All Fired Up (DreamMakers)

by Arend, Vivian

  Jack lowered his voice to a barely audible whisper. “You slept with her? After you gave me so much shit about not hitting on those sexy damsels who hired me to play DD at their stagette? Oh, I’m getting you guys back for this. Mark my words.”

  “Right this way, Mr. Shotelle.” Didi’s voice.

  A moment later, Phil Shotelle entered the office. He was decked out in another fancy suit, dark hair groomed and face clean-shaven, and seeing him again sparked Parker’s ire. He suddenly pictured this creep putting his hands all over Lynn’s delectable body, and had to fight the urge to slug the guy.

  “Mr. Shotelle,” he said, his voice harder than he intended. “I was about to phone you.”

  “With an update about the date you’re planning, I hope,” Phil said coolly. “Which you neglected to do yesterday.”

  “That’s what we wanted to talk to you about.” Parker hesitated, wondering how to proceed.

  Fortunately, Dean took over in his typical no-bullshit fashion. “We can’t do it.”

  Displeasure instantly filled the man’s eyes. “What are you talking about?”

  “Part of our job is to do a little digging about the likes and dislikes of a client’s partner, so we can better plan the date,” Dean explained. “And in our digging, we got confirmation that you and Ms. Davidson are no longer together.”

  ”Nonsense. Of course we’re still together,” Shotelle snapped.

  “We don’t feel comfortable planning something when the lady clearly isn’t on board with the relationship,” Parker said in a polite tone. “If your situation changes, we’d be happy to work with you again and—”

  “Go fuck yourself.”

  Shotelle’s abrupt exclamation caused all three men to raise their eyebrows. The F-bomb was unexpected, and Parker didn’t miss the note of desperation ringing in the man’s voice.

  “I hired you to plan a date for this weekend.” Shotelle’s cheeks reddened. “If you can’t do it, you’re of no use to me.”

  “We’re sorry to hear that,” Parker said carefully.

  The other man looked him up and down for a moment, his lips curling in a sneer. “I expect my deposit will be returned to me immediately?”

  Parker offered a pleasant smile. “Our receptionist already has a bank draft waiting for you at her desk.”

  “Good.” Shotelle stalked to the door, then halted. “I’d like to say it was a pleasure, but I don’t make a habit of lying. So…good day, sirs.”

  The second he was gone, a huge grin stretched Dean’s lips. “Good day, sirs? What is he, a character on Downton Abbey?”

  Jack snorted. “Charming fellow. Can’t say I’m disappointed to see him go.”

  “I’ll walk him out,” Dean offered, heading rapidly after their ex-assignment. “I want to make sure he doesn’t give Didi any grief before the front door hits him in the ass.”

  After Dean vanished, Jack opened his mouth again, probably intending to finish berating Parker for their little faux pas the previous night. But before he could, the phone went off, and Parker leapt to answer it, grateful to Didi for the distraction.

  He clicked on the speakerphone. “You can give Shotelle the refund.”

  “Thanks for your permission, but I ain’t got no Shotelles, nor refunds, big brother. Just little ol’ me and one shiny new diploma.”

  Holy Christopher. “Pepper? Is that you?”

  “Don’t sound so surprised. It’s not as if I fell off the face of the earth or anything. I’m in college, not outer space. Jeez, you’d think I never called, but it’s only been a couple weeks.” His little sister spoke with the same rapid-fire cadence she’d always used, as if trying to get in as many words as possible before he made her stop.

  “It’s been long enough, especially since I seem to remember you hung up on me in the middle of a sentence last time.”

  “Oh, that.”

  A flash of movement crossed his peripheral vision, and Parker glanced over at his best friend. Jack had lowered himself onto the couch, his arms crossed as if waiting to finish Parker’s lecture.

  “Yes, that,” Parker said into the speaker. “I even remember what we were talking about, in case you need to be reminded.”

