by J. Kenner
The man who wanted her.
So, yeah, she was going to him.
Thankfully, the hotel had stocked her closet with a robe so she didn't have to wrap herself in a sheet like an Egyptian mummy. Instead, she snuggled into the fluffy robe and then padded barefoot into the living area. The lights were off, only a single lamp on by the bar to help guide her way to his door.
And his lights were off, too, if the lack of glow from under the door was any indication.
He was probably asleep. And if he was, she probably shouldn't wake him. Because that meant he wasn't simpatico with her. Wasn't tossing and turning and thinking all sorts of wicked thoughts.
But if he was awake ... if he was just lying there in the dark...
Before she could talk herself out of it, she lunged for the doorknob, turned it, and pushed open the door.
"Megan."
Every muscle in her body relaxed at the sound of his voice, thick with a desire so familiar it seemed to burn through her.
"Did you mean it?" she whispered, standing still in the doorway. "Or was it just a line? To make you seem all honorable and awesome?"
"Not a line," he said, propping himself up in bed, his face and chest illuminated by the thin glow of light that crept in from the living area. "But if you're asking if I want you, then God yes. I'm hard as steel just from thinking about you in the other room, and I swear I was about to lose my mind knowing there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it."
She leaned against the door, amused. "I'm pretty sure there was something you could have done about it."
"Maybe," he agreed. "But why fly solo when I can have a copilot." He stood up, the sheet falling away, his hard angles and tight muscles cast in shadows and light.
"Take off your robe," he said.
The words were a command, and she wouldn't dream of disobeying. She let the robe fall back, and she heard his groan of appreciation as he stepped toward her, moving into the light as he did.
She drew in a breath, mesmerized by the way the light and shadows played on his rock-hard erection and the tight, hard muscles of his body.
"Please," she said, not sure what she was asking for, just knowing she wanted it all. Needed it all.
"Christ, you're beautiful." He moved to within inches of her, his scent enveloping her, making her even wetter. Her body was on fire, every cell primed for his touch. And when he reached out and traced his fingertip over the swell of her breast, she arched back and cried aloud.
"So damn responsive. Baby, you're amazing."
"Parker."
"What do you want? Why did you come here, naked in the night?"
"I want you," she said, because she had to be honest, and that was as real as it got. "You promised me so much, but the only thing I really want is to feel you inside me."
His mouth curved up as his finger eased down, lower and lower, until he brushed her clit and she gasped, then sucked in air as his finger went even further inside her. "Is that how you want me inside you?"
Her hips moved of their own volition and she ground against him. Yes. No. I want everything."
"Oh, baby," he said. "So do I."
He dropped to his knees then, and as he held her steady with one hand, he teased and explored her pussy with his tongue, laving and stroking and working her clit as his finger stroked deep inside her, finding her most sensitive spots.
She shifted, moaned, and made noises she didn't even know she could make. And when his tongue hit exactly that spot, the only reason she didn't either fall to the floor or fly up to the heavens was that he was there to hold her tight.
"My turn," she said when she was herself again. And before he had a chance to ask, she fell to her knees.
"Oh, no, Angel," he said. Pulling her up. I like the idea, but on the bed. He led her on, and she straddled him, then took him into her mouth, tasting him and taking him all the way to the edge.
"On me," he said. "I have to be inside you, Megan. I'm about to lose it." And since she wanted it as much as he did, she straddled him, pausing only long enough for him to sheath himself before she eased down on him, then rose up again, riding him with the help of his hands on her hips.
He was so deep, and it felt so good, and she saw his coming orgasm in the fierce expression on that beautiful face. "Please," she begged. "I want to feel you explode."
He came then, his bucking body taking her close to the edge once more. And though she didn't think she'd go over again, when he teased her clit with one hand and teased the rim of her ass with the other, she completely shattered, abandoning reason to passion and losing herself to the onslaught of pleasure.
