Vulnerable Pieces (Cape Isle, #4): A Cape Isle Novel

by Allie Able

  I walk through the kitchen doors and see my mom and dad along with Parker standing at the end of the counter. My mom is smiling up at him and my dad is nodding along to whatever he is saying.

  My mom sees me first and smiles my way. “Good morning, honey,” she says as I approach.

  “Good morning.” I kiss her cheek and then my father’s before looking over at Parker.

  “Good morning, Freckles.” He smiles down at me and I want to punch him. Jesus Christ! It’s bad enough that he calls me that ridiculous nickname, but he doesn’t have to do it in front of my parents.

  “Good morning, Parker.”

  “Parker was just telling us that he owns the law firm down the street,” my mom says as she gives me a wink.

  “Yep. What would y’all like?” I ask, directing my question to my parents.

  I hear Parker’s quiet chuckle beside me. Would it be rude to completely ignore that he’s standing there? It’s hard enough with this being the first time my parents have seen where I work, but for the man that I just woke up next to to be here at the same time is a little too much.

  “The sweet girl working the counter already took our order, sweetheart,” my mom says dismissing me with a wave of her hand, before turning her attention back to Parker.

  “Are you a defense attorney, Parker?”

  I awkwardly stand there for the next five minutes as my parents get to know him. Finally, I hear the kitchen doors open. I turn to see Summer bringing another tray of cupcakes out and I give her a pleading look.

  She smiles at me before making her way over.

  “This is my boss and the owner of ‘Sprinkles’, Summer. Summer, this is my mom and dad.”

  “It’s nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Hudson.” She shakes their hands.

  “None of that dear. Just call us Randy and Doris.” My mom gives her a wink and Summer’s smile widens as mom starts gushing about her bakery.

  While my parents are talking to Summer, I peek up at Parker. His eyes are already directed at me and he is smiling a soft smile. Damn that smile gets me every time. When he looks at me like that, I forget everything around me, which isn’t good when I’m standing in the middle of my work with my parents.

  I clear my throat and look away. “I think Lexie has your coffee.” I nod towards the cup sitting on the counter. I don’t look back at him, but I know he is probably a little hurt. I’m practically asking him to leave and I know I sound like a bitch, but I wasn’t ready for this. I wasn’t ready to let him into this part of my life.

  He sighs and I see him nod his head. “Got it. See you later, Freckles.”

  He tells my parents and Summer goodbye, before walking out of the shop. I watch him go with a tightness in my chest. I don’t mean to keep hurting him, but he’s getting too close and that can’t happen. I remind myself that I can’t let another man in. I can’t let myself be crushed by another man. My heart didn’t heal right the first time.

  I walk over to my parents and my dad wraps his arms around my shoulder. “I like him, buttercup,” he says in a low voice.

  Me too, Dad. Me too.

  Instead of answering him, I clear my throat and look over at my mom. “You’ve got to try these chocolate Grahams cracker cupcakes that Summer makes. They are incredible.”

  * * *

  We work late again at the bakery. Summer starts to not feel well after lunch and after spending an hour trying to convince her to go home, she finally leaves to go get some rest. After that, Lexie and I are so busy, we barely have time to blink.

  Arriving home, I set my purse down on the kitchen island and kick off my shoes. I need food, a long hot bath, and a big glass of wine. I open up my refrigerator and sigh because once again I have nothing to eat. I really need to get by the grocery store before the Chinese delivery man starts judging me.

  Coconut lets out a loud meow and I grab her food from out of the cabinet.

  She must know I’ve had a really long day because she doesn’t try to swat at my hand as I pet her head. I set her dish down on the ground and get my phone out of my purse. I’m scrolling through and finding the number for my Chinese takeout when I hear a knock at my door.

  You’ve got to be shitting me. Only one person could be standing out there and I’m just not sure I want to see him. The knocks become louder and I know he isn’t going to go away until he sees me. I set the phone down and slowly make my way towards the front door.