  “Shut up. You’re my brother, not my keeper.” She cleared her throat. “Anyway. I called to tell you the good news. I’m done! Done early, in fact, because I doubled up on my practicum and classes, so I don’t need to hang around campus for the next month.”

  “Hey, that is great news. Congrats.” Crazy. His little sister was old enough to be done with college. How the hell had that happened? When had she gone and grown up?

  “Hey, Candy Cane,” Jack called. “Congrats on finishing your degree. You sound good.”

  A rude noise carried over the line. “Jackjack. You still tied to my brother at the hip?”

  “Only when he needs a babysitter.”

  Parker smiled. Throughout high school Jack had spent much of his free time at the Wilson home, which meant Pepper was like a little sister to them both. “So when will you be back?” he asked.

  “Not for a month, at least.”

  Jack’s face creased into a frown. “I thought you were done?”

  “I am, but a couple of my classmates also finished early, so we decided to road-trip it home. Hit New Orleans, Galveston Island, San Antonio—you know, see the sights. We’ll camp along the way.”

  Parker wasn’t keen on the idea, but it wasn’t his decision. He was about to remind her to stay safe when he noticed Jack’s expression. His friend’s disapproval had turned downright stormy.

  “You think that’s wise? You’re going to camp with a bunch of girls?” Jack demanded.

  Another rude noise echoed over the line. “Hardly. Anyway, I gotta run. They’re waiting for me. I’ll email or text when I can. Otherwise, I’ll see you in a month or so. Maybe longer.”

  “See you then, and have fun.” Parker clicked off the line.

  Dean wandered back into the office and headed straight for the mini-fridge. “Was that a female voice I heard?”

  Parker nodded. “My sister. She’s finished school and headed this way. Did you get things squared away with Shotelle?”

  “He’s gone.” Dean pulled out beers, the long necks dangling from his fingers. “So I’ll finally get to meet the elusive Pepper Wilson. That’ll be a treat.”

  “If she survives her road trip.” Jack jerked off the bottle cap with a sharp motion. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell her to come straight home,” he grumbled at Parker.

  “Oh, right. That would have gone over like a load of bricks. You know my sister does not take orders well.” The time before, she’d hung up on him for simply suggesting some work options for down the road. Parker eyed his friend carefully. “What’s up your ass? She’s twenty-three. If she wants to camp out with some friends for a few weeks, she’s got every right.”

  “Enough about Parker’s sister. I want to know what loverboy’s got planned for his wild Friday night with a certain lovely lady.” Dean waggled his brows.

  For a moment it seemed Jack would argue, but he dropped his complaining about Pepper’s travel plans and instead joined Dean in the teasing. “You think we need to offer a few suggestions?”

  “We should get him to fill in a questionnaire.” Dean flashed a smile. “Offer him some options of ways he can make her night.”

  “Lend him the limo.”

  “Book him a suite at the Royale.”

  “Damn.” Jack’s eyes widened. “We should set up the Romeo Romance treatment. We haven’t pulled that for a while.”

  Parker wadded up the contract Shotelle had signed and threw it at his friends. “I don’t need any help, thank you. I can handle making this dream date a reality all on my own.”

  Three bottles rose in the air as Dean offered a toast. “To Lynn. May she find out how non-asshole you are.”

  Parker tipped back his drink. He hoped like hell she did, too.

  Chapter Eight


  A real date. How long had it been since she’d had a real, honest-to-goodness date? One where she got picked up at her door and escorted to his car, and everything.

  Outside the car window, the sky was bright and clear, with the promise of another warm spring weekend to follow. Lynn caught herself smiling hard as Parker pulled into a parking space.

  The entire car ride, she hadn’t been able to stop shooting admiring glances his way. He wasn’t wearing anything fancy, just faded jeans and a blue button-down beneath a black windbreaker, but she honestly couldn’t think of a sexier sight. Add to that his messy dark-blond hair and the stubble shadowing his jaw, and he was one delicious-looking man.

  “You ready for some wild and crazy action?” He met her at the front bumper of the SUV, linking their fingers as he led her toward the admission gate.

