10. Parker
Chapter ten
Parker
A n hour later, Chloe and I are laying side-by-side, each covered in sweat and breathing heavily. As I’d promised her, I wasn’t going to be satisfied with just one round of hot sex. Now, I’m not sure when I’m going to be able to move again. I’m so content, though, that my lips are curled into a tired smile, and my body is humming with the aftershocks of pleasure.
“Holy shit,” Chloe gasps after a while. “That was…damn.”
I chuckle. “Damn is right, baby.”
She rolls on to her side and props her head in her hand, so she can look down at me.
Grinning, she asks, “So, you ready for another round yet?”
“Woman, you are insatiable!” I exclaim with a laugh. “You’re going to kill me.”
“But what a way to go,” she counters, her voice now a provocative purr. Her fingers trace a tantalizing path down my chest, causing sparks of anticipation to dance along my skin.
“God, Chloe.” I groan in mock protest, but my body is already stirring at her touch. “Give me a minute to recover.”
She chuckles, but there’s a heat in her gaze that speaks volumes. “You know, Parker, I never thought you’d be the type to back down from a challenge.”
My eyebrows arch at the implication in her words. She’s goading me, and damn it, it’s working. My dick is twitching, eager to prove its prowess yet again, despite how exhausted I am.
“Is that a dare?”
She trails her hand lower and brushes her fingers along my hardening length.
“Maybe,” she replies coyly.
Then, suddenly, without any warning, she straddles me again. Her naked body on top of mine elicits a response that is as natural as breathing. My hands instinctively come up to cup her hips, steadying her, which is exactly what she was counting on happening based on the sly smirk on her face.
“Oh, it’s so on,” I growl playfully while pulling her down into another kiss.
The taste of her lips is addictive, and every cell in my body screams for more of her. She fits into my arms as if we’re two pieces of one puzzle. Every curve of hers perfectly matches the planes of mine.
Just as things are really heating up between us, the doorbell suddenly rings, startling us both.
“Who the hell could that be?” I grumble, annoyance instantly burning through me.
Frowning, I reach over and grab my phone to check the app for my doorbell camera. My heart starts racing when Lauren’s image pops up on my screen.
“Shit.” I sit up and nearly knock Chloe off my lap in the process. I wrap my arm around her waist to steady her.
“Woah, who is it?” she asks, her eyes going wide.
“It’s Lauren.”
“Hello?” Lauren calls, her voice coming in through the phone’s speaker. “Parker? Answer the door!”
Panic instantly sweeps over Chloe’s face.
“Oh, my God!” she exclaims. “Do you think she knows? Is that why she’s here?”
“Calm down,” I tell her. “I doubt she knows anything. Did you tell her you were coming here?”
She blinks and nods. “I sent her a text earlier. I said I was coming over to look at listings with you, but that’s it.”
“That’s perfect,” I assure her. “We stick to that story, no big deal.”
She appears to take a moment to process that and then slowly says, “Okay. Okay, that makes sense. That totally makes sense.”
I can tell she’s all but paralyzed with uncertainty still.
“Parker, I know you’re home,” Lauren declares. “I know Chloe’s here, too! Both your cars are in the driveway. Don’t be weird, and just let me in.”
“She has a key, and she’ll use it,” I tell Chloe in a calm voice. “So, I’m going to go down and let her in. You go to the bathroom and get cleaned up. I’ll keep her busy until you’re ready, okay?”
Her eyes light up at that idea, as if having something to do is able to knock some sense into her.
“Okay,” she murmurs before scrambling off the bed.
I spring up after her, grabbing my pants and pulling them on before throwing my shirt on, too. Glancing over at Chloe, I see her snatching up her own clothes from the floor. I chuckle at the sight. Even in this frazzled state, she’s still so gorgeous, it makes my chest ache.
“Hey, relax,” I tell her as I zip up my pants. “We’ve got everything under control.”
She nods, but there’s a wild look in her eyes that tells me she’s not entirely convinced. She begins fidgeting with the ends of her hair, twirling the strands around her finger, and I know she’s moments away from slipping her hair past her lips.
“Remember,” I call after her as she dashes into the bathroom, “just act normal.”
Swallowing down a laugh at the irony of that statement, I quickly make my way downstairs as Lauren continues to ring my doorbell incessantly. I swing the door open, an easy smile plastered on my face.
“Hey, Lauren,” I greet her smoothly. “What brings you by?”
She raises an eyebrow at me and crosses her arms before saying, “What took you so long? I’ve been out here for, like, five minutes.”
“Sorry about that,” I reply with a nonchalant shrug, running a hand through my unruly hair. “I was in my office and didn’t hear the doorbell.”
“You didn’t hear the doorbell?” She sounds incredulous, but I maintain my calm and easy demeanor in the face of her scrutiny.
“I’ve been busy,” I say.
“Is Chloe here? I see that her car is, at least,” Lauren asks, rolling her eyes before peering past me into the house.
“She’s upstairs,” I confirm, stepping back to let her in. “She got here a bit ago, and we were going over some of the listings Holt’s having her work on. She’s in the bathroom right now.”
Lauren studies me for a moment, and I can’t tell what it is she’s looking for, but thankfully, she doesn’t push the matter further. Instead, she shifts her attention to my living room, releasing a long breath as she moves past me to make her way inside.
“So,” she begins as she drops onto my couch, “Holt’s really laying it on her, huh?”
“Yeah.” I nod. “She’s stressing about it, but hopefully, working through the listings together helped ease her mind some.”
Lauren seems content with this answer and starts chatting about something bland and mundane, her voice washing over me like white noise. I can’t focus on anything else but the fact that Chloe is upstairs getting dressed and likely still panicking. That mere minutes ago, we were naked in my bed, wrapped around each other and on the verge of one more round of hot, dirty sex. I can’t help but feel a stab of irritation at Lauren for interrupting us, but I don’t let it show.
“Parker!” Chloe's voice echoes from upstairs, pulling me back to reality. “Where are my shoes?”
The question is innocent enough, but Lauren raises an eyebrow at me again. I curse inwardly at Chloe’s timing.
“You guys have gotten pretty comfy with each other, I see,” Lauren remarks astutely.
I plaster on my most convincing smile and explain, “Sure, we have. Chloe’s great, but you know that.”
Lauren nods slowly. Just then, Chloe comes strolling into the room, looking fresh-faced and totally put together. She’s twirling her hair around a finger, though, and I hope Lauren doesn’t notice the nervous gesture.
“Hi, Lauren,” she greets brightly.
“Hey, Chloe,” Lauren replies with a wide smile. “Parker was saying he’s been helping you with your listings. Are you feeling a little better now?”
Chloe swallows but manages to say, “Oh, yes, I’m feeling much better. Parker has been a huge help.”
Lauren chuckles. “Well, are you ready for a break? I wanted to stop by and see if you guys wanted to go out for dinner.”
Chloe looks at me, and I give her a slight nod.
“Sure,” she responds, her voice steady. “That sounds great.”
“Amazing,” Lauren says while standing up from the couch. “Do you guys need any time to get ready, or can we leave now?”
Glancing at Chloe, I see her give a small shake of her head.
“We’re good,” I tell Lauren with a shrug.
As we make our way to the door and out into the cool evening air, I can’t help but feel a sense of relief. We’ve managed to keep up appearances so far. I think we can make it through dinner, no problem.
I offer Chloe a quick grin as we follow Lauren toward her car, hoping to reassure her that everything is okay. She returns it, but her eyes are still filled with the same panic I’d noticed before. This secret of ours is taking its toll on her, and as much as I love being with Chloe, I can’t help but worry about what all this secret keeping is doing to her.