Each time we were there, I caught myself looking around for Parker while I played with the kids. I couldn't tell you why, but I felt a tiny bit of disappointed when I didn't see him. There was no reason for it. The man was a jerk. Maybe that was it. I seemed to attract real winners. Maybe he was just another one of those.
“Come on,” Sammie yelled out, as she threw the ball and it flew right by me. “What are you looking for?”
I'd even started playing catch with her by the end of that second week. She said I was getting better, but I was pretty sure she was just being nice. For some reason, I found myself wanting to improve. I'd never liked playing the game. I wasn't even a huge fan of watching it, but I wanted to be able to throw the damn ball better the next time that punk got snotty with me. Would there be a next time, I wondered? I wanted to ask Sammie if he was there often, but I didn't want her to know that I even cared. I didn't really. I didn't care. I just wanted to be ready. I didn't want him to have any reason to make fun of me. He was such an ass.
The kids loved being there. They asked every single day when we'd be going again. I enjoyed watching them. Throwing the ball to them and watching the pride they felt when they hit it with the bat made me smile. That wasn't something I'd been doing lately, and it made me feel good that we were all smiling together.
Thanksgiving was coming, so Sammie had decided to drag me there again that Tuesday with her. We'd gone through the normal routine. Lauren was there, and I spent some time throwing the ball around with her as well. We'd all had a good time. On the way out the door, I turned to the right and ran right into a sexy, hard chest that had a t-shirt being pulled down over it.
“Sorry,” I said, as both of my hands landed on the bare chest to steady myself.
“Parker,” Sammie barked out, and I instantly pulled my hands back.
“I know,” he said. “Shirt will be on before I get through the door. I was running late.”
Cassie, Lauren, and the kids walked toward the car, but I was still standing there, frozen in place.
“Hey there, princess,” I heard and my eyes moved up to meet his.
“Parker,” I said, trying to get the word out so he couldn't tell I was losing it from the feeling his skin left on my hands.
When my eyes moved down to his lips, I couldn't help but think about my dream and that damn kiss. I almost wanted to grab him around the neck and cover his lips with mine just to prove that he really wasn't all that, but I couldn't. I was married, and no matter how pissed I was at Jeff, that would be wrong. Not to mention what Sammie would think of me if she saw something like that.
“What are you thinking about, princess?” Parker asked with a smile on his face.
His tongue came out and slid slowly across his lips from one corner of his mouth to the other. My eyes followed his damn tongue before I could stop them.
“Princess,” he said.
I shook my head for a second before looking back at his eyes.
“Uh,” I tried to speak, but my mind was a mess. “Nothing. I was thinking about nothing.”
“You sure about that?” he asked with a grin. “It doesn't look that way to me.”
“Oh yeah,” I said with sarcasm filling my tone. “What does it look like?”
The man was getting under my skin. He had a cocky look on his face as his eyes traveled down to my feet and back up, all the way to my eyes.
“You don't want to know what it looks like, princess,” he said with a wink.
“You are so full of shit,” I snapped.
“Me?” he asked innocently before lowering his voice. “I'm not the one standing there looking as if they're about to eat me for dinner. That would be all you.”
“Me?” I asked just as innocently. “I wouldn't eat you if you were the last man on Earth.”
“Oh, I bet you'd do more than eat me, princess,” he said with a smile. “I bet you'd suck it real.”
“You coming, Cassie,” Sammie yelled across the lot from her van, cutting off Parker's words.
I wasn't sure if I wanted to hug her for stopping him or kick her ass for the very same thing.
“Yeah, Cassie,” Parker said. “You coming?”
“Not even close. You are such an ass,” I snapped, as I turned around and began walking toward the van.
“I like your ass too,” he said with a laugh. “See you next time, princess.”
Lauren was standing next to the van when I got there. She said goodbye to Sammie and then turned to me.
“That looked like a fun conversation,” she whispered.
