She bit the inside of her cheek. “We’re currently renovating. We’ll take people who are stuck, like Parker when he showed up, because we wouldn’t turn anyone away.” She didn’t mention that she’d done just that to his brother on his arrival, afraid of everything he’d seemed to represent.
“I see. Did my brother look like a perfect target to take advantage of?”
She’d just reached the refrigerator and had been about to pull out a bottle of cold water. “I’m sorry, what?”
“I asked if you took one look at my brother, spotted wealth, and immediately sunk your hooks into him?”
The blood drained from her head and she grew dizzy as she forced herself to meet Parker’s brother’s gaze. The man thought she was a gold digger, and she had to admit, given all Parker had done for her, things didn’t look good.
“Jesus Christ, Ethan. Shut your fucking mouth or I’ll shut it for you,” Parker snapped, startling Emily with his sudden presence. “Now apologize to Emily before I have to do something to my older brother that we’ll both later regret.”
“Parker, I didn’t hear you come in. Your brother’s here,” she said for no good reason when it was obvious. “Don’t fight with him over me. He’s your family.”
The sad thing was, as the protective father figure in the family, she couldn’t blame him for looking down his nose at Emily considering the amount her family had taken from Parker. And no matter what Ethan thought or felt about it now, she couldn’t stop the money transfer and land purchase. It was done and she’d pay Parker back as planned.
Parker strode over and slid his arm around her waist, pulling her to his side. “Emily, don’t listen to him. He doesn’t know anything except the conclusions he’s drawn with very little information and even less common sense.” He sounded pissed at his sibling.
But Emily wasn’t going to allow it. “I can’t say he’s all wrong about those conclusions. It looks bad, doesn’t it?” She shook her head sadly, never having anticipated meeting Parker’s family, or the brother he adored hating her on sight.
It hurt, she admitted, her stomach in knots. Even if they didn’t have a future, she’d have wanted to make a good impression on the man Parker obviously loved and idolized for all he’d done for the family. The last thing she wanted to do was come between siblings.
“So this is the way it is? You two are together.” Ethan’s gaze encompassed how Parker had protectively drawn her against him.
She wriggled out of his grasp. “I’ll leave you two alone,” she said. Wrapping her arms around herself, she walked out of the kitchen, head held high.
All she’d done, she reminded herself, was borrow money from a wealthy man who’d offered it freely and willingly. She hadn’t asked. And she was sure Parker would set his brother straight. But it didn’t negate the bad taste in her mouth over the encounter that only served to remind her that not only did she and Parker live on opposite sides of the country, they came from two very different worlds.
Chapter Nine
Parker watched Emily go, her shoulders back, holding on to the pride that Ethan had tried to strip from her. “You asshole. Where do you get off showing up here and talking to the woman I love that way?” Parker shouted at his brother.
Probably for the first time ever.
His family didn’t call Parker Switzerland for no reason. He kept to himself, didn’t take sides and remained neutral, and was usually mellow. Now Ethan knew what it took for him to explode.
“Well?” he asked when Ethan didn’t answer immediately.
“Well what?” Ethan shot back. “Our lawyer mentions you’re buying commercial property in Colorado, the financial guys send over statements showing huge transfers of funds, what the fuck am I supposed to think?”
Muscles tensed in Parker’s shoulders. “That I know what I’m doing, for one thing. And so much for attorney-client privilege,” he muttered under his breath. “Look, Ethan, I’m telling you and not for the first time that I’m an adult. I know how to run my life. You need to mind your own damned business.”
Ethan braced his hands on the counter, ignoring the wallpaper books open everywhere. “Are you telling me that you’re not giving out money like it’s candy to this woman and her family? Just like you’re doing with Rina’s parents?”
Parker scrubbed a hand over his face and groaned. “That’s not fair. They’re two completely different situations, and if you’d pull your head out of your grieving ass and pay attention to what I’m saying, maybe you’d understand instead of jumping to conclusions.”
Sliding out a chair, Ethan sat down and faced Parker. “I’m listening.”
Parker drew a deep breath and decided to meet his brother halfway. “I admit that I paid the Londons out of sheer guilt that I lived and their daughter didn’t. I can even, with time away, say it’s been a mistake and I will handle it and it’ll end. But what I’m doing here in Colorado is different.”
“How? You showed up, met people in need, next thing you know you’re fixing the problem.”
Parker shook his head. “It’s a hell of a lot more complicated than that.”
Ethan met his gaze and said, with a shake of his head, “Right. You fell in love.”
“You know what?” Parker rose from his seat. “You’re being a prick. Maybe Mandy betrayed you, cheated on you, and stole from the company, but not every woman is like her and I’ll be damned if I’ll let you paint Emily with the same brush. I’m sorry you came all this way but you can just turn around and take your ass and shitty attitude back home.”
Ethan reached out a hand. “Come on, Parker. You know I’m just looking out for you.”
No, he was butting in as usual. “I have nothing more to say to you.” He stormed out of the kitchen and headed upstairs to find Emily, hoping he could undo some of the damage his brother had done.
