by Candis Terry
After several more rounds of karaoke, including a trashy, horribly sung version of Miranda Lambert’s “Little Red Wagon” by Brooke, it was Gabi’s turn at the microphone. She didn’t want to be a party pooper when these ladies had been kind enough to include her in their celebration. So she tossed down another Fireball shooter for courage. Then, surrounded by her boozed-up and blitzed-out entourage, she took her place on the stage. Not much of an exhibitionist, as the song began and the words popped up on the monitor, all she could do was throw her inhibitions to the wind and have a good time.
Before he even reached the door of the Mother Lode, Parker heard a heavy drumbeat and a volley of raucous catcalls coming from inside.
When he flung open the door, the first thing he noticed was that his good friend Deputy Alex Harley had his sister Lili cornered over by the bar. Or maybe it was the other way around. One thing was for sure: Lili—teetering a little in her high heels—wasn’t exactly rejecting Alex’s attention. But that wouldn’t stop Parker from giving his friend a little hands off warning.
The second thing Parker noticed was that a majority of the customers in the bar appeared to be the female friends and family from Lucy’s bridal shower. Most of them were gathered in the karaoke area either dancing or bobbing to the music. And most appeared to be well on their way to a morning hangover.
The third thing that grabbed his attention—especially below the belt—was the very sexy, very breathy voice singing the Divinyls’ “I Touch Myself.”
After giving an I’m-watching-you nod to Deputy Alex Harley, he rounded the corner that led into the separate karaoke area. He stopped in his tracks and swallowed hard.
Onstage, Gabriella was singing the sexually suggestive song and playing the seductress like a porn goddess in a short, red dress and black high heels. When she sang the words of the song title she closed her eyes, did a sexy little move, and ran her hands down over her breasts and her curvaceous body.
Parker’s heart pounded hard and wild. His mouth went dry. And his instantaneous erection pressed against his zipper. It was all he could do not to touch himself to ease the ache.
Fuck, the woman was hot.
And the hell if he was going to interrupt her.
He leaned back against a pole, crossed his arms, and watched. Each lusty little oooh she sang made him throb and ache to the point of pain. Toward the end of the song, she settled the fingers of one hand on the side of her face, dipped the fingers of her other hand into the apex of her thighs, and moaned like she was in the throes of an orgasm.
Parker couldn’t take it anymore. He needed that. Needed her.
Thankful for the darkness that camouflaged his hard-on, he made his way toward the stage through the inebriated crowd who waved their alcohol filled glasses like lighters at a concert.
When she finished the song, Gabriella opened her eyes to find him standing right in front of her. She smiled like he was the best thing she’d seen all day. When she said “Parker” in the same sexy, breathy voice she’d been singing with, everything inside of him cracked and crumbled. His need to hold her, to have her, crashed down on him with the realization that not only didn’t he know what to do with her; he didn’t know what to do without her.
He cupped the back of her head in his hand and kissed her Fireball Whisky–flavored lips. Then without a single word, he grabbed her by the waist and tossed her over his shoulder. To the sound of whistles, whoops, catcalls, and her intoxicated giggles, he hauled her out of the bar.
Polite gentleman: 0.
Horny caveman boyfriend: 1.
“What are you doing here?” Gabriella asked through her laughter as Parker hauled her like a sack of potatoes across the parking lot.
“You butt dialed me.”
“I did?”
He opened the door to the passenger side of his SUV and set her in the seat. “I thought you were in trouble and needed me.”
“Oh. As a matter of fact”—she reached up, curled her fingers into the front of his Sherpa lined denim jacket, and pulled his face down to hers—“I do need you.”
“You’re drunk.” He uncurled her fingers from his coat. “Let’s get you home and tucked into bed.”
“I’m not that drunk.” She grabbed the front of his coat again and grinned. “And bed is exactly what I have in mind. But not for sleeping.”
