30. Parker
30
PARKER
L ast night was unbelievable. Actually, that might be the understatement of the century. We slept for a whopping two hours because I kept waking up with my hands all over her. I couldn’t help myself. Once the dam was broken, there was no going back. Dylan’s a drug that I want to inject into my system, and I’m not sure I’ll ever get enough.
There’s something about coming back together with someone from your past. It’s so easy to slip back into the way things were. Touching her, kissing her, exploring her body with my hands–it all felt instinctual.
As I scan the room with sleep crusted in the corner of my eyes, I see just how big of a mess we made. The comforter is no longer on the bed, half of the cushions of the worn-down pull-out couch are on the ground, and I can make out a smudge on the window in the shape of a handprint. I smirk to myself thinking about all of the trouble we got into.
Not only did we fuck, but we made love. And as much as I enjoyed ravaging her in every way possible, it was the moments of slow, sensual sex that would be replaying in my head for weeks on end. Seeing her with her guard down in those moments made the past few months worth every second. She’d never understand just how ravishing I think she is.
Dylan stirs next to me, and I plant a small kiss on her forehead. The fact that I’m holding her in my arms right now feels surreal, and if I had a free hand, I’d pinch myself to remind myself that this is real life.
“What time is it?” Dylan’s scratchy morning voice calls out for me. She’s lying on her stomach, facing me, her eyes still shut tight as she tries to avoid the sun that’s peeking out from behind the blackout curtains. I glance over at the clock on the nightstand.
“Nine.”
She lets out a groan and pulls the sheets over her head, bringing a chuckle out of me. She was never a morning person, and it doesn’t look like that has changed.
“Want to get some breakfast? My treat.” I pull the sheet down from her face, and she blinks up at me, still in the process of waking up. I trace my finger down her back like I did last night when she first fell asleep, and she leans into my touch. The sight of her naked in bed, though I can’t currently see anything too revealing, makes my dick twitch. I guess he didn’t get the memo after the multiple rounds last night. I think if I tried to touch her again, he’d fall right off.
“What kind of breakfast?”
I laugh again, knowing I have her in the palm of my hand at the mention of food while giving her back rubs.
“Whatever you want, Lucky. Our options are limitless.”
She ponders for a second. “I could go for some pancakes right about now.”
“Then pancakes you shall get. Join me in the shower?”
“Fine, but you better keep your hands to yourself. I don’t know if I can physically handle another round.”
I haul myself out of bed and pull the sheets down, leaving her completely exposed in front of me. I can’t wait to have that view for the rest of my life. “I can’t make any promises.”
She rolls her eyes, but I don’t miss the playful glint. It’s enough to tell me that as soon as we’re in that shower, we’re going to be all over one another yet again. And with that unspoken promise, I’m running toward the bathroom.
The table we’re situated at is full of pancakes topped with berry compote, avocado toast, omelets, coffees (which have already been refilled multiple times), and a smorgasbord of other breakfast foods. At first glance, you’d think we were feeding an entire family, and yet the small two-person table sitting on the porch of Park and Grove is only occupied by me and Dylan.
Apparently, a full night of physical activities has left us with the appetites of wild animals. As Dylan looks down at all of the options, trying to decide what she wants to start with, I’m overcome with joy. She looks happier and freer than I’ve seen her in weeks. Her eyes are shimmering as if made from the stars themselves, and the look makes me want to live in a world of perpetual dusk.
“Careful, or else you’re going to give yourself decision fatigue.”
She jokingly wipes the corner of her mouth free of any slobber. “It all just looks so incredible. I don’t know where to start.”
She mulls over it for a few more seconds before snagging the plate of pancakes toward her and digging in. I take a moment to observe her, and it makes me forget about the feast in front of me. As she lets out a moan of content at the first bite, I can’t stop the large grin that consumes my face.
She peeks up and notices I have yet to touch a plate. “You going to eat?”
I pick up my fork and dig into the homemade cinnamon roll sitting nearby, trying to play cool. “Uh yeah. How are the pancakes?”
