CHAPTER THIRTEEN
PARKER
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S ix days. That’s how long it’s been since I tasted Aurora Whitlock’s pussy. Since my mouth was on her clit, and since my cock stopped talking to me.
I left her glowing from multiple orgasms while my own body shook with the need to fuck her so damn hard we’d crack the wall of her apartment. I fooled myself into thinking that stroking myself in the shower would solve the problem.
It didn’t.
Twice.
Now I’m standing in my office pacing, waiting for the results to come through. It’s worse than watching paint dry.
Much worse, given the consequences.
Saturday night, I went to the club, drank far too much, watched my buddies get ridden like ponies while I talked stocks with Maddox.
He was thrilled.
Almost a married man, he isn’t participating in the spicier side of what the Alliance Club offers.
“What the fuck are you doing here, anyway?” I slurred.
I never slur.
But, fun fact, when you add Dali limoncello shots while drinking twenty-five-year-old Macallan, not only do you start feeling incredibly happy , but you end up with an extremely large bill at the end of the night.
Even if the owner is one of your best friends.
“Having a drink. The fuck does it look like?” Maddox stared at me like I had two heads.
“You should be home with your wife.”
“Fiancé. Remember. You’re going to be my best man in a few months.”
I nodded, but my head dropped too low and my nose hit the glass in my hand.
“Jesus, you’re drunk as fuck.” He kicked my leg.
“Ow. Fuck.” I rubbed it, splashed the whisky on my pants, then cursed again. “Goddamn it.”
When Maddox stopped heckling me and turned quiet, I looked at him.
“Where is she?” he demanded.
“Who?”
I knew who he meant.
“You fucking know who. Where is Aurora?” He growled.
“Ooooh, scary man.” I laughed and tossed back the last of the whisky, slamming it down on the table. Missed. Picked it up and put it down carefully.
Stupid table.
“Parker. What have you done with Aurora?” Maddox leaned closer, his expression full of concern.
“Kidnapped her. Locked her in a room in my house and then fucked her.” I leaned toward him and grinned. “Sound familiar?”
He didn’t even blink.
Probably because he had no conscious and held no guilt for what he did to the woman that he is now marrying. At the time, though, Maddox was aware it was wrong.
I think.
Fuck, maybe he didn’t.
Actually, he might not have, but luckily for Kyra, he fell in love with her and didn’t hurt her.
That’s why he’s worried about Aurora.
Maddox knew what he’s capable of, so he thought I’m like him. I’m not. My plans are far more subtle. I’m the guy probably licking his sister’s pussy. Not stealing her freedom.
You tell me which is worse?
Two more seconds had passed, and Maddox still hadn’t blinked. Like he’s a fucking robot. Still, my grin remained.
“Where is she?” he asked me again as Travis joined us.
“What’s going on?” Standing with his legs apart and hands casually propped on his hips, Travis glanced between us.
“She’s none of your business, so just drink your drink,” I replied, ignoring Trav, then leaned back.
“Christ. Please tell me we don’t have another prisoner on our hands.” Travis ran a hand over his face.
My head twisted around so fast. “ We don’t have anything. Aurora is mine.”
Damn.
That wasn’t what I meant to say.
Or so abruptly.
Travis’s brows shot up and when I glanced back at Maddox, the fucker was smirking. I poked his shoulder and pointed in his face—which did nothing but make him smile bigger.
“I meant my problem.”
The two men shared a glance, making me want to punch their well-shaven faces. Me? I hadn’t shaved in two days. All I could do was jerk off, sleep, and eat.
I may have had a quick chat with God asking what kind of penance program he had going.
“Is that why you aren’t fucking anyone?” Maddox cursed. “Jesus. Kyra was right. I thought some of you might be interested in keeping your dicks out of pussy at least once a month so I could justify still coming out here. Clearly not.”
He looked miffed.
Travis and I held one another’s eyes for a moment, almost like we did not compute. Maddox might be in love now, but the boys and I aren’t changing our sex lives so he can come and talk stock trading at the Alliance Club.
We can do that on Wednesday mornings.
As for liking Aurora. No. She is just a means to an end. That’s all.
“We still do breakfast at Dune each week,” Travis said. “Leave my cock out of this conversation. Now, are we talking about Aurora?”
“No.”
“Yes.” Maddox said simultaneously.
“Look, unlike some people, I don’t need to lock up my prey to get pussy.” I grunted, then searched for my jacket. My foot unfortunately hadn’t got the memo to move with my body and I almost fell.
Fucking foot.
Thank god Durran was downstairs to drive me home.
“Anyway, she’s probably my sister.”
“You fucked your sister?” Travis gasped. “Dude. Fuck.”
“No, I stopped!”
Ugh, do not talk anymore .
“Stopped...what?” Maddox pulled away as if I was a leper.
I froze.
They waited.
“Stopped what Parker?!” Maddox demanded.
“Fine. I ate the girl out. Kissed her. I’m going to fucking hell. Happy?” I tugged on my jacket and checked in my pockets for my phone.
Maddox ran a hand through his hair, looking pained, while Travis rubbed his face and groaned.
I wish I hadn’t said that.
But I had and couldn’t take it back.
“Whose sister?” Killian joined the conversation with some blonde who was topless.
I stared at her breasts and felt my cock harden. She had the same dark nipples Aurora had.
Thank goodness the testing was coming back on Monday. Then I’d know the fate of my soul.
“Parker might have fucked his sister.” Travis updated the entire universe.
“He doesn’t have a sister.” Killian frowned while the blonde looked completely disgusted.
Me too, honey, me too.
