All Fired Up (DreamMakers)

by Arend, Vivian

  “Give us a moment,” Phil repeated, his tone brooking no argument.

  The gray-haired man hesitated for a beat before his expression grew incensed. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but I’m phoning Mr. Bigelow right this instant. He needs to be made aware of these shenanigans.”

  Henry marched from the parlor with surprisingly quick strides for a man his age, leaving Parker and Suz alone with Lynn’s captor.

  “I’m only going to ask this once,” Parker said coldly. “Where is she?”

  Shotelle’s lips curled in a sneer. “You have no right to interfere—”

  Parker sprang forward, shoving the man aside as he made a beeline for the stairs. “Fine, I’ll find her myself,” he snapped without turning around.

  “You can’t go up there!” Shotelle screamed.

  Parker took the steps two at a time, his heart hammering in his chest. Christ, if Phil had done anything to hurt her, he was going to murder the man. Straight-up murder him.

  “Lynn!” he called as he emerged onto the second-floor landing.

  “No!” came Shotelle’s panicked voice. “You can’t be on this floor! This is the family wing!”

  Parker ignored him, then proceeded to march down the wide hall knocking on every last door.

  Fuck. No sign of Lynn.

  With Shotelle breathing down his neck, he raced back to the stairs and went up to the third floor. His sharp gaze immediately zeroed in on the keys sticking out of every lock—except one. Yep, one door was missing its key, and he’d bet anything not only was it locked, but that the key was tucked safely in Phil Shotelle’s pocket.

  “You son of a bitch.” He whirled around to glower at Phil, then lunged at the door and rapped his fist against it. “Lynn!” he shouted. “You in there, sweetheart?”

  A hard yank on the sleeve of his button-down made him stagger sideways. Shotelle had grabbed him.

  Years of military training kicked in. Parker had his hands on the other man’s collar before he could blink. He slammed Phil against the wall, hard, causing the framed photographs hanging there to sway violently.

  “Don’t you fucking touch me,” he hissed, his fingers tightening around the man’s throat.

  Fear and desperation warred in Phil’s eyes. “You can’t be here! You’re ruining everything! Everything, damn it!”

  The asshole kept sputtering even as Parker patted him down. One hand maintained a firm grip on Shotelle’s collar as the other searched the man’s pockets. Triumph surged through him when he felt the metal key against his palm.

  “I swear to God, if you’ve done anything to her…” He let the warning hang, releasing Shotelle with a breath of disgust.

  His fingers trembled as he stuck the key in the lock and turned it. A second later, he flew into the guest room.

  It was empty.

  He scanned the room with desperation, taking in every last detail. Queen-sized bed, perfectly made. Window open, letting in the cool evening breeze. Closet door open, revealing a dark space with empty hangers.

  He hauled ass into the room to peer into the private bath, but it was empty, too.

  Lynn was nowhere to be found.

  As his heart plummeted to the pit of his stomach, he shot back to the door to face Shotelle, whose expression conveyed shock and horror.

  “Where the fuck is she?” Parker shouted.

  The other man blinked rapidly. “I…don’t know. She was here before. She…”

  Parker drew a deep breath, then exhaled in a rush as he slammed his fist into Shotelle’s jaw.

  A loud crack sliced the air, Phil’s head thrown back from the impact. The blow connected with the side of his mouth, cutting open his lip and triggering a spurt of blood that dripped down his chin.

  Phil slowly brought his hand to his face, as if he couldn’t fathom what had happened. But there was no anger in his eyes. No indignation. Just a cloud of defeat, so thick his shoulders had slumped over.

  “She agreed to help me,” he mumbled.

  Parker swallowed his rage. “You messed with her car and brought her here against her will, you bastard. And now, if you don’t tell me where she is in the next two seconds, I’m going to beat you within an inch of your life, do you understand?”

  “She was supposed to be here! I don’t know where—”

  “Parker! We found her!” Suz’s voice echoed from out in the hall, bringing a wave of relief to his chest.

