Leave the Lights On Page 15

  Even through his trousers he could feel the intense heat as he rubbed against her. She groaned into his mouth as he swiveled his hips. Her legs wound around his body, pulling him to her.

  “Feels so good,” she whispered.

  Wanting to make her feel even better, he eased himself up. He hooked his fingers under the edge of her panties, and she raised her hips to help as he slid them over the full curve of her ass. Lifting her legs, he slipped them the rest of the way off and tossed them aside.

  Sophie moaned as he ran his hands down her thighs. She reached for him, fingers working to undo his belt buckle. With a firm yank, the belt slid out of his belt loops and joined the other garments on the floor. Parker sighed with relief as Sophie’s fingers curled around his erection. He craved her touch but was determined to focus on her pleasure.

  He rubbed the heel of his hand against her, feeling her wetness coat his palm. “Jesus, Soph.”

  She rocked against him, making it next to impossible to combat the desire to plunge inside her. Spiraling his thumb against her, he felt her starting to quiver beneath him. “That’s it. Let it go, baby. Come for me.”

  Sophie tipped her head back, eyes tightly closed, hips arching off the bed as she gave in. Holy hell. He slowed his movements, waiting for her to ride it out. He ached to be inside her. Leaning forward, he lowered his mouth to hers. No sooner did his lips touch hers than she hiccupped.

  “Oh God,” she groaned, her hand covering her mouth as she hiccupped again.

  Parker snorted with laughter. “Hang on.” He reached over the edge of the bed, trying to contain his reaction to his erection pressing into the soft flesh of her thigh. Sweeping his hand back and forth under the bed, he found what he wanted.

  “Ta-da.” He held up a jar of peanut butter.

  Sophie laughed so hard the bed shook. “Where on earth did you get that?”

  Grinning so wide his cheeks hurt Parker unscrewed the lid. “I stashed it a few weeks ago. In case of emergencies such as this. There’s one in the nightstand at my house too.”

  Giggles and hiccups poured out of her. “You’re crazy.”

  “I prefer the term ‘prepared’. Shit. I forgot a spoon. Oh well.” He swirled his index finger deep inside the jar. “Open wide.”

  Sophie hiccupped then parted her lips. Parker slipped his finger between them. She rolled her tongue, sweeping the peanut butter off, then gave a suck so hard he felt it straight through every muscle in his torso. He twitched against her belly, his arousal leaving streaks of wetness across her skin.

  Groaning, he slowly withdrew his finger. He forced himself to breathe so he could stay in control of the orgasm that was threatening to arrive way before he wanted it.

  As she chewed the mouthful, Parker dipped his finger in the jar again. “Good? Or you need some more?”

  Her tongue darted out, licking a dab from the corner of her mouth. “Not sure yet.”

  “Maybe you need some here.” He ran his finger down the right side of her stomach, then in two swirls on either side of her belly button and in a curve on her left side.

  Her eyes widened as a smile tugged at her lips. “Did you just write I <3 U in peanut butter?”

  “Maybe.” He bent forward and licked the I from bottom to top then traced his tongue along the path of the heart and U.

  “I love you,” she said.

  “I love you too.” He kissed her, slow and gentle, as he eased his body down against hers. His erection nestled against her warmth.

  Sophie rocked beneath him, her hand slipping between them to guide him inside her. Sinking into her, his mind swirled. She sucked on his lower lip, nipping at him with her teeth. So good. How can anything possibly feel this good?

  She tugged at his shirt, pulling the tails out of his trousers and running her hands up his back. Her fingernails scratched over his skin, sending ripples of electricity straight to his groin. He ground against her, sliding his hand beneath her hips, tugging her closer on every thrust. Feeling her start to shake, he braced himself against the mattress, swiveling harder with every upward movement. Her nails dug into his back as she cried out.

  Sophie’s warm breath against his neck coupled with the pull inside her was more than he could stand. His body jerked forward as the orgasm tore through him, shaking him to his core. Panting, he rolled them both onto their sides. He brushed her hair behind her ear, kissing her eyelids, her nose, her lips.

