Bare Hearts (9 page)

Back at my place, I grab a few essentials as well as a few changes of clothing. Before I leave, I check the machine for messages just in case my aunt called.

“Your aunt just called to let us know she is halfway home already,” Parker says once I’m back in the car on the way to his place. “She’ll probably be home by morning.” Pulling into the driveway, he asks, “You ready for this evening? I’m going to show you some self-defense moves after we get something to eat.”

“Nice. I could stand to learn a few moves.” This means Parker and I will be in close contact. Now I just need to keep focused, so I actually learn something.

“Is pizza delivery okay?” He smiles.

“Yeah, sounds good.” I look at his profile as he pulls in the driveway. Damn he’s hot. My stomach flutters.

Once we are inside his place, we order the pizza and he starts to show me some moves. “Now, if someone comes up to you from behind, you should either stomp on their feet to break the hold or kick them on the shins as hard as you can,” he says as he demonstrates the move from behind me.

“You can always elbow them in the ribs for good measure,” he smiles. Standing in front of me, he grabs my wrists aggressively. “If they grab you from the front, your best bet is to knee them in their jewels, and do it as hard as you can. Once you do that you can kick them, and that is sure to make them drop.”

I try to take him seriously as he demonstrates everything, but he is so passionate about it that it makes me giggle.

Chapter Fourteen

Thank god the pizza finally arrived. I’m not sure I can refrain myself any longer being so close to her. I pay the pizza guy and set the box on the coffee table while I grab us soda and paper plates.

“This is good. I can’t believe I’ve never tried it before,” she says, covering her food filled mouth. I watch as she eats. I wonder why I feel so differently with her than I have with anyone else. She is special; confident in who she is, centered, not into partying, and her chocolate brown eyes just captivate me.

“I’m sorry by the way,” she says, breaking my train of thought.

“For what?” I ask curiously.

“For my crazy life; I don’t want you to feel like you
have
to protect me. I don’t think my father would hurt me in all honesty. But who knows what he’s up to,” she says, emphasizing that I don’t have to protect her.

“Lily, I want to protect you. I
need
to protect you. Whatever it is we have here, I don’t want to lose it. You are the best thing that’s happened to me since I’ve been home. I know it seems fast and rushed, but with what we’ve been through…” before I can finish what I need to say, Lily’s lips slam hard against mine.

“I get it, and I feel the same way about you,” she says, breaking from the kiss and looking into my eyes. “You’ve been a breath of fresh air, being in my life. I’m not used to this. Something about you freaks the hell out of me. But I’m willing to see where this goes.” She leans down, grabbing another slice of pizza.

What she says leaves me stunned and I don’t say anything in response. I don’t want to come on too strong. I know she can withstand anything with the life she’s been dealt, but she is still fragile in this state. With her father back in the picture, I will do everything I can to protect her and make her see I’m not the bad guy.

“Do you feel more confident since I’ve shown you how to shoot and some combat moves?”

“Yes. I had so much fun learning, and I’m glad you showed me. I will say, learning to shoot felt exhilarating.” She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.

“I’ll turn you into an adrenaline junkie yet.”

“Don’t bet on it,” she says as she lightly shoves me.

“Seriously, though, it’s good to protect yourself when, or if, you need to. But hopefully you won’t have to.”

“It’s something I’ve always wanted to learn. So I guess I can cross it off my bucket list,” she says, beaming.

“If there’s anything else on there that I can help with, just let me know,” I say, flashing her a wink.

“Well, it’s late; I should get some sleep since I have to work tomorrow. What’s the sleeping situation?” I ask.

“I can’t protect you unless you’re in my bed.”

She couldn’t help but smile at that comment. I grab the leftover pizza and put it in the fridge. Grabbing her hand and bag, I lead her up the stairs.

“Thanks again for today. I had fun,” she says as she slides into bed next to me in only a blue cami and panty set.

