Chapter fourteen Cashlynn #3
He lifts his head and his eyes soften almost immediately, but there’s still a pinch in his brow. “Yeah. Come here, Cashlynn.”
Nervously, I close the space between us. He reaches out and pulls me between his legs.
“I’m sorry,” I murmur.
“For what?”
“For not just sitting down and asking you how you felt.”
He grins. “You didn’t have to torture me to get me to fuck you again.”
Heat rushes to my cheeks. “It wasn’t my idea.”
“I know. I heard you talking to Hazel on the phone the other night.”
I groan, smacking my forehead. “I hate this. I hate that I’ve even put us in this position.”
He tilts his head. “And what position is that?”
I push his hair back from his face. “Did I want to sleep with you again? Yes. But not just for sex. I just…I care about you, Parker. I feel like that night last year wasn’t just a fluke.
Call it fate or serendipity, or whatever you want, but I couldn’t get you out of my head.
” I let out a shaky breath, searching his face.
“And being here, pretending to be engaged, I… I guess I just wonder if there’s something real here, and I wasn’t sure if you felt that too.
And then when I talked to the girls about it, they suggested focusing on the physical connection we have because you’d be more likely to open up to me that way. ”
Parker chuckles. “Well, they weren’t wrong.”
“You’re locked up tighter than Fort Knox.
Every time I think I’ve found a way in, you shut me out again and we act like nothing happened.
I’m tired of that.” I pause, taking a steadying breath.
“I’ve been in serious relationships, but none that make me feel an ounce of what I feel for you and with you. ”
His brows draw together as he stares up at me.
For a moment, I fear he’s going to push me away again—like he always does.
But then he swallows hard and says the words I’ve been longing to hear.
“I don’t know what I’m able to give you, Cashlynn.
But fuck if I can keep pretending I don’t want you too. ”
I breathe out, five weeks of tension leaving my body as I do. “All I need to know is that we’re on the same page. The rest we can figure out later.”
“Is that really enough for you?”
“Yes,” I say without hesitation.
He reaches up and pushes a strand of my hair behind my ear with a tenderness that makes my chest ache. “How on earth did we find each other a year ago in this big, messy world?”
“I don’t know, but don’t you think it means something?”
“All I know is that when I met you on that plane, it was the first time in a very long time I felt drawn to someone. I hadn’t even entertained the idea of dating anyone.
But when we slept together and you left so abruptly, I told myself that was it—just a one-time thing.
But then you walked back into my life. So yeah, I do think it means something. ”
“I honestly had no expectations coming to Carrington Cove, Parker. But the instant I saw you again, all of those feelings came rushing back. You made me feel something I didn’t know existed.”
He smiles up at me. “And what was that?”
“Safe. Calm, which I really needed in that moment.” He nods, urging me to continue.
“Fascinated because I wanted to know everything about you. Optimistic, like maybe there really are good men left in the world.” Laughter escapes his lips.
“But most of all…powerless. Like something bigger than me was pulling me toward you, and I couldn’t fight it even if I wanted to.
That’s why I slept with you that night. I needed to know if my intuition was right, and it was.
But when it was over, I panicked. I left because I didn’t know how to admit I already knew who you were—or how much I’d started to care. ”
I run a hand through his hair, my voice softening.
“I thought it was just one night too, but it stayed with me, Parker. It made me think about what I really wanted out of my life, what I’d been settling for, and what I could change.
That night with you… it made me believe that I could have more, do more, feel more than I ever let myself before. ”
“Fuck, Cashlynn.” He pulls me down to him, pressing our lips together. I show him with this kiss how honest my words are. When he releases me, conflict lingers in his eyes. “You scare the shit out of me.”
“I’m scared too, Parker. I feel like you have the potential to destroy me.”
“I’ve been destroyed, baby, and I swear, I’d never do that intentionally. But you have to be patient with me, okay?”
I nod, rubbing my nose against his. “I can do that.”
“So, what happens now?”
“Well, for starters, I’m starving, and it looked like you were making some lunch before I interrupted you.”
He stands from the bed and cradles my face in his hands. “I was making a sandwich.”
“If memory serves, you make a pretty good one. Mind making one more?”
“Yeah, I think I can do that for you, as long as you promise me one thing.”
“Okay…”
“No more unplugging the appliances.”
I throw my head back with laughter. “Oh my God.”
Parker’s jaw clenches instantly, and the surly man I’ve grown to adore returns in an instant. “I’m fucking serious, Cashlynn. That was some next-level, tortuous shit.”
I swat him on the chest and press up on my toes to kiss him. “You can thank Willow for that little move.”
He grumbles under his breath, “I should have fucking known. First, it was her videos that got me into this mess, and now she’s trying to drive me insane through you.”
I take his hand, leading him to the kitchen. “You have to admit, it was pretty funny.”
“No, Cashlynn. It was ridiculous. Seriously, I was questioning your sanity there for a minute.”
Still laughing, I hop onto the stool at the island as Parker moves back to the kitchen counter. That’s when we both notice the flattened pieces of bread on the counter.
He looks up at me. “Probably shouldn’t use these.”
“I think that’s my ass print.”
Parker chuckles. “Well, I was hungry. I just found something more satisfying to eat.” He waggles his eyebrows at me.
A shiver runs down my spine, igniting my need for him again even though we just had sex. Will that ever fade? Doubtful. No one has ever fucked me like Parker does.
“Yes, you did. And I’m happy to serve that up anytime you want.”