Chapter 59 Parker
PARKER
Exhausted and desperate for bed, I stand curled into Linc’s side, my head resting on his chest as the elevator rises through his building.
Today has been a lot. But as tired as I am, I’m glad to be home rather than in a hotel.
Linc’s arm is banded around me, holding me in place tightly as if he never wants to let go.
My heart flutters in my chest. Everything he’s done or said since turning up in my hotel room last night has been what dreams are made of.
It makes me think that maybe the wistful teenage girl inside me will get her happily ever after with the only guy she’s truly cared about. But that’s too good to be true, right? It can’t be that easy.
“Come on, pretty girl. Let’s get you to bed,” he says softly as the number finally hits the top floor.
With both of our suitcases in one hand and me still tucked into his other side, we make our way toward the bedrooms. Only, he doesn’t so much as pause at his. Instead, he leads us straight to mine.
“Don’t you want to sleep in your bed?”
“I want to sleep with you.”
A million and one reasons why we shouldn’t be doing this crash around in my head, but the second he turns to me and presses a kiss to the top of my head, they all fall away.
How can something that feels so right be wrong?
We continue forward, and I sigh with relief when I finally lay eyes on my bed. Well, his bed. Whatever.
Finally, he releases me, and I walk forward in a daze.
“Do you need anything? A drink? Something to eat?”
I shake my head as I toe my sneakers off and tug my Vipers jacket from my shoulders.
“I’m going to have a quick shower, and then I’ll—”
“Can you get me a T-shirt?” I blurt.
When Linc doesn’t reply, I glance back over my shoulder.
What I find makes my heart skip a beat.
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen such a wide, happy smile on his face.
“Yeah, of course. I’ll get it right now.”
He darts from the room like the hounds of hell are snapping at his ass.
Unable to wait, I continue undressing. I peel my leggings from my legs, drag my polo from my body, and drop it all to the floor, leaving me in just my bra and panties.
I have my hands behind my back, about to unhook my bra, when his footsteps get louder.
Despite having my back to him, my lips twitch into a smirk when I hear his gasp of surprise.
“Don’t stop on my account,” he rumbles, so I don’t.
I pull the garment away from my body with a sigh of relief.
My skin prickles and my nipples pebble, knowing he has his eyes on me.
He may have seen me naked before, but that was a long time ago. I was just a girl then. I’m a woman now. Things have changed.
“Keep going,” he demands. “I want you in nothing but my T-shirt.”
Desire sits heavily between my thighs, and before I can think better of it, I tuck my thumbs into my panties and push them over my hips and down my thighs, bending a little as I do so.
Behind me, Linc groans as if he’s in physical pain.
“Better?” I ask, glancing over my shoulder.
My heart is racing, my temperature is soaring, but at no point do I turn around. And from the look of awe on his face, I don’t think he minds one bit.
“Y-yeah,” he stutters, finally stepping forward. “Fucking perfect.”
I wait with my breath caught in my throat for him to touch me. I’m standing here naked; surely, he—
My thought is eradicated when fabric covers my head and then falls down over my body. His scent engulfs me, and I breathe it in as if it’s the air I need to survive.
“There,” he soothes.
Glancing down, I find myself covered in a gray and green Vipers shirt.
“Why this one?” I ask as I push my arms through the holes and turn to face him.
His pupils are blown with desire, making me even more curious about this T-shirt choice.
“Because of this,” he says, gently directing me to stand in front of the mirror.
I frown, not seeing a reason for his reaction. But then he turns me around and it all starts to make sense.
I find “Storm” printed across my shoulders and a large seven down my back.
“One day, there will be a game you’re not working, and you’re going to be right behind the plexiglass, wearing my jersey and cheering my name.”
I nod, swept away by the images he paints.
“Okay,” I breathe.
“Get ready for bed, babe. I’ll be right back.”
I stand there in the middle of the room and watch him leave. It’s ridiculous, because he’s only on the other side of the wall, but I miss him.
Shaking my head at how pathetic I am, I shuffle toward my bathroom.
Less than ten minutes later, Linc is fresh from the shower, wearing only a pair of boxer briefs, and he’s slipping into my bed.
The second he wraps his arms around me and hauls me against him, I relax, and only moments later, sleep claims me.
I wake the next day to the scent of bacon filling the apartment and my stomach growling loudly.
I guess if I can’t wake up with him next to me, having him cook me breakfast is the next best thing. Assuming that’s what he’s doing, of course.
Needing to know, I roll out of bed and stumble into the bathroom to freshen up.
Still dressed in nothing but his T-shirt, I make my way to the kitchen.
I pause in the entryway, finding Linc moving effortlessly around his kitchen with a tea towel thrown over his bare shoulder.
My eyes drop, taking in his exposed chest and abs before I get to the waistband of his boxers and sweats.
Hottest chef I’ve ever seen.
