51. “Not Talking” Experts

FIFTY-ONE

Ithought the gala went well, but apparently I was wrong because Parker didn't talk to me. I put Lily to bed and he went straight to the gym.

I knew the gala brought up anxieties about him not being on the team and their decision for spring, but I thought he'd feel better after how well last night went. Or at least talk to me. I was blindsided when he didn't come to bed. I'd stayed up writing and was waiting to tell him about the signing today, but when he came into bed he was freshly showered and it was well after two in the morning.

Parker must have bathed in the guest bath because when he opened the door to our bedroom, the clean smell of him wafted over me. The bed dipped under his weight as he crawled in. I adjusted my head on the pillow to face him.

"Why didn't you come to bed?"

He slid under the covers and pulled me close. His lips pressed to the exposed skin where my t-shirt had slipped down my shoulder.

"I'm sorry."

"Did I do something wrong tonight?" My anxiety piqued at the thought of saying something incorrectly. Maybe I was too loud. I was always the one who'd accidentally be talking when there was a lull in conversation and everyone would turn to look at me. I'd been on my best behavior when talking to Greg and tried to censor myself.

Parker's hand drifted under my shirt and rubbed soothingly down my back.

"You were perfect tonight. Can we just not talk?"

"I guess." I wanted to know what had upset him so much, but I also didn't like being pushed. I could let it go tonight and figure it out in the morning.

He gently pressed his forehead against mine. I could barely see him in the dark, but his nose brushed against mine, and I felt him, sensed where this was going.

"You love me, right?"

"I do." My words were a whispered promise.

"And we'll figure anything out together?"

"Right. I'm not going anywhere Parker. This is different." He had to know it was different with him. For a woman who'd been scared of commitment her whole life, I knew there wasn't anywhere else I was supposed to be.

"Okay, then I believe you, but I don't want to talk."

His lips met mine in a tender, yet urgent kiss. We weren't arguing to ramp up the tension, we weren't high on the feeling of doing something we thought we weren't supposed to, we weren't in love with someone we could never have. We knew where we stood. This was about reassurance.

Parker never held me like I was breakable, but in this moment he did. His grip on the back of my neck was firm, yet gentle as he coaxed me toward him. I went willingly, tangling my limbs with his. Words were Parker's language and it seemed like now that I was speaking them, he wanted to be shown instead. I had no problem reassuring him with my body.

When my lips were puffy and tired, he finally trailed his down my neck. I sighed at the reprieve from having to meet his demanding pace. Just as I caught my breath, he rolled us so I was pressed down underneath his body. The heat rolling off him was a comfort as the blankets were tossed off the bed before he slid my shirt up and over my head. When it was discarded and headed for the floor, his hands returned to my body. Calloused palms roved over my skin and slid down to my hips.

"No panties?" There was a chuckle in his voice that lightened the serious mood we'd fallen into.

I lifted my shoulder on a shrug he couldn't see it in the dark. "What"s the point?"

"Maybe it'd help with my restraint. Every time I crawl into this bed and have access to your body, I want it."

"Liar, underwear wouldn't keep you at bay. Nor am I interested in that." I held his face in my hands and scratched the stubble along his jaw. I loved the way it caught lightly under my fingernails.

"You want me to have easy access to you?" I could hear the smirk in his voice. His palms encased my hips, thumbs moving in heated circles.

"Always."

"Anywhere I want?" His lips trailed down my sternum on a path they knew all too well. He watched me watch him in anticipation, and he smiled when I fidgeted under his gaze. He chuckled and repeated the question when I didn't answer him. "Anywhere I want?"

"Yes."

"Do you think about it when we"re out in public? Me taking you in a dark corner? I wanted to after our fun in the truck."

"You teased me and then refused to follow through when we got home."

"You'd been drinking."

"I still wanted it."

"Maybe next time." His fingers traced over the sensitive skin of my pelvis as he moved down my body. When he spoke I could feel his warm breath whisper against my clit. My hips moved of their own volition, earning me a deep chuckle.

"Hold still for me, Dellie."

I did the exact opposite of what he demanded when he brought his mouth down on me. My back bowed, begging for more. It was impossible not to move when he knew the exact strings to pluck, knew the things that drove me crazy. Parker was valedictorian in high school because he was naturally smart, but also because he studied his subject matter intensively. I was a subject he knew like the back of his hand, and he was acing every test.

When he finally stopped teasing, he took me from behind and pulled my back against his chest as he fucked me to sleep. We were both a panting mess, and I didn't have the strength to resist when he carried me to the shower and cleaned us off.