Reckless Love

by Kelly Elliott

  “Let’s take a shower.”

  “That’s not going to wash away this conversation.”

  “Nope, it’s not, but it will feel good to shower. Let me wash your body while I explain that money is not a problem.”

  “Oh, really?”

  He laughed again. “Nope.”

  “You’re not the least bit worried about the cost?” I asked as Trevor reached into his large, walk-in shower and turned it on. Water rained down from the faucets on the ceiling. I was in love with his shower and honestly wouldn’t mind using it every day. Or soaking in the giant soaker tub next to it.

  “I’m always worried about the cost of things. I don’t throw my money away, and that’s why I’m worth a few million.”

  He pulled me into the shower, and I stood there, staring at him as the water fell onto me.

  “What did you just say?”

  He leaned closer, placing his lips on my neck and gently sucking while his hands grabbed my ass. I dropped my head back when he pulled my body against his. He was hard again. My goodness, this man’s stamina was going to keep me fit during this pregnancy.

  “Damn, you feel so good,” he whispered against my skin, causing my body to erupt in goosebumps. My mind went fuzzy, and for some reason I didn’t care what we had just been talking about. Not when Trevor lifted my leg and slowly pushed back inside of me, deliciously slow.

  “God, help me, I’m not going to be able to walk for a week,” I panted as he moved in and out of me, this time at a faster pace.

  “That’s the plan baby. That’s the plan.”

  I smiled when I opened my eyes and saw I was in Trevor’s living room. An amazing smell was coming from the kitchen. I headed that way.

  Trevor was talking to someone on the phone in a hushed voice.

  “So, you’ll do it for me? I owe you one, buddy.”

  A slight chuckle came from Trevor before he started talking again.

  “I need to feed my girl first and probably take her back to her place to change, but we’ll meet y’all there around nine?”

  Clearing my throat, I walked into the kitchen.

  “Speaking of, she just woke up. Okay, tell Amelia I love her, and hey, congrats again, dude.”

  Trevor hit End on his phone and flashed me a panty-melting smile.

  “How did you sleep, baby?”

  “Wonderful. I don’t think I’ve slept that good in a long time and I wasn’t even asleep that long.”

  He laughed. “I’m making us tacos. Does that sound okay?”

  My stomach decided now was the perfect time to growl. I giggled and said, “That sounds amazing.”

  “Your stomach feeling okay?”

  Nodding, I sat on the stool at the counter and watched Trevor move around the kitchen. “Do you need any help?”

  “Nope, I’ve got it all. Just waiting for the taco shells to heat up.”

  With a contented sigh, I placed my chin on my palm and watched him. He was shirtless and only wearing a pair of shorts. Letting my gaze move lower, I couldn’t help but smile at him in his bare feet. Something about Trevor made me want to demand that he kiss me, then make love to me again.

  “Amelia and Wade told my folks about their pregnancy.”

  I gasped. “They did! What did your folks say?”

  “Wade said they were over the moon and kept talking about how they were going to have four new grandchildren to spoil!”

  “Four?” I asked, taking a drink of the water Trevor placed in front of me.

  “Yeah, Tripp and Harley are having twins.”

  “Oh my gosh, I completely forgot that Harley said she was having twins! How exciting.”

  Trevor stopped and faced me. “Don’t say that. It runs in the family. I’m okay with one baby but throw in two and I don’t know what I’ll do!”

  I chuckled. “Deal, I won’t even say the word, but I’m right there with you.”

  He winked, and my stomach dipped.

  “I’m glad we’re on the same page with that.”

  The buzzer for the tacos went off and Trevor took them out of the oven. I decided to make a taco salad while he practically inhaled four tacos.

  “Where do you put all the food you eat, Trevor?”

  He shrugged. “I work hard on the ranch, plus work out. I burn it off pretty easy.”

  I wiped the corners of my mouth with my napkin and set it on my now empty plate. I crunched up three taco shells and piled on the taco fixings and nearly ate it the whole thing in five bites. In my defense, I was starving.

