Deceptive Liaison Becca Jameson After Madeline is attacked and nearly raped, she finds herself targeted by an escaped criminal. Soon she‟s sequestered at a university under a secret identity while awaiting the capture of her dangerous attacker. As luck would have it, her new neighbor turns out to be a hunk who leaves her sexually frustrated night after night. Parker has one goal—protecting Madeline until her attacker is caught. He never banks on the sizzling sexual attraction that brings him to his knees. He tries to rein in his need and focus on the job, but they can‟t stop the sensual pull to each other. Their passion is unleashed in a long, steamy night of sex. All hell breaks loose in the morning when the secrets between them are revealed and the two find themselves on the run. With the odds stacked against them and passions rising, Parker and Madeline must lay everything on the line in order to save their lives—and hearts.
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Deceptive Liaison ISBN 9781419936791 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Deceptive Liaison Copyright © 2011 Becca Jameson Edited by Briana St. James Cover design by Syneca Photography: Maksim Scheljov, Luxora/Shutterstock.com Electronic book publication November 2011 The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora‟s Cave Publishing. With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora‟s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502. Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher‟s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author‟s rights is appreciated. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author‟s imagination and used fictitiously. The publisher and author(s) acknowledge the trademark status and trademark ownership of all trademarks, service marks and word marks mentioned in this book. The publisher does not have any control over, and does not assume any responsibility for, author or third-party Web sites or their content.
DECEPTIVE LIAISON Becca Jameson
Becca Jameson
Prologue Someone was following her. Madeline was sure of it. Footsteps behind her scraped against the sidewalk. Her heart rate increased as a chill ran down her spine. Pulling her sweater tighter around her against the breeze, she hugged her books to her chest and tried to calm her wandering thoughts. Deep breaths. She berated herself for working so late in the campus library. Now it was dark and she hated walking to her car alone at night. To top things off, she‟d had to park clear across campus earlier that day. Picking up her pace, she skillfully maneuvered the winding sidewalk that angled gracefully through the university grounds, branching off in a multitude of directions toward the various statuesque brick buildings. The only sounds were the trees rustling in the wind, two sets of footsteps and the pounding beat of Madeline‟s heart. Whoever was behind her was gaining on her, rapidly. She didn‟t want to glance back. Don’t be ridiculous, Madeline. This is a college. People walk places. Some quicker than others… Madeline began to sweat, even though the night air was chilly. Her breaths increased from the adrenaline rush as well as her added efforts to move quicker. The imagined assailant behind her slowed to match her pace. Could she hear his heavy breathing? Was he that close? Why didn‟t he pass her and move on in his hurry? Her knuckles ached where she gripped two giant textbooks in a death grip. She tried to loosen her hold, but found she was unable. Madeline, you’re being silly. Just step to the side and let the person pass. Too many horror movies had etched themselves in her brain, flashes of them running through a mental reel. With all her concentration focused on getting to her car and locking the doors, Madeline didn‟t stop to consider the ramifications of continuing on that track, which now hit her square in the chest and made her gasp and raise her gaze from her feet to her surroundings. She was in almost total darkness, the space between the ornate lamps that decorated the park, unprotected. Stupid! Why hadn‟t she just headed toward one of the lighted classroom buildings instead of the parking lot? That would have alleviated the problem entirely. Plus, then she could have called for a driver. As her gait slowed, so did that of the person behind her. Drop the books. Run! She didn‟t get a chance to take even one step. No sooner had the texts hit the ground than a hand wrapped firmly around her face from behind, covering her mouth. Madeline screamed, but the sound was muffled. Eyes wide, she wrenched her body back and forth, glancing in every direction. There was no one in sight. With both hands, she flailed to get a grip on the arm across her face, fingernails digging into her
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assailant‟s forearm. His other arm wrapped firmly around her middle, just below her chest. He dragged her off the path. In seconds he flattened her against the rough bricks of a building. Madeline fought with all her might, still gouging into his arms with her fingers, kicking back at him with her feet, trying to get any sort of purchase. He was tall, nearly holding her off the ground. The salty taste of his hand filled her mouth and she opened her lips to bite him. “Don‟t even think about it, bitch.” Hot air and spittle filled her ear along with his deep voice. His mouth so close to her face she could smell his putrid breath, which made her stomach roll. Madeline twisted and wrenched her body in every direction. She hadn‟t seen any part of him yet. “Stop. Stop it right now or I‟ll kill you before I fuck you, do you hear me?” The arm around her middle disappeared and seconds later a cool, sharp, pointy edge landed against her throat. “If you don‟t want me to slit this pretty little neck of yours right this instant, stop your wailing and squirming, slut.” Madeline froze out of self-preservation. She needed to think. She needed a plan. No way was she going to die tonight. His deep chuckle filled her ear, his tongue darting out to lick her earlobe. A long, disgusting slurp like a cat that made Madeline gag against his palm and cringe with disgust. “Mmmm, that‟s what I thought. Not wiggling now, are you? All you rich bitches are alike. Strutting around campus like you fucking own the world, all high and mighty with your designer shoes and purses and expensive clothes.” He took a long whiff of her neck. “And perfume… What do you call it?” He paused and laughed deeply against her throat. “What? Cat got your tongue? Don‟t have anything to say for yourself?” Eyes as wide as saucers, Madeline scanned her surroundings. Perhaps there was something she could use to hit him? A branch? It was too dark. She couldn‟t see more than a few feet now that they were strategically positioned between street lamps. “Now, I‟m going to lower you to the ground and we‟re gonna have some fun.” His words were gravelly, even lower in pitch. The panic coursing through Madeline‟s veins bumped up a notch as her feet flew out from under her and she landed with a thud against the hard ground, her breath whooshing out of her lungs. Her head bounced hard against the compacted earth, momentarily making her see stars. Through a dizzy haze, she willed herself not to pass out. You can’t save yourself if you aren’t conscious. Before she could pull her wits together, big, hard lips slammed against hers, kissing her roughly, trying to force entrance into her mouth.
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With renewed vigor, she twisted with all her might to free herself and even managed with her adrenaline-induced strength to flip over. For an instant he lost his hold on her. A moment that was short-lived. A firm grip on her ankle yanked her back under him. Her nails dug into the earth as she struggled furiously to maintain her distance and pull herself free of his clutches. Through her gasps for air, she tried to yell, but her voice came out muffled. One quick jerk landed her directly under her attacker, face down in the dirt. His large hand held her head firmly in place, grass and dirt in her mouth and nose. “Listen, you fucking whore, all this struggling just makes me harder for you.” He laughed and lay his body over hers, suffocating her with his weight. “Now we‟re gonna have us some fun. Can you feel my cock against your ass, bitch? See how hot you‟ve made me? You‟ve been teasing me with your sexy swaying all the way from the library, hips that just begged me to take you. You‟d like that, wouldn‟t you? If I took you from behind?” A guttural moan escaped his lips, inches from her cheek. Madeline thought she was going to throw up. The fear ebbing through her was unlike anything she‟d ever imagined. She couldn‟t scream if she wanted to, because she could barely breathe with his weight pinning her to the ground. She fought for short gasps of air to fill her lungs and all she got was gritty dirt in her mouth that threatened to head for her windpipe. Would she die right now from lack of oxygen? That fate was suddenly more attractive than being raped first. “Done struggling, are you?” More rough kissing landed on her neck and cheek. Suddenly his weight was lifted off her, her arms tugged to her sides and pinned there by his legs straddling her where he sat hovering over her torso. “Now, let‟s have some fun, shall we?” Strong hands roughly pushed her hair out of her face. At least she could get a breath now, and on the next one, she opened her mouth to scream as loud as she could, only to be faced with a large, serrated knife before her eyes. “I‟ve already warned you once. If you scream like that again, I‟ll have no choice but to cut you open. You hear me?” Like a rag doll, Madeline was flipped over onto her back, her arms secured to her sides once again. Through her tousled hair, she got her first real look at her assailant. Dark-skinned, hair cut close to his scalp. She couldn‟t say if he was Hispanic or AfricanAmerican. But she‟d never forget the look in his dark eyes, feral, lethal. He was going to kill her. His lips quirked up in a smirk. A tiny, trimmed goatee hugged just the tip of his chin. Lifting off her stomach for one second, he yanked her shirt from her pants and used the sharp blade to cut a line straight up the middle, leaving only her bra covering her chest.
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“Nice rack.” He sneered at her, set the blade next to her cheek and reached to savagely squeeze her breasts with both hands. Pain ran from her chest into her arms, causing Madeline to grit her teeth hard against the onslaught. When he released his grip, Madeline gasped and shivered beneath him. The assailant whipped his hand out and pressed the enormous blade once more against her neck, biting into her flesh. Warm liquid let her know the serrated edge was cutting tiny holes in her skin. Madeline held her breath. She closed her eyes for an instant. God, please, please get me out of this alive. Her eyelids wrenched open and she nearly sliced her own neck on the firm blade when the crazed man reached between her legs and grasped her crotch. “Are you hot for me?” He tipped his head back slightly and growled. “I believe you like this. Your cunt is begging for my touch.” His fingers dug into her through the thin layer of her pants, viciously bruising her tender flesh. No one had ever touched her like that. All reason leaving her mind, Madeline screamed to wake the dead. No longer cognizant of the possible repercussions, she just wanted this nasty man‟s hands off her, now. “You bitch!” Flinging the knife aside, he slapped her across the face, hard, and grasped her jaw so tight with his hand, she thought he might actually break the bone. With his head lifted high in the air, he froze. Thank you, God. Footsteps. Running. Getting louder. “I‟ll get you for this, you bitch. Don‟t think I won‟t. You‟ll never be safe.” In a flash of disgust, her rapist jumped to his feet and ran in the opposite direction from where they‟d come. Stunned and in shock, Madeline just lay there on the cold earth, gasping for breath, too tired and weak to move. Her small voice squeaked out, “Help,” just as someone came barreling through the bushes. “Oh my God.” It was campus security. He twisted and turned all around, straining to see in the dark for just a few seconds before he kneeled at her side. “Ma‟am? Are you okay?” Madeline could only give a slight nod. She pointed in the direction her assailant had run. “Will you be okay?” He stood quickly and stared down at her. “Go,” she managed, pointing again. Heavy footsteps ran in the indicated direction while Madeline pulled herself to a sitting position and tugged her sweater and torn shirt around her middle. A huge shudder rent her body as she stood and backed up against the building, still gasping for air. Her lungs couldn‟t get enough oxygen. She leaned forward, hyperventilating, and attempted to drag deep breaths into her airway.
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Panting and pounding steps grabbed her attention. Her gaze scanned the area as the security guard returned. She held a death grip on her sweater at her neck, drops of warm blood or perspiration coating her knuckles. She wasn‟t sure. A relieved exhalation blew slowly out of her lungs when she saw the returning night guard standing before her, panting from the exertion. Streams of light flicked all around from the flashlight in his hand. “Couldn‟t find him.” He leaned his hands on his knees for just a moment and then stood and looked at her. “You‟re bleeding.” He touched her neck and held his finger up for her perusal. “I‟m alive. Thanks to you,” she mumbled, barely hearing her own words. “Let‟s get you to a hospital.” He pulled a phone out of his back pocket and dialed.
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Chapter One “I won‟t do it.” Madeline Cooper was furious. She glanced at the exasperated faces of the two men staring pointedly at her in the dingy room of the New Haven, Connecticut, police station. “Please tell me you‟re kidding.” “Ms. Cooper, it‟s the best course of action.” Detective Mark Reynolds was clearly determined to see this through. His dark eyebrows furrowed together in concentration. “We‟ve been over this. Witness protection is the most logical plan. The state of Connecticut has an excellent reputation for the highest-quality protection.” Ignoring reason, Madeline turned toward the other man facing her. “Daddy.” When was the last time she had called her father by that name? “There‟s no way I‟m going to move clear across the country and hide in some tiny state college. There has to be a better way.” She wasn‟t beyond begging at this point. Finishing her doctorate degree at Yale was the topmost priority at this point in her life. Running from a criminal was not. “Honey, you know the stakes. If there were any other option, we would consider it, but as it stands, the most important thing is securing your protection and ensuring your safety.” Dr. Donald E. Cooper was not taking any chances with his only precious daughter. She recognized on a fundamental level, when she wasn‟t burning with rage, that he was right. But that didn‟t make the situation any easier. Moments passed. Everyone seemed to hold their collective breath. Damn. Madeline rarely cussed out loud, but occasionally that one little word filtered its way into her mind when she was between a rock and a hard place. Madeline sighed, almost resigned to the facts. “Fine. What is the plan exactly? Do I even get any say in this? Or do you two already have it all mapped out and sent to press?” Detective Reynolds cleared his throat. A chill went up her spine as she stared into his hard expression. He was fit and young, probably about thirty, but the early stages of gray at his hairline and his current state of distress made him seem older. “It has all been arranged, ma‟am. Sorry. I know this is hard for you.” He looked at her as though he wanted to shrink into the wall of the drab gray police station. The station was enormous. When Madeline had first entered this morning, she‟d been shocked by the number of people and volume of noise. She and her father had been escorted down a long hall of rooms before being ushered into the current one—an interrogation room. Madeline had entered it feeling as though she was the criminal. Weren‟t interrogation rooms where people went in handcuffs after being arrested for a crime in order to be questioned? The tiny room had just one small table and two metal chairs that had seen better days. None of them were using any of that furniture right now though. They had 10
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simply entered the room to avoid eavesdroppers and escape the noise level of the bustling station. Secrecy was always the predominant element in Madeline‟s life these days. She inhaled a deep breath before continuing. “Do I have to take a different name?” Lord, what have they chosen for me? Probably something hideous like Brunhilda. Madeline cringed at the idea. Muscles twitched in her arms. She crossed them over her chest to hide the shaking. This day could not get any worse. “Actually, we thought it best…well, easiest…if you used the name Maddie from now on. Easy to remember. Easy to answer to.” At that announcement from Madeline‟s father, he was now the one sinking into the wall, clearly hoping to get sucked up by a mysterious black hole. Everyone knew that Madeline Cooper hated being called Maddie. Passionately. Yes, the day could and would get worse. Her cheeks burned with anger. Her foot involuntarily began to tap on the floor. “Look, this is ridiculous.” Madeline struggled to calm herself and think rationally. “I‟m not the one who committed a crime here. While my attacker is running the streets free, I‟m the one going to „jail‟.” Anger boiled Madeline‟s blood. She was being forced to run and hide, robbed of her own freedom while Reginald Jones roamed the streets a free man. She had barely recovered enough of her sanity to even leave the house again when Jones had escaped from the prison holding him until his arraignment. A chill ran down Madeline‟s back as she recalled the night of her attack three months ago. She had been fortunate, if one could call it that, that he had not been successful in raping and perhaps even murdering her that night. If it hadn‟t been for the officer from campus security who‟d happened to wander by just at the right moment, Madeline would be in a lot worse shape now, probably dead. Luckily, her assailant had stormed off, leaving behind his knife, conveniently covered with his fingerprints. As it turned out, good old Reginald Jones had been wanted on twenty counts of rape and fifteen counts of murder. It was all over the news. Madeline IDed him from a series of mug shots. Very few of his victims had survived to identify him and those who had were too scared to talk. Madeline couldn‟t blame them, but she simply wasn‟t one to be bullied like that. “How long do you think this is going to take? Is anyone out looking for him?” Reginald had been picked up coincidentally during a routine traffic stop just days after attacking Madeline. His escape had everyone on edge because there would be no doubt who had identified him. Perhaps she was being naïve, but she knew that this rare breach in her otherwise secure life would never happen again. Her father would see to that. Actually, that’s just what he’s doing… Detective Reynolds straightened to his full height and stepped forward to address this new line of questioning. He was sweating. Large circles formed in the armpits of his blue oxford shirt—a shirt that had been most certainly starched and creased to perfection when he‟d left the house earlier this morning. A few minutes alone with
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Madeline Cooper and the formidable Dr. Cooper, had caused Detective Reynolds to wilt. It was only ten a.m. and he looked like he could use a nap or a stiff drink. “Ma‟am, I can assure you that my force is doing everything in its power to apprehend Mr. Jones. The world is a big place and he has a lot of contacts. He could be hiding in any number of locations, possibly even outside the city limits… In the meantime, your safety is our number-one priority.” “Sure.” Sarcasm oozed from Madeline‟s mouth. At twenty-four years old, Madeline Cooper had spent her entire life under the sheltered supervision of her extremely overprotective father. Since her mother‟s sudden death when Madeline was just three years old, Madeline had barely even breathed without the knowledge of dear old dad. Not that she didn‟t love her father, but sometimes she felt smothered. “Ma‟am, you‟re our star witness in the prosecution of Mr. Jones. As drastic as all this sounds, it‟s the safest course of action. It‟s not forever. Just until we can apprehend Reggie again. I promise you we‟ll have you back in your life as soon as possible.” Detective Reynolds tapped his fingers on the chair back in front of him. Madeline glanced over to see her father dominating the room with his broad shoulders pushed back and a look on his face that demanded respect. Not one gray hair on his head was out of place and she shivered with the knowledge that this sterile room was no different to him than an operating room. Like marionettes, he would guide everyone to do his bidding. The detective was handing her father a new life for his daughter in the same way he would hand him a scalpel. The only problem was the patient, Madeline herself, was not sedated. She felt like yelling “ouch” as though her father had just sliced into her skin to begin “fixing” the problem. “Isn‟t witness protection a little overboard here?” “Overboard” was Dr. Cooper‟s middle name when it came to Madeline. Beside the fact that her father made an excellent salary as a well-known surgeon, her mother had left her a sizable inheritance from her maternal grandparents. And Dr. Cooper had dedicated his life to ensuring that money was well spent. She had never wanted for anything. Always had everything money could buy, including nannies and tutors. She had been homeschooled by the best in the education world. “Ms. Cooper,” the detective continued, “I know you‟d prefer to be in your own home, but this criminal is not to be trusted. He has an erratic record raping and murdering women. In his early days, he left a few women alive. However, we believe he returned to murder a woman who reported the incident to the police. The witness protection program has always done a stellar job of concealing victims and helping them build new lives—” “Build new lives. Are you kidding? You talk as though I‟m going to be sequestered in the bowels of hell forever.” Madeline was steaming mad, nearly shouting. If it were possible, flames would have been shooting out of her ears.
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“Madeline,” her father sounded exasperated with her now, “Nebraska is hardly the „bowels of hell‟ and no one expects you to be there very long.” “Nebraska! You have to be kidding. There‟s nothing in Nebraska. What university could you possibly be sending me to in Nebraska?” At this point in her studies, all Madeline really needed was a library. Research and writing were her main emphasis. But she certainly didn‟t want to make use of a dinky little library in Nebraska instead of the huge, modern facility at Yale. “The University of Nebraska, ma‟am. My alma mater.” Oh…my…God. The good cop graduated from a school ten states away in a cornfield. This just kept getting better. “Look, Detective Reynolds—” “Please, call me Mark. We‟ll be talking to each other quite a bit in the next several months. I‟ll be your point of contact here. You won‟t be able to call anyone, including your father, to ensure no one is tracing your lines of communication.” “Okay…Mark, then…” Madeline had no intention of agreeing to let him call her by her first name, or God help her, “Maddie”. “No offense, but I‟m not really a Nebraska kind of girl. Hell, I‟ve hardly even been out of the state of Connecticut. I‟m more of a…a…city girl.” At this the detective, Mark, chuckled loudly. “The University of Nebraska, Lincoln, by the way, is hardly in the boonies, ma‟am.” “Whatever. That‟s not the point. I‟m in the middle of my dissertation. I can‟t just run off.” I’ve worked too hard to abandon my studies at Yale right now. Madeline had completed her undergrad and her master‟s at Yale. It was just fifteen minutes from home. Her father, always the worrier, could keep his “eye” on her, as he called it, and she could still live at home. It was a perfect compromise. And both were happy with the plan, most of the time. “Actually, yes, you can. It‟s all worked out. Detective Reynolds was able to pull some strings so that you can finish your research in Lincoln. And you won‟t be totally alone. Detective Reynolds here will be in contact with you secretly, from time to time.” Suddenly Madeline had a thought. Maybe it wouldn‟t be so bad after all. Maybe it would be good for her to get away, out from under her father‟s well-meaning, but often suffocating, clutches. Perhaps I could actually make some new friends, go on a date or two… “Okay.” She sagged her shoulders reluctantly. “What‟s the plan? What do I do now?”
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Chapter Two “Maddie Kincade” took a deep breath of the crisp, clean air around her and slowly spun in a circle to survey her surroundings, balancing the loaded box she carried against her hip. Lush green grass, tall shade trees, winding paths and groups of pink and purple flowers surrounded the individual buildings of the apartment complex. For the first time in months, Madeline relaxed her shoulders. No way was Reginald Jones going to track her down to this place. A bouncy redhead who appeared to be about her age headed toward Madeline on the sidewalk. “Excuse me, could you tell me where to find apartment 217?” Madeline addressed the girl, while trying to juggle the box in her arms so that she could peer at her more directly. Being completely unsure how far she would have to walk or where to park, she had only carried the one box with her. The one filled with important papers concerning her new identity that she did not want to risk having stolen out of the car. It would be rather embarrassing to have to file a report concerning its contents. “Sure. These units are all a mess. It‟s hard to figure out where anything is. I‟ve lived here three years and I still have trouble finding my own sometimes.” She giggled, pushing her fiery corkscrew curls out of her face. “Are you new here?” Her shoulders drooped as she continued, “Duh,” and she rolled her pale green eyes. “Well, of course you‟re new here. I mean, new to town? Oh…sorry, that‟s none of my business really. I‟m always blabbing more than I should. Don‟t mind me. Hmmm…” Madeline could scarcely keep up with the ever-changing conversational directions. The bubbly redhead scanned the red brick buildings scattering the area. “The unit you‟re looking for is in the D building right over there, next to that big oak tree that has been there nearly a hundred years they say. Well, I guess several of the trees look like that, though, don‟t they? “Oh…sorry again. Motor mouth. I‟m Molly, by the way. Molly Davenport.” She shoved out a hand and then giggled again, pulling it back as she realized Madeline still held the box in her arms. The girl could talk, that was for sure. But Madeline found her somehow endearing in spite of this fact and was determined to make a friend out of her. “Mad…Maddie, Maddie Kincade.” She tried not to cringe at her near infraction and looked her new friend straight in the eye. “I just moved here. I‟m working on my
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dissertation in English Lit. So, yeah, I‟m definitely „new‟.” Please don’t ask me where I’m from. Madeline still didn‟t have quite all the details of her “fake” life memorized. Molly laughed again. She looked like the kind of person who did that a lot. Carefree. Fun. Curls bouncing on her shoulders and blowing in the breeze. “Well, never fear. You will find your way around quick. Listen, I‟m sorry, but I have to run. I‟m late for a dentist appointment, otherwise I‟d show you around. But I promise to make it up to you later. Two seventeen, right? I‟ll come by when I get free.” Molly backed away, disappointment at her need to run off lurking in her eyes. Madeline smiled to herself. No, this new identity was not going to be so bad after all. She had never fit in well with the other rich girls in her neighborhood and her peers at school thought she was unapproachable. This was the precise term she knew they used to describe her because she‟d once heard several girls discussing her in the library when they‟d been unaware she‟d been just one aisle over from them. She‟d tried not to let it hurt her feelings. After all, it was true. She was sorely lacking in communication skills when she was with the other grad students. Oh she could charm the pants off her father‟s colleagues whenever it was necessary to play hostess to them for dinners or the theater when he took her, but relating to younger adults her own age was altogether different. Madeline still stood on the twisting sidewalk in the luscious green garden area of the apartment complex. The scent of various flowers wafted through the air. It was truly beautiful. Several large, old trees, as Molly had pointed out, scattered around her, seemingly hugging the various buildings as if the oaks had been second to arrive, after the red brick structures, and had been meticulously planted in just the right spots to provide shade over the wandering paths and protect the flowerbeds from getting too much sunlight. Of course, that was ridiculous. Madeline knew the complex was only three years old. She had a sudden admiration for the architects who‟d designed the facility without disturbing the natural habitat and even made it work on their behalf. With a smile on her mouth, Madeline continued in the direction Molly had pointed out to her and juggled her heavy box in one arm so that she could pull open the door that seemed to be the main entrance to her new home away from home. The hallway was stark and had four doors leading presumably to four separate units, two on each side. Madeline surmised rather quickly that two seventeen was actually on the second floor and she proceeded to the stairs to begin the first of what she assured herself would be hundreds of ascents. This is an opportunity, Madeline…Maddie. Take it and run with it. Make the most of it. Don’t waste a minute. Think of all the possibilities. With her thoughts running a mile a minute, Madeline bounded to the top of the stairs, turned the corner to the hallway and ran straight into a brick wall. Her box of
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important documents flew through the air, creating a shower of papers that floated slowly back and forth to deposit themselves all over the hallway. No, it wasn‟t a brick wall at all, but a gorgeous hunk of man. Where did that thought come from? Stunned, she just stood there staring at him, warmth creeping up her body. He was beautiful. About a head taller than her, tan, built like he spent most of his days in the gym. “Oh, man, I‟m so sorry…” He paused, just looking at her, before continuing, “I…I wasn‟t watching…where I was going,” he finally managed to mumble, in a much softer tone than he‟d started with. He was sorry? She was the one running all helter-skelter up the stairs bubbling over with the excitement of her new life and all its possibilities. His gaze remained fixed on her. She felt her usual pink creep up her cheeks as he stared. “No, no, it was me. I was…I mean I‟m…just moving in and…” Why can’t I speak? I have a Master’s degree in English Lit and I can’t make one simple sentence. “Really? Which apartment? Let me guess, that one.” Finally he glanced away, pointing at the first door to her right. “I mean, it is the vacant one, so I just assume…” Every time he turned his head slightly, his silky brown hair that hung just past his ears swayed and Madeline found herself wanting to run her fingers through it. The slight curl made him look like a carefree college guy. Well, he surely is, Madeline. After all, this is a campus apartment building. “I live just next door,” he continued, pointing to the next entrance past hers. Well, well, aren’t I the lucky one. This jaunt to cornhusker country just kept getting better and better. “Cool.” Cool? Is that the best you can do, “Maddie”? Is that even a word people still use? She almost jumped out of her skin when he suddenly reached out toward her, the unexpected action causing her to flinch. “Sorry. I was just… You had a Post-it stuck in your hair. Here.” He handed her the tiny pink note. At the brief contact of his fingers against hers, electricity hummed through her system. His fingers were warm and rough, calloused, and for a moment she wondered if it was from manual work or if he played a sport. Madeline couldn‟t move, just stood there. Finally, the spell was broken as Madeline‟s new neighbor bent to begin picking up the scattered hurricane of paper. The act jolted her back to reality when it dawned on her that the information contained on those pages was extremely confidential. “Stop! I mean…” She brushed a hand through the air in what she hoped was a casual manner. “Don‟t worry about this mess… I‟m sure you have someplace you have to be… I can just clean all this up myself.” Madeline stooped down beside him, nearly knocking her forehead against his in the process. “Don‟t—don‟t worry about it. It was my fault anyway. I was—”
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“Don‟t be ridiculous.” He smiled at her, with deep chocolate eyes that almost swallowed her up. “I ran into you.” He really did have perfect cheekbones that looked as if they were chiseled from stone. She wanted to reach out and touch his face to ensure he was indeed real. “What kind of neighbor would I be if I left you to handle all this after I practically ran you over? It won‟t take but a minute.” In a panic, knowing that she couldn‟t stop him from his intentions, Madeline bent forward to quickly help recover the documents, hoping that if she hurried and stuffed them all back in the box, he wouldn‟t be the wiser about any of the actual words on them. As she swept as many items as she could into her arms from her position on her hands and knees, she started rambling anything she could think of to keep him from paying attention to the papers they were collecting. “So, do you like it here? In this apartment building, I mean. Or at this school? How is the weather this time of year?” What the hell? He must think I’m an idiot. She had spoken all of that so fast, even she couldn‟t keep up. He chuckled and handed her the stack of papers he had neatly assembled. “Let‟s see, yes, yes, yes and warm.” From his squatted position facing her, the biggest grin lit up his face, showing off cute little dimples on each side that hadn‟t been there for the simple smile she had previously been granted. She stared at his perfect face once again, unable to pull away. “Okay, well then… It was so nice meeting you. Sorry, again. And thanks for, you know…” Get away from him this instant. You’re making a complete fool of yourself. She stood with as much grace as she could muster under the circumstances and edged toward the door he had pointed out would be hers. “No problem.” Again with that gorgeous smile. “I‟ll see you around again? Soon I hope?” What was that supposed to mean? Why would he want to see her again after what he had experienced for the last several minutes? Surely he hoped he could dodge her for the rest of the semester and ask for an apartment change at the first opportunity. His next door neighbor was loony and scatterbrained. “I‟m Parker, by the way,” he held out his hand, “Parker Phillips.” Madeline struggled with sweaty palms to grip the box with the haphazardly jammed papers sticking out. Seeing no alternative, she finally stuck out just one pinky for him to shake. A flush heated her face at her embarrassment. “Mad…Maddie Kincade.” When would that get easier? She had to stop referring to herself as Mad Maddie soon or people would get suspicious. “So nice to meet you…Maddie… I‟ll see you later, then, okay?” With that, he waved and trotted off down the stairs to wherever gods like him went during the day in order to maintain their GQ looks.