* * *
Emily sat on her bed and attempted slow-breathing exercises to calm herself down. She was beyond hurt and insulted that Parker’s brother treated her the way that he had. The man didn’t know her at all. Although, she could see how, on paper, it looked like she was taking advantage of his brother. She’d been concerned about doing that from the beginning. Still, she and Parker had been nothing but honest about her feelings regarding borrowing his money. And that’s what she and her father were doing. Borrowing. They had the paperwork to prove it.
She sighed, leaning back against the pillows, hating how she could hear the raised voices coming from downstairs. Parker shouldn’t be arguing with his sibling over her. She knew how much he loved Ethan, how Ethan was like the father he should have had, and she didn’t want to come between them.
A knock sounded on the door, coinciding with silence from the main floor. She opened the door to Parker.
“My brother’s an asshole,” he said without preamble.
She sighed. “He’s got a point, though, doesn’t he? You’re shelling out money to us like we’re a charity case.”
Anger flared in his eyes. “I’m lending money. There’s a difference. And I’m investing in real estate, which is a smart thing to do. All of which are decisions I’m free to make without my brother’s approval, I might add.”
Leaning against the door, she met his gaze.
“Can I come in? I want to explain a few things to you, which might help you to understand why Ethan jumped to the conclusions he did. Nothing will make what he said to you acceptable, but there are some things you should know.”
She stepped aside so he could enter. With nowhere else to sit, they settled on the bed facing each other.
“Ethan is jaded to say the least.” Parker met her gaze as he spoke. “His wife died eight months ago. After that he found out she was cheating on him and stealing from our company. He’s obviously distrusting of everyone and everything right now.”
“Particularly women,” Emily said, understanding a little more where the man had been coming from. She even felt bad for him, losing his wife and being blindsided by information that ha
d to have been devastating.
Parker placed his hand on hers. “It doesn’t make it right how he spoke to you. It’s my life. He’s not my parent, and even if he was, I’m an adult. It’s all so fucked up,” he muttered.
Emily managed a smile despite the lingering hurt along with the fact that, despite his reasons, Ethan’s words had hit home.
“There’s one more reason he came to the conclusion he did.” Parker drew a deep breath and Emily sensed whatever he was about to say held more sway than Ethan’s own personal issues.
“I’m listening.”
He glanced down at their intertwined hands. “I told you that Rina died. What I didn’t tell you was that, not long after, her parents came to me asking for money. They listed all these things they needed the funds for and I was so wrapped up in grief and guilt for living when she didn’t, I paid them.”
Emily narrowed her gaze. “Okay?” She knew something was missing in the story, a connection that would make her understand more.
“It became excessive. Year after year. I tried to say no but they’d cry about how much they missed their daughter, about all the things she’d never be able to do and the debt they’d accrued. Medical bills, her student loans.”
He didn’t look at her then and she remained silent, giving him the time to tell the story in his own way. She wasn’t sure what to feel about these people who’d suffered the ultimate loss, but she felt for Parker, who felt so guilty.
He stared at the flowered comforter on her bed and finally spoke again. “Right before I came on this trip, Ethan found out and did some digging. Turns out they were using the money to fund a complete life of luxury on my dime. He told me they were playing on guilt I had no business feeling. It wasn’t like I caused the car accident that killed their daughter.” He swallowed hard. “I was furious with him for looking into my life – and told him to mind his own fucking business. Clearly the man doesn’t listen.”
Emily smiled. “Because he loves you and worries about you. The way he expresses it is the issue.” She grew more serious. “But he’s right, you know. You don’t owe them. They’re taking advantage of your grief and guilt.” She placed a hand on his shoulder and he covered it with his own.
“I do understand that now. Time away, here with you, has done wonders for my outlook on life. But I can tell you for certain what I’m doing for you and your father? It’s not the same thing. I’m finding things that I enjoy here. I’m finding myself again.”
She tipped her head to the side. “I’m glad I can give you that. And I’m grateful for all you’ve done for us. But … though your brother’s way of expressing himself leaves something to be desired, I can understand why he’s wary of me. And why he thinks I’m using you for your money.”
He whipped his head around to face her. “You didn’t know I had money. And after you did, you hid the fact that you tried to get a loan. Don’t let Ethan’s attitude rub off on you.”
She frowned, knowing it wouldn’t be easy to get those comments out of her head. “I’ll try,” she promised for Parker’s sake. “But you can’t be mad at your brother for wanting what’s best for you.”
Even if he didn’t think she was it.
Not that it mattered. His life, his family, everything was back in New York. If he stayed here much longer, it would only be harder to say goodbye.
“Parker,” she said softly. “I think it’s time for you to go home with your brother.” She wasn’t sure what he was doing here any longer anyway.
The inn renovations were well underway, her father in charge and handling it way more than she ever thought he could. Emily and Harper could deal with their own business, and he could approve plans long distance. All something she thought Ethan, when he got over his accusations, would point out as well.
Parker placed a hand under her chin and tipped her head to face him. “I’m not ready.”
“We’ll never be ready,” she said, throwing herself in there, too, because it was true. She didn’t want him to leave but that didn’t mean it wasn’t the right time.