  I check the peephole just to make sure it’s him, before swinging the door open.

  He’s wearing blue jeans and gray t-shirt. His hair is wild and his eyes look just as tired as mine.

  “Hungry?” he asks, holding up a paper bag.

  “What is it?” I ask at the same time my stomach lets out a growl.

  “Does it matter?” he smirks.

  “Nope. Just curious.” I hold the door open wider and allow him to walk in. He has food and I’m hungry. I can’t turn down food. I want to roll my eyes at my inner thoughts. Yeah, I’m just letting him in because of food.

  I lead the way to the kitchen, and he sets the bags down before picking up Coconut, who is winding her way through his feet.

  “Well, hello, precious.” He rubs her back and she purrs loudly.

  I stare at them for a second in amazement. That cat doesn’t like anyone. I’m going to start calling him the pussy whisperer. I snort at that thought and he looks over at me curiously. I ignore him as I open the bags and start pulling everything out. There is a bottle of red wine and several containers of food. I quirk an eyebrow at him and he gives me a sheepish shrug.

  “I stopped by the Italian restaurant, but you can’t have Italian food without wine.”

  My stomach let’s out another loud growl as I smell the food and I quickly get our plates fixed. He sets Coconut down and washes his hands before pouring our wine.

  We eat at the stools by the island, but I keep feeling his stare on my face.

  I wipe my mouth with the napkin and take a sip of my wine. “Is there something you want to ask me?”

  He smiles and shakes his head. “I want to ask you a lot of things, Jenna, but I have a feeling you wouldn’t answer most of them.”

  “You’re probably right.”

  He turns in his seat until he’s fully facing me and he lays his hands on my upper legs. “I’ll start with an easy one. You still okay with our arrangement?”

  I think about it for only a second before nodding my head. “Yes.”

  I know I’m starting to have feelings for him and I know those feeling will only grow the more time I spend with him, but I’m also not ready to end whatever it is that we’re doing.

  “Okay. One more question and then I’m taking you to bed because it seems that even though I am fucking exhausted from this hellish day, I still can’t get enough of you.”

  I raise an eyebrow in question.

  He leans towards me and lays his lips against mine briefly before pulling back to look into my eyes. “Do you think you’ll ever let me in that brain of yours, Freckles?”

  “Probably not,” I whisper.

  He stares at me in silence for a second. The look of determination on his face scares the shit out of me.

  David drained me of my identity and he injected self-doubt into my veins. I was constantly questioning my own sanity when I was with him. He shook my mental state to its core. I didn’t really know who I was anymore by the time I finally left. I am not in a rush to ever do that again, but if there is one person on this planet that could make me want to, it would be Parker Hamilton and I think that’s what scares me most of all.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Parker

  TWO MONTHS HAVE PASSED SINCE Jenna and I started our little friends with benefits arrangement. I spend most night buried deep in her body and most days I spend thinking about the next time I’ll get to see her. It’s beyond fucked up. Sometimes I feel like we could possibly be something other than fuck buddies and the next second she’s shutting me out. I don
’t know what it is about this girl, but she drives me fucking insane.

  Work should be my number one priority. My law firm has been open less than a year. I have worked my ass off to get to where I’m at, but somehow my world started revolving around a beautiful woman with whiskey-colored eyes. Jesus! When she looks up at me with those fucking eyes, I melt. Every Goddamned time.

  I scrub my hands down my face and start packing up my briefcase. I’m going to grab a drink at my brother’s house tonight before heading over Jenna’s. She’s been to my house a few times, but I can tell it makes her a little uncomfortable to be in my space, so most of the time we are at hers.

