Her Marine Next Door

by Burke, Aliyah

  …

  “Do you have any idea how much I love your skin?” Parker whispered the question as he trailed tickling little love bites down her back, focusing on her spine.

  “No,” she replied, scrunching her fingers in the bedspread. “But you’re making me feel as if I’m a meal.”

  “You are. One for me, only. And one I love indulging in.” He nipped one globe of her ass, and she squealed.

  “I’m not food.”

  “I beg to differ. I’m perfectly happy to see how long I can be sustained by you.”

  “You’re insane.”

  He moved back up to her and kissed her as he pulled her on top of him. “No, baby, the word you’re looking for is insatiable.”

  “I thought you were supposed to be in the guest room.”

  He shrugged, and her heart melted a bit more at the impish look there. “I was lonely?”

  “I fail to see how. I was in there with you last night. And most previous nights you were in here with me.”

  “Then you left. I was lonely and followed you in here.” He placed another long, slow, drugging kiss on her that completely short-circuited her brain. “What do you want to do today?”

  “Don’t you have some guys to hang out with?”

  “Not over my fiancée, not happening. I’m not on board with that whole bros-before-hoes bit that people use. And no, I’m not referring to you as a whore. Just using the expression. I want to take you out today.”

  Her heart rate tripled in speed. “You don’t have to do that. We’re putting on a farce for Gemma and if you leave, I’m sure that won’t make any difference in her mind.”

  He pursed his lips ever so briefly and she narrowed her eyes, suspicion ramping up full force.

  “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “My parents.”

  Talk about a mood killer. “What about them?”

  “They’re here in town.”

  Silence reigned between them for a minute before she gave in and prompted. “And?”

  “You’re my fiancée. They want to meet you. They’ve met their grandson. Now they want to meet my fiancée.”

  Her heart thundered hard; she was surprised her ribs hadn’t cracked from the beating they had to be taking right about now.

  “I thought this was a show for baby momma.”

  “You didn’t seriously think they’d be good with meeting only my son, did you?” His nose flared as he took another deep breath. “If we don’t agree to meet them, they’ll just show up at the door. I can only hold them off for so long.”

  “Parents weren’t part of my understanding of this deal, Parker Jax. This was a deal until the results came back. Why haven’t they come back?” She struggled until he let her go. She didn’t just move beside him, but climbed out of bed and tugged on a shirt.

  “I know it wasn’t, baby. And I’m sorry. They just showed up at the door. Kind of hard to hide the three-year-old out in my yard. Problem is, even though I told them you were shy and extremely busy with deadlines for work, they’re still pushing to meet you.”

  “How long are they in town for?” She paced along the foot of the bed, unease spiking between her shoulder blades. It didn’t help he’d used the word “baby” again. Almost like that was an endearment only for her.

  “They bought a house.”

  Skylar whipped toward him and the bed so fast, she stubbed her toe. “What?” Okay, that was a screech followed by a bellow of pain.

  He was a blur as he leaped from the bed and had her in his arms. “What did you do?”

  “Stubbed my toe. Put me down, Parker.”

  He lowered her carefully to the bed where he dropped to his knees and examined her foot. “Shit, you’re bleeding.”

  Parker stood and had her back in his arms before she could even make sense of which foot he’d mentioned was bleeding. He shushed her as he carried her to the bathroom, where he perched her on the edge of the sink. Shock had overtaken her as she watched him clean and bandage her injury. With her foot against his chest, he finished applying the bandage and kissed the instep before lifting his head to stare at her. “I’m sorry.”

  “You should be, but not for my toe. What did you think was going to be my reaction when you told me that your parents, who I now have to fool into thinking we’re actually in love enough to get married, aren’t just visiting but have purchased a house here?” The room spun, and she tried to control her breathing. “What’s going to happen when it’s over? I still have to see them when they come visit you, next door.”

  “You’re fucking sexy in my shirt.”

  She blinked and shook her head, thrown by the total directional change in the conversation. “What?”

  He parted her thighs with his strong hands and stepped between them, gripping the bottom of the shirt. “You. Are. Fucking. Sexy. In. My. Shirt.”

  “Why are you changing the subject? And don’t read into it, I just picked something up to toss on.”

  “I’m reading all kinds of things into this, and I’m changing the subject because you’re about to hyperventilate.” He thumbed her lower lip, creating waves of need within her from his touch and the roughened pad. “I can think of much better ways to spend our time if we’re going for the endgame of getting you light-headed and breathless.”

  Her pussy clenched, wanting him deep inside her once more. “Parker,” she moaned. “This isn’t productive. We have to talk about this.”

  “And we will, but not right now. Parental discussion has no place when we’re making love.”

  He sheathed his length, slid her forward and onto his waiting cock, filling her with a slow, sensual glide. Parker grabbed a fistful of his marine shirt as he stroked slowly within her. Skylar gripped the edge of the counter that she sat on and leaned her head back, resting it on the wall. He bent closer and kissed her as he located her clit with his free hand and flicked his nail over the swollen nub.

  His mouth captured her moan as she shuddered around him.