  “Earlier, when you were talking about me not working, or coming to work for you…”

  My voice trailed off.

  “Yeah, what about it?” Trevor asked, standing and taking both of our plates.

  “You said you had a few million. What did you mean by that?”

  Trevor rinsed off the plates, then put them in the dishwasher before he turned and leaned against the counter. He folded his arms over his massive chest. I wanted to lick my lips, but somehow managed to stay in control. Hard as it was.

  “You already know my parents are pretty wealthy.”

  I nodded.

  “Well, my father has taught me how to invest my money. Plus, I pretty much run the ranch now that my father has stepped down even more. I get the most in the profit sharing, plus I have a few things on the side. Cord paid me while I worked at the bar and all of that money I used to invest in shit.”

  “Invest in shit?” I said with a chuckle.

  “Yep. I’ve always been good with money, Scarlett. I’ve got a pretty good nest egg saved up.”

  I chewed on my lip. “I understand that, but I won’t be living off of you.”

  “You wouldn’t be. Work for me. Lord knows I could use an assistant with all of the office-type shit. I hate doing that. Steed takes care of the books and Paxton works part-time here too. Wade and Mitchell could also use some help, I’m sure. You’d sort of be like the administrative assistant to all of us. Mom used to help a lot, but since Dad has pulled back, so has she.”

  “You’re being serious?”

  Trevor walked up to me and took my hand in his. I slipped off the stool and stood in front of him.

  “I’m being dead serious. I want you near me. Especially with you being pregnant, I’d feel better.”

  My mouth opened and closed a few times before I found my voice. “Trevor, this is all happening so fast. I mean, we just got back together, and you want me to move in with you and work for you. Are you even sure you’re ready for this step?”

  He pushed a stray piece of hair that had fallen out of my ponytail behind my ear.

  “If I didn’t want this, I wouldn’t have asked you. And don’t worry about the money to pay for the baby. If you come work for us full-time, you’ll have insurance.”

  Closing my eyes, I tried to let all of this sink in.

  “Think about it, okay?”

  I opened my eyes and found him staring deeply into my soul.

  “I’ll think about it, but I want you to think about it as well. I don’t want this to be a knee-jerk thing because we shared an amazing moment together. Remember what your mom said.”

  He leaned down and kissed my forehead, and it made my heart skip. “I don't need to think about it, but I will if it makes you feel better.”

  “It would.”

  “Okay, so now that we got that out of the way, everyone is headed to Cord’s Place tonight to celebrate Amelia and Wade’s news. You feel like going out? Maybe doing a bit of dancing with me?”

  Smiling, I placed my hand on the side of his face. “I can’t think of any other place I’d rather be. I need to go home and change, though.”

  With a wicked smile, Trevor said, “See? Another reason you need to move in with me. Your clothes would already be here!”

  It was hard not to notice the people staring at Trevor and me. Let me correct that, the women glaring at me.

  “Is it just me, or is every woman in this bar star
ing?” I called up to Trevor. He glanced around and then looked down at me.

  “It’s just you, babe.”

  Turning to Corina, I asked her the same question. If anyone was going to shoot me straight, it would be her or Maebh. Hell, any of the Parker women would shoot me straight.

  “Am I being paranoid or are women staring at me?”

  Corina laughed and yelled over the music.

  “Nope, they’re staring. Mostly at the way Trevor has a death grip on you!”

  Maebh stopped in front of us, pulling me in for a hug. “You look beautiful! Did Trevor fall over when he saw you in this dress?”

  Glancing down, I smiled. If I was still able to dress sexy, I was going to. I had on a light blue cocktail dress that hugged me in all the right places. It also showed off my little baby bump. My black stiletto heels made my short legs look like they went on forever. Being five-foot-three inches, I always felt a tad bit on the short side. And standing next to Trevor without heels, I felt even shorter. Tonight, when I walked down the steps from my bedroom, Trevor nearly dropped to the floor when he saw me. His first reaction was to tell me to go back up the steps and change. But once I told him why I wanted to dress a bit on the sexy side, he understood. Then he proceeded to tell me that he was not letting me out of his sight, and if one man touched me he would kill them.