  On the drive to Grant’s house, I think about how happy him and his wife are. I know I told Jenna I didn’t want that or that I didn’t have time for it, but the truth is I want that with her. I just want to be with her every spare second I have and it drives me fucking insane to know she doesn’t feel the same way. I don’t know what in the hell is holding her back. Jenna doesn’t share a lot about her past with me or anyone that I know of. I’ve put pieces together on my own. I know her family is very wealthy, but Jenna lives like she isn’t. I know she dated the same guy all through college, but she never told me why it ended. I have a feeling maybe that’s why she’s reluctant to be with me, but I’ll probably never know for sure. Hell, maybe she just doesn’t like me like that. Our arrangement was just suppose to be friends who have sex. Maybe that’s all she sees me for and never plans for that to change.

  I need to talk to my brother. Maybe he can give me some advice. As far as I know, none of our friend even suspect that we’ve been seeing each other. When we’re out in public, we are friendly, but we aren’t all over each other. To everyone around us, we just look like acquaintances and I keep having to remind myself that’s truly all we are: friends that fuck. She’s not mine and I’m not hers. I agreed to this arrangements months ago, so why does that thought drive me insane?

  I pull into Grant’s driveway and make my way up to his front door.

  “Hey, Brother,” he says opening the door with a smile.

  “Hey, man.” He leads me through the living room and into the kitchen.

  “Where’s Summer?”

  “She had to work late at the bakery. She should be home in a little bit.”

  I nod my head in response, but all I’m thinking about is how tired Jenna will probably be. She hasn’t been feeling well lately, and some nights she falls asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow. I’m always telling her that she works too much, but all she does is laugh in response. I make a mental note to stop and get her some good wine on my way to her house.

  Grant hands me a beer and inclines his head towards the back patio. “It’s not that chilly tonight. Want to sit outside?”

  I nod my head and follow him out. It’s a beautiful night and I take a second to admire the sun sinking down into the ocean.

  “So, what’s been going on with you?”

  I turn to look at him before dropping down into one of the chairs. “Just work. My case load is crazy right now.”

  “But you fucking love it,” he smirks.

  I chuckle and nod my head. “Absolutely. What about you? How’s Summer feeling?”

  He gives me a wide smile. “She’s much better. Morning sickness was bad there for a little while, but she’s good now.”

  I saw her last week and couldn’t help but notice that she was really starting to show. She’s fucking adorable and I couldn’t be happier for my big brother.

  I take a gulp of my beer before sitting forward in my chair. “Can I ask you something?”

  He quirks an eyebrow and nod his head. “Always.”

  I sigh and rub my hand across my scruffy jaw. “When you and Summer first started seeing each other, was she reluctant to open up to you?”

  He tilts his head to the side and gives me a curious look. “Kind of, yeah, but our situation was different.”

  I nod my head. Yeah, I know all about Summer’s past with her ex-husband and if the guy wasn’t already dead, I would have no problem killing him myself.

  I take a deep breath, before telling him about Jenna. I tell him how long we’ve been seeing each other. I tell him about the Goddamn arrangement that I’m really beginning to hate. I tell him how I feel about her and how I can’t get her off of my mind. By the time I’m finished he’s on his second beer and he’s staring at me in shock.

  “This has been going on for over two months and none of us knew? How in the hell did I miss that?”

  I shrug my shoulders. “Probably because Jenna doesn’t want anyone to know. In her eyes we’re just fucking.”

  “Wow. So, I’m guessing you have deeper feelings for her?”

  I take a sip of my beer. “That would be an understatement.”

  “So what are you going to do?”

  I look over at him. “I have no clue. That’s why I’m asking you.”

  “How in the hell should I know? It’s by some fucking miracle that I met Summer and somehow she agreed to marry me. I’m a lucky son-of-a-bitch and I know it. I still wake up every day fucking amazed that woman is with me.”

  I finish off my drink and set it on the table. Well, shit. I was hoping for some advice from my big brother, but it seems that’s not going to happen.

  “She drives me crazy,” I say with a shake of my head.

  “Yeah, that’s not going to change,” he laughs.