  “Fucking thing of beauty when you come on my cock. I need that again, baby.” He tugged her forward enough to yank the front of his shirt over her head, a move that pinned her arms. “Look at you. Breasts full and there for me to suck, nip, tease.”

  Nipples painfully tight and swollen, she whimpered.

  He didn’t torment her too long before he drew one point into his mouth, swirling his tongue around it. Back and forth he moved between her breasts. Her fingers clenched with the need to touch him in return, but Parker didn’t seem all that inclined to allow her that.

  “Please,” she begged.

  “What? What do you want, baby?”

  “Let me come.”

  “Open your eyes and look at me,” he rumbled against her lips.

  Difficult as it was to follow his order, she managed. His eyes were nearly black, they were so dark. “Tell me who this is making you feel this way.”

  “Fuck, you are.”

  “Name, Skylar. Say my name.”

  His thrusts were getting faster and deeper as he undulated his hips. Changing up the spot, he hit inside her.

  Another flick of his nail over her hypersensitive clit and she exploded. “Parker,” she screamed, wrapping her legs around him, holding him as deep as she could manage.

  “Fuck, yes,” he groaned, coming hard inside her.

  Without missing a beat, he held her under her ass and carried her back to the bedroom, where he laid her down and they pretended there wasn’t anything else in the world aside from the two of them.

  …

  Skylar stepped into her garage and froze, Alpin beside her. “Something’s off, Alpin.” He didn’t much care, just padded in out of the sun, went to one of his many water buckets, and made a slobbery mess before settling onto his raised bed out in the garage.

  Once he
was set, she wandered around trying to figure out what was not right.

  “Hey, baby.”

  It was too damn nice hearing that daily. Multiple times daily.

  Parker walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “What are you doing?”

  He’d come in late last night and slipped into bed beside her as if he had every right to be there. Although she knew time was running out before their farce ended, she enjoyed him next to her too much to say anything.

  “Trying to remember where I left something.”

  He rested his chin on her head. “Bedroom. I can help you look.”

  “Look at you being almost funny.” She shrugged. “I’m sure it will turn up.”

  “What was it?”

  “One of my chisels. It’s very sharp, and I don’t like not knowing where it is. I usually don’t misplace my tools.” She glanced out the open garage door. Until recently, she’d been fine leaving it up and open. Now she wasn’t so sure she would continue to do so. “You leaving?”

  “I am. Cullen is inside dozing. He doesn’t think he needs to sleep. He hasn’t eaten, but says he’ll eat with you.”

  And I’m the babysitter again.

  Anger spiked. Her mind tried to remind her this was the real reason he was being so nice to her. He was getting sex and a babysitter. “Fine.”

  In all honesty, she didn’t mind having Cullen around. He shadowed her, built his own things, and did his best to copy her. He behaved on her deliveries and had become popular at the lumberyard and store. What bothered her was Parker had come to assume he could drop the boy off whenever he wanted without giving the slightest consideration to what her plans were. No point in making an issue of it, though—why ruffle feathers when this was only for a little more time?

  And in some way, it eased a bit of her pain over not being there for Brennen. Cullen was a little boy used as a pawn in this game. One she shouldn’t continue to be a part of.

  He reeled her close and tipped her chin up. “What’s wrong?”

  She couldn’t lie to him, so instead, she opted to omit a few of her issues. “Stressing over this new commission piece, upset about my hand, and pissed I forgot they were delivering the wood for my back porch today.”

  His brow furrowed. “Porch?”

  “I was going to build a larger one with more shade.”

  “On your own?”

  “No reason to sound that way. I can build a porch, I mean I know it’s not furniture but—”

  He covered her mouth with his lips, and she sank into him. When he finished and drew back she blinked. “Most people put a hand there.”

  “I’ll pick kissing you any day of the week. I asked that because you continually shock me with what you can do.” Another brief touch of his lips. “New plan for us this evening, because you are not building a deck. That, I can handle.”

  She didn’t doubt it.

  “New plan is this. I’ll get some of my guys. We’ll have a cookout and get the deck up in no time.”

  “Don’t you party at your place?”

  He kissed the back of her hand. “I used to, but my fiancée put the kibosh on that. And I would do anything for her. No crazy party. Just my fiancée, my son, some of my best buds, and their girlfriends if they want. Time you met the guys.”

  This kiss was danger, and her knees wobbled when he pulled away.

  Shit, I’m in trouble.

  She walked with him out of the garage where he pulled her close for one more toe-curling kiss. Seconds later, icy water was tossed over her when she heard a sharp gasp.

  “This, this is your fiancée, Parker? Your neighbor?”

  Looks like she was meeting the parents sooner than she could ever want to.

  Parker held her gaze, and she was glad to see the flash of anger before he curbed it. At least he wasn’t all in agreement with his mother about the fiancée being her. He chucked her beneath the chin with his thumb and winked. “You and me, Skylar, together. Sir. Mom, what are you two doing here?”

  “Next door, Parker? She lives next door?” The woman looked decidedly uncomfortable.