“Your fingers are cold.” He pulled off his jacket and settled it over her shoulders before he got into the driver’s seat and put the SUV in drive. “I’ll turn the heater on so you warm up.”
“I’ve got a better idea.” She leaned across the console, cupped her hand over his hard cock, and squeezed. “How about we just go straight to hot.”
“Babe.” With the control of a saint, he eased her hand to his thigh. “I’ve gotta drive.”
Gabi wondered what part of she wanted him right now was he not understanding. Because that erection he sported beneath his jeans sure got the message loud and clear.
As they drove a few miles in silence, Gabi forced her semi-woozy brain to cooperate and function properly. Yes, she’d been drinking, but she was nowhere near as drunk as he probably thought.
When they seemed to be headed back to the vineyard, the needy tingle in her panties started pointing out all the delicious possibilities.
“Pull in there! Hurry!” She pointed toward a side road that she knew led down into the rows of grapevines on Sunshine Creek property.
“What’s wrong?” He turned his head and studied her through the darkness. “Are you okay?”
“No.” She was horny as hell. “Hurry.”
The SUV bumped along the dirt road until they were completely off the main thoroughfare. Prepared to make her move, she toed off her stilettos and unhooked her seatbelt.
Parker stopped the SUV between the grapevines and turned toward her. “Do you need—”
“You, Parker Kincade. I need you.”
Faster than she’d ever moved in her life, she crawled over the console and onto his lap. She straddled him and her short dress hiked all the way up her thighs. His erection pressed urgently against the crotch of her panties. So no matter what he said or did, Gabi knew he wanted her.
“I need you inside me right now.” She teased the seam of his lips with her tongue while she reached down and unzipped his Levi’s.
“Oh God.” He moaned and dropped his head back as her mouth and tongue zeroed in on the smooth flesh just beneath his beard stubble. “Are you sure about this?”
“I’m sure I want you right now.”
He raised his hands in surrender. “You are so fucking hot.”
“I’m hot for you.” She slipped her hand beneath the warm cotton of his boxer briefs and wrapped her fingers around his hot throbbing erection. She gave him a firm squeeze and smiled when he pushed into her palm.
“And I want you.” She sucked the skin on his neck into her mouth then licked up the side of his throat with a purr. “Right now.”
His cock got the message and jumped in her hand, so she rewarded him with another squeeze. She liked this feeling of power. To know that she completely turned him on and he was hers to do with as she pleased. Sexually anyway.
“Stop.” Suddenly he captured her hands and pulled them away from his body.
Shocked, she sat back and the steering wheel pressed into her back. “What’s wrong? Don’t you want me?”
“Don’t I want you? Baby, I want you so bad I can’t think or see straight right now. What I don’t want is casual.”
Surprised, she peered at him through the darkness. “I hardly think fucking in the driver’s seat of your SUV is casual. But I do think it’s very”—she leaned in and licked up the side of his neck—“exciting.”
“No.” He shook his head. “I mean yes, it’s exciting. But I don’t mean that.”
“Parker?” She readjusted her thighs so they gripped his hips harder and his erection pushed against party central. “I admit I might have had a few whiskey shooters, but I�
��m awfully confused right now.”
“I mean . . . I don’t want a casual relationship anymore.” He released her hands. “I don’t just want fun and no strings. I want all in. I don’t want to just fuck you, Gabriella, I want to make love to you.”
Her heart tripped all over itself trying to keep up with his impassioned words.
“I want a real relationship,” he said, fingers gently caressing the side of her face. “I want to kiss you goodnight and kiss you when I wake up in the morning. I want this to be real and honest between us. Exclusive. No one else for me. No one else for you. I know we haven’t known each other for very long, but I can’t think of anyone but you. I don’t want to be with anyone but you. Tonight, when I thought you might be in trouble, it killed me to think you might be hurt. I can’t imagine being without you.”
“Really?” Butterflies that hadn’t dipped into the whiskey in her belly rose up and fluttered through her heart.
