13. Chapter 13
Chapter thirteen
Parker
“Someone’s here early today.”
I look up from my desk to find Beth standing in the doorway of my office. I did come in about an hour ahead of schedule because I needed space from Cashlynn before I said or did something I couldn’t take back. That’s the last fucking thing I need right now.
“I couldn’t sleep, and I had some paperwork to get caught up on, so…” I shrug, averting my eyes back down to the file in front of me.
“You know, showing up early isn’t going to sway his decision.”
That catches my attention. I sit back, crossing my arms. “That’s not why I’m here.”
“Oh, I just assumed.”
“I mean, I can’t deny that I’m trying to prove myself, Beth. But honestly, I didn’t sleep well, like I said, and I needed to get out of my house.”
Her eyebrows raise from that remark. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything is fine. I’m just having a hard time adjusting to living with a woman,” I say with a laugh, which thankfully Beth takes as the joke I intended it to be.
“ Ah, yes. There are always a few speed bumps when you start living with someone new, but you’ll adjust.”
Yeah, not so sure about that, especially when my new roommate wants me to have a permanent case of blue balls unless I do something about our growing sexual tension.
“We are, but it’s just been a lot of change recently, and I don’t handle change very well.”
Beth scoffs. “No man does, Parker. Especially Dr. O’Neil.”
Her mention of Robert makes my mind flash to the conversation I overheard a few weeks ago, so I seize the opportunity to ask about it. “Is everything okay with Robert?”
I can visibly see her swallow. “Yes, of course.”
“You sure? There’s not something going on health related that is making him consider retirement?”
“No, Parker. He’s fine, at least as far as I know. Why do you ask?”
“I just…” Do I tell her I heard their conversation? “I’m just concerned is all.”
Beth flashes me a smile that seems a little forced. “I’m sure if there were something going on, Cashlynn would be the one to ask, wouldn’t she?”
“Perhaps. But you know Robert. He’s stubborn. I could see him hiding a diagnosis from Cashlynn just so he didn’t have to argue with her about what he should do.”
She nods. “That sounds like him, but as far as I know, he’s in perfectly good health. In fact, his doctor said he’s looking great after his fall. ”
“Well, that’s good to hear.”
She smiles again before she starts to retreat. “Okay, dear. Well, I’ll let you get back to work.”
“Thanks, Beth. Let’s have a smooth day, shall we?”
She rolls her eyes. “That’s always the goal, Parker, but you and I both know how crazy this place can get.”
I nod, chuckling. “That’s true.”
“Honestly, once Robert retires, we may need to look into hiring another doctor, so neither you nor Seth have to be here all the time. That’s no way to have a life.”
I scoff. “This job is my life, Beth.”
“No, it was . Now you have Cashlynn, and your life together needs to be your new priority.” She arches a brow at me before leaving my office and putting me right back into the tailspin I was in last night as I was trying to find sleep.
Hearing Cashlynn on the phone with Hazel was eye-opening, and not just because it confirmed she wants more from me, but because it forced me to ask myself if I can be the man she deserves if I decide to pursue something more.
I’ve only been in two serious relationships in my life—one in high school and then Sasha. But when I claim a woman as mine, I’m all in, and the thought of doing that again, putting myself out there like that and opening myself up to the possibility of being hurt again makes my stomach turn and my jaw hurt from clenching it.
Growing up, my father preached about being dedicated to a woman and led by example in the way he loved my mom.
When he returned from the Marines before I was born, I know he struggled mentally. He’d seen and done things that no human should ever have to live with. But my mom has always said that me being born is what saved him and their marriage. And I never took that truth for granted. I guess in some way, I felt a responsibility to live up to the example they set, to prove that I was grateful to them for working through their issues and being an example of what love really is—choosing to love someone through every good and bad thing in your l ife, dedicating yourself to growing and changing with another human right alongside of you.
But with Sasha, I failed.
I failed to make things work, and that disappointment has buried itself deep in my bones. I’ve walked around with it for years.
But can I let it go? Am I willing to try again? Can I learn from that and make better decisions moving forward?
Is Cashlynn the woman to take that risk with?
I don’t know—and it scares the ever-loving shit out of me.
I go back to my paperwork, still conflicted over how to approach this situation with Cashlynn, but by the time the practice opens, my focus is firmly on work. Today is surgery day, so I lead several spaying and neutering procedures, as well as dental cleanings and lump removals.
