Leave the Lights On Page 10

  Sophie sighed, shifting her hips from side to side as the garment fell to the floor. Cool hands slipped beneath his waistband, tugging at the drawstring to loosen it then sliding them past his hips. His erection sprang free, and he pulled her into a hug, needing to feel her against him. Her cool skin pressed against his overheated body sent a shiver straight through him as he strained to get as close to her as possible.

  “I think the water’s ready,” Sophie said, tugging him in the direction of the shower.

  The air had begun to cloud as steam wafted around them. Parker stepped under the warm spray, once again marveling at the sheer size of the enclosure.

  Sophie tipped her head back, wetting her hair as she slicked it off her forehead. She put a pump’s worth of shampoo in her hand and raised her arms to lather. Parker could barely breathe as he watched her breasts rise and fall as she worked the shampoo through. Does she have the slightest clue how insanely hot she looks?

  When she finished rinsing out the shampoo, she reached for the bar of soap in the cutaway holder, but Parker beat her to it. “May I?” he asked, rolling it between his hands.

  The shy smile that spread across Sophie’s face made her look like the perfect blend of innocent and drop-dead sexy. He started at her neck, massaging gently. Her eyes closed as she relaxed under his touch, and he had to stop himself from kissing her and pulling her down onto one of the shower benches.

  Working as slowly as he could force himself to go, he smoothed his hands lower, soaping her breasts, her waist, slipping his hands between her legs in a gently soapy caress. Sophie moaned at his touch, and the sound was too much. He bent to kiss her, his lips eager to taste her again.

  Sophie’s mouth sprang open, her tongue twirling around his as she stepped forward, pressing her now warm body to his. Her slick skin seemed to glide against his, rendering his brain all but nonfunctioning.

  “My turn,” she whispered as she slipped the bar of soap from his hands.

  With her mouth still on his, she ran sudsy hands down his chest, around his waist and over his ass, drawing him closer. She stepped toward him, inching him farther under the spray. Her fingers trailed over the ridge of his hipbone, sliding lower until they wrapped around his erection.

  Parker gasped as her fingertips grazed his balls on each downward pass. Warm water cascaded over him as Sophie kissed his chest, his stomach. Before he fully realized where she was headed, she dropped to her knees and took him into her mouth.

  The sensation knocked what little air was in his lungs straight out of him. Her tongue curled in a slow circle around his swollen tip before tracing a path down his length. Parker reached back to steady himself, his fingers attempting to dig into the tile walls of the shower.

  His head fell back in ecstasy as she worked him. Lips, hands, tongue all moving at once. Warm water beat down on him from every direction. The mix of sensations was too much to process all at once, and he gave himself over to every bit of it.

  As he neared the point of no return, he forced himself to open his eyes. He glanced down at Sophie. Wet hair cascading down her back, deep red fingernails shining against his skin as she skillfully stroked, full lips closing around him. Beautiful. Her eyes opened and she met his stare as her tongue began a devastating assault on the sensitive ridge of skin just beneath his swollen head. The sight of her, eyes locked on his, was too much to bear.

  Breathing in deeply through his nose, he attempted to hold off for the last possible second, but he could no longer wait. He reached for her, trying to let her know. “Soph, I’m gonna…”

  She linked her fingers with his, and instead of pulling away, she sucked him even deeper into her mouth. His entire body jolted as the orgasm raced through him. Abs tight as fists, balls drawn up so taut they ached, he erupted.

  Sophie swallowed hard, continuing to massage him with her tongue, her fingers tight around his, grounding him. Parker’s groans echoed around them, reverberating off the shower walls as he shuddered against her.

  “Jesus, Soph,” he whispered as soon as he was able to speak.

  She slipped him out of her mouth, still holding his hands as she rose off the floor. “Good?” she asked, the shy smile back in place.

