Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
C helsey slowly opened her eyes, and there were several things she noticed at once. One: there was a delicious ache throughout her body from how thoroughly her man had loved on her. Two: She was in bed alone and the house was quiet.
Turning onto her back, she stared up at the ceiling as memories of lovemaking with Parker flooded her mind. A little tenderness in a certain region definitely wasn’t a bad thing. Flashes of the last couple of hours with Parker had her grinning like an idiot. Unable to get enough of each other, they’d gone at it a little harder than usual. There wasn’t an inch on her body that his hands and mouth hadn’t been on, and Chelsey had loved every minute. Parker had always been a thorough lover, and that hadn’t changed.
Even though sex had distracted her for a while, their conversation from earlier in the day was still on her mind. Parker had been through more before he was eighteen than she’d been through in all her life. How he’d managed to become the man she knew, the man she had fallen in love with, was a miracle.
Her heart squeezed at knowing what could’ve happened if Mason hadn’t stopped to help him. Had she been Mason, jogging on the beach in the middle of the morning, she wasn’t sure what she would’ve done had she come across a man who was barely alive. Then again, she probably would’ve called 911 without a second thought. Thankfully Mason had been in the right place at the right time. Otherwise, Parker might’ve died.
Nope. Nope. Nope. Don’t go there .
She needed to focus on the fact that he was alive. It didn’t matter that his heartless father had tried to kill him. Wolf hadn’t succeeded, and Chelsey was grateful for that. Now her only concern regarding Wolf was that Parker was planning on revenge. This time, he was confident he wouldn’t fail, and she believed him, especially knowing that she and Atlanta’s Finest would have his back.
But if she were honest, she wished he would forget Wolf and continue living his life. Because if things went sideways, the way they had when Parker was a teen, she didn’t want to think about what could happen. If Wolf was as ruthless as Parker led her to believe, he wouldn’t go down without a fight.
What if he succeeded in killing Parker this time?
“Stop it. I’m not going to think like that,” she murmured, then decided to just stop thinking period.
Still not hearing any movement in the house, Chelsey sat up, pulling the sheet up over her bare breasts in the process. Glancing around the room, she looked for any signs that Parker hadn’t left. The bathroom door was slightly ajar, but the room was dark. Then her gaze moved to the upholstered chair in the corner, and she spotted his shirt, as well as his shoes beneath the chair.
Good. He was still there.
Relief flooded through her despite knowing he wouldn’t have left without letting her know.
Yawning, Chelsey started to lay back down, but instead grabbed her cell phone from the side table to check the time. That’s when she saw Terrance had texted her, and she had missed two calls.
She opened the text and read.
Terrance: I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lied. Let’s talk so I can tell you the truth.
Chelsey snorted and deleted the message. She also deleted the voicemails that he’d left. What made him think she’d ever talk to him again? Especially when she wouldn’t believe anything he’d say.
Not only did she delete his messages, she also blocked his telephone number—something she should’ve done the other night. Terrance had called several times since then, and in the one message she actually listened to, he had sounded like he was sorry. It didn’t matter, though. What was done was done, and now she was back with Parker. There was no room in her life for Terrance or any other man.
Chelsey turned onto her side and winced at how tender she was between her thighs. Heck, she had used muscles she hadn’t used in months, but she wasn’t complaining. That man of hers was incredible, and they had definitely made up for lost time. Chelsey had lost count of the number of orgasms she’d had, and if he was still in bed, there was no doubt they’d get in another round.
Sighing in contentment, she was cautiously optimistic even though she wondered where they’d go from here. Now that she and Parker were back together, they had a few things to discuss. Like if they were ready to go public with their relationship. She hadn’t wanted to tell anyone before because her dating track record was horrible. She had introduced a couple of her exes to her family, only to later tell them that it didn’t work out. With her and Parker knowing many of the same people, she hadn’t wanted that to happen with him.
He had also been hesitant because of Kenton. Apparently, there was a guy code about a friend dating your little sister. Parker insisted her brother wasn’t going to take it well. Mainly because he didn’t think Parker was the settling-down type since he never brought a girlfriend around them. He’d had hookups, but never dated seriously. Until her.
Knowing that, along with Kenton being ridiculously protective, her brother probably would have something to say about her and Parker being together.
Chelsey jerked her head up and listened. For the first time since waking up, she heard bumping around downstairs. That’s when she also noticed the smell of food. As if on cue, her stomach growled. The enticing aroma of barbecued meat, garlic, onions and a host of other smells had her sitting upright.
She hurried out of bed, made quick work of relieving herself in the bathroom, and finger combing her hair before slipping into a pair of lounging pajamas. When she made it downstairs and into the kitchen, Chelsey pulled up short.
Her gaze assessed the space that wasn’t very big, and she couldn’t believe the amount of food that lay on every flat surface. There were too many carryout containers to count, and she saw that some were from her favorite restaurants.
Parker glanced up from the barbecue ribs he was eating and smiled. “Hey, baby. You’re awake.”
Chelsey moved further into the room, stopping at the counter that held an apple pie and a cheesecake.
“What in the world have you done?”
“I was hungry,” Parker said as if that explained everything.
“Are you expecting an army battalion? Because there’s easily enough food here to feed one, if not two.”
“Nope, this is for me and you. I figured you might be hungry too,” he said and shoved coleslaw into his mouth. “Besides, I had a taste for a few different dishes and figured I’d buy it all.”
“Apparently,” she said, snagging a chicken wing. “I guess your appetite is back.”