  Without another word, he ran from the room. He’d deal with Shotelle later. Right now, his only priority was making sure Lynn was safe.

  One look at Suz’s face, and his hopes vanished.

  “What’s wrong?” he demanded.

  Her green eyes swam with concern. “We have a slight problem. Come on, follow me.”

  Neither of them spoke as they went downstairs. Suz led the way out the front door, high heels clacking with each hurried step she took toward the side of the house.

  Jack and Dean were already there, heads tilted up, deep voices calling encouragement.

  Parker followed their gazes—and his heart jammed in his throat.

  “Fuckin’ hell,” he sighed as he rushed forward.

  Lynn was suspended on the side of the house as if she were doing her damnedest to act out a scene from Spiderman. Clinging to a metal eaves trough, she dangled twelve feet off the ground, her long brown hair rustled by the night breeze as she craned her neck and peered down.

  Even in the darkness, the fear in her eyes was visible. And the determination. She was working it out, considering the logistics of jumping, and his heartbeat accelerated with both pride and panic.

  “Parker?” Her overjoyed voice wafted from above.

  “Hey, babe, fancy meeting you here,” he called out in a dry voice.

  “Yeah, I got bored being indoors. Thought it would be fun to scale the side of the house.”

  Her sarcasm brought an ill-timed laugh to his lips.

  “Don’t you dare laugh,” she huffed. “I’m freaking out here! I thought I could make the jump, but Dean says I’ll break my neck if I try.”

  “You won’t if I’m there to catch you.” Parker rolled up his sleeves as he strode toward Dean and Jack, who greeted him with somber nods.

  Dean lowered his voice. “I would’ve climbed up and gotten her myself, but…look at the eaves trough, bro…”

  Parker glanced up with a frown, choking on a curse when he glimpsed what Dean had spotted. The bend in the metal, near the edge of where the gutter met the downpipe leading to the ground.

  Shit. The eaves trough couldn’t support Lynn’s weight for much longer. It could come crashing down any second.

  If the precarious bow in the gutter hadn’t been there, he would have encouraged her to shift toward the downspout and shimmy her way down, but no way was he risking any movement on Lynn’s part.

  The decision was jerked from his control as a loud screeching noise sounded, the edge of the metal under her fingers slowly peeling away from the wall.

  “Parker!” Her voice quivered with fear.

  He shot forward into position. “Lynn. Sweetheart. Let go.”

  “I’m…scared.”

  God, so was he. Of fucking up again and hurting her. Of not making the right decisions at some future point and seeing disappointment in her eyes.

  But this? This moment he could fix. “Let go and trust me. I’ve got you. I promise.”

  For one horrid second the metal jolted free, and he thought she’d be tossed to the side, away from where he waited to save her. But she let out a little cry, cut off as she opened her hands and fell rapidly.

  Dean and Jack stood ready as backup, but it was all Parker’s responsibility now, arms extended toward her plummeting form. He timed it perfectly, clasping his hands around her and swinging her with a twist that brought her safely against his body, her feet dangling just off the ground.

  She tangled her arms around his neck, and then, halle-fucking-lujah, kissed him like she was never going t
o let go.

  Spontaneous applause burst out behind them, and Lynn smiled against his lips. She eased away even while she kept her fingers wrapped around his jacket collar. “Can’t take them anywhere, can we?”

  “We should take them home.”

  “God, yes. Take me home.” Her eyes widened. “But first… We need to talk immediately, but after we…come on.”

  She dragged him at a near run back around the building and to the front door, the rest of the crew following close at hand. “You forget something?” Parker asked.

  “Yes. Suz—my stuff is upstairs, along with my handbag. Could you ask Henry to show you where it is? Oh, and here…” She pulled a wallet from her back pocket and passed over a wad of bills. “Tell him I’m sorry I’m not staying to meet his wife, but he should take her out for a nice meal on me.”

  “Deal.” Suz tilted her head toward the house. “Colter, you’re with me. Back me up, and if anyone tries to jump us, do your thang.”

  “My thang?” Dean smiled as he moved to her side, double-checking for Parker’s approval before grabbing her by the hand.