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Chapter Three Parker made his way down the stairs and out the door in record time. If there had been a contest for speed stair flight from beautiful women, he would have won hands down. Holy shit! That was intense. What the hell just happened? This was so not what he had signed up for when he‟d taken this job. When his childhood friend, Mark, had called looking for a private bodyguard for some rich guy‟s daughter, he hadn‟t mentioned a word about how alluring “Maddie Kincade” was. The pictures he‟d seen of her had not done justice to the real deal. He‟d read the profile cover to cover. He probably knew more about her than she knew about herself. But none of that prepared him for actually meeting her in person and the immediate attraction he felt toward her. Hell, he could have sworn the minute he touched her that sparks ignited. The entire encounter had been intense, something that had never happened to him. Parker rammed through the outside door, stumbled around to the back of the building and leaned against it, trying to catch his breath and calm his nerves. Deep inhalation…deep exhalation. Hopefully no one was watching. On the other hand, they would simply assume he had been for a run and just returned. No, that wouldn‟t work. He was wearing jeans and loafers. Who runs in jeans and loafers? Parker, get a grip on yourself, man. She’s a job, just a job. Not a woman. Right, so not a woman. Just keep telling yourself that and maybe you will believe it. And to make matters worse, it wasn‟t as though he could avoid her. He was supposed to stick to her like white on rice. He was supposed to “date” her and make sure she spent as much time with him as possible—without letting her know that her father had hired him to secretly protect her. How in the fuck was he going to handle this situation? He ran his hand through his hair and winced when he grabbed it a bit too hard, creating an ache in his scalp. That “woman” was hot. She was sexy as hell, all slender and curvy. What made her even more endearing was she had no idea how beautiful or sexy she was. He doubted she was even aware of her sex appeal. Her trendy, expensive jeans had hugged her hips like they were made specifically for her. Probably they had been. And she had been wearing a logoed pink T-shirt from some designer store Parker wasn‟t familiar with. It was snug and showed off her perfect, small breasts. Parker reached to adjust his hardening dick, which throbbed with need trapped beneath his jeans. This woman is going to give me a run for my money dressed like that. Men will be salivating over her every time she leaves her apartment. And since when did he care? 18
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Then there was her hair, long, straight silky locks, a brown that was just a shade lighter than black. Smooth and sleek. He had wanted to reach out and touch it. Hell, he had reached out and touched it. And it was so soft on his rough fingers. Her big, wide beautiful eyes were a shade of bluish-green that he assumed changed from day to day depending on her mood and the color of her clothes. Her face was that of an angel. Sweet and innocent. So trusting, with just the tiniest edge of hesitation. She actually jumped when I touched her. Was she skittish around people as a result of her attack, as would be reasonable? Or was it just him? Of course, you idiot, a man almost raped her. A man who beat her and choked her and left her bleeding on the sidewalk. She should have been afraid. In fact, she better be afraid. Parker slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand. Dude, get a grip on yourself. You sound like her father—or someone who cares. The door to the building opened and Parker squeezed himself up against the side of the building. Thank God he had gone around the corner. He was definitely losing it. Sweat beaded on his forehead, which probably had little to do with the heat of the day and everything to do with the hot girl, correction, woman, he found himself in charge of protecting. Of course she would come right back out and head for her car. She hadn‟t started unpacking yet. Without looking back, she headed down the path that led to where he had watched her park earlier. Little did she know he‟d arrived here only yesterday and had been hot on her heels since she got off the plane this morning. Making sure no one had followed her to Nebraska. She certainly seemed confident that she hadn‟t been followed. Madeline sauntered away from him, her hips swaying and her head held high, all innocence and naiveté. Don’t look back. Please, don’t look back. Parker held his breath, not releasing it until she was almost out of sight. Time to begin the job he was hired for, trailing this woman everywhere she went to ensure her security. Madeline‟s mind was spinning as she made her way back to her car. She hoped she wouldn‟t get confused and lose track of her building‟s location. It would have been easier if the buildings had all been lined up in neat little rows with the letter for each unit in order—A, B, C, D. But alas, that would not have created the serene atmosphere that the random cockeyed configuration was producing. The apartment was just right. Madeline had been more than pleased when she‟d entered it a few minutes ago and looked around. In fact, she giggled like a little girl, clapped her hands and even jumped up and down once or twice, dashing from room to room inspecting the first place she‟d ever lived in alone, the first space she‟d ever had that could truly be called her own. She was giddy with excitement. Now, she just needed to find her car and move it closer to the building that would be home sweet home. At least until her attacker was caught. 19
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Any trepidation she felt concerning her attacker and her desire to have him off the streets mixed incongruently with her newfound freedom and secret hope that it would last at least long enough for her to get a taste of living on her own. No one to check in with, no butlers, no housekeepers, no drivers. Madeline paused to spin in a slow circle and take in her surroundings. The spring afternoon was warm, the sun peeking between the branches of the canopy of trees to heat her arms. The scent of freshly mowed grass and blooming flowers filled the air. She wanted to stand there for a while and take in nature‟s glory, but there was too much to do. Madeline easily located her vehicle, a brand new Nissan Sentra, cherry red because she had insisted. Her first car. She ran her fingers over the shiny, slick hood on her way to the driver‟s side door. She had never needed a car before now, always having had a driver at her beck and call, and her father had been rather livid at the idea. It wasn‟t surprising really, considering one of the few times she‟d actually used one of her father‟s cars and driven herself to campus she‟d been attacked and nearly raped and killed. But now, on her own, she needed a way to get around. At least she could thank Detective Reynolds for something. He had seemed to be in her court ever since the plan had been laid out before her. Had helped her ease her father into accepting for his daughter what every other red-blooded American girl was doing at the age of twentyfour. Before Madeline could open the car door, her cell phone rang. The sudden ringing startled her, since absolutely not one human being besides the good detective back in Connecticut had the number. Quickly, she struggled to extract the device from her tight jeans pocket. “Hello?” Madeline asked hesitantly. “Madeline, Mark here.” Madeline breathed a sigh of relief. “Just checking to make sure you arrived okay and the car and apartment were what you expected.” She stared at the sleek, new car and smiled, tracing the rough edge of sticky substance that still clung to the window where the sales sticker had been hastily removed. “I‟m fine. I was just startled when the phone rang. No one has this number yet.” “Good. Don‟t give it out to too many people.” “Any new leads?” “No. Sorry. I‟ll let you know. How is it going so far? Seen anything suspicious? Or any one?” “Actually, I‟ve already met two people and I haven‟t even moved my stuff into the apartment.” She giggled and then swallowed her reaction.
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This was a serious matter and Madeline was supposed to be careful about who she spoke with and befriended. It was probably not prudent to have already engaged two people since arriving. On the other hand, she hadn‟t really done anything wrong. Neither were calculated efforts to meet people. She had merely asked for directions from a harmless coed and then attempted to run a fantastic hunk down in the hallway. Her skin prickled picturing Parker‟s warm brown eyes so close to hers as they had crouched down on the floor. “Just students in the complex. No one I would call „suspicious‟.” “Well, be careful. Have you met any neighbors yet? It might help if you befriend someone close by. You‟ll be less of a target if you aren‟t alone more than necessary.” “Oh, I met the next door neighbor all right.” Madeline laughed, thinking about Mark‟s suggestion to get friendly with the “neighbor”. “That‟s fast. Was…she…nice?” The detective coughed as if to clear his throat. “She was a he and I don‟t know how nice he is yet, but I‟d be perfectly happy to find out.” Madeline chuckled into the phone. “Unfortunately, I‟m afraid I may have acted like a bit of a blubbering idiot when I met him. He was rather…attractive.” Now Mark clearly choked. “Are you okay?” Did I say something strange? “Yes,” he spat out, “sorry…I was just…getting a drink. I…wasn‟t suggesting that you get…romantically involved with the neighbors. Just maybe make a friend or two.” His words were choppy and…strained? “Well, Detective, don‟t worry about me. I‟m a big girl.” “Yes, of course. Okay. Well, then, I guess I‟ll check back in with you in a few days. Be careful…please.” “I will. Bye.” Madeline hung up the phone and stared at it in her hand for a moment. Was that a weird conversation or was she losing it? Parker pulled himself together and followed Madeline‟s sexy ass discreetly to her car and then skirted the edge of the complex while she moved it to what he knew would be a more suitable parking space. It was time to make his next move on this woman. And he wasn‟t at all oblivious to the fact that very thought was loaded with double meaning. He approached her as nonchalantly as possible. “Hey…Maddie, right? Need any help?” Parker hoped he sounded reasonably coherent and not too stalkerish. All he needed was to scare her off thinking he was suspect after what she‟d been through. He half hoped she would be leery about him and not too accepting just so he could rest assured that she wasn‟t the most naïve person on campus. But he was not granted that wish. “Hey, yourself. Um…sure.” She was way too trusting. This was going to be a long, tough assignment. Especially if she smiled at him that way every time he saw her. He wiped his sweaty hands on his jeans and prayed she would not notice the hard-on he
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sported once again. Man, you’re going to have to get control of your dick or this will never work. “Can I carry something up for you?” This was the plan. Help her unpack. Get to know her. Befriend her. And eventually fake date her. Dr. Cooper hired Parker to pretend to date her in order to keep her safe. He certainly hadn‟t intended for Parker to fall for her. With a deep breath, Parker ambled closer to Madeline‟s car. “Oh. Thanks. You don‟t have to do this… I mean…I can easily get this all unloaded by myself. I‟m in no hurry or anything…but, okay, fine.” She bit her bottom lip nervously. Did he make her nervous? Parker, dude, this isn’t a good thing. You may not under any circumstances think of this woman as an available hot chick. She’s off limits… The thought disappeared when she leaned into the trunk, her tight sexy jeans hugging her rear to perfection, begging for his attention. Parker looked away for a moment and took a deep breath. He gripped his hands together to keep from reaching out to caress the fine set of cheeks in front of him. Lord, Parker, since when are you a butt man? He cleared his throat. “Here. Let me get that.” He reached for the box she pulled out of the trunk and lifted it. After Madeline grabbed another, he followed her to the entrance of the building, staring directly at her fantastic ass all the way. When she turned toward him, he jerked his head up and realized they had arrived. Parker jogged the few steps to get in front of her, pulled the door open and allowed Madeline to once again precede him up the stairs. Walking along behind her was no imposition at all. He couldn‟t control his body‟s reaction to her, felt his balls tightening as they climbed the stairs. At the top of the stairs, Madeline set her box down by her new entrance and retrieved her key from her pocket. Parker would have loved to fit his hand down into that tiny space. “Parker?” Oh, no. Had she been saying something? “Uh, sorry.” “Come in.” She was holding the door open for him. When had she entered the room? This situation was getting worse by the minute. Parker quickly followed her inside. “How do you like it?” There, that was normal conversation. “It‟s wonderful,” she exclaimed with far too much enthusiasm for a small, furnished apartment near a college campus. It was barely functional at best. His was identical, a mirror image. A cracker box. Why were her eyes open so wide? “I‟m so excited. Isn‟t it great that it‟s fully furnished? I just love it. And I hardly have to move anything in. What could I possibly need besides clothes and food here?”
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Was she kidding? How about a bigger bed with a mattress that didn‟t sag in the middle, updated appliances, a couch with a slightly less purple floral pattern? And that was just the beginning. Parker had almost groaned when he‟d first seen the place yesterday. How long would he be stuck here? But that was before Madeline had arrived. Now he thought it would be heaven if he could stay forever. The accommodations were less than stellar, but the new view was worth it. And his little vixen was thrilled. Had she just giggled and clapped her hands? Hmm, perhaps it doesn’t take much to please this sweet bundle of excited energy. At least she was a refreshing breath of fresh air. She seemed even younger in some ways than the twenty-four years he knew her to be. On the other hand, he also knew she‟d led a rather sheltered life. “Yeah, sure. The place is just great. Identical to mine in fact. Where do you want this box?” Parker still stood in the doorway. He moved inside just a fraction, afraid he would get sucked in and be unable to escape if he allowed the door to close behind him. He wasn‟t too far off base. “Oh, that one goes in the bedroom. Thanks,” Madeline called over her shoulder as she headed into the small attached kitchen. Shit. He trudged further into the apartment. When he got away from Madeline, it smelled just like his apartment, fresh paint and bleach. At least the landlord had the place cleaned and freshened the rooms up before moving new tenants in. “Okay. Can I help you with the rest?” He needed to get out of the tiny space that was quickly filling with Madeline‟s intoxicating scent. Parker was beginning to feel drugged in her presence, like a zombie that would be unable to stop himself from inching closer and closer to her until he had her pressed up against the wall and mauled her, albeit with his mouth. He licked his lips. “Are you sure you don‟t mind?” She was bustling about the place putting everything from her box in just the right spot clearly meant for each item. “No, of course not. What are neighbors for?” Hot, sweaty sex? “Okay, let‟s go then. It should only take a few trips.” Maybe Detective Reynolds was right? Perhaps I should get to know my neighbor better. As Madeline followed him back out to her car, she found herself staring at his physique. He was built like a construction worker, all tight ridges and angles, with a fantastic tan that bronzed his skin to the warmest tone, and Madeline wanted to run her hands over his chest and soak in the warmth of his hard body. Her gut squeezed with need. A warmth pooled in her sex. She wouldn‟t have readily pinned him as a college student. He looked older, perhaps more worldly somehow. Like someone who was used to years of hard work,
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not library hours. But then again, who was to say he hadn‟t gone back to school later in life. Madeline was sure her father would hate him. Would think him beneath her. He didn‟t seem to come from a long line of doctors or lawyers. Refreshing, really. How many people had she met in her quarter of a century who were “normal”? Madeline laughed out loud when she thought of Detective Reynolds trying to get her to befriend this hunk. He had no idea what he was asking for. “Is something funny?” Parker reached for a suitcase at the same time she did. “Huh? Oh, I was just thinking…” “It must have been good.” He just grinned at her, not in any way asking her to explain herself, which was a relief. She trailed behind him back toward the building and nearly ran smack into him when he paused to pull the door open again. A flush raced up her cheeks, the warmth embarrassing her. She wanted to run into him, feel his hard frame against hers, his strong arms around her. She eased past him, just close enough to soak in his body heat and make the hairs on her arms stand up. He smelled fantastic. Some deodorant or soap, a clean fresh scent that she missed as soon as she was too far away to continue breathing it in. Once they reached her place again, Madeline was at a loss for words. Didn‟t want him to leave. “Well, I‟d offer you a drink, but I have to go shopping first.” What was she supposed to do now? She was completely out of her league. Every part of her screamed that she wanted to keep him. Keep him? He isn’t a dog, Madeline. Yeah, right, more like a fox. There was no particular reason for him to stay anymore. Luckily he fixed that problem for her. “If you‟re thirsty, let‟s run next door to my place and I‟ll grab some sodas.” “Sure, okay.” Thank you God. Parker took her keys from her hand—again inciting an electric current that led up her arm when their fingers touched—and locked up her place before handing them to her and moving on to his. “You can never be too careful,” he said over his shoulder. Don’t I know it. That was an understatement. Little did he know… Parker was warm and friendly and she wanted desperately to get to know him. To have a normal friendship, or more, with a normal person. Someone who had no idea in the world that she was a spoiled rich girl. It was so pleasant to be in the company of someone who couldn‟t judge her for her money. Madeline had dated, but sometimes it was hard to ascertain the true motives of her “dates”. Which was fine, because she hadn‟t been out with anyone who really interested her. Often they were carbon copies of generations of staunch gentlemen with no personality. Fake. Boring. 24
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But Parker here was decidedly not boring. And…umph! This time she did run right into the back of him while he was opening his door. “God, I‟m so sorry. I‟m so clumsy today.” He turned to catch her so she wouldn‟t fall backward and was now gloriously close to her and holding her shoulders in each hand. His smile was genuine. His breath, inches from her face, was minty, like he‟d just brushed his teeth. “Don‟t sweat it. I‟m not sorry. It isn‟t often that a beautiful woman keeps running into me. I‟m flattered really.” Lord, her face was heating. Did he say she was beautiful? Her stomach fluttered. Her pulse sped. She hoped she didn‟t faint. Or swoon like the young maidens in romance novels. This was, after all, the twenty-first century. Not 1785. He didn‟t let go. In fact, he may have pulled her closer, squeezed her arms tighter. Was he thinking of pulling her even more into his embrace? Madeline was sure not going to pull away. “A drink. I‟m going to get us something to drink.” His voice was husky. It vibrated through her. “Want to sit down? I have this fantastic mauve floral couch from the seventies that you‟re welcome to enjoy.” He grinned wide. Wonderful, straight teeth that had surely seen braces in his youth gleamed at her to confirm his smile. But still he held on to her. His hands gradually slipped down to her forearms. A phone rang, the shrill sound breaking the spell and causing them both to jump. The noise was coming from Parker‟s pocket. It wasn‟t really a ring, in retrospect, but some sort of musical jingle. He probably had a different tone for each person on his contact list. Parker made no move to answer the call. He just ignored it and headed into the kitchen, the spell they‟d been under completely disintegrated. Madeline was surprised to find herself rather disappointed. The absence of his touch was a letdown. She move to the couch and sat a little bit too primly on the edge. Realizing her mistake, she tried to slouch back and look more…collegiate…for lack of a better term. She wanted to blend in better than she had at Yale. Did he notice how nervous she was? How she was shaking? If he did, he didn‟t let it show. “Coke, water, OJ, beer, Sprite…” he hollered from his position with his head tucked into the fridge. “Whatever you‟re having is fine.” “Coke it is, then. Sorry, I‟m not a diet guy.” Parker wandered back to the living room, deposited one drink on the end table and smiled while he popped the top and handed her a can. “Thanks.” She didn‟t want to comment on his assessment of women and diet beverages because, truth be told, there were no carbonated sugary-sweet drinks, either high fructose or saccharine infused, in her father‟s home. Except, of course, those reserved for bourbon and Coke or some similar hospitable item kept on hand just in case a visitor should request one. 25
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The only cola Madeline drank was usually on campus. “A disgusting luxury of the poor,” her father would say in a low, mocking voice, “designed to rot your insides.” He was, after all, a doctor. She took a long drink of the cold liquid and sighed. Audibly. It would have been nice to roll the cool can over her burning cheeks, but this was not exactly a commercial for refreshing beverages. “Haven‟t you ever had a Coke before?” He chuckled as though it was just a joke as he sat down on the couch next to her. The tiny living area shrank with his proximity. It was really a greatroom of sorts, kind of a kitchen combined with a family room, but on a scale much smaller than any place she had ever been. Was it hot in here? “Of course. I‟m just…parched is all. Everything tastes great when you‟re thirsty.” Hopefully he would buy her latest dribble. Her fingers shook, jiggling the can. “So, what are you studying?” Studying? Your fine figure, my Lord. “Oh, I‟m working on my doctorate in English lit. I really just need a library and a lot of hours.” Madeline relaxed a fraction when the conversation turned to something she was familiar with, could actually have an intelligent discussion about. “Wow. English. Can‟t say I was ever very good at it. Sounds like you will be busy. How long have you been working on it?” “A few months. I just finished all my classwork last year.” Parker was looking her straight in the eye. Obvious interest in her pursuits evident in his gaze. Madeline‟s skin warmed under his stare. Parker had studied her file for three days now. Information he would need in order to better “protect” her. He had read over every detail like a professional. Knew her so well, he could have played her in a musical. But none of those details prepared him for the real deal, the living, breathing, sexy woman sitting next to him right now. Sending electrical current through him whenever he touched her. Driving the temperature in the room to unbearable degrees. And keeping his dick in a perpetual state of unrest. A cold shower wouldn‟t even be enough to tame it down. Who was going to protect her from him? He knew from the ringtone the phone call had been from Detective Reynolds, probably to make sure he had made contact and that everything was going according to plan. He had made “contact” all right, but nothing was going as planned. He would have to call him back later, much later, when he could again carry on a normal conversation without his excruciating hard-on. “So, what are you studying?” The look of genuine interest in her eyes warmed Parker‟s heart. She was so endearing. He couldn‟t help but lean in to her. He wanted the contact they‟d had earlier in the doorway, even though he knew in his big head that he could
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not wander down that path. His little head was very much in disagreement, and man, did he hope she would not notice. Every time her gaze meandered away from his, she quickly returned to stare at him once again, as if afraid to take him all in. She should be afraid to “take you all in”, you dumbass. You’re going to scare the girl to death in a minute if you lean any closer to her, and ruin the assignment. Such as it was. “I have a master‟s in criminology.” Sure, tell her the truth. That’s such a good plan. “And I‟m working on some post-master‟s classes just to keep up with the industry. Always changing you know.” Was that even something people did? Would she buy it? “Oh, so are you a police officer or something?” Her shoulders relaxed a bit when she spoke. He smiled. Most people would run from the idea of having a “police officer” next door, afraid of getting caught doing…anything. But not someone needing protection. To her, this would be a relief. “Something like that…” Get off this subject before you blow your cover. “I‟m not working right now. Just taking a few classes.” There. That should do it…or not… “Wow. That‟s great that you can take the time off.” She gave a nervous laugh. “I…um…saved up for a few years… I‟m kind of in between…I mean trying to decide what I want to do next.” There. “So what did you do before that?” Or not. Perspiration was building up on Parker‟s lip. He took a drink of the Coke to buy some time to think of another response and used the opportunity to wipe his mouth on his sleeve. “Oh, I‟ve worked as a police officer in the past…” “And…” “And, a um…security specialist.” Why didn’t you tell her you were an artist or something, you asshole? She’s never going to buy this story. “I see.” She clearly did not “see”. Her brow furrowed, her mouth forming a thin line. Time to change the subject. “How‟s your Coke? Need another one?” How’s your Coke? Great line, Parker. You’re the epitome of smoothness. “Cold. Refreshing. Sweet?” She looked sweet. She was mocking him now. “Yours?” “The same… I‟d show you around, but I guess that would be redundant after your romp through the place next door.” Sly. “True. But if you aren‟t busy… You could—” “I‟m not. I‟m free this afternoon. I mean, no place in particular I have to be before classes start Monday, that is. What did you have in mind?” How about a date? Or I could show you how the bed sinks in the middle? Or we could make out here on the couch and I could get fired. He ached to run his lips over hers and breathe in her scent.
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“You could show me around town.” This was spoken almost as a question. Man, was it obviously hard for her to ask that. She‟d probably never asked a man essentially out on a “date” before now. “Absolutely. Let‟s do it.” Too bad I just got here yesterday and I know only twenty-four hours more than you do. But how hard could it be? He could just start driving and point out things as they showed up. Right? “Are you sure it isn‟t an imposition?” “No, no. I was going to go out to grab some dinner anyway. I‟ll take you to dinner. Shall we?” He stood and nodded toward the door. “Sounds good. I didn‟t realize I was getting so hungry.” Her stomach growled at that moment, as if on cue. They both laughed, but when she leaned over to grab her soda can, she bonked right into him. Again. And he was not sorry. Again. He steadied her. And when she looked up into his eyes with a gasp, he leaned in and kissed her. He didn‟t think about it, didn‟t deliberate over it, didn‟t plan it or even know about it. He just kissed her. And it was the nicest, sweetest kiss he‟d ever experienced. She was soft and pliable and hesitant, but didn‟t pull back. How many guys have kissed her before? What the hell am I doing adding to that list? He eased back, knowing he was breathing harder, knowing his world had just changed. It was no longer a matter of what would happen “if” they got together, but “when”. He was not going to be able to stop it. Parker had dated many women over the years, but none that ever made him feel what he‟d been experiencing for the last several hours. None that were as genuine as Madeline. She was the real thing. So…natural…unpretentious…and sexy as hell because of those attributes. Neither spoke when he pulled away. He leaned his forehead on hers and just stared at her for a moment, judging her reaction. Her eyes were dreamy, with a satisfied look to them. Parker smoothed his hands down her arms and then he did it again. He slowly leaned forward until his mouth hovered over hers. This time not so gently. He wanted this woman with every muscle in his body. He didn‟t just want to have sex with her. He wanted to have her. Keep her. Keep her safe. Cherish her and protect her. He‟d have laughed at anyone suggesting “love at first sight” before today, but not now. This was serious business. Not a joke. He moved his arms behind her and pulled her closer. She was small enough that he could reach all the way around her and still touch his fingertips up against the edges of her breasts. She shivered, but didn‟t try to stop him, and that was all the permission he needed to continue. He tilted slightly to one side and deepened the kiss, licking her lips, first across the top and then the bottom. And then right through the slit in the center. She opened for him. She let him inside the warm crevices of her mouth.
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Madeline tasted so delicious. He could taste her like this forever and never move. They both had the sweet taste of Coke in their mouths. And then Madeline let her tongue wander into Parker‟s mouth. This is what heaven is like. After what seemed like ages, they reluctantly pulled back from each other. Madeline broke the spell, her voice low, sexy, scratchy. “Wow, thanks for showing me the town. I love what I‟ve seen so far. I think I‟m going to like it here… The neighbors are so…friendly.” Parker smiled down at her and dragged her closer into his embrace. What the hell am I doing? I don’t think this is what her father had in mind. “I know I‟m going to like it here.” At least until I get fired. “How long have you been here?” Shit. Time to fess up a bit. He was never going to pull off telling her that he had been here for years. “I just transferred here myself. In fact, I got here yesterday.” What would she do with this information? “But…I thought…you said…” Play it cool. “Yeah, I was just trying to get you to go out with me. I have no idea where anything is in this town.” Smile. Try to look convincing. She laughed. Parked exhaled softly in relief. “Well, I suppose it was a good pickup line. I guess you did say that you were just starting classes for post-master‟s study. I wasn‟t thinking about the fact that you couldn‟t have therefore been living here for several years.” “Want to go get something to eat? I think we crossed into new territory. Now it really is a date.” “I am still starving.” “So we‟re off.” He had to get her out of here before his hormone overdrive took over and had him dragging her into the bedroom instead of out the door. She was definitely not that kind of girl.
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Chapter Four Madeline was in love with her new life. If she had known it could be this good, she would have done something different sooner. Well, maybe not. But she would have wanted to. The days started going by. Madeline settled into her routine of studying. Parker worked hard with his classes also. But he seemed to genuinely like her, because he popped up all the time. He would show up at the library suddenly and bring her coffee or just sit with her. She sometimes found him waiting outside for her. How did he have so much time? He claimed that he was only taking a few classes and they just weren‟t that hard yet. “Plus, I like being with you.” He smiled genuinely into her eyes all the time. And Madeline found herself reacting to it with a warm feeling that filled her entire being. They spent most evenings together, quickly comfortable in each other‟s presence. Sometimes at her place. Sometimes at his. The atmosphere was very relaxed. Madeline had herself a boyfriend. Her first real boyfriend. Two weeks into their relationship, life was good, but…it seemed kind of “off”. Every night they ended the evening with a kiss that took the breath out of her and then they went their separate ways. She knew he had to enjoy her company or he wouldn‟t have been around so often, but why did they never move forward? It was sort of strange, as if they were teenagers instead of consenting adults. She wanted more and what grown man wouldn‟t try? She would attempt to study, but it was so difficult with him so close to her. Her palms were always sweaty and she‟d have to hide them beneath the table and rub them on her jeans. She‟d smile and flirt with him, begging him to take the next step. Every night when they parted ways, Madeline was left panting and alone. Yearning for something that she didn‟t even completely understand. None of her previous dating had led to sex. Was he waiting for a sign from her? How could she be more forward than she was? She felt shy about making a move on him. Each evening left her more steamy, more wanting. She would wake up in the middle of the night in a sweat, feeling the creamy substance between her thighs. Her nipples would be rock-hard pebbles and her breasts ached for Parker to touch them, squeeze them even. Much to her personal embarrassment, she began touching herself sometimes in the dead of night, trying desperately to relieve the torture. She would pinch and pull on her tight nipples and then run her fingers through the fluid between her legs when that proved to make the burn even worse instead of better.
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But Madeline could not lessen the fire. It burned brighter every day and she knew she would have to take a drastic move with Parker soon or die lying in her own state of permanent arousal at night. Could you die of such a thing? She had sure been put to the test. Unable to concentrate around him anymore, on the two-week anniversary of their meeting she decided to broach the subject, somehow. One way or another, things had to change. Parker stared discreetly at Madeline over the book he was pretending to study across the kitchen table from her in her cozy apartment. Considering they had the exact same apartment, why was hers so much more…inviting? She had been taking notes from a mound of books surrounding her, but seemed to have stopped. She was still staring at the paper in front of her, feigning contemplation, but had not moved in ages, except to continue quietly gnawing on the pencil in her right hand. She was faking. She was distracted as hell. Was she going to dump him? The turmoil in his gut was caused by a mixture of emotions. On the one hand, he needed to be around her for her protection. It was his job. On another hand, a more personal level, he wanted this woman like none other and would be devastated to lose her. Things had been going so well. He was doing the job he‟d been paid to do. It made him sick to his stomach most days when he thought of the lies he was perpetuating with her, but the job had to come first. He was selfish, really. He knew he should have relinquished her care to someone else, should have told her father or Mark that he just couldn‟t do it, that he had a death in the family or something equally awful, but he just hadn‟t ever been able to make that call. He didn‟t trust her safety to anyone else. Couldn‟t bring himself to walk away and leave her at the mercy of some other possibly less suitable private agent. He gritted his jaw at the idea. He was being dishonest with her and with the people he worked for, but he couldn‟t stop himself and each day it got worse, harder to face. Besides, he was in love with this woman. It scared him to admit that to himself, but it was unavoidable. He loved Madeline so much it hurt. He wanted to hold her, to stroke her, to love her. Who was he kidding? He wanted to rip her clothes off, throw her on the bed and have his way with her all night. And tomorrow. And forever. But he was trapped in a great huge lie, with no real way out. He knew he would soon get fired. It couldn‟t go on forever this way. And he knew she would never forgive his deceit. So all he was ever going to have with her was these few precious memories and stolen kisses. He wanted as many of them as possible, as unfair as it was to her. These stolen moments would have to last him a lifetime. No woman was ever going to measure up to her. None would ever be as sweet, kind, innocent, pure.
