25. 25
25
PARKER
I don’t think I’ve ever been this angry in my entire life.
The way that those girls treated Lyla was completely appalling and I couldn’t wrap my mind around the fact that she had put up with that for so long. Seeing my strong and brave woman being torn down made me see red, and it had taken a genuine effort to keep my mouth shut. I didn’t want to overstep, but once they started acting like she was their errand girl, I had enough. I would never let anybody treat her that way while I was around. Her life hasn’t been easy and I would never stand by and allow people to talk down to her. Her father had ruined her confidence and made her believe she was hard to love, and those girls just confirmed that for her.
I glance over at the stunning woman by my side, looking completely defeated and ashamed.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers.
My eyes widen in shock and I come to a halt.
“Are you seriously apologizing to me right now? If anyone should be sorry, it’s those girls who claim to be your friends.”
Lyla chews on her lip for a moment before saying, “I know. I just feel like I owe you an apology for subjecting you to that. They’re not exactly the nicest people. I shouldn’t have let them know I was in town, and I won’t be making that mistake a second time.”
“Hey,” I say, grabbing for her hand and continuing walking. “I’m sorry I didn’t stand up for you sooner. I didn’t know if you wanted me to do that, so I sat back and bit my tongue. I wanted to walk out of there the second they mentioned your weight.”
She chuckles dryly. “Yeah, they think if you’re anything above a size six, you’re overweight. But they’re right, I have gained weight since I moved.”
She uses the hand I’m not holding to cover her belly and I want to run back to that restaurant and yell at those women again.
“Lyla, you’re perfect. You could gain a hundred pounds tomorrow and I would still think that. Your body, while amazing, isn’t the reason I’m utterly obsessed with you. I think you are resilient, incredibly kind, smart as hell, and you are an immensely gifted artist. Those girls back at that restaurant? They tear others down to make themselves feel better. They want you to feel inferior to them. None of what they said holds any truth, and I won’t have you thinking that their opinions of you matter.”
She comes to a stop outside of our hotel, which is just a few blocks from the restaurant.
“It always amazes me, you know.”
“What does?” I quirk a brow.
“Your ability to see the best in me.” She gives me a sad smile. “I don’t think anyone has ever seen me the way that you do. I spent my whole life feeling like I was the problem, like there was a reason I was abused and why my friends didn’t seem to care for me. But I think now I’m realizing that I was surrounded by the wrong people. When I’m with you, when I’m with your family, when I’m with Cara and Cassie… Well, I feel like maybe I’m not broken. Maybe I’ve just been taught to see myself that way.”
I reach up and stroke her cheek with my thumb, gliding along her porcelain skin. I love the way her skin feels beneath my fingers and genuinely believe I will never tire of touching her.
“If you’re broken, then I’m torn,” I sigh, “Annie left me feeling like I was torn in half, like I had this gaping wound that would never heal. The moment I met you, it started to stitch close. You, practically spitting your words at me, made me feel alive again. It lit a spark in me and every day with you, that spark grows. It burns through me like this vibrant and palpable flame and I feel whole for the first time in years. You make me burn brighter than I ever have.”
I let that admission hang in the air between us and watch a soft smile form on her face.
“You make me burn brighter too, Parker Hamilton.”
We booked the hotel after visiting Lyla’s childhood home and checked in before dinner, making sure to drop our stuff before walking to the restaurant. As we walk through the lobby and towards the elevators, I can feel the tension growing. We’d gone with separate rooms, per Lyla’s request, and I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. I want to wrap this woman in my arms and feel her body tucked in beside me, or writhing beneath me, but I know I need to respect her wishes. We enter the elevator and once the doors close, the air thickens. It’s just the two of us in this small metal box and it’s physically painful to keep myself from shoving her against the wall and lifting her dress, seeing if she’s as aroused as I am.
I shake my head, attempting to make those depraved thoughts fall out of it. But it’s useless when she was wearing that dress. I try to discreetly check her out, but find her already looking at me. Her face is flushed and she’s rubbing her thighs together, making me wonder if she’s feeling this insane pull, too.
“Parker.”
“Yes? ”
“Stop looking at me like I’m your next meal.” She shoots me a flirtatious smile.
I clear the lump forming in my throat and run my hand over the back of my neck and through my hair. “Sorry.”
The elevator doors finally open on our floor and we step out into the main hallway. Our rooms are right next to each other, so we turn left and make our way down the hall until we reach our two suites. Lyla hesitates outside of her door, fiddling with her key card.
“Well, good night.”
She turns to unlock her room and it takes two steps for me to get to her.
Seconds for me to grab her waist and swing her around to face me.
And it takes a millisecond for me to crush my lips to hers.
I back her into the door she never had a chance to open, and become absolutely feral when I taste her on my tongue. I’m an addict, craving the sweet nectar her lips offer, and I never want to stop.
Her mouth opens for me, allowing my tongue to sweep in, and she lets out a breathy moan. I kiss her with a desperation I’ve never felt before and she matches my fervor, which only spurs me on. I place my knee between her thighs, spreading them wide, and tear my lips off hers. I begin kissing and nipping my way down her neck, and she moans again, louder this time.
“Oh, god,” she gasps as my erection digs into her stomach.
Our lips meet again, but I need her closer. I place my hands around the backs of her thighs and lift her off the ground, pinning her against the door, and wrapping her legs around my waist. My dick is uncomfortably hard and I let out a groan as she rubs herself against me. Her dress is lifted around her hips, exposing her to me and allowing me to feel the heat of her pussy.
“Fuck.” I pant as I pull back. “I don’t know how much longer I can control myself.”
I drop my forehead to hers, both of us attempting to catch our breath.
“It’s okay,” she laughs. “I don’t think I have much self-control left, either.”
I nod and slowly put her on her feet as a look of disappointment flashes across her face.
“Hey.” I grip her chin and force her to meet my gaze. “Trust me, I want this more than anything. But I don’t want to rush you.”
Her eyes fill with understanding, and she turns to unlock the door to her suite.
“Come knock when you’re awake and we’ll get ready to head to the hospital, okay?”
“Okay.” She nods. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
I walk over to my door but don’t move to unlock it until I hear hers close. I let out a breathy chuckle and touch my fingers to my lips as a smile grows on my face.
I lay in bed, arm behind my head and sprawled out across the plush mattress, thoughts of Lyla flooding my mind. My cock is still dangerously hard, my erection refusing to go away as the memory of her taste lingered on my lips. I groan and roll onto my side, frustratingly fluffing my pillow for the hundredth time tonight. It’s almost midnight and I haven’t slept a wink.
I roll onto my back again and slip off my boxers, my dick springing free from the fabric. I grip it and moan as I begin to pump myself to the image of a disheveled Lyla Thomas. Legs wrapped around my waist, ponytail holding on for dear life, dress lifted and rumpled, her lips looking pink and swollen from kissing. I’d never seen anything more sexy and my dick throbs as I imagine laying her on this bed and spreading her thighs open, running my cock through her wet center and shoving myself inside her. I imagine how she would gasp, taking every inch of me, over and over as I thrust into her.
My release comes quickly, thinking of my name coming out as a prayer from those dusty rose lips.