“Orgasmic.” She shovels another bite of food into her mouth.
“Better than me?” I wink at her as I take my first bite. Fuck , that’s good. She’s right. The food really is a burst of pleasure to my taste buds.
“It’s neck and neck,” she jokes.
I pretend to be wounded, but I know that the multiple orgasms I gave her last night are enough to put me far beyond a great pair of hotcakes.
I take a sip of my coffee, and we settle into a comfortable silence as we continue to eat. I know deep down that we need to talk about last night and what it means for our future, but I’m worried that if I bring it up, it’s going to scare her away–but fuck it. I’m not willing to wait any longer. I want to make her mine for the rest of my life, and I’m not willing to take no for an answer. Especially after everything that transpired in the last twenty-four hours.
“So, we should talk about last night,” Dylan says, vocalizing my same inner thoughts. The sentence, though the least bit threatening, makes my stomach bottom out. My throat closes up, and I’m unable to respond, so I offer a nod, waiting for her to take the lead.
“How are you feeling about everything?” she asks.
Well, change of plans. This is my chance to take the lead. Put my last cards on the table.
“I love you, and now that I have you… if I do have you, I should say, I don’t want to let you go again. My life is exponentially better with you in it, Lucky. And I’m sorry if that’s scary to he ar. The last thing I want to do is force you into anything, and I know this all feels like it’s happening quickly. I want you to feel confident in us. But I’d rather spend the rest of my life alone than spend another day without you.”
By the time I finish my speech, she’s rested her fork on the edge of her plate, and she’s looking up at me with flushed cheeks and oversized pupils.
“I do,” Dylan replies in a hushed tone.
“Do what?” I raise a brow in confusion.
“Feel confident in you. In us. I can’t imagine my life without you, Parker. I spent so many years telling myself that I didn’t want to get into another relationship because I was afraid of getting hurt again. And while that was true to some extent, I was more worried about finding someone else who would compare to you. It’s you. It’s always been you.”
The way she enunciates ‘always’ makes my heart soar. I have to bring a hand to my mouth to stifle the smile that breaks out on my face.
“I do have one request, though,” she continues.
“Of course.” I’ll give her anything she wants.
“I want us to give this a fighting chance again. But we need to keep this on the down low. I don’t want Katherine to find out. It’d be the ammo she needs to fire me once and for all.”
I flop back in my chair, unaware that my posture had grown stiff, and wipe a small bead of sweat that has gathered on my forehead. I can work with that.
“How diligent of you.” I simper. “You have my word. Does this mean I’m not allowed to kiss you anymore? Because that would be a damn shame.”
“Kisses are allowed. In private only.”
“If we’re alone, does this mean we can do more?” I wet my bottom lip with a swipe of my tongue, and I notice her gaze catching on motion. She swallows, then pulls herself out of the lust-filled daze we’ve both been living in the past twenty-four hours with a small giggle.
“Maybe. If you’re lucky.”
“Well, you are my good luck charm, so I have a good feeling about it.”
“You’re so corny sometimes, you know that?” The bite of her words falls flat when I glimpse the grin she’s wearing. I don’t have time to respond to what she deems is a harmless insult because she whispers, “I missed it.”
I reach across the table, doing my best to dodge the plates that have filled the table, and grab her hand.
“I missed you,” I reply.
Her smile grows bigger, and the beaming look on her face is enough to make me want to ignore the responsibilities of the rest of the book tour and travel around the cities with her, soaking up as much time together as possible.
I look down at my watch with my free hand and swear under my breath. Time to bring myself back down to Earth and make sure the last couple of dates on this tour go well.
“We should get going. We’ve gotta be at Love and Lit in half an hour to help set everything up.”
I take out my wallet, throw down some cash to pay for our meal, which we scarfed down with no leftovers, and stand, reaching my hand out for hers. She interlocks her fingers in mine and stands, and all I can think about is if I died today, I’d die the happiest man alive. I’ve got my luck back.