Chapter 63 Lincoln
LINCOLN
“Linc is my roommate,” Parker blurts. “After the fire, he let me move in while I got everything sorted.”
Alison and Clark’s expressions don’t change as they focus on their daughter.
“Why don’t you look shocked?” Parker asks, almost sounding offended by their lack of reaction.
“We kinda figured, sweetie. We knew that Linc would look after you.”
Parker’s mouth opens and closes.
“Plus, you’ve been really quiet. You only do that when you’re hiding something.”
“No, I don’t. And I don’t have anything to hide. I’ve just been really busy with the new job and traveling and—”
“It’s okay, Parker,” Clark soothes.
“We are surprised that you brought him tonight, though.”
“That’s my fault,” I interject. “I sort of invited myself. I heard she was meeting you two and that there was steak involved.”
Clark chuckles, fully understanding my thought process as our server comes over to take our drinks order.
“So, what’s been going on with you two then?” Alison asks innocently.
“What? Nothing. Nothing is going on with us,” Parker blurts, sounding guilty as fuck.
The girl can’t lie to save her life—no wonder she goes quiet when she’s hiding something from her parents.
Clark chuckles fondly. “You’ve been playing incredibly well the last few games, son.”
“Thank you. Things are clicking right now. We’re all working well as a team, all focused on where we want the rest of the season to go.”
“Well, it’s fantastic to watch. Shame I can’t say the same thing for the Bandits.”
I can’t help but laugh. “They’ve had better seasons.”
“Rett is getting more and more frustrated.” I nod in agreement. “Every time he’s on the ice, I worry that he’s going to do something stupid.”
“Just on the ice?” Alison asks.
“Well, no. All I can say is, I’m glad I’m not head of PR at the Bandits.”
“I’ve had to stop looking at social media. I just…I can’t.”
“It’s probably all lies, Mom,” Parker assures her, but even as the words roll off her tongue, I’m not sure she really believes them.
“I’m sure some are, yes. But we all know what your brother is like.”
Alison looks up at me. “Whoa,” I say, holding my hands up defensively. “I have nothing to do with his actions these days. Sure, you could have blamed me for a lot of it in the past, but things are different now. Rett is his own man, making his own bad decisions.”
Alison groans. “I just hate seeing my boy getting bad press.”
Clark leans over and squeezes her hand. “He’ll sort himself out,” he assures her.
“Enough about your brother. How are you enjoying your job, Parker? Is it everything you always hoped it would be?”
“It’s a lot harder than I thought. Who knew hockey players were such divas?” she teases. “But I love it. It’s hard work, but it’s so rewarding. Watching the guys overcome injuries and then seeing them out on the ice...it’s incredible.”
“We’re so proud of you, PK,” Clark says, his eyes full of love for his daughter. “I’d have killed to have a trainer as dedicated as you back in my day.”
“She’s the best there is,” I say, earning soft smiles from both Parker’s parents.
The conversation continues to flow easily from hockey and Parker’s job to Alison and Clark’s travels.
The food, as always, is incredible.
The evening is everything I expect it to be, and thankfully, nowhere near as anxiety-inducing as Parker was expecting.
After making plans to see them both again, we say our goodbyes and head for the car.
“See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” I say, starting the engine.
“I can’t believe they knew.” Parker laughs.
“Your parents know you well. Never forget that.”
“Do you think that means Rett knows?”
I laugh. “No.”
“But he might.”
“Babe, trust me. He doesn’t.”
“How are we going to tell him?” she asks, chewing on one of her nails.
“Stop worrying. Even if he isn’t impressed, what is he going to do about it? He’s in Seattle. It’s not like he’s in LA and has to see us hanging out together. Or worse, catching us doing anything.”
“He would kill you.”
“He’d get over it. Like your mom pointed out, it’s not like he hasn’t got his own drama to deal with.”
“My brother is a dog,” she states.
“He’s just living his best life. It’ll hit him eventually.”
“What will?” she asks.
“The need to settle down,” I explain.
“Is that what happened to you?”
“I mean, nothing literally hit me. But I started to realize that nothing meant anything. The hookups, the girls...they were meaningless. Pointless.
“Honestly, I think watching Kodie and Casey fall in love helped. For the first time, I got a front-row seat to what life could be like if I went down a different path. Suddenly, it didn’t seem so scary.”
“What if you change your mind?”
“What?”
“What if you change your mind? What if settling down is boring, and you crave the excitement of having a different girl every night?”
“I won’t,” I assure her, twisting our fingers together and holding her tight.
“But how do you know?”
“Because being with you is a better high than being with any other girl has ever been,” I answer honestly. “Every girl I’ve ever been with, I’ve wished it were you.
“You ruined me for anyone else years ago, pretty girl. It’s just taken me a while to get my head out of my ass and do something about it. And anyway, how do I know that you’re not going to miss the online dating scene and want to go off to meet some rando at a bar?”
She snorts.
“Have you ever heard me say anything good about online dating?”
“Thankfully, I’ve never heard you say much about it. If I knew when and where you were meeting these assholes, I’d have turned up and intercepted.”