  “I haven’t been to an amusement park in years.” Lynn had to stop herself from bouncing on the balls of her feet as she spotted the rides and entertainment. “Oh look! They have bumper boats. And go-karts. And mini-golf!”

  Parker’s grin of delight only got wider. “I’m glad you approve. Where do you want to start?”

  She rotated slowly, keeping a tight hold on his hand as she considered their options and simultaneously gave herself a pep talk.

  After making the date with Parker—and looking back far, far too often at the incredible night she’d spent with him and Dean—Lynn had had a revelation of sorts.

  She wasn’t very good at spontaneous or lighthearted. Not with anyone other than Suz, and nine times out of ten the hijinks she got into with her BFF were because she’d been strong-armed forward.

  While she loved her folks, they weren’t very outgoing, or exciting. They’d had Lynn late in life, both of them in their mid-forties when they’d been caught off guard by a surprise pregnancy. Sedate was Suz’s word for them. Lynn had gotten used to sedate, which might be fine for two people in their seventies, but it wasn’t a word she should be using after five months together with a guy.

  She and Phil had gone out for dinner or to the movies. During the dinners they talked about work, and during the movies they hadn’t talked at all. It was her fault for settling for someone who didn’t make her twitch with excitement just from holding his hand.

  Well, she wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice.

  She tilted her head to examine Parker for a moment, his green eyes firm on her as she studied him. Dating someone new meant a chance to do things better. And while maybe they’d done things out of order, hopping into hot and crazy sex off the bat, she truly wanted to get to know the man who’d managed to work such magic on her body.

  “How about mini-golf?” she suggested.

  A few minutes later, they accepted their clubs and balls from the assistant in the brightly colored kiosk.

  Parker eyed his ball suspiciously. “It’s pink.”

  “With green lightning bolts. Don’t forget the lightning bolts.” She pulled him to the putting area for the first hole. “Makes it easier to know which ball is yours. Or did you want to trade and use mine?”

  His look of disgust increased as he scowled at the ball in the palm of her hand, which was also pink, but even more girly thanks to the red butterflies stenciled onto it. “Thanks, but I think I’ll stick with my superhero ball.”

  “That’s the spirit.” Lynn accepted his offer to go first, tapping her ball down the green toward the first obstacle, her amusement at his expression easing the brief flare of nerves that had snuck in. “If you were a superhero, what would your superpower be? I mean you are a superhero already, with your military background, but what about now?”

  She expected some glib response. Maybe a joke about being Mega-Orgasm Man, or something riddled with sexual innuendo. Instead, his expression turned serious as he took his time lining up his first swing.

  “Might sound corny, but DreamMakers is my superhero job.”

  Lynn considered. “Because you save guys from danger in their relationships?”

  He shook his head. “It’s not just dealing with the emergency dates, although those are satisfying. Dean and I joked the other day about not being romantics, but picking up clues and finding ways to make people happy—it’s not a bad job. The biggest rush is when I see a guy get it. When we organize a special event, like for an anniversary, and it’s as if a light goes on over the guy’s head when he realizes he had known what was special to his lady. He just needed a shove in the right direction.”

  His voice had gone gruff, his gaze averted, as if a big tough guy couldn’t talk about stuff like that.

  Wow. “That’s a pretty cool superpower.”

  Parker pulled her closer, protecting her as a large party of birthday kids shoved past them. She found her palms against his firm chest, and had to stop from sliding her hands around to his back and melting into his heat. From the flash of desire she spotted as their eyes met, he felt the same instinctive draw.

  Only he brushed his lips over her forehead before releasing her. “What about you? You’ve already got the perfect secret-identity job.”

  She laughed. “That’s right. Me and Spidey and Superman…”

  “The media has a lot of power.”

  Her nose wrinkled. “I like to think it’s the news that has power, and we’re just the delivery system. That’s why I—”

  She cut off, embarrassed to have thrown herself straight back into talking about work when that was one of her relationship downfalls with Phil.

