The Prize (5 page)

It was bad enough I was complete putty when he was near me. I had no idea how we were
going to keep up the ruse for an entire dinner.

Between the six of us, we easily finished off the first bottle of wine and the second
in no time.

I slid down from my stool when we were ready to head to the restaurant. I was taller
than average, five eight without heels. But tonight I was closer to six feet. This
didn’t even me up with Parker, however. He stood at least six two and towered over
me like a giant with his broad shoulders and impressive bulk.

He grabbed my coat off the back of my chair and helped me into the leather jacket,
his fingers grazing over my shoulders intentionally. He pulled my curls out when they
got pinned under the coat.

I smiled coyly. “Thank you.”

Parker was in a suit. Again. Most of the times I’d seen him he’d been similarly dressed.
And he never disappointed. Tonight was a bit different. His tie was bold, purple and
black striped. The deep purple matched the color of his shirt. It suited him perfectly,
and I licked my lips as my gaze wandered down his chest toward his crotch. I swallowed
as I took in the bulge of his erection.

“Car’s out front,” Cade declared, jerking me from my moment.

I twisted around to face the others too abruptly, grateful they were already walking
away and didn’t notice.

In the rear of the group, Parker set a hand on my lower back again and leaned in to
whisper in my ear. “Jumpy?”

I said nothing.

He chuckled behind me and lowered his palm to my ass before breaking the contact.

As we stepped outside, I tucked my purse strap over my shoulder and tugged the top
of my coat closed against the chill. Any sort of weather was possible in Atlanta in
January, but tonight hovered in the forties.

A limo waited for us out front. Not shocking. Cade would have arranged something to
accommodate all of us.

I slid inside behind Amy and Cheyenne and the three of us sat next to each other on
the long bench on one side of the limo. The men managed to enter behind us in the
same order so that Cade sat across from his wife and Riley across from Cheyenne. That
left Parker knocking knees with me again.

My efforts to avoid touching him were completely thwarted when he set one knee between
mine and nudged them open.

Shit
.

The wetness gathering between my legs intensified ten times as I shifted in my seat
and avoided his gaze. My dress was too short for this arrangement. He could easily
see my black lace thong with my legs spread open. I wasn’t about to tug the hem down
and draw more attention to my plight. The heat from his knee seeped into my bare skin.
I squeezed my thighs together, capturing his leg for a moment to let him know I was
more than aware of his game.

Again, no one paid attention.

By the time we pulled up to the steak house, I was a hot mess. Literally. The inside
of the limo seemed to be ten degrees too high, and the glances I received from Parker
during the drive made my heart race and my pussy leak. I couldn’t even close my legs
together with his infuriating knee lodged between my thighs.

I was relieved when we came to a stop and Parker leaned forward to open the door beside
me. I inhaled his scent, almost moaning at what I had committed to memory—a subtle
expensive cologne he always wore that made my insides flip over.

He slid from the car first and then reached in with his hand to help me out.

My exit was awkward. My dress rode high enough for anyone looking to glimpse my thong
underneath, though Parker conveniently stood at an angle that prevented anyone but
him from noticing my predicament.

He pursed his lips as I tugged the hem of my skirt down and smoothed the stretchy
material. I should have worn a longer coat. My legs chilled when a cold breeze hit
my skin. Parker adjusted my lapel and leaned in to set his lips on my ear. “Flustered?”

I ignored him as I jerked out of his grasp to step out of the way so the others could
exit.

Moments later, we were inside the warm restaurant and a greeter was seating us.

I undid the buttons on my coat as we walked, my legs threatening to buckle. How was
I going to eat? My appetite had fled when Parker stepped up behind me at Sky. As I
followed behind Riley toward the back of the restaurant, I sensed Parker on my heels.
Like a true gentleman, he set a hand on my shoulder and helped me out of my coat when
we reached the table.

At least that was what anyone around us would think. I knew better. He was teasing
me, using any excuse to touch me and entice me to cave.

It was working.

I was powerless against his charms. Alarm bells went off in my head. I would have
to suffer through hundreds of chance meetings like this in my life. If I was going
to continue to be friends with Amy and Cheyenne, there was no way to avoid Parker
Darwin. He was a permanent fixture in my future.

Suddenly, I didn’t see how I would be able to tolerate sitting next to Parker for
the next few hours.

I wanted him so badly, I had to grit my teeth to tamp down my arousal. It would always
be this way. Him chasing me… Me running… How long before Amy and Meagan realized something
was strange? Or Cade and Riley for that matter?