“You would not,” she argues.
“Totally would. The thought of someone else getting close to you makes me murderous. I know it’s hypocritical, but I want to end any motherfucker who has gotten to touch you since that first time.”
I’m not sure what reaction I’m expecting to that comment, but it’s certainly not for Parker to smile wider than I’m sure I’ve seen all night.
“What?” I ask, happiness I don’t think I’ve ever felt before buzzing under the surface.
“Nothing.”
“Oh no, something definitely made you smile like that.”
“You did,” she states.
Pride swells in my chest.
“Parker,” I warn.
“What?” she asks innocently.
“You liked it when I got all jealous, didn’t you?”
A few seconds pass, my question hanging in the air between us.
“Maybe,” she whispers.
“I’m not joking, Parker. You’re mine. And I’m going to make sure every other man out there knows it.”
The second we’re out of the car, I take her hand and all but drag her to the elevator.
“Linc, what—” I cut off her words as I back her up against the wall and slam my lips down on hers.
She melts into me, her hands gripping my hips as I pin her to the wall, letting her feel how hard I am already.
God. I can’t get enough.
Her taste, her scent, her everything.
I’ve known that I’ve been addicted for a long time, and while I thought I’d managed to keep the memories of our one and only time together alive in my head, being with her again proves just how little I truly remember.
The elevator climbs through the building, and all I can think about is her. She’s all-consuming.
Hockey has been my life. It has been for as long as I can remember. My one focus in life. Nothing has ever come close to pushing it aside. But Parker...fuck.
When she’s in my arms like this, nothing else in the world exists.
The chime announces that we’ve made it to the top floor, and the doors open, but neither of us even attempts to leave.
After a few minutes, the doors slide closed again.
“Linc,” Parker gasps when I kiss along her jaw and down her neck.
“Yeah, babe. What do you need?”
“You,” she confesses. “Always you.”
“Fuck,” I breathe, pressing my forehead against hers as I try to catch my breath.
When she says stuff like that, it makes me feel like a king.
Better than scoring in a game. Better than any trophy I could win. Better than any-fucking-thing.
“Come on,” I say, grabbing her hand and jabbing my finger against the open-door button.
I don’t bother stopping in the living area.
It’s late—okay, that’s a lie. It’s barely ten, but I’ve got to be at the arena first thing.
We’ve got a game to prepare for, and there is no way in hell I’m letting the Bandits get the better of us—not with the way they’re playing this season.
Rett might be my best friend, but there is no way I’m letting him off easy on the ice.
I already know he isn’t going to offer me any reprieve when he finds out what I’m doing with his sister.
Instead, I head straight for Parker’s bedroom. We both know it’s where we’re going to be sleeping tonight, after all.
The desire to detour to mine is strong, but doing so seems like a big deal.
I’m trying to take this at her pace, and until she asks, we’ll stick to her room.
I kick the door gently, not wanting to shut it just in case it freaks her out, even with me in here, before I turn to face her.
Lifting our joined hands, I kiss down her wrist to where her bracelet lies.
Our eyes hold as I brush my lips over it.
The second I saw it, I knew it would look incredible on her.
My agent was pissed when I called our meeting to a close before he was ready. But the moment the idea hit, I knew I had to follow through with it. Parker deserves to be treated like a queen, and I fully intend to ensure she knows it.
“One day,” I whisper, “I’m going to fuck you in nothing but this and those heels.”
Her breath catches, and she swallows thickly at my words.
“No one is stopping you.”
Yes, they are.
I am.
I’m stopping me.
“Turn around,” I command, my voice thick with desire from the image I just painted for her. “Good girl.”
She whimpers as I drop her hand in favor of brushing her wavy, red hair over one shoulder, exposing the zip that runs down her back.
Pinching the small bit of metal, I slowly begin undressing her.
God, this is torture at its finest—unwrapping the best gift I’ve ever received, already knowing I’m not going to allow myself to fully enjoy it.
Not yet.
But soon.
Real fucking soon.
I kiss the skin I expose at the base of her neck. The second the zipper stops, I lift both my hands and push the fabric from her shoulders.
The dress falls to her feet, and I close my eyes for a beat, preparing myself for what I might see looking back at me in the mirror.
“Linc,” Parker breathes. “Look at me.”
Unable to deny her anything, my eyelids lift, and I look directly into the mirror she’s standing in front of.
Oh, holy fuck.
The lingerie set she’s wearing.
Fuck. My. Life.
The black lace is so delicate that I’m sure I could rip it apart with very little effort.
It’s also very see-through, letting me see her rosy nipples hiding beneath, along with her hairless pussy behind the tiny triangle of fabric that disappears between her legs.
She’s so beautiful. So perfect.
And I really don’t fucking deserve her.
As I make my way back up her body, I find myself captured by her dark, golden eyes. “Why are you holding back?” she whispers, almost as if she’s afraid she might scare me off if she asks the question too loudly.
I take a moment, dragging my bottom lip between my teeth as I try to find the right words.
“Because…the last time we took things too fast, I scared you off. I won’t survive that again.”