Feather Light (Knead Me) (17 page)

“Can you slow down a little? What’s the rush?” Jessica tugged on her arm as she handed her parking ticket to the valet. They’d exited the restaurant in haste, leaving their meal untouched. 

Flashes snapped around them, adding to Kelly’s extreme nervousness. She spotted Rigor in the herd of photographers with a smirk on his face. He took shot after shot, and when their gazes locked, he pointed to his eyes and waggled his eyebrows. 

Jessica followed her gaze, saw the tail end of Rigor’s antics, and bristled. “Don’t mind that idiot. He’s just out to irritate you. Don’t show any sign that he’s affecting you.”

“I just want to get out of here. Meet me at the cottage, and we’ll order pizza. I’m sorry if I ruined your dinner.”

“Don’t worry, hon. Pizza is something I’ve avoided for a long time, but I want one right now. I’ll follow you to your place.”

They got into their respective cars amid a flurry of snapping pictures and questions from the paps. Kelly breathed a sigh of relief as soon as she settled in and the doors were locked. She pressed the gas pedal and sped away. Her heart didn’t stop thudding until she was close to home.

Of all the places in LA, Parker and his family had to dine at the same restaurant as she. What were the odds of that happening? The city was massive, so bumping into him had never even crossed her mind. To get her mind off the narrow escape, Kelly called in the pizza order while she drove. Traffic was light, and they reached her place in less than a half an hour.

They pulled into her driveway at the same time, and then walked toward the front door. Neither spoke as they entered the silent living room. Kelly turned on a single lamp and opened the doors leading out to the veranda. They flopped down on the rattan chairs and propped their feet up.

“I knew he was gorgeous, but I didn’t expect perfection. The man should be an actor or a model. That face is amazing,” Jessica gushed.

“Stop it. I don’t want to talk about him. I feel bad about walking out of there without saying anything, but I didn’t know what to do.” Kelly covered her face with her hands, feeling dejected and ashamed.

“Talk or don’t talk? You want to me to stop talking, and yet you’re blubbering like an idiot. I think you need to grow up, girl. You’ve had it bad the last couple of years. I know it still hurts after losing . . . you know. But you have to get over it and move on. Not everyone is out to take advantage of you. You’ve learned from your mistake—now you have to live a little and allow yourself trust someone again.”

“The more I talk about it, the more miserable I get. I know I shouldn’t be leading Parker on this way. It isn’t fair. But I want him to want me without the added burden of knowing who I really am.” She trembled under the weight of her present predicament. Lying hadn’t been part of her plan, nor was leaving him clueless about her celebrity status. Would it matter to him?

Jessica got up and walked around the table until she was standing behind Kelly and stroked her hair. “Who exactly are you? And don’t you think you are selling Parker short? From what little you’ve told me and what I’ve read, I don’t think he has a judgmental bone in his body.”

Kelly looked up with tears in her eyes. “I’m screwed, I know, and the worst thing is, I think I really am falling for him. God, I’m so happy when I’m with him but miserable because of the lies. We both know how it’ll end up if the paps find out about him. They’ll swarm him. And the media will chew him up and spit him out. I don’t want him to go through that because of me,” she sobbed.
 

Jessica pulled a tissue out of her purse. “Here, don’t go smearing that mascara all over your beautiful face.” Her best friend dabbed at the black streaks running from the side of her eyes. “I want you to think about this. You don’t have to say anything, just listen. Let Parker decide what he can handle and what he can’t. Don’t just assume that he’d be miserable being with you because you’re famous. If you give him the ammunition of truth, he’ll be able to face whatever else comes his way. There’s nothing good that will come out of a relationship based on lies. If anyone should know this, it should be you.”

The tears continued to flow while Kelly digested her friend’s advice. If she wanted to be with Parker beyond just a string of covert meetings, she had to come clean and confess her little white lie. Soon.

“I’ll try.”

“Good girl. You won’t regret telling him the truth. And I quote, ‘the truth shall set you free.’ ” Jessica giggled and gave Kelly a hug just as the doorbell rang. “Must be our dinner.”

“I’ll get it.” Kelly attempted to get up, but Jessica stopped her.

“I’ve got it.”

Jessica hurried to the front door with her wallet in hand. Reacting on sudden impulse, Kelly reached for her cell phone and called Parker. He answered on the third ring.

“Ann?”

“Hi. Did I catch you at a bad time?”
 

“We’re about to leave the restaurant. What’s going on? Are you catching a cold?” He sounded worried, and that warmed her heart.

She was forced to breathe through her mouth because her nose was clogged from crying. “I’m fine. It’s the breeze. It’s getting nippy out here on the patio.”
 

“Better go inside or get a blanket and cover yourself.
 

Kelly shifted gears. “Can I come over around four tomorrow? Should I bring dinner?”

“Four is good, but don’t bring dinner. It’s about time you tried my roasted chicken.”

“You can cook, too?” She smiled at the image of Parker getting busy in the kitchen. “What else can you do, Mr. Davis?”

“Of course I can cook. You’re talking to a Cordon Bleu dropout.” He chuckled, and despite her misery, she joined in his laughter. “I can make sweet love, too,” he added, his voice a husky whisper.

“That I already knew, but I would love another sample.” Her heart pounded in erratic beats as she pictured Parker’s
very
male body on top of hers. She licked her lips at the perfect vision. “Okay, I’ll bring the wine, then. See you tomorrow.”

