Chapter Nineteen
I wake up in the morning to an empty bed, and I panic.
Was everything just some fever-fueled hallucination?
I’d finally come to terms with my feelings only to imagine blurting them out to Parker?
Granted, it could have gone a lot more smoothly than it did, but…Parker and I are anything but smooth. Our relationship is a roller coaster, and there is no telling the highs or lows. But it is a relationship, that is undeniable.
I fling off my duvet and jump to my feet. The world sways, and little black dots fill my vision. I sink back and sit on my bed for a few seconds to collect myself.
A clink sounds, and I look up through my open bedroom door to see my apartment door opening.
The air whooshes out of my chest as I see my blond Adonis walk in. Parker hasn’t changed, still wearing that causal outfit combination. Still effortlessly attractive.
He looks up and smiles when he sees me.
“How are you feeling, love?”
My heart flips over the term of endearment. One that he has always used for me but feels just that little bit more special now.
“A lot better.”
He drops the white paper bag he is carrying on the kitchen counter and comes over to envelop me in a large hug. I instinctively nuzzle into his chest.
He pulls back and drops a kiss on my nose. It’s something I’ve noticed he does a bunch.
I tilt my head in the direction of the paper bag. “What’s that?”
Parker grins, and it fills me with a ray of light. A girl could get addicted to a smile like that. One that is basically a power-up against any bad mood.
“I got you a treat.” He grips my wrist and pulls me into the kitchen.
The bag crinkles, and Parker lifts out a heavenly chocolate muffin. But it’s not just any muffin, it’s my favorite muffin in the whole world. A vegan double-choc chunk muffin from Terrestrial Coffee.
He hands it to me, and I let out a happy gasp when I feel that it is still warm.
I hop up onto my barstool and take a bite, groaning as the chocolatey taste melts on my tongue. The little chocolate chunks are all gooey, and I kick my feet with pleasure.
Parker opens my fridge and pulls out a glass jar filled with green liquid. He unscrews the cap and slides it across the marble.
“Don’t forget your celery juice.”
“You’re the best,” I mumble between bites.
Parker cups a hand around his ear and cocks his head. “I’m sorry, could you repeat that, please?”
I roll my eyes and take a loud sip of the juice. It’s not as bitter as I expected; there are notes of lemon and ginger to break up the natural tang.
Parker slides onto the bar stool next to me and places a hand on my leg while he uses the other to dig a croissant out of the bag. Almond, by the look of it.
We sit in comfortable silence for a few minutes before a horrible realization creeps into my brain.
Parker must feel the tension that washes over me because he gives my thigh a squeeze.
“What’s wrong?”
“Work!” I hop off the stool and run into my bedroom to find my phone.
Oh God. It’s been, like, two days.
How much have I missed?
Did the guys stay on schedule? Did they do anything stupid?
Is everything still set for Parker’s next tournament?
Crap, we have to leave for that tomorrow.
My thoughts continue to spiral as I frantically search. Not only is my phone missing, but so are my tablet and laptop.
Strong hands grip my shoulders, and Parker pulls me to his chest, running his hands down my arms in a soothing motion.
“Hey, stop.”
I whip my head up to look at him. “Stop? But—”
“But nothing.” He guides me over to the couch and forces me to sit down. He brings the last of my juice over and places it in my hands. “I talked with the guys. You’re fine, Syd.”
I clutch the glass, focusing my nervous energy on it.
“What do you mean?”
Parker sits on the couch next to me and tugs my legs across his lap. He begins massaging my feet, and all my thoughts get jumbled because, damn, that feels good.
“You need rest, Syd.”
“I rested yesterday.”
“No, yesterday you were recovering from a flu you ignored.”
“Same thing.”
“No, it’s not.”
I’m trying to get mad at him, but it’s kind of impossible with the magic fingers he uses to ease all the tension out of my feet. God. I don’t even remember the last time I had any sort of massage.
“I looked into it. You haven’t used any of your PTO this year except for that weekend in April you always take. Even Mathias has used more PTO than you.”
I snort because the PTO I did use wasn’t even a relaxing one. I take the same weekend off every year because it’s the anniversary. It was an emotionally draining weekend.
“So?”
Parker squeezes my foot hard and lets go. My eyes close, and a moan slips past my lips at the feeling.
“So, I’m forcing you to take time off. We all are.”
