Chapter 18
“I woke up to cookie crumbs and questionable decisions.” ~ Parker
Parker
My eyes fly open as I jolt awake. I don’t need an alarm clock. My body knows when it’s time to get out of bed and get to work.
But this isn’t my bed. And the wall of heat behind me isn’t part of my usual morning routine. A wall that’s currently curled up around me, making me feel safe and warm.
Slow your mermaid-loving mind, Parker.
Jeremy made things perfectly clear last night. One night only and he was done. My stomach hardens. I don’t want to be done.
I’ve never been with a man who made me feel the things I felt last night. My body is deliciously sore and yet it aches for more.
But there’s more to Jeremy than his skills in the bedroom. He’s kind. He asked me to dinner last night because he thinks I work too hard. My own parents don’t care how much I work.
And he’s helpful. He helped me finish the gingerbread house on time, even though he obviously had no clue what he was doing.
And he doesn’t take himself too seriously. Despite being a billionaire. He shrugged it off when the blue frosting – guaranteed to stain – landed on his sneaker. A sneaker I’ve since googled and discovered costs more than a dozen Thanksgiving pies.
“What are you thinking about so hard?” Jeremy asks in a scratchy morning voice I shouldn’t think is sexy but I do. He drags his beard slowly against the sensitive skin beneath my ear. The scratch sends sparks straight to my toes.
“I… ah…” Completely forgot all the thoughts flying around in my mind when he touched me.
This is not good. I’m going to fall for this completely unavailable and most certainly inappropriate man if I don’t watch myself.
“I can give you a few things to think about.” He rubs his hard length between my ass cheeks and those sparks turn into anticipation.
Anticipation? No. Jeremy made himself perfectly clear last night. This was a one-night stand. And one-night stands in my extremely limited experience do not include morning sex. They also don’t include staying over but what do I know?
I’m tempted to give in. To roll over and let Jeremy have his wicked way with me. I never thought I’d enjoy a man who is controlling in the bedroom. I was wrong. Epically wrong.
But I don’t want to blur the lines.
“I should go. I need to start baking for the day.”
He squeezes my hip. “You can be thirty minutes late.” He thrusts his hardness against me. “I’ll make it worth your while.”
“I thought you’d kick me out of bed last night. Not invite me to have morning sex.”
He sighs before using his hold on my hip to roll me over. “I’m not a monster.”
I force myself to meet his gaze. “No. But you were very clear. One night only.”
He tugs me closer. “I’ve been thinking.”
“Uh oh, Scrooge is thinking. Watch out, Christmas ghosts.”
He rolls his eyes. “There is no such thing as a Christmas ghost.”
“You’re going to be scared shitless when the Ghost of Christmas Past shows up.”
He tweaks my nose. “Stop teasing me. I’m trying to be serious here.”
I motion for him to get on with it.
“What if our arrangement lasted longer than one night?”
My brow wrinkles. “More than one night?”
He brushes the hair from my forehead and frowns before pulling out a cookie crumb. “There are crumbs everywhere in my bed.”
“Don’t blame me. I’m not the one who decided to use my body as a buffet table.”
His eyes heat, and his gaze drops to my naked chest. “Worth it.”
My breath hitches at his expression. He’s the big, bad pirate, and I’m the little mermaid who’s lost her pod. I clear my throat. “I’m not cleaning your sheets.”
“Still worth it.”
I bite my bottom lip and gaze up at him from beneath my eyelashes. “Yeah, it was.”
I can’t deny it. The desire in his eyes while he feasted off my body made me feel like the most desirable woman in the world. When you’re a small-town baker with more hips and ass than should be allowed, it’s a heady feeling.
“Now. About our arrangement.”
“We don’t have an arrangement.”
“Why don’t we continue this affair until I leave for California?”
I open my mouth to shout yes but common sense stops me before I do. Last night changed things for me. I no longer believe Jeremy is an asshole billionaire. In fact, he’s a man I could fall for. Without trying.
“This isn’t a good idea.”
“Why not? I’ll give you as many orgasms as you want.”
I rub my legs together as excitement builds in my core. Knock it off, I tell my hormones but they don’t listen.
“It’s a bad idea.”
“Why?”
I can hardly tell him the truth. I’m afraid I’ll fall in love with him if we continue to have sex.
I shake my head. I’m not going to fall in love with Jeremy. He’s a billionaire. Who’s shown me he’s kind and helpful and doesn’t take himself too seriously. Sea saints help me. I’m already falling for the man.
He palms my neck. “Come on, Parker, I’ll make it worth your while.”
And he’ll probably break my heart. I’m still recovering from the last billionaire who broke my heart. There should be a support group to help women who are addicted to falling in love with billionaires. I can’t be the only one.
“Only for the season?” The words tumble out of my mouth before I can stop them.
“Only for the season,” he agrees. “Once New Year’s day hits, I’ll be gone from Smuggler’s Hideaway and you won’t be bothered with me again.”
Which is exactly what I’m afraid of.
“We need some ground rules.”
He adopts a serious face. “Negotiations? I’m ready.”
I’m an idiot if I think I can negotiate with a man who runs a multi-billion dollar company but I don’t back down. Never retreat.
“No other women while we’re together.”
He scowls. “I’m not a cheater.”
“I didn’t say you were but this isn’t serious.” To him at least. “Exclusivity isn’t a given.”
“I agree to exclusivity. What is your next demand?”
I search my mind for ideas but I don’t have any. I can hardly order him not to break my heart. Not when I don’t want him to know how much I care for him already. How I’m falling for him and it wouldn’t take much to push me over the love cliff.
“No more making fun of Viking.”
“Okay.”
“And you will cuddle him.”
He shivers. “Cuddle the crazy animal?”
I slap his chest and he captures my hand to place it against his heart. I can feel it beating – strong and steady. While mine is going crazy with fear and anxiety about this deal. Obviously, my feelings aren’t reciprocated.
Good reminder. I will do my best to stop falling in love with him while spending time with him. How hard can it be?
“Yes, Viking is a sweetheart and you’ll learn to love him.”
The way I wish he would learn to love me.
I nearly groan. This sappy stuff isn’t like me. I’ve learned my lessons about men. Except I obviously haven’t.
He frowns. “I agree to try to cuddle him and maybe even like him eventually, but I draw the line at loving a furry creature with beady eyes.”
“Fine.”
“Fine?”
I nod.
“We have a deal?”
Against my better judgment, I agree. “We have a deal.”
His eyes sparkle. “It isn’t a deal until it’s sealed with a kiss.”
I roll my eyes. “There’s always a catch.”
He smiles before his head dips and his lips are on mine. He tastes of dark chocolate, espresso, and sin. All the things I love. I could get addicted to his taste. To how he growls and dives deeper as if he can’t get enough of me. To how his tongue duels with mine.
His hand tightens on my neck. I learned last night this means he’s done with me playing. It’s time for him to be in control.
And I don’t fight him. I have enough aspects of my life where I’m in control. Where I have to be the boss. Where I’m the responsible one.
If Jeremy wants to accept responsibility for providing me with pleasure, I’ll let him.
Until he walks away and breaks my heart.