by Lexie Davis
EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ®
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2016 Lexie Davis
ISBN: 978-1-77339-081-9
Cover Artist: Jay Aheer
Editor: Melissa Hosack
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
STILL IN LOVE WITH YOU
Lexie Davis
Copyright © 2016
Chapter One
It wasn’t every day that a man put Aubree Manning in handcuffs. Of course, she’d fantasized about the act a few times in the privacy of her own bedroom, but the harsh reality of cool metal against the soft skin of her wrists didn’t come close to what she’d imagined.
Damn you, Parker Montgomery!
Prospect, Texas’ big bad sheriff had a look on his face that said sweet talking wouldn’t get Aubree out of proposed jail time—a sentence that had long past its statute of limitations. His Ray Ban sunglasses covered his eyes while the khaki uniform molded to a rock hard body she’d seen naked more than once. Scuffed cowboy boots covered his feet, the same pair he had since high school. He still had his Army inspired short military-cut hairstyle, though it was slightly longer than a buzz cut. She studied him a moment, realizing he actually took the time to spike the top with gel.
“Isn’t there a statute of limitations on your anger?” she asked him. “Where’s some of that good ol’ boy Texas charm I know you have?”
He gripped her arm none too gently and pulled her away from the car. “I told you when you left. If I caught you back in Prospect, you were going to jail for rolling my Camaro into the damn lake.”
Aubree chuckled at the memory.
“You think it’s funny?”
She licked her lips. “I guess next time you won’t tell everyone that you plan to marry me.”
“For the millionth time, I didn’t tell anyone that!”
“Really? You weren’t the one spreadin’ gossip around about taking my virginity and being the big man on campus? Because I know better.”
Parker jerked his sunglasses off and lowered his face to hers. His cool blue-gray eyes held a seedy storm that time didn’t alleviate. He was still pissed.
Really pissed.
“I didn’t take anything. You gave. All night long if memory serves, and again and again.”
She swallowed hard. He made it sound so dirty and tempting. Everyone remembered their first time and Aubree wasn’t any different. The night had been spent testing out their likes and dislikes, then laughing and cuddling when they finally felt spent. God, he’d been great back then. Some small part of her wished she had gone with the flow and married him instead of running as far as she could on a full tank of gas.
“Besides,” he continued. “Why would I want to marry the biggest pain in my ass? One of us would be in jail before the ink dried on the marriage license.”
That was probably true. At eighteen, Aubree had been anything but responsible and mature. She’d had a sassy attitude and a get out of Dodge disposition. She hadn’t wanted marriage. She hadn’t wanted kids. She’d wanted to live her life without someone constantly telling her she was doing it wrong.
“We were the town’s sweethearts. Prom king and queen. Homecoming king and queen. Quarterback and cheerleader. I’m pretty sure we fit every cliché out there. Everyone thought we’d get married and chances were very high back then of that being true. It was what we were supposed to do.”
“Neither one of us wanted that.”
“Yeah, well, you were softening up by the pressure this Hell-on-earth town put on you. I had to make sure you didn’t lose your hard edge.”
Aubree really didn’t regret rolling his damned Camaro into the lake. It started out being about commitment, then it went to her taking her frustrations out on the one thing he liked more than her. He loved that car more than sex, which said a lot. She knew without a doubt that if she took the one thing he loved and destroyed it, their fake façade of a potential marriage would dissipate. It worked too. She ran to Dallas and never looked back.
Until now.
“I’m done talking about this. Can you just take me to jail so I can call my daddy to come bail me out?”
“No.”
Aubree’s lips parted slightly. “What do you mean ‘no’?”
He slid his hand to her wrist. “You’re being charged with malicious destruction of property. That’s a felony offense. There is no bail and I suggest you call a lawyer instead of your daddy.”
He opened the back of the squad car and shoved her inside. Aubree knew Parker’s weaknesses and it annoyed her. If she brought on the waterworks, his hard exterior would crack. If she told him about why she had to come back to Prospect, he’d probably let her go. She didn’t want to go through that though. With him being mad at her, it meant he wouldn’t let feelings mettle with business. She didn’t like feelings, and she didn’t like Parker getting involved in her life.
“Maybe I’ll have that nice little BMW rolled in the lake for old time’s sake. We don’t exactly have an impound lot in Prospect.” He pulled off the side of the road and headed down the highway toward town.
“Don’t even think about it.”
His eyes met hers in the rearview mirror. “Really? Why not?”
“My car is worth a significant amount more than that damn Camaro you paid all of five hundred dollars for.”
“Five thousand,” he corrected. “And you knew how much that damn car meant to me. I worked every summer cutting lawns and bagging groceries until I had enough to buy it.”
“That piece of crap was a rust bucket that was a hazard to be on the road. I did everyone a favor.” She rolled her eyes. “The only thing you got it up for was that damn car.”
