Unexpected Delivery (Paradise Place Book 8) Page 7

  She probably was way out of line and moved out of his arms. “I’m sorry,” she said, walking off his deck and out of the backyard and returning home. She was proud of herself for not sprinting like she’d felt the need to do.

  9

  Make My Head Spin

  The next day, Evan got home earlier than normal and then kept an eye on Parker’s house to see when she’d be back.

  He hadn’t expected that bombshell to be dropped on him yesterday.

  Anyone looking at Parker or her brothers would think they had it all. That they were successful and had great lives. It went to show him that looks were deceiving in the worst way.

  He couldn’t imagine her childhood from what she’d said. His parents had never pitted them against each other. They’d never felt the pressure to work for the family business either. Everyone was allowed to be their own person and maybe he should thank his parents more for that.

  For some reason Parker felt she could drop her guard with him when many others in his life would never consider that.

  He didn’t even hesitate to pull her into his arms and hold her either.

  Had he wanted to kiss her? Hell yeah, he did, but he wouldn’t have made that move.

  She did. He wasn’t surprised over it.

  And when her lips touched his, he lost control for a moment.

  What he hadn’t expected was her to run from him.

  No, correction. She didn’t run. She walked off his deck with her back and shoulders straighter than the level he used when he was building.

  He wasn’t ready to let this go though. Not to end on that note.

  Guess people could change because in the past he would have said screw it and hoped to not see the person again.

  Not now though. Nope. He wanted to see her. He wanted to talk to her.

  He wanted to clear the air.

  He wanted to hold her again. Kiss her too.

  But he’d settle for a little conversation and see if they could go back to where they were before she confessed what in her eyes were her family’s sins.

  He saw the SUV pull into the driveway. He’d yet to see the Mercedes move and wondered if there was something wrong with it. Then told himself it wasn’t his concern. She was probably working so much she didn’t have time to do anything else.

  Or she drove it and he just wasn’t around to see it.

  Either way, he wasn’t giving her a chance to leave again and went out his front door and walked over as the garage door was shutting.

  He rang her bell and the door was opened right away, her arms full of a box and her briefcase.

  “Come in,” she said. “I expected to see you but not this soon.”

  He was trying to roll his tongue back into his mouth seeing her in a slim-fitting lilac dress with a thin black belt and black pumps on her feet. Her hair was straight and resting on her back and the urge to wrap his fist in the softness and yank her closer was greater than him needing peace and quiet after a long miserable day.

  “Do you dress like this every day?”

  “What?” she asked, putting her stuff down in her office and then turning.

  “Your clothes? Do you dress like that for work every day?”

  “Yes. Not always in a dress. Sometimes a skirt or pants. Why?”

  “Shit. I’d buy anything you were selling if you came into my office looking like that.”

  He knew right away he said the wrong thing when she narrowed her eyes at him and put her hands on her hips after she set everything down. “I don’t use my body to make a sale.”

  “Sorry. My brain cells are still buffering. That slipped.”

  She laughed. “You get a pass. Aren’t you used to seeing a woman in a dress?”

  “I work on a construction site. How many pairs of steel toed pumps do you own?”

  “Point taken,” she said. “So, what do I owe this visit to? I don’t have any deliveries due anytime soon.”

  “You said you expected to see me, so why do you think I came over?”

  “My guess is you want to know why I left so abruptly yesterday. It had nothing to do with you.”

  “I didn’t think it did,” he said. “I happen to know I’m a good kisser.”

  She smiled at him. “You know, I’m going to say this again. You’re not nearly as much of a grouch or tough guy as you want people to think.”

  “Don’t let anyone know my secret,” he said.

  “You’ve got a great personality too.”

  “I only show it to those that are worthy in my eyes.”

  “So you think I’m worthy?” she asked.

  “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t,” he said. “Normally I’d write someone off that confuses me. Even irritates me. Though you really don’t do that. Confusion, yeah. Right up there on the top of my list of people that make my head spin.”

  “Why aren’t you writing me off?” she asked.

  “How about a drink?” he asked first. “Or maybe you want to change so I can focus more? We could go get some dinner if you’re hungry.”

  “Are you asking me on a date?”

  “Normally a date comes before a kiss, but in this case, I guess I’m going backwards. If you regretted the kiss and want to say no to me, just do it. I know you’re not one to hold back.”

  “No, I’m not. I’m starving and I probably owe you some explanations. But first tell me why you aren’t writing me off?”

  “Because I made a comment about everyone can change who they are if they want to. I’ve never wanted to though. I even bragged about never changing for anyone. Then I saw a very confident beautiful woman let her guard down and run away when she did because my guess is she thought it made her look weak. And it made me feel bad that she might think that. So yeah, I can change because I don’t want you to feel that way.”

  And he wasn’t sure where those words were coming from other than his heart that he never opened up to anyone else before either.

  “That explanation is good enough for me to agree to dinner. Let me go change.”