  “I swear to God I spend more time thinking about her than I do anything else.”

  “Yeah, that won’t change either, at least it didn’t for me. It’s only got worse now that Summer’s pregnant.”

  I look over at him with pleading eyes. “Give me something to go off of, Grant. I’m fucking drowning here.”

  He laughs again and looks out at the ocean. “I only know bits and pieces about Jenna, but sometimes when I look at her, I get glimpses of that same look Summer use to have. Not so much scared like Summer was, but something tells me Jenna has been through some shit and she’s made up her mind to never ever go through it again. She’s a tough woman to read, so maybe I have that all wrong.”

  “No, I think you’re right. Jenna is fucking impossible to read. I’m a Goddamn lawyer and it’s practically my job to try to figure people out, but she has that shit locked down tight.”

  Grant looks back over at me and leans forward in his chair. “It takes a certain type of man to be able to handle that, to understand a woman who has been let down repeatedly, who was starved of the simple things in a relationship. I’m not saying that’s what happened to Jenna. I don’t know her well enough to say that, but I know from experience that it takes a certain type of man to want her to know what a happy and healthy relationship looks like. It takes a certain type of man to have the patience to walk her through it until she figures out her new normal. Showing Summer what a healthy relationship is like is one of the best things I have ever experienced. Showing her how much I love her every single day will never get old. Just give Jenna time. Be patient with her. Listen when she wants to talk and hold her in the silence when she doesn’t. That’s the best advice I can give you.”

  I want to crack a joke about him being a pussy and maybe two months ago before I met Jenna I would have, but hearing him talk about his wife like that only makes me respect my older brother even more. I hope to Christ I turn out to be like him someday.

  * * *

  I pull into Jenna’s driveway and climb out of my car. I don’t even bother knocking as I make my way inside. A few weeks ago she started leaving the door unlocked and told me to just come on in when I got here. I walk into the kitchen and see her standing in front of the refrigerator. I chuckle quietly. I don’t know why she even does this. It’s rare that either one of us cooks, so we never have much to eat in our houses.

  I set the bottle of wine I brought on the counter before walking up behind her and wrapping my arms around her stomach.

  “What are you doing?” I ask, kissing her neck. />
  She shivers in response and I smirk to myself. I love that her body reacts like that to me.

  “Trying to make food appear.”

  “How that working out for you?”

  “Not good.” She turns and wraps her arms around my neck. She lifts up on her tip-toes and her lips meet mine.

  The kiss goes from zero to a hundred really quick. She practically climbs me and before I know it her legs are wrapped around my waist. I give her ass a squeeze before walking over to the counter and setting her down.

  I tangle my hand in her hair and break away from her mouth. I look into her eyes that are heavy with lust, but she also looks exhausted. “You alright, Freckles?”

  “Yes, I just want you.”

  “I thought you were hungry?” I ask with a smirk.

  She gives me a mischievous smile and rubs me through the fabric of my pants. “Can I have this in my mouth instead?”

  “It’s all yours Ms. Hudson, but if you keep teasing me I’m going to end up fucking you right here on this counter.”

  “Yes, please,” she moans against my lips.

  My hand tightens in her hair and I tilt her head back. Bending my head, I lick up her neck to her ear. “Does my naughty girl want to be fucked on the kitchen counter tonight?”

  She moans again and her legs around me tighten. My other hand slides up her side and to her breast where I cup the firm flesh in my hand. She sucks in a sharp breath and I pull back to look down at her. “Sensitive?”

  She nods and slides her hand down the front of my pants, giving my dick a squeeze. I groan and go back to exploring the delicious skin on her neck.

  “Sensitive?” she murmurs.

  I chuckle and give her neck a bite. “So damn sassy. Hold on.”

  Her hand leaves my pants and she wraps her arms around my neck. I pick her back up off of the counter and start walking towards her bedroom. “I thought we were fucking on the counter,” she whines.