Chapter 38
PARKER
“I still can’t believe we have the entire inn to ourselves.”
Delaney and I sat in front of the fireplace looking out onto the lake in the Eliza room, Heritage Hill’s best. It would be dark soon, but the table for two with our finished takeout meal afforded a perfect view.
“Not that we’re using any of it,” I said, refilling our wines.
When I told Mason I wanted to do something special for Delaney to celebrate her big decision, this had been his idea. Being a Tuesday mid-winter, there were no other guests until tomorrow when this room, and the other lakeview one, would be occupied.
“It’s still cool, to know we’re the only ones here.”
“The others are just a hallway away,” I reminded her, referring to the first-floor passageway that connected the original structure from the add-on where we lived.
“True.” Delaney took a sip of wine. “I just can’t wait to sleep in with you tomorrow. No work. Nothing to do for the entire day. What did Jack say?”
“That I’ve taken more days in the past month than since I started working for him. I figured it was as good a time as any to break it to him that I’d be taking off many more soon.”
“No, you didn’t?”
“I did. You inspired me.”
Delaney had finally told her parents two days ago, and though they gave her a hard time, as she expected, both said that, in the end, they supported her decision.
Her mother seemed more disappointed Delaney hadn’t trusted her to help make the decision, thinking she would care more about the “lost” education.
She admitted the risk scared her but “only because I love you and want you to be happy.”
“What did he say?”
“It actually went a lot better than I expected. You know how Jack can be.” In other words, the conversation might have gone in one of two ways. But instead of him telling me to fuck off, a distinct possibility, he went in the other direction.
“He said he never expected me to stay long term and was glad I decided on a niche business in construction.”
“In other words, he’s glad you aren’t in direct competition with him.”
“Exactly.”
“Anything else?”
“Not really. Just that he’d help in any way he could but just asked I not leave him high and dry when I make the transition. And, of course, not to take any of the guys.”
“As if you’d do either.”
“Exactly.”
“Wow. So we’re really doing this, huh?”
I raised my glass to her and Delaney lifted her own. “We really are. Cheers, cupcake.”
“Cheers,” she said, reaching forward to clink my glass.
Looking down, I groaned. “Bad idea, leaning forward like that with a v-neck.”
“Bad idea? Or good idea?”
So she wanted to get spicy, huh? “You’re right.” I put down my glass, stood up and pulled Delaney out of her seat. “A good idea. A very, very good idea.”
Before she could prepare for what I was about to do, I lifted the henley shirt up and over her head. Instead of stopping there to enjoy the fruits of my labor, I unzipped her jeans and got rid of those just as quickly.
Before long, we were divested of our clothing and Delaney found herself positioned perfectly in the middle of the bed. I wanted to touch every inch of her. I wanted to make her wild with my tongue, showing her why I hadn’t ordered dessert with the meal.
But more than anything, I wanted to make love to her.
Positioning myself between her legs, after a quick check to ensure she was wet with such little foreplay—she was—I didn’t screw around. Guiding myself into her, we became one. Despite the frantic pace of our disrobing, evidenced by clothes strewn around the bed, this was anything but frantic.
“I am so in love with you, Delaney Montana Thorton.”
“Mmmm, thought maybe you forgot about that,” she said, pulling me all the way down, on top of her.
“Never. I love it. Someday we’re going there to make love in a log cabin in the mountains.” Our pace was slow, deliberate. Delaney held me close to her, as if I wanted to go anywhere. The feel of her breasts against my chest, of being inside her… never. I wasn’t going anywhere, ever.
Reaching down between us, I circled my thumb against her clit, looking forward to seeing her face when Delaney came for me.
“We’re going to make love in a balcony room with a view of the Mediterranean in Italy,” I said, increasing the pace. “And everywhere and anywhere else you want to go.”
“Promise?”
“I promise, cupcake. Now why don’t you show me how that pretty face of yours lights up as you come all over me. My fingers…”
“Parker.”
“My dick.”
“Parker.”
“Come on, that’s it.” Her hips circled below me, the slow pace giving way to something more urgent.
When Delaney began to cry out, I removed my hand and thrust into her. Holding myself there, I was completely buried in her. I could feel Delaney’s orgasm as my own had me driving even deeper. She clung to me as I cried out, every muscle in my body tensing.
Neither of us let go, for a long time.
When we finally did manage to move and find ourselves in the massive whirlpool tub, I vowed to install one in our own master bedroom.
“I want one of these in our log cabin,” I said, my hand running over Delaney’s outer thigh as she lay between my legs. Under the premise of “cleaning” her with the small bar of soap in my hand, I explored every inch of her body.
“A log cabin, huh?”
“That alright with you?”
Delaney moved to the side, looking up at me. “More than alright. Are you being serious though?”
“Very. Maybe lakeside?”
She laughed. “A log cabin on the lake. That sounds… expensive.”
“The land, maybe. But if I can build the house at cost, not as much. Besides, we’ll both have successful businesses by then.”
“You think so?”
“I know so.”
“You’re being serious.”
“Very serious,” I assured her. “What else do you want? Hot tub on the deck, obviously.”
“Obviously.” Delaney sighed and moved back against my chest.
I would have to talk to Pia about how to propose.
It had to be special, like the woman nestled between my legs.
But I would propose and make Delaney my wife.
Yesterday, she told me that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with me after I’d asked her if she could see herself getting married, and that had sealed the deal.
“We should probably talk about living arrangements in the meantime.”
“I actually don’t mind how it is now. Unless that’s a pain for you, being part time at the inn and part time at my place?”
“It’s fine. If that works for you.”
“For now it does,” I said. “I can keep helping Mason renovate the inn while putting all of the pieces of the new business in place. I think by the end of spring, we’ll have everything finished.”
“Speaking of timelines…”
We talked about our new businesses, of our future. We talked until both Delaney and I were wrinkled, a signal for us to finally get out.
We were dressed in thick white robes, and I pulled her toward me, kissing the woman that would, someday, become my wife.
“To think all of this happened,” she said, “because you broke one of the rules.”
“Never stay the night.” I smiled. “I’m glad I broke it. Glad I won’t be collecting that money.”
“Who do you think will?”
“Between Beck and Cole? That’s anyone’s guess. All that matters is, not me.”
“I’m glad you broke it too. Now let’s go get some sleep.”
Following her into the bedroom, I didn’t correct her. If Delaney thought we’d get sleep tonight, with neither of us working in the morning, she hadn’t been paying attention.
Thankfully, I was a patient teacher.