Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
MOLLY
Parker sat in his truck in the spot next to Elle's when I walked out of the school that afternoon. I liked that he was waiting for me with a smile on his face.
"Getting used to being chauffeured around?" Elle bumped my shoulder and gave a chin lift in the direction of my husband.
"I don't know if I would go as far as saying I'm getting used to it, but it has its perks. It's extra time I get to spend with him."
"You could move in together. Then you would get to spend all your time with him." Elle grabbed my hand and gestured to the wedding band I was starting to get used to on my finger.
"Slow your roll, trouble. It hasn't been that long, and we haven't even had sex yet."
But I sure as hell wanted to. Taking it slow was nice, but I needed to know what I was missing out on. Not remembering was killing me.
"You mean you haven't had sex since your wedding night," Elle clarified.
"It doesn't count if I can't remember it," I hissed.
My best friend sighed. "That's true." Then she shrugged. "Oh well, then I guess you need to do it again. Think of it as a do-over."
I shook my head at her. "You’re trouble, you know that."
"I am, but you love me anyway." Elle glanced over her shoulder, and her face pinched up into a look of disgust. "Oh shit. Ben's headed this way. You better get into Parker's truck before he tries to talk to you again."
I didn't need to be told twice. I had enough of Ben at lunch. I wasn't mentally prepared to deal with him again. "You're right. Love you too and I'll see you tomorrow."
Rushing in heels wasn't for the faint of heart. I don't even know why I wore the damn things to work somedays. Maybe it was because Parker told me how nice my ass looked when I wore them.
That was it. I was going to blame him for my current discomfort.
I was moving so quickly that I didn't notice Parker getting out of the driver's side and walking in front of the truck so he could open my door until he was right in front of me. "Shit," I hissed as I came to a sudden halt and almost crashed into his chest. "How the hell do you move so fast?"
"I could ask you the same." Parker smiled down at me with a smirk. "Those things have to be death traps, and there you are running in them like the hounds of hell are nipping at your heels."
I glanced over my shoulder to see how close Ben was. "Can we talk more about this in the truck?"
Parker followed my gaze, and I watched as his jaw ticced. "Yup. Get in."
I followed his command immediately and let him help me into the seat. Parker slammed me in just as Ben started to say something.
I watched on as Ben and Parker had a little chat. Ben clearly looked annoyed at whatever Parker had to say to him. A tiny part of me wished I could be a fly on the wall to that conversation, but I thought better of it. Besides, I would just ask Parker when he got in.
Parker's mood didn't seem to improve before he climbed into the driver's seat and started the vehicle. "Care to tell me what that was all about?" my husband asked as soon as we pulled away.
"I could ask you the same question. What did you say to him?"
"I merely told him we were in a hurry and had some place to be. Now your turn?"
Slumping back in my seat, I gave myself a moment to figure out what I wanted to say. "Ben stopped by the teachers’ lounge today."
"I thought you said he had his own lounge across the building?"
"He does. There was no reason for him to be there except to talk to me. I'm not sure if it's what you said yesterday or what Elle's been saying, but something felt off with Ben today. He seemed really pissed at the fact that I'm married."
I could see the tic in Parker's jaw. He wasn't happy. That much was obvious.
"How mad would you be if I told you I had Caden looking into him?"
"Who's Caden?" I've met some of the guys on his team but not all. I didn't remember Elle talking about a Caden though.
"He's the technical analyst for the team. Well, not just our team. He works with some of the others but primarily us. I think he likes us the most." Parker turned to me with a confident smile.
I thought about his question. Was I upset? I didn't think so. Maybe a week ago, I would've been, but that was before I saw a side of Ben that I wasn't entirely comfortable with. The lighthearted gym teacher I thought I knew was no more.
"I'm not mad. Maybe that makes me paranoid, but I would prefer to know who I work with."
Before Elle hooked up with Rhett, I never would've thought twice about who my co-workers were. Now the men in our lives had us looking for danger, and I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.
Sometimes being naive had its perks.
"Good. Do me a favor and try to stay away from him until Caden gives me a report?"
That was an easy enough request to follow. I no longer wanted to be alone with the man.
