Parker (11 page)

She pulled back, but Parker caught her hands
and prevented her from going any farther. “Reba?”

“Just a sip,” she said, her gaze not leaving
his. Parker released her and she rushed to a cabinet, pulled down a
bottle of amber liquid with a fancy label and two short glasses. He
watched her hands shake as she got cubes from the dispenser in the
refrigerator door and then returned to the counter to splash a
hefty glub of bourbon over the rocks in both glasses.

She needn’t have bothered with ice for him,
but he wasn’t going to tell her that now. It was too much fun
watching her.

Lifting both glasses and moving toward him,
her gaze steady on his, she said, “I sure as heck would like to be
suave and sophisticated right now, but in all honesty, I’m quaking
like a leaf inside, and maybe you don’t need this, but I do. And if
you don’t want yours, I’ll drink that one too. Here.”

Parker could have damned near laughed, but he
didn’t. At that moment, he’d gone over the edge. Totally had fallen
into the chasm. He was hopelessly, and he hoped forever, in love
with this crazy woman.

He took the drink, brought it to his lips,
and downed the bourbon. Setting his glass on the counter, he looked
at her and said, “Bottoms up, Reba.”

Then he reached for her hips and jerked her
toward him. “And then bottoms up…” he said, breathing the words
into her ear.

****

Reba had never felt a sensual thrill as deep
as the one that shot through her when Parker claimed her personal
space as his own—and left a hot, steamy trail of kisses down her
neck. His closeness and his words played out as a double-whammy,
sending a shuddering spiral of need through her. She was nearly
lost in the sensation of it all.

The glass of bourbon still in her hand, she
tried to set it on the counter as he tipped her head back and ran a
lazy track with his tongue, from behind one ear to her cheek. “Wa—
Wait,” she hissed and Parker lifted his head a little. “Let me…put
this…”

She was afraid she would lose her grip on the
glass and it would shatter to the floor.

Parker straightened up, smiling, and looked
square into her eyes. “Drink up, Reba,” he whispered. With a
forefinger to the bottom of her glass, he guided it toward her
mouth. Reba took it the rest of the way, quickly threw back the
bourbon, and closed her eyes as the smooth, warm burn glided down
her throat. Then she waited for the heat to hit her center.

There.

She already felt braver.

Opening her eyes, she found Parker gazing
into hers. The smile he’d worn earlier was gone, replaced with a
serious look of intent. With light strokes, he brushed a few stray
hairs from her forehead and with his other hand, removed the glass
tumbler from hers and set it on the counter.

“You are beautiful, Reba.” His voice was
raspy, deeper. “And I am genuinely and hopelessly attracted to
you.”

She cocked her head a little. “The eye, the
bruise…”

“You’re beautiful.”

And so are you, you hunky cowboy man….

He continued. “I know I’ve been an ass the
past couple of times we’ve been together, and before we go any
further I just want to say that it was all me, not you. I am
smitten—with you, Ms. Reba Morris—and I wasn’t quite sure what to
do with that. The timing is lousy. And the thing with Mike, well… I
just couldn’t ignore it, or you, any longer.”

Reba put two fingers on his lips. “Shush,
Parker McKenna. I know.”

An eyebrow arched. “You do?”

She nodded and slid her hands around his
waist, angled her face up to his, and placed a soft, wet kiss on
his lips. “My room is upstairs.”

He kissed her back. “You don’t have to tell
me twice.”

Chapter
Eleven

They kissed their way up the stairs, pausing
now and again to take a breath and tug at buttons and zippers. By
the time they reached the second floor landing, the cabin was
scattered with clothing, leaving a sloppy trail directly to the
bedroom.

Smiling, Reba jerked back the covers on the
bed and turned to him. Parker inched forward and wearing a saucy
grin, slowly peeled off Reba’s bra, keeping eye contact with her
the entire time. The scrap of lace fell to the floor while his
hands molded her breasts and his fingers pinched and tugged at her
nipples.