“Jealous?”
Aubree scoffed and stared out the window. She’d hated that car. It smelt like oil, which only made her want to gag. The exterior had once been a gray-blue but the rusted spots took away from the beauty. The interior had ratty gray cloth seats that were stained in the back and had cigarette burns in the front.
“Did you really have to put these handcuffs on so tight? My wrists are bleeding.”
He ignored her. It’d been exactly ten years since she came back to town, and as far as she was concerned, it was too soon. Her life was in Dallas with her nice career, beautiful apartment, and the closet every woman would envy. Stepping back into Prospect was like stepping into a time warp. Everything remained the same as if she hadn’t spent one day outside the town limits.
“Why did you stay?”
“Because this is my home.”
“But you hated it too.”
“Yeah, and I became a deputy to make a difference. Now I’m the sheriff and I’m still making a difference. I have purpose here.”
“You could have been more.”
“I was more. I served in the army, or are you forgetting that?”
“I didn’t forget.” Aubree licked her lips. Her mother had called her every time he sent a news update during his time in the army.
“Is my being sheriff not good enough for you, Princess?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“You hate this place because everyone loves you. Just be grateful you have someone. There are plenty of people in this world that don’t.”
Aubree hated this place because it suffocated
her. Everyone was in everyone else’s business. Everyone told you what you should do and with whom you should do it. No one asked for your opinion or encouraged you to make your own choices. She’d struggled so much with learning how to be her own person. She really didn’t want to backtrack and become what they expected.
“Are you admitting you love me, Parker Montgomery?”
His very male chuckle came from the front seat as he turned into the sheriff’s office. He parked and climbed out of the car, taking his precious time to undo the door to the back. Aubree glanced up and he reached down to grab her upper arm.
“Hmmm. A topic that actually shuts you up.”
He slammed the car door. “Hardly.”
His fingers wrapped around her arm and urged her forward. She let him lead her into the office. She smiled at Riley, her best friend from high school. Apparently he’d hired her to man the front desk. Riley gasped in shock when she spotted Aubree.
“You’re back!” Riley pushed away from her desk and ran around the counter to envelop her in a warm hug. “Undo her hands, Parker. Leave that kinky stuff in the bedroom.”
Parker sputtered, but Riley ignored him. “You look so good. Everyone is going to be so excited you’re back!”
Parker yanked on the handcuffs and Aubree let out a small shriek. He unlocked them and she frowned at him, rubbing her wrists.
“So come here and tell me all about life in Dallas.”
“Uh, Riles, she is a criminal.” Parker gripped her arm again and Aubree yanked it away.
“What could Aubree possibly have done driving into town?”
He pointed to the wanted poster on the bulletin board. The image was of her eighteen year old face pasted onto a poster along with her crime hung for all the world to see. Her jaw dropped.
“You know as well as anyone that property damage has a statute of limitations of two years.” Riley propped her hand on her hip. “Get over it already.”
Aubree turned toward him. “That’s been hanging there for ten years?”
Parker shrugged.
“That god-awful picture of me you took while I was sprawled out naked in the back seat of that damn car, drunk out of my mind because you gave me spiked punch at Hallie’s birthday party? That damn picture has been hanging there ten years for everyone to see?”
He cleared his throat. “I photoshopped your nipples out of it.”
The back of her hand smacked against his chest a little harder than she’d planned. He arched an eyebrow, gripping her wrist before she could move away.
“Assaulting the Sheriff?”
“You’re lucky I’m not killing the Sheriff!”
He pushed her up against the wall, his brute strength pinning her in place. His warm breath fanned against her cheek as he undid his handcuff pouch again. Riley made some sort of protest that fell deaf on his ears.
“I can’t believe you,” Aubree finally said.
He snapped the handcuffs on her wrists. “Believe it.”
“You’re a jackass.”
He chuckled and pulled her away from the wall. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
****
Parker knew Jim Manning would have something to say about him arresting his daughter. He didn’t expect the man to call in his dad and for both of them to give him a lecture in his office though.
“You’ve got to let this grudge go, Parker.” His father stared at him with the look that made him feel like a huge disappointment to him. “Aubree hurt you, but you’ve got to let it go.”
Parker rolled his eyes. “She hit me. That’s breaking the law.”
“My daughter would not hit anyone,” Jim said with assurance.
“Riley is a witness.”
He didn’t really want to press charges. The moment he saw her, he simply wanted her to suffer a little bit. To sit in the jail cell and think about all the bad shit she’d done before she left. He had that power. He could make her sit and think. Instead, Aubree climbed under his skin and agitated the hell out of him. He couldn’t think straight when she was around. He didn’t like the look she gave him, a mixture of bold defiance and pure innocence.