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Parker went home each night, after tasting her mouth, nibbling on her lips, and blowing in her ear, to a cold shower that did no good. Then he lay awake with a hardon that wouldn‟t go away. Even when he used his hand to ease the pain, his dick would not simmer down. It sprang right back up as if proclaiming, “Hey, dude, nice try, but no cigar.” It was futile. Parker could not take the suspense another moment. Surely this was it. He wasn‟t, after all, quite what she was used to. He wasn‟t bred like she was. Her father probably had some fine debutant all lined up for her back home. Someone with culture, hell, money. Was this about money? People with money were different. Parker did not have any. Oh sure, he had a comfortable existence. More than sufficient. But he didn‟t have old money or breeding. He was self-made. Totally not in her league. Surely she had come to her senses and was trying to think of a way to tell him. And what could he say in return? Nothing. It was out of his control. This was it. Nothing could ever in life be worse than Madeline breaking up with him right now. Time to buck up. “What is it? What‟s on your mind? You‟re going to eat clear through that pencil.” He froze and held his breath, not moving a muscle while he waited for her to speak. Madeline shot upright, startled from her intense contemplation. “What? Oh, you noticed? I‟m a little distracted… Actually, it‟s your fault.” Here it comes. Parker grabbed the edge of the table, hoping to take the news as nonchalantly as possible, at least visibly. Splinters from the underside of the wood dug into his fingers. The stinging pain was a relief. It grounded him. “This is hard for me. I‟m usually not so…forward…I guess you could say.” Forward? Huh? Where was she going with this? “I want… I want… What I mean to say…is that I need…this, um, relationship to…um, deepen.” And she stared at him. Hope brimming in her eyes. Fear. And he could not respond just yet. Shock. What the hell did she just say? She wants more? Wants… Oh my God! She wants to get closer. She wants to have sex. Fuck. Literally. I’m so fucked. How the hell was he going to handle this new situation? You can’t have sex with this woman. Out of the question. Nowhere in the contract he had did it say “have sex with my daughter”. “Oh my God. Say something… Oh shit…” Had he ever heard her cuss before? “I feel like such an idiot. You don‟t have the same feelings for me as I do for you. I knew it. I just don‟t get it. Why? Why do you hang out with me every day like this, all platonically? Like my…like you‟re my brother or something?” Your what? Your brother? So definitely not your brother. And still he was unable to utter a single word. And she was nearly shouting. She was hot under the collar, livid… And sexy as hell when she was mad. And the cause of this fantastic angel‟s distress was sitting across from her with his mouth hanging open like some kind of coma patient.
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“I‟m…” he began in a low voice, barely audible, “sorry.” What the hell else could he say? This was totally not what he expected. He had been completely wrong. There was one thing worse than Madeline breaking up with him. He was breaking it off with her. She just forced him to. Pain throbbed behind one eye. She was crying, not audibly, but sniffling, and tears were streaming down her face. He never in his life wanted to feel the tremendous pain he felt at that moment, deep in his soul. Parker sat there. Just empty. Devoid of anything, emotion, words, thoughts. Madeline took the bull by the horns. “I think you should go,” she choked out on a sob. He sat on his hands to avoid reaching out to stroke her cheek, wipe the tears away, tell her everything was going to be okay. “Just go. I need…I need you to leave now.” She hung her head and Parker had no choice but to gather up his fake books and walk out the door, leaving his heart on her kitchen table. Fuck.
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Chapter Five The next few days were a blur as Madeline went through the emotions of loss. She felt as if someone had died. Now she was glad that she‟d not had multiple boyfriends over the years if this was what it felt like to lose them. Surely not. Surely this feeling was deeper. I’m in love with this man. The pain is so intense because I am in love with him. There was nothing she could do. Right? She lay awake in the setting sun of evening. Instead of dreaming of sex, she couldn‟t even sleep. Her chest ached and she lay curled on the bed daydreaming about Parker instead of the dreams she‟d previously had in her sleep. The real imagination was even worse than the subconscious. She closed her eyes, pictured him over her, his hands wandering expertly over her naked body, gently caressing her breasts, pinching her nipples, meandering lower until he pressed a finger inside her, his thumb rubbing over her clit and then nestling against the little nub until he brought her closer and closer to the orgasm she couldn‟t seem to manage on her own. Madeline moaned out loud, her voice sounding like that of someone else when it reached her ears. She squeezed her legs tightly together, which only made the pressure low in her belly worse. She had to pull it together. Move on. Work. Spend more hours on her thesis. Parker was not sharing her space anymore. At the library she would sometimes think she heard him or smelled his fresh clean scent even, but when she looked up, he was never there. Maybe she was going crazy. And why? Why did he do this? What did I do wrong? Was I too forward? She thought a lot about that idea, pondered it from every angle, but always came up empty, more confused. The aching hole in her heart would not subside. They had shared long, luxurious kisses that deepened and made both their hearts pump. She knew it. Why then? She began to think of any possible reason he could have. Maybe he was saving sex for marriage? Unlikely, but there could still be someone out there. Could he be gay? She had to dismiss that almost immediately. Gay men did not kiss women with that passion, even if they were trying to ignore their orientation. Her lips tingled thinking about his mouth on her. Perhaps he had a medical problem, some kind of impotence or a scar or some sort of similar issue that he was embarrassed to reveal. That seemed logical. With no other possible solution at hand, Madeline liked that revelation best. He must have had some
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secret about himself physically that he was loath to disclose. He was a cop, after all. Who knew what sort of injury he may have sustained at some point in his career? And with that speculation in mind, Madeline sat up in bed, determined to win this guy back. She did not care if he had an undisclosed physical issue, but God almighty, he had to be man enough to tell her himself. She was not about to beg it out of him. So, what would be the next best thing? Make him jealous. Madeline Cooper, you’re a genius. How could he possibly deny her if she started flaunting herself around other men? She felt almost jubilant, better than she had in days.
***** Parker sat in his apartment listening to Madeline move around next door in her own. He hadn‟t heard much out of her for several days and assumed she was sleeping a lot. When people are depressed, they slept all the time, right? He sure wasn‟t sleeping. Most nights he lay in a sweat on his sinking mattress and tried to concentrate on anything other than her sweet hands around him, her soft lips kissing him. He always ended up with a hard-on and a cold shower. When she wasn‟t at home, Parker‟s real job began, the one he was trained extensively to do. Follow her. Stalk her like the man they were trying to protect her from. He hated it. Hated every single moment of the lies and deceit, but he was in this situation so deep now, there was no way out. He couldn‟t call and quit. He‟d rather fight through the pain of losing her than risk her life to someone else‟s hand. He didn‟t trust another soul to keep her safe like he would. No one loved her like he did. No one ever would. It had been silent next door for quite some time. Once, he was startled to hear her moan. Had he imagined that? He needed a head exam. The sound had not been that of someone crying or even in distress. No, that had been the distinct noise of a woman in the throes of passion. What the hell? Now she was scurrying around her tiny apartment like a woman with a mission and Parker thanked God the walls were so thin he could hear her without having to use any device. That would have made him feel like even more of an ass than he already did, invading her privacy without her knowledge. It was bad enough that he had skirted along behind her everywhere she‟d gone over the last several days, sneaking into the library and standing in the aisles near her, pretending to be interested in any book he grabbed off the shelf. Once, after stalling between the shelves for nearly half an hour while people came and went around him, he looked down to see that the book was open, but upside down. A door slammed. She was on the move. Which meant it was time for him to go. Like a cat, Parker stealthily trailed Madeline on foot to the other side of the campus, where the student commons was. After just a few days of living here, the two of them
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had concluded that a car was hardly necessary and they had rarely used one. Everything they needed was at their fingertips. If you couldn‟t get it on campus, then it was easily found in one of the various venues located just next to campus on an adjoining street. Madeline entered the commons with a purpose and headed straight to a group of coeds hanging around a table, laughing. Parker stayed outside the door to the main room, but had a good view of her between two plants in the hall, even though he had no idea what they were saying. Who in the hell are all these people? How has she had time to make this many friends? Jealousy made his gut clench. Several people greeted her and she joined them in their giggly antics. Huh? Madeline tossed her hair back and laughed at something one of the guys said. She was not herself. Somehow these other students seemed too young for her. The only person he even recognized was Molly, the fiery redhead he had seen her chatting with when she had arrived on campus that first day. Finally, a tall lanky man ambled her way and began to speak with her more intimately. Parker sensed that no one else was involved in their discussion. His blood boiled. He wanted to jump into the fray and punch the guy for no reason. He held himself rigidly in check. The couple went over to the food line and got a soda before heading in another direction and then out the door. Parker was hot on their tail and had a very hot tail himself. Steaming. Surely he would self-combust. What the dickens is she thinking? This isn’t even safe. Who in their right mind would just pick up a guy and leave with him? Parker had no idea if she‟d ever met this guy, but he was sure she was up to something very disturbing, because he knew how skittish she was around men. He had felt her flinch at his touch on many occasions when she wasn‟t thinking clearly. She would always relax and take a deep breath when she came to her senses and realized it was him, but still, the impact was evident. In a million years there was no way she would have the guts to pick up a guy like this. And he followed. There was no other recourse at the moment. But he was not about to lose them. Parker stayed just far enough behind them to not attract attention to himself as they too crossed the campus toward Madeline‟s apartment. The guy had straight dirty-blond hair that hung in his eyes and needed a cut. He was constantly smiling like he had just won the lottery. Parker shivered to think that it was true. Anyone in Madeline‟s presence did just hit pay dirt. Stud boy was probably younger than Madeline. He had no sense of fashion, his clothes seeming to have been plucked off the floor to go out tonight—baggy jeans that were too large for his slender frame drooped between his legs and a wrinkly green oxford that had never met an iron hung over his pants in disarray. Eventually they ended up back at her place and she let this young slob into her apartment. With all the feline ability he could muster, Parker sneaked back into his own unit and waited. And listened.
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That woman, his woman, had the audacity to laugh out loud. Too loud. Like this joker was super funny. Way too funny… Holy shit! She’s trying to make me jealous. She brought this guy back here to make me care. Why didn’t I think of that? Parker sat back on the couch and smiled for the first time in days. There was no other explanation. He felt good. When the overconfident pickup artist left, all full of himself, whistling as he walked even, Parker slept soundly for the first time in days.
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Chapter Six At seven sharp two nights later, Parker entered the Blue Saloon and perched himself on a stool right up against the bar with a perfect view of the entire room. He ordered an O‟Doul‟s, poured the contents in a frosted glass and tossed the bottle in the trash can behind the bar. Thank God he had overheard Madeline and her foolish beau discussing where they were going that evening, enabling him to beat them there and contrive a pose that ensured he had been there a while. Thirty minutes later he sat with his head cocked to the side, watching as Madeline entered with her “date”. The unsuspecting fool was dressed in practically the same outfit as he had been the night they‟d first returned to Madeline‟s apartment. The shirt was maroon now, but the look was the same. Loose jeans riding too low on his hips, untucked shirt, scuffed sneakers. They chose a booth in the dimly lit club and proceeded to order several consecutive beers. Parker kept a tally and gritted his teeth. The bar was already quite crowded for this time of night, but after all, it was Friday evening in a college town. Couples were climbing all over each other, dancing or even making out. The singles in the room were glaring around, trying to figure out whom to approach. It was a typical meat market. In the past, Parker would have loved to pick up an hourglass-shaped coed and spend the evening exploring her secrets, but not tonight. The usual action in the bar was just background noise. Tonight he only had eyes for the beautiful vixen in the skin-tight jeans and form-fitting knit pink sweater. The woman who had stolen his heart. The woman who was doing her best to break him and succeeding. His pulse was racing. His fingers shook the glass of fake beer every time he picked it up to take a small swig. Madeline had no idea Parker was there, as was obvious from the way she kept trying to skirt around the edges of the creep‟s repeated attempts to grab her waist and pull her closer. She was scowling at him and batting at his hands. Parker used every drop of his self-restraint to avoid rushing over to the poor bastard and punching him in the face. Sweat was running down his back. Madeline was uncomfortable. Her brow was furrowed. Her arms kept crossing in front of her to avoid any contact. Parker watched her mouth as she sucked her lips repeatedly between her teeth. The guy was drunk. After a while, when Madeline‟s clueless escort could no longer get the waitress‟s attention, the two ambled over toward the bar.
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Out of the corner of his eye, Parker recognized the minute Madeline saw him. Her entire demeanor changed from discomfort to Southern belle as she assumed her role as fun-loving perfect girlfriend. His suspicions were confirmed. Her only angle was jealousy. She had no idea what the drooling idiot behind her even looked like. He had to bite the inside of his lip to keep from smiling. Pegged that one, Parker. “Why, Parker Phillips, what are you doing here? If I didn‟t know better, I‟d think you were stalking me.” Madeline laughed a tiny little laugh that wasn‟t quite real. Parker turned to face the couple and pasted on a smile that he had to yank into place. It felt extremely unnatural, but maybe no one would notice. Mr. Gangly wrapped his octopus arms around her and stood behind her with his head on top of hers, staring at Parker with the most shit-eating grin in the world. The jackass thought he had the prize in his embrace and was proud to flaunt it. How he managed to keep them both upright was beyond Parker. He‟d seen the man drink at least four beers and Madeline was well into her second. That was a lot for a woman who rarely drank. He‟d venture to guess most of those were at the dinner table with her father and their guests. And, he reasoned, probably none of those drinks had been Budweiser. Parker was aching to reach out and deck the man, but white-knuckled his “beer” instead, squeezing it so hard his fingers were cramping. “Just having a drink to unwind. Perhaps you are stalking me. I was clearly here first.” He continued to smile at her and hoped it was convincing, both to her and the oaf behind her trying to cop a feel. Ever since the incident in the commons two nights ago, Madeline had become a “new” woman, romping around with all sorts of people he quickly surmised were mostly friends she‟d met in the English lit department or through their neighbor, Molly. But that barely eased his mind. This poor victim of hers had no idea what he was up against. Now she‟d actually had the audacity to visit a club, and judging by the smug smile on her face, she was extremely pleased to see that she‟d chosen the exact place where Parker had already taken up residency on a stool at the bar. Parker released the tight grip on his “beer”, set the glass on the counter and crossed his arms in front of him, partly to ease the shaking and partly to appear more confident than he felt. He did not say another word. After all, she had not responded to his previous retort anyway. He would let her play. Have her fun. Madeline and drunk-face stumbled over to the dance floor and continued the show. Oh she was livid. He could tell. She hated that she did not get a bigger rise out of him and Parker was pleased as punch. You’re being incredibly childish, Parker. Be careful. Use your head, not your emotions. The dancing continued for half an hour, at which time Madeline‟s pawing puppy date began to practically climb all over her. He was wasted and she was surely only slightly better.
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Parker had grown less patient by the minute and could take no more of this presentation. He waited for just the right moment. This mauling imbecile would have to go the head soon or combust. The instant the cretin ambled away from her, Parker was up and in her space within seconds. He said nothing. Didn‟t want anyone to notice that anything was awry. He practically dragged Madeline straight out of the nightclub and onto the sidewalk without saying a word. He couldn‟t speak yet without yelling. The words running through his brain were phrases like “what were you thinking?” and “have you lost your mind?” Parker kept his head low and didn‟t glance back at her, but he was boiling inside. He gripped her hand as lightly as he could manage, but she followed him easily, like a rag doll. For a few moments. Once they entered the cool night air, Parker steered Madeline toward the lush landscape between campus buildings. When they were about a block away from the club and alone, he stopped and turned to her. He had expected one of two things to occur when he yanked her out of the bar like a Neanderthal. One possibility was that she would be angry as hell. Pissed. And probably start hitting him and screaming. When she hadn‟t tried to escape his clutch during the brief walk into a haven between the trees, he expected door number two, that she was too drunk to care and would be laughing and limp all the way home. The lack of noise coming from behind him ruled that out. When he turned to face her, he was not prepared for a third option. She was crying. Tears of despair were trailing down her face. And she just stood there looking at him. Waiting. Waiting for something he couldn‟t give her. Some words of explanation she was owed. He did not have them. But the silent resignation, a testament that she knew without a doubt that she had lost this battle, was more than he could bear. He was hurting her. And he would not do so any longer. “Baby, I‟m so sorry. Please…” Parker melted inside. The look on her face made his gut clench. His resolve disappeared. He pulled her into his embrace and just held her, gripping her as tight as he could. He rocked back and forth and let her cry. Her tears soaked through his shirt and he did not care. Parker vowed never to hurt her like this again if it was the last thing he did in life. If he got fired, if he lost her to the truth one day, he would never be the cause of this kind of deep pain again. The night breeze was comforting. Soothing. Whispering to them. Madeline never wanted this moment to end. She relaxed in his embrace and let her tears flow, the wetness cool on her heated cheeks. She had no answers, had accomplished nothing, but she didn‟t care. Parker was here now. He was holding her with all the kindness and gentleness of a lover and she knew that he did love her. Whatever his issues were, she would deal with them when the time was right. 40
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Please God, give me another chance. When he finally pulled away and looked into her face, she saw affection embedded in his eyes. He smoothed his palms down her arms and took her hands in his before bringing the shaking appendages up to his mouth and kissing them lightly all over. Little sparks shot up each arm as his moist lips traveled over her skin. “I…” “It‟s okay now. Let‟s go home.” Parker wrapped his arm around her and they walked as one toward their complex. There wasn‟t really anything to say. The silence was not unnerving. Their gait was not hasty, but rather lingering, as if the moment would be ruined if they hurried. The world would wait for them. When they arrived at the door to Madeline‟s apartment, she let them in. Parker had not let go of her at any point. Perhaps he feared that to do so would cause her to slip away. In any case, the walk had heightened her awareness of him. In the weeks she‟d known him, she‟d never had the opportunity to be this close to him, this…connected. His rock-hard body was pressed into her side. They could have entered a three-legged race by the time they made it across campus and won. He held her like a precious commodity. She was not unaware of the juxtaposition of his tight, muscled arms being used in such a delicate manner. He smelled…like Parker. Some combination of the soap he used and the shaving cream. She was hypersensitive to him, skin tingly everywhere he touched her. And God help her, she wanted him. Wanted him to strip her naked and make love to her. Her breasts poked forward, straining against her bra as though it were a size too small. She ached to remove her shirt and bra and watch Parker‟s face as he stared adoringly at her chest before taking a nipple into his mouth. Lord, her skin was so hot. As Parker shut the door behind Madeline, he took her once again into his arms, but this time he gently began to kiss her. A kiss that deepened with each passing moment, until Madeline thought she would explode with desire. “Please…” “Please what, baby? Tell me what it is you want. I don‟t want to do anything to you that you aren‟t ready for. I don‟t want to…to disrespect you.” Parker stared into her eyes with his deep brown gaze glazed over with desire. He took her face gently between his hands and waited for her response. His touch was so gentle, loving. Is that what this had been all about? Had he been afraid of offending her? Had he known she was as innocent as she was? How could he? “Parker, I want to be with you, intimately… I want…I want you to make love to me.” There, she said it. And he did not disappoint her. A smile spread across his face as he continued to stare into her eyes. “Maddie? Are you a virgin?” Oh God. What did she say? She wasn‟t really prepared for that question. But she couldn‟t bring herself to lie about something this serious. She stiffened beneath his hands. Would he be disappointed if she said yes? Or no?
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“I‟m only asking because I want your first time to be special, perfect. I don‟t want to yank you into the bedroom and ravage you without…knowing.” “Yes.” The word barely escaped her lips, uttered so softly that she wasn‟t even sure he‟d heard her. Her gaze had fallen to his mouth as he spoke. He‟d repeatedly licked those soft, sexy lips. She slowly raised her eyes to peer directly into his. There was no judgment there. Only love, lust, and longing. “Are you sure now is the right time? You had kind of a lot to drink. I want you to be totally cognizant of what is happening. Fully aware of every feeling when I take you.” His words were like poetry and Madeline felt a tightening deep in her abdomen. She could feel her vaginal walls clenching at the thought of having him inside her. And her cream was leaking out to soak her panties. Could he please hurry this up and stop talking? She was not a delicate flower. “I didn‟t drink anything. I hate beer. I was just pretending.” She couldn‟t help but chuckle. At least one thing had happened tonight that he was not fully aware of. It had seemed that he knew her every move. Had he been following her even? Had she not been crazy to think she felt his presence on her tail many different times? Perhaps not. Parker laughed in response. A hearty laugh that relaxed the atmosphere in the room. “Well, what are you waiting for? Show me your room.” Holy shit. Parker was in deep dog doodoo. The smoldering fire burning inside him was aching to burst free. There was no stopping this from happening. There was nothing he would or could do to prevent it. He had no desire to. This woman was his, for as long as she would have him. He could no sooner deny her at this instant than he could have strangled her… Fuck. I almost forgot. He was going to have to be extra gentle with her. She had recently been attacked. Even though she hadn‟t been raped, she would have lingering memories of being maliciously fondled. He knew all the facts, but details on paper did not describe what he was sure had been a horrific experience. What he had also seen in her file were the pictures. The photos that were taken of Madeline‟s beautiful skin, battered and bruised. Although the murdering slug had not succeeded in raping her, he had come damn close. Images were etched in his brain of her delicate white, almost translucent skin covered with blue fingerprints around her neck, her arms, her thighs… Parker had to shake the memories from his head, but stay cognizant of the implications enough to treat her with tender loving care over the next several hours. And he intended to take all the time in the world to worship this goddess of his. Parker sat Madeline down on the bed, not without noticing that it was nicer than his, by coincidence or design he didn‟t know, but he mentally documented the fact that they would be spending far more time in her room than his from now on. The mattress seemed brand new. Perhaps her father had made a few calls. He did seem like the type that would have. 42
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Madeline stared up at Parker, a mixture of lust and fear of the unknown expressed in her gaze. He lowered her onto her back and lay down alongside her, keeping enough separation that she would not feel his growing hard-on rubbing against her. He leaned over her face and resumed with her mouth, thinking to calm her nerves by torturing her lips, her tongue, the inside of her cheeks. She tasted like minty toothpaste and he smiled against her, realizing she indeed had not taken a drink of the beer she‟d held. When she began to wiggle beneath him and reached for his face with her free hand, Parker knew he had acquired the desired effect. She may not know quite what her restlessness meant, but she did know she wanted more. Parker leaned above her on one elbow, not willing to climb on top of her yet. Using every bit of his restraint to hold himself back. He wanted to be inside her. Now. He smoothed his hand down her face and slowly lowered it gently over her neck and down her soft arm, bringing goose bumps to her skin. Parker took her arm and placed her hand at her side. “Just relax, baby. I‟m going to go really slow. Tell me if I do anything that makes you uncomfortable. I want this to be good for you.” “Hmmm,” was all he got from inside her mouth, which hung open just a tiny fraction. Her eyes drifted closed. She eased more tranquilly into the beige comforter and exhaled slowly. Parker strained to control his impulse to ravage her. He wanted her. And he knew she was ready, physically. Was sure that if he stripped her down right this moment and dragged his fingers between her legs, he would find her sopping wet and ready for him. But mentally was another issue. This woman needed, deserved, better. And he would restrain himself long enough to provide. He began with a languid exploration of her body, gently dragging his hand over her clothed torso and up around her breasts. He didn‟t touch her nipples or even come close, but she arched infinitesimally up into his meandering hand in silent supplication. She nearly had her eyesbrows squeezed together and he was aware that she could not see his slight grin of satisfaction that he could wring such results out of her with only a gentle touch. As soon as she began to squirm with more abandon, Parker reached his hand under her soft pastel pink sweater and laid it flat on her torso, in part to steady her and in part to let her get accustomed to his bare touch. She shivered. Her stomach rose and fell with her heavy breathing. “Oh…Parker,” she moaned and her mouth opened ever so slightly more. “Baby, open your eyes. Look at me.” He didn‟t want her to have any opportunity to not remember completely who she was with. To slip into the world of abuse that her previous sexual encounter, if you could call it that, might produce. Madeline obeyed, if only just a tiny amount. At least he could see her eyes through the partial slits and she did not take them off his.
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He resumed his inspection and moved his hand upward to delicately trace the edges of her bra. Her small breasts rose and fell beneath his perusal, her nipples visibly poking forward even through both her bra and sweater. But Parker took his time. Eventually, when she was pleading with him with eyes that had gradually opened to reveal a deep blue tone, Parker allowed one finger to reach under the lacy material of her bra and graze ever so lightly over her nipple. The result was a resounding moan that Madeline could not control and was perhaps even unaware of. And she bucked against him to attempt to force more direct contact between his finger and her skin. Parker‟s cock grew even harder with her moan and strained against his jeans. He could not help but chuckle lightly at her response. He was so pleased. So proud of himself, frankly. But she was oblivious to either his laugh, his smile or his ego. Her eyes had rolled back. Parker did not want to disappoint. He unclasped her front-hooking bra with a flick of his fingers and, without pausing, began to squeeze first one breast and then the other in the palm of his hand. She was perfection. Madeline reached for him with the hand not trapped between them. She surely couldn‟t help herself. It landed on his biceps and applied just enough pressure to silently beg him to continue. Parker couldn‟t wait a moment longer to set eyes on this lovely chest of hers. He sat up just enough to pull her shirt up and over her head, forcing her arms above her for a moment and leaving her breasts high on her chest, her glorious nipples dark and hard, stabbing into the empty night around them. The only light in the room came from the full moon peering through the window. Parker could not help but gasp at the sight of this vision before him. She reminded him of a lady of earlier centuries in a nude pose, her face with the look of intense desire and her firm mauve disks reaching for the heavens. Had she been completely naked, with her leg angled just right, the look would have been thoroughly complete, and Parker made a mental note to exact just that result one day in the near future. Not for some artist, of course, but just so that he could relax and stare at the image before him. Leaning into her begging body, Parker began to love her with his mouth, gently at first, taking a nipple and sucking it loosely in to allow her time to acclimate to the experience. The muscle in Parker‟s arm clenched as Madeline once again squeezed it in her palm, her nails digging into his flesh, driving his lust to new heights. “Parker…oh my God… I…” He lifted a fraction to smile at her, licking the little tip along the way. And he resumed his attentions, switching back and forth between her perfect breasts, fondling the left-out globe on either side with his fingers in between. He shifted to lie between her legs, easing them with great care as far apart as needed to accommodate his larger frame. The warmth between her legs leaked through 44
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her jeans. When he pinched one nipple between two fingers and nipped the other with his teeth, she came undone. She lifted her hot crotch up into his torso and began to beg. Parker‟s rock-hard cock was also begging as it pressed against his jeans and the mattress beneath. “Parker, please… I can‟t take this… I need…more…” “I‟m getting there. Be patient. Enjoy this. This first time should be a memory that‟s etched in your mind forever. I never want you to forget this time with me, loving you.” Lord, Parker, you’re in deep. You just slipped the L word into the conversation, even if it was subtle. Get a grip or she will run scared. “At least, would you take some more clothes off? I want to see your chest. Feel you against me.” She ran her sweet hands up and down his arms, delicate light touches that sent sparks down his spine. How could he deny the lady‟s request? Parker sat up and lifted his shirt over his head. He leaned into her and fully luxuriated in the contact of her soft, pale, smooth skin against his dark chest lightly dusted with fine hair, which brought a shiver to her as it softly tickled her skin. They were left with two pairs of jeans, his boxers and whatever hidden treasure she was wearing to qualify as panties. Without further ado, Parker nibbled his way down Madeline‟s torso and licked along the juncture of her jeans and her sexy, slim waist. He would never get enough of this woman‟s sweet taste if he lived a hundred years. Her fingers moved to run through his hair. Her breaths came in pants as her stomach dipped beneath his lips. Parker dragged his hands down Madeline‟s torso, popped open the button of her jeans and was met with the top edge of delicate lace that probably had matched her bra, had he taken the time to notice when he‟d pulled it away from her. Parker dallied with the material for just a moment before easing down her body and dragging the offensive pants together with their equally obstructive panties past her hips and over her legs. He pushed the last remnants away with his feet and returned to spread her legs as gently as possible with his hands on her thighs. Soft lightbrown hair covered her mound and beneath she glistened with her own fluids. Madeline gasped and tried to pull her knees together, recovering from her lustfilled state just enough to be embarrassed by her lack of clothing and the perusal of a man‟s lustful inspection. She leaned forward on her elbows. Parker would not have it though. He looked into her eyes and said, “Relax, baby. I want to see you. Touch you. Taste you.” And so many other things that would cause your head to spin if uttered out loud this early in the game. “Oh my God. You…can‟t…do that… Can you?” Parker let a small chuckle escape his lips. His groin stiffened thinking about her. His mouth watered, needing to taste her.