Reba gasped. “Oh, Parker…” Briefly, she
closed her eyes, while he fondled and played. They flashed open
again when the heat of his mouth took first one breast, drawing her
nipple lazily into his mouth, and then the other.

Her breathing was heavy, labored, her legs
weak. “I’m not sure I can stand much longer.” Parker lifted his
gaze to her face and ginned, as if he were extremely happy about
the effect he was having on her. He straightened his body and
walked her backward to the bed. She lay back, and with a flick, he
removed her sandals, first one and then the other. His hands moved
to her hips and slid beneath the waistband of her jeans, and he
slowly, careful inched them, and her panties, down to her ankles.
Then he whisked those away too.

For the first time in a very long time, Reba
lay on her bed, naked, looking up at a man who was not her husband.
For the first time in a long time, she was going to make love with
a man.

It had been nearly three years, and she was
not backing out of this. Not now. For this one night, she was going
to enjoy Parker McKenna’s company, and his lovemaking, and she’d
worry about tomorrow, tomorrow.

Parker toed out of his boots and shimmied out
of the remainder of his clothes. There he stood, in all of his
hard-body cowboy glory, and all Reba wanted to do was gulp—and
think that in a few minutes, he would be all hers.

At least for tonight.

His gaze traveled Reba’s body from her
slightly parted thighs and the juncture between them, to her belly,
her chest and up to her face. Reba watched as his eyes rose to
hers, and she caught his gaze and held it, while sucking in a
breath. Parker placed one knee on the bed and leaned into her and
then began working his way up her body with his lips, following the
same path he had lain with his eyes.

Inner thighs. First left, then right.

The crook between her leg and hip—that tender
hollow so close to her center. His tongue made a trail from her
right hipbone down deep into that hollow, and then he breathed out
a hot breath that fanned over her as he moved to the left hipbone
and its opposing hollow.

Reba shivered, huffed out a few tiny breaths,
and clutched the sheets.

“You’re driving me crazy, Parker,” she
hissed.

“Good,” he replied, “that is my intent.” He
made his way to her navel and beyond, moving up her centerline and
nuzzling between her breasts. Reba’s breathing deepened and her
chest rose and fell with his ascent. When he reached her face, he
placed an elbow on either side of her shoulders, took her face into
his big hands, and kissed her with an unleashed passion that lifted
her onto an entirely different plane.

His kiss was slow and deliberate, gently
tugging at her lips and teasing her tongue. Reba’s hands went to
his head, and Parker rested more fully between her thighs, his
heaviness welcome against her.

“Reba, I am consumed by you,” he breathed
against her mouth. “And I want to consume you…”

The hard length of him burned against her
tummy. He was ready and frankly, so was she. Besides, they had all
night and perhaps there would be more than one time….

“Take me, Parker. Now. Consume me.”

He pushed back. “Yes, but first…”

He slid lower then, between her thighs, and
nuzzled next to her sex. His breath hot against her tender skin,
she quaked in anticipation of the touch of his tongue to her most
intimate place. Her center. And then he sent her over the edge into
the pleasurable abyss between torture and ecstasy.

His tongue probed and flicked. His lips
nibbled and tugged. One then two fingers entered her. The sensation
of being penetrated thrilled her, and she grabbed Parker’s
shoulders. “Yes.” She blew out the word, and Parker burrowed
deeper, licking and sucking until her hips and thighs were shaking.
She held him against her, her hands at the back of his head, until
her entire upper body lurched forward as he pushed deeper into her
center and she gave way to a powerful, and perfectly long-overdue,
orgasm.

“Oh… My…”

Parker stayed with her until she was
finished, kissing and caressing, and then quickly moved up her body
to capture her lips in a deep kiss, while he centered himself and
pressed inside her.

Slowly, he moved in and out, as if he was
exercising caution and restraint, but the passion they shared soon
crescendoed to the point of unrestrained lovemaking. Parker cradled
her body beneath his, claiming her, making her his; her legs spread
wide to wrap around him and take him deeper.

It didn’t take long for Parker to shudder,
then moan and shout above her, and with one last powerful thrust,
spill his pleasure into her.