Shit.

As everyone took their seats, I mumbled my desire to use the restroom and slipped
away without glancing at anyone in particular.

Stepping in front of the mirror, I took deep breaths. My breasts were swollen and
tight. My thong was soaked. My legs shook with need. I was possessed. And I needed
to get a grip.

What the hell was wrong with me?

So, I had sex with Parker. Four times. Why couldn’t I flush him out of my system and
move forward?

I flinched when the door to the restroom opened at my side, and then I nearly gasped
to find Parker stepping into the cramped room.

“What the…?” I glanced around. No one else appeared to be in the small bathroom. But
still…

Parker crowded my space, turned my body to face his, and cupped my cheeks. “You okay?”

“No. I can’t think around you. This isn’t going to work.”

He grinned. “Excellent. My plan is working.”

I shook my head, trying futilely to dislodge his grasp on my face. His hands were
so large, they wrapped around my neck to burrow into my hair and grazed my shoulders.
“No. We have to stop this.”

“Why? Give me one reason why?”

“Okay. For one thing, we’ll be running into each other for our entire lives at weddings,
baby showers, birthday parties… If things went badly between us, it would make our
friends uncomfortable.”

“You’re already planning your friends’ children?” he teased.

I rolled my eyes. “You know what I mean.”

“So, we don’t let it go badly. Just give it a chance. See where it leads.”

“I already know where it leads, and I can’t go there.” I stepped back. He held on
to me and advanced. The last thing I needed was to be plastered against the bathroom
wall. And then I moaned. “They probably suspect something with both of us gone at
the same time.”

“And again, who cares?”

“I do.” I jerked free and dodged under his arm to give myself distance. “And you should
too.” I reached for the handle on the door, but Parker tugged me back by my other
arm before I could yank the knob.

Oh, who was I kidding? The scent of him as he leaned into my space made my knees weak.
I wanted the feel of his body pressed against mine. I sighed.

“Should…” he repeated, his mouth a breath away from mine. “Let me kiss you.”

I gasped as my body slammed into his, my breasts smashing against his chest, and my
lips landing on his mouth before I could stop myself. My body came alive with an indescribable
arousal. I moaned into his mouth the second his tongue slipped between my lips to
dance with mine.

He gripped my shoulders to flatten me against him, and then his hands roamed down
my back until he cupped my ass. The tips of his fingers reached under the hem and
stroked the skin of my upper thighs. When he turned us around and backed up against
the door, I followed. And then his hand was under my skirt and inside my thong.

I would have collapsed if he hadn’t wrapped his other arm around my waist to hold
me upright. The kiss intensified, wiping my brain clean of common sense. I spread
my legs to give him more space. When he tugged my thong to one side and thrust two
fingers into my pussy, I lost the ability to continue kissing. Our mouths parted.
My forehead landed on his shoulder, and I gripped his biceps with both hands to ride
out the impending orgasm.

“That’s my girl. God, you’re sexy when you’re aroused. My cock is going to explode.
Come for me, hon.” His thumb landed on my clit and circled the swollen nub when he
spoke.

One second later, my orgasm grasped at his fingers while liquid heat ran down his
hand.

My legs threatened to buckle.

Parker held me up. He slowed his motions between my legs until he finally withdrew
his fingers and lifted them to suck my juices. He moaned around each sloppy lick.

I stared at him, unable to form words.

And I didn’t need to. He never gave me a chance. He smiled and then held me at arm’s
length. “Take a minute. I’ll go back to the table and tell them I ran into you, and
you weren’t feeling too well.”

I nodded.

He lifted my chin and smiled wider. “Take two minutes. You look like you just got
fucked in the bathroom.” And then he was gone.

I stood there for several moments, trying to catch my breath. What the hell had just
happened?

Right.

Parker happened.

He was like a freight train. I couldn’t control the need to stand on the tracks and
get slammed into by him every time he entered the same city as me.

This was not a good thing.

I was ruined.

Slowly turning to face the mirror, I took one look at myself and groaned. No one would
ever believe I hadn’t just had sex. My face was flushed, and my hands were shaking.
I hadn’t even come down from the high yet.

And how had we gotten so lucky that no one else tried to enter the bathroom while
he’d essentially driven me out of my mind standing in the small space?

I shouldn’t have been shocked. We’d fucked in a coat closet and a janitor’s room the
weekend of the wedding. Why not add a bathroom?