The bacon sizzles in the pan while a waffle maker sits on the counter.
It beeps, and he lifts the top, revealing two perfectly made waffles.
I’m impressed.
Next come the eggs. He pours the already-beaten mixture into another pan and stirs.
I already knew Linc could cook, but eating what he’s made and watching him create it are two very different things.
“I know you’re watching,” he suddenly says, scaring the shit out of me.
Busted.
“I…uh…yeah. I guess I am,” I confess.
“See anything you like?” he teases, combing his hair back from his brow, making his abs tighten.
My eyes freeze on the dark bruise that covers his right shoulder from a rough hit he took at last night’s game.
“We need to stretch that out today,” I tell him, ignoring his question.
He shrugs it but winces in pain.
“It’s fine. I’ve been icing it.”
“Please, let me look at it,” I beg, hating the idea of him being in pain and even more terrified that he’ll go into our next game carrying an injury.
“Okay,” he agrees before lifting the pan from the stove and carrying it toward two plates that are waiting. “You didn’t answer my question,” he teases, shooting me a wicked smirk.
“The waffles. I love the look of the waffles,” I tease.
He shakes his head as he continues plating our food.
“Go and take a seat. Your coffee is waiting.”
“Wow,” I say, looking around. “What did I do to deserve this?”
He shrugs again.
The table is set as if he’s waiting for a date. There’s even a fresh bunch of flowers.
“Did you go out and get all of this?”
“It’s not a big deal, babe.”
My heart clenches. It is to me.
No man has ever done anything like this for me.
With a plate in each hand, he walks over.
“This looks incredible,” I breathe as he places it before me, my stomach growling embarrassingly loudly.
“Eat up.”
“Why? What do you have planned?”
His smirk makes everything south of my waist clench.
Oh my god.
Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god.
Are we going to…
While things might have been progressing with us, aside from the other night with my vibrator, we haven’t messed around.
In that respect, he’s been the perfect gentleman, giving me space and not pushing me for more when he so obviously wants it.
I do too. I’m desperate for it. But I know that once we cross that line, there will be no going back. Not for me, at least.
Any other man, I could walk away from.
“Aren’t you hungry?” Linc asks when I don’t immediately dive for my food.
I look up at him sitting across from me with an expectant look on his face.
He wants your approval, a little voice says.
“Yeah, I’m starving. Just…a little distracted by the half-naked chef who prepared it.”
His smile grows. “Yeah?”
My cheeks burn as I grab my knife and fork and gather up my first mouthful.
I groan the second the salty bacon and sweet syrup covering the waffles hit my tongue.
That’s all he needs to hear for his megawatt, panty-melting smile to appear.
“Not just a pretty face, I guess,” I tease as he finally dives into his food.
“I’ve got so many talents, babe. I can’t wait to show you all of them.”
I squirm in the chair, excited to learn what they all are.
“What are your plans for the rest of the day?” I ask as I help Linc clean up the kitchen, much to his annoyance.
I figure that, seeing as he cooked, I should clean. But he wasn’t keen on that idea and wanted to do it all himself.
Not happening.
So now, we’re standing at the sink, side by side, as he washes and I dry.
He’s got a perfectly good dishwasher, but for some reason, we’ve found ourselves here. Not that I’m complaining. Somehow, Linc even manages to make cleaning fun.
“Oh, I have plans,” he teases, wiggling his brows.
“Care to share?”
“I will, when the time is right.”
“So cryptic,” I muse. “Are you going out?”
“Not when I could spend the day here with you.”
“Smooth,” I tease.
Suddenly, he turns to me, abandoning his scrubbing duties.
His eyes hold an intensity that has me rubbing my thighs together.
“Why would I want to go anywhere when I have you right here with my name and number on your back and nothing else?”
Heat rises to my cheeks.
“I…uh…”
“I do have a meeting with my agent later, but that’s not for a few hours,” he confesses.
“Right.” A little disappointment trickles through my veins. I liked the idea of spending the day with him a little too much.
“But I’m free as a bird until then.”
I’m so lost in his eyes, I don’t see his hand move at his side. Well, not until it’s too late, anyway.
“Lincoln,” I scream as he covers the side of my face in bubbles. “What the hell?”
Darting forward, I dip my hand into the water and splash it at him.
It hits him in the chest, and I get to watch as the rivulets roll down the lines of his stomach before soaking into his waistband.
“Look at that; you’re all wet.”
“Hmm,” he hums as he closes in on me. “The question is, are you?”
I gasp as my lower back hits the counter.
I look left then right and quickly discover that he’s pinned me into the corner.
“Linc,” I warn, although I can admit that it comes out as more of a moan.
His eyes flash with desire as he steps closer, his body heat burning down my front.
“God, Parker. You’re fucking killing me,” he groans, leaning forward to press his forehead against mine. “Can I kiss you? Please, tell me that I can kiss you.”