“Not at all,” I said. “That guy is a jerk.”
“No,” she said. “Not at all. He's actually a pretty great guy.”
“Are you sure we're talking about the same one?” I asked.
Lauren let out a laugh, and I couldn't stop my own laugh from coming out too.
“I'll see you later,” she said, as she got into her own car.
Thursday morning, Sammie was up early. I walked down the stairs and found her packing bags and getting her two kids ready.
“Thank you so much,” I said. “I know I'm a pain in the ass, Sammie. Please know how much I appreciate you and James and what you're doing for me and the kids.”
“You have to tell them,” she said.
“I know,” I said. “I will. I just need to make some decisions first.”
She shook her head and continued packing as she spoke.
“I'm still not sure what it is you need to decide, but okay.”
My parents had called James a week earlier and let him know that they were coming to Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving. They were bringing grandma too. I begged and pleaded with my brother. They couldn't come. There was no way I wanted them to find out about Jeff yet. They'd just complicate things more. Part of it was pride. I wasn't ready for them to know what a failure I was. I'd given up my family, and it was because of him and my life with him.
After getting Lance, Lucy, Lancie, Lauren, James, and Sammie together and talking to them, they all agreed to go to Michigan instead. I knew I was going to owe every single one of them for what they were doing. Not only were they all leaving their homes for the holiday, but two of them were pregnant. What was even worse was that I was asking all of them to keep me being in Pennsylvania quiet, keep secrets from their family, friends, and grandma. That was a huge thing, and they were doing it for me, someone who'd walked away from all of them.
“Thank you, Sammie,” I said.
Once they were all in the car and on their way, I walked over to the couch and sat down. I was alone, well almost alone.
“Mommy,” I heard Jenny say as she came down the stairs.
“Hey, Jenny,” I said. “Good morning.”
“Will you watch a cartoon with me?” she asked.
“Sure,” I said, happy that she'd have something to do that would make her happy and keep her busy.
Sammie, James, and everyone else wouldn't be back until the next day. They were staying the night in Michigan before coming back. Grandma wanted them to stay longer, but James told her he had to get back for a work thing. I knew how hard that was for him. She was his favorite person aside from Sammie and the kids. I definitely would be making it up to him for sure. Anyway, they were going to be gone for more than a whole day, and I was alone with the kids, my kids. That was a ridiculous thought, but I'd never once spent an entire day with the kids alone. I could do it, no problem. They were my babies, and I was going to be right there with them.
By four o'clock in the afternoon, the house looked like a cyclone had hit it. Not a single part of that was a joke either. The kids had toys spread all around the living room. There were still dishes in the sink from our lunch, and they were both getting hungry. I thought about Sammie and the rest of my family sitting down around a huge table with Thanksgiving dinner before them. My kids were missing out.
“We're going out to eat,” I said, as I hurried up the stairs and got ready.
While I was ge
tting Jenny ready, Jeff was running around the house laughing and yelling out something silly. Once Jenny's shoes were finally on, I began getting Jeff ready. He sat down quietly on the couch right next to his sister when he was done. I got Jake dressed and ready, and when I walked back into the living room, they were both on the floor with toys all around them again. By the time I got the three of them into my Escalade and got into my seat, I was exhausted. I sat with my head back and my eyes closed, and before I knew it, I was actually falling asleep.
“Where we going?” Jenny asked.
I opened my eyes, and all I wanted to do was go back into the house and take a nap.
We made it through dinner at a small restaurant. The place was a mess when we were done, and I couldn't believe I'd actually done it, but my kids had had Thanksgiving dinner. It was a win for me. I left the waitress the biggest tip I could for what she'd had to deal with, but I hadn't had a lot of cash, only what James had left with me.