I leaned against the sink and inhaled long and slow. My face was splotchy. My lipstick
was gone. My lips were swollen. I grabbed my purse off the counter and opened it with
shaky fingers. With a tissue, I dabbed at my makeup and wiped the smudges from under
my eyes. Next I fixed my lips. By the time I had run a comb through my hair, the bathroom
door finally opened.

Amy stepped in. “You okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine. Probably just flushed from the wine earlier. I feel better.”

She furrowed her brow. “You want me to have the limo come get you?”

I shook my head. “No. I’m good.” I stood taller, smoothed my hands down my dress,
and fought the need to cringe over the wetness coating my legs. “Give me a second
to use the toilet, and I’ll be right out.”

“Okay. You’re sure?”

“Yep.” I smiled at her and ducked into a stall.

As soon as she left the restroom, I slipped off my panties, wrapped them in toilet
paper, and tucked them into my purse. They were soaked and uncomfortable. I cleaned
myself up as best I could, washed my hands, and left the restroom. I’d probably been
in there less than ten minutes, but it seemed like a year.

I was pretty sure my life changed course in that time.

Chapter Seven

As I approached the round table, Parker stood and pulled out my chair.

“Thanks,” I muttered as I took my seat and let him push me closer.

Cheyenne eyed me suspiciously, glancing at Parker and then back at me. She might have
smiled, but I looked away to avoid meeting her suspicion.

Parker handed me a glass of water. “Drink. You’ll feel better. You’re flushed.”

I took the glass from him and downed half of it. Could a person get dehydrated from
a quick orgasm in the bathroom?

If anything, my face felt hotter.

Cade sat on my other side, but he was engaged in a conversation with Riley about work,
and I tuned him out.

Amy leaned forward from his other side. “We waited to order.”

“Oh, right. Thanks.” I picked up the menu, but the hand that landed on my thigh kept
me from seeing the words. The fingers that slid under my dress and stroked the heated
flesh between my legs made me almost drop the heavy leather menu. I stiffened my legs,
squeezing them together to keep Parker from reaching any farther, but he managed anyway,
wiggling his fingers between my thighs and finding my bare pussy.

For a moment, he froze. And then he half choked on his wine and leaned forward to
set his glass down. He didn’t remove his hand though. Renewed wetness leaked from
my pussy, and I finally released my tightly clenched thighs to give him access. I
couldn’t deny him. I eased the menu onto the table to avoid dropping it and gripped
the sides of it with my fingers until they hurt. Leaning forward, I set my elbows
against the table to ensure Cade didn’t get an eyeful from his side.

My mouth fell open. I was seconds from total embarrassment when Parker pulled away.
Frozen in my spot, I watched him in my peripheral vision as he grabbed a napkin off
the table, shook it out, and set it on his leg to wipe his fingers. He did the same
with my napkin next, settling it in my lap as though I were a child.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Meagan?” Cheyenne asked. “Maybe you have the flu. It’s
been going around my office.”

I shook my head, swallowing around the halted orgasm. “I’m fine. Just warm.” That
was lame and crazy. It was in the forties outside and I was dressed in nothing more
than a slip of a dress that left my arms and shoulders bare.

“You should look over the menu,” Parker said, prying it gently from my hands and opening
it so there were words in front of me. “Maybe something light? When did you last eat?”
he asked, as if that were the cause of my flush. In truth, he wasn’t that far off
track. I hadn’t eaten much or often in days. My stomach had been in knots.

I would give him one thing. He’d managed to take my mind off Michael Swarth and his
release from prison for the last hour. If I could hide behind sex for the next fifty
years, I’d be fine.

Unfortunately, there were things like jobs and life getting in the way of making that
a reality.

Oh, and Parker doesn’t live in the same state as you
…

A waitress arrived, forcing me to make a quick decision. I ducked my head into the
menu and chose a salad that would undoubtedly be large enough to feed the entire table.
When everyone had made their selections, I handed my menu off and arranged the napkin
in my lap to cover part of my legs.

“Would you like me to pour you some wine?” Cade asked, lifting one of the two bottles
on the table from its bed of ice.

“Sure. Thanks.” I reached for my glass, but he beat me to it and poured a few inches
of the almost clear wine.

A delicious-smelling rich fresh loaf of bread made its way around, and Parker sliced
me a piece and put it on a small plate in front of me. He leaned toward me and whispered,
“Eat something.” He was onto me. I needed to eat.

The first bite melted in my mouth, making me moan around the flavor.

