B071NZPNXN EBOK

by Unknown

  “Not that it justifies what happened last night in any way,” Parker continued. “But I just wanted you to know why he hates me so much. Why a lot of people hate me.

  “Thank you for telling me,” Alice replied, not really knowing what else she should say. “But I don’t think people hate you. I know I could never hate you.”

  “The thing is,” Parker continued, and Alice could see he was struggling to talk about this. “I wasn’t always this much of a cold, heartless bastard. There was a time when I was sweet and caring, but I learned the hard way that being kind and caring in this world will just get you hurt. Well, that’s what I thought till I met you.”

  “What happened that was so bad to make you feel that way?” Alice asked hoping that Parker was finally going to tell her what she always wanted to know.

  “It was more of a who, than a what,” Parker laughed nervously. “When I was seventeen, I fell in love with a girl called Sara. At least I thought I loved her; now I know what I felt for her didn’t even come close. But a seventeen-year-old me thought she was everything. She was a popular girl at school; all the boys liked her, but she picked me. I was a little dorky and naïve so her liking me was not something people were expecting.”

  Parker stopped for a moment, and Alice knew he was trying to choose the right words to use.

  “We were dating a few months, and I thought she really liked me,” Parker said. “Then one night, I was at dinner with my parents, and I got a text message. It was a picture from Sara, and she was completely naked. I was stunned, I mean, we had kissed and stuff, but we had never done anything else, and this picture was so out of the blue. I was just about to tap in a reply when a second message came in. That’s when I realised that the first message wasn’t meant for me. She had meant to send it to my best friend, Josh. It turns out they were having sex behind my back all along. In fact, the only reason she was with me was that her father was trying to close a deal with my dad, and he told her to be nice to me.”

  “That’s awful,” Alice said as she reached out and softly touched his face. “I’m sorry this happened to you.”

  “The thing is, I liked her,” Parker continued. “And I thought that she liked me too, but her message had made it clear that she was only doing what her dad wanted; like my feelings didn’t matter.”

  He stopped, and Alice knew there was more, but she didn’t know what that would be.

  “I felt humiliated,” Parker continued, but this time when he spoke, he couldn’t look at Alice any longer. “I was hurt and angry, and I wanted to hurt her back. So, in a moment of rage, I forwarded her photo to everyone in the school with the caption, Daddy’s little whore.”

  “Parker, no,” Alice said, and she could see how much he regretted what he did, even all these years later.

  “Of course, her father found out, as did mine,” Parker continued. “Needless to say, the business deal fell through, and my parents freaked out completely that I could have done something like that. But the worst part of it all was, I destroyed Sara’s life. She became the butt of every joke in the school to the point she had to leave.”

  “But you were angry,” Alice offered, trying to make things somehow better for him. “And you were still just a kid.”

  “I know, but still doesn’t make it right, I know that now” Parker continued. “If I am honest, what happened changed me completely. I didn’t trust anyone. And I treated people like they didn’t matter. I treated girls like dirt, and I learned the more ruthless you were, the more respect you seemed to get. Jensen and Harrison were the only ones who ever got to see the real me. Well, almost the real me. I swore I would never let anyone get that close to me again. Until I met you that is.”

  “What was different about me?” Alice asked, curious that he would have changed for her.

  “Everything,” Parker said, as he finally allowed his eyes to meet hers. “You were from a different world. You were kind and caring; you didn’t behave like you were entitled to anything. You were everything all those other girls weren’t. You were good. Too good.”

  “Too good?” Alice asked, surprised by his comment.

  “I knew that falling for you was wrong,” Parker replied. “I knew that from the morning that you showed up at my door that being with you was a mistake. I knew as I stood in the hallway that morning I should have said no when you agreed to help me, but there was just something about you, something I couldn’t stay away from.”

  “Being with me is a mistake?” Alice repeated as an uneasy feeling settled inside her.