Around mid-afternoon, I walk back to my office to finish up some paperwork. Seth corners me inside, standing in my doorway with his arms crossed over his chest.
“Can I help you, Dr. Brown?” I ask, not bothering to look up from my desk.
“How do you do it?”
“Do what exactly?”
“Lie and have no remorse about it.”
My head pops up to find him smugly smiling in my direction. “Excuse me?”
“People should be able to trust the doctors taking care of their pets.”
“Ha. That’s rich coming from you,” I reply, folding my arms over my chest and leaning back in my chair. “What are you implying, Seth?”
“That I wouldn’t trust a liar with my animals.”
My pulse spikes as I internally debate what he knows, but I don’t want to jump to conclusions or rat myself out in the process, so I opt for nonchalance. “And what exactly would I be lying about?”
He shrugs innocently. “Why don’t you tell Dr. O’Neil what his daughter is really doing here?”
My stomach drops, but I keep my expression neutral. “You already know the answer to that, Seth. We’re engaged.”
“Yeah, I’m not buying it, Parker.” He steps further into the room and closes the door behind him. “I do have to admit your acting skills aren’t half bad, but something just doesn’t add up. The timing of this was all very convenient, considering you knew Dr. O’Neil was going to retire soon. I think you just wanted to give yourself an edge.”
Slowly, I stand from my desk, resting my palms on the surface and leaning forward to look Seth dead in the eye. “I don’t need an edge to beat you, Seth.” His jaw clenches tighter. “Have you forgotten who’s been here longer? Who has a higher success rate with surgeries? Who gets better outcomes for our patients with cancer?”
“That doesn’t mean anything,” he snaps.
“Dr. O’Neil doesn’t see it that way. And here’s the thing—you can have the practice, you can have the title, hell, you can have the damn corner office. But you’ll never be the better doctor. Not because of the reasons I’ve already listed, and not because I’m smarter, which I am. But because I fucking care about people and their pets. All you care about are dollar signs.”
He grinds his teeth together as he steps back. “I’m going to figure out what’s going on, Parker.”
“Have fun. Meanwhile, I’ll be focusing on what truly matters—my patients.”
Without another word, Seth stalks out of my office. As soon as I know he’s out of earshot I let out the breath I was holding.
I h aven’t figured out what I want to say to Cashlynn about what I overheard yet, but this is something I absolutely have to talk to her about—because Seth could ruin the chances of either of us getting what we want.
***
When I walk through the front door after a tumultuous shift, I’m disappointed yet again to see that Cashlynn isn’t in the living room or kitchen, so I head to her room, but she’s not there either. Her car is in the driveway, so she has to be here somewhere. My frustration simmers as I look around, trying to figure out where she could be. Then it hits me—the garage.
Sure enough, I find her walking on the treadmill, her earbuds in and her laptop balanced on the small desk attachment.
“Cashlynn?”
She holds up a hand without looking at me and speaks aloud. “Sure, I think that’ll work. I like the blue, but it’s a little one dimensional. It needs more color.”
Since she’s preoccupied with a call, I head back inside to change out of my work clothes. By the time I return in red gym shorts and a plain black T-shirt, my frustration has only deepened.
“Are you done with your call?” I ask as I step back into the garage.
“Yeah, sorry about that. It was the branding manager I’ve been working with.”
“Isn’t it a little late on a Friday for business calls?”
She furrows her brow. “She had a doctor’s appointment earlier today and asked to reschedule. I was being accommodating.”
“Well, I need to talk t o you.”
She glances back down at her computer. “I’m almost done with everything I need to do here. Can it wait?”
“No, it can’t.” My patience with this woman and our situation is razor-thin, and if I don’t get the Seth issue off my chest, I’m going to explode.
Cashlynn looks at me again, visibly irritated. “It’ll only take fifteen, twenty minutes tops, Parker. Can’t we—”
“I need to talk to you right now, Cashlynn.” My voice reverberates through the garage, signaling the urgency of the matter. It’s enough to make her pause, studying me for a beat before letting out a sigh.
“Fine,” she mutters, pressing stop on the treadmill. Once it slows down, she hops off and walks over to me wearing another sinful workout outfit. “This better be important.”
“It is,” I say sharply.
Her head rears back and her eyes narrow. “Why are you being an asshole right now?”
I arch a brow. “An asshole? Don’t even start on my attitude, sweetheart, when you’re the one responsible for it.”
“What the hell is your problem?”
I hold a hand up. “Not now. I told you there’s something important we need to discuss.”