“Missed the point, buddy.” Maddox shook his head, then turned to me again. “Where is she?”
Finding the phone, I glanced at the screen. There were a ton of messages, but none from Aurora. I wasn’t expecting any, but for some drunken reason it had seemed like the place to look.
Jesus, I needed to sober up.
“I don’t know,” I replied and glanced over to where Zayne was sitting back against the sofa while a woman straddled his face. Her knees on his shoulders.
Killian sent the blonde away, crossing his arms. “What’s going on, dude?”
“I’m too drunk for this conversation. Aurora is not in any danger. I found the girl from my past and turns out I want to fuck her.” I shared with a sigh. “But there’s a chance she might be blood related.”
They waited for me to continue.
“Aurora was the little girl I told you about years ago. The one who was protected while I was...yeah, you all know the drill there.”
Dark faces all nodded.
None of us needed updating. We all had our stories and while they differed, the crux of them were the same. We were abused and our innocence taken.
“Leave her alone,” Killian said.
“No. She might have access to information I need,” I replied. “Once I have it, I’ll walk away. And... I won’t touch her again.”
Unless she’s not related, then I’m fucking her for the next forty-eight hours straight. No food. No oxygen. Just orgasms.
“If she’s your sister?” Travis asked with a single brow lift.
Good question. I couldn’t tell her. Aurora would hate herself after what we did last week. She’d be sickened by the attraction between us and there’d be no sibling relationship to build on.
It’s why I’d had to stay away.
When the guys finished interrogating me, and said the chances of her being related to me were extremely slim and that I was being overly dramatic, I went home.
They could be right.
But they’d also agreed I needed to keep my hands and cock away from her.
“If you are going to use her, just wine and dine her. Don’t fuck her.” Killian shook his head. “There are hundreds of women here you can sleep with.”
None of them turned my cock to granite like Aurora, though.
Still, when I got home on Saturday night, I turned on some porn to jerk off to so my brain stopped inserting images of her.
And failed.
Every face on the screen ended up being hers. Those green eyes of hers pleading for more pleasure from my mouth. From my cock. To be filled and fucked like she never had been.
I could fight it as much as I wanted, but the fact is, I wanted to be the man who made her scream to the heavens so no other could make her feel that way again.
Today I decided to work from my home office as I’m too riled up to talk to anyone. I even canceled two meetings, which I never do.
“Are you dying?” Louise, my personal assistant, asked.
“No, I’m not dying. I’m just focusing on a strategy,” I replied and wished I’d messaged instead.
Finally, after wearing a layer or two off my oriental rug, the notification on my phone pings showing the email has arrived.
I stride through the large penthouse down to my office and dive into my chair, tugging it up to the desk. Then grip the mouse and click...open.
Dear Mr. Stone,
Blah blah blah official stuff, blah, blah . The results show that there is a zero percent probability of being a blood relative.
Thank fuck!
The breath I’d been holding for weeks releases from my body in one loud sigh.
“Fucking hell.” I flop back against the leather of my chair.
Aurora is not my sister.
I let that sink in and feel the guilt and fear of burning in hell fall away.
“Deals off, sorry guys.” I glance skyward.
Then my mind drifts to Aurora. She’ll be waiting for me to call. Confused about why I left her so quickly while she was grieving her mother.
The door is still open to gain her trust and her mother’s information
I grab my phone.
It’s the end of the day. Aurora will be home soon. I message Durran and tell him to bring the car around and tell him we are heading to Hell’s Kitchen.
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F ORTY MINUTES LATER , because traffic, I’m standing outside Aurora’s apartment waiting for her to answer.
I knock a third time.
“Aurora.” I call out. “It’s Parker.”
A door across the hall opens. “Buddy, she moved out days ago.”
What?
“Moved out to where?”
“I don’t know,” the guy wearing pajama pants and holding a bowl of something in his hands says. “Do I look like her mother?”
Then he slams the door.
I glance around the hall, waiting for someone else to open their door who might have information.
Aurora has moved out...oh, wait a minute. This is perfect.
I know exactly where she is.
At least, I think so.
I walk back to the elevators, then freeze. I go back to her door, try the handle and it opens.
Thank fuck. I really didn’t want to hurt my shoulder.
Stepping in, I see remnants of her life and a pile of canvases leaning against the wall. The one she had hung is gone, but I hadn’t seen these.
I don’t know what made me think of it, but I did. Aurora wouldn’t have had the funds to hire movers, and I figured that her paintings wouldn’t have fit in a cab.
One. Not dozens of them.
I walk over.
They’re all a similar style and that’s when I realize who the artist is.
Wow.
Pulling out my phone, I call Eric, who is waiting downstairs with Durran.
“Organize a van to come to this address and pick up some items for me. Urgent in the next hour.” I give him the rest of the details.
“Sure boss.”
“I’ll be down in five.” I move the paintings to the doorway and then close the apartment door behind me.
Whatever happens from here, I want Aurora to have her artwork. She’s incredibly talented. That art degree might end up becoming useful after all.
She might hate me when I inevitably walk out of her life, but if I can leave her with a career path in mind, perhaps part of my soul will be saved.
Such a liar. You want to know she will be okay when she tells you to get the fuck out of her life.
I make it downstairs and stride past Eric, who’s on the phone talking to the delivery guys, and climb into the back of my car.
“We’re heading uptown,” I tell Durran. “Give me a minute to find the address.”
Three minutes later, we head to the only place I can think Aurora might be. If she’s not there, I’ve lost her.
Glancing out the window, I ignore the fact that it’s not the loss of information that has me grinding my teeth, but that I’ll never have my lips on hers ever again.
Goddamn it.