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He pictured her taking him into her mouth and moaning around his rock-hard cock. “Oh, I can. And I will. You will be writhing beneath me in a few short moments without any sense of the modesty currently visible in those gorgeous eyes of yours. Close your mouth, lie back and just feel. Let yourself go. I can smell your arousal. I can see the cream leaking from your tight sexy hole. I‟m going to make you come with my mouth now. Make you scream in abandon. Let you experience what your body is begging, pleading for. “And then, when you‟re just coming down from that incredible high, I‟m going to do it again, with my fingers inside you, raking over your G-spot, and my other hand pinching your beautiful clit into submission.” Well, I meant to hold off on that speech for a bit, but what the hell. The look on her face was worth it. The shock was so compelling. She had not obeyed his command to lie back, but he hadn‟t really expected her to. He knew he was breathing precariously close to her sex, inflaming her higher, and himself as well, while inside she tried to digest the words he had just uttered to her. Parker leaned into her core. Time to fulfill his promises of ecstasy. Please God, don‟t let me come in my pants before I get a chance to squeeze into her. Madeline‟s head was spinning, literally. Perhaps she had swallowed more of that beer than she‟d thought. Sure, she‟d read about such things. She assumed it had been mostly fiction. She‟d never had a girlfriend she shared such private information with, or rather, who shared such details with her. She knew about oral sex, logistically. But he was going to do that to her, now? “Ahhh…” Yes, apparently he is. And Lord, the books did not do it justice. Words could not describe this sensation of his tongue lapping over the little spot she knew was her clitoris. Her hips shot upward of their own accord, but he pinned her down with his hands on her thighs and continued to lick down lower between her folds. Within moments the heat she felt rolling through her reached a new high. The intense pleasure he was causing was too much, and not enough. Enough for what? Some unknown sensation lay just beyond her reach, inching its way closer and closer to fruition. And this sexy god did not let up on his obvious feasting. He was going to devour her whole it seemed. After licking all around her tiny opening and circling her clit several times, he stroked right over it again, hard. He blew on it. And, oh my God, he sucked it into his mouth. The response was instantaneous and completely out of Madeline‟s control. She held stiff, her butt lifted off the mattress. The orgasm plowed through her, threatening to break her in half. Her vagina pulsed and pulsed around nothing, the muscles practicing
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for what they knew would later be a friction that would drive this sensation to yet another level. The walls of her channel begged for it. And all the while, he held that tiny, little bundle lightly between his teeth and sucked until she finally was able to relax back into the bed, exhausted, but not even remotely ready to stop. Keyed up and craving more, everything he could offer. Madeline had known that her clitoris was surely the key to the entire experience of sex, but she had been altogether completely unprepared for the intense validity of that fact. As she regained her composure, she also regained her sense of modesty. Parker was still lapping at the juices flowing from her vagina. Cleansing her with his mouth. The act was intimate, but she felt self-conscious with the knowledge that he was staring at her most personal private parts. Areas of her body that no one, with the exception of her family doctor, had ever seen. Hell, no one had even fondled her there. No, she halted in that thought. That wasn‟t true. Reginald Jones had groped at her crotch, had plucked at her through her clothing. With amazement, Madeline realized that thought had never entered her mind during the encounter of love she had just experienced with a real man. One who adored her and treated her with the utmost respect. She was relieved at the realization she had not been terrified or in any way hampered by the horrific experience of her not-so-distant past. Madeline smiled involuntarily at this new awareness, just as Parker lifted his head to rest his chin on her stomach. “What is running through your mind to make that look on your face?” “Oh, I was just thinking how perfect this was. You‟re so wonderful. I‟ve never felt so good in my life.” “Hmmm. That was nothing. I haven‟t even gotten to the good part yet. I was just enjoying an appetizer,” he drawled in a mock Southern accent. She could not repress a giggle. “Far be it for me to slow progress. Come here. I need to kiss you.” She half feigned yanking him up over her limp body, as if she could have possibly controlled his large frame with her tiny hands. “Okay, but only if it‟s because you sincerely are craving my delicious lips on yours. I won‟t gladly leave the fantastic spread before me just to soothe some sense of modesty you‟ve acquired.” Shit, how did he know that? What was he, a mind reader? Still, she wanted him close to her again. Wanted to have his glorious body weighing her down from above. Wanted to feel his tongue dancing inside the crevices of her mouth again. He didn‟t deny her, just chuckled that deep, resonating intimate timber that rumbled through her body, and then he climbed high enough up her torso to lay claim to her lips.
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Madeline could taste herself on him, in him, and was not disappointed. The salty sweetness of her fluids still clung to his lips and tongue. The intimacy was so hot, she could feel that ache resuming low in her stomach. She needed more. After tangling with him intimately for an indeterminate stretch of time, Parker finally pulled away from her mouth to nibble a path to her ear. He whispered soft words. They weren‟t particularly intelligible, but she knew the meaning behind them. An occasional “sweet”, “burning” and “desire” slipped through her awareness. Madeline‟s blood began to boil once again. She hadn‟t thought it possible to recover from the intense orgasm in such a short time, but she was already needing more from him. Her sex clenched, wanting to be entered. “Parker, please… It isn‟t fair that I‟m naked and satiated and I‟ve not even had the pleasure of seeing you yet.” He wouldn‟t let up on the sweet spot behind her ear that was driving her slowly insane, sending a shudder down her entire body. “You have to…stop that…and get your pants off…” Parker finally pulled up and leaned above her. “Are you sure? We don‟t have to if you aren‟t ready?” “Am I sure? Are you crazy? I‟ve never been surer of anything in my life.” Was he seriously considering ending the evening like this? Did he think she was completely fulfilled? “How much did you drink, buddy?” She pushed up on him to see his expression. “Surely you‟re the one who had too much to drink if you‟re willing to stop now.” It was almost a question. She wasn‟t sure she wanted to hear the answer once it was voiced out loud. What if he had had too much to drink? What if he was the one not ready? She‟d forgotten her previous doubts about what may or may not lie beneath those jeans of his. Perhaps he was the one moving beyond a comfort zone he would never have broached had he been sober. The thought terrified her. She froze. This unbelievable god of a man chuckled at her. “Baby, don‟t look so stricken. I‟m not drunk. I didn‟t have anything to drink either.” “But I saw you—” “Saw me what? Swallow?” He laughed loud. “You saw me swallow all right, about three minutes ago, but your eyes deceived you at the bar. I was having O‟Doul‟s. It‟s non-alcoholic.” “Oh.” She was embarrassed by her assumption. Then what the hell was his hesitation for now? Madeline pushed Parker off her, which he did not attempt to prevent, and sat up straight. “Parker, take off your pants this instant. I don‟t care what you have hiding in there.” There. That was said with some level of authority, wasn‟t it? Parker just laughed again and stood beside the bed, fastidiously unveiling his manhood to her perusal. And…holy mother of God. His…his penis…is huge. Full and long
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and thick and…and bobbing out in quiet supplication. How in the hell is that ever going to fit inside me? Madeline knew she was staring at him with her mouth hanging open. But she could do nothing to stop herself. Was unable to tear her eyes from his…penis…even as he climbed back onto the bed next to her. He lay down beside her, but didn‟t move to touch her, clearly letting her adjust to the sight before her eyes. Still sitting alongside him, she finally jerked her gaze up to his, realizing her breach of etiquette. He smiled, but she saw that he was nearly gritting his teeth behind his lips. “It will fit, baby. Trust me.” Had he read her mind? “All men across all time have fit into all women. It just works that way. Calm down.” He reached to lightly begin petting her forearm. At least he was being “delicate” about the situation and kindly gave her time to adjust to the idea. It could have been worse, couldn‟t it? “I…I…I don‟t think…wow. Are you sure?” Madeline was less than convinced. “Yes, baby. I‟m sure. Don‟t worry. My cock will fit into you like a glove.” Did he say cock? Oh, Lord. That was not a word she was remotely accustomed to hearing. Parker was absolutely gorgeous and sexy. “Touch me… I want you to wrap your hand around me…” More fluid flooded Madeline‟s sex at those words. Madeline wanted that just as bad as he did and reached to run her palm over his rising erection. He pulsed against her fingers and she stretched them until they just barely touched. It seemed so natural that she began to stroke up and down the shaft, lightly at first, and then with slightly more pressure. When she released him to touch the wetness leaking from the tip with one finger, he grabbed her wrist and pulled it against his chest. Her gaze moved from his rock hardness to his glazed eyes. “You have to stop that. I‟ll come in your hand. I want to be inside you when I come.” His voice was hoarse, gravelly with need. Parker released Madeline‟s hand and resumed a soft, meandering touch on her arm. He gently guided her to lie back onto the bed again and began exploring her in earnest once more, his eyes all over her resplendent skin, grazing first her arms and torso and then returning to her breasts and puckered nipples. He lightly flicked the little points, making them stand at attention and beg for mercy. Mercy he needed. He was nearly holding his breath to keep from taking her quickly. Now. His cock was leaking pre-come and throbbing with need, pressed up against her side. Her chest was a splotchy red example of a Rorschach. “Are you okay?” Please say yes. “Hmmm. I guess, but…don‟t…um… Just warn me first okay?”
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Oh, baby, you’re going to beg me to push this cock inside you to the hilt before I do it. “I will, don‟t worry,” he muttered, leaning in to her ear. He had to make her relax again. He didn‟t want to hurt her or make her feel pressured, even though the restraint was killing him. For several minutes, Parker explored Madeline‟s body with his fingers, fondling her tits and roaming over her slim, flat stomach. When she was once again heated and willing, he ventured to her thighs and gradually swirled light little circles on them, making her raise her hips, begging for a more intimate touch. With each caress he moved his hand higher and higher toward her center. “Baby, spread your legs for me. I want to touch you,” he whispered into her ear. She readily obeyed, which was all he needed to be assured that she was once again burning with need. Parker stroked her soft entrance with the tips of his fingers, intermittently lifting his hand ever so gracefully to draw teasing circles around her fiery nub, only to return lower and repeat the process. She panted in response and squirmed ineffectively beneath his unrelenting touch. Her raised pussy pleaded with him to enter it, but he wanted her to float even higher before he penetrated that virgin hole with his exacting touch. He gently squeezed her swollen lips together, making her writhe. Her head rocked back and forth, and when he glanced at her face, he found her bottom lip pinched between her teeth. When he released her outer sex and moved away from the aching burn surely humming at her entrance, she moaned and lifted her hips several more inches off the bed, grasping futilely at the comforter with her hands at her sides. He grinned at the thought that she had no idea of her lack of control, her inability to even reach for him at this point. Her every thought was clearly focused on her need to explode, to have him enter her. He didn‟t want her to come with just clitoral stimulation this time, so when he reached up and pinched the tight, hot nub between two fingers, he only lingered a moment before releasing her. It was long enough, though. She screamed. His beautiful, sexy wanton woman was screaming for release and he had not even penetrated her. There was nothing sexier in the entire universe. His cock thickened even more beside her. Parker decided the torture had reached a peak and it was time to put the lady out of her misery. He cupped her mound and slowly let his middle finger slide into her milking center. Shit. She’s so tight. Fuck. He actually found himself worried that perhaps she was right, maybe he would not fit into her glorious cave. Parker, that’s crazy. Just stretch her. Well, that wasn‟t going to happen, because in an instant it was obvious that Madeline would not last long enough to stretch her sweet channel. He cautiously pushed his one single digit into her as far as he could and bent it to drag back over her G-spot on the way out. He had to apply pressure to her mound just 50
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to keep her from flying off the bed. She was so unbelievably responsive splayed out for his perusal like a scene only his mind could ever have conjured up. Not an experience, he was sure, that most men ever get to have. Pure abandon. It warmed his soul. “Oh…oh…” She was rocking her head back and forth faster now, aware of nothing but her intense drive to explode around his finger. On the second time in, he added another digit to the first. The two fingers fought to squeeze through the tight barrier at the entrance. So that’s what a hymen feels like. Parker had never touched a woman with her virginity so unbelievably intact. He didn‟t think he broke the tight flap with just the two fingers, but he debated whether he should do it now or risk hurting her later when she had to deal with his incredible girth at the same time. It didn‟t matter, because before he could even finish the thought, Madeline shot off like a rocket as he dragged his two-fingered invasion once again across her G-spot, at the same time applying just the right amount of pressure with his palm against her clit. He didn‟t move an inch, just watched her face strain with the pleasure that he felt pumping his two small fingers. Heaven. This was what heaven was like. If I die right now, I’ll be happy. No event in Parker‟s life would ever come close to topping this experience. Madeline‟s excruciatingly slender entrance milked him over and over again. An orgasm that didn‟t want to end. When she finally started to come down, only then did Parker gradually pull free of her sheath. He broke the silence, aching with the need to enter her. “You okay?” he tentatively whispered in the general direction of her ear. He brushed her sweat-dampened hair from her forehead and smoothed the silky locks back from her flushed face. He held his breath. Madeline opened her eyes. “No, not really.” Shit. That was unexpected. “I‟d be better if you would quit messing around, climb on top of me and—” He broke off her words with a passionate kiss while moving his body between her legs. He could not wait any longer. Madeline needed more action, and now was not soon enough. The fiery orgasm of just a few minutes ago only served to whet her need to have him inside her. His fingers triggered a desire she never knew existed. A list of new experiences that was growing longer by the minute. If Parker didn‟t make love to her right now, she was going to start to feel like a wanton hussy, begging him over and over to violate her. She no longer even considered the fact that he probably wasn‟t going to fit inside her. The thought didn‟t warrant further merit. It simply didn‟t matter, with her walls aching to have his erection filling her completely.
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Parker bent to place what she assumed was a condom on—a condom that seemed to surface out of thin air—and climbed on top of her body. She didn‟t really care where it came from or how he managed to produce it so quickly. He returned his gaze to her face. At her soaking entrance he said, “Maddie, it‟s going to hurt this first time. Your hymen is still intact. And you‟re so damn tight. Even my fingers were squeezed by the walls of your pussy.” Pussy! There was another word she‟d ever used out loud. Heat rose in her cheeks as he pushed his way into her channel. The pleasure-pain was intense. Both feelings warred with each other. How far was he in? “Baby, you have to breathe and relax a little. You‟re so tense, the pain will be even worse. I‟m barely inside you. I‟m going to move now. In and out, going just a little further each time until I‟m all the way in… If I can make it that long…” He mumbled those last words through gritted teeth. The pressure was intense. She could feel her walls stretching around him, but also craving more. She consciously lifted her torso up toward him to end the battle he was waging to remain slow. It caught him off guard and she took the opportunity to do it again, lodging him deeper with each thrust. “Holy shit. I‟ll never last.” His breath was coming out in pants, making it difficult for him to enunciate his words. And his face was strained, his teeth gritting together, using every bit of energy he had left to hold back. “Please…I need more…” She was losing ground amongst the new feeling of being completely filled by a man. It was so much more powerful than the two orgasms she‟d had with the aid of his mouth and hands. Finally he pushed the last bit in and relaxed infinitesimally against her. The sharp stab of pain when he broke her barrier lasted only a few seconds and then she also began to relax and accommodate his girth. Her core was threatening to milk him in yet another orgasm. She could feel the building pressure of need. “Please…move. Parker? Move.” He did, pulling out and then shoving in to the hilt. Did he reach too far in? Was that even possible? Surely not. The sensation was beyond words. Exquisite. Better than her wildest dreams. And it kept getting better, increasing the need with every thrust. The friction pushed her quickly to the edge of another orgasm. He was panting. “Oh baby, I‟m going to come. Come with me.” He reached between them, pinched her clitoris between two fingers and rolled the little bundle. She exploded in a third orgasm at the same moment Parker also came. Even through the condom, Madeline could feel the pulsing liquid spurting out of him. She thought of the barrier that prevented the little swimmers from getting to their destination and wondered what it might feel like to have sex without the condom. 52
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A deep sense of satisfaction settled into Madeline‟s heart. Her whole body was relieved and sated. She sank as deep into the bed as possible and drifted off, unable to stop herself. She was vaguely aware of Parker climbing off her and returning to wipe her gently with a washcloth, taking extra special care of her as though she were fragile. Then he must have gathered another blanket from the foot of the bed to cover them both, because she would later realize that she was settled snugly against him beneath the covers, warm, cozy and completely satisfied.
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Chapter Seven Parker lay awake for some time, staring at the face of this angel beside him. She breathed deeply in a sound sleep. Now what was he going to do? He had gone over the options a million times in his head while he watched her dream, a smile upon her lovely face. Nothing seemed plausible. If he quit his job, nothing would be solved really. He could tell her father, “Sorry, but I fell in love with your daughter. I know it‟s not what you would‟ve wanted for her, but…” Her father would be furious. He considered telling her the truth and every time it brought tears to his eyes. She would not forgive this act of treachery. He knew she could not. It wasn‟t in her nature. He could carry on, following her around, protecting her from harm and basically using her for as long as he could until the truth came out. She would be even more betrayed by that action. It was worse than the previous awful choices he‟d thought up. Ugh. Parker lay back in a fitful sleep, praying some miracle would occur while he rested. After what seems like only moments, a phone jingle jerked Parker from the warm embrace he had around one very sexy body, Madeline. She was undisturbed by the ringing and Parker smiled to himself, thinking of how sated she was, completely worn out. He slipped out from behind her, yanked his phone from his pants pocket at the foot of the bed and hit receive to avoid losing the call before tiptoeing out of the room. He knew good and well who it was. Detective Reynolds. Hearing from him was not a shock. They spoke every few days on this cell phone. It was sort of an unspoken rule that if Parker did not answer, he was either with Madeline or hot on her tail with the phone on vibrate. Even that first day when he‟d met Madeline, Parker had known it was Reynolds who called in his apartment, but couldn‟t very well answer in Madeline‟s presence. However, Reynolds had never called in the middle of the night. What time was it anyway? It could have been midnight or six a.m. for all Parker knew. But it was clearly dark outside, as he could see through the sliding-glass door when he entered the living room as quietly as possible, trying not to wake the goddess asleep in her bed. When he was far enough away and had shut the adjoining door, he responded. “Phillips here.” “„Bout time. I was getting worried. You picked up about thirty seconds ago,” Reynolds barked. Agitation was evident in his voice, more than could have been caused by Parker‟s delayed response.
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“I‟m here now. What‟s going on?” Something had to be. He tried to keep his voice low. “We think we have a lead on Jones and it‟s not good news.” He paused. “I‟m listening,” Parker mumbled into the receiver. “Why are you whispering? Oh my God. Dude… Tell me you‟re not sleeping with her…” Parker held his breath, not able to respond. “Parker! What the hell are you doing?” He was yelling now. Rightfully pissed. Under no circumstances would it have been okay for Parker to fraternize with Madeline Cooper, nor Maddie Kincade. He was in the middle of a job. The contract did not say “feel free to fuck the woman you‟re protecting”. He was toast. There was nothing Parker could say or do, so he didn‟t. He just waited. A long sigh from Reynolds. “Look, buddy. We‟ve been friends forever. You‟ve never pulled a stunt like this. Fuck. I‟m the one who recommended you to her dad. Her dad, asshole. He‟s going to kill me and then you. I can‟t imagine what you were thinking.” There was a short pause filled with heavy breathing. “Frankly, I don‟t have time to deal with this right now. Today isn‟t an especially good day to replace you. So, please stop thinking with your little head and screw on your big head. Okay?” Parker knew something big was happening. Reynolds would never offhandedly dismiss an infraction like this so easily. “What happened? Give it to me straight.” “An informant had reason to believe that Jones is in your area. Somehow he must have gotten tipped off. I can‟t imagine how, seeing as no one knows where Madeline is except…except her father. Shit. Fuck. And damn. The one time I let a relative know where we‟re keeping a victim and this happens. Why don‟t I think this is a coincidence? Christ.” Parker could tell that Reynolds was pacing. He always paced when he needed to think. “So, what? You think he ratted? What kind of sense does that make?” “I don‟t know, but I aim to find out. In the meantime, stop sleeping with the man’s daughter before you get caught, and…well, fuck, never mind…on second thought, keep sleeping with her. It‟s safer. Don‟t leave her side. I really think this is serious. This guy is the real thing. He has killed several victims. He has no qualms about adding this one to the list. If he knows where she‟s hiding, he will murder her. And you too. We‟ll move you ASAP from the area, but I need a few hours to arrange it. Capice?” “Got it. What do you want her to know?” Parker didn‟t relish the idea of exposing himself to her at this time, just when things were heating up between them, but he also wouldn‟t risk her life just to keep the passion going. “Whatever keeps her alive.”
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Something woke Madeline up, a sound…talking. She bolted upright at the realization, wondering who would be talking in her apartment, and then it all came back to her, the passionate evening of sex. Parker. She smiled to herself, but still felt uneasy. Who was he talking to? Was someone with him? Why? She grabbed an oversized T-shirt slung over the back of a chair, pulled it over her head and padded out of the bedroom. At the entrance to the living room, she paused just as he flipped his phone closed. He tossed the offending device on a small table as though it had a disease, never taking his eyes off the night that he was staring at through the sliding glass doors. Could he see something out there? The thought gave her a chill. Madeline froze in the doorframe between the living room and the bedroom, information dawning on her. She was living a lie and taking Parker on that roller coaster with her. Guilt stabbed at her. Until this moment, she had never considered the repercussions of entering into a relationship with someone. Someone who did not know that she was not Maddie Kincade, but Madeline Cooper. It was so deceptive. And the act put him in danger. What if her attacker happened to find her and Parker got shot at or stabbed or strangled while innocently dating a woman he thought was perfectly normal? It wasn‟t at all fair that she had dragged him into this mess, leaving a heap of skeletons in the closet. Lord, one would have to back up against the door of the metaphorical closet and push hard just to shut it. It was that full. She felt sick to her stomach thinking of all the possible repercussions of her actions. What were you thinking, “Maddie”? Did you think you could just pretend your other life away? It was all fun and games until now. But what if someone got hurt? Parker. “Maddie? I‟m sorry. Did I wake you?” Parker yanked her from her self-pity. “No. I mean, I guess I heard a noise. Were you on the phone? Who would call in the middle of the night? Is everything okay? You look…deep in thought. Worried.” She opted to take the emphasis off her lie and place some sort of blame on his weird phone call. As if he was the one fooling her about something instead of the other way around. Good one, Maddie. Maybe that will ease your guilt. “Oh, it was nothing.” He wandered over to her side, leaving the dark night behind him beyond the glass pane. He was lying. Why? And what was he thinking about so pensively that he had been unaware of her presence? Parker grasped her with his warm hands and pulled her back into the bedroom. “It‟s still a while before morning. Let‟s go back to sleep.” He was practically towing her over to the bed. And she was following, mixed emotions about her lie and whatever his was warring within her. The idea of getting a few more hours of sleep, however, beat them both out. Surely everything would look clearer in the light of day…
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Or not. When Maddie awoke next, Parker was not beside her. She looked around the room, a tad disoriented, before she heard the shower. She thought about joining him and smiled at the idea of running her hands over his naked, soapy body. A flush rushed up her cheeks and she clenched her legs together at the onslaught of warmth tickling her clit. She would sure like another opportunity right now to explore his anatomy. How could she possibly be wet and wanting again? Her sex ached from last night, but she didn‟t care. She reached between her legs and ran her finger through her outer lips just as Parker had last night. A soft moan escaped her mouth and made her bite her lip. She was wet all right. The water flipped off in the bathroom and jerked Madeline back to the present. She wasn‟t ready to be caught masturbating like a wanton hussy who couldn‟t seem to get enough of her lover. Madeline lay back against the pillow and stretched. Her muscles were sore, all of them. Even her neck. Guilt seeped back into her memory. What was she going to do? She couldn‟t tell him about the whole witness protection thing. It wasn‟t allowed. Strictly forbidden to tell anyone. But she also couldn‟t continue seeing him under the pretense of being someone she was not. It wasn‟t fair. And then there was the danger involved. Continuing with Parker could conceivably endanger his life. Her cell phone broke her reverie and she leaned over the edge of the bed to retrieve it from her pants pockets. Sure are a lot of inconvenient calls happening around here at odd hours. “Hello?” “Maddie, Mark here.” The infamous first-name-basis detective. She remembered to lower her voice as she heard the water turn off in the bathroom. “Detective, it‟s, um, not really a good time. Do you need something?” she muttered under her breath. “What? I can barely here you. Listen, there‟s been a development. Are you still seeing that what‟s-his-name from next door?” What the hell was this all about? She‟d mentioned Parker to the detective on several occasions, but what did that have to do with anything? Madeline froze, squeezing the phone in her hand. “Yes, why?” She tried to keep her voice low, but wasn‟t sure how successful she‟d been. “Can you stick around him for a few days?” “I‟m…not…sure, why?” This was not her plan. She was just thinking she needed to get away from him. He wasn‟t safe and his innocence could get him killed because of her. “Maddie, it‟s Jones. We think he may have been tipped off somehow.” Shit. How the hell did that happen?
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“Why? What? How?” She was practically shouting now and no longer cared. The stakes had just been raised. “I don‟t have all the details, but it would probably be best if you stuck to P-Patrick, or whatever you said his name was, just for the time being, until we can get you out of there. Can you do that?” Huh? What the hell was Reynolds talking about? And when did she tell him Parker‟s name, correctly or otherwise? “Detective, what the hell is going on? Why would I do that? His life would be endangered too. That idea seems awfully flawed. Can‟t you send the police or something?” Parker chose that moment to walk into the room. “Baby, you talking to someone? You sound upset.” Madeline jumped right out of the bed, thankful that she was still wearing the T-shirt from earlier. Her heart was pounding as she stared at Parker and listened to Mark. “Maddie, we‟re working on it as fast as we can arrange things. Please. Don‟t leave the apartment today, okay? Are you still listening? Can you hear me?” Sure. But what was she supposed to say to Parker? She realized she needed to have some sort of conversation with him, but not this way. “Yes, okay. Thank you for calling. I‟ll see what I can do.” And she hung up. “Who was that? You look like you just got really bad news.” He had the strangest look on his face and his tone did not match it. Plus, he seemed disinterested, fumbling on the floor for his jeans. Not making eye contact. Had the world gone completely crazy since last night? Did I actually die having sex and now I’m in some weird in-between stage of death where nothing makes sense as a punishment for my transgressions? It sure was beginning to seem that way. First Parker gets a weird call and acts strange. Then I get a weird call, and…Parker acts strange again. Funky common denominator if you ask me. “Are you hungry?” Parker changed the subject, not pressing her for more information about the mysterious phone call. His gaze flickered toward Maddie from the doorway, but it did not escape her attention that he had not waited for a response to his question. “Yes, I guess so. I…I think I‟ll take a shower.” At least the time alone would give Madeline the opportunity to further ponder the strange sense that she was currently starring in an episode of Twilight Zone. Even the room around her seemed black and white. She shook her head to clear it of the false image as Parker walked into the kitchen. Madeline‟s legs were like lead. She couldn‟t lift them just yet and stood rooted to the floor, in a fog, dazed. No wonder the room has no distinct colors. My eyes are clouded over. I’ve lost my mind. She finally managed to amble over to the bathroom and into the shower, shrugging the T-shirt over her head on the way.
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Madeline, get a grip on yourself. You’ve got to get cleaned up, put some clothes on and get rid of the man in the other room whose life is at stake. No matter what Detective Reynolds had said, Madeline had no intention of “sticking close to Parker”. She shook herself into action. Showered. Combed. Dressed. Record time. And walked into the kitchen with renewed conviction, only to find Parker leisurely enjoying toast and eggs. “Hungry? Sit down. I made you a plate. Do you always shower that fast? You aren‟t like any other woman I know.” He produced a strained smile, not quite real. She did not miss the gesture. Even though Madeline had huge issues at stake this morning, Parker had some interesting stuff up his sleeve also. Too bad she didn‟t have time to find out what it was. She couldn‟t stand the thought of anything happening to Parker because of her dishonesty. She needed to ditch him and fast. And then do what, Madeline? Wait for Reginald Jones to show up and kill you? At least he wouldn‟t find Parker here and kill him too. But that was a small consolation prize. When Parker glanced down at Madeline‟s body with a different look in his eyes, she too drew her gaze downward. No wonder he was staring at her. She had slung on a pair of tight jeans and a white T-shirt over a lace bra. Her hair, still wet, was dripping on her shirt, creating the perfect wet T-shirt contest, complete with nipples that were poking out for anyone to see. Instead of sitting as Parker requested, Madeline began to pace the room. Her hands were shaking. She stilled them by crossing her arms over her betraying nipples. She couldn‟t eat now. Her heart was pounding. In spite of the shower, sweat ran down her back to send a chill up her spine. What should I tell him? “Maddie, sit. You‟re making me nervous. You have to eat. You need your strength.” For what? What the hell parallel universe had she woken up in? Madeline had made no decisions about how to get Parker out of her apartment, so she sat. And ate the breakfast he had prepared for her, trying to hold her hands steady. The food had no taste at all. Seemed as though she were chewing and swallowing cardboard. She couldn‟t even recall what it had been, but it was gone. The plate empty. The two “lovers” staring at each other from across the tiny table, neither speaking. Both in clear distress, although she had no earthly idea what the cause of his was. And didn‟t have time to guess at it. Madeline took a deep, cleansing breath to fortify herself for what she had to do next and walked over to the window, Parker close on her heels. She stared out into the dawning morning and froze. There he was, Reginald Jones, the man of her every nightmare. Fear rattled in Madeline‟s system, but she was unable to move, frozen, doomed by the large window. The swine had his focus trained directly on her, as well as his gun. And then all hell broke loose and Madeline‟s world as she thought she knew it turned upside down.