  “Yes,” Parker said as his eyes suddenly glistened with unshed tears. “I lay here all night watching you sleep, trying to convince myself that you and I aren’t a mistake, but I know in my heart that we are.”

  “What are you saying?” Alice asked as she sat up in bed and looked down at Parker. Her heart was hammering so fast in her chest that she could barely think over the sound of it drumming in her ears.

  “I’m saying that I love you so much it hurts, Alice,” Parker said as he too sat up. “I am saying there is nothing in this world I wouldn’t do to keep you safe and make you happy, even if that thing was to let you go.”

  “You…you’re letting me go?” Alice asked as tears suddenly spilled down her face.

  “You were hurt last night, because of me!” Parker exclaimed, and Alice could see the hurt on his face. “Lewis went after you because of something I did. I am a cancer, and I destroy everything I touch, and if you stay, I am going to destroy you too.”

  “You are not a cancer..” Alice insisted as she choked back a sob.

  “YES, I AM!” He yelled cutting her off. “I have used people and hurt them, and if I stay with you, my past will keep coming back to hurt you.”

  “So, you’re going to hurt me instead,” Alice asked as the pain in her chest almost consumed her. “What I want doesn’t matter?”

  “Of course it matters,” Parker said as he took hold of her hands. “Don’t you see? I love you so much. I just don’t want to see you hurt anymore; not because of me.”

  “No! You don’t get to do this Parker O’Neill,” Alice exclaimed angrily as she climbed from the bed. “You don’t get to decide just like that, that we are a mistake. You have a past, so what? Did you really think I didn’t know who you were when I agreed to this? Did you really think that I didn’t know about your past when I fell in love with you? You don’t get to do this to me. You don’t get to break my heart and say it’s because you love me. If you love me, you stay, and you fight. If you want to walk away, don’t say you’re doing it because of love, you’re doing it because you’re a coward! You’re nothing but a Goddamn coward.”

  Without saying another word, Alice stormed into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her. When the door was closed, she stood for a moment in the center of the huge, white marble bathroom, as her whole body trembled with anger. She tried to calm her breathing, but the hurt she felt inside her was consuming, and she could barely catch her breath.

  She dropped to the floor in the centre of the bathroom, as a sob escaped from deep inside her. Alice buried her face in her hands and let go of the hurt that was almost suffocating her.

  She was so lost in her grief, that she didn’t hear the door open, nor did she hear Parker walk into the bathroom and dropped down to the floor behind her.

  It wasn’t until she felt his huge arms wrap around her from behind that Alice even realised he was there.

  “Please don’t cry,” Parker begged as he held her close to him. “Please, Alice. I love you.”

  “Then why are you breaking my heart?” Alice whispered through her tears.

  “I thought it was the right thing to do,” Parker breathed against her. “I am so scared I am going to lose you, Alice. That someone will come and take you from me. That you are going to be hurt and it will be my fault. Last night, as I stood outside that bathroom, for the briefest of moments, I thought that I was too late. If I hadn’t arrived when I did, and Lewis
had hurt you, I would have never been able to forgive myself.”

  “But he didn’t hurt me,” Alice replied through her tears. “You were not too late.”

  “Do you know how much I love you, Alice?” He asked as she turned to face him. Alice was surprised to see the tears streaming down his face. “I love you so fucking much; I can barely breathe. When I am not beside you, my heart hurts, and I feel like I am suffocating.”

  Alice stared at him, not knowing what to say to him. She loved him more than anything in the world, but right at that moment, she couldn’t seem to find the words she needed to say.

  “I don’t want to lose you,” Parker said with a sob as he pressed his head to hers.

  “Why do you have to lose me?” Alice asked as she took his face in her hands. “I love you, and you love me. Nothing else matters.”

  “But all the things I have done….” Parker replied, looking into her eyes.

  “Are in the past,” Alice assured him. “All I care about is the future.”