  “There’s no word for what that was.” He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a kiss. Tasting himself on her sweet lips, he melted into her, certain he’d never felt so completely content.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Parker had been to see more baseball games than he could possibly count. Half of those had been with Joey, but as he drove to the stadium for this one he felt like he was going to see his first game ever. It’s baseball. Just watch the damn game. He’d have given anything for it to be that simple.

  “You okay?” Sophie asked.

  He glanced at her as he took the exit toward the ballpark. She looked adorable in jeans and a fitted T-shirt with her hair in two ponytails. Once again she managed to blend her youthful cuteness with her crazy sexiness in a way that left him beyond words. “I’m great.”

  She tilted her head, studying him, and he could tell she didn’t believe him. “We’ll have fun.” She gave his thigh a squeeze that he felt throughout his body.

  “Do you want to go out with Joey after the game?”

  “Up to you. We can.”

  “He mentioned something about it, but I didn’t say one way or the other. We’ll see how the game goes. If they lose and he’s in a foul mood, I’d vote no.”

  Sophie giggled, the sound easing some of his tension. “Totally reasonable.”

  Parker pulled into the parking lot, feeling his heart rate accelerate. Jesus. Settle the fuck down. For most of his life, arriving at a game was the best experience he could imagine. Today he felt like he was having an anxiety attack.

  Hell, he was having an anxiety attack. His palms were sweating, he couldn’t take a full breath and he had to force himself not to take a U-turn and get right back on the damn highway heading anywhere but the stadium. He parked next to a pillar with the number thirty-three on it, thinking that, given his current state, if he didn’t park someplace easily memorable, he’d never find the car again. Duplicate digits were always easier to recall.

  “It’s hard, isn’t it?” Sophie’s voice interrupted his thoughts, startling him.

  “What?”

  “Coming to watch Joey play. It’s gotta be really hard. This was your dream too.”

  Having her see right through him overwhelmed him. “Is it that obvious?”

  “Probably not to anyone else.”

  Parker withdrew the keys from the ignition and turned to look at Sophie. Her eyes were serene, calming him with their sweetness. “Just to you, huh?”

  She reached out, her fingers threading through the hair at the base of his neck, massaging with a light touch that instantly lowered his tension level and took his mind at least partially off the game. “I do know you a little better than most people.”

  “A lot better.” Parker closed his eyes, tilting his head back against her hand, letting himself relax. “But if you keep doing that, we’re never going to make it out of the parking lot.”

  A mischievous giggle sounded close to his ear, and he opened his eyes to see Sophie coming in for a kiss. Her lips brushed his softly, but Parker immediately upped the ante, snaking his arm around her waist and drawing her closer as his tongue swept over hers in dizzying circles.

  Parker reluctantly pulled back enough to whisper, “The parking lot’s looking better by the second, but we should probably go watch the game, shouldn’t we?” He half hoped she’d say no. So far this was, without question, the highlight of his day.

  “Okay, let’s go. But if this game sucks, we’re coming straight back to the car. Deal?”

  Parker gave her another quick, deep kiss. God I’m glad she’s here with me. “Deal.”

  Sophie tried not to fidget as they waited in line at the box office. She knew Parker was tense enough for both of them and she didn’t want to add to that.
Still, she couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. Parker and Joey had not only been each other’s best friends, they’d been her best friends. Being with both of them at the same time after all these years was bound to be a little weird.

  Good weird. It could be good weird. She tried to convince herself that nothing would go wrong, but a nagging voice argued in her head. Or it could be the most awkward evening ever. Oh God.

  “You didn’t tell him I was coming, right?” she asked.

  “Nope.” Parker stuck his wallet back in his pocket and held up the tickets. “Kinda want to see the look on his face, don’t you?”

  The smirk on Parker’s face made her smile. “Can’t wait.”

  Sophie followed Parker, her fingers linked tightly in his, as they made their way to their seats. Five rows behind the first base dugout. Sophie had never been inside a major league stadium, but even she realized how great the seats were. “Wow. We could practically reach out and touch the players.”

  “I think we’re about to do just that.”