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Chapter Eight “Madeline, get down!” Parker launched for her and took her entire body down, covering it with his in slow motion, as if he were trained to do so. And what the hell had he just called her? She only noticed because the word sounded foreign spoken from his lips. Shots were fired. Glass shattered. Parker crawled toward the bedroom and an inside wall, dragging Madeline‟s body beneath him, never letting any part of her be exposed. What the hell is going on? Realization dawned. Their entire relationship was a farce. Parker had never been an accidental neighbor. He‟d been hired. Hired to keep an eye on her. Silence. Madeline stared at Parker. Stunned. Frozen. Glued to the floor. “We have to get out of here now. Are you hurt anywhere?” Parker began examining her all over, feeling her entire body with his hands in a quick assessment of the possible damage. Madeline batted at him, sickened to have him touch any part of her. He lied to me. He breathed a sigh of relief, apparently from finding no holes in her, ignoring her protests. When he was sure she was not hurt, he sat back a fraction. She lay there another moment, unable to respond, and then her senses kicked in. “Fuck you! Get off of me!” She scrambled away from him like a crab, on her back with her hands and feet grasping for purchase on the carpet. “Did my father put you up to this? Oh…my…God! I fucking can‟t believe it.” She had never once in her life used that word. Moments ago she had been paralyzed with fear, and now, only a few seconds later, bitter anger pierced through her. Her face was hot. The shaking she‟d experienced earlier in the kitchen kicked up a notch. “Madeline, calm down. I—” “Don‟t you tell me what to do. Get away from me. Get out,” she yelled loud enough to wake the dead, pointing at the door. “Madeline,” he started again, trying to speak softly, “I know how this must look, but listen to me.” His voice was rising against his will. The perfect gentleman of yesterday had a flaw. He was losing his temper. “No. You listen to me. I don‟t know who is paying you or how much, but the jig is up. Get out. I don‟t ever want to see you again.” There. “Madeline.” How many times was he going to repeat that name? It was a stab to her heart each time he muttered it and confirmed her worst fears. He was faking. He didn‟t care for her one ounce. He was only doing a job. The humiliation threatened to 60
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bring tears to her eyes. Moisture was pooling behind her lids and she did not want to give him the satisfaction of crying in front of him. Madeline grabbed for a bag under the bed and began stuffing a few belongings into it with no regard for what went and what stayed behind. Did it matter? Did anything matter anymore? In the back of her mind she rationalized there was a killer out there. She‟d just been shot at. Somehow her fear concerning that particular threat was currently overshadowed by her anger. Seemingly detached from her body, her hands kept cramming items into the duffle bag. She glanced up to find Parker staring at her. “Aren‟t you gone yet?” she asked, finished packing. Looking down, she saw one shoe, a mangled lace bra, a brown sock and a scrunchy that must have fallen on the floor at some point. “Madeline Cooper, I know you‟re pissed as hell right now. And you have every right to be. I don‟t blame you one bit. But the fact remains that I‟m trained to protect you and was hired to do just that. We have to get out of here as quickly as possible and find someplace to hide until help can arrive. Do you understand?” He continued without waiting for a response. “Leave the bag. We‟ll buy new things whenever we get where we‟re going. We can‟t afford the hindrance. Nothing matters as much as your life…our lives.” He reached tentatively for her hand. “Trust me. Please. I may be an ass, but I know what I‟m doing. Your father wouldn‟t have hired me if he didn‟t have the utmost confidence in my abilities.” She hated him with every cell in her body. But he has a point. At least let him get you someplace safe…and then kill him. Madeline wiped her eyes with her fingers, tentatively reached for his hand and allowed him to lead her, as low on their bellies as possible, toward the door and the uncertainty of what lay beyond. Parker‟s adrenaline was pumping. In his line of business, this was showtime. He was extremely concerned about the look of distrust on Madeline‟s face, but it would have to be dealt with later. First he had to get the two of them to a safe place and then…he had no idea what then. She was probably in shock, explaining the haphazard launching of items into a duffle bag. In one instant a man tried to kill her and she found out her boyfriend was a lie. Would he ever be able to convince her that his feelings for her were real? “Okay, on three I‟m going to open the front door and we‟re going to edge over to my apartment. I‟ll lead and make sure the coast is clear. You follow right behind me. Are you ready? One—” “Why would we do that? How is your place safer than mine, asshole?” Oh, she was hot under the collar all right, glaring at him with evil eyes.
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“Because,” he tried to remain patient, “we need some things from my room before we head out.” “Oh, sure. It‟s fine and dandy to head over to your room to grab some „things‟, but we‟ll just leave all my possessions behind.” They were leaning against the wall next to the door, presumably waiting for the count of three, or three hundred if he had to stop and explain every damn thing to her along the way. Parker felt like she‟d slapped him in the face. He took a deep breath to fortify himself against this latest onslaught and responded. “Madeline, I‟m not talking about clothes and shoes. We need weapons and money. Lots of both.” “You have guns and cash…next door? Why the hell do you have all that? Right here?” She clearly couldn‟t think straight. “On three. Ready?” When she didn‟t interrupt again, he continued, “One, two, three.” Parker quietly opened the front door just a few inches, enough to peer out into the corridor. Assessing that the hall was empty, he squeezed out, looked both ways again and then grabbed Madeline‟s hand to pull her along behind him. More like her forearm. She was reluctant to actually hold hands with his asshole self. Extracting a key from his front pocket, Parker eased the short distance to his front door. He soundlessly let them in and sat Madeline down on an inside wall, as protected as possible. She was becoming rather pliable and complacent. Definitely in some level of shock. He felt hollow in the pit of his stomach for his part in this charade. Parker made all haste dashing into his room, grabbing a duffle from under his bed and returning to take Madeline by the hand again. “Let‟s go.” “That‟s it? We just got here. I thought you were going to get…stuff?” “I did.” He held up the bag. “I was ready, always am.” Parker had no clue where Jones was at the moment. He sincerely hoped the man had backed off enough for the two of them to escape undetected. The killer would not have left the area entirely because he would need to make sure he had been successful. It dawned on Parker that at this point Jones had no idea if he‟d hit his target or not. He was banking solely on the fact that Jones could not remain standing in the same spot holding a gun. Surely someone had called the cops. “Wait.” What now? “Shouldn‟t we call the police or something? Wait on them to arrive?” “No, baby,” she winced at his term of endearment, “we should not wait on the cops to arrive. I‟m sure someone already called. And by the time they get here, we would both be dead. Besides, I don‟t trust cops. Not when my life is at stake. And definitely not with yours. Let‟s go.” Not waiting for a response, Parker pulled Madeline out the door and down the stairs, not letting his guard down for a second. At the bottom of the stairs, he pulled the outside door open a few inches, and deciding the coast was clear, exited the building
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towing Madeline along. Adrenaline pumped through him, heightening his awareness, making his feet move faster than Madeline could keep up. People were everywhere, coming out of the various units to see what the loud noise was. He could hear them mumbling amongst themselves. “Did you hear gunshots?” one man asked another. “I don‟t know. Something. Fireworks?” was the response. “Whose place was it? I saw glass everywhere between the buildings,” a girl was saying to no one in particular. “I have no idea. Maybe they weren‟t home,” responded a woman near her. Parker did not have time to dawdle. The people were a diversion he was glad for. Jones would not likely show his face in this crowd. So, with Madeline pressed into his side, Parker proceeded directly across the lawn in the direction of campus. “Just keep moving,” he mumbled in her ear. “We don‟t want to draw attention to ourselves right now.” She was shivering against him with her eyes wide open. “Where are we going? Where‟s your car? Why didn‟t we take my car keys? God, how are we going to get out of this?” Desperate questions fired one after the other in rapid succession in the lowest voice she was capable of at the moment. “Relax. I have a plan.” He didn‟t really want to waste time explaining himself right now and he needed to pay attention to their surroundings to keep their asses alive. He darted his gaze all around them, a constant surveying of their surroundings. “Sure, relax. I‟m so relaxed right now, I‟m practically comatose,” Madeline replied with incredible sarcasm, nearly spitting in his ear. The only thing keeping her from going completely into shock and endangering them both was the intense anger, hatred even, she was feeling toward him right now. And, sad as that fact was, he would use every ounce of it to keep her from getting murdered today. Parker responded, “I have another car in the campus parking garage. We just need to get to it, okay?” “You have a second car hidden in the garage? Why?” Parker realized she was not fully understanding this situation. She‟d had a fleeting comprehension that her father had paid a man to watch her, but it had yet to fully sink in that Parker was not some post-graduate coed “keeping an eye on her”. He was a sharpshooter. Trained to save and protect lives. He had spent years training and then another several years protecting important high-profile individuals, even government officials. The fact that he‟d been trailing a young girl on a college campus for several weeks had only to do with money, originally. For the right price, anyone could be paid to do anything, and Dr. Donald E. Cooper had money. This was not the sort of work Parker was accustomed to. But when Reynolds had called him and practically begged him to
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take the case, Parker had had no idea he was going to fall in love with the victim. And dude, you’re definitely in love with her. At the point he‟d consented, the only information Parker had was that a wealthy man wanted his naïve daughter followed to ensure her safety. Who was he to say no to that? Easy job, right? What could go wrong? Parker pulled a confused, reluctant Madeline Cooper all the way to the parking garage. Her body continued to shake beneath his touch, her spine rigid. Staying as close to the buildings as possible along the way, he kept a peeled eye on every moving object in range. Where could Jones be? He had to be close by, but if luck was with them, he would be watching the apartment from somewhere to verify the kill. It seemed to take forever, a distance not more than a half mile that stretched in length due to his heightened senses. Finally, they entered a side door and climbed the dark stairs to the third floor of the garage, where Parker quickly led Madeline to a nondescript blue four-door sedan, reached underneath the front right bumper to retrieve a key and deposited a very shaky woman into the front passenger side. Parker ran to the other side of the car and quickly started up the ignition. “Madeline, lie down on the seat. Keep your head down as low as possible.” She stared at him in horror. “No. What do you want me to do? Put my head in your lap, lover boy?” “Baby—” “And stop calling me „baby‟. I‟m not your…anything.” She was shouting again, not that he blamed her. Her face was beet red. “All right…Madeline, put your head down anywhere you want,” he began again in a constricted, calm voice, “but do it right now before you get shot and I have to clean your brains off the inside of my clean car.” Well, he had tried to maintain a soothing voice. The end may have gone up just a smidge in pitch. He gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles started hurting. Madeline finally relented and leaned over in the seat with her head next to his thigh, not in his lap. She had to squish considerably toward the door to fit, but good God, she managed to avoid touching him any more than necessary. Parker took off, rounded the various levels of the parking structure in a slow spiral and pulled out into the street, eyes roaming the area in search of anything out of the ordinary. Seeing nothing that would hinder their escape, he hung a left and headed west. Parker was certain he held his breath for most of the first several miles before he felt confident they were at least relatively safe for the time being, and then exhaled long and loud. “Are we safe?” Madeline tried to lift her head from its position beside him and he gently placed his right hand on her silky hair to still her.
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She may be angrier than a hornet, but she’s still touching me with the top of her head, creating a comfortable warmth on my thigh, and I’m not willing to end the sweet torture just yet. “Wait…a few more minutes, just to be sure.” Thankfully, she relaxed into the seat again and waited. Parker was acutely aware he had not removed his hand from its serene location on the side of Madeline‟s face and ear. But as long as she didn‟t complain, he had every intention of keeping it there. She was calming him, helping slow his heart rate from its racing pace. He gradually began to brush her hair back away from her face and caressed her cheek and neck with idle fingers as he continued to drive west. He didn‟t have a plan yet for where they were going, but he would figure it out soon. As soon as his mind slowed down enough to think. What is with you, Parker? You’ve handled situations much more intense and dangerous than this before and not been nearly as shook up? Are you losing your touch? Or was it possible that his feelings for the woman in the seat next to him were clouding his ability to remain calm under duress? When Parker had resumed some semblance of composure, about a half an hour later, he glanced down at the beautiful dark-haired figure beside him still being soothed by his loving caress and found her sound asleep. Good. She needed the nap. The stress would have wiped her out. He continued driving for several hours in solitude, a plan forming in his mind as they went.
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Chapter Nine “Where are we?” Madeline lifted her groggy head away from the seat to peer out the windshield and then at the man next to her. The enemy, she remembered, and stiffened. She seemed to have a lot of enemies these days. Some were good guys and some were bad guys, but enemies were enemies, weren‟t they? Suddenly wide awake, she was pissed. How dare he. Perhaps she should be just as angry with her father as she was Parker. After all, he was the mastermind behind all this, seemingly having hired Parker to keep an eye on her. Nevertheless, her father surely hadn‟t asked Parker to date her, fucking sleep with her. The bastard. She stared at his profile, seething. She tried to calm herself. Deep breaths. It was still light out, so she couldn‟t have been sleeping too long. In fact, the sun was high in the sky. It must have been around noon. Madeline‟s stomach rumbled. Her mouth was parched. “Just coming up on North Platte. Are you hungry? We can stop and get something to eat. I could use something. And you probably need a restroom too.” Madeline said nothing. She just turned her head from Parker and stared out the passenger window for several moments. Why did he need to mention that? Now she was hungry, thirsty and holding her legs together. “Did you…did you care…never mind…” She couldn‟t make the words come out. She didn‟t want the answers. “Madeline,” Parker began in a deep, sexy timbre, “I swear I did not plan this. And yes, as hard as it may be for you to believe, I do care about you, deeply. I would never hurt you like that intentionally.” Madeline was nowhere near ready to forgive, but at least he sounded sincere in his declaration of…whatever. What would he accomplish by lying about such things? Silence resumed. Madeline wasn‟t ready to say anything else to Parker and he seemed to have said what he needed to, so they just sat there for about thirty miles. She gritted her teeth against the need to pee, but was not about to speak to him again. “There‟s a Walmart up ahead. How about if we stop there? We can use the bathrooms and grab some necessities and food. One-stop shopping.” He chuckled, but his attempt to lighten the mood was weak. Silence from her side of the car. She was being a brat, acting like a teenager, but she didn‟t care. Parker pulled the car into a spot near the entrance and turned to Madeline. “Look, you can stay pissed as long as you want. That‟s fine. I deserve it. But please, please be 66
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careful. I haven‟t seen any indication that we were followed, but we can‟t be too cautious. I want you to stay with me at all times. Got it?” She didn‟t respond verbally, but removed her seat belt and climbed out of the car, hoping that her lack of response would be interpreted as a “yes”. As they entered Walmart, Madeline could see that it was crowded. It was about twelve thirty now. The store was overflowing with moms shopping with toddlers and older folks wandering through the aisles like they did this on a regular basis for entertainment. Maybe they do, Madeline. How would you know? She was familiar with the concept of Walmart, of course, but in all her twenty-four years, she found herself ashamed to realize she‟d never been in one. Her father would not have shopped there for anything. Heck, he wouldn‟t have even sent his servants there for something. Madeline stood in the entrance like a kid in a candy store. She tried not to reflect that feeling on her face and ruin the good angry façade she had decided to maintain for the duration of their time together, but she couldn‟t keep her eyes from widening in shock at the sheer size of the warehouse-type shopping structure and the variety of things going on. Holy cow. Everything under the sun was available in this monstrous shopping center. “Are you coming? We‟re…blocking the entrance.” Parker attempted to pull Madeline further into the circus-like emporium. Did everyone in the world shop here? No one besides Madeline seemed to find the place, so…so…overwhelming. As they headed for what she hoped were the restrooms, Madeline trailed close behind Parker, who would not let go of her hand. The pressure was reassuring. As much as she was loath to admit, she wanted him to touch her, wanted his strength to seep into her. Her head was bobbing from side to side as they walked behind the rows of cashiers. People getting their nails done, an eye center, a hairdresser, a bank, even a portrait studio. And that was only the front of the building. She could tell that on the wings were a McDonald‟s and a photo center. What could one not get in this super center? No wonder the place was doing so well and so many patrons visited. “Here‟s the restroom. I‟ll wait for you here when I come out, okay? Madeline?” “Yeah, fine…” She was still looking all around her at what seemed like two hundred check-out aisles, but she reluctantly strolled through the door marked “women”, and the loud noises of the superstore abruptly cut off as the door shut behind her. Her shoulders relaxed a bit in the silence. Get a grip on yourself, Madeline. You’re acting like a fool. You must be the only person in the entire world who hasn’t been to a discount store. Madeline relieved her aching bladder and washed her hands while staring at her frazzled appearance in the mirror. She had nothing with her, not even a purse, so she had to make do with smoothing her unruly long hair down with her hands. She braced
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herself for the onslaught of noise and returned through the door that had only temporarily blocked out the universe. Parker waited just outside the bathroom, his hands on a cart. “Ready.” “As ready as I‟ll ever be, I guess.” As difficult as it was to stand next to this ingrate, Madeline bit her bottom lip and proceeded. First stop, clothing. Madeline stood in awe while Parker loaded up the cart like no tomorrow. He seemed to just be launching anything he could get his hands on into the cart. He started with the men‟s department. Underwear, T-shirts, jeans, socks, tennis shoes… Without another thought, he moved into the women‟s department. Madeline was still just silently following him around as though she were handicapped, her hands hanging consciously by her sides. She couldn‟t move them. Couldn‟t lift them. The effort seemed too great. Her senses were overloaded. She felt like she weighed a ton. Parker peeked over at Madeline from the side. Since she gave no indication she cared, he began reaching for items for her. “What size jeans do you wear?” he asked as he held up a pair. He seemed satisfied with his selection, launched them into the cart with the growing pile of bargain clothing and moved on. She did as he told her. She stayed by his side, but other than that, she just didn‟t care about anything. She was exhausted. Mentally drained beyond what the several hours of napping in the car could possibly extinguish. And she was pissed on top of that. “Madeline? Why do I get the feeling you‟ve never been in a Walmart?” Shit. Was it that obvious? “Of course I have… No. Sorry.” Why lie? Who the hell cared? Parker smiled at her and reached to pull her into his embrace. He held her and she let him, but made no move to return the favor, arms locked anyway to her sides by his bear hug. “Baby, I‟m sorry. I don‟t mean to laugh. I just haven‟t ever met anyone quite like you.” Why was he being so nice? Didn‟t he know how hard it was to stay furious with someone when they were nice? “Look, I know you‟re exhausted and overwhelmed. I‟m trying to hurry. I‟m just going to throw everything in this buggy here and we‟ll be off in a jiffy.” He slowly released his grip, just enough to hold her out from him and peer into her eyes. His gaze spoke volumes about how he felt about her, protective, worried, scared even, and passionate. He…cared. Why hadn‟t she noticed that before? It didn‟t matter though, not really. Not with their relationship based completely on lies, his…and hers. She couldn‟t deal with his feelings right now. She just wanted to go back to sleep.
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Parker continued, picking up the pace after that encounter. He grabbed everything she could possibly need without saying another word. He seemed to even know a lot about bras and panties, for a guy. They moved on to toiletries, where Parker overloaded the cart with deodorant, shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, razors and shaving cream. This endearing man even stopped to pick up tampons and hair bands, making Madeline have to stifle a groan. Next came food. There was a full grocery store inside this mega store. Without any preamble, Parker flew through the aisles picking up snacks. How long was he planning on hiding out somewhere? Aren’t the police going to come and get me? Take me somewhere safe? And where would that be? No place seemed safe anymore. Well, except right here, with Parker. The checkout lady stared at them like they had two heads. “Did y‟all just arrive on this planet from outer space or somethin‟?” she joked in a Midwestern drawl while continuously blowing bubbles and popping a huge wad of pink bubble gum. She was probably much younger than she looked, with bleached-blonde hair pulled back to reveal dark roots in desperate need of a touch-up. “Something like that.” Parker left her to make her own conclusions, just adding the bare minimum of politeness required. It took an eternity and two carts for the woman to finish scanning all their items, her long, fake hot pink nails hampering the process. Other than her initial comment, she acted like this was nothing really out of the ordinary. People did it every day. “Your total is $453.24. Will that be credit?” How else could someone pay for all this stuff, Madeline thought. It’s not like there are dishes we could start washing. “No, I have cash,” Parker responded, surprising Madeline. He did say he had a stash of money, but she hadn‟t thought that he meant hundreds of dollars. The woman behind the counter stopped smacking her gum for the first time probably all day. She stared at Parker in surprise and then recuperated enough to say, “Okay then.” She didn‟t seem to believe him, but held out her hand anyway as he counted the money into it. Madeline almost forgot herself and her intentional bad mood to laugh out loud. Surely this thirty-something-year-old lady with a haircut straight out of the eighties and enough blue eye shadow for everyone who ever lived in that decade thought that Parker and Madeline had just finished robbing a bank and were now on the run. It didn‟t really seem too far from the truth when Madeline thought about it. Finally, but not without staring at the two freaky cash-only customers, Ms. Bubblicious handed Parker a receipt and proclaimed, “Have a nice day. Thank you for shopping at Walmart.”
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She did not say, “Come again.” And she probably called the police before Madeline and Parker could even load the monstrous amount of goods into the trunk of their car. When they were once again seated inside and returning to the highway, Madeline finally spoke. “I don‟t get it.” “Get what?” He didn‟t seem startled by her newfound voice, but then again, not much seemed to shock this mystery man she had just spent the night having passionate sex with. “Why didn‟t you use a credit card? I mean what difference does it make? Bubble Lady undoubtedly hit some hidden red button under her counter to contact the police as soon as we stepped away, as strange as we were.” “Yes, but „Bubble Lady‟,” he chuckled, glancing her way, “did not have any way to trace us.” Oh. “I don‟t really care what the local authorities do with her information, as long as no hardened criminals or their accomplices can follow us around the country by tracing our credit card. That‟s just way too easy to do these days. Trust me, no one will ever know we were here.” Hmm. Perhaps he was smarter than she‟d given him credit for. “You sound as though you know this from experience. Just who are you anyway?” “Madeline…I‟ll explain everything. Just let me get us a safe distance away from here and then I‟ll tell you anything you want to know. Promise.” He looked again at her for confirmation. She nodded. Several more hours passed in silent consternation. The only interruption was a phone call with the same distinctive ring that Madeline remembered hearing the first day she‟d met Parker. Parker lifted his hips to dislodge his cell from his pocket as quickly as possible and hit “enter”. “Reynolds, what‟ve you got for me? And it had better be good. I haven‟t been actually shot at since oh five.” What? What is he talking about? And how does he know Detective Reynolds? The plot spinning around in Madeline‟s mind just kept thickening. She glared at him, feeling uneasy and a bit apprehensive. “Uh, huh. Okay. Are you sure? No, she‟s fine.” Parker glanced apologetically at Madeline and mouthed “sorry”. Because she couldn‟t hear both sides of the conversation or because he realized he shouldn‟t actually know Mark from her point of view? He held up a finger as if to indicate that he would tell her everything when he hung up, the sliver of a cell phone balanced between his chin and shoulder threatening to fall at any minute. He re-grabbed it just in time. “No, we‟re safe. I‟m certain we weren‟t followed. We‟ll ditch this car soon and get another somewhere.” A pause ensued once again while Reynolds spoke.
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“Look, buddy, you‟re one of my oldest, dearest friends and I would gladly risk my life for yours, but there‟s no fucking way I‟m going to tell you, or anyone else for the matter, even so much as the direction we‟re heading right now. I can‟t risk it or her… You understand.” Wow. This just keeps getting better. These two were friends? How many goddamn people were in on this plot to “protect” poor “Maddie Kincade” without anyone telling her? Flames of anger spread across her cheeks once again. “Okay. And by the way, I‟m throwing this compromised phone out the window the minute we hang up, you know… Just so we‟re clear. I‟ll contact you privately whenever I can. And buddy…you better have good news for me or the shit is going to hit the fan.” Another pause, this one not so long. “I don‟t give a rat‟s ass what you tell her father. Do whatever makes you sleep better at night, but rest assured she‟s safe. Absolutely nothing will happen to her as long as I‟m alive… Yeah, you‟re hilarious. You know what I meant.” Madeline gasped. She could hear Reynolds laughing from her side of the car. How could they even joke about a thing like that at this point? Men. Were their minds ever on anything other than sex? Parker hung up and, true to his word, pressed the automatic button to open the window, reached his arm out and gave the phone a hard toss toward the shoulder. It couldn‟t have survived the fall. And Madeline stared at him with her mouth hanging open, her lips growing dry. “You‟re going to catch a bug…baby.” He deliberately added that last bit of endearment just to goad her. Forget the phone. “You know Detective Reynolds? I thought my father hired you. I thought you were a college student or something.” She was yelling. She didn‟t care. “Well, yes. I mean, your father did hire me…on Mark‟s recommendation. We‟ve been friends for twenty years, ever since grade school. When we both realized we wanted to go into law enforcement, we went to the same college for undergrad. At least I didn‟t lie about that,” he added, shooting a quick look in her direction. “Do I get any points for that?” Was he kidding? Parker laughed, a low rumble. “Honey, like I told you, I‟ll explain everything. Just rest. I‟m going to drive as far as I can and find us an out-of-the-way hotel for the night. Okay?” With questions swimming all through her humming head, Madeline leaned back against the headrest and closed her eyes. She was exhausted. A little more sleep might make everything at least seem better.
*****
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Parker drove on, more than five hundred more miles west, before he got too tired to think anymore. He looked down at Madeline who lay peacefully sleeping, thank God, with her head on his lap. She would surely have a coronary if she were aware of her proximity to his rock-hard dick, but thankfully she‟d quickly fallen into a deep slumber and had gradually leaned over until he‟d eased her head onto him, for her comfort, of course. They were in the middle of nowhere, on the western edge of Colorado, just where Parker wanted to be, when he spotted a sign for a small-town motel coming up on his side of the highway. He carefully pulled off the road and into a parking spot in front of a flashing neon light that had seen better days and reminded Parker of a scene from Psycho. It kept blinking “vacancy” over and over. He shivered and tried to shake the image. “Honey.” Parker gently began to rouse Madeline. “We‟re here. Let‟s get inside and order some pizza or something. I‟m starving.” Madeline slowly sat up and then jumped a bit out of his lap, glaring at him. He wasn‟t about to apologize. He reached up to smooth her tussled hair and chuckled. “Come on.” Luckily, Madeline complied and followed him out of the car, because he didn‟t relish the thought of leaving her alone in the parking lot. Besides the risk, the place was kind of spooky. And, he didn‟t feel like arguing with her. He was as tired as he could ever remember being in recent years. When they opened the front door, it made a jingling noise from a string of bells tied up near the top, announcing their arrival. How quaint. “Can I help you?” A tall slender man in his seventies emerged from a door behind the front desk. Parker could hear the sounds of Jeopardy! playing behind the thin wall and knew he was interrupting the old man‟s evening game show. “We need a room, please.” Parker wondered how long this process would take, considering the speed with which this older version of Norman Bates was moving. The man had absolutely no worries in the world, and for just a second Parker actually wished he could be so lucky. Even if it meant living in a dump in the boonies. Parker actually shuddered, wondering if they were going to survive this night. It seemed rather eerie. However, all images of a creepy killer went flying out the window as soon as the country bumpkin spoke. “You folks are in luck,” the old guy proudly stated, “if you‟d been through these parts last week, you wouldn‟a been able to find a room in the entire area. They was havin‟ a fair over in Grand Junction and people come from all o‟er to see the rodeo.” He looked up and smiled, several teeth missing from the front, pleased as punch that he could assist them. “Aren‟t we lucky…” Parker flatly stated, trying not to sound too interested in the hopes that the process might be accelerated.
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“Would you folks be needin‟ two beds or a king-sized bed?” “Two,” Madeline was quick to reply at the same time Parker uttered, “One, is fine.” He wanted to keep her as close as possible. “Whatever you have available,” Parker amended reluctantly. The gentleman seemed amused by this lack of agreement. He chuckled as he turned to get something behind him. “How much is that? We‟ll be paying in cash, in advance, so that we can get back on the road early tomorrow…without bothering you kind folks.” Hopefully that would put an end to the situation and get them into a room as quickly as possible. “Okay…you‟re all set. I have you in one of our nicest rooms, right around the corner here.” Here came out sounding like it had several syllables, and as he spoke, he pointed to the left of the office. “So, if you need anything, just holler. The total is fiftyseven-fifty, and that includes cable TV and even a remote.” He grinned and handed them the keys. Wow. Hot dog. A remote. Who would’ve thunk it? Parker tried not to laugh, he was far too tired anyway. He handed the man the exact change and led Madeline out of the office. Madeline must have had a boost to her spirits as a result of her nice long nap, nearly all day, because she burst into laughter the moment they left the building. “Where the heck are we, anyway?” she asked before they were barely out of earshot. “Loma, Colorado, my dear lady,” Parker replied with an exaggerated bow. “Let‟s get some stuff out of the car and head into this spiffy room of ours, the one with a TV.” After grabbing several bags containing probably all the wrong things, they headed for their room. Parker could barely muster up the energy to care what was in the plastic bags they hauled into the room. What did it matter? Apparently the good old fellow had a sense of humor, because the room had just one bed. He must have been in the back room rolling in laughter with his wife by now, thinking of Parker sleeping undoubtedly on the floor. It was a big bed, “king-sized” he‟d said, but Parker seriously doubted Madeline had simmered her mood enough to share it with the likes of him. He was mistaken. After a brief sigh, Madeline dragged herself over to the far side of the room and stated, “I‟ll take this side. You must be tired. Want me to order some takeout?” “That would be great.” He was tremendously relieved that she appeared resigned enough to his presence in her life, at least for the time being, to stop yelling at him. “I‟m going to take a shower and wash some of the stress out of my system. And, Madeline?” He waited for her to look up at him. “Don‟t open the door for any reason.” She nodded. They were making progress.