  “Why the hell do I have to love you so damn much?” Parker sighed as he pressed his lips to hers. “You deserve so much better than me.”

  “You are what I want,” Alice smiled up at him. “Not the money, or the name. None of that crap matters to me. I love you and just you. You need to get that into your stupid head.”

  “Let me take you away,” Parker said suddenly, surprising Alice. “Today, just me and you.”

  “We couldn’t…” Alice began to protest.

  “Yes, we could,” Parker stopped her before she could protest. “We never had a honeymoon, and as much as I would like to take you away to some exotic island somewhere, I know you won’t come because you won’t leave Gram. But let me take you somewhere, just the two of us. We could go today, and be back Monday. I will even ask my mom to visit Gram, so she isn’t alone. What do you say?”

  “We couldn’t just disappear,” Alice said, but even as she said the words, she was already imagining a weekend spent with just her and Parker, and no one else in the world. As much as she hated to admit it, it sounded so tempting.

  “It’s just two days,” Parker continued. “We would be only a couple of hours away.”

  “Just two days?” Alice asked as she wiped the last of her tears from her face.

  “That’s all I want,” Parker replied. “No phones, no TV, and no people. Just you and me, the sand and the ocean.”

  “Why is it so hard to say no to you?” Alice giggled as she looked up into his eyes.

  “Because you love me almost as much as I love you,” Parker smiled, and Alice was relieved to see that this time his smile was genuine.

  “I do,” Alice said as she pressed her lips to his. “But just two days.”

  “Deal,” Parker said with the biggest smile Alice had ever seen.

  Chapter 29

  Parker

  Parker pulled the car to a stop and looked over at Alice, who was fast asleep in the passenger seat. He glanced down at her bare arm and the four small but very distinct fingerprint size bruises that were there from where Lewis had grabbed her. Parker felt sick as he thought about what happened the night before.

  He hated that what happened was because of him and his stupid battle with Lewis. It didn’t matter what Alice said, he blamed himself completely. Parker promised himself that from now on, he would do whatever it took to take care of Alice and keep her safe.

  He reached over and softly touched her arm.

  “Alice, we’re here,” Parker said as he gently shook her, waking her slowly. He hadn’t told her where he was taking her, only that she would need things for the beach and comfortable clothes. Parker had in fact taken her to his parent’s beach house in the Hamptons.

  Parker loved it here. It was the only place in the world that he felt totally at peace. Eleanor had insisted that there would be no internet and no phone lines in the house. There was a huge cinema screen with an extensive movie collection, but other than that, there was no TV either. Eleanor insisted that she wanted that beach house to be their escape, and Parker knew that was exactly what he and Alice needed.

  “Where are we?” She asked as she straightened up in the car and looked out the window.

  “This is my family’s beach house,” Parker replied as he pushed opened the car door then turned back and smiled at Alice. “For the next two days, I want you to consider this place your home.”

  “Your parents own this?” Alice asked as she looked out the window and took in the beautiful house before her. “Wow, this is amazing.”

  “You haven’t seen anything yet,” Parker said with a grin as he climbed from the car and hurried around to Alice’s door. Taking her hand as she climbed from the car, he quickly led her up the steps and into the house.

  “Wow,” Alice said as she stepped into the hallway. “This house is beautiful.”

  Eleanor had insisted that everything in the beach house should be neutral, calming tones. All the woodwork was white, while the walls were cream and taupe, to match the cream marble floor. The only colour that was added was the curtains and rugs on the floor, or the multi-coloured scatter cushions that were on the large cream sofas that were in the living room.

  “Yeah, it’s great,” Parker laughed as he hurried through the house, taking Alice with him. He didn’t slow until he reached the decking at the back of the house, where he led her down the steps to a small walkway, and out onto the white sandy beach.

  “This is what I wanted you to see,” Parker said as he stopped in the middle of the empty beach. “This is possibly my favourite place in the world, and it is all ours.”