  “No hiccups this time?” he asked.

  She giggled, still out of breath. “I don’t think so.”

  “Good, because I’m pretty sure the peanut butter jar rolled off the bed at some point.”

  “Oh God. Speaking of peanut butter, I think you’re going to need to take these clothes to the dry cleaner.”

  Parker laughed. “I think you’re right.” He sat up and unbuttoned his shirt, tugging at the sleeves then he stripped off his pants, dropping them all in a heap alongside the bed. As he lay back down, he pulled Sophie to him, spooning his body around hers. Nestling his nose in her hair he whispered, “Thanks for coming with me tonight.”

  She drew his hand to her lips kissing his palm. “Thanks for letting me.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Parker couldn’t remember a time in his life when things had been going more smoothly than they had for the past month. Ever since the banquet, everything seemed to have fallen into place. Work was great. New contracts poured in, crews completed jobs ahead of schedule and Parker finally felt as if the business was his. He and Joey had been hanging out regularly, and things had started to feel like they used to, easy and natural. As for Sophie, things couldn’t have been better. Waking up with her by his side nearly every morning made him feel like the luckiest man in the world.

  He dug his shovel deep into the ground in an attempt to loosen a particularly stubborn rock. The miniature Japanese Maple in Sophie’s front yard needed to be moved before it died, and Parker had promised her he’d take care of it. He missed working outdoors now that most of his time was spent managing the office end of the business. The warm, late-summer breeze spiraled around him, sweet with the scent of the wisteria that bloomed along the side of the house.

  Just as the rock gave way, Parker heard a car pull into Sophie’s driveway. Looking up, he saw a tall man get out of the car and slam the door. He strode past Parker without saying a word and trotted up the front steps of the house.

  Parker stood, wiping his hand on his jeans as the man pounded on the front door. “Can I help you?” he asked.

  The guy barely turned his head in Parker’s direction. “No.”

  Who the hell is this asshole? Parker felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as he realized. Shit. It’s Sophie’s ex. He’d seen a picture or two, and now that he was standing close enough to get a good look, it was clearly him. Short-cropped brown hair, thin lips, arrogant from head to toe.

  The front door swung open, and Parker caught the look on Sophie’s face as she laid eyes on Nate.

  “I can’t believe you’re doing this,” she said.

  “I’m doing this? You’re the one who won’t let this go.”

  “I’m not discussing this with you. My lawyer sent your lawyer the papers. Sign them, or I’ll take you back to court.”

  Nate raked both hands through his hair. “I’m not signing. You’ll sell that timeshare over my dead body.”

  Sophie shrugged. “If you insist.”

  “Dammit, Sophie. We’ve talked about this a million times. If we sell right now, we lose money. I’m not doing it.”

  “I don’t care if we lose money. I don’t care what happens to the timeshare. I just want my half, now. If I don’t put a down payment on that new storefront, I’m going to lose it. I need the cash, not a timeshare with you. You don’t like the idea of selling to the buyer I found? Fine. Buy out my half.”

  “No.”

  Sophie closed her eyes. “That’s why you’re dealing with my lawyer.”

  “You’re such a g
oddamned bitch.”

  Parker’s stomach tensed. “Hey. Apologize to the lady.”

  “Excuse me?” Nate walked down the porch steps as Parker moved toward him. “Who the hell do you think are? Mind your own fucking business.”

  Parker’s nostrils flared. “Sophie is my business.”

  Nate gave him a smug look up and down. “Is that so? She hired you as a bodyguard when you’re not busy playing in the dirt.”

  What a dick. Parker’s hand twitched as he felt his fists clench. “Funny. That doesn’t sound like an apology.”

  Sophie scooted down the stairs. “Look, Nate, will you just leave. Please. Seriously, this is between our lawyers now. Sign the papers, don’t sign the papers—just go.”

  “I’m not going anywhere until we settle this and I’m sure as hell not taking orders from your hired help.”