I crack my eyes and stare at him.
“Parker, now isn’t the time for me to take time off.”
“There’s never a perfect time, Syd.”
I open my mouth to argue, except he has a point. I never take a break because it never seems like it’s the right time. I keep waiting until there is enough of a lull or something comes up where it makes sense.
I let out a huff and pull my feet from his grasp, tucking them under my butt.
The pretty boy is trying to distract me.
“What do you want me to do, Parker?” I drain the last of my juice.
Parker takes the glass from my hands and places it on the coffee table before dragging me from my corner of the couch. He places me on top of his body and cocoons me in his arms, his legs cradling mine.
His warmth seeps into me and lulls me. My traitorous body relaxes into his hold, feeling safe with him.
“I want you to spend the day with me doing absolutely nothing. And then tomorrow, you are going with Stevie, Lee, and Deer for a spa day at a hot spring up in Napa.”
“I can’t just go to Napa.”
“Sure, you can. I booked the helicopter and everything already.”
I blink at the mention of a helicopter and force myself to ignore it.
“Helicopter aside, we have to leave for Miami tomorrow.”
“Syd, I promise you, I am perfectly capable of going to the tournament by myself. You can’t look after me if you aren’t looking after yourself. The girls all agreed, so you can’t back out. They’ll hunt you down if you skip it.”
Traitors.
There are a lot of things I can get around, but trying to avoid all three women? Basically impossible. Especially since Lee has been begging for us to do a girls’ trip for eons.
What a sneaky man.
I hate him and love him.
“Fine. But I can’t just laze around here all day, Parker. I need some compromise. I’ll go stir crazy if I do nothing.”
“I’m sure I can think of something to entertain you.”
Parker runs his hand down my thigh, and I react instantly, my quads stiffening as my pussy clenches.
“Parker.” It’s supposed to be a warning, but it comes out all wrong, all pleading.
“Shh, just relax. Let me look after you.”
His hand continues its slow perusal, trailing up and down my inner thigh. It skates over my skin with the barest touch, like a whisper. Each pass he travels lower and lower, closer and closer to the edge.
He uses his other hand to sweep my hair off my shoulder and begins peppering small kisses down the side of my neck. The dual sensation twists me inside. Anticipation builds in my blood.
A need like no other starts to burn within me. It’s a tiny ember at first, flickering deep inside. Little sparks dart with every touch.
His finger grazes the side of my panties and trails up the side of my groin. Slowly, that finger explores more. It trails over the silk covering my pussy, dipping low. The pressure increases as he slides that finger up my slit, and I don’t stop myself from clenching when the pad flicks against my clit.
“How does that feel?” Parker’s rough voice melts around my ear.
“Good. Really good.” I force the words out.
“Yeah?” He moves his finger in hard, lazy circles. “You like when I touch you like this?”
“I do.” My leg lifts without my permission and hooks itself over the top of my couch.
“I can see. Greedy girl.” His finger starts moving faster. “Does my greedy girl want more? Does she want this finger buried within her cunt?”
My breathing hitches.
Parker’s always had a mouth on him. But this? This is something else. Something I didn’t know I wanted.
“I can feel how hot you are. If I slip a finger under these panties, will I find you wet for me?”
As if he commanded it, that telltale wetness begins to pool.
I squirm in his hold. My ass brushes against something hard, and I realize it’s his cock. This is turning him on just as much as me, and the knowledge of that sparks confidence in me.
I rub against his cock again, and Parker lets out a laugh.
“Do you feel how much I want you, Sydney.?” His lips nip at my ear. “Do you feel how hard you get me?”
His fingers continue their rhythmic motion. But I want more.
“Please, Parker.” My hips buck slightly.
“Please, what?”
“Please…” My words stall as I fight the embarrassment. I can think the thoughts in my head, but voicing them is hard.
“Please put your fingers in my pussy, Parker. Please use that tongue to make me see stars,” Parker growls the words in my ear. “Are those the words you’re looking for?”
I nod senselessly, his words spurring me on. “Yes. Please make me come, Parker.”
“Your words are my command.”
His fingers dip under the silk, and the contact of his fingers against my mound sends chills up my skin. Two fingers slide up and down my slit, gathering the slick stickiness.
Those two fingers slip inside me with no resistance, and I almost cry out with relief. The feeling of his fingers inside me fills a void.