  “He told me to change!”

  Maebh laughed as she looked at Trevor who was talking to Cord. Three large tables had been reserved for all of us. It was starting to be a rare occasion to have everyone together.

  “Come on, let’s sit down!” Maebh said, gently pulling me to the middle table. Harley and Tripp were already sitting and completely lost in one another. I got tears in my eyes when I saw Tripp’s hand on her stomach while he talked to her.

  “Can you not keep your hands to yourself, Tripp? We’re in public!” Trevor called out, slapping his brother on the back and leaning down to kiss Harley on the cheek.

  Tripp shook Trevor’s hand, then leaned over and gave me a hug and kiss on the cheek.

  “You look beautiful, Scarlett,” he said with a sweet grin. Harley stood and wrapped me in her arms. I couldn’t believe how much bigger she had gotten in the last few weeks.

  “I agree, you look stunning, sweetie!”

  “You look beautiful, Harley!” I said, placing my hand on her swollen belly. “How are you feeling?”

  She laughed. “Tired! I can’t believe how tired I am. I think I’m going to have to bring in another vet earlier than I thought to help me out.”

  “If you need any help, I’d love to help out! Once upon a time I wanted to be a vet.”

  She wore a surprised expression. “Seriously? Why didn’t you?”

  I waved it off. “Long story, but I’d love to come volunteer to help out in any way I can.”

  “I’ll take you up on that, but you’ll be paid.”

  Narrowing my eyes, I shouted, “We’ll talk about it later!”

  She pointed to me. “Deal!”

  Trevor pulled my seat out and I sat down. Glancing around the table, I smiled. The entire Parker clan was now here. Paxton and Steed were at the table next to us. They looked happy to be out on a date night. The way Steed leaned in and whispered every so often in Paxton’s ear was adorable. Especially when she would blush at something he said. Then you had Mitchell and Corina. His arm was around her chair and the way he kept twisting a piece of her hair in his fingers showed how much he wanted to touch her in any way he could. I sighed and kept my gaze moving.

  Cord and Maebh. New love in full blossom. Cord looked at his fiancée like she hung the moon and she did the same. It was a beautiful thing to watch, the two of them. Their hands were locked together on the table as they spoke to one another and then drifted off to other conversations.

  Then there was Wade and Amelia. My goodness, she was glowing and looked positively radiant. Her hands were going every which way as she talked about telling John and Melanie that they were expecting. I laughed at how animated she was. No wonder she was an author; she was an amazing storyteller.

  Jonathon and Waylynn sat as close to each other as possible. They laughed with Amelia, and every now and then, Jonathon would lean over and say something in Waylynn’s ear. The two of them looked like the perfect couple. The happiness that radiated off of them was hard to miss. It was almost as if they had their own little secret that kept them connected.

  “Taking it all in, baby?”

  Trevor’s deep voice pulled my attention away from his sister and brother-in-law and back to him. His cornflower blue eyes stared deeply into my own.

  “You have an amazing family, do you know that?”

  He quickly scanned everyone. “I do know that. They’re your family now, too, babe.”

  I sank my teeth into my lip only to have Trevor reach up and touch my mouth.

  “Stop doing that or I’m going to take you to my brother’s office and fuck you.”

  Gasping, my mouth dropped open. “Trevor!”

  He winked, “What? I can’t help it if you turn me on, Scarlett. Every little damn thing you do makes me want to sink my…”

  Reaching my hand around his neck, I pulled his mouth to mine and kissed him before saying against his lips, “Stop talking like that in public before I take you up on that offer!”

  He laughed and twirled one of the curls framing my face. I swore his eyes looked like they were twinkling.

  He leaned his forehead against mine and said, “I love you, baby.” Then he placed his hand on my stomach. “I love both of you.”

  I was lost to this man. Everything seemed to drift away, and it felt like it was only the two of us.