She stayed draped around him, both her arms
and legs, as tight as she could. As greedy as she could be.

She didn’t want to let him go. Ever.

She wanted him. Inside of her. Always.

****

After a moment of stillness, Parker rolled
onto his side and took Reba with him. Grasping the covers and
flipping them over their bodies, he drew her close into his chest,
facing her, aching to keep feeling her skin against his. Heat
against heat. He wrapped her protectively within his body, arms and
legs entwined.

His.

She was his. He wanted her with all of his
heart. His heart, which was beating wildly out of control. He
wanted her with his body, his head, his soul.

Burrowing into the crook of his neck, she
sighed deep, and he could feel the moist heat of her breath and the
physical relaxing of her shoulders in his arms.

He stroked her back. “That was quick. I’m
sorry. Next time longer?” He spoke softly, on a whisper.

She nuzzled. “It was perfect. And yes. Next
time.”

Parker smiled. So there would be a next
time.

His fingers found her hair, and he tangled
them in her long, silky strands.

“I’m falling in love with you, Reba Morris,”
he whispered. “I hope that is okay with you.”

For the longest moment, Reba didn’t move, or
respond. Then just about the time when he was ready to retract that
statement, she lifted her head and searched for his lips.

She kissed him. Long and hard, sloppy and
deep. And she kept kissing him until she rose up and pushed him
over onto his back, straddled and rubbed her body over him until he
was hard again, and rode him into the night.

He guessed his falling in love was okay with
her.

****

About five o’clock the next morning, Reba
leaned a shoulder into her front porch doorway and watched Parker’s
truck slowly make its way down her lane to the main road. It
wouldn’t take him more than fifteen minutes to get home, since
their properties joined. He wasn’t in any hurry. He had lingered at
the door much too long, stealing kisses and pulling her close,
right up until the very last minute.

No doubt the night they spent was
pleasurable. She enjoyed making love with him tremendously. He was
a skilled lover and an unselfish one. And she’d let him pleasure
her in any way he wanted, for as long as he wanted.

She’d needed that. She liked being the
receiver, for once, and she twinged even thinking that. She had
willingly given to Jack over the years because she loved him. And
she wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Last night was for her. Well, it was for both
of them.

But Parker had thrown her for a loop when he
said he was falling in love with her. She hadn’t expected that. And
she wasn’t sure her heart, or her brain, was prepared.

Was she ready for a relationship?

Was there room enough in her life for that?
Had a big enough space opened up in her heart yet to let Parker
in?

She needed time.

If she truly was setting out to
find
herself in the aftermath of
losing
herself, where did Parker
fit into the equation? Had she found herself
enough
to be
able to lose herself again, to him?

And to love?

Chapter
Twelve

Thursday

After feeding and checking on the cows and
babies with Murphy and a couple of the ranch hands, Parker headed
for the house. Ready for another cup of coffee and some breakfast,
he didn’t linger long at the barn. For the first time in days, he
was hungry, and maybe that was a sign he was beginning to deal from
the reality of his father’s death.

It would take time. Getting over losing a
family member is never a quick process, but he was more at peace
today than a few days ago.

It could also be Reba—and the fact the two of
them had shared an incredible night together. He smiled. Yes, it
could be that.

Pushing through the back door, he halted,
seeing Callie sitting at his kitchen table, her laptop open and
papers spread out.

She glanced up. “I hope you don’t mind.
Murphy’s apartment is so small. I barely have room to spread out on
the bar where we eat. Your table is bigger, plus the Wi-Fi is
faster over here. Do you care?”

“Of course not. Make yourself at home.” Then
he peeked over her shoulder. “What are you working on?”

“Oh, some stuff for Reba. Just helping her
catch up a bit.”

“For her work?” He was curious. He’d made
love with the woman and still had no clue what she did for a
living.

Callie nodded. “Yes. I’ve temporarily taken
over her social media accounts until her arm is better.” She nudged
him. “Oh, that’s right. You don’t do social media.”