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The water was running so long in the shower, Madeline thought he surely had drowned by now. What was he doing in there so long? The local pizzeria had said forty-five minutes and that time had almost passed. In the meantime, she‟d gone through the bags of random items they‟d carried into the room and determined what was missing that would be of dire necessity. Toothpaste, for one. And underwear. And damn, they had not thought to buy any night clothes. Great. Parker emerged from the tiny bathroom finally, steam escaping into the room. He was wearing nothing but the small hotel towel that barely covered him from the waist to below the fine male appendage she fondly remembered handling the previous evening. And that wasn‟t the best part. The towel did not reach all the way around, so his muscular butt was sticking out for her to ogle at her whim when he turned around. She jerked her gaze to the wall. Rumblings of arousal rose in the pit of her stomach. “I‟d hand you something to wear, but we seem to have all the wrong things in duplicate and nothing particularly useful in the bags we carried in from the car.” She stifled a laugh. She didn‟t want to feel like laughing, but the situation was beyond humorous. How are you going to get out of this one, oh high and mighty savior of damsels in distress? She knew he would never send her to the car alone and he couldn‟t very well go out there in his current state of undress. Madeline resumed her perusal as Parker rummaged through the piles of clothing now stacked neatly on a small wooden desk that had seen better days, fifty years ago. He pulled out a pair of jeans, turned to stare straight at Madeline, who was caught redhanded admiring his fine ass, and then made a great production of dropping his towel and pulling the jeans right over his stiffening penis, commando. Well then, I guess I was wrong. He could go out to the car. Parker pointedly opened the door and then turned to Madeline. “What exactly are you missing from the trunk, my lady?” “Um, toothpaste? And if you don‟t mind, underwear.” He laughed heartily at her level of discomfort and probably her use of the word “underwear” before he walked out into the night. He was back in moments. Quicker than Madeline had thought possible and carrying several more bags of clothing and a hodgepodge of random items. The door slammed behind Parker as he tossed everything on the bed. “Thanks.” The least she could do was sound gracious. A quick knock made Madeline jerk in response. Of course, it would be the delivery guy. When was her fear of every little noise going to ease? Parker made quick work of paying for the pizza and almost shut the door in the driver‟s face in his haste.
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“Dinner,” he announced. “It isn‟t quite what you‟re used to, your highness, but it will have to do until better accommodations can be acquired.” “You‟re an ass.” Why did he suddenly have to treat her like she was a snob when he had known her for a month now and never once seemed bothered by her sophisticated mannerisms or lack of knowledge of, well, most things normal? Parker moaned and hung his head. “I‟m sorry. That was uncalled for. You don‟t deserve it and none of this is your fault. I‟m just tired and…and I need some sleep.” She didn‟t know what more he may have been about to say in the pause, but she felt bad also for her name calling. It wasn‟t in her nature. At least it hadn‟t been before…before her entire world had spun on its axis and dumped her out into the universe. “I‟m sorry too,” she mumbled, barely audible, she knew, but her head was downcast and she didn‟t feel like looking him in the eye. The mixture of hurt and desire written on his face was going to kill her. She sagged her shoulders. “Let‟s eat. And get some sleep. You might not be tired, but I have to sleep so that I can figure out our next move tomorrow with a clear head. You could watch TV or something if you want. It won‟t bother me. I can sleep like the dead.” “I know.” The intimate admission slipped out of her lips before she could stop it. And she busied herself serving them each a slice of pizza on the only available “plates”—stiff motel tissues. “Thanks.” He was nothing if not polite. Why did she never notice that he didn‟t really act like a young college guy? Hadn‟t he always handled her like a queen since the day they‟d met, all proper and gentlemanly? Nothing like a young guy would probably act, but what did she know about it? Wait. Did he say… “You don‟t have a plan? You don‟t know where we‟re going?” Parker laughed around a bite of pizza and then spoke through it with his mouth full. So much for her assessment of him as refined. “Don‟t look so horrified. I have a general idea. I have a few connections.” Madeline‟s mind was racing as Parker climbed into his side of the bed and hugged the edge. Now there was the gentleman she had been pondering earlier. Madeline turned out the lights and headed for her own shower. When she returned shortly, the grime of the day‟s adventures rinsed away, Parker was sound asleep, still maintaining his distant spot on the bed.
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Chapter Ten Parker awoke with a start. His watch read 6:15, but he was rejuvenated and had slept hard. It was time to get a move on. He wanted to be sure to stay one step ahead of the enemy. Gently, he rolled over and laid his hand on Madeline‟s slender shoulder. She made a small noise and moved to snuggle deeper into the covers. He didn‟t have the heart to rouse her just yet. In the darkness, Parker quickly dressed in new jeans and a gray T-shirt and slipped on his tennis shoes. As he leaned over to tie the laces, Madeline whimpered in her sleep and began to thrash about under the blankets. His heart ached for her. She obviously was having a nightmare, probably brought on by the reappearance of her assailant. He quickly padded over to her side of the bed and sat down along her warm body. “Madeline, honey, wake up,” he softly implored while stroking her cheek with the back of his hand. To his surprise, she reached up and placed her soft delicate hand on top of his burly rough one and held it there. She inhaled and asked, “Is it morning?” “Not quite, but we‟re going to get on the road. I don‟t want to risk hanging around too long here.” She didn‟t mention the bad dream, perhaps no longer even aware of it. “Okay, just give me a minute.” After letting go of his hand, she rolled away and headed for the bathroom. The retreat of her warmth saddened him and once she was out of the room, he leaned over and laid his head on her pillow to soak up some of the heat she left behind and inhale her sweet scent. God, he had it bad. Would she be able to forgive him in time?
***** Once they were on the road, they resumed the silence of yesterday, but it was not nearly as strained. It reminded Madeline of the kind of quiet experienced between two lovers who had been together for many years and were simply comfortable with the lack of noise. Had her parents enjoyed such moments? Or was her father always the way he was now, uptight? Maybe the death of her mother had changed him in some way, scared him into being overprotective to keep from losing his daughter to the same fate. “Do you need to stop? Or do you want to just grab some granola bars from the backseat?” Parker‟s voice broke the reverie.
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“No, I‟m fine. I‟ll see what I can rummage up back here,” she stated as she turned to dig through the bags of items in the back of the car. “Want a bottle of water?” “That would be great, thanks.” As she handed him the water and snacks, their hands touched and reignited the flames that had been not quite extinguished a short twenty-four hours ago when all hell broke loose. As much as she wanted to remain angry, she could not bring herself to continue the farce. She was in love with this man. Deeply and irrevocably in love with him. And she had no doubt he was too. But would the lies between them be insurmountable or could they somehow jump the void and land together on common ground when this was all over? Hell, would they even be alive? “Tell me about yourself,” she requested. It was a start. “Okay, hmmm. Well…” She watched him ponder what to say. Finally he began. “I was born in Milwaukee. My father was a firefighter. Some of his friends were cops. I always knew I wanted to be involved in law enforcement somehow. It was in my blood.” He glanced at her with a smile. “My mom, she was a housewife until I was in high school and she took a job as a secretary at the local elementary. They‟re both retired now. They weren‟t young when I was born. Typical childhood. No big incidents to mention. I have one sister, younger. She and her husband live outside Milwaukee still, near my parents.” “How old are you, Parker?” She had realized at some point yesterday that he was not in his early twenties as she had previously assumed. “I‟m thirty-one. But age is just a number.” He grinned over at her. She tried to return the favor, but knew it was somewhat forced. Wow, thirty-one. “After high school, I went to the University of Wisconsin with Mark. We roomed together and both graduated with a degree in criminal justice. Mark went on to the police academy and I went to graduate school for two more years and then entered a program with the Special Forces. I was trained as a spy early on, but soon realized I was better suited to protecting people. I seem to have a talent for spotting what no one else can see.” “Apparently so, or I wouldn‟t be here now,” Madeline stated matter-of-factly. She watched the expressions on Parker‟s face as he told about his life. He was comfortable with himself, proud even. Parker only nodded. “That‟s partly true, though I do wish I‟d been more diligent yesterday morning. I knew Jones was out there somewhere. I should not have let you waltz over to the window like that. I let lust cloud my judgment. It won‟t happen
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again… I promise.” He was dead serious and his gaze darted back and forth between the road and her face. “I know you won‟t.” “Anyway, I‟ve spent the last several years as a private agent hired to protect lives. Usually government officials on business or wealthy men who have pissed off their mistresses.” He was trying to lighten the subject and he chuckled. “Or snobby, naïve rich girls whose daddy wants them to stay out of trouble.” “Madeline, don‟t be so hard on yourself.” He reached over and grasped her hand. The personal space they had adapted in the last day shrunk. Had it only been one day? One day since Madeline‟s world changed forever? Again. She allowed him to remain holding on to her. It felt like a lifeline. Perhaps she wouldn‟t keep falling and falling into the dark hole in front of her if he would just hold on to her hand. Thankfully he did. She felt more relaxed when he was touching her, warm. Cherished. “If it makes you feel any better, I never once thought of you as snobby or rich, naïve maybe.” He chuckled at that and squeezed her hand a little tighter. “But not stuck up. You‟re a breath of fresh air. A blank canvas just waiting to be painted on. I hope you will be able to forgive me and allow me to be the artist of your future.” His soft genuine words were like poetry. How could she deny him? She felt tears well up in her eyes and looked away, out the window on her side of the car. He left her alone with her contemplation until she finally mumbled the words she knew were necessary, “I‟m sorry.” “For what, honey?” He reached cautiously for her face and turned her cheek toward him. He abruptly let go, though, to pull over to the shoulder and let the car idle. Then he resumed his position with his hand lightly on her cheek and faced her fully. “Sweetheart, please do not shoulder the responsibility for this…breach of trust. I had no business treating you the way I did. I never ever should have even so much as laid a hand on you and I went so far as to take complete advantage of your youth and trust. Hell, Madeline, I slept with you. You were a virgin and I took that away from you without even thinking. I was insensitive and I‟m ashamed of my behavior. My job was to protect you, not take you to bed and devour your innocence.” She was silently crying, tears flowing down her cheeks and over his hand. The air from the car vent blew across her face, creating a chilled path where the lines of tears lay untouched. Parker never looked away. “If I could take back what I‟ve done, I would do so in a heartbeat if I thought it would stop your hurt or prevent you from being in danger, but the truth is…the truth is…that I‟ve totally fallen for you, so much it hurts.” She watched as he laid his free hand over his heart. “I pray only that you can forgive me or at least move on with your life after this is over and not hate me for what I‟ve done.” Parker gently pulled Madeline toward him and wrapped his arms around her.
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He loves me. That’s all that matters. We will get through this. She prayed this awkward thing that had settled between them would alleviate itself in time and they could start over. “I‟m still sorry,” she finally managed to express against his chest, “for my part in all this. I feel bad for the fact that I knew I was not the woman you thought you were dating, albeit incorrectly, and I kept on, dragging you into my fake world. A world that I had no intention of staying in. I was lying to myself and you and it was wrong.” She could feel the vibrations of his chuckle deep in his chest. “Can we agree that we were both wrong and start over then? Maybe we‟ll learn to like the real us, together, as a couple.” “I‟d love that.” Her smile was well and truly genuine. For the first time in a month, she was being her true self. And it felt good. Right.
***** “We have to exchange this car and we‟re out of gas again.” Parker was in a world all his own. Madeline could practically see the gears grinding in his head. He was coming up with a plan. They‟d been heading south now for quite some time, judging by the angle of the sun. “Okay, what can I do to help?” “Sit there and look pretty so that the guy at the car lot will give me a deal?” She was going to love watching him smile like this someday. Hopefully with more frequency. But for now, he was extremely preoccupied and usually had a scowl on his face while he sorted out their predicament. “I can do that.” She struck a pose of what she hoped was subtle flirtiness. That smile came out again. “Yes, you certainly can.” They pulled into a lot in a small town on the western side of New Mexico hoping to trade their current car for something else without arousing suspicion. Not to mention avoiding a repeat of yesterday‟s bubble girl performance when the cash came out. They did not need the police on their tail. They were getting too close to wherever they were headed, according to Parker‟s latest infrequent pronouncements. Fortunately the salesman was congenial and easy to bargain with. He quickly showed them a few cars, seemed to buy their story about not liking the smell of cigarette smoke in this old used car, which was true, and took their cash right out of Parker‟s hand without batting an eye. In no time they were back on the road, now sporting a run-down forest-green Jeep Cherokee that had seen better days. Nothing like the previous car. Madeline felt freer than she had in two days on the road. The tension ebbed away as they took on a new identity of sorts. Surely they could stay one step ahead of this madman. But for how long? And how long was Parker willing to run? What if her
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father demanded her return and stopped paying him? Would Parker let her go? A chill ran down her spine at her wandering imagination. “You okay? You look like you saw a ghost.” Parker was one über-observant guy, but then, that was his job. “No, I‟m fine, just cold.” It was a lie and he had to know it. Even the frame of the car door was hot to the touch in the afternoon heat. “Two more hours and I promise we‟ll be at a nice, safe refuge.” “Where are we going?” She‟d tried not to ask this too often, but the suspense was building. “You‟ll see.” Madeline drifted off and spent the last bit of sunlight dozing. The last thing she remembered was Parker‟s amused snicker at her inquisitiveness.
***** “Madeline, honey, we‟re here.” Parker hated to wake her again, but wanted to get her inside and in a more comfortable position. “Hmmm. Where‟s here?” She roused herself and sat up straight. Parker opened the driver‟s door and pulled her over and out his side, steadying her sleepy form. “Welcome to Wikieup, Arizona. Well, near there, anyway.” The front door of the quaint cottage in front of them opened and his long-time partner and sometimes lover bolted out to greet them. “Parker? Parker Phillips? Is that you?” It had grown almost dark, and in the lingering twilight, he knew Christine could barely see him. He was surprised she recognized him at all, considering how long it had been since he‟d last seen her. “I can‟t believe it‟s you. Come in. Come in. It‟s hotter than hell out here, even in the evenings. Weird for this time of year.” Christine Jacobs was no longer with the force, or any force, for that matter. She had changed her course in life after a close call when she got shot in a raid, and if his recollection was correct, was now reclusively writing a novel, one she never seemed to finish last he heard. It didn‟t really matter. Her severance and hazard pay would enable a lifetime of relative comfort. It had been about three years since he‟d even spoken to her. He felt a twinge of guilt at showing up on her doorstop like this, but he needed help and he knew she would come through for them. They entered her humble home and Parker sensed immediately the love she‟d put into every detail. The entire bungalow was decorated with brown and rust colors. The plush carpet and enticing beige leather couch invited one to sit, stay a while or never leave. The walls were covered with desert paintings of landscape and Native-American art. The air was filled with the scent of pine, which he inhaled deeply. “Christine Jacobs, meet Mad…well, never mind. Better if you don‟t know her name.” 80
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Christine didn‟t even flinch at the preposterous suggestion. She knew Parker well. She looked healthier, happier than he remembered. Her blonde hair was bouncing about freely instead of pulled into the tight bun she used to wear. Her pale skin was tanner than before. “Welcome. Sit.” She took Madeline by the hand and led her over to the sofa covered with plump pillows in a variety of autumn colors. Madeline looked relaxed enough, but Parker knew she was chomping at the bit. “Can I get you guys something to eat or drink? You look like you‟ve been traveling for…wait…let me guess. Two days? One stop briefly at an out-of-the-way hotel?” “You nailed it.” She still had it. Christine made a short hop and clapped her hands together in front of her. “It‟s been so long since I analyzed a situation. I don‟t get many visitors out here.” She addressed this last bit to Madeline. Always the hostess, Parker thought as he recollected their earlier days. “But, no. We‟re fine. We stopped to grab a burger recently.” Parker paused, not sure where to begin, and glanced over at Madeline, hoping to express his love and alleviate her discomfort with just a look. She seemed satisfied, if her blush was any indication. “So, you need a place to hide out for a while and some supplies, I presume?” “Nailed it in one again.” He was pleasantly surprised by how much she seemed to still know him, even after all this time. “Can you afford to sleep here for the night? Or do you need to move on right away?” “No. I think we‟re okay for now. But I don‟t want to risk endangering your life. We should leave before dawn, just to be safe.” Parker hoped she would not be frightened by his admission and she didn‟t disappoint. Not even a flinch. “Okay then. I‟ll show you to the guest room so you can freshen up, shower or whatever you need, and then get some rest.” She was still so sharp that she could easily sense this was no average girl he was protecting this time, but a lover. “That would be great. But I‟m hoping I can impose on you for one more favor.” Parker was hesitant about his next design, but thought it was worth a try. He was counting on her previous intricate knowledge of computers to help them out. “Anything. You know that.” She was the most generous hostess, even to these extremely unexpected guests. But then, everyone he‟d graduated from the force with would do the same for any one of them. It was not in their blood to deny any one of their brethren. “I‟m hoping you may have the means to circumvent any lines of communication on the computer so that we might get word to a few people that we‟re okay.” Parker saw Madeline visibly sit up straighter at just the possibility of getting word to her father.
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“I think I could arrange something. Let‟s see what we can come up with. Follow me.” She motioned for them to accompany her and led them to a tiny office that she clearly used to do her writing when she wasn‟t entertaining unexpected guests. Christine sat down at the little desk chair and began typing with so much speed, accuracy and assuredness that Parker thought the little machine would surely start spinning and shoot off through the roof. The only sound in the room was the clickity click of her fingers running rapidly over the keys. She announced, after what seemed like only a brief pause in time, “Done, you can rest assured that anything you say on this frequency will be scrambled and untraceable.” “You‟re sure?” Parker hesitated. Her life was now at stake also. He did not want any mistakes on his head here. “I wouldn‟t allow it if I thought there was any doubt. Trust me.” She was clearly confident enough. Madeline piped in, “You mean we can use this to talk to someone? Like a phone?” Granted, that was more than Parker had hoped for also. He‟d only hoped to send an email or two. “Of course. Take as long as you need. I‟ll be in the kitchen if you need me.” With that, Christine left the room without making a sound and shut the door just as softly behind her, leaving Parker to stare at Madeline in disbelief before plopping into the desk chair and dialing Mark Reynolds. Parker held his breath while they listened to the speakerphone as the line connected. Mark did not disappoint. “Reynolds here. This better be good, Phillips.” The shit-eating grin he knew spread across his face told the tale of two men who knew each other well. “Is this line secure?” His long-time buddy was so sure of his caller that he still hadn‟t even verified the validity of his conviction. “Yes, Christine set us up. We‟re on speaker.” “Shit, man. Why didn‟t you say so,” he barked. “How is she anyway?” “Fine. Listen, I don‟t want to take any chances, so let‟s make this brief. Did you pick Jones up in Lincoln?” Reynolds sighed audibly. “I wish I had better news for you, but we have no idea where he made off to. I‟m really sorry, buddy.” “Shit.” “But we do know how he found Ms. Cooper.” “What? How?” Madeline chimed in. “It seems he broke into your father‟s house and rummaged around until he found the information he was looking for.”
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Madeline gasped and made a brief scream, covering her mouth at the involuntary response. “Fortunately your father was not home at the time. He set the scene up to look like your average vandalism, but nothing was missing. I‟m terribly sorry, Madeline…Ms. Cooper. This is entirely my fault. I never should have informed your father where you were. It was just too easy for Jones. Under the rather unusual circumstances, I just hated for the man to have to send his only child away and have no knowledge of her whereabouts. It was a most misguided judgment on my part.” There was a pause while all three of them digested this new information. Parker continued, “Well, we‟re safe now. No one will find us where we‟re going,” wherever that is, “and we‟ll remain there until you catch this guy, no matter what. You know how to find us.” He spoke the words more as a promise to Madeline than a method of conveying information to Mark. “You got it, partner.” “Please…” Madeline jumped in, “please let my father know…” “Of course. Consider it done.”
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Chapter Eleven Madeline slept like the dead again. She had climbed under the covers of the small guest bed and drifted off so soundly that she was barely aware of Parker joining her, perhaps several hours later, to lie on top of the quilt and just hold her. In the early morning hours, they were once again on the run. Madeline suspected there was a lot more to the relationship Parker had once shared with Christine, but nevertheless she could not begrudge the woman his friendship, as kind as she had treated them during the brief visit. She had even emptied her refrigerator of milk, juice, eggs and several other items of produce to avoid slowing them down by making a trip into town to shop on their behalf. Parker tried to at least give her some money, but clearly he knew she would have been insulted if he forced the issue. Once again they were driving through the breaking dawn to a new secured location conjured up by Parker and his one-time partner while Madeline had slept. She didn‟t feel the need to press him on the details. What did it really matter? They resumed their comfortable silence while Parker navigated narrow, winding roads through the mountainous terrain surrounding Christine‟s home. He spent the next two hours in careful concentration, following directions he had only in his head. At last, Parker pulled the car to a stop. The sun was making a full appearance by now and Madeline was glad to exit the stifling hot car. Apparently they‟d not paid close attention to the disclosure about the broken air-conditioning. Although the season was winding down and it was now late September, today was much hotter than yesterday. Her shirt was stuck to her back from sweating and tendrils of her hair were glued to her neck and forehead. The sight before Madeline‟s eyes was breathtaking. “Where are we?” “Rural Arizona, safely sequestered in the nice desert mountains. No one is going to find us here.” He pulled her into his embrace and his lips grazed the top of her head, inciting a deep feeling of peace…and lust. Her heart wanted him to kiss her, deepen the embrace. She ached to have his hands running over her body as he had just two days ago. Her mind told her to use caution. Madeline was surrounded by rough mountainous terrain. The scene looked like a postcard from a hiking vacation. She could even picture a snapshot of people in hiking boots, wide-brimmed hats on their heads, canteens strapped to their waists and tall walking sticks fashioned out of any branch they happened upon on the ground. Although, on second thought, she doubted many people had ever stood in this precise location. She had never seen such a sight in all her life. So…secluded.
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“Wow,” she uttered as she pulled away from Parker to take it all in. “Are we on the run from a madman or is this a luxurious vacation retreat?” She didn‟t wait for an answer. It was rhetorical anyway. Instead she wandered away to explore some more of the flora and take in the various vantage points. “It‟s beautiful, isn‟t it? Don‟t wander off too far. You could easily get lost in this area and virtually never be found. Besides the fact that…I like you close to me. That‟s the best view of all.” He muttered this last part to himself, with no idea that she could still hear him. The area was just so peaceful and quiet that she could have heard a pin drop or a tree fall in the distance, as the case may be. The only noises were the occasional scampering of small animals and the tiniest chirping of distant birds. Whatever they were, they seemed to have skittered off with the unwelcome arrival of the uninvited guests to their natural habitat. “Where are we going to…sleep?” Madeline could not readily see any evidence of a dwelling of any sort and began to fear that camping was in store for them. Although, she noted, she had not seen any equipment being loaded into the Jeep. Now she understood why Parker had selected the all-wheel-drive vehicle yesterday. It had seemed an unusual choice at the time, but she hadn‟t questioned it because, after all, they were just trying to be as nondescript as possible and this jalopy certainly did the trick. She was just relieved it ran well and seemed to have been well taken care of under the hood, if not externally. Parker laughed at her from his position behind the trunk now. “For all the spinning around you‟re doing, gazing about with those big, gorgeous blue eyes of yours, you‟re sure not very observant.” He pointed toward a break in the trees. “Home sweet home, for as long as we need her.” There, barely visible to the naked eye, nestled a small cabin clearly created by its owner with the utmost of privacy in mind. Hikers could march through the area all day and never even see it, it was so well adapted to its environment. “Amazing…” Madeline carefully navigated her way toward the little bungalow that would harbor her until…who knew how long? No one had been there in quite some time, as evidenced by the growth of plants and saplings surrounding the entrance. Madeline gently pulled back the branches to reach the entrance, not wanting to disturb the fauna. I’m the intruder here, after all. The door was stuck tight, but Parker was quickly on her heel, noticeably duplicating her path, and he shoved the door open to reveal a dusty, dank interior. It was so dark inside that Madeline took a moment to adjust her vision well enough to make out her surroundings as she stepped into the little structure. “Do you think it‟s safe?” she questioned, looking to Parker for confirmation. “Who is going to find us here?” He misunderstood her meaning. “No, I mean, do you think it will hold up? Not collapse?”
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Parker laughed again, even heartier than he had by the car. The sound resonated through the wood floor and she could feel the vibration. If she hadn‟t known better, she would have thought he was mocking her. “It‟s perfect. Just what we need. A few hours of dusting and shaking things out and she‟ll be good as new. Don‟t worry. You‟re safe and sound.” If his confidence was to be used as the compass by which all else was measured on this journey, she had nothing to fear. “Well then, I guess we better get to work.” Madeline spun around, deciding what to do first, hands on her hips, thoroughly converted to business mode. Parker was amazed at Madeline‟s perseverance. He wasn‟t sure if she always tackled a task with this amount of gusto or if she was just trying to avoid thinking— about the killer looming out there in the distance or himself, he wasn‟t sure. And didn‟t want to consider. With utmost haste, the cabin windows had been pried opened and the curtains over the three tiny paned windows removed to air out the place and eliminate some of the mustiness. He watched Madeline do every sort of manual labor required of the task as if it were her daily routine. She didn‟t seem remotely out of her element, either with nature or with the homemaking duties. “How do you know so much about cleaning? Surely you haven‟t done a lot of housework in your life.” Parker chuckled, hoping she would not take offense at his statement. Madeline paused and looked him in the eye. “The honest truth is actually quite sad… Our maid when I was growing up, Gloria, was, well…one of my only friends to be honest. She was young and funny and I spent a lot of time watching her clean, learning from her. She never let me lift a finger—Father would have abhorred such behavior from his offspring, but I still studied her every move when I was very small. “Believe it or not, when I was three or four years old, if you would have asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would have said „a housekeeper‟, much to my father‟s dismay. Gloria was just so…happy. I wanted to be…I guess…as joyful about life as she was.” A tear trickled down Madeline‟s face as she finished the private little tale about her childhood. Parker ached to reach out to her, but knew that now was not the time. They had work to do and she needed space to reconcile her feelings toward him. By noon, the place had undergone a complete transformation and Parker considered their efforts to have been quite industrious. The floors had been swept. The surfaces of the counter and table dusted and scrubbed. They‟d even dragged the mattress for the cabin‟s one double-sized bed outside to beat the settled dust out of it as best they could. Thank God Christine had sent all sorts of items to make their stay more comfortable, ranging from sheets to a box of cleaning supplies. 86
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Once the inside of the cabin was sufficiently revealed, Parker noted that it was actually quite relaxing, comforting perhaps. They stood in the center surveying their accomplishments. It was small, by any stretch of the imagination, just one room with a miniscule bathroom tucked off in one corner, barely large enough to turn around in. Luckily whoever built the place had had the foresight to dig a well nearby, providing the cabin with at least water. No other amenities, like electricity or gas were available, but water was an essential commodity in Parker‟s opinion. The wall that contained the door to the cabin on one side was completely taken up by a large fireplace. Large only in comparison to the size of the dwelling. To the right of the fireplace sat a wood stove and a counter next to a table for two with just that number of chairs. Across from the “kitchen area”, if one could call it that, was the bed frame and a large ancient bureau that appeared out of place, dominating the space with its immense presence. At least they could use it to tuck away all the items they‟d purchased from the shocked bubblegum clerk. Parker couldn‟t help chuckle at the recollection. “What?” Madeline turned to look him in the eye for the first time since they‟d begun working. “Nothing. I was just thinking how funny this all seems, in a twisted kind of way, I suppose.” Madeline looked at Parker with a refreshing smile spreading across her face. “I guess so, if you‟re really twisted… I‟m starving. Shall we pull in the cooler and make some sandwiches?” Madeline headed to the car without waiting for a response. Parker could also feel his stomach grumbling beneath his touch and followed her. After polishing off several sandwiches, half a bag of potato chips and two large bottles of water, they spent the afternoon putting the place back to rights and unloading the contents of the Jeep. Parker was entranced by the ease with which he and Madeline had slipped into the domestic scene, each seeming to complement the other as they worked. Hardly a word was spoken all afternoon, and when they had accomplished all they could, the place was completely transformed from its state upon their arrival. Madeline still stepped around the plants and wildflowers growing all around the place, as if it would not be prudent to disrupt their habitat, but Parker had grown accustomed to watching her delicately navigate the area with amusement and some level of awe. By nightfall, they were exhausted. In contrast to the unseasonably warm daytime temperature, the evening brought much cooler air into the region and Parker loaded the fireplace up and quickly started transforming the inside of the cabin into a warm shelter. He thought of his years of childhood camping trips with the Boy Scouts and silently thanked his mother for insisting that he endure those adventures. “It will make you a better man,” she had said, and her advice was certainly coming in handy tonight. 87
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Parker was very aware of Madeline as she lay on one side of the sagging double mattress trying to keep from rolling into the center and using the last of her energy to hold her eyes open while she watched him work on getting the fire to ignite. “Madeline, you‟re exhausted. It has been a long day. Get some sleep. I‟ll be right there in a minute, as soon as I make sure I‟m not setting this up to burn the place down while we sleep.” She perked up at this announcement, glaring at him without amusement. “Just kidding. Have a little faith.” He tried to smile convincingly at her, not with regard to his abilities as a fire builder, but simply in hopes to ensure some confidence in his ability to protect her. Her nerves must have been abated somewhat by his expression or else she was just too tired to care, because she promptly leaned her head back and was sleeping like the dead in less than one minute. Parker walked over to her after he finished his job and stood for long moments just staring down into her peaceful face, relaxed in sleep. Her complexion was slightly pinkened by the day‟s hard work, but otherwise flawless. Her skin was so smooth, he wanted to reach out and stroke his hand over it for hours. He would never grow weary of watching this woman sleep. Eventually exhaustion got the best of him and he carefully lay down next to her, hoping to not disturb her slumber. Although he tried to stay awake and think about their next step and what the following days would bring to the situation, he found himself too tired to ponder such thoughts and turned his body toward Madeline to reach out and wrap his arm around her, as if it were the most natural act in the world and one that he had been accustomed to performing for years. She was so warm in sleep and fit against him like a well-worn T-shirt after years of wash.
