Feather Light (Knead Me) (27 page)

Then along came another incoming call. He pressed voice-over, and it announced Ann’s name. His jaw tightened. Unable to control his emotions, he flung the cell across the room, hitting the wall. A loud bang followed by shattering ended the annoying ringing. He hated the patronizing phone calls, the concern . . . all because he was blind.

“Damn it!” he yelled and pulled another long one from the bottle. Parker sank down on the sofa and closed his eyes, trying his best to get Ann out of his mind, without success. He had no idea what to think anymore. One thing was for sure—she’d deceived him.

Kelly signed the release papers confirming she was going against medical advice by discharging herself prematurely from the hospital. Jessica continued to bristle on their drive home. Dave had taken off to sort out the media frenzy following the news of her accident.
 

“Let’s swing by Parker’s office. I want to talk to him.”

She reclined in the seat and closed her eyes. Her body ached from her head down to her toes. Kelly knew it was stupid of her not to listen to her doctor and stay another night in the hospital.

“You’re not going home to rest like you told the doctor?”

“I can’t wait any longer. He’s been ignoring my calls, and that’s a bad thing. I don’t care if I rest or not, but I have to give him an explanation, once and for all.”

“I’m not going to argue with you anymore, but if you end up in the hospital again, I swear you’re never going to hear the end of it.”
 

“I’m going to be okay once I get a chance to see him.” Kelly exhaled. “It doesn’t matter if he turns me away. I just need a chance to talk to him.” That wasn’t at all true. She wanted him to forgive her, too.

“Whatever, but I’m not going to leave you there. I’ll drive you home after.”

Jessica pulled up in front of Parker’s business and parked the car next to a meter. Kelly pulled her baseball cap down and adjusted her sunglasses. She allowed Jessica to steady her while they approached the reception desk. Once there Webster looked up, her expression showing a range of emotion—surprise, pity, and helplessness.

“Ms. Storm, what are you doing here? I just saw you in the news yesterday. You were in an accident.” Webster ushered them to the lounge where there seemed to be more privacy.

“Please, call me Kelly. This is Jessica, my friend and assistant.” As the girls exchanged pleasantries, Kelly looked around, appreciating the break from prying eyes.

Webster nodded and gestured for them to sit. “Can I offer you anything to drink?”

“I’ll have a glass of water, please,” Jessica answered.

Kelly declined. “I want to speak with Parker, if he’s around.”

“Hold on, let me get the water.” Webster hurried out of the room.

“I’ll wait in the car while you and Parker talk. I don’t think I want to hear the names he’s going to call you.” Jessica took a magazine resting on the table and flipped through the pages with disinterest.
 

“You’re so funny. I wouldn’t dream of having you around when he blasts my head off.” It wasn’t a joke. Kelly knew Parker’s reason for avoiding her was because he was angry, and she couldn’t blame him.

Then a guy walked into the room, and she felt like she’d seen him somewhere before.

“Hello, Ms. Storm. I don’t think we’ve met—”

Kelly rose from her seat, recalling the memory. “You’re the man from the restaurant with Parker, right?”

“Yes, I’m Cork, his brother.”

“Call me Kelly. This is Jessica, my best friend and assistant.”

“Have a seat.”

Cork took the chair opposite them. “Webster told me you’re looking for Parker.”

His eyes left her face and traveled down to her bruised arm. He winced and must have been wondering what she was doing out of the hospital.

“Look, Cork, I’m sure you know why I’m here. I have to speak with him. Is he here?”

It took him some time to answer. “I’m not sure if you heard, but one of his clients died while he was giving her a massage.” 

“What?” Jessica interrupted.

“Yes, it was a heart attack, but the media seems to be painting a different picture.”

Kelly’s heart jumped into her throat. “Is he okay? Where is he?” She could imagine his frustration and the stress he must have been under with all he was going through.

“He hasn’t come to work for the last two days or answered any of our calls.”

Her heart ached for the man. “I’ve been calling him, too. He hasn’t answered any of my calls or texts.” Kelly frowned, not knowing what else to say.

“I think it’s better if we leave him alone for now and let him sort things out on his own.”

Cork watched her with sympathetic eyes when the tears started trickling down her face. Kelly shook her head just as Webster walked in with Jessica’s glass of water.

“No, I can’t wait any longer. I flew to New York to talk to him, and I’m not waiting a minute longer.” She turned to Jessica. “Drop me off at his place and I’ll call when I need a ride home.”

Jessica started to protest, but Kelly shook her head.

“Just take me, Jess. I can’t take this anymore.”
 

“Kelly, I don’t know if this is a good idea, but I’m not going to tell you what to do,” Cork said.

As soon as they were back in the car and en route to Parker’s place, Jessica glanced over and gave her a worried smile. “Call me if you need anything.”

Kelly nodded, afraid to say anything more. Her nerves were raw. She was worried for Parker while she tried to imagine what he had gone through. They drove in silence for the rest of the way. Once they were parked in front of his townhouse, Jessica gave her a concerned look.

“There are no lights on. What if he’s not home?”

“Then I’ll call you.”

“Maybe I should wait out here,” Jessica said.

“Just go. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.” Kelly placed a reassuring hand on Jessica’s arm.

Once Jessica drove off, Kelly took a deep breath and knocked on Parker’s door. The whole house was dark, and she began to suspect that Jessica was right after all—he might not be home. She waited half a minute, then knocked again. She kept pounding at the door until it opened, and she stumbled forward.