  “He’s not hired help.” Sophie shot Parker an apologetic look.

  Nate glanced back and forth between them, a hideous smile pulling his thin lips to the sides. “You can’t be serious. You’re fucking the lawn boy? Jesus, Sophie, if you’re so hard up for money you have to screw the help to get your bush trimmed, you really oughta wait ’til we get a better offer on that timeshare.”

  Without another thought Parker lunged at him, landing a punch square on his jaw.

  “What the fuck?” Nate raised his hand to his lip, pulling it away to look at the blood. “She’s really not worth losing your job over, buddy, and I’m calling your boss on this.”

  “I’m the boss, asshole. And the boyfriend. And if you don’t do as she asked and leave, I’m gonna be the guy who breaks your fucking nose.”

  Nate narrowed his eyes but backed off as soon as Parker stepped toward him. “Fine. I’m going. But you—” He turned and pointed a finger straight at Sophie. “You can expect a long and ugly fight. Especially now.”

  Electricity zipped through Parker. He hadn’t had a physical confrontation with anyone since high school. And he’d never felt that much anger toward another person.

  Nate slammed his car door and peeled out of the driveway.

  “I’m so sorry,” Sophie said, her eyes wide. “Is your hand okay? Let me see.”

  “I’m fine.” Parker realized his fists were still clenched.

  “No, you’re not. You’re bleeding. Come in the house.”

  He followed her up the stairs, his hand protectively at the small of her back, his body still humming with adrenaline. “I can’t believe you married that guy.”

  “That makes two of us. Come here.” Sophie turned on the faucet and held her hand out. “We need to get that cleaned off.”

  Parker held his hand under the cool water, letting Sophie clean off the cuts. “What was he talking about anyway?”

  “You need to ice this,” she said, examining his fingers. “Sit.” She pointed to one of the barstools at the center island, and Parker perched on top of it. He flexed his hand, noticing that his knuckles were already swelling.

  Sophie ran water on a dishtowel then rang it out and filled it with ice. She placed it on his knuckles, tucking the ends into his palm. “Hold that there for a bit.”

  “You’re really bossy when you wanna be, you know that?”

  “Sorry. I can’t believe you had to see all that.” She looked down.

  “Hey. You’ve got nothing to apologize for. Talk to me, though. What timeshare? What’s he giving you a hard time about?”

  Sophie took a deep breath and sat on the barstool next to his. “We bought a timeshare together, a few years ago, when we got engaged. It seemed like a good idea at the time. The price was down when we got divorced, so as part of the settlement our lawyers agreed we’d keep it as a joint property until we could get a better deal on it. I was stupid to agree to that.”

  “And now you need the money?”

  “That place on Spruce Street, the one I told you about the other week? I looked at it again, and it’s the perfect spot. My lease is up next month. If I had the money from the timeshare, I could totally afford it. Without it, I can’t.”

  “How much do you need? Most of my dad’s estate is still in probate, but I’ve got some money and I can always take cash out of the company. Just say the word.”

  Sophie shook her head. “No. I’m not taking money from anyone. Joey offered the same thing last week, and I told him no too.”

  Parker felt his jaw drop. “When did this happen?”

  “Last week, when he stopped by that afternoon.”

  Parker remembered. He’d come home for dinner and had found Joey sitting at the kitchen table drinking a beer while Sophie made quesadillas. He’d said he was in the neighborhood visiting his mom and had stopped by. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked.

  “I didn’t think there was anything to tell. I was embarrassed he even knew about it. Nate called while Joey was here, and he overheard us fighting. He offered to buy the timeshare—said he could get the money to me in an hour. I said ‘no way’.”

  Parker knew it was a nice thing for Joey to offer and that the money certainly wouldn’t mean anything to someone with his salary, but it irked him to think of Joey trying to swoop in and save the day. Especially without Parker even knowing about it. “You should have told me.”