***** When Parker awoke, the sun was high in the sky and Madeline was nowhere to be found, at least inside the quiet cabin. He stretched his stiff muscles and realized with some dismay he‟d slept most of the night on his left side, trapping his arm beneath him. A now useless arm screaming with pins and needles. He stood and wandered out the propped-open door to the cabin, shaking his poor offended appendage as he walked. The morning air was serene and glorious, although the day threatened to be a comparably hot one to rival yesterday‟s heat. Madeline appeared from around the corner of the cabin, her smile so sweet and angelic that it took Parker‟s breath away. “Good morning, sleepyhead. Do you feel better?” She looked freshly showered, hair still damp, and very young without a trace of makeup. She wore a pair of jean
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shorts and a soft blue V-neck T-shirt, compliments of Walmart. The clothes fit her perfectly and he felt his chest pump out at the realization that he was not a bad judge of size. “Yes, actually, I think I do. I haven‟t slept like that in years. Hard work will do that to you… Did you have a shower already? I didn‟t hear a sound.” “Yes, it‟s small and cold, but the water was refreshing anyway.” How could it be that this perfect creature could find the accommodations out here in the middle of nowhere so…tolerable? In fact, she was almost jubilant. “Christine said there are some hot springs around here. Perhaps if we go exploring a bit, we might come across them. Could be nicer than a cold shower.” Especially if you get in naked with me. Parker was in no way interested in pressuring Madeline, with their relationship hanging from the balance in its currently fragile state. But he could at least hope. “That sounds heavenly. I‟ve never been to a hot spring before.” That was noncommittal, but what did he expect? Parker was no dummy. This relationship had to start over, essentially from scratch, both parties assuming the identity they were born with instead of the made-up personas they were using before they fled. “Well, let me shower and grab a bite to eat and then we can go exploring, sound good?” “Perfect.” And she smiled, a look that said, “Let‟s forget the past. Today is a new day.” At least he hoped that was what he read in her eyes… The morning went smoothly. The air seemed to have at least cleared between them. Now the challenge would begin. Could she fall in love with Parker, the private agent, or were her feelings reserved for a twenty-four-year-old pretend college student working on post-master‟s classes? Time would tell. So far, so good. At least they were starting to communicate. “Do you want to rest a while?” They had been hiking for about an hour, making wide circles around the cabin so that they wouldn‟t get lost. “I‟m fine. It‟s so nice out here and I haven‟t had the opportunity to romp around in nature since I was a kid.” She paused to turn her face toward him, but seemed to be staring right through him, deep in thought. “Hmm, my mother took me to the zoo once when I was about five and we spent the entire day laughing and eating all the junk food we could from vendors while we visited each animal habitat. I haven‟t thought about that in years. Where did that come from?” Parker felt a sense of sadness roll over him as he watched this sweet face recall such a wonderful, normal childhood experience. One that should have been repeated over and over again until it no longer seemed special. Didn‟t everyone‟s parents take them to the zoo at least a few times a year? “It‟s great that you have such vivid memories of
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your mother. Not everyone who lost a parent so young would be able to recall it so clearly. What was she like?” “My mom? She was my best friend. We did everything together. Since she didn‟t work and I was an only child, she must have…just played with me. I remember her always being on the floor with her hands on my toys right alongside me.” Parker gave her a moment to savor the memories before he reached for her hand and tugged her in a new direction. “Come on. Let‟s go this way. I think I recognize this area from Christine‟s description. I bet there‟s a nice hot spring right over that ridge.” Madeline perked up at the idea and allowed him to lead her. At least she isn’t pulling away. It’s a start. Sure enough, at the crest of the little hill they found themselves looking right down at a vision from heaven. A steamy waterfall flowed seemingly right out of a rock into an enticing pool of crystal-clear water. “That‟s beautiful…breathtaking. I wish I had a camera.” Madeline just stood there, staring at the picture-perfect scene. He had the urge to once again hold her, but he didn‟t think it would be prudent at the moment. He wasn‟t at all sure that he could prevent himself from taking it too far and breaking the precarious new relationship they were starting to develop. He needed to be content to just hold her hand for now. He made a silent vow to himself to show this woman the world and all its beauty over and over again for the rest of his life, if she would have him. Thank God I wasn’t raised in an environment that stifled exploration of nature and ensured a lifetime of offices, stiff acquaintances and dinner parties. Madeline broke the silence. “Can we get in? Do you think it‟s too hot?” Her face was radiant. He loved that open-book expression of hers. “I‟m sure it‟s perfect. But it will feel even better later this evening when the air is cool. Right now it‟s getting so hot out the water won‟t be very refreshing.” “True. Can we? I mean…will we get lost out here in the dark?” “No. We‟ll be fine. I was paying attention. We aren‟t that far from the cabin, really. It just seemed like a long way because we‟ve been going in circles.” God, she’s beautiful. Now that he could see her, truly look at her, not as a struggling college student, but the wealthy heiress that she actually was, he was falling for her even harder. She was no longer playing a role. This was the real deal. And he loved the new Madeline Cooper. It wasn‟t as if he hadn‟t known who she was before, but more like Madeline herself was not in her true form for him to have really seen her as her natural self, wide-eyed and full of life. Excited. Fun. As he watched her burgeoning excitement, he wanted her, wanted her naked beneath him, wanted to explore her all over again. His lust was evident in the bulge he felt growing beneath the fly of his jeans.
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Parker squelched his desire, setting it on the back burner for later. He was putting off what needed to get done this afternoon and reluctantly he decided they had to head back to the cabin and get some lunch before launching into what he was sure Madeline would be none too pleased about.
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Chapter Twelve Madeline could have stared at the alluring sight before her all day and not gotten bored. The trees were so green, the water so clear and the rocks looked like they were carved especially for the little pool they were holding. Of course they were, dummy. The water carved them this way over probably thousands of years. Parker yanked Madeline from her pondering, pulling on the hand she had forgotten he‟d been holding all this time. It seemed so…right, being here with him like this. “Let‟s go. We can come back tonight. There‟s something I want to show you…teach you, actually, before it gets dark.” “What‟s that?” “You‟ll see…” Parker didn‟t look her in the eye, just started walking, but seemingly unwilling to let go of her hand. She didn‟t mind. She would not have wanted him to. But what was he up to? What could he possibly want to “teach” her that caused him…was it reluctance? The walk back to the cabin took mere minutes. Madeline had not realized in the few hours they‟d traveled, they‟d really only gone a few steps from the cabin. Good, it would be that much easier to find the hot spring later, as she was not about to forget that detail. Would they take off their clothes and skinny dip together? The idea sent a spark up her thighs and made her clench her legs together. It gave her something to look forward to. For the last two days since their arrival, Parker had been a little standoffish. Was he giving her time to adjust to their new personas or had he lost interest? Maybe he doesn’t even like the real me? But that seemed unlikely. The signs were all there, just mixed with a level of hesitation. Perhaps even on her part. “Now, let‟s get something to eat and then I‟ll introduce you to a new…sport.” What does he have up his sleeve? “Okay… But I have to tell you, I don‟t really enjoy rock climbing or swinging from tree branches. Hiking is kind of my limitation when it comes to the outdoors.” She hated to disappoint him later when he announced whatever he had in mind. His laughter reached into her soul and grabbed a hold. Would she ever tire of hearing it? I guess rock climbing and tree swinging are not in the agenda. Either that or he mistakenly believed he could change her mind. “Neither of those activities is on today‟s docket. But I‟m really enjoying the mental image.” He smiled and turned to make them some sandwiches. In a few days these sandwiches were going to get really old. How were they going to replenish supplies? 92
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Did he have a plan in mind? Or maybe they weren‟t going to stay that long. Even a week would be a long time to “camp” out with a cooler of food though. “Mmm, turkey and cheese,” Parker mumbled around the bite he took while handing Madeline her own sandwich, “I haven‟t had this in ages…” His humor caused her to giggle and loosen up a bit. She knew she had been a little…perhaps tense, since their arrival. Who wouldn‟t have been, though? She‟d found out their relationship was essentially a lie on both their parts and a madman was on the loose attempting to kill her. She was definitely looking forward to a long, soothing soak in the hot spring later. They made quick work of polishing off another scrumptious outdoor meal on a blanket in the grass and then Madeline watched as Parker went to the car and returned with a duffle bag. She recognized it as the one and only item they took off with when they fled the apartment, four days ago. Had it only been four days? Seemed like longer. So much had happened in that time. But what made Madeline pause was she also remembered what was in the bag, weapons. She had entirely forgotten they had them. What were they going to do with them now? And why did they need to be removed from the safety of the car? They had been just fine resting in the back of the Jeep. No need to disturb their slumber. “Madeline, have you ever fired a weapon?” “No. And I don‟t ever intend to, either.” She was frozen in her spot where she had been lounging rather comfortably in the shade. Her comfort level altered drastically at what Parker had in mind for their next outdoor activity. Suddenly rock climbing and tree swinging didn‟t seem nearly as offensive. She could use more exercise, right? Parker plopped the offensive duffle on the blanket, precariously close to Madeline for her own peace of mind. And to make matters even worse, he opened the bag and carefully removed several black implements of destruction. She didn‟t know anything about guns, but she assumed the two small ones were handguns and the larger one was some sort of military rifle. She cringed and scooted back a few inches on the blanket. He’s not going to get me to touch one of those things. “Relax, they aren‟t loaded right now. I want you to learn how to use a gun and keep it with you, just in case.” He must have seen her look of horror. She could feel her face reddening and her head shaking back and forth. “Honey, once you get familiar with a gun, it won‟t seem so daunting. Please give it a try. I‟ll feel so much better when I know you can protect yourself, even when I‟m not around.” “How about instead, you just stay „around‟.” He laughed, low and soft. “I wish I could be next to you at all times. That certainly would not offend my sensibilities, but the reality is that there will be times when we wander away from each other. I‟ll sleep better knowing you can protect yourself.” She was still shaking her head. “I don‟t think so. I don‟t think it‟s a good idea. What if I shoot myself or you. I wouldn‟t be able to live with myself.” 93
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“Well, I wouldn‟t be able to live with myself if you got shot by some madman because I was remiss in teaching you how to defend yourself.” He paused and slowly reached for her. “Please, trust me. I would never let you get hurt. Not willingly. You will be safe if it‟s the last thing I do on this earth. Will you at least give it a shot…I mean, try?” Parker pulled Madeline over to his side and then around in front of him to set her down between his legs on the blanket. His warmth seeped into her body, his pecs and six pack against her back distracting her from the objective. Couldn‟t he just wrap his arms around her and start kissing her neck instead of performing a weapon‟s demonstration? He reached for one of the small handguns and held it up in front of her line of sight. “This is a .38 Special. It‟s a six-shot revolver. Relatively easy to use. Here, just hold it. Don‟t worry. Like I said, it‟s not loaded right now.” Madeline tentatively stretched her hand out to touch the detestable deathtrap as though reaching to pet a rattlesnake. She half expected it to bite her. It wasn‟t realistic, but nevertheless, she had never seen one so close, and heck, they were only used for killing. Parker did not let her hesitance get a grip. He set the gun in her hand and pulled his back. It was not as heavy as she had expected and she actually breathed a sigh of relief that she had not died on the spot, the irrational thought having imbedded itself in her mind that somehow one would actually perish just being near such a weapon. As if reading her mind, he began, “This particular revolver isn‟t very heavy at all, contrary to what some imagine. Just hold it for a minute. It won‟t bite. Turn it over. Get a feel for it. It‟s often a handgun of choice for first-time users. It fires very accurately with very little recoil.” Madeline could tell he was patiently waiting for her to familiarize herself with the gun before proceeding. His patience with her was, as usual, remarkable. Instead, all she could think about was his breath on her cheek, in her ear. If she turned her face toward him, would he take her lips? There were only a few centimeters between them. “Madeline?” “I don‟t think I can…” Can’t what, Madeline? Touch an inanimate object? Buck up a bit. Your life is at stake here. There was no good reason for her to let the bad guy have the upper hand. Clearly he knew how to fire a weapon. Why wait around for him to kill her? She took a deep breath and began examining the little revolver, flipping it over a few times, but still holding it at arm‟s length. She was not unaware that a loving protective warm body was essentially wrapped around her, his hands on her forearms, his chest against her back, his penis pressed into her butt. Madeline Cooper, how can you possibly turn this very serious situation into something sexual? Have you gone mad?
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As if sensing her thoughts again, Parker rubbed his hands up and down her arms. An act that should have warmed her, but gave her chills instead. He leaned into her a little more than necessary and covered her hands with his over the detestable gun. “Let me show you how it works,” he nearly mumbled into her ear. His breath was warm and pleasant again on her neck and shoulder. Sweat ran down between her breasts into the V of her thin T-shirt. He had done an unbelievable job selecting things in her size, items that he must have at least put some thought into seeing her in, this particular shirt for instance. To some it would look like just any old shirt, but Madeline knew it was not the case. It was thin and snug and the neckline was perfectly sexy for her figure. Made for her. “Are you listening?” Had he been speaking? She wasn‟t sure. How long had she let her thoughts wander, wrapping themselves around this thoroughly sensual activity. Regardless of the object in her hand. “I‟m sorry. My mind wandered, I guess. Did you say something?” “I was saying…” Oh, he knew he was too close to her, speaking too softly, blowing too often in her ear, there was no doubt. “The chamber opens like this…” Parker flipped the gun to open the chamber and suddenly several holes were revealed, presumably where the bullets would be placed. “Now you try,” he pulled back, “familiarize yourself with opening and closing the chamber.” Madeline held her breath and did as he instructed. “Good.” He seemed pleased with her first attempt. She considered sabotaging the lesson and fumbling a little too much with the gun just to prolong his lingering behind her. It was so pleasant having him in that position. It had been days since they had been this close. Three days, six hours and eighteen minutes, but who was counting? Sure, he had comforted her and held her a few times and even at night, but not in this sexual way, not so close that she wanted him deep in her soul. Not since that fateful morning when the two had been yanked from their respective fake lives and thrust into the unknown. Suddenly Madeline felt the incredible weight of the implication of his presence in her life. This man has given up everything for you. He traipsed across the country to keep you safe and sound. And still he’s here. Without further thought, Madeline set the gun down in front of her, turned in the warm embrace of her rescuer and placed her palms on his cheeks to get his attention. “Thank you.” He looked startled. “For what?” “For taking such care of me. For rescuing me. For risking everything to save my life.”
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Parker gently placed his lips on hers for just the briefest of kisses, featherlight. “Any time. I would do it again in a heartbeat. If you haven‟t figured it out by now, you mean a lot to me. I never want you to hurt like you have in the past.” “Well…thank you anyway. You didn‟t have to do this. It means a lot to me. No one has ever…I mean, except of course for my father…no has ever…” “Cared?” “Yes,” she uttered quietly, averting her eyes from his penetrating stare. “Well, someone cares now. And that someone will always be there for you… Now let‟s get back to the revolver, shall we? I like my women safe and self-sufficient.” He tried to sound lighter, more jovial, she was sure, but the effect was more endearing than anything else. Just to lighten the mood and join the banter, she played into his choice of words. “Women? How many are there? And how, pray tell, have you had time for others when I‟m such a handful?” Another hearty chuckle followed. “Baby, you‟re stalling.” He picked up the gun and placed it once again in her unwilling hands. “As I was saying, this chamber holds six shots, so keep that in mind if you ever need to use it. A mental tally will keep you from being surprised to find out you‟re out of ammunition. Always make sure you have a good shot before wasting a round, and Madeline, in this case, aim to kill. This isn‟t a situation where I would recommend maiming someone. This man means to kill you, and if he has an opportunity, he will not hesitate to take it, even if you have already shot him.” “I don‟t think I can, Parker. This is…so not in my nature. You‟re asking me to shoot at another human being—” “Yes, one who has already shot at you. Have you forgotten?” She was turned once more, just enough to look him in the eyes. What she saw was dead seriousness. This was not a laughing matter. It was a matter of life or death and Parker had no intention of her falling prey to the latter. “Okay. I get it. How do I use this…this thing?” She took a deep breath. He smiled. “Finally, some sense. Let‟s go.” He stood and pulled her up with him, reaching for the gun still resting in her palms. “Where are we going?” “To practice.” Shit. I was afraid of that. “Great. Just my idea of afternoon entertainment. Won‟t the noise draw attention to us? What if we accidentally shoot someone, a hunter or something out here?” A girl can try, right? “Nice try, sweetheart, but there isn‟t a living being around here for so many miles that absolutely no one will even hear the shot, let alone become the recipient of a deadly wound. Let‟s get crackin‟ before the sun dips down too low to see our target.” 96
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“What target? Did you bring a target?” He chuckled again. “It was just a figure of speech. Lighten up. I‟ll just pick something in the distance and you will aim to „kill‟ it, so to speak.” “Oh, no. You wouldn‟t mean to have me shoot an animal or something, would you?” The thought was so appalling that she momentarily decided she must have seriously misjudged this man. “Of course not, silly. I‟m talking about a tree, a stump, a branch, anything. Just something to take aim at.” He grabbed her arm and tugged her reluctant body along behind his. When they were a few yards away from the little cabin, Parker pulled some bullets out of his pocket and flipped open the chamber on the revolver. “I‟ll load it for you. You shouldn‟t have any occasion to need to reload, so I won‟t burden you with that step.” “Thank God for small favors,” she murmured mockingly. He ignored her and concentrated on the loading. “There. All set. Now come over here in front of me.” There was hardly room for argument. He helped her get into a position with her back once again against his chest, but this time standing. His arms snaked around her, his hands on top of hers. He placed the gun in her right hand. “You won‟t need your left hand to shoot, but if you feel more comfortable, you can use it to steady your right hand and help line it up, like this.” He placed her hand precisely where he wanted it. “Your right hand will grip the handle here.” He wrapped her fingers around the handle. “You will first have to release the safety like this.” Madeline flinched when he pulled the tiny lever back. “This is the trigger. Put your finger on the trigger only when you‟re ready to fire. Never beforehand. It‟s too easy to get startled and accidentally shoot prematurely. Got it?” He paused, but she couldn‟t even begin to respond. She was more nervous than she had been at any point in her life. Sweat was gathering in her armpits and across her chest. In a moment he continued. “Now, you‟ll line up your vision over the sight right at the end of the barrel, and pull the trigger. Like I said, this particular weapon does not have much recoil, so you won‟t have to worry about being jolted backward when you fire.” “You mentioned that. What the heck is recoil?” Some of the terms he used were making her head spin. “It‟s the backward jerk you sometimes see on TV when a gun is fired.” “Oh, right. That. So I won‟t have to worry about it?” “Not at all. You should remain relatively steady after the shot is fired.” He made it sound so simple. Sure. Just follow these simple instructions and no one will get hurt, except of course, the person on the other end of the barrel.
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If it weren‟t for the stupid Godforsaken reason they were engaged in this little dance, Madeline would have surely jumped his bones by now. Their proximity was extremely intimate and she never wanted him to move from his position wrapped all around her. Forget the gun. She felt quite safe. “Did you get all that?” “Umm… I think so.” “Well, give it a try.” What? Now? “Are you sure? I mean…” “There‟s no reason to postpone it. Just pull the trigger. Aim for that large tree over there,” he pointed in the direction of a piece of nature that had no idea she was about to inflict permanent damage to it, “but don‟t worry too much about this first shot. Just get the feel for it.” Sure. Don’t worry. Parker took a step back and she realized his strong embrace had not just been a presence, but he had actually been supporting her to some extent. She had to brace herself to regain her balance. Reluctantly, she got into the position he had demonstrated, lined up the cursed pistol, and after several seconds, pulled the trigger. The bullet went God only knew where, but Madeline was just relieved to discover that it had not been as difficult as she had assumed. Loud as hell, but not unmanageable. “Good. Great. Do you see where you hit?” He must have seen her looking around in the wrong direction, because he stuck out his arm to point toward wherever she must have shot. It wasn‟t as though she could find the “needle in a haystack” anyway. Who cared? You should, because if you find yourself needing to implement this lesson, you may just want to actually hit the “target”. “Ready to try again?” “I guess.” “Go ahead. Just keep the muzzle pointed away from both of us and remember to put your finger on the trigger only when you‟re ready to shoot.” “Got it.” Madeline lined up her vision, aimed right at the unsuspecting tree and this time shot straight at it without quite as much hesitation. It felt better than the first time and he was right—the revolver did not make her jump back as she had assumed from watching too much television. She was actually excited with her progress. Two shots and this time she felt she had surely come closer to the vicinity of the target. “Fantastic. You‟re a natural. See where you hit this time.” He pointed once again, but this time at the intended tree. “No. I don‟t „see‟ a thing. Nor have I ever wanted to be referred to as a natural when it came to handling a firearm, thank you very much.”
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Madeline was only mildly joking. The entire process was unsettling. But Parker was very patient and smiled at her. “Well, you did hit the target. And you are a fast learner. Shoot a few more rounds and then I‟ll let you off the hook.” He stepped back a bit further. Better just do as he says and get this over with so you can appease the man. He clearly had no intention of letting the lesson end until he was satisfied with the results of the student. The last four rounds in the chamber were fired off with the same approximate results, at least as far as Madeline could deduce from Parker‟s reaction and his willingness to put the gun away and end this crazy scheme of his. As soon as he had everything back into the duffle bag, Madeline felt her shoulders relax. She hadn‟t realized all the tension that had built up in her body just from the idea of being able to shoot a weapon. Parker traipsed into the little cabin with Madeline following close on his heels. She didn‟t want to miss anything with regard to the location of the hated armory. After he secured it safely under the bed, Madeline felt marginally better. Not one hundred percent—her knowledge that the abhorrent items were there beneath them as they slept would not be forgotten. The stress caused Madeline to sink into the mattress, exhausted, as Parker finished folding the blankets back down over the side of the bed. “Why don‟t you take a nap? You look like you could use it.” Always the understanding gentleman. Why can’t he be just the teensiest bit disagreeable so that I don’t feel the constant need to jump him? “I think I will.” It was a reasonable response, even if it didn‟t quite touch the surface of her actual feelings. Madeline stared at Parker, who made no move to leave her side. What was he thinking? There was a crease between his eyebrows. She wanted to look upon him for the rest of the day, but couldn‟t hold her eyes open for more than a few moments longer…
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Chapter Thirteen Parker stood by Madeline‟s side for a long time, watching her drift into a peaceful sleep, knowing he had pressed her limits in the last few hours. He had hated reaching beyond her comfort zone, but knew it was necessary for her own safety and his peace of mind. The nap would do her good. Finally he quietly moved away to fiddle idly with their supplies and assess what items they were soon going to be in need of. As evening approached and Madeline still did not stir, Parker decided she may very well be out for the night. The moon was high in the sky and the night air had a chill similar to that of the previous evening, a breeze whispering through the tree branches, calling him outdoors. Feeling confident that they were indeed alone and no one could possibly find them out in this remote location, Parker decided to head to the little hot spring and soak his tense muscles. He wrote a note to Madeline and laid it by her side, hoping she would discover it in the event that she should awake, but confident he would find her in much the same position as her current one when he returned from his soak in the water. Parker grabbed one of the several flashlights they had acquired from Christine, left another on top of the hastily scrawled scrap of paper next to Madeline and made his way the short distance to the natural spring. As soon as he rounded the bend, opening up his view of the water, he could see the inviting steam rising up out of the small rock pool. He kicked off his shoes and wasted no time stripping off his jeans, T-shirt, and underwear, making a little stack on a log near the water. Parker slipped into the soothing pool with an audible sigh. It was the best feeling in the world. The only thing that would top the experience would have been if Madeline had been awake to join him. Parker luxuriated in the warm water without making hardly a sound for several long minutes, his head leaning back against a natural rock pillow of sorts, his eyes resting closed. The night air was nearly silent, with the exception of the branches rustling in the slight breeze. A sudden crunch of leaves broke the serenity of the moment and made Parker jolt in surprise. “Madeline? Is that you?” He could make out a figure coming toward him, but only the silhouette. His heart was beating rather quickly, not aware of the absurdity of his fear. Who the hell else do you think it is, idiot?
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“Yes, sorry. I didn‟t mean to startle you. I awoke and saw your note and headed straight here. I wasn‟t thinking…” “I‟m glad you did. Come on in. The water is wonderful, perfect.” Or it will be after you get in. “Okay, I‟ll just… Are you wearing anything?” She was so endearing when she was embarrassed. “Well, no. I guess I‟m not. But keep your shirt on if you‟ll feel more comfortable.” What is the matter with you, Parker? Are you nuts? “Oh, okay. Sure. That‟s a good idea.” Dammit. No, it’s not. Why did I even say it? Madeline removed her tennis shoes and slipped her sexy legs from her jean shorts, both of which she lay next to his clothes on the makeshift log bench. In the perfect glow of the moon, she was breathtaking, even with the bikini panties and T-shirt. Parker could see the outline of her figure and ached to run his hands all over her body as he had several nights ago. His dick rose to attention and he adjusted his seated position on the rock ledge under the water. Keep your grubby paws to yourself, buster, or she’s liable to jump right out of the water and walk away into the night. Madeline eased in next to him. “Ahh, that feels fantastic. I didn‟t realize how tense I was.” She kept slipping down into the steaming liquid paradise until it reached up to her shoulders. Parker was particularly glad that if she had to be wearing a shirt, at least it was a pale one. He held his breath, waiting for her to rise up enough for him to see the fabric clinging to her curves. “How long have you been in the water already? Aren‟t you hot?” Oh, I’m definitely hot, baby. “Just a short while. You must have woken up right after I left you. I thought you were out for the night. I didn‟t want to disturb your peaceful slumber. You seemed to be sleeping so soundly.” “Oh…I didn‟t even think… Am I disturbing you? Maybe you wanted to be alone.” She froze with a slight look of horror on her face. The pool was quite small, but she had somehow managed to find a way to sink in next to him without so much as brushing against his skin. She must have her sweet body suction-cupped to the wall. “Of course not. I love having you with me… You know that by now, don‟t you?” He wanted to test the waters, so to speak. The double meaning did not escape his thoughts. “Well…I…I guess. I just don‟t want to impose. You‟re being so incredibly gracious helping me out… Saving my life, actually. And I feel like I‟m…sort of…taking advantage of you, I guess.” She lowered her gaze to the water. He wanted her and he wanted her to understand that he wanted her, her body, her mind and her soul.
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“Come here.” He held out his hand, but not so far that she would be forced to grab it if she truly didn‟t want to. Please, God, let this awkward wall between us fall away. Let us get back to the business of loving each other. After a long pause, during which Parker was not at all sure Madeline would take him up on his offer, she finally reached tentatively for him. As soon as he had her hand, he knew he had her heart. He could feel it. The electricity flowing from each of them to the other. The heat. Parker pulled her into his embrace, into his lap and held her like one would a child against his chest, his chin resting on her head. He needed to make a bit of a speech, a well-thought-out statement to end the stalemate once and for all and bridge the rift that had formed between them three and a half long days ago. “Madeline… We… I…” What the hell do I say to her? What is the right thing that will make the chasm disappear? He cleared his throat and began again, knowing that the words had to be said and that she was waiting, deliberately, for him to lay everything on the line. “I know we discussed this a bit in the car on the drive here the other day, but I think some things need to be said.” A deep breath for fortitude. “First of all, I‟m sorry— ” “You don‟t have to—” “I know I don‟t have to do anything. But I want to. Please…let me finish. I‟m not that great with words. But I do have feelings and I want to try to get them out of here,” he pointed to his heart, “and into here.” He pointed to her head and tapped it. Madeline tipped her head up toward him and smiled. A smile that gave him the courage to continue. “First, I want to say how sorry I am. Deeply sorry. The minute you walked up those stairs and literally ran into me, I knew I was in trouble. I thought I could handle it. I thought I could ignore the sparks that flew through the hall, the tingly sensation that filled my body. “I had a job to do. Never in all my years have I quit a job. Never in all my years have I fallen for the person I was hired to watch.” Parker was getting it all off his chest. The words were flowing more freely now. He rubbed his hands up and down her back, the material of her flimsy T-shirt glued to her skin. “I wanted you from the moment I set eyes on you. I may have denied it for a while, but I knew you were the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. And that made my decision all the more difficult. If I‟d have quit the job, then someone else would have been sent, someone else to protect you. I couldn‟t let that happen. I couldn‟t dare trust any other person with your life. I wanted you that bad. “And selfishly, I also knew that I would have had to leave. Not just turn you over to another man to follow you around night and day, but leave. It was an easy choice.”