“And I told you that I’m busy.” She plants her hands on her hips.
Fuck, this woman is driving me insane. Where did her attitude come from all of a sudden? But then, an idea hits me. “How about I play you for it?”
Her mouth falls open, but then she shakes her head at me, irritation filling her eyes. “I’m just going to use the water balloon again, Parker.”
I close the distance between us, adrenaline coursing through my veins. My gaze drops down to the purse of her lips, the challenge in her ey es, and the way her breasts are heaving and straining against her sports bra, the same one she ripped off her body yesterday morning.
Every second we stand here in this stare off only adds fuel to my desire for this woman.
And that’s when I make the decision.
This woman wanted me to snap? Fine. She’s about to get exactly what she asked for.
I might be smarter than the average bear, but intelligence doesn’t always win out over animal instinct.
And right now, my instincts are in full fucking control.
“Why bother with the water balloon, Cashlynn…” I say, dragging her bottom lip down with my thumb as I tilt her chin up. “When I could have you dripping for me instead? Then we both win.”
Her jaw drops. “What?”
I don’t give her a chance to process.
Smashing my lips to hers, I haul her against my body, pressing my erection into her stomach as all of the blood racing through me travels straight to my cock. But Cashlynn doesn’t hesitate—she dives into the kiss with just as much ferocity, clawing at my shoulders, pulling me as close as she can, swirling her tongue with mine. Weeks of tension boil over, and I pour every ounce of frustration into claiming her mouth.
Breaking our kiss, I spin her around and bend her forward so her elbows are resting on the weight bench. My palm connects with her ass, and she yelps, jerking forward.
“Parker!”
I smirk as I grip both of her ass cheeks before I deliver another sharp smack. This time, she doesn’t chastise me, but moans loudly, the sound a soothing balm to the demons I keep inside.
“You don’t want to talk? That’s fine. There’s no need for talking.”
“Parker, I…”
I l ean over her back and cup both of her breasts through the thin fabric of her sports bra. My erection slides right between her ass cheeks. “Do you not want this?”
“Yes,” she whispers breathlessly. “I do. I just…”
I nip at the sensitive skin on her neck, making her shiver. “I know you do. I know all about how you’ve been scheming to drive me crazy, Cashlynn. And now you’re about to find out what happens when I lose control.”
Before she can say another word, I stand up and yank her leggings down her legs, revealing the smooth, bare skin that makes my pulse thunder. She lifts her feet to help me rid her of the fabric, her socks and shoes hitting the floor. I smack her bare ass this time, the sight of her pink skin making my cock twitch in anticipation. Then, I pull her back to my chest and shove her sports bra up her body, tossing it to the floor like she did the other day.
“Get back down,” I command, my voice rough with need. And she obeys without hesitation, bending over the bench again. I rip off my shirt and shove my shorts and boxers to the floor, stroking my cock as I take in the sight in front of me. Damn, Cashlynn’s ass is exquisite. I didn’t get to fuck her this way our one night together, but you bet your ass I’m about to remedy that right now.
“I don’t have a condom, Cashlynn. Are you on birth control?”
She nods, looking at me over her shoulder. “Yes, and I’m clean. I—I haven’t been with anyone since you.”
“Fuck. Me too, baby.” I smooth my palm over her ass, giving it a gentle squeeze.
“Then fuck me, Parker. Please…”
I line my cock up to her entrance, testing her wetness to make sure she’s ready for me. And fuck, is she ready. As I slowly push inside, I say, “Oh, I fucking plan on it, sweetheart.”
The moan of pleasure she lets out as I bottom out inside her makes my dick swell even more. And then I move, pushing and pulling out of her slowly so she can adjust to me before I pick up the pace and drive into her with deep, relentless thrusts.
The metal bar on the weight rack clinks with each thrust, but it doesn’t even phase me as I grip Cashlynn’s hips and fuck her harder and faster, wondering how on earth sex can feel like this—this out of control, this full of need. This. Fucking. Good.
I smack her ass again, loving the shriek that leaves her lips as the feeling of her bare makes me feral. Her skin gets redder with each swat of my hand, and I can’t get enough.
“Is this what you wanted?” I growl as I pound into her from behind, gripping her hair and tugging gently until her head tilts back and her back bows. Fuck, she looks flawless , better than any of my fantasies. “Is this what you’ve been teasing me for?”
“Yes, Parker. God, yes…” Her voice comes out breathless and needy.