“So you’re pressing charges?” Jim asked. “You’re going to send her to court, and if convicted, to the Texas state women’s prison?”
Temples pounding, Parker stood from his chair and walked around the counter. Ignoring his father and Jim, he went to the only jail cell and released the dangerous beauty inside. He didn’t want to admit there were feelings still nagging at him, even after ten years apart. Twisting the key in the lock, he opened the heavy steel door.
“Get out of here.”
She stood from the bed. Instead of spitting off something smart, she smoothed her hand along his chest, rubbing her finger over the name plate to the right. She smelled like flowers, something sweet and unique. Her tiny body stood close enough that he could imagine what it would be like to press up against her. He shook his head and grabbed her wrist, pushing her away.
“Your dog tags would look better.”
She walked past him and he sucked in a breath. The one girl that got under his skin had come back to town for God only knew how long just to mess with him all over again.
He didn’t move until he was fairly sure she’d left. Turning, he found his father standing there, watching him as he snatched his keys from the lock on the steel door of the jail cell.
“I don’t know why you two could never admit to one another that you’re perfect for each other.”
Parker held up a hand. “Don’t start. Not right now.”
“What is so bad about the idea of settling down and getting married to the one girl you’d slay dragons for?”
“I would not slay dragons for her. Feed her to them, maybe, but not slay them. She’s perfectly capable of taking care of herself as the Wicked Witch of the West. I don’t want to talk about it anymore either.”
His father stopped him and met his eyes. “You are just as stubborn and pigheaded as me.”
Parker snorted. He was close to his father. Since his mother died nearly fifteen years ago, his father did his best as a single dad to raise him right on his own. He’d married again when Parker left for the army and adopted his wife’s kids as his own. He was simply that kind of guy. Parker commended him for it too.
“Probably more.” His father tilted his head to the side. “Don’t let it get in the way of your happiness.”
Long after his father left, Parker found himself heading to the town diner to pick up some food to eat. Prospect was far too small for the both of them. Parker spotted Aubree at the table they had always shared. His table. Instead of choosing a different spot, he sat on the opposite side of the booth, daring her to say something.
“Why are you back in town?”
“How is that any of your business?” Aubree played with the straw in her sweet tea.
“Everything in this town is my business. Why the hell are you here?”
She sipped her drink. “You need to go see Doc Mathers. That vein poking out of your forehead is probably not good for your health.”
“You’re not good for my health.” He blew out a breath.
“You say that almost like I mean something to you.” The waitress was the daughter of a new family that had moved to town nearly two years ago. Parker didn’t recall her name, but she stared at them in wonder.
“Don’t go spreadin’ rumors.” Parker pointedly stared at her. “You know damn good and well that ship has sailed.”
He clenched his hand and unclenched it. Aubree had soft skin that a man would never grow tired of touching. He supposed all the money she made in Dallas afforded her the best of the best. It was what she really wanted anyway. To be on her own and live in the world that was not here. Like they weren’t good enough for her.
The waitress took his order and left them alone. Parker tried not to think about what she felt like beneath him. What he felt like inside her and how perfect they really did fit together. She w
as perfect for him. That thought pissed him off the most.
“You’re stewing. You might as well just come out with it already.” Aubree sipped her sweet tea and waited. She knew him too well. They’d grown up together and dated most of their teenage years. He wanted to chalk their stupidity up to teenage love and nothing more, but he felt something more. Even after ten years of hating her with all that he was, the feelings never went away.
It was like she never left.
“I’m stewing because you piss me off.” He leaned forward. “All the time. Just sitting there, doing nothing, you piss me off.”
She glanced around. “There are other booths.”
“I fucking know that.” He met her eyes. “Why are you here?”
“I just wanted to come back and ruin your life, Parker.” She blinked at him innocently. “My number one goal.”
He sat back. “It wouldn’t surprise me if it were true.”
“Why are you here?” Aubree changed the topic. “You had an out with the army. You could have lived anywhere you wanted.”
“I told you. I make a difference. More than I can say for you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Don’t pretend like you aren’t a hot shot financial trader in Dallas. You play Monopoly with other people’s real money.”
“I’m an advisor, and yes, I do great things with other people’s money. Millions of dollars of great things.”
“Well, good for you.”
Aubree sighed. “Why are you at my booth?”
“This is my booth. Has been since high school.”
“It’s my booth because I sat here first.”
“Well, look who’s in town. Aubree Manning.” Ms. Malloy came over to their table and glanced over at Parker. “And Parker Montgomery. Please tell me you’re here to finally make it official. Oh, wait until I tell the girls. The church doesn’t have anything planned this month. What day were you looking at? Oh, that doesn’t matter.” She waved at them. “We’ll get everything done. Now, let’s talk about you. Honey, you look so good. How have you been?”