“Yes. Really. But fair warning. So far in my life, I’ve sucked at relationships. I’ve been the king of walking away because it was easier than sticking to it. I honestly don’t know if I can do this. But I want to. So . . . how do you feel about that?”
The only sound in the car was heavy breathing and “Santa Baby” on the radio as they stared into each other’s eyes. Gabi tried to catch her breath and still her racing heart.
A thousand thoughts tried to cram into her head, ready to have their say, prepared to find any excuse to jump up and run. She’d never been able to take a man at face value, had never been able to fully trust them with her heart. But Gabi pushed all those negative thoughts back, because Parker was different.
“I want that too.”
A smile of relief burst across his handsome face. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
He caught her face between his big hands and he kissed her with more meaning than Gabi had ever been kissed with before. She kissed him back with everything she felt in her heart.
When she lifted her head, she looked down into his gorgeous blue eyes and realized he hadn’t said anything about love. Which meant he wasn’t ready to go there yet, while she’d been ready to say those three little words for days. But she could tell that admitting he didn’t want just fun and casual anymore was huge for him, so she didn’t want to spoil the mood by pushing him into a corner.
Right now she was still in the mood to have a little fun. Talk a little dirty. And rejoice in the feeling of having him inside of her, as close as two people could ever be.
“But I still want to fuck you in the front seat of your SUV.” She wiggled her bottom against his erection. “So what do you think? How do you feel about that?”
“I think you’re sexy as hell.” He threw her a wicked grin and arched his hard shaft against her now damp panties. “And that’s how I feel about that.”
“Then let’s not waste any more time.” She pulled her dress over her head and tossed it in the backseat. Then she reached between them to free him from his jeans.
Cupping her breast in one hand, he pushed down the edge of her bra and sucked her hardened nipple into his hot mouth.
“Damn these panties excite the hell out of me. Leave them on.” He pushed the lace aside and swept his fingers between her slick folds. He followed that up with a circular rub across her clit while he inserted a finger inside of her, touching her in the exact spot he knew stimulated her the most.
“Oh.” She dropped her head back. “God.”
“Nope.” He flicked his tongue over her nipple. “Just you and me here.”
The more he stroked, the more she lost control. She needed that control back. And she needed it as fast as possible. Otherwise all the hot air would go out of the fun.
“I need you inside me.” She ground against his hand. “I need you really bad. Really fast. Really hard.”
“Fuck, baby. Knowing you want me that much?” He slipped his hand away with a last caress of her hot button. “I can’t wait to get inside you. Ride me.”
“Yes.” With a long, lusty moan, she slowly sank onto him, taking him all the way inside. All her senses were amped up a notch. The sight of him focused on lathing her breast with greedy swirls of his tongue was almost more than she could bear. His echoing moans of pleasure were better than music to her ears. He smelled like musky, warm male. His skin was tight, hot, and reactive to her touch. And he tasted like all her favorite desserts rolled into one. She settled her hands on his shoulders for leverage, then moved up and down, rotating here and thrusting there. The more she moved, the harder he gripped her ass in his hands to help her along.
A short while later when the windows had fogged up and their passion crescendoed, Parker cupped his hands over the cheeks of her ass, pumped into her hard, and cried out, “I’m going to fucking love you.”
It wasn’t quite the I love you she wanted to hear, but as she held onto him with all her might as she too reached her sexual peak, she sighed with satisfaction.
At least they were on the right track.
Chapter 15
“I love the chandeliers.”
Parker watched Gabriella as she stood back and admired his restaurant. Everything, with her help, had come together. Tomorrow the supplies for Jordan and Lucy’s rehearsal dinner and wedding reception would be delivered and soon everyone in his family could finally see the finished product.
Pride expanded in his chest and made him feel warm all over.
