They’re trying to figure out what’s going on. I told them nothing was happening between us; I’m sure they don’t believe me. It wouldn’t surprise me if they cornered me later tonight, wanting answers.

And they do. We finish cleaning the kitchen, and they drag me into the pantry and close the door behind us.

“What’s going on with you and Ryan?” Catherine asks.

I don’t know how to explain it to them. I don’t think I have to. They somehow figured it out on their own.

Elle gives Catherine a look I can’t decipher.

I have a feeling I won’t like what they’re going to say.

“I like Ryan a lot,” Elle says. “But he’s gone out with a ton of women. I heard he’s seeing Nancy from the hospital now. She’s been telling everyone that it’s pretty serious.”

I wasn’t expecting this.

“Are you sure? I thought they weren’t a thing?” I think I’m going to be sick. What happened to being exclusive?

“Yeah, she must have worn him down. She talks about him when she comes into the bakery. I saw them hanging out at the bar, so it must be true.”

All I want to do now is leave this place.

“I gotta go. I’ll talk to you guys later.” I keep a brave face as I make my way to my truck. I was starting to like him and thought I could trust him. How stupid.

My phone rings, and I know it’s him. I don’t answer it. I don’t need this. I need to write him off.