“Oh, and Ann?”

“Yes?”

“I miss you. I haven’t been able to think of anything but you all evening.”

Her heart skipped and she clutched the phone in a tight grip. “I miss you, too. Good-night, Parker.”

“Night, my lady.”

“So are you talking to your hunksicle?” Jessica snuck up behind her.

Kelly laughed at Jessica’s nickname for her sizzling hot masseuse, blushing at the same time. “Yeah. I’m going to his place tomorrow.”

“Ah . . . and you’re going to do what? Hell, why did I even ask? Don’t answer that. Just make sure you get enough sleep for the press junket on Monday.”

“I’ll get plenty of sleep, don’t worry.” Of course, that was a lie. They would sleep but after several hours of fun. The thought of what they would be doing made her blush even more.

Her cell announced an incoming text message. She glanced at the display, which showed Parker’s name, and smiled.

Wait for my text with instructions tomorrow. Sleep well, my lady.

Not only was she blushing, but now she was grinning like a total idiot.
 

Jessica gave her a look of disbelief before rolling her eyes. “Let’s pig out.”

Parker placed his arm around the top of the driver seat. “Don’t think for one minute I’m letting that slip of yours in the restaurant go.”
 

“What are you talking about?” Cork’s voice cracked, sounding defensive.

He raised an eyebrow. If Cork and his parents were allowed to grill him about his relationship with Ann, he’d be damned if he was going easy on his brother.

“Spill, dude. I know you’ve been seeing someone.” He smirked in Cork’s direction.

“What happened to respecting each other’s privacy?”
 

“You flushed it down the toilet when you instigated the nonstop questions back at the restaurant.” Parker changed tactics. “I know you, little brother. You always get evasive when you’re seeing someone. So quit avoiding the question, because I’m not going to let this one go.”
 

Cork snorted and accelerated. “Damn it. I don’t sing like a girl.”

“Sure you do!” Parker chuckled. “I’m
still
having nightmares from your stories about Suzanne, Rosemary, and Trish. Wait . . . there’s Mindy and Donna, too.”
 

“You’re such an ass.”
 

Parker could tell his brother was on the verge of blurting his secret. He crossed his arms in satisfaction. “So, who’s the new girl?”

“It’s Webster.”

Parker couldn’t help but laugh.
Man, I thought I worked fast. The woman didn’t waste any time.
He almost blurted it out but caught himself in time. “Webbie? Our little Webbie . . . Webbie?”

“
My
Webbie.” Cork sounded like a dog obsessed with guarding his bone.

He coughed. “Um, congrats, bro. She’s a good woman.”
Isn’t this awkward?
 

“I’m well aware that you two have a history, and I’m good with it. But that’s all in the past, so let’s just keep it that way.”
 

To put his brother’s worries to rest, he nodded. “I agree. Let’s keep it that way.”

If there was one thing he was sure of, it was that his brother and Webster were perfect for each other.
 

Chapter 10

Light was about to break when Andrew, Parker’s running buddy, honked the horn outside his townhouse. They always left at six thirty in the morning to beat the weekend rush at the track. They got to Road Runner within minutes amid a light drizzle of rain. Parker loved the feel of the little drops misting his face as he looked up to the sky. The weather was perfect, and the track would be even better—not muddy, but damp enough to get rid of the dust. They parked their water bottles and towels on a bench and started their pre-run warm-ups. 

Parker attached the leash to his wrist and secured it with Velcro. This was his connection to his running buddy. Andrew would issue nonverbal cues by tugging on the leash should they need to stop, if a pothole was in his path, or if they were about to overtake another runner.
 

They had perfected the process and had been running together every week for almost a year. Andrew had been a close friend in high school who’d pursued a career in sports medicine and athletic training. When he’d found out about Parker’s impending blindness, he’d offered to use a technique that would give him the freedom to run outside. On days when their schedules didn’t coincide, Parker would use his personal treadmill in his small home gym.
 

“What have you been up to?” Parker asked.

“Well, I got an offer from a minor league program for a position as an assistant trainer. I haven’t accepted it yet, but they offered to let me try it out for a month to see if it’s the perfect fit.”

“That’s amazing! What are you waiting for? Isn’t it a dream of yours to work for an athletic program and travel at the same time?”

When they stepped on the pavement of the track, Andrew gave their leash a little tug, his signal to get ready. Parker nodded, and they started off the first leg of their run with a jog.  

“I’m going to try it first, and then decide later. If I accept the position, you might be without a running partner.” Andrew tugged once after they’d covered half the track and increased their speed to a full run.

“Don’t worry about me. I can post something on craigslist for a running partner. Do what you have to do, Drew. I’ll be fine.”
 

He gave Drew a smile of encouragement, and then they stopped talking so Parker could concentrate on the silent prompts. Parker had loved running for as long as he could remember. It was one of the things he’d hated to give up once the blindness had taken over. If it hadn’t been for Andrew’s insistence that he try running with a partner, he would still be using his treadmill and missing all the fun of being outdoors.
 

After fifteen laps around the track, they called it a day. Webster was due to pick him up in thirty minutes to take him grocery shopping and run a few errands before he had to start cooking and getting ready for Ann.

Ah, Ann.
He could almost smell her and taste her in his mind.