“Of course. I have some errands to run tomorrow, so I’ll drop you off at work. Make sure you carry that gun with you just in case. And make sure you have it on you if you do any events too.”

“I will; I promise.”

“Get some sleep,” I tell her, kissing her head as she wraps her arm across my chest to sleep.

*****

In the morning, I make some breakfast before we head out for the day. “Something smells good down here,” Lily says, coming down the stairs lazily.

“Eat up,” I say, sliding sunny side up eggs onto the plates with bacon and toast. “You could stand to add some meat on those bones. I think you’ve lost weight since I’ve met you.” Okay, maybe that wasn’t the best thing to say by the look she is giving me. “With everything you’ve been through, it is understandable.”

“Nice save,” she says, smiling.

“You’re lucky we have to leave so early, or I’d take you right here on this table.”

“Promises, promises,” she says, flashing me a grin as she makes a run for the shower.

I gather the dishes to load them in the dishwasher. Finding a job will probably prove difficult, with the economy. Leaving the army was the best decision I could have made. However, leaving my brothers behind is a hard pill to swallow and it weighs on my heart. But it was time for a change, and I think it is best for me right now. With my background, I’m hoping to at least get some type of security job.

Once Lily exits the shower, I watch as she dresses. She has a banging body, but she needs to add a little weight.

“Why are you just standing there staring at me like a stalker?”

“Because you have absolutely no idea how sexy you really are. I could stare at you for hours.”

“You’re really laying it on thick aren’t you?” She laughs.

I enter the room, closing the distance between us. Standing behind her I lightly graze my lips across her neck while placing my hands on her hips. “Keep it up with your smart mouth and I’ll bend you over right now. Is that what you want?” I whisper into her ear.

She tilts her head back, giving into the desire. But I pull away, heading straight to the shower with a smirk on my face. This is what I want; I want her to want more.

Once I’m ready, I drop Lily off at her flower shop. Leaning over, she kisses me tenderly while rubbing my inner thigh very close to my cock. “Two can play that game,” she says, whispering in my ear before shutting the car door. I straighten my pant legs before pulling out of the parking lot. She gives me one last grin as she heads inside.

I quickly realize that I left my phone at home, so I head back to retrieve it before heading out to apply for a job. I see a car in the driveway, but no one’s inside. I’m on high alert as I reach the front door; something seems amiss as the pit of my stomach starts to flip. I slowly open the door as a strong arm tugs me inside and throws me on the couch. Getting my bearing’s, I scan the room, only to see I’m facing the infamous Tony and I’m assuming a bodyguard. “What the fuck are you doing in my house?” I growl.

“Do you know who I am?” He asks with a creepy smirk as he sits on the chair across from the couch while his bodyguard stands next to him with his arms crossed.

“Yes, you’re Lily’s dad.”

“I mean, do you know
who
I am?” He repeats.

“Lily doesn’t talk much about you. Matter of fact, she hates your guts.” I laugh just to toy with him. “How did you find out where I live anyway?”

“I have many resources, Boy. And I’m warning you right now; you need to end whatever it is you two have going on.”

“Or, what?” I ask, feeling really risky.

“Or, I will tell her who your father really is,” he says, standing up and towering over me.

“My father never knew you. He wouldn’t be that stupid to get involved with the likes of you,” I say, standing toe to toe with him.

“No, your father didn’t know me. But I know what he did. Don’t play dumb with me; you know exactly what I’m talking about,” he spews at me.

“Go to fucking hell, you worthless piece of……” Before I get the rest of the sentence out, he punches me in the gut, hard, causing me to bend forward and hold my stomach. I wince as the second blow comes, harder than the first.

“Now, you listen to me, you little fuck. You end things with her, or I will expose your dirty little secret,” he whispers.

“I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about,” I say, trying to straighten myself upward.