  Sophie followed Parker’s gaze and saw that Joey had already spotted them. Well, spotted Parker.

  “You made it,” Joey yelled, voice booming as he waved them down to the low wall separating the field from the seats.

  Sophie followed Parker, her heart racing.

  “Hey.” Parker reached out a hand, but Joey closed the distance between them and pulled Parker into an over-the-wall hug.

  “You look good, man. Glad to see you.”

  Sophie stood slightly behind Parker, tugging her jeans down where they’d bunched on her thighs. Her stomach flip-flopped.

  Parker turned and gave her a wink. “I brought someone else you might remember.” He stepped to the side, reaching his arm around Sophie’s waist to pull her forward.

  She felt herself flush as she made eye contact with Joey, waiting for the moment of recognition. In typical Joey fashion, his eyes swept up and down the length of her body before he settled on her face. His jaw dropped.

  “Well, I’ll be fucking damned. Sophie Vaughn.” He leaned over the wall and scooped her into a bear hug so hard he lifted her right off the ground.

  Holy shit. She laughed, half from nervousness and half from the exuberance of his reaction. “Hey, Joey.”

  “How the hell are you?” Joey asked, setting her down, but not yet taking his hands off her.

  “Good.” She glanced at Parker, who eyed them with a look she couldn’t quite read. “Really good.”

  “Still hanging out with goofball?” Joey nodded toward Parker.

  Before she could answer, Parker’s arm slipped back around her waist. “Yeah, we’ve been spending a lot of time together.”

  Surprised by the possessiveness of Parker’s hand, she found herself leaning toward him. It felt good. She noticed Joey’s glance traveling to her waist then to Parker’s eyes. He’d clearly picked up on the meaning and seemed to be processing the information.

  “I can’t believe you’re both here. I gotta get back, but hang out after the game’s over, and I’ll meet up with you. We’ll go out, catch up. Okay?”

  Parker gave Sophie a quick look and she nodded. “Sounds good,” he said. “We’ll be here. Call my cell and tell me where to meet you.”

  “Will do.” Joey clapped Parker on the shoulder and strode away, looking back and catching Sophie’s eye for a second before he turned again and joined the other players.

  Sophie rubbed Parker’s back, trying to gauge how he was doing. “Should we sit?”

  “Sure.” He gave her a quick squeeze before withdrawing his arm and settling into his seat. “Well, I think we definitely surprised him.”

  “I’d say so. I thought his jaw was going to hit the floor.”

  “He looks good. Happy.”

  Yes. Joey most certainly looked good. Great even. He’d always been a good-looking guy but he’d grown almost unfairly handsome. His classic, Italian features—strong nose and jaw line, intensely dark eyes, caramel-colored skin—all seemed magnified by his long, nearly black hair. He’d managed to have a swagger to his step by the time they’d hit the fifth grade but he seemed to have perfected that over the years as well. There wasn’t a woman around who’d taken her eyes off him while he was talking to them.

  “What about you? You happy?” She searched Parker’s face.

  “I’m happy I’m here with you.” He smiled and leaned in for a kiss.

  A waitress interrupted. “Have you folks had a chance to take a look at the menu? If not I’ll come back in a bit.”

  “You know what you want or do you need a minute?” Parker asked.

  “Is it too cliché to say I want hot dogs and beer?”

  “Not to me. You still a ketchup girl?”

  Sophie’s heart fluttered at the fact that he remembered. “Yep.”

  “We’ll take two hotdogs—one ketchup, one mustard—and two beers.”

  “I’ll get those right over to you. Your seats also allow you access to the clubroom, so if you’d like to visit at any point during the game just show your tickets. There’s a full bar and buffet, and it’s open for the duration of the game.”

  “Thanks.” Parker smiled at the waitress, but Sophie caught the hint of tension in him again.

  “I have a confession to make. I can’t remember the last time I watched a baseball game.”

  “You used to come to all the games in high school.”