She found herself under him, his lips hard on hers.
“Isn’t your brother downstairs?” she managed to ask.
“I told him to leave. I’m hoping he listened. Either way, I don’t much care.”
She wasn’t about to argue, knowing that this might be her last time with him. She sealed her lips over his, sliding her fingers through his hair and holding him against her. Fast and frenzied, his hips ground against hers, his thick cock arousing her beyond belief.
“Clothes,” he muttered, rolling off her. He yanked his sweater over his head, then stood to pull off his jeans and the rest of his clothing.
She loved looking at his bare chest, the muscles from working out and the light sprinkling of hair there. Tearing her gaze away, she eased her own shirt up and off, unhooked her bra, and shimmied out of the straps, tossing the garment onto the floor. Her leggings came next, and she hooked her fingers into her panties, stripping everything off with them. She glanced up to find him tossing his socks onto the floor at the same time she was pulling off her own.
She grinned as he came back down on top of her, his big, hard body covering hers. Closing her eyes, she let herself soak up everything that was Parker. His masculine scent, the feel of his skin, the heat of his body, all things that she might never get to experience again.
He rocked his hips against her, the heat and hardness of his erection pressing intimately against her, and she moaned, her body surprisingly close to an orgasm.
He levered himself up and poised his erection at her entrance. She anticipated him taking her hard and fast, not the slow way he entered her, ensuring she felt the long, luxurious stroke, and that’s how he continued. Touching her with his hands, caressing her skin as he made slow, passionate love to her, shocking her.
Rocking her to her core.
She wished he’d rush, take her out of her head, not give her time to think through how good he felt, how he owned her body, how she’d never love anyone like this again. But apparently he wanted to torture them both, because he did all those things with his warm blue gaze locked on hers. Forcing her to face him and take in his beloved features.
She could feel it with every rocking motion of his hips and the sad look in his eyes.
This was goodbye.
* * *
Leaving Emily in bed, since she didn’t want to experience Ethan again and he didn’t blame her, Parker headed downstairs, refusing to think about what had transpired between them. He’d have plenty of time for that when he was back in New York. He’d heard her words loud and clear, and though neither of them wanted him to leave, she was right. He was prolonging the inevitable, making their parting more painful with every precious minute they spent together.
He told himself there was text, phone, and FaceTime. That he could come visit her and vice versa. But it wouldn’t be the same. And eventually it would fade. Wasn’t that the way of things?
His heart slammed in his chest at the possibility of losing her for good. He didn’t want to go, but other than the woman he loved and a piece of commercial property he didn’t need to be here to own, what did he have here?
No job, no way to make a living, and he wasn’t the type to do nothing for the rest of his life. He might not love his job with Knight Time Industries, but at least he had a place to park his ass every day and a way to make money. He didn’t need the income but he sure as hell had pride and he would earn what he lived on.
He walked through the downstairs hall to the kitchen.
Although Parker had told his brother to leave, he had a hunch the bastard would be waiting for him. And sure enough, not only was Ethan still in the kitchen, he was talking to James, laughing at something the man said.
Narrowing his gaze, Parker stepped into the room. “Well, someone’s suddenly in a good mood.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Ethan said. “But James has a decent sense of humor.” He paused. “Also he was
telling me his plans for this place and how he wants to fulfill his wife’s legacy.”
A glance at James and Parker looked back to Ethan. “And suddenly you believe in true love and you’re on board?”
Ignoring his snarky comment, Ethan went on. “Then he told me Emily’s plans for expanding the coffee shop her friend owns.”
Parker remained silent because Ethan didn’t deserve more.
“He also expounded on how grateful he is and how he and Emily insisted on formal legal contracts and agreements to pay you back.”
James remained silent, letting the brothers hash things out.
Still not satisfied because he didn’t owe Ethan an explanation for who he gave money to or under what circumstances, he folded his arms across his chest as if to say, And?
“And I jumped to conclusions,” he said, an apologetic, wry expression settling on his lips, which was something, coming from Ethan. “Can we speak privately?”
It wasn’t enough. He’d ripped into Emily without even knowing her.
“I’ll apologize to her,” Ethan added, his tone sincere, as he pretty much read Parker’s mind.
And dammit, this was why it was hard to stay mad at his brother. “Fine. Let’s take this into the family room. James, do you mind?”
“Have at it, boys.” Parker sensed he wouldn’t be so nice if he knew how Ethan had spoken to his daughter.
Ethan followed him into the big room and sat down on the chair, leaving the sofa for his brother. “I fucked up,” Ethan said, both hands in the air. “Plain and simple. They seem like a good, solid family.”
“They are.”
“And my own situation may have colored my judgment.”
Parker cocked an eyebrow. “May have?”
“Did.”
“You can’t stay this angry. It isn’t healthy.”
Ethan pushed himself to a standing position and began to pace. “Yeah, well, you tell yourself that after your wife fucks a drug dealer and steals from your company to fund her habit.”
Parker winced, glancing over at James, glad to see the other man had disappeared, probably gone to his room.
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