  The band stopped playing and I heard Cord talking. Drawing back, I turned to face the stage that was set up toward the back of the bar.

  “It’s been awhile since we had this guy on stage, but he’s been asked to sing a special song tonight. I’ll let him jump on up here and tell y’all about it.”

  The crowd started to clap as Wade jumped up on the stage. I peeked over at Amelia. She was clapping like crazy and screaming out her husband’s name.

  “Hey, y’all. So, Cord’s right, I haven’t been up here to sing in a while. I’ve had a lot going on in my world. I got married to the most beautiful woman in Oak Springs, Mrs. Amelia Adams.”

  The crowd went wild as Amelia screamed out, “I love you, Wade!”

  I couldn’t help but laugh, along with the rest of the Parker clan. Trevor placed his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer to his side.

  “Hold on, I’ve got even better news. We’re expecting out first baby this April!”

  More cheers erupted as Amelia blushed then blew a kiss to Wade.

  “You’re probably thinking I’m up here to sing a song to my beautiful wife, but someone else very close to me asked me if I would sing a certain song for him and dedicate it to the woman he loved.”

  I glanced around the bar and then around the table, wondering who had asked Wade to get up and sing.

  “There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for this guy. He’s my best friend and has been by my side through thick and thin, so when he called me today and asked if I could sing this song with the band tonight, I didn’t hesitate to say yes.”

  Swallowing hard, I looked at Trevor. He was staring straight ahead at Wade, a wide grin on his face. His thumb moved softly across the exposed skin on my shoulder, causing my entire body to shiver.

  “I called Mike, the lead singer, asked him if he thought we could pull this song off and his response was, ‘Hell yes.’ So after a few hours of being up here practicing, we’re going to attempt to cover this one.”

  The crowd cheered again, clapping and letting out whistles and hollers.

  “Trevor?” I asked, squeezing his hand that was holding mine.

  He faced me and winked. Standing, he pulled me up.

  “Dance with me, Scarlett?”

  I was suddenly hit with déjà vu. A feeling from so m
any years ago came rushing back all over again. It was the first time Trevor Parker had kissed me and stolen my heart. The moment I fell in love with him, and I felt like I was hitting the lottery and getting to experience it for the first time all over again.

  “Trevor,” I whispered, my chin trembling and my throat burning as I attempted to hold back my tears.

  He led me through the crowd to the dance floor which had opened up, leaving a space for the two of us. I didn’t even care that all eyes were on us.

  Wade strummed his guitar and said, “This song is dedicated to Scarlett from Trevor.”

  Trevor gently took me in his arms and held my body against his. Pressing his mouth to my ear, he said, “I couldn’t even begin to say how I feel about you better than the words of this song.”

  When the music started, I lost my battle. Tears instantly steamed down my face the moment I recognized the song.

  Trevor pulled me against him as we danced. Wade and the band were doing a cover of Daughtry’s “Deep End.” I listened to every single word while the man I loved held me close to his body.

  Trevor’s hand came up and cupped my neck, causing me to look up at him. When he sang the chorus with Wade, my body shook with sobs. He used his thumbs to wipe away my tears, kissed me on the forehead, and took me back into his arms. It felt like we were the only two people in the room, in the entire world. My gaze locked with his while we moved to the song.

  This man didn’t even have to say a word because I saw everything in his beautiful blue eyes. And I knew that whatever our future held, as long as Trevor was next to me, I could do anything.

  Lost in the words and music, I held onto Trevor like my life depended on it. Hearing him sing the words along with Wade made my chest tighten in the most amazing way. This love was a powerful, amazing, once-in-a-lifetime thing.

  When I glanced back up at him, I knew I wanted everything with this man. That meant giving him one hundred percent of myself.

  When the song was coming to an end, Trevor stopped swaying, cupped my face in his hands and smiled at me with the most stunning smile I’d ever seen on his handsome face.

  “I love you, Scarlett Littlefield. Will you please do me the honor of moving in with me? Let me take care of you and the baby?”