  “That’s because some of my buddies were on the team.” She’d meant it as a compliment, but the darkness clouded Parker’s eyes again, and she regretted saying it.

  He pecked her on the side of the head. “One of your old buddies is still on the team, and from the looks of the lineup, I think he’s the leadoff man.”

  Sophie’s brow furrowed as she squinted at the electronic scoreboard Parker was pointing at. No sooner did she find his name than she heard the announcer say, “Leading off the game will be center fielder Joey Nardo…. Nardo’s hitting.315 with a couple of homers and twenty-six stolen bases so far this season.”

  “Leadoff?” Sophie asked.

  “First one to hit.” Jesus. As a rookie. Parker shook his head to clear it. Why am I surprised? Solid hitter, super-fast runner. He’d caught the first few games of the season on TV, before his dad had gotten really sick. Every time he’d watched, Joey had been on fire.

  Pride and jealousy battled inside him. Parker shifted in his seat, willing himself to get a grip. “First guy up needs a good hit followed by speed. Joey runs like lightning.”

  “Is twenty-six stolen bases a lot?”

  “Uh, yeah. Not record breaking, but it’s damn good.”

  They stood for the National Anthem, and Parker welcomed the opportunity to focus on something other than the thoughts in his head as he listened to the song.

  Their food arrived just as they sat back down. Parker took a long drink of beer and settled in to watch the game.

  The teams were evenly matched, keeping the score tied inning after inning. Parker and Sophie cheered extra loudly for Joey but that was hardly necessary. He seemed to have an inordinate number of fans shouting his name. As much as he still loved the game, being there, watching live, was taking more of an emotional toll than Parker had anticipated.

  By the end of the fifth inning, Parker was ready for both a break from watching the game and an opportunity to stretch his legs. “You want to go check out the lounge?”

  “Sure.”

  As they made their way through the crowds, Sophie’s fingers slipped between his. Her touch warmed him more than he thought possible.

  The VIP lounge was bustling. Parker had only been inside the VIP areas at a few stadiums. Once with his dad and Joey as a graduation present, and a few times in college when he and Joey had been able to finagle tickets from various friends.

  “Hungry?” he asked.

  “A little. Plus I love checking out a buffet. Gives me ideas for weddings.”

  They perused the spread. There was a seafood table
with heaping mounds of shrimp cocktail and enormous crab legs. Two carving stations boasted roast beef and ham. Chafing trays filled with Buffalo wings, assorted pastas and some sort of stuffed chicken breasts graced the remaining tables. He saw Sophie eyeing the dessert table.

  “Dessert first?” he asked.

  Sophie grinned from ear to ear. “How did you know I was going to suggest that?”

  “I’m pretty smart for an ex-jock.”

  She squeezed his hand. “You’re pretty cute too. Now let’s get some sugar.”

  Parker surveyed the table, trying to decide what to take. Sophie went straight for the tower of miniature chocolate-dipped cannoli. “What?” she asked, catching him watching as she placed the third pastry on her plate.

  “I didn’t say a word.”

  “I like cannoli.”

  “So I see.”

  “You don’t?”

  Parker tried to remember the last time he’d had one. “I don’t know. It’s been a long time.”

  “Let’s see if these are any good.” She lifted one and took a bite, her tongue sweeping out to catch a bit of filling that caught on the corner of her mouth. “Oh my God. Very good. You have to try these.”

  She held the other half in front of Parker. Watching her lick her lips, he wanted to drag her and the plate of cannoli into the nearest vacant room. Instead he opened his mouth. Her thumb grazed his lower lip as she popped the pastry into his mouth. Crunchy, creamy, sweet, chocolaty.

  “You’re right,” he mumbled as he chewed. “That’s awesome. Grab some more of those.”

  A plate of chicken wings, two dozen shrimp and several miniature pastries later, Parker felt both full and much calmer. Talking to Sophie was like a magic tonic. He’d never met anyone who was easier to be with. Or more fun.