by Gina Watson
Soft velvet enrobed her skin and she hummed as he tucked a blanket around her.
When she woke morning light filtered through the windows of the boat. As she sat up reality slowly crept into her consciousness. Shit! Last night she’d completed an item from her checklist. The man … what was his name? … Peter … no … Parker was amazing. Coffee fumes filled her nostrils and her head turned in the direction of the enticing smell.
Her jaw dropped at the sight of Parker without a shirt and in nothing but the tight designer jeans he’d worn last night. Thick, tight sinewy muscles coursed up his arms, across his expansive chest, and down into the V of his defined abdominals. She closed her mouth and swallowed using the back of her hand to wipe the drool that had escaped. How humiliating.
He chuckled. “Do you drink coffee?”
“Oh … yeah … I love it.”
Sputtering sounds announced a full pot of coffee awaited and Parker turned his attention away from her. She was glad because it allowed her time to dig in the couch for her shirt. She righted her skirt and slipped on her panties. Wow, this scenario gave new meaning to the phrase walk of shame. She slid on her sandals. As she started folding the blanket Parker arrived with the coffee. She took a break and sipped the warm, tantalizing liquid. They exchanged no words as they drank. Parker seemed too comfortable in her presence given their night of debauchery. His eyes scanned her from head to toe and she felt her face and chest heat. She looked away from him and drained her mug. She needed to call her sister and hoped her phone was in her car. Not happy with her decision to leave the bar with Parker, Maura would have worn a hole in the carpet by now.
She stood and completed the task of folding the blanket. She held it out to him. “Thanks for letting me sleep here last night.”
He took the blanket and then lifted her arm, turning the inside toward his gaze. Worry lines furrowed as he took in the sight of her veins that had been abused. Intense eye contact followed and his mouth gaped, full of questions he’d never ask. He probably thought she was an avid drug user and she preferred that rather than the truth. She pulled her arm away turning the bruises from his intense stare.
Outside somebody was whistling. She could hear footsteps as someone climbed down the stairs and then shadows prevented her ability to focus on the body descending into the boat cabin.
“Bailey?”
Julian. The nice guy she’d met at the pub a few weeks ago. They’d been to dinner and a movie together, though she couldn’t remember the name of it. This was beyond embarrassing. She looked down at her toes, “Hey Julian.”
Walk of shame indeed.
“Your name is Bailey?” Her eyes grew large as she turned toward Parker.
“Yeah fucktard, her name is Bailey.” Julian shot daggers at Parker.
“Yeah. Um, I better go. See you around.” She couldn’t get out of there fast enough and stumbled at the stairs.
Parker caught her bare upper arm. “Easy.”
She saw her sweater on the floor in front of the couch. “My sweater.” She snatched it up and tried the stairs again this time making it out to the upper deck with no problem. She walked down the pier to her car and sank down behind the wheel.
As embarrassed as she was, she wouldn’t trade her night with Parker for anything in the world. He’d treated her like a desired possession and she’d desperately needed to feel desired again.
DAMAGED
Fall 2014
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Gina Watson is author of St. Martin Family Saga. She lives in Texas where she leads a double life: university instructor by day, romance writer by night. She loves to be contacted by readers to discuss all things erotic romance.
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THE SAGA CONTINUES IN:
St. Martin Family Saga
Emergency Responders Trilogy
Sizzle
Seize
Surge
LINKS TO MY OTHER BOOKS:
Where it all began:
St. Martin Family Saga
Whiskey Cove Series
SCORE
SHAMELESS
SHATTER
SUITED
SMOLDER
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Epilogue
Damaged Excerpt
About the Author
The Saga Continues
Links to my other books