  Parker walked up the stairs and wrote off her run tonight but told herself it was fine. She probably needed some conversation with a hot-looking guy even more for her peace of mind.

  Not only that, she wanted to explain to him what happened. If she even had an explanation for it.

  Which she didn’t. Nothing more than she didn’t have as much control over what she was feeling as she normally did.

  She came back downstairs five minutes later in jean shorts, flip flops and a red cotton shirt. He was in cargo shorts and a fitted T-shirt that was making her mouth drool more than a big greasy burger after weeks on that reality show.

  “Ready to go?” he asked. He was still standing in the foyer where she left him.

  “I am. Do you want to drive or me? If you don’t mind, I haven’t started my car in a few weeks and should.”

  “The white Mercedes?” he asked.

  “That’s my car. I don’t drive it much but do when I’m not working. It just seems when I’m not working now, I’m not really leaving the house.”

  “Let me go get my phone and wallet,” he said.

  “My treat,” she said. “I owe it to you after my behavior.”

  “No,” he said. “First, you don’t owe me anything. Second of all, I asked you so I’ll pay.”

  “So if I ask you, I get to pay?” she asked, holding his stare.

  “I have a feeling if I say no you’re going to cancel right now,” he said.

  “Yep. I don’t need some man to take care of me or buy me a meal.”

  “So noted,” he said. “But I’m paying for tonight. If you decide you want to ask me another night, then it’s on you.”

  “You don’t have a problem with that?” she asked.

  “Do I look stupid enough to say no?”

  She laughed at him when he jogged across the street to get his phone and wallet and then came back. She liked that he didn’t back down when so many other men wou
ld. But she was going to make sure he knew she wasn’t after any free ride like her mother would want her to do.

  “Let’s go,” she said, locking the front door and then going through the garage to her car. “Sorry it’s a tight fit,” she said when he hit his knees climbing in, but he pushed the button and the seat went all the way back.

  “It’s fine like this,” he said.

  “I don’t normally have men as big as you in my car.”

  “So you’re used to being with men smaller than me?”

  “I haven’t been with a man in a long time. So long I’m not sure when the last time was without looking at my calendar.”

  He laughed. “I don’t know if you are joking or not.”

  “Afraid not,” she said. “Life is pretty busy.”

  “I know the feeling.”

  He told her where he had in mind for dinner and she drove the few miles there. They got a table and were sitting with their drinks and their food ordered. “So, about yesterday,” she said. “I don’t normally get upset like that.”

  “I would have never guessed,” he said sarcastically.

  “It was talking about Erin and I hope you keep it to yourself. I shouldn’t have even said what I did. We all agreed in the family to let it drop.”

  “You can’t let something like that drop as if it didn’t happen,” he said. “Even I know that.”

  “No. We can’t. My mother won’t talk about it. My father is still depressed. It’s been over two years. Marcus, Jeremy and I do talk but not often. It’s hard and we are all raw. My brothers feel like they didn’t do their job protecting her even though they weren’t around.”

  “They were still in med school?”

  “They were doing their residences and fellowships out of the area. Marcus came back first as soon as he could start looking for a job. Jeremy last year. I feel like maybe they could have gone elsewhere but they didn’t want to.”

  “I might have done the same thing if I were in their shoes,” he said.

  “I knew you’d understand. I was the closest to Erin and it eats at me that I didn’t see everything. Then I thought back…she didn’t want us to. But I have to ask myself did I try to find out more? I was so engrossed in my job and career taking off. Going on Survivor.”

  “You were entitled to have a life,” he said. “It sounded like she had one she was hiding from everyone.”

  “She did. And that isn’t what I wanted to talk about.”

  “We won’t talk about it anymore then. I’d rather talk about us.”

  “You’re pretty straightforward. I like that. Not many men are. Or they are but don’t like that I am right back.”

  “I’m not like other men. I’m not intimidated by a woman.”

  “Good to know,” she said laughing, then pushed back when her burger was placed down in front of her. He’d gotten the same.

  “I like a woman not afraid to eat too,” he said. “Nothing about you screams dainty.”

  She picked her burger up and took a massive bite. “Never. No one could ever say that about me. But I know hunger and felt it for weeks on that show. Not that I’ve ever been a woman afraid to throw back some food. I work hard to have this body and it’s not to show it off or get sales, but because it makes me feel good.”

  “It makes you feel strong,” he said.

  “Damn you. How do you know that?”

  “No clue,” he said. “My sister would tell you I’m clueless when it comes to women. I feel like I’m flying by the seat of my pants with nitro-filled propellers in the back pockets and it’s working in my favor.”

  “Maybe you’ve got good instincts,” she said.

  “I’d like to think so. And I’ll control sailing through the air here and guess that you felt you lost some control and dropped your guard yesterday and it made you feel weak, which is why you ran.”

  “I didn’t run. I walked back home. But yes. I’m confident enough in myself to say when I’m wrong or someone else is right. I’m used to being in control and lost it yesterday.”