"Enough about me. How was your day at work?"
Parker chuckled.
"What's no funny?" I scoffed.
"Nothing. I just like the way we easily slid into this comfortable role with each other. Asking me that felt very domesticated."
I huffed as I turned fully to take in his profile. "Domesticated? Really?"
"What's wrong with that word?" We were stopped at a red light, so he was able to turn and meet my gaze.
I scrunched up my nose. "I don't know. It just sounds weird."
Parker chuckled again as the light turned green, and he was forced to take his eyes away from me. "If you say so, sweetheart."
That was the first time he used an endearment with me, and I hated how much I liked it. I was never the kind of woman who liked pet names or being called anything other than my name. But somehow when Parker said “sweetheart” it made my belly flutter.
"And to answer your question, it was a rough day. Logan and Oxford flew back to Vegas because as it turns out our assignment isn't finished like we thought."
"You didn't have to go with them?" I don't know why the thought of him leaving made my stomach clench. This was what Parker did for a living. If we were going to have a future together, then I needed to be okay with it.
"Not yet, but we'll have to at some point. They're gathering information. Once we have a target, the rest of the team will move in.
I swallowed at the thought. "Are you able to tell me what the assignment was?"
Elle didn't talk about the assignments Rhett went on. I assumed he told her, but it had never crossed my mind to question her for information.
Parker kept quiet until he pulled into my driveway and put the truck in park. It wasn't until he turned the vehicle off that he turned to me with one arm over the steering wheel and asked, "Do you want details or just the basics?"
I hadn't even known that was an option. "Details?" Yes, I answered it like a question. Sue me. I wasn't sure what I was getting into, so how could I possibly make that kind of decision?
"Let's get inside, and we'll see how much you really want to know."
I could get on board with that plan.
Parker reached between the seats and pulled out a large duffle bag. I raised my brow at him when he looked at me again. "Presumptuous?"
My husband chuckled as he leaned in and grabbed my chin. "Confident. Besides, I plan to sleep wherever my wife is from now on."
The heat from his words fanned my cheeks and instantly made me want to close the small gap between us to see how soft his lips were. Parker didn't give me the chance though. He pulled back and smiled, repeating, "Let's get inside."
I nodded like an idiot and waited for him to come around the truck and open my door. I allowed him to help me out and enjoyed the feel of his hand in mine as we walked toward the house.
"Do you want to talk now or after you get changed?" Parker asked me as soon as the front door closed behind us. It took me a moment to catch back up about what we were supposed to be discussing.
"I need to get changed first. Running in these heels did a number on my feet."
I could feel Parker's gaze as it slowly caressed my body from my feet all the way up until he met my eyes. It was in that moment that I remembered why I wore the damn things despite hurting my feet.
Parker's heated gaze.
It was well worth the pain I put myself through.
"Go ahead and change. I'll figure out dinner for us."
"Sounds good." I kicked off my heels in the entryway and made my way down the hall to my bedroom.
I glanced at myself in the full-length mirror next to my bedroom door.
My mascara had smudged a little underneath my eye, but otherwise I didn't look bad.
I would still clean my face though because just the thought of sitting comfortably in my own home with makeup on felt unnatural.
Heading over to the dresser, I pulled out a pair of my favorite sleep shorts and knee-high socks. I found another slouchy sweater in my closet and took everything into the attached bathroom with me.
I took my time shedding the professional look of the day and turning into the real me.
Most people who saw me probably thought I spent all my time looking put together.
That was the furthest thing from the truth.
I would take the evening me over the one I showed in public any day of the week.
Only those who were closest to me ever got to see this side.
I purposely didn't share it with anyone.
It was special to me and had to be earned.
The fact that I allowed Parker to see it so soon meant a large part of me knew I could trust him. I waited until I felt stripped naked of my facade before going back out to the kitchen to find my husband.
He was standing at the island, scrolling through his phone but put it away when he heard me walk in.
I stood there waiting as his eyes roamed over my body. He started with my eyes and moved all the way down to my toes before making his way back up again. His gaze felt like a warm caress on a cold Boston day.