On the way out to my vehicle, with the baby in my arms and the other two by my side, I felt a strange feeling and felt my body shiver. I got to the door and fumbled around to get my keys out of my purse when they fell to the ground. Both Jenny and Jeff were playing around, so I bent down to get them. The baby bag came up my back and smacked me in the back of the head. I felt the tears stinging my eyes, but I was trying hard to fight them.
“Let me get those before you knock yourself out,” I heard a familiar voice along with a laugh.
Then I felt the bag lighten as it was lifted from the back of my head. When I stood up, I felt a few tears hit both cheeks, but before I could stop them, his hands came out of nowhere and wiped them away.
“You okay, princess?” he asked.
It took all I had not to burst into tears right there. For just a second, I felt like he really wanted to know. It had been so long since a man that wasn't in my family actually cared enough to ask. Then I realized he didn't really want to know. He was just being nice.
“I'm fine,” I said, as I moved to take my keys from his hand.
The second my skin touched his, I felt a spark, almost like you would if you shocked someone, and I pulled my hand back fast. The keys fell to the ground again, and I let out a huff.
“Okay,” he said with a smile. “I'm going to get them again. Then I'm going to open the door. You obviously shouldn't be touching them.”
“Very funny,” I said, as I shifted Jake in my arms.
Once the door was unlocked, he opened it, and the kids got in.
“Do they need help?” he asked, as he motioned toward Jenny and Jeff.
“He does,” I said. “She'll get her own.”
He leaned in and buckled Jeff's belt. Then he took a step back and motioned for me to put Jake into his seat.
“Thank you, Parker,” I said, as soon as I was done getting Jake situated. “This is much harder than I thought.”
“Getting your kids in the car?” he asked with a confused look.
“Taking them out for dinner alone,” I said, feeling pretty bad that I hadn't done a great job of it.
“They seem happy,” he said, motioning to them again before closing the door. “What are you doing here? Why aren't you with Sammie, James, and the rest of the crew? I thought they went to see your parents?”
“They did,” I said.
“But,” he said, waiting for me to continue.
“I couldn't go,” I said with a shrug. “I have some things going on. It's complicated.”
“I see,” he said. “It's cold out. You should probably get in.”
“Right,” I said with a grin. “I wasn't thinking.”
He reached around me, and my breath caught, as he opened my door for me.
“I better go in and grab my food,” he said.
“Yes,” I said, as I got in. “I'm sure you have someone waiting for you.”
“Nope,” he said, as he grabbed my door to close it. “It's just me.”
He closed the door, and I quickly rolled my window down.
“What about your family?” I asked.
“I'm not originally from here,” he said, as he stepped closer. “My parents live in California.”
“So you don't have any family here?” I asked.
“I have kids,” he said, as he looked by me toward my kids. “As you would say, it's complicated.”
He reached in and tucked a piece of my hair that had fallen forward back behind my ear.
“Oh,” I said.
He stepped back and began to walk away. Then he stopped and turned toward me.
“Where's your husband, Cassie?” he asked in a serious tone.
“In Michigan,” I answered before putting my vehicle in drive. “My parents don't actually know I'm here either. I guess I'll see you later. Have a good night.”
I pulled away before he could say anything. The things that man made me feel just from talking to him, arguing with him, or having him brush a tiny bit of hair from my face were things I'd never felt before. It didn't make any sense. I loved Jeff, and I'd been with him for years. How could a total stranger send feelings through me that Jeff never had? It wasn't right.
I got the kids in bed, locked up the house, and fell onto my own bed feeling completely drained. The house could wait until morning. I'd get up early and get it back in shape before Sammie got back to see it, I thought, as I set the alarm on my phone.
The second my eyes closed, I was gone.
“This is how you swing, princess,” he whispered into my ear before shifting against me as he led my arms with his hands on mine.
I could feel his hard cock against my lower back as he pushed against me.
“Parker,” I whispered, as I looked back over my shoulder at him.
The bat dropped from our hands. There was nobody around us, and we were out in the grass in an empty field. The bat bounced around my feet just as his hand grabbed the back of my neck and held me still, facing him.
