Holy shit. The pressure of his pull on my hair, combined with his words, was almost too much. And the fact that they came from Parker, someone I’d never predict this side from? My breath caught as his mouth nipped at my ear lobe just before kissing behind it.
I could not breathe. Literally. My chest visibly rose and fell as I attempted to get a hold of myself.
“Overly… controlling?” I squeaked out.
“Just in the bedroom.”
“We’re in a hot tub,” I reminded him.
Parker let go of my hair and shifted just far enough away that our legs were no longer touching. “You’re right,” he teased, looking around as if just realizing his surroundings. “We are.”
I almost said, “A shame.”
Because it was. I would very much like to know exactly how controlling Parker could be, and while I wasn’t one to be overly submissive, in any way, we may have just discovered an exception. The idea of him taking control of my mind and body was more than a little appealing.
“Should we go get a drink with the others?”
He stood, Parker’s body even more perfect in its entirety than what I’d been able to see so far.
“Sure,” I said, making no move to stand just yet. I wasn’t sure if I could.
I wasn’t sure of anything, actually.
16
PARKER
“And then there was the big love of his life in college,” Beck said.
We were hanging around the kitchen island, Delaney sitting next to me on a stool, Pia wrapped in Mason’s arms as they leaned against one of the counters, and Cole and Beck sitting on the other stools. Pia tried to get us into the great room, “beautiful roaring fireplace” and all, but not surprisingly, no one wanted to leave the drinks and snacks.
When I’d be in charge of my own home-building business, talking clients into bigger kitchens if they entertained would be a priority.
“Cut me some slack,” I warned him, not wanting to scare Delaney away. Especially after that kiss.
“Sophomore year of college, he talked us into this community service project, helping to rebuild homes that were hit hard by an ice storm.”
“We weren’t easy to convince,” Mason added. “Half the time they wanted us on Sundays?—”
“Which cut into our recovery time.”
“Recovery from what?” Pia asked, looking up at him.
“Partying,” Cole said dryly. “Something these guys took seriously in college.”
“None of us more so than Beck.” Mason took a swig of his beer.
“Anyway.” Beck shifted on his stool. “We were working on a house, and an elderly couple lived next door. Mr. Johnson’s health wasn’t great, and his wife was doing her best to upkeep the house and take care of him.”
“She came out whenever we were there,” Mason said. “Even made us cookies.”
“So of course”—Cole swirled the Scotch in his glass—“one thing led to another, and Parker started doing odd jobs around her house, even after the project was finished.”
“Like what?” Delaney asked him.
“Mowing her lawn, fixing a leaky faucet… Things like that.”
“She adored him,” Mason said.