Tony heads toward the door with his bodyguard following close behind. Once he leaves I fall onto the couch, wincing in pain from that last blow to the rib cage. It’s hard to breathe, and I silently curse the asshole. Meanwhile, I rack my brain as to what the mother fucker is talking about. I have no clue what he is talking about. I don’t have any secrets; my life has always been an open book. God knows whatever my father did to piss this guy off. I table the idea of finding a job today and curse myself for leaving my phone behind.

I lounge on the couch the remainder of the day, mindlessly flipping through the TV channels. If that bastard thinks I’m giving Lily up that easily he has another thing coming. Really, who does he think he is coming into
my
home, telling me what to do?

Lily calls, informing me she is getting off work early. Once it comes time, I manage to get off the couch to go get her. I wince and hunch over while making my way to the car. After I pull into the parking lot she hops in kissing me on the cheek. Again I wince in pain when she leans into me.

“What’s wrong?” She asks with a concerned look.

“Actually, when I dropped you off, I realized I had left my phone at home. When I pulled into the drive, I noticed a car parked there and no one was inside it, which made me very nervous. I was greeted inside by your father.”

“What?” She yells. “Are you okay?”

“No; he insisted we stop seeing each other. He thinks I’m hiding some secret from you, which I don’t know what he is talking about.”

We arrive back at my place, continuing our conversation.

“You have no idea what he’s talking about?” She asks.

“No, something to do with my father; I have no clue what he is talking about though. But your father was very adamant about us not seeing each other,” I tell her.

“Can we at least establish he is not my father? He is Tony. He has never been a father to me. Just someone to smack me and my mom around when we got out of line,” she tells me.

“So after that he punched me in the gut and then in my rib cage. Needless to say, I didn’t go job hunting after that.”

Chapter Fifteen

“
Come here; let’s go check your ribs out.” I take Parker’s hand and lead the way to the bathroom, for better lighting.

In the bathroom, I help him raise his shirt up so I can look at the affected area. His chest and abs are perfectly sculpted and chiseled. I bend lower so I can see it closely.

“Looks like it is starting to bruise. Does it hurt when I touch it?” I ask gently putting very little pressure on it.

“It does a little. I did ice it after it happened,” Parker says.

“Okay, well you need to keep icing it every so often. I don’t think anything is broken. But it will take some time to heal.”

“How much time are we talking about?” He asks, concerned.

“Well, it depends. I mean you started icing it right away, which is what you want to do. So, I’d say it could be healed in two to three weeks.”

“Two to three weeks! That’s bullshit! Does this mean no sex either?”

“I’m sure we can work something out. But I need to eat something before I do anything else,” I tell him as my stomach rumbles.

In the kitchen, we manage to scrounge up some ingredients to make a light dinner of sandwiches and potato salad. I make a mental note to pick up some groceries tomorrow, so the guy can at least get a home cooked meal for protecting and taking care of me.

“Besides the obvious nonsense that happened earlier, how was work?” Parker asks, changing the subject.

“Fine, I usually spend Mondays prepping for the rest of the week and ordering inventory, nothing as exciting as your day.” I grin.

“What did I tell you about your smart mouth?”

I walk around, standing behind him and putting my arm around his hard chest “Oh, so someone thinks they can still be bossy while being injured. Did you think I would go easy on you?” I whisper into his ear, lightly brushing my lips against it as he finishes his meal.

Parker clears his throat. “How did you know if my ribs were broken or bruised? Did you go to nursing school or something?”

“No, my mom was a nurse and I was always infatuated with that. I mean, I never wanted to be one myself, but I always admired my mom for taking care of other people.” Thinking of my mom still pains me to know she is no longer in my living world. I wonder what she would think of Parker, had we met under different circumstances. Then I wonder if we would have met at all, had I not met him the way I did. I know there is a reason we share the bond that we do. Breaking my train of thought, I see Parker’s blue eyes piercing through my body, setting it on fire.

“You were saying?” I ask.

“I recall you saying we could work something out when I asked about sex earlier.”

“Oh, right,” I say, acting dumb. I quickly put the dishes in the dishwasher. Grabbing his hand, I lead the way up the stairs to his bedroom.