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She was staring at him and tears were running down her face, her blue eyes glistening. “I—” “Wait, I‟m not done. I was a coward. I know that. I kept up the ruse because I wanted to be with you for as long as possible, knowing full well that as soon as you found out, I would be the vilest creature in the universe in your eyes. It was not fair of me. It was wrong on so many levels, but the reality was I not only wanted you to be safe, I also wanted to spend whatever time I could with you. It was going to have to last me a lifetime and I wanted every second to count.” Parker stared at Madeline, holding his breath. “You know… You had me at „hello‟.” She smiled up at him, saying nothing more. “Well, now,” he began, feeling much more sure of himself, “I‟m no Tom Cruise, but if you‟ll have me, I sure do want you in my life.” “Is it my turn yet?” Madeline‟s heart was overflowing. He loves me. Well, he didn‟t say it like that, but she knew he did. “I suppose, but make it quick, because I‟m about three seconds from kissing you into oblivion. And I don‟t intend to come up for air anytime soon.” His grin was infectious. “Sounds fair.” She took a deep breath and continued. “You do realize that I was making choices too during our relationship. I knew, of course, that I was playing a role, a role that was going to end abruptly the moment my attacker was found. And I would disappear into the ether as fast as I had arrived in your life. “I knew that I was living on borrowed time, that I couldn‟t have you in the real world. You didn‟t even know who I was, and frankly, neither did I. So talk about selfish. That was the most selfish act of my life. I was just so caught up in the idea of living a „normal‟ existence for a while and having a „normal‟ relationship that I couldn‟t possibly let you go. I‟m sorry too. Will you forgive me if I forgive you?” “You don‟t even have to ask.” Parker‟s eyes were filled with all the love she could feel radiating off her. His hands had been resting rather loosely around her waist the entire time and now they moved up to cup her cheeks. “Now, will you shut up and let me kiss you?” Without another word, Parker leaned into Madeline and began a slow, sensuous kiss, a kiss that felt almost like a first kiss, but this one was the first kiss they shared as Madeline, the heiress, and Parker, the private agent, as opposed to Maddie and Parker, the post-graduate students. If she had been allowed to come up for air and speak, she would have told him so. Instead, she sank into the kiss, his warm mouth and tongue. She gripped his forearms, twisting in his lap. Her chest got tight and her breasts bounced just on the surface of the
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water, aching to have Parker take them in his grasp. The wet shirt she wore sucked itself to her skin, bringing her awareness to her overly sensitive nipples. Finally, Parker pulled back his mouth about a quarter of an inch and asked, “Do you think we can start over here? Or do you think we‟re in a surreal setting that‟s not close enough to real life to make our feelings valid?” “Hmm. You may have a point, but there‟s only one way to find out.” She wanted him inside her so badly. “What do you have in mind, Ms. Cooper?” His gaze was every bit as suggestive as Madeline wanted it to be, but she had to goad him just a tiny bit. “You‟ll just have to come and knock on my father‟s door when this is all over and see if I receive you or not.” His momentary shock was quickly replaced with raucous laughter. And the next thing Madeline knew, he resumed the intimate kiss and deepened it to devour her mouth and tongue. He seemed to suck her soul right out of her and she let him. Wanted him to. His hands ran up and down her back until he grasped the hem of her now-seethrough shirt and quickly divested her of it. Parker took a moment to skim his fingers over her shoulders, her back, her abdomen. She was going mad with wanting him to touch her more intimately, and now. Finally, he reached for the front clasp on Madeline‟s bra and popped it off as if he had been doing this to her every day for twenty years. He did choose the bra, after all. Parker‟s rock-hard erection was squeezed between Madeline‟s thigh and his stomach, sealed by the position in which she sat, sideways on his lap. She couldn‟t get close enough to him fast enough and wiggled her way into a new position while he seemed to be preoccupied weighing her breasts floating on the water. Lord, she needed him to apply more pressure, now. As she quickly swung her legs around to straddle Parker and trap his hard length between them, she wished that she had paused to take the time to remove her panties. Now his erection was trapped between her abdomen and his, the thin barrier of wet lace an unwanted impediment. Not that the lace would have been any less wet had they been above ground, but possibly easier to remove. While this thought filtered through Madeline‟s consciousness, Parker trailed his fingers down her body and gave a startling yank to the flimsy lingerie. It was gone in an instant, leaving them both naked and making her suck in a deep breath. The act was so sexy, demanding, it drove her libido up a few notches. “I need you,” Parker moaned as he leaned into her ear to begin nipping at the sensitive lobe. Madeline shivered at both the words and the action. Her hands dug into his shoulders. Her need for more contact with him made her wiggle against him.
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“Please…” was all she could manage. Parker began a renewed perusal of her body, seeming to need reminding about what every inch of her had felt like four long nights ago. His hands were everywhere and nowhere. They roamed swiftly, as if in a hurry, up and down her back and over her butt cheeks. They smoothed down her thighs and pulled her tighter against him. Madeline‟s lust was growing by the second, but her deep breathing and squirming did not speed up the game Parker had planned. At long last, he dragged the fingers of both hands up over her stomach and breasts and suddenly grasped her nipples, pinching both of them to a point of pleasure-pain that broke the delicate meandering and caused her to gasp. Or maybe that was actually more of a moan. “Oh…” It wasn‟t eloquent, but it was the only sound she was capable of. Parker took on a frenzied pace unlike what she had experienced the other night, the only night she had been able to share with him. Parker leaned his head down and began a pattern of pinching and twisting her nipples, interrupted by a soothing suck from his devouring mouth. Madeline arched her back into his mouth, feeling the sting of his torture as it traveled to her lower belly. She was panting heavily now, could hear her own need in the still night air. The sloshing of the delicious warm water was the only other sound. “Parker, I… I can‟t take it… Please…” She could feel her orgasm building and he had not yet touched her sensitive clit, at least not with his hands. She was doing her damndest to rub against him and create a friction against his cock to ease her need, but he was also doing a fine job of holding her just far enough away that she could not get the contact she desperately needed. “You…you‟re…teasing me…” She moaned the words more than spoke them. Her hands were gripping his shoulders so tight she thought there would surely be bruises visible tomorrow. She could do nothing else, with his constant uninterrupted torture to her swollen nipples. She felt so wanton she was even thrusting her chest at Parker in silent supplication to continue the slow torture. She wanted more, more of anything. “I‟m begging you… The pressure is too… I need you inside me…” With no notice and in less than a single panted breath, Madeline found herself sitting on the cool, smooth rock surface surrounding the edge of the warm pool of water. The night air would have been almost chilly, but Madeline‟s skin was so heated from the water and the labors of this god of sex, it felt perfect. A relief from the intense heat. Her hands reached back to brace her, a response her body made to keep from falling over when Parker gripped her thighs, shoved them as wide as possible and sucked her clit into his mouth without warning. Madeline screamed, a scream as loud as any scream she could have possibly made if she were being mauled by a bear. A scream of desire instead of fear, but completely uninhibited due to her location in the secluded mountains. On some level she was 105
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letting down a guarded part of herself that she would never be able to release inside any city limits. Without lessening the suction Parker had on her clit, he used one hand to reach three fingers into her core and raked them immediately over her G-spot. That was it. In less than two seconds her entire body tensed. The orgasm ripped through her system and threatened to push her over backward with the tremors. Luckily, Parker sensed her every need and reached his free hand behind her back for support, never ceasing the fierce hold he had on her clitoris nor the grip he had inside her. She was so incredibly tight from four days of rest after her first and only sexual experience, that she could feel the walls of her vagina stretching around the three fingers that had invaded her all at once. This act alone would have sent her to the moon, but the multiple sensations caused Madeline to ride through first one and then another orgasm before she began to relax in his grip. Parker slowly released her clit from his mouth with a final long lick and dragged his fingers from her tight opening. She shivered as she opened her eyes, unaware until then that they had been closed ever since he yanked her from the water to set her on the stone ledge. How long ago was that? Three, maybe four seconds? Parker pulled her back into the water to hold her in his embrace. The orgasms had been fantastic, but Madeline still craved more. She reached between them to grasp his thick penis. What would he taste like? She suddenly had to know. “My turn.” Madeline shoved Parker backward against the wall while reaching back to fondle his balls in the palm of her hand. He sucked in a breath and held it. Madeline leaned into Parker‟s ear, empowered by his reaction, and murmured her intentions. “I could just duck under water and suck you into my mouth…but it would be so much easier to breathe if you sat on the rock above the water.” She pulled back a fraction to smile at him coyly. Parker pulled himself out of the water this time and sat on the edge where Madeline had just been ravaged, reversing their roles and allowing her access to every inch of his male anatomy. “I prefer that you breathe.” Madeline looked first at Parker‟s face, almost embarrassed to be in such a position, but not quite able to muster up enough of that emotion in her current state of flush from the fantastic orgasms. Parker did not reach for her, instead leaning back on his hands and spreading his thighs enough to let her get between them. He let her take charge and control the speed of this situation. The effort to allow Madeline to set this pace was evident in the wrinkle between his eyes. His gaze was narrow and he stared at her intently.
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Madeline laid her hands on Parker‟s thighs and lowered her vision to the gigantic, thick, throbbing penis in front of her. At no previous time in her life had she understood the attraction to oral sex, but now she wanted to know the taste and feel of Parker. Her mouth watered. Her breasts floated on the top of the water. The need to take him between her lips was overwhelming. Gently, she circled his shaft with her palm and pulled her hand up and down, watching the bobbing reaction and the slight leak of come that oozed out of the tip. Madeline let go to swipe her finger over the tip, and then brought it to her mouth to taste the salty flavor, lifting her gaze to his as she did. “Mmm.” “God, baby. You make me so horny.” His voice was a low growl. “Please… Suck my cock. I can‟t take this anymore.” “Cock?” She smiled up at him, using the word out loud for the first time. Her vocabulary was increasing every time she had sex with this man. The word felt unnatural on her tongue. He chuckled, but reached with one hand to gently pull her face toward his groin. She took the hint, grabbed his thighs with both hands and leaned her mouth down to tentatively lick his “cock” up one side and down the other. Cock, cock, cock. She tried the word out in her mind. Maybe I can add a few words, but I’m not sure that’s going to be one of them. “Mmmm” was the sound drifting through the cool night air, followed by “oh, baby, that feels so good.” He leaned back once more on his hands. Empowered by his tone to continue, Madeline increased her death grip on Parker‟s thighs and proceeded to lick everywhere her tongue would reach, around his balls, behind them and up his shaft, over and over, learning the salty taste and smell of him that was all man. As her boldness increased and her own body clenched in reaction to his responses, Madeline relaxed and took Parker‟s long thickness into her mouth. She was gentle and soft at first, not wanting to hurt him, not sure how much pressure she could apply, but feeling the need to increase the suction. Parker moaned louder as she swallowed more and more of his shaft into her mouth. Her gaze rose up to examine his face as she gradually pulled back out, only to find his head thrown back in a clear demonstration of ecstasy. You must be doing something right, Madeline. He doesn’t look like he’s in pain. As she resumed her exploration, sucking a bit harder on the second pass, Parker reached one hand up to gently place it on her head. Her immediate sense of alarm dissipated almost as quickly when she realized he seemed to be more encouraging or even thanking her than attempting to force her into anything. With every sound and movement on Parker‟s part, Madeline found her own body screaming for release. She could sense herself almost involuntarily wiggling in front of Parker, wishing she could rub up against…anything to ease the need. She clenched her legs together in attempt to diffuse the pressure. 107
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With her need came a drive to suck harder. So she did, with a sudden downward thrust that drove Parker‟s shaft straight into the back of Madeline‟s throat. She had heard people speak of such things, had read about it even, but was unprepared for the feelings associated with truly wanting to drive her lover crazy with need, wanting to drag him over the top of the precipice. Wanting to see him come apart under the control of simply her mouth. And he was most definitely coming apart. Cream was leaking out of Madeline too. Even though she was standing in warm water above her waist, the muscles of her vagina fluttered with desire. “Madeline…” How he was able to communicate with her at that moment was beyond her, but he continued. “Baby? Let go of my leg and reach down to fondle yourself while you suck me.” Madeline froze, the tip of Parker‟s erection between her lips. What did he just say? Fondle myself? “That‟s right. You heard me. Touch yourself. Pinch that sweet little clit of yours and stuff your dainty little fingers up into your pussy. Make yourself come for me while I come. Will you do it, baby?” Still frozen, Madeline, tried to imagine what he was asking her to do. Could she masturbate in front of him? The thought heated her cheeks and made her uterus contract with want. His small commandment inflamed her higher. Parker was nothing if not patient. He smoothed her sweaty hair away from her face and then held as still as a statue beneath her before proceeding. “You know you want to. I can tell by the way you‟re wiggling beneath the water. Your pussy is hot and demanding attention. It‟s a natural act. You should not feel embarrassed or ashamed. In fact, I won‟t even be able to see what you‟re doing beneath the water. But I‟ll know. And later I‟ll want to see you do it above ground so I can watch.” Madeline still held Parker in her mouth, his tender directive driving her to swirl her tongue around the mushroom-shaped head. She could not deny him. She knew she would never be able to deny this man. And she knew in her heart that he would never abuse this power he had over her. Madeline resumed her blowjob, licking through the slit of his cock to taste the precome leaking out of him again. As she continued sucking him once again deeper into her throat, she pulled away from his thigh with her right hand and reached under the water to flick her finger over her clit. The effect was unbelievably sexy. She felt so desirable in that moment, more than she ever had in her life. The little nub poked out, pulsing beneath her touch. Her stomach clenched. Latching on to the notion that he didn‟t really know what she was doing beneath the water, Madeline slowly pushed her middle finger up inside her and then dragged the little digit back out to pinch her clit, never lessening the suction on Parker‟s growing erection. She could sense that he was close and could hear more than one tone of
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moaning on the night air, indicating that both of them were involuntarily emitting the passionate sounds. Just as Madeline could take the pressure no more and knew that she was indeed going to manage to bring herself to orgasm, Parker abruptly, but gently, pulled her head back with his hand fisted delicately in her loose hair. Feeling the loss and not understanding the reasoning, she reached for him with her left hand and wrapped it around his erection, needing the contact with him in order to complete herself. In this new position, with her left hand involuntarily pumping and her right hand unable to avoid imitating the action, Madeline screamed the satisfaction of her third orgasm of the night. As she rode it out, she felt the pulsing rhythm of Parker‟s orgasm and glanced down to watch the warm fluid that erupted from him run down her hand to mix with her saliva and further increase the lubrication beneath her grasp. Her own desires temporarily satisfied, she stared up at the man still enjoying the throes of passion and eased her grip, but continued pumping Parker, gradually decreasing the speed and pressure until he once again leaned forward to look her in the eye. “That, my love, was amazing.” Parker lowered himself back into the water and held Madeline against his chest in a cherished hug, running his hands up and down her back, making her shiver. Her long hair floated around them like a halo, seeming to wrap around Parker and create just one being instead of two. “I…I wanted to be inside you. But you…were unstoppable.” He kissed around her face and neck while whispering, “And so sexy.” She brought her lips to his shoulder and nibbled toward his neck. “I‟m a prune,” he mumbled against her. “Shall we go back to the cabin and continue?” Lifting her head, she stared up into his eyes. “I can‟t believe after three orgasms I could „continue‟, but I need you inside me. I want to feel you filling me.” Madeline‟s breathing was heavy. “I want to watch you masturbate on the bed, your legs spread apart before me.” His words were flowing out like poetry. Madeline gasped. It was one thing to do it beneath the hot spring. Could she really play with herself under his perusal? He leaned toward her cheek and kissed a path to her hairline. “Did you forget?” he continued in that low sexy voice, blowing the words into her ear. “That was so sexy when you did it under water, but I want a better view next time. Then, after I watch you bring yourself to ecstasy, I want to slam into you and come together with you.” Madeline couldn‟t stifle another gasp, but it came out more like a moan. Her body was limp, pliable. And she wanted him so bad, she could practically picture herself in front of him, eyelids lowered, thighs spread wide before his perusal. Her juices would stream out of her. Would she be able to let go? Raise her hips and spasm under his gaze? 109
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Chapter Fourteen Parker pulled Madeline‟s limp, sated body out of the water. He grabbed their clothing while she slipped on her shoes and, without bothering to replace their now-wet garments, they traipsed naked, hand-in-hand, the short distance back to the cabin‟s luring warmth. The night‟s breeze may have been chilly under normal circumstances, but proved only to dry their skin and cool their heated bodies from both the long soak in hot water and the lingering effects of intense passion. During the short hike back to the cabin, neither said a word. When they entered the cabin, he finally broke the silence. “Go ahead and lie down. I‟ll just get the fire started. It may get chilly during the night.” He could feel her eyes on him as he worked, burning a hole in his nakedness. As he turned toward her once again, he saw the lust that still simmered behind her gaze. Parker sauntered over to the bed. Madeline had climbed under the covers and stared at him from her propped-up position on the pillows. As he leaned in from the edge of the bed to kiss her swollen lips, he slowly peeled the comforter back to expose her fabulous, naked body. He was going to have to rekindle the passion he had seen earlier in her eyes if she was going to loosen her inhibitions enough to masturbate for him. “You are…so sexy…lying here…sprawled out…like this.” Parker nibbled across her face and down her neck, uttering the words between kisses. He climbed onto the bed and continued kissing and licking his way down her neck and chest to suck one pebbled nipple into his mouth. He reached to lightly pinch the other between his fingers. Her small gasp told him that the fire was burning again. The only light in the room was that of the slowly increasing flames in the fireplace, casting a gorgeous flickering of shadows and soft lights over Madeline‟s smooth skin. Parker leaned over to suck her other tight little tit in his mouth and gently bit the tip, eliciting a slight cry from her lips. She grasped his head, and rather than pushing him away, steadied him in silent supplication for more of the same. My little vixen likes things a bit rough. Parker was dying to see how she responded to slightly more dominance than he had demonstrated earlier. With one more nip on her nipple, he scooted down to reposition himself between her legs, pushing them apart as he lowered himself into the created v. Glancing up into Madeline‟s face revealed glassy eyes filled with lust. Now. Parker pulled back all contact and leaned on his elbows. “Madeline? Will you fondle yourself for me? While I watch?”
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Her response was a low moan. The scent of her arousal filled the room. His face was close enough to her core to breath in the sweet, salty scent that was all Madeline. “Spread your legs further apart…” He waited. After a moment, she complied and he could see better now. The flames of the fire created flickers of light over her core, her glistening juices flowing slowly out of her pussy. The sexiest sight he had ever witnessed. “Further…” He stared into her blue eyes at the command to watch her reaction. Parker himself moaned when Madeline glared straight at him and took her bottom lip into her mouth, biting it between her teeth. But she did as she was told and spread her thighs wider. “That‟s it, baby. You‟re so beautiful. Like a goddess on display. Your tits are poking out, begging to be pinched, swollen with need. Can you feel that?” Parker stared at her perfect globes, rising and falling as she breathed. With his words, the nipples grew even harder, the deep rose color darkening beneath his perusal. “Run your hands over the soft globes and gently squeeze them… That‟s it. Baby, that‟s so sexy.” He wanted to encourage her, drive her mad with wanting to do this for him. Never had he experienced this with a woman. He had always had a dominant side that lay dormant just beneath the surface, but he had never been with anyone with whom he felt comfortable enough to explore it. God, he wanted her. He felt his dick hardening more each moment, trapped against the bed. “Now, pinch your sexy little tits for me.” She never faltered. Just did as she was told, each act heightening Parker‟s arousal and hers as well. Her head was lolling back and forth, soft moaning seeping from between her now-parted lips. “Keep one hand pinching those nipples…but move the other between your legs…” She slowly allowed her hand to meander down her stomach. “Circle your clit, but don‟t touch it yet… There, like that.” Flames were burning Parker‟s cheeks. Had they somehow moved closer to the fire? “Now move that finger down and drag it through the wetness between your pussy lips, baby…” Parker had to sit up to relieve the pressure on his cock. The rock-hard erection bobbed between his legs from this position, the need running through it not in any way alleviated. “Drag that wetness up to stroke over your clit now…” Madeline lifted her hips off the bed and gasped at the pleasure. The tight muscles of her thighs held her rigid above the bed. Parker grasped his stiff length with his hand and slowly began to pump, the tightness begging for release. He moaned at the sensation, the low noise filling the room and causing him to glance up at her face to see if she noticed. Madeline had opened her eyes to gaze into his face, once again biting her bottom lip. He didn‟t want her to stop. Didn‟t want to break the spell she was under.
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“Madeline… Use your other hand to spread the folds back around your sweet clit…” She didn‟t hesitate, even though she was still looking him in the eye. Her left hand moved down between her legs. He kept his gaze on her glassy eyes for another moment. “Suck your finger into your mouth, baby…” She released the tight hold on her bottom lip and slowly sucked the dainty digit, tasting herself. He had a better show to watch, though, and returned his gaze to her pussy. “While you hold the folds around your clit back, stroke that tight little nub with your finger, wet with saliva…” Her hips lifted again, even higher. She was easily going to come. He hadn‟t been sure she could lower her inhibitions enough to actually bring herself to orgasm under his watchful eye and command, but that idea seemed to have flown away. She kept stroking that sexy core without any further instructions, even reaching on her own accord into the wetness at the entrance to her pussy to drag it back up once again to the spot demanding attention. And Parker pumped harder on his erection. If he didn‟t stop, he was going to come before witnessing the finale in front of him. He paused to squeeze his dick tightly and dampen the orgasm threatening at the surface, not sure he would be able to stop it. His thighs were stiff and sweat was running down his back with the effort. “Baby, press three fingers into your pussy as far as you can… Now pinch your clit with your other hand and hold it…” God, she was fantastic. The most spectacular sight, completely open to him. Completely his for the commanding. Parker adjusted his position a bit, but kept applying pressure to his erection, placing his thumb tightly over the tip. Please don’t blow yet. Madeline was moaning, her head thrown back, her slender neck sticking out and her hips rocking up and down. “Drag those fingers over your G-spot, baby… You have to curve them, angle them a little.” She must have hit the spot, because he lost communication with her when she began a frantic pace, pumping those sopping fingers in and out with her left hand while pinching her growing nub over and over with her right. Her skin was splotchy red under the soft glow of the fire. Her knees were shaking. And Parker could not keep from resuming his own pumping motion. While watching Madeline unfold in front of him, he reached with his free hand to fondle his balls and allowed himself the luxury of pulling the moisture from the tip of his cock to smear it all around and provide a lubricant for his quickly sliding fingers. “Oh… Oh… Oh God, Parker… I‟m gonna…” She exploded, her body writhing in ecstasy while her fingers continued to milk her orgasm, pumping furiously to draw out every last second. At that moment, Parker increased his pressure and moaned loudly, drowning out the panting coming from Madeline‟s side of the bed as his hot seed spurted out onto her thighs. 112
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When at last his river of come ceased, Parker let go and lay himself gently over Madeline‟s limp body. Her hands had fallen to her sides, her legs still splayed open, and he pressed his still-erect cock against her hot, soaking entrance. He lay all the way over her, her soft globes pressed against his chest, rested his elbows on either side of her face and began a long, luxurious kiss. She let her mouth fall open and entered him with her tongue, taking the initiative and delving into every crease, like she could not get enough of his taste. When he finally pulled back to gaze into her eyes, she was smiling shyly at him. “I… I can‟t believe…that we…that I…did that.” Madeline looked straight at him. “Baby, that was truly the most sensuous experience of my life. I hope you thought so too.” Was he kidding? It was freeing…and wonderful. Madeline felt the heat rise in her cheeks, but she did not back down from his gaze. She was still aroused, even after the fantastic orgasm he coaxed out of her without even touching her. He watched. The man just watched me masturbate. Why am I not embarrassed? Because the heat and passion had not subsided. She still wanted him. “I need you inside me. Please, Parker. I need to feel you…inside me.” Thank God he smiled. She didn‟t know what she would have done if he had said that he couldn‟t do it. Not so soon after ejaculating all over her. His warm semen was a reminder of that fact. Could he make love again so soon? Madeline let out a little squeal when Parker quickly flipped them over and sat up, leaning against the mound of pillows that had been behind her. Madeline was sprawled all over him, her face against his chest, so she used the opportunity to lick the nipple nearest her mouth, eliciting a new moan from Parker‟s lips. Parker took her head in his hands and pulled her up to look into her eyes. She felt the cool air that blew between their heated bodies at the lack of contact. “Do you want to make love or drive me crazier than you already have tonight?” He smiled at her, but gently leaned forward to set her back a bit. Her confusion quickly evaporated when he reached over the side of the bed and came back with a foil wrapper in his hand. “Will you put it on me?” Oh, God. Put it on him? Madeline took the thin disk with shaking hands and ripped it open. When she held the rubber circle in her hands, she realized she was not altogether sure what to do. “How… I mean…um how do you know which way it goes?” God, Madeline, you sound ridiculous. How hard can it be? Her face was burning, cheeks as rosy as ever.
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Parker gave a soft chuckle. “Trial and error… Just place it over the tip,” he motioned her forward with his gestures, “and roll the sides down. If it won‟t roll, then you guessed wrong. Flip it over and try again.” Tentatively—can I hurt him?—Madeline did as he said and breathed a sigh of relief when the condom easily unfolded over his once again throbbing erection. His low exhale, followed by a soft “mmm”, was all the encouragement she needed to finish the process. “Climb on top of me, baby. I want you to ride me.” Holy shit. Ride him? Sure. Women did it all the time, right? At least in literature. “I don‟t know…quite… I mean…” Parker reached for Madeline and gently pulled her on top of him with her legs straddling his hips. He held her above his pulsing…cock. I’ll never get used to that word. But cock was a perfect choice for the wanton, sexy woman hovering above Parker. Madeline grasped his shoulders to hold herself above him, his firm, muscular frame tight beneath her grip. A sheen of sweat covered his body and glistened in the soft glow of the fire now roaring behind them. Madeline wanted to lick her tongue over his nipples, but when she leaned down, Parker grasped her shoulders to stop her. He gasped out his words. “I…can‟t…take…that… Just…please lower yourself onto me. I need to be inside you, now.” Madeline reached for the sheathed hard-on with one hand, bracing herself above him with the other still gripping his biceps, and lined him up with the entrance to her pulsing opening. There was no need for foreplay. She was dripping with desire and lowered her body over his erection until he was all the way in to the hilt. “Ahhh… Oh God… Parker… I need…to move.” She was muttering senselessly, but couldn‟t stop herself and didn‟t wait for a response. He filled her so tightly, so perfectly, and she wanted the friction that only lifting herself up would provide. Parker held on to Madeline‟s arms with his firm grip and she couldn‟t keep from bracing herself with her knees and slamming up and down over him, learning that she could control the speed and friction in this position to whatever suited her desire. Each time she lowered herself onto him, she purposefully tilted to the perfect angle that pressed her sensitive clit into the soft curls surrounding Parker‟s fantastic…cock. Skin prickling, Madeline was enjoying the liberating feeling of being on top of Parker. “Oh, God… Madeline…baby… I‟m not going to last long if you keep up that pace.” “Uh, uh. I‟m…on…top. My…pace.” She panted through the jumbled words, loving this man, loving this position, loving the angle of his cock rubbing over and over against her G-spot while she controlled everything. Her thighs tightened under the strain, but she didn‟t let up.
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Parker reached between them to pinch her nipples, her breasts swaying rapidly over him. A moan escaped her lips, bringing no level of embarrassment. “I‟m gonna come…” Parker uttered stiffly through gritted teeth. “Come with me, baby…” She might not have been able to obey that final command, but when he let go of her swollen nipple to quickly pinch her clit between two fingers, all was lost. Parker stared intently into Madeline‟s eyes. At the same moment, two sets of pleasurable sounds penetrated the night, his low and throaty, hers a high-pitched scream. She kept lifting up and down over him until she felt his erection softening inside her and then slumped over him like a rag doll, her face against his chest. Spent. Unable to move a muscle. His hands roamed over her back, raising goose bumps to her glossy skin. The words “I love you” stuck to the tip of her tongue. It was too soon. They had just reconciled. She bit her lip to keep from saying anything, the pain taking her mind off the thoughts. Moments passed, Parker‟s chest heaving beneath her, lifting them as they regained their senses, his hands still wandering lovingly over her body. Would she be embarrassed in the light of day tomorrow? God, I hope not. Because that was the best experience of my life. Finally able to breathe relatively normally, Parker lightly lay Madeline alongside himself and gazed deeply into her eyes. “I… Did you… Hmmm…that was so…I don‟t have the words.” His hand still roamed over her arm, up and down, bumps raising in its path. She smiled reassuringly at him. “Unbelievable.” I love you. “Yes, it was.” Parker removed the condom and deposited it in a tissue beside the bed. When he rolled back over, Madeline‟s skin had chilled without his warmth. It was only a moment, but she released a long sigh when he again pulled her into his embrace. He turned her to spoon her back against his chest and pulled the comforter from the foot of the bed over them. The warm cocoon lulled Madeline under in moments. As she drifted off, light kisses on her temple, she was well aware that this was no longer just a fling between two fake college students. This was serious. She would not be able to let him go.
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Chapter Fifteen The next morning, Madeline lay lazily gazing at Parker‟s still-sleeping form. His back was to her and she luxuriated in admiring his bronze shoulder, the slope of his torso, and the muscles on his forearms. All that was visible above where the sheet took over and prevented further exploration. She would have liked to run her fingers over his skin, feel the heat of it, but didn‟t want to wake him. It was late, probably ten or eleven o‟clock, judging by the angle of light coming through the window. They had needed the sleep. What time did we finally doze off? A noise jerked her from her reverie. Was it just an animal outside? Or was it more? She had gotten a little too comfortable out here in the woods, a little too laid back. She sat up abruptly, but that did not disturb sleeping beauty. And then the noise became a voice, barely audible, but definitely human. “Parker,” she hissed, shoving the side of his warm body. “Wake up. There‟s someone coming.” She was trying to be as quiet as possible to not alert the intruder, but waking Parker was like rousing the dead this morning. Of all the mornings for him not to be at his best. “Hmm. Good morning, babe. Did you sleep well?” He turned his face toward her finally. But his brain must have clicked into place, her words belatedly penetrating his system, because when he saw the look she gave him, he jumped from the bed and inched quietly toward the door, naked as the day he was born. Madeline gasped at his sudden movement. Even with the threat of some sort of invasion, she couldn‟t help but ogle his sexy