They clung to each other for hours after that, just breathing and enjoying the feel of skin on skin. Then he urged her up before dawn and took her to Cafe du Monde for coffee and beignets before they walked along the Mississippi as the sun rose.
They talked over everything and nothing. She told him about how she dreamed of one day having her own skincare and makeup line. He told her about the challenges of running a company.
At noon, they headed back to the jet, and she paused on the stairs. "Thank you," she said. "This is the best punishment ever." He laughed, and once they were inside the plane and belted in, she leaned against him. His arm went around her and she closed her eyes.
And she was asleep even before the jet left the ground.
Chapter Ten
"How's it going, ladies?" Tyree asked as he stepped into his office. Megan and Eva Anderson had commandeered his desk to look at various images from around Austin.
"Not bad," Eva said, leaning back against him as he slid his arms around her. A big bear of a man, his hug engulfed Eva, but it was clear she didn't mind. The photographer recently moved from Seattle to Austin after reconnecting with Tyree, the father of her grown daughter, Elena.
Secure in his arms, she tilted her head back and smiled broadly at him. "Take a peek," she said. "Tell us what you think."
He bent to kiss her forehead, then released her so that he could do as she suggested, joining them around the table to look at the stock Austin images that Eva was considering as backdrops for the calendar images for each contest winner.
"We'll go to the actual locations with all you winners, of course," Megan said. "And we're shooting the first six winners tomorrow. Right now, we're planning to shoot from the Loop 360 bridge with the river in the background, the Capitol grounds, Mount Bonnell, the stone cows at the Arboretum, Lake Travis, and someplace on campus. We're not sure where, though."
"All sounds good. And why don't you shoot from the South Mall? Put a guy on the steps and get the Tower in the background."
The women exchanged glances and nodded. "Perfect," Eva said.
"Which man's getting which location? Personally, I want the Capitol."
"All for all," Megan said. "That way we have more choices for the calendar."
Tyree chuckled. "Fair enough. And we're doing this all tomorrow? It's going to be a crazy day."
Megan didn't disagree, but she did tell him that Taylor had managed to borrow a van. "So at least we'll all be together and no one will get lost in traffic."
"We're doing each of the men inside The Fix, too," Eva told him. "And outside on the street with the facade behind them."
"I think you two have this well in hand." He smiled, his attention on Eva, who rose up on her toes and kissed him.
"Off you go, man," she said. "You're distracting me. But I'll see you at home tonight. You're working late?"
"Not tonight. Reece is closing. I'll be home by eight. And," he added, "Eli's staying over at a friend's."
Eva shot Megan a grin before turning back to her fiance. "That, Mr. Johnson, is some very interesting information."
He chuckled, then said goodbye to both of them, pausing beside Megan before heading out. He pressed a paternal hand to her shoulder. "I'm sorry about what happened with Parker. But looks like it all turned out okay, yeah?"
"Hmm? Oh. Yeah." She nodded. "Things ar
e totally squared away."
"Glad to hear it," Tyree said, then headed out of the office with one final kiss toward Eva.
She returned it, then cocked her head. "Squared away? Girl, I think that might be an understatement."
Megan stood up straighter. "I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about," she said, but she couldn't maintain it. And within a minute, both she and Eva were laughing and comparing notes about the men in their lives.
An hour later, Megan was walking home, and since she was still thinking about the way she'd described Parker to Eva--funny, charming, and so sexy it should be a crime--she decided to go the long way to The Railyard so that she could pop in and surprise Parker at his condo. He'd told her he was going to spend Friday working from home, then would head over to her place for dinner.
Unless he'd left early to run an errand, she should be able to catch him and they could walk over to The Railyard together.
She was just turning south onto Congress Avenue when her cell phone rang. She snatched it out of her purse, assuming it would be Parker, then squealed with delight when she saw that it was Kasey.
"Finally! I text you to tell you I'm actually going out with Parker Manning, and it takes you this long to get back to me?"