  “I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want you to offer me money either. I can handle this. I own half the timeshare. I have the money. I just can’t access it because he’s being a prick. That’s what’s so frustrating.”

  “I’m sure. And obviously he’s being a total ass. But now that I know, will you let me help?”

  Sophie looked down before raising her eyes to meet his. “I’m not good at asking for help.”

  “I know. But you’re not asking—I’m offering.”

  She sighed. “Thanks. If I can’t handle it, I’ll let you know. I promise.”

  “Good.” Parker flexed his hand. The ice had significantly reduced that pain, and it was only a little sore.

  “Does it hurt?” Sophie lifted the edge of the towel to peek underneath.

  “It’s fine. It was worth it.”

  She ran her fingers through his hair. “I don’t think anyone’s ever stood up for me like that.”

  Parker shrugged. “I just hit the guy.”

  “No.” Sophie’s eyes were dark and serious. “You told him to apologize and you told him to leave. And you hit him.”

  “True.”

  “When we were getting divorced, you have no idea how badly I wanted someone, anyone, to stand up to him and tell him to apologize to me and make him leave me alone.” Her fingers continued to play with the hair at the nape of Parker’s neck.

  “What about your dad?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “He was too busy worrying about town gossip. He never once told Nate off.”

  “Now I’m sorry I didn’t hit him harder.”

  “Just as well. He’d probably have sued you. I think you got your point across. And I’m sorry he called you the lawn boy.”

  “I’m not just the lawn boy, I’m your lawn boy.” He saw the smile tugging at her lips.

  “Best lawn boy I’ve ever had.”

  “Only one you’ll ever need,” he said, pulling her into a kiss.

  The next afternoon Parker left work early and headed straight to the bank. He got a cashier’s check, wanting to be able to hand the money to Sophie for the deposit whether she wanted it or not. If she didn’t need it, that was fine, but he wanted her to know it was right there if she did.

  As he made his way into the parking lot, he saw Chrissie struggling to get a stroller out of the back of her blue Honda Odyssey. One of the stroller’s wheels appeared to be caught on something, and she was tugging relentlessly with no success. Part of him wanted to just pretend he hadn’t seen her and drive away, but he couldn’t do it.

  “Need some help?” he asked.

  She jumped at the sound of his voice, then sighed when she saw him. “You scared me. I didn’t see you coming. Yes, I’
d love some help. I can’t get the damned thing out of the car.”

  “Probably because of this.” Parker lifted the stroller and untangled the wheel from the mesh divider panel in the back of the van. He freed the wheel and set the stroller down in front of Chrissie.

  “Thanks,” she said, flipping the latches on the sides so it fell open.

  Parker studied her face for a second as she squinted at him in the sunlight. Her brow was furrowed, her expression sad. “You’re welcome. I’ll see you around.”

  He started to walk away.

  “Wait.”

  Parker closed his eyes and took a deep breath before turning back. “What’s up?”

  “I’ve been meaning to call you, you know. Or stop by. I was kind of hoping maybe you’d have gotten in touch after we talked at your dad’s memorial.”

  “Get in touch? About what?”

  Chrissie sat down on the rear bumper of her still-open minivan. “About…everything. Parker, I’m…I…”

  He could see that she was on the verge of tears again and, as much as he didn’t want to be talking to her, he also didn’t want to see her cry. And he had no napkins to hand her this time.

  “Chrissie, there’s nothing left to say. I’m not mad at you, if that’s what this is about. Okay? It’s over. What happened between us was a lifetime ago. We’re different people now. This is your life.” He gestured to the stroller and the child he could see sleeping in a car seat in the minivan.

  “We’re different all right. You’re happy and I’m miserable.” A tear rolled down her cheek, and she looked away, wiping it quickly on her shoulder.

  “Why are you miserable?”

  She turned to look at him. “I told you. I made a mistake. You’re right.” She waved her hand around. “This is my life, every day, all the time. Me and Brice. Don’t get me wrong, I love being a mom, but when I pictured myself with kids, I never thought it would be so lonely.”