“Yes,” he said, as he leaned forward and pulled my bottom lip between his teeth.
When he pulled my lip down, he thrust his tongue into my mouth and took control. The whimper escaped me just as my knees began to shake. Without even thinking, I turned in his arms, and my hands held his arms to steady myself. With his hand still around the back of my neck, he pulled me close and deepened the kiss. When I pulled away so I could catch my breath, he looked down at me.
“Fuck,” he whispered.
Then his grip tightened and he took my mouth with his again. It wasn't just a kiss though. It was something else entirely. My hands moved up his arms to his shoulders, along the back of his neck, and then dove into his hair and gripped it. When I tugged, he let out a hiss before biting my lip with his teeth and pulling. The scrape of his teeth had me moaning and pulling his hair even harder. His hand wrapped around my hair and jerked so I was looking up at him.
“Enough, princess,” he snapped. “If you don't knock that shit off, you're going to be on your back with my cock buried balls deep inside of you.”
I sucked my bottom lip between my own teeth, and my eyes widened at his words. The blush that covered my cheeks was growing by the second. His finger came up and pulled my lip from my mouth, but he didn't speak. When he pulled me closer, I could feel his hardness against me. The hum that left my lips had him closing his eyes and sucking in a deep breath.
“You drive me crazy, Woman,” he mumbled. “It's taking all I have to not rip your clothes from that sexy body and fuck you so damn hard.”
“Would that really be so bad?” I whispered.
“Fuck,” he hissed, as he covered my mouth with his again.
His hands were on my hips in seconds. They began sliding up my shirt, and I shivered when his fingers slid up my bare stomach. They didn't stop. He slid them up, along with my shirt, until my arms were in the air, pulling away from the kiss only long enough for my shirt to pass. Once it was gone, he unhooked my bra and let it fall from my arms. I couldn't wait, I needed to touch the nak
ed chest that had looked so damn good just days before, so I grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it up and over his head, standing on the tips of my toes to do it. My fingers moved slowly over his chest and down to his muscular, sexy abs. When I got to the top of his jeans, with the tips of my fingers at the button, he pulled his mouth from mine again. I could feel how swollen my lips were and couldn't help but miss the connection.
“You better think about this, princess,” he said. “It's your move to make, but if you make it, I'm going to fuck you. There will be no turning back.”
I took the button between my fingers and slid it through the hole. Then I slowly pulled his zipper down. He stood still, with his eyes on mine the entire time. I slid my hand beneath the fabric and felt my body shiver when my hand moved across his naked, hard shaft.
“Parker,” I moaned.
A sexy smile crossed his face, as his eyes flashed with something. I felt wanted, desired. Then suddenly, I felt nervous, and my eyes closed.
“Cassie,” he said in a tone that sounded so caring. “You okay?”
His hand came up under my chin and held me there.
“Open your eyes,” he said softly.
How could the same man that instantly got under my skin be the same man that made me want to melt into him, I wondered? In that moment, I felt safe. I felt like I mattered. I took a deep breath in and opened my eyes. His other hand moved down to my lower back and held me there.
“It's okay,” he said. “We should stop.”
“No,” I snapped out before lowering my voice. “I don't want to stop.”
“You want to do this?” he asked.
“I want to do this,” I said without hiding my feelings. “It's just that I haven't, you know, done this since I had the baby.”
“Shit,” he mumbled. “Are you sure you want me to be.”
My hands went up and dove into his hair, as I cut him off.
“I'm sure,” I said, as I got on my toes to get closer to his face. “There's something about you. I've never been driven so crazy by someone from the moment I met them. You irritate me so damn much, but at the same time, you make me feel so many things. I want you, Parker. I can't remember ever wanting someone so much. That's what scares me. I want to feel you deep inside me. Please!”
Out of My League: Complete Box Set Page 6