  “I’d like both of you to meet Skylar Radford. Skylar, my parents, Paul and Dara Jax.”

  She wanted to puke up her breakfast. As that would be rude, she took a deep breath and offered her hand. Paul took it first, his grip firm and strong. Dara’s was like a limp fish.

  “It’s so nice to meet you both. Parker’s told me a lot about you.”

  “Never mentioned you at all.” His mother’s words cut deeper than she thought they could.

  “Mom.”

  She looked between them, eyes wide. “It’s true. You never mentioned her, or did I miss that bit, where you told us you had a fiancée and a son?”

  Skylar didn’t do family squabbles. She wanted to run away. Parker tightened his grip on her hand briefly, then wrapped his arm around her. “I’m on my way to rehab. What did you two need?”

  “I came to see my grandson.”

  Dara did the talking; Paul was silent and watched a lot. She knew where Parker got it from now.

  He looked down at her. “I’m fine with them keeping him for the day, if they want to spend time with him.”

  “I’ll run my errands early and if they need to drop him off later, they can, unless she’s back.”

  It killed her to see the lower lip tremble on Cullen as he was carried away by his grandmother, but all she did was wave and give him a big smile.

  …

  Skylar was in her garage working on a new bed for Mrs. O’Neary’s cat, Absinthe, when the cars began to arrive and instead of parking in the driveway next door, they pulled up in hers. Her gut tightened with unease.

  Parker was in the back, getting the grill going. He’d made a trip to the store and come back carrying more meat than she’d have ever thought could be consumed in a single setting.

  “Skylar!”

  She released the sandpaper she was using and found Gibson striding in with a large smile on his face.

  “Mr. McMasters.” She dusted off her palms and stepped forward offering her hand.

  He waggled a finger at her. “No Mr. McMasters, call me Gibson, or like the others do, Sonar. We already like you, so we’ll call you Skylar. And we get to hug you.”

  His words were her only warning before she found herself hauled up against his strong body. Tears burned briefly before she got herself under control. It was like a group of older brothers who, she had no doubt, would protect her.

  “Found these on the ground by your truck. Didn’t want you to get a flat tire.” He dropped a bunch of nails on a workbench.

  What the hell? She definitely didn’t let that happen—she was fucking meticulous about her things.

  Every man hugged her as he approached, then went through the house to meet Parker in the backyard. Except Gibson. He stayed with her.

  Eventually, Parker made his way to her as well and scowled at his friend as he pulled her close for a spine-tingling kiss. “I’ve missed you. Are you finished with the bed?”

  “I was finishing up when they started to arrive. I was talking to Gibson about doing a bed frame for him.”

  “Stop talking to my woman about anything to do with beds.”

  She smacked him, rolling her eyes. “Stop it. Don’t you have a grill to man? And a porch to build?”

  “Right. Porch. The reason you were invited. So come help us.”

  “Parker?”

  Her insides went cold at that voice. Seconds later, the woman it belonged to walked into view. She wore a barely there dress like the women who used to go to his parties.

  Skylar’s fake fiancé didn’t move, didn’t release her.

  “Where’s Cullen?” Parker’s tone was bland.

  “Still sleeping. I’ll bring him over when he wakes.�
��

  “We had an agreement.”

  She pasted on a smile and turned to Gibson. “I remember you from a few years ago when Parker and I hooked up.” She held out her hand. “Gemma. I don’t know if you remember me or not.”

  “Nope.” Gibson didn’t take her hand. In fact, he crossed his arms and glared. “Only one I remember is Skylar, because she’s more than a onetime thing.”

  Okay, she could really like him.

  Gemma’s fine skin flushed, but she didn’t slink away. “I need to talk to you, Parker.” Another cold look in Skylar’s direction. “Alone.”

  Gibson stepped forward and gestured toward Skylar. “I’ll escort this lovely lady to the back. We have more things to discuss, anyway.”

  Skylar didn’t want to leave. She didn’t trust Gemma in her garage. That woman brought out a side of her she didn’t think she had any longer. Possessive, angry. A side of her that she’d had before she became a couple with Reggie. Once that fell apart, there was no reason to be possessive or angry. She’d learned to shove her feelings away so she didn’t dwell on the fact that she hadn’t been good enough for her husband.

  Falling into step with the handsome marine friend of Parker, they walked inside, where music blared and she could smell the rich scents of meat on the grill. But it was more than that. These guys were serious about getting her porch done. The framing was already up.

  “You all work fast.”

  Gibson draped an arm around her shoulder. “Don’t worry about Parker with Gemma. He only has eyes for you.” A brief kiss to her cheek, and he went to help build. There were four women, including herself, and she liked the other three well enough, but she couldn’t see herself being lifelong friends with them. They seemed to understand they were just temporary women for the men they were with. And were okay with that fact.

  About an hour later, Gemma showed up with Cullen and, much to her disappointment, stayed. Cullen made himself useful—he gravitated toward a man named Collier, who’d given the boy toys his children had outgrown.

  It warmed her heart to know even when she would no longer be part of Cullen’s life, he’d have people around him who cared and would watch out for him.