  Parker tucked a finger under her chin, adding gentle pressure until she couldn’t help but stare into his concerned eyes. “Why did you stop like that? What were you about to tell me?”

  “It’s a work thing, and I don’t want to bore you with it.”

  He swept his thumb over her cheek, sending instant shivers along her spine. “Nothing about you bores me. Now spill.”

  His caress not only turned her on, it reassured her. The expression in his eyes made the biggest difference, as if he really was interested.

  “I don’t think I have a superhero power. Maybe I’m just the boring alter ego, but that’s okay. I’m using my gifts to make the newspaper more tech-friendly.”

  “Like a digital version?”

  “Yes.” She moved back to the putting green and placed her ball on the grass. “But my program combines our old system with the new digital developments, so it costs less. Plus I built in user profiling. Means the instant you open your phone, you get updates aimed at your interests.”

  “Pictures of you in skimpy outfits?”

  Like clockwork, a flush rose to her cheeks, and Parker’s grin only got wider. “You’re bad,” she scolded.

  “I’m very good. I thought we established this.”

  She hit her ball harder than she should have, and it jumped from the green into the rocks beside the path. Parker solemnly fetched it for her, passing it back with a wink. “Your program sounds great. Good on you for staying innovative.”

  “Sweet praise from a man who started a dating service.” Lynn sank her ball on her second try. She turned to him with a satisfied smile. “It’s true, though. You can’t assume anything these days. I turned down a promotion a couple of years ago because I saw the writing on the wall. Sure enough, within six months the entire department was axed, and ninety percent of them got laid off.”

  “Sucks for them, but you were right on the money in your decision.” Parker squeezed her arm, his fingers lingering as he moved past her into position for the next green.

  He tapped his ball. It rolled all the way down the green, bounced off a sidewall and straight into the hole all in one shot. He did a victory dance, catching Lynn in his arms and twirling her until she was laughing so hard she couldn’t catch her breath.

  The next hour vanished in a happy blur. They finished their golf game and moved to the go-karts, spinning around corners as Parker pulled one fast move after another, always slightly ahead of her no matter what she did.

  “I want to see you o
n 280 during rush hour.” Lynn dragged her fingers through her hair in an attempt to straighten the tangles after the high-speed game they’d just finished.

  Parker stroked his knuckles along her cheek before tucking a loose strand behind her ear. “I know how to get the job done.”

  Her heart rate picked up. A simple touch and she was already craving more. God, this man had cast a spell on her.

  He leaned in and brushed his lips over hers briefly before stepping back, those observant eyes dancing over her face. “Are you hungry?”

  What she wanted to say in response wasn’t very PG-appropriate, and since they were currently standing in the middle of families and teens, she swallowed the dirty and said, “Starving.”

  It wasn’t a five-star gourmet restaurant, but with his arm around her waist and his masculine scent surrounding her, every one of her senses was in overdrive. Add in the aroma of popcorn and corndogs, and her mouth watered.

  Parker kept her tucked tight to his side as he ordered enough food to feed an army. His palm pressed against her lower back, warmth rising along her spine in the most delicious tease. His fingers slid to her hip then away as he shifted to pick up the tray. Lynn hooked a finger into his belt loop, trailing behind him as he maneuvered through the mass of laughing, screaming children and their parents.

  He guided them out of the restaurant area and toward the back of the park.

  “Where are we going?” Lynn asked.

  “Picnic area.” He glanced at her, lips twisting into a smile. “Little quieter, and a lot more private.”

  They ended up under a tree, his jacket spread out as a picnic blanket for the assortment of carnival food he’d purchased.

  Lynn sank her teeth into a fully loaded hotdog, the burst of flavors making her moan happily as her eyes rolled skyward. “Oh, that is so good.”

  Parker held out a container toward her. “Here, try the cheese sticks.”

  She licked off a bit of sauce from the side of her mouth as she pulled a couple from the container. He watched, mesmerized, as she took a bite. Every swallow, every taste, his gaze remained fixated on her lips.