The palm of his hand continues to rub against my clit as his fingers swirl inside me.
He takes me in a deep, sighing kiss as his hands continue to work their magic. My hips grind against his palm, begging him to finger me deeper and deeper. His fingers curl in quick motions, hitting a sensitive spot within me.
It feels so damn good, and I want him to know that. I want to get off on this.
I squeeze against his fingers, chasing that feeling, that building pressure. But it feels like a wave, and every time it is about to crash on the sand, it just peters out.
Unintentionally, I groan in frustration.
Why does this always happen? Why do I always get so freaking close?
“What’s wrong, love?”
“I’m so close,” I whine. “I’m so close, but it just won’t—” I cut off with a frustrated gasp.
This is why none of my relationships worked out. Okay, no, the main reason is because I am a workaholic and can never spare the time. But I also struggled to find satisfaction either. I get stuck in my own head. I overthink it. I worry. The noise just never quietens.
The other night with Parker was a fluke.
Something in me is broken.
“Relax, Sydney.” His tongue trails the shell of my ear. “Relax. You’re too tense.”
“Relax?”
“Yeah, take a deep breath in and out.”
“Seriously?”
“Sydney.” It’s a sexy reprimand, and the command is attractive as hell.
I do as he says. I take a deep breath in and out, telling my body to relax.
“That’s it. Just clear your mind. Don’t think about it. Just feel it. Feel my fingers, the pleasure. Keep breathing and stay in the moment.”
I continue breathing deep breaths and empty my thoughts.
The second my pussy relaxes, the second it stops clenching so tight, I feel it. A new wave of arousal, a heightened sense of pleasure.
Shocks rocks through my body.
The heck is this?
By letting go of the pressure, it returns threefold. I have no clue what is going on down there, all I know is that it’s amazing. It’s nothing I’ve felt before.
I keep breathing, keep relaxing, and everything continues to build.
Parker murmurs words in between kisses, and it just keeps the wave growing.
“That’s it. That’s my girl. Take all you want. Fuck, your tight cunt feels like heaven.”
The pressure builds in a final burst, and the longest orgasm I’ve ever experienced pulses out of me. My pussy ripples around Parker’s fingers as I come. I gasp out a sharp moan, my head pressing back against Parker’s shoulder as I lose myself to the sensation.
“There we go. Fucking milk my fingers, love.”
God. Dirty Talk Parker is something else.
Parkeris something else.
I come down from the high, my pussy still pulsing in the aftermath, greedy for more.
Parker removes his fingers, and I lament the loss. He brings his fingers to his mouth and sucks them clean.
“Mmm, cherries. Just like I expected.”
I snort despite the haze. “That’s a lie.”
“Oh?” He cocks his head and smiles. That damn smile. “You doubt me?”
“My vagina does not taste like cherries, Parker.”
He slips his fingers back into my panties and runs them across my sensitive folds. My clit throbs, and I gasp against the sudden touch.
He pulls them out, two fingers glistening in the midday sun.
“Care to test that theory?” He looks down at me with hooded eyes, and my mouth goes dry.
Every thought exits my brain as I stare at him blankly.
I short-circuit.
And yet I keep my eyes on him as my mouth opens a little wider. He gives me a wicked grin and curls those two fingers into my mouth. I taste myself on him, the slightly salty evidence of just how much this man turns me on.
“Fuck, that’s hot.”
His fingers hook against the back of my teeth, and he uses the force to pull me closer to him. My body twists, completely at his mercy. I get lost in the dark depths of his ocean eyes. The carnal desire and want reflected in the waters undo me.
I’ve never felt sexier than in this very moment.
Parker removes his fingers and grips my jaw before crushing me with a kiss. I lose all sense of reality, tasting myself on both of our tongues as I drown in the sensation.
“I didn’t taste like cherries, by the way,” I murmur.
He just laughs, and the sound explodes like sparkles inside me.
“Guess we’ll have to try again. Maybe with my tongue this time?”
And try he does. He flips us over and grins up at me through the V of my legs. Parker feasts on me with his tongue until I’m a sobbing mess completely at his mercy.
We only stop because he worries about my dehydration.
He cradles me on his chest and flips on a new British reality show as we snuggle on the couch. I let myself relax into the evening, smiling at the comfort he brings.
My ray of sunshine.