  “I’m not complaining that you did,” he said. “I wouldn’t have minded finishing the night with another kiss like that before you...left.”

  “Then you won’t be opposed to it if I grab your shirt before you leave tonight and lay another one on you?”

  “Again, do I look stupid?”

  10

  Mighty Fine

  Saturday morning, Evan was knocking on Parker’s door with his truck parked in her driveway.

  Two nights ago she’d mentioned she needed to get a treadmill. That even though she loved to run outside, sometimes it was dark or raining and once winter came it was easier than finding a gym membership.

  He offered to go with her to get it and she’d told him no. She could order it and have it delivered.

  They’d gone back and forth for five minutes arguing until he said he was going to be in her driveway at nine and he wasn’t leaving until she climbed in his truck and they went and got it.

  He’d never met someone as stubborn as Parker. Well, maybe his sister Kaelyn. But even Kaelyn wouldn’t have argued that long.

  “You weren’t kidding about the time,” she said when she opened the door.

  “I find it hard to believe you were sleeping late,” he said, trying not to picture her in bed and what she might sleep in.

  No, that wouldn’t be good. He’d already spent Thursday night with a major hard on from the kiss they’d shared before he walked back to his house.

  It wasn’t just her mouth on his or her hands in his hair. It was her body rubbing against his as if she wanted more but wouldn’t ask.

  And he sure the hell wasn’t going to assume, so he took his leave.

  “No. I’ve been up cleaning and looking around downstairs for exactly where I want to put this.”

  “Can I see?” he asked. “This way I’ve got a game plan to get it down the stairs too. I should see how narrow the staircase is while I’m at it.”

  She smiled at him and his breath caught. It wasn’t a playful one, but one of humor and maybe a bit of sarcasm. Who would have thought he’d find that sexy?

  Yep, sarcasm when she opened her mouth. “You mean you don’t remember all of that from when you built the house?”

  “I don’t get a lot of work in on the actual construction,” he said, reaching out and tugging on a lock of her dark hair. He was as surprised by that move as she was and he dropped his hand away. “Ryan, he’d probably remember it though.”

  “Follow me,” she said, moving to the door between the kitchen and dining room.

  His eyes went to her ass in her fitted shorts, traveling down the length of her legs. If she had any fat on her, he had no idea where it could be.

  He looked at the stairs when the light flipped on. “Thankfully they are straight down. Many are curved and have a landing which makes it more difficult.”

  “Does yours?” she asked. “Though I’ve only seen some of your first floor, something tells me every part of your house is finished and beautiful.”

  “If you want a tour all you have to do is ask for it.”

  “Maybe you can give me one another time?” she said.

  “Most definitely.” They were at the bottom of the stairs now and he was looking around at the finished living room. A dry bar in the corner, she had a TV on the wall and one small couch. “I think you need more furniture here.”

  “I do. It’s on my list of things to purchase. That’s a pullout sofa I had in a spare room at my other place. My spare bedrooms upstairs are empty too. The list goes on and on, but it’s finding the time as that isn’t something I’m going to order online.”

  He nodded his head. “Do you want the treadmill in here where you can watch TV or in that back room? Or are you using that for storage?

  There was a room in the back that could hold some exercise equipment easily enough and the rest of the basement was unfinished storage and the utility room. He knew that because it was a b
asic layout for houses of this design.

  “I’ve got enough storage. I wanted to use the smaller room and then I’ll grab another TV. That one on the wall there was left. I’m not sure why they did, but it does work. My guess is they had no use for it and since it’s mounted just let it go.”

  “Are you going to get a TV today?” he asked. “Do you need mounts for it too?”

  “Yes to both if you aren’t in a hurry. I thought I’d run to Best Buy and get that first, then go and get the treadmill. They both open earlier than the mall itself.”

  “Works for me,” he replied, then moved into the room she was going to use. He’d put the TV up for her too without her throwing a fit, but something told him he was going to need some antacids before the day was done.

  And he was right two hours later when he carried the TV down the stairs and she had the mount. Both were set on the floor in the family room off to the side.

  “Let me go get a cart from my garage. I didn’t want it in my truck moving around nor did I want to bring it over before we went in case you couldn’t find what you wanted.”

  “We wouldn’t have gone if they didn’t have what I wanted in stock,” she said, lifting an eyebrow. “I’d already checked this morning.”

  Which would explain why it didn’t take her long to pick it out. She went right to three of them and tested them out. The three most expensive, but she was a serious runner and he was guessing it was important to her, the features on it.

  “Well then, I’ll be right back.”

  “Do you need a cart?” she asked. “Can’t we just push it or lift it?”

  “It’s over two hundred pounds and big and bulky at that,” he said, wondering what was going through her head. “I get you’re strong, but not as strong as me, and I hate to break it to you, though I can lift two hundred pounds if I need to easy enough, I can’t when my arms can’t reach around something like this.” No use reminding her it took three employees to put it in his truck.

  Her eyes moved over his body. “I bet you look mighty fine lifting things.”