“What the hell?” Parker caught her by the waist and recoiled once he recognized her. He let go of her right away, as if he’d touched hot coals.

“Parker, I’m sorry for coming here like this, but I don’t know how else to talk to you.” Despite the darkness, she could see the disarray inside his house—a chair was lying in the middle of the room, throw pillows were strewn everywhere, and he reeked of alcohol.

He glared at her, pushing her to the door. She winced at his tight grip on her bruised arm. “This is not a good time,” Parker said, his voice filled with anger.

Instead of backing down, she pushed her way past him. “This is the
only
time. You’ve ignored all my calls and refused to talk to me.”

“Get out now, while I can still control myself,” he rasped, trying to follow the sound of her footsteps.

“No. I won’t leave until you listen to me.”

“I’m telling you to leave,
now
!”
 

Parker moved in the direction of her voice, his body rigid with fury. In a harsh tone devoid of the tenderness she had grown to love, he said, “I’m not in the mood to listen to your lies,
Kelly
.”

Chapter 15

Panic shook Kelly when he stalked in her direction. She had expected anger from Parker, but this man was beyond livid. His eyes burned with rage, unlike the Parker she knew. She felt his radiating fury even with the distance between them. Kelly moved away to avoid him, but he grabbed her arm as if he could see her and yanked her closer.

“You think you can just waltz here and make demands?” His warm breath brushed her face, and the strong odor of alcohol suggested he’d had more than enough.

“I wanted to explain—”

“No, your time is up. You had all kinds of chances to come clean. Now get the hell out!” he spat.

Her heart thumped and sweat beaded on her skin. Kelly struggled to pry her arm out of his grip, but he tightened it even more. She stifled a cry as pain shot through her bruised arm.
 

“No—you can’t throw me out.”

Parker stopped and faced her, his mouth thinning into a cruel line. “I can’t? Watch me!”

He dragged her toward the door while she wrestled against him. Twisting her arm and breathing through the pain, she managed to break free.

“Ann, come back here!” Parker groped for her in the darkness.

Kelly clamped her mouth shut and tried to control her breathing. Her heart pounded against her chest, and her body burned with fear. She didn’t answer him and made sure she put enough space between them, far enough away so he couldn’t throw her out. As upsetting as it was to her, she used his blindness to her benefit and inched away as quietly as she could.
 

Her mind raced while she dashed toward his bedroom, ignoring the throbbing in her arm. Her intention was to stay until he listened to her, and then she’d leave just as he wished. Without much light to guide her, she tripped on something in the hallway. She reached out and tried to brace her fall, but her injured arm couldn’t handle the weight. It gave way, and her body slammed against the wall. Kelly let out a yelp and closed her eyes, blocking the pain and quieting her cry down to a whimper. She heard his approaching footsteps.

“Is this your idea of a sick joke? Playing hide and seek with the blind man?” He sounded bitter.

“No . . . no . . . I want to apologize for not telling you—”

“Save your lies,
Kelly
. I’m not buying it.” Parker towered over her, pinning her against the wall to prevent an escape. A slow and deliberate smile appeared on his face, but it never reached his eyes.

Anguish tore through her at his denial. Parker’s face was devoid of the tenderness she had come to love. There was no hint of pardon in his expression. Instead, she saw anger in its ugliest form.

She reached up to touch his face. “I’m so sorry. It was never my intention to hurt you in any way.”

Parker tilted his head and brushed her hand away. “You’re an actress, Kelly. The public might applaud your effort, but I won’t.” He grazed her cheek with his fingers in a slow caress, his gaze trained on her, anticipating her every move.

She shuddered at the contact. His words stabbed her like a knife to the heart, but she deserved this. She’d known that her actions could come back to bite her, and now that they had, she had no idea how to make him listen.

“I’m not acting,” she said. “Please believe me.”

“The hell you’re not. So you wanted to see the circus up close?” He burrowed his fingers into her cheeks. “Now that you have, are you satisfied?”

Kelly tried to break free, but he held her face captive. “You’re getting it all wrong, Parker!”

“Oh, so I’m not only blind, but I’m also an idiot?” The fury that flashed in his eyes made her recoil.

“Don’t twist my words. That’s not what I meant.” Kelly touched his face again, trying to get him focused on her. “I-I wanted to protect you . . . from
them
, from the hurtful things they might say about you.” Words tumbled out of her mouth, mirroring her fear and confusion. There were so many things that needed to be said, and yet nothing was coming out right. He had closed his mind to any explanation, and it looked like nothing she could say would change what he thought of her.
 

Parker gripped her chin and pulled her face closer. The disgust in his eyes and the stench of the alcohol added to her building terror. His jaw clenched, and every muscle twitched with anger.

“Protect me? Like the good little girl that you are?” His words were cold and hard. “Did you ever stop to think that what I needed was protection from your lies? Get out, Kelly! Get out and take your lies with you!”
 

A paralyzing dread settled over her, and the words tumbled out in broken rush. “I-I did it because . . . I-I was falling in love with you.”

Those reverent words she’d planned to say to him didn’t sound right now. What she’d intended to be a tender profession of affection had come out in a rush. Her life depended on this moment, and yet she couldn’t seem to save herself. Parker’s expression grew more menacing, as if her declaration had made the situation much worse. He laughed without mirth and released her.