None of it would have happened without the persistence and push of the woman standing before him in a killer pair of tight jeans and an old gray sweatshirt. The past few weeks had been amazing. Not to say he wasn’t exhausted or stressed out, but having Gabriella by his side the entire time had changed the dynamics of everything. She was a woman who wasn’t afraid to shoulder some responsibility or give him a kick in the ass when he needed it. Now, he wondered how he’d ever gotten along without her. And he wondered why he’d initially fought a relationship with her so hard.
She’d become everything to him.
He hoped she felt the same way. And he hoped they could continue to build on this foundation of trust and honesty with each other. His parents’ mistakes had shown him that anything less than truth and devotion would only lead to unhappiness. Gabriella deserved more.
He deserved more.
“The chandeliers were your idea,” he reminded her. “So you’d better love them.”
When she looked at him, concern had pulled her brows together. “But I want you to love them too.”
He looked at the artfully decorated booths and the black drum with crystal teardrop lights suspended from the barn rafters. “I think they’re perfect.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re perfect too,” he added. “Only don’t let that go to your head.”
“Believe me, I won’t.” She gave him a sly look. “Unless you let me get on top again tonight. Then I’ll show you exactly how perfect I can be.”
He feigned disbelief. “You give a girl a little power and see what happens.”
“Yeah. Amazing orgasms.”
He laughed. “Can’t say you’re wrong about that.”
“Glad you noticed. But back to reality.” She held up the event checklist. “The flowers will be delivered tomorrow around noon. All the perishables will arrive tomorrow morning. The waitstaff will arrive early to help set everything up. And you need to leave here by four-thirty to make sure you get to the rehearsal on time.”
“I wish you could go with me. You’d do a great job keeping Groomzilla in check.”
“I have a feeling Lucy will handle your brother just fine.”
He crossed the room and took her in his arms just because he needed to touch her. While they continued to explore each other on a deeper level, he worked hard to be the man she needed him to be. In return, she gave him something he’d never found before with a woman—a connection to someone he could really talk to. Someone with whom he could share his thoughts and dreams. Someone with who
m he could just relax and let his guard down. Someone he could trust.
“Hey.” Gabriella gently touched the side of his face. “Are you okay?”
He took a breath. “Sure. Why?”
“Your eyes kind of glazed over there for a minute.”
Knowing she could read his emotions so well told him something. No other woman had ever bothered to try. Not that he’d ever wanted the whole kumbaya thing before, but having someone who actually took the time to get to know him for more than just a quick dinner conversation and a fast fuck really meant something.
“Guess I’m just worried about things going well for the dinner and reception,” he said.
“Are you kidding? It’s going to be great.” The bright smile on her face gave him no room for doubt. “We’ve got everything covered. All you need to focus on now is being a good groomsman and not passing out at the altar.”
“Guys don’t pass out.”
“Are you serious?” She leaned her head back. “Don’t you watch videos on Facebook or YouTube? Guys get up there, lock their knees, and bam! Down they go.”
“So I guess the clue is not to lock my knees?”
“Not recommended.” She kissed his cheek. “Unless you want to go viral. Then that’s another story.”
“Not interested in going viral. Just want to make it through the next couple of days.”
She wrapped her arms around him. “What can I do to help?”
He raised an eyebrow.
“I didn’t mean that.” She chuckled.
“But we’re all alone here.” He lowered his hands, cupped them around her jeans-covered ass, and pressed his awakening erection into the crux of her thighs. “We could make it fast.”
While he kissed the side of her neck she asked, “Will that make you forget whatever’s bothering you?”
“Temporarily.”
“Then unless it’s permanent, it’s still a no.”
“Damn it.” Even though he knew she enjoyed the sex as much as he did, he didn’t really expect her to give in. He understood because he was taking off early tomorrow to go to his brother’s wedding rehearsal, she was the one who had to make sure it all went smoothly. So at the moment she might not be focused on hot, sweaty sex. Tonight, he’d do his best to change her mind.