Chelsey filled a plate with more chicken wings, a slice of cheese pizza, coconut shrimp, and some broccoli. It was an odd combination, but she was hungry enough to eat a cow.
“Yeah, thanks for your help with that.” He winked and her cheeks heated. “I guess I worked up an appetite,” Parker said, piling chicken Alfredo onto his plate. He took a long drag of his beer and set the bottle back down on the counter. “I can’t ever remember being this hungry.”
Chelsey grabbed a bottle of water, and then took her plate over to the two-seater table.
“How long have you been awake? Looks like you’ve already put a dent in some of this food.”
“About an hour. I feel like I haven’t eaten in months.”
Chelsey chuckled at the seriousness of his expression. “Actually, by the looks of you, you haven’t.”
Her gaze took in his bare upper body, and the beautiful tattoos covering it. His muscular chest was still drool-worthy and worked like a well-oiled machine, but his face was thinner than usual. Sure, he was still handsome. Yet the sallowness of his skin made him look a little ill. Hopefully, with him back to eating and not dealing with the stress of their breakup and worrying about Wolf, he’d be back to his old self in no time.
As she watched him eat, memories of all that he could do with that body, his mouth and hands, flooded her mind. Yeah, she was a lucky woman because he was all hers, and after spending the last few hours with him, it was as if they’d never been apart. Despite trying, she hadn’t been able to scrub him from her heart, and she probably never would.
That’s what concerned her. If trouble came his way, she feared that he’d react the same way—cut all ties and run.
“Parker, are you sure this is what you want? Are you sure I’m what you want? Because I can’t go through months without you again. I can’t do this on-and-off again thing with you. If you decide to up and leave Atlanta—”
“I’d be taking you with me,” he said and wiped his mouth and hands with a napkin.
He strolled over to the table and pulled her into a standing position, and Chelsey stared up at him. She couldn’t miss the seriousness and love radiating in his eyes.
Before they’d started dating exclusively, Chelsey had known he was the man for her. She just hadn’t known how powerful their connection would be. Her heart didn’t beat right without him, and it was like nothing she had ever experienced.
“I know I shook your faith in me, but I promise you, Chelsey. I’m going to regain your trust.”
“I trust you,” she said quickly.
Chelsey was hesitant to trust him with her heart again but honestly, she was in too deep to walk away now. What she felt for Parker was a scary, all-consuming, I-would-die-for-you type of love. A first for her. Granted, he had caused her heartache and tears, but it would be worth it in the end if it meant they’d be together forever.
“Good, because I’m not going anywhere, especially not without you. I’m planning to spend the rest of my life with you, assuming you’ll still have me.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist. “You’re all I want.”
When their lips met, heat spread through her body like usual. This man’s kisses, and the way he held her so gently, always ignited a yearning within her. Nope. She was never letting him go, and he was right about one thing. If he ever left, she was definitely going with him.
With one last peck to her lips, he pulled back.
“Are we good?” he asked.
“Yes, we’re perfect.” She reclaimed her seat. “So, where do we go from here? We had some plans before…”
She stopped the rest of her words before they could slip out. There was no sense in mentioning the breakup. Again. She was going to have to forgive and forget if she wanted their relationship to work. No way would Parker want her throwing his mistake in his face every other day.
No, she was going to have to do what they’d done earlier when they reacquainted themselves with each other’s body. They were going to pick up where they left off in every aspect of their relationship. Except this time, she’d be going into this with eyes wide open, instead of looking at him through rose-colored glasses.
He’d been through hell and survived and was a fighter in more ways than one. She couldn’t help but respect all that he’d seen in the last thirty-plus years and still managed to be a kind, loving, and generous human being.
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Parker said, interrupting Chelsey’s thought.
He moved back to his plate of food on the counter and returned to the table with it. Then he grabbed a container of some type of pasta and meatball dish and set it on the table.
“I’m thinking that where we go from here is forward. Except, I’m sure you’re not ready or interested in moving in with me…yet. However, I want all our friends and your family to know that you’re mine. No more hiding our relationship.”
Chelsey nodded, watching as he continued shoveling food into his mouth.
“Yes, I’m ready for us to go public. As for us moving in together, I can’t right now. I did a year lease on this place with the intent of saving to buy a house next year.” That was planned with her thinking that she’d be single for the foreseeable future.
Sure, she could break the lease, but not yet. They needed to be on solid ground before she considered moving in with him. Though, in her heart, Chelsey wanted more than anything to wake up to Parker lying next to her every single morning for the rest of her life. If that made her gullible or even a fool, she didn’t care. Deep down, she knew the two of them belonged together.
“Okay,” he said, understanding in his eyes. “I’m thinking we can tell everyone next Saturday at Mase’s barbecue. Most of my…I mean our Atlanta’s Finest team will be there.”
Chelsey grinned at him. It was great that he was including her when mentioning Atlanta’s Finest. But Supreme had grown so much in the last few years, they had more than one team of security specialists. She didn’t want to assume that she’d be on the Atlanta’s Finest team with Parker and her brother. Right now, she’d just be glad to be assigned to either team. That would mean that she wouldn’t be stuck in the office doing the administrative job she was hired to do.
“That’s a good idea. London mentioned that the wives will be hanging out separate from you guys,” Chelsey said, referring to Mason’s wife. “I’ll be with them in the guest house.”
How weird would it be for her to be around the wives when she was just a girlfriend?
Who knows…if all went well, maybe one day she’d be a wife.
Anything was possible.