"You wouldn't believe how busy I've been. I swear, I've stressed off at least five pounds. This new job is the best weight loss program ever."
Megan rolled her eyes but didn't ask. By the next time they talked, Kasey would have moved on to another best job ever.
"I can't believe you actually went out with Parker. How was it? Did you sleep with him? Is he amazing?"
Megan tried to get a word in, but luck wasn't with her. It rarely was where Kasey's chatter was concerned.
"But do me a fave, okay? Be. Careful."
"Careful?" Megan blurted the word, determined to squeeze the question in. "What are you talking about?"
"After you left, there were all these rumors about him."
She frowned. "What kind of rumors?"
"Nasty stuff. That he'd stalked this guy--or maybe it was a girl. I'm not sure. And that he was actually arrested. For assault!"
"No way."
Her body felt cold, her skin as prickly as if she'd jumped into a frozen pond. "That's ridiculous. Parker Manning? It would have made the papers. You would have seen something official. And I would have heard about it on social media."
"Dunno. Maybe. I mean, remember what town we're talking about. This is LA. Coverup city, right?"
"I don't believe it," she said stubbornly. But even as she spoke the words, she remembered what Parker himself had said about all the shit his brother pulled--and how all it had taken was Daddy's checkbook to keep it out of the papers and the courts.
"No," she said again, but this time more weakly.
"You're probably right. I mean, you know the rumor mill out here. Oh! That reminds me. I have not told anyone where you are. You know that, right? I mean, you trust me?"
"Of course. Why?"
"It's just that I can't believe Carlton would go there. I mean, it's been months. Why would he?"
"Yeah," Megan said, her voice full of trepidation. "Why would he? And why would you even think it's a possibility?"
"It's just that there's this picture floating around now. You and Parker."
"What?" How had she missed that? "From where?" She closed her eyes, hoping it wasn't from New Orleans. That it wasn't an intimate kiss on the banks of the Mississippi.
"That bar in Austin that you're working at. He's shirtless--and holy freak, does he look good. And you're standing right beside him."
"Oh." She exhaled, trying to process the implications.
"It's just that the name of the bar is clear, and if Carlton wanted to find it, that really wouldn't be hard."
"No," Megan said, frowning. "It wouldn't." She shook off the funk. "But you know what? You're right. Why would he? By now, I'm old news to Carlton."
"That's what I figure."
"Listen, I need to go." She'd reached the corner and had been loitering just so they could finish the call. "Talk to you again soon?"
"Hell, yeah. I miss you."
"Me, too," she assured her friend, then hung up. She drew in a breath and tried to gather her thoughts, reassuring herself that Carlton wasn't coming and that Parker hadn't beat anyone up. Or if he had, then it was for a damn good reason.
She turned right on Third Street and continued on a few blocks, thinking that she'd just ask him about it. Surely he'd tell her.
His building was one of the modern high rise condos that had sprung up like chrome and glass weeds all over downtown throughout the past decade. Now, she stood across Third Street from the glass entrance, waiting for the one-way traffic to clear so she could jaywalk over to his building and see if he was home.
A moment later, though, she saw that he was when he emerged onto the sidewalk with a lovely redhead at his side. Even from across the street, Megan could see the intense affection in her eyes. That was enough to have her mouth going dry. But then her stomach dropped all the way to her knees when he pulled her into an embrace and kissed her.
Granted, the woman had turned before the kiss so that her back was to Megan, but even though she couldn't tell if it was a full-on mouth kiss complete with tongue, she could definitely tell that it was exuberant.
Whoever she was, she was no stranger to Parker. Not only that, but he seemed to adore her.
All of which made her stomach twist. Especially since this revelation of a cuddly bitch in his life was laid out next to Kasey's news about assault.
Could it be true, after all? And who was the woman?
And had she been an idiot for trusting her feelings and falling hard for Parker Fucking Manning?