  “The big, bad Ranger thang. I long to swoon over your manly moves.”

  Dean rolled his eyes. “The only thang about me that makes you swoon is that I promised to buy you Häagen Dazs once we found Lynn. So let’s haul ass. I need some Rocky Road, stat.”

  Parker turned Lynn to face him, examining her carefully. “Did he—?”

  “Nothing. Except—” Her teeth went straight into her lower lip, and Parker’s temper flared.

  “What? What did he do?”

  She seemed to be debating. “Nothing to me, other than bringing me here after I said not to. And then I said he could, but only because he threatened you and the guys. He said he was going to go to the media with proof that would ruin DreamMakers’ reputation because you and I started dating.”

  “So?”

  Lynn caught him by the hands. “I know how much DreamMakers means to you, and I couldn’t let him drag you through the mud.”

  “Fuck DreamMakers,” Parker snapped. “Is that why you didn’t kick his balls off the first chance you got?”

  Her expression was growing steadily lighter. “I wasn’t in danger, and you’ve worked so hard and—”

  “You’re what matters, Lynn. We can handle some negative publicity, and if the entire thing turns to shit, we’d deal with that as well. Good God, I can’t believe you didn’t know that.”

  “I didn’t want to do anything to hurt you,” she murmured.

  Christ, Phil was going to be eating soft foods for the rest of his life for everything he’d put her through. “I’ll take care of him once we get home.”

  “You can do it now,” Jack offered. “He’s sitting in his van, right over there, cowering.”

  Jeez. Parker expected the ass would have run for the hills the first opportunity he got. They moved in slowly on the minivan, in case Phil decided to get really stupid and pull out a weapon. “Why is he still here?”

  Jack held up a handful of spark plugs, his lips twitching. “It seemed appropriate.”

  According to his most recent actions, Phil should have locked his doors and stayed hidden, but instead, he stood waiting for them by the door. The cocky, arrogant bastard who’d entered the DreamMakers office so many weeks ago was back, staring down his nose and swollen lips as they approached.

  “That’s close enough right there,” he ordered. “I take it, Lynn, you’ve already informed your friends you agreed to join me for the weekend?”

  “Coercion doesn’t get you off the hook,” Jack drawled.

  Phil snorted, which turned into a moan of pain before he jerked upright. “Hardly coercion. She’s here of her own free will and—”

  Parker hadn’t anticipated Lynn’s next move. He was focused on restraint instead of diving at the asshole and getting rid of his built-up frustrations and fears. Attempting to remain a rational human being in spite of the fact that this asshole had taken the woman he loved and placed her in a life-threatening situation.

  But it was Lynn who darted forward to stop inches away from Phil, boldly glaring into his face. She was damn near quivering with anger.

  “You do any of what you threatened about going to the news, and I’ll not only press charges for kidnapping, I’ll go all the way to Mr. Bigelow with the rest of the story. You understand?”

  Phil hesitated, then nodded.

  Lynn backed away half a pace, then paused. “Oh, and if you want to talk about doing things of my own free will?”

  She brought up her knee between Phil’s legs, hard enough both Jack and Parker offered involuntary moans that ended up as backup harmony for the sudden sharp gasp of pain from Phil’s lips. He curled into himself, hands clutching his balls, when she followed through, snapping up her joint hands and connecting with his nose.

  One final spin, and she slammed her elbow down on his back, smack dab between the man’s shoulders, hard enough to drive him to the ground.

  It was beautiful, amazing, and if Parker hadn’t already been in love, that would have sealed the deal.

  Jack whistled softly. “Nicely done. You want a part-time job, I could hire you out as a bodyguard.”

  Lynn brushed her hands together as if rubbing Phil from her skin. “Leave him his spark plugs, Jack,” she ordered. Then she turned her blue eyes to Parker’s, stepping to his side. Voice soft, and tired. “Take me home?”