I lean over, my lips brushing her ear. “All you had to do was ask, baby.” Picking up my pace, I pound into her harder, still holding onto her hair for leverage. Her legs start to shake, her moans grow louder, and then she screams, squeezing my cock as she comes all over me, wetness seeping out of her core and dripping down my balls and her legs. I fuck her hard through her orgasm, and when I feel her start to relax, I pull out and help her up, spinning her around so I can crush my lips to hers.
Our kiss is frantic, messy, and all-consuming. Holding her head in my hands, I fuck her mouth with my tongue as my slick cock slides against her stomach.
“Lie down on the bench,” I say roughly.
She blinks up at me but doesn’t say a word as she moves to lie back underneath the bar. I grab her legs and lift them up, pushing them into h er chest and then hooking her feet under the bar, exposing her glistening pussy to me. “Looks like that yoga has paid off.”
Her breathing grows faster. “Parker…”
I dip my head down to her pussy and lick her from her core to her clit, swirling my tongue around her bundle of nerves and sucking gently. Her gasp is sharp and her hips buck, but I press against the back of her thighs, holding her in place.
“Oh God!” she cries out as she comes undone again.
“This,” I murmur, licking up every drop of her release, “is my orgasm.” I savor the taste of her before standing tall again, straddling the bench and lining my dick back up to her entrance. I slide back into her wet heat, her legs still up by her ears. “Fuck, Cashlynn. This pussy is going to be the death of me.”
“Parker! Oh fuck, you’re so deep like this,” she moans as I lean forward, grip the bar for leverage, and thrust my cock deeper and deeper inside of her until her legs are shaking and I feel my orgasm building at the base of my spine.
“Your greedy pussy is squeezing my cock like it can’t get enough.” Cashlynn tightens her pussy around me again, making my release build so quickly, I know I’m only seconds from coming. “Like it remembers how good you take me, how fucking perfect you feel.” Cashlynn cries out each time I hit her end, and the faster I go, the closer my release gets. “Fuck, I’m gonna come, Cashlynn,” I grate out as I circle my thumb around her clit, trying to get her to burst right along with me.
“Yes! Oh shit, I’m coming!” Cashlynn screams as I roar out, both of us coming undone together. My legs go numb, my hands white from knuckling the bar so hard, and my lungs are out of breath by the time I finally reach the end of my release. When the last drop leaves my body, I slow ly pull out of her and help free her feet from the bar, but she continues to lie there, chest heaving, staring up at the ceiling.
I’m not even sure what to say at this point, since I pretty much just let my dick do the talking. Reaching down to the floor for my clothes, I grab Cashlynn’s too just as she starts to sit up.
“Parker…”
I turn away from her, already warring with myself over what just happened. Do I regret it? Absolutely not. But is that how I imagined our conversation tonight was going go? Also a big, fat no.
I lost control just like she wanted me to, just like I wanted to.
Then why do I feel like shit—and like I want to do it again?
After I slide my shorts and briefs back on, I feel Cashlynn’s hand on my shoulder. “Parker, please talk to me.”
I spin to face her, finding her dressed as well. “Seth is on to us,” I say, because even though I know there are a thousand things we should be talking about right now, this is the easiest one to discuss.
“What?” Her hand flies to her chest.
“That’s what I needed to tell you. He cornered me in my office today, says he doesn’t believe that our engagement is real, and he’s set on exposing us.”
“Do you think he will?”
I drag a hand through my sweat-soaked hair. “I honestly don’t know, Cashlynn. I know the guy is scum, but I’m not sure what lengths he would go to in order to make me look bad.”
She nods nervously. “I’ll talk to my dad, talk you up a bit more then the next time I see him, and try to get more information about who he’s leaning toward.”
“But what about Seth?”
“There’s no proof for him to find. We wouldn’t have a marriage license yet since we haven’t even picked a date…”
“ Yeah, true.”
She takes a few steps forward, getting so close that her breasts graze my bare chest. And even though I just fucked her, my dick is eager for a second round. “We can handle this.”
“Sure.”
“Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?” she asks, her eyes roaming all over my face, her hand shaking just slightly.
She’s giving you an opening, Parker. She’s asking for you to be honest with her .
“No, that was it.”
Her shoulders fall with defeat. “Oh. Okay.”
“I’m going to go shower,” I say before turning away from her and heading inside. And as I scrub my body and prepare for bed, the self-loathing I’ve been dealing with for the past four years magnifies tenfold.
I fucked up. And I have no one to blame but myself.