Parker stiffened beside me, his hand trailing to my leg to squeeze my thigh as if
in warning.

I lifted a brow and smirked.

He didn’t like my noises? Good. At least I had one thing over him. After taking another
large bite, ensuring a similar subtle sound escaped my lips, I wiped my palm on my
napkin and reached under the table to grasp Parker’s rigid cock and stroke it from
the base to the tip through his dress pants.

Just as quickly, I removed my hand and set my elbows on the table.

Game on.

I kept three quarters of my attention riveted to matching Parker stroke for stroke
next to me while everyone chatted around the table. The effort to maintain eye contact
with anyone in particular was more than I could handle.

He brushed a hand across my back.

I eased my foot out of my shoe and dragged my toes up his shin.

He reached down to pretend to get his napkin, grasping my calf on his way back upright.

I cupped his cock again and squeezed.

He pinched my knee until I almost burst out laughing.

A hush fell over the table, and I didn’t notice it fast enough.

When I lifted my gaze, a silly grin on my face, I froze.

All eyes were on me and Parker, shifting back and forth between us.

I swallowed.

“Fuck me,” Riley said on a chuckle.

Cheyenne slapped his arm with her hand. “Leave them alone.”

Amy leaned farther forward and let her gaze scan up and down my torso. “You and Parker?
You’re…?”

“Fucking?” Cade finished, smirking so widely his eyes danced with humor.

Parker blew out a breath next to me. “Sorry,” he muttered. At least he was chagrinned.

I turned to look at him, narrowing my gaze. There was no way to keep this cat in the
bag any longer. And besides, what was the big deal anyway? So we fucked a few times?
It wasn’t against the law. Suddenly, I didn’t see why I had fought so hard to keep
it a secret.

No, that wasn’t true.

I did it intentionally. I couldn’t let this go on. And outing ourselves would do nothing
to help the situation. I shrugged, trying to save face. “Not exactly.”

Cheyenne’s eyes widened. “Not exactly what? Have you two been seeing each other?”

I fought for composure, my face heating for the tenth time that evening. Shit. This
was not how I wanted things to go down.

Finally, Parker spoke. “No. But not for lack of trying on my part.” He gave me a playful
shove with his shoulder against mine. “Every time I ask her out, she turns me down.”

He wasn’t lying.

“I keep asking. But this woman is impenetrable.”

Now that was a lie. He’d penetrated me several times. And he was good at it.

Amy giggled. “Huh. Interesting.”

Cade narrowed his gaze. He wasn’t stupid. “That’s your story?”

Parker shrugged and reached for his wine. “Yep. Why not? Meagan’s a sexy woman with
a good sense of humor and an amazing brain. Who wouldn’t hit on her? Plus, we’re going
to find ourselves in situations like this for years to come. Seems like it would be
tidy if she would agree to go out with me.” He took a long sip, lifting his brows
as he met my gaze.

I wasn’t sure I liked his method of saving face. He might have been digging a hole
deeper than the one we were already in.

Cheyenne cleared her throat and put an end to the discussion, bless her. “Riley and
I were talking about paintball tomorrow. Anyone else interested?”

“Ooh, I haven’t done that in ages,” Amy responded. “Cade?”

“I think we could pull that off. I need to get back to Nashville tomorrow night, but
we could make reservations for tomorrow morning and then head back late in the afternoon.”

“Perfect,” Riley added. “I’ll call that place south of the city when they open tomorrow.
It’s been cold enough outside, maybe they aren’t completely booked.” He turned toward
Parker. “When do you have to head back?”

“I can stay the weekend. Sounds good to me. Meagan?” He met my gaze, his brows lifted
in question.

I exhaled in exaggerated defeat and lowered my shoulders. “Sure, but don’t read anything
into it. Just because we have to hang together with the same group of friends doesn’t
mean I’m going to sleep with you.” It was hard to spit out those words, but I managed.

“We’ll see.” Parker looked away, taking another drink, but the smile curving his lips
told me he was enjoying this little game.

He’d upped the ante considerably with his string of lies.

I wasn’t sure how I was going to keep it all straight.

Other than the occasional stroke of his leg against mine or his hand on my arm or
thigh, he let me eat my meal in peace. It wasn’t until we were finished and following
the others out of the restaurant that he leaned in to whisper in my ear, “This may
be a game to you, but I intend to win the prize.”

Prize?

He thought of me as a prize?

I smiled. I liked his choice of words.