  He nodded. They’d talk over the rest when they got home. He checked over his shoulder, catching Suz and Dean descending the stairs. “Everybody in the truck. Let’s get the hell outta here.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Lynn stumbled into her apartment three hours later, exhausted beyond belief and still reeling over everything that had happened that night. Behind her, Parker flicked a switch, and light flooded the room, highlighting the creases of worry on his handsome face.

  “You sure you’re okay?” He reached for her hand, his touch warm and reassuring.

  “You don’t have to keep asking me. I really am fine. Just tired. And still shocked.” She glanced at him with wide eyes. “I can’t believe Phil snapped. I honestly didn’t expect it.”

  “Desperate men do desperate things, sweetheart.” He stroked the inside of her palm, eyes serious as they searched her face. “You can still press charges.”

  She shook her head. “I honestly don’t want to bother. I don’t want him in my life, and pressing charges means dragging everything out, testifying if it goes to court…and I know you said you don’t care about negative press, but right now I’m in a position of power.”

  “He keeps his mouth shut, you don’t press charges?”

  The thought didn’t make her as happy as it should have. “I’m done with the man. And he’ll never try anything like this again.” An unexpected pang of pity tugged her. “You saw his face when we left him there. He was…broken.”

  “Not as broken as he deserved to be.” Parker’s tone went razor sharp, his anger still palpable. “He took you there against your will, Lynn.”

  She lifted her arms and twined them around his neck. “And you rescued me.”

  His face softened. “You rescued yourself. I just happened to be there to see it.”

  Lynn bit her lip, her hands trembling at the nape of his neck. She still remembered the joy and relief she’d felt when she’d looked down from where she was hanging and saw Parker standing below her. His strength had fueled her, surrounded her, and when she’d let go of the eaves trough and found herself freefalling, there’d been no doubt in her mind that Parker would be there to break her fall.

  “I trusted you to catch me,” she said through the emotion clogging her throat. “I knew I could count on you.”

  “Always.” His hands rested on her waist, fingers sliding beneath her shirt to graze the bare skin of her hips.

  Lynn shivered, leaning in closer, until her breasts were crushed against his solid chest. She pressed her cheek to that rock-hard e
xpanse and whispered into his shirt. “I don’t need time, Parker. I don’t need space. I need you.”

  The noise of contentment he made vibrated in her ear. “You forgive me for lying to you?” he said roughly.

  She lifted her head, smiled at the uncertainty she saw in his eyes. “I forgive you. So long as you promise to always be honest with me going forward.”

  “Always,” he murmured again. His mouth brushed hers in the sweetest of kisses before he pulled away, his expression becoming strained again. “I…aw fuck…I’m a fraud, Lynn.”

  She blinked. “What are you talking about?”

  His shaky breath fanned over her forehead. “There are so many things I want to say right now. Romantic things. All those flowery words and sentiments I encourage other men to use, but I can’t come up with a single one. I…wanted it to be special when I said it the first time…” Embarrassment flickered in his eyes as he trailed off.

  Lynn couldn’t fight a grin. “How about this? No sugarcoating, no flowers and rainbows—just tell me what you feel, Parker Wilson-style.”

  His tongue dragged over his bottom lip, the nervous vibes he was emitting transforming into the sensual confidence she was more used to seeing.

  “I love you, Lynn. I. Fucking. Love. You.”

  Laughter tickled her throat. “That’s my man. To the point. Blunt.”

  He stood motionless, as if waiting for something more. Waiting for her to confess she couldn’t live without him. That he was the reason she woke up with a smile in the morning, anticipating what they’d talk about that day. What new things she would learn about herself while learning about him.

  Admitting he made her heart beat faster for all the right reasons. The words were right there, ready to explode out.

  Only…

  A seed of mischief grew rapidly. She kept her face deliberately blank as she patted his chest lightly then turned away, stretching her arms into the air before gawking at her watch. “Oh my, is that really the time? I need to hit the sack.”

  She paced down the hallway toward her bedroom. Undoing her buttons as she waited for his reaction.

  “Lynn.” It wasn’t a fearful question. It was a demand—a warning, and a delicious shiver raced over her skin.