  “You own a beach?” Alice asked as she gave Parker a stunned look.

  “Technically my dad does,” Parker clarified. “But for the next two days, it’s just me and you and this view.”

  “Parker, this is amazing,” Alice said as she spun around, taking everything in, while Parker just watched her, feeling pleased with himself that she seemed to love this place as much as he did. “I have never seen anything like this before.”

  “You’ve never been to the beach before?” Parker asked, surprised to hear this.

  “Gram took me to Coney Island when I was a kid,” Alice said as she turned to look out at the sea. “But that was crowded and noisy. This place…this is what I imagine heaven is like.”

  “Well, for the next two days,” Parker said as he walked towards her and pulled her into his arms. “This piece of heaven is all ours.”

  He pressed his lips to hers, and for the first time since the party, Parker could feel himself relax a little. Bringing her here had been the right thing to do. He didn’t know why he hadn’t thought about bringing her here before. Part of him was glad he hadn’t; because right now seemed like it was the perfect time for them to be together, away from the rest of the world.

  “Let me show you around,” Parker said as he slowly released her from his arms, but instantly took hold of her hand.

  He pointed towards the jetty, where there was a large yacht moored and explained that his dad was more of a sailor than he was, that he still got sea sick.

  Parker then led her back up the steps to the house, where he pointed out the Jacuzzi on the decking, and he assured her that they would be heading there before the night was over. Alice laughed but didn’t say a word as he continued into the house, where he showed her room after room.

  Finally, he reached the large bedroom at the end of the upper corridor.

  “And this,” Parker said with a wicked grin on his face. “This is our bedroom.”

  “Beautiful,” Alice said as she walked further into the room.

  “Yes, you are,” Parker said as he walked up behind her and slipped his arms around her waist.

  “Parker,” Alice laughed as she closed her hands over his. “I was talking about the room.”

  “And I was talking about you,” he whispered in her ear.

  The smell of her perfume filled his senses, as a longing formed in the pit
of his stomach. Parker could instantly feel his erection strain against the material of his shorts, and he knew there was no way he would be able to keep his hands off her now.

  “Why are you so fucking addictive?” He growled against her neck as he pulled her body closer to his. Alice didn’t reply, but she didn’t have to. Parker could tell by her breathing that she was as affected by him, as he was by her.

  Alice turned slowly, and stared up at Parker, her eyes heavy with desire.

  “Make love to me,” she whispered as she reached up and slowly undid the buttons on her light summer blouse. Parker stared at her, his heart hammering faster with every button she undid.

  Alice smiled mischievously as she took a step back, and then another. Parker went to follow her, but she raised her hand and stopped him, then smiled once more.

  Parker could barely breathe as he watched her undo the last button on her blouse. Slowly she let it fall to the floor behind her, before she reached for the lace strap of her bra and eased it down over the soft skin of her shoulder.

  Alice gently bit down on her lip before she reached for the waistband of her skirt, then eased the zipper down slowly, the whole time her eyes never left Parker’s.

  As her skirt dropped to the floor, Parker released a frustrated sigh as he went to close the distance once more.

  “Not yet,” she said as she raised her finger and stopped him yet again.

  Parker had never seen this side of Alice before. She seemed somehow more confident, and he liked it. He watched as she turned slowly and smiled as she undid the clasp on her bra, then glanced over her shoulder, before she dropped it to the floor.

  Finally, she hooked her fingers into her panties and eased them down her legs, as her bum faced Parker.

  Parker could hold back no more, he quickly closed the distance between them and scooped Alice up in his arms. Carrying her to the bed, he threw her down and quickly climbed over her.

  “Now it’s my turn,” he growled against her mouth before he claimed her lips with his. Parker took hold of Alice’s hands and pinned them above her head with just one of his. His other hand glided down over her body, letting the pad of his thumb tease her erect nipple, while softly biting her bottom lip. “The things I want to do to you.”