Chapter Eleven
By the time she got back to Congress Avenue, Megan had convinced herself that there was nothing going on between Parker and the woman.
By the time she'd reached the pedestrian gate to The Railyard, she was convinced that they were in a long-term affair and Megan was nothing more than his piece on the side.
By the time she was in her kitchen and the sauce was simmering and the water for spaghetti was sitting on low heat, she didn't know what to think. All she knew was that she was a mess, and that for the last forty-five minutes, she'd been alternating between crying and scolding herself for jumping to conclusions.
When seven o'clock rolled around, and he hadn't arrived, she told herself that he'd dumped her, forgotten to tell her, and had run off with the redhead.
Stop it. Just stop it.
Frustrated with herself, she picked up the phone and dialed Griffin, who answered on the first ring.
"Hey, what's up?"
"I--Nothing." She scrunched her eyes closed, grimacing. She shouldn't have called Griff. He was already overly protective of her. And what if it really did turn out to be nothing?
No. Correction. It would turn out to be nothing. And if she went and dumped all of her Parker problems on Griffin, then how were the two of them supposed to end up being friends?
"Christ, Megan. I can practically hear the wheels turning. What's going on? Or, rather, what's going on that you don't want to tell me?"
Why, why, why hadn't she called Taylor or Mina instead?
"It's nothing. Really. Just me being insecure."
Griff exhaled loudly. "Am I going to have to come punch Manning in the face. Because I have to be honest, I'd rather not. I mean, I've been working out, but I think he could take me."
She couldn't help it; she burst out laughing. "It's probably me being stupid. I just saw him with someone and it looked like--well, I think he was kissing her."
"And what did he say when you asked him what was going on?"
"Yeah, about that..."
He sighed. "Okay, listen. All I know about the guy is he swooped you off to New Orleans for what I can only assume were kinky shenanigans."
"They so were not!"
"But you came back in one p
iece and, honestly, you looked pretty pleased with yourself. And you've only had good things to say about the guy."
"Because he's a good guy."
"So there you go. I was just about to say that he seems like a good guy to me. And you've been telling me he's a good guy. So why are you suddenly robbing the poor man of the benefit of the doubt and wrapping him up in your weird girly shit?"
"Excuse me?"
"Honestly, Kiki does the same thing," he said, referring to his sister.
"This is not weird girly shit. He was kissing her."
"And you haven't asked him why," he said reasonably. To which she had no response.
"You know what? Forget it. I'm sorry I even called you."
He laughed. "No, you're not. You love me. Because even when I'm right, I don't say I told you so. And I promise not to say it tomorrow when you tell me I was right."
She rolled her eyes. "Hanging up now," she said.
"Love you, too," he called back. And then the line went dead.
"Asshole," she muttered, but she felt a million times better. So much so that when Parker finally did arrive and she buzzed him through the gate, she was actually smiling.
"Hey, beautiful," he said, swooping an arm around her and pulling her close so that he could kiss her very thoroughly. "That smells incredible."
"Spaghetti sauce. My mom's recipe. It's the only thing I do well in the kitchen, I warn you now."
"I think we can muddle through despite that defect in your character." He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, the sensation of his fingertips brushing her skin making her shiver. "How much time do we have before dinner's ready?"
"As much as we want." Already her pulse was kicking up, from nothing more than proximity to this man. "I haven't put the pasta in yet."
"Then maybe I could suggest an appetizer?" He tilted his head so that he was looking up, toward the bedroom on the second floor.
"I--" She swallowed, then took a step back out of his arms. "Oh, crap, Parker. Why were you late?"
He gaped at her, clearly befuddled. "Since when does ten minutes count as late?"
"Since now," she said. "Dammit, Parker. I must really be falling for you."
Now he looked even more confused. "Normally, I'd say that was a good thing. Why do I feel like you're about to rip me a new one?
"Usually, I hold stuff in. But with you--oh, fuck. Who was she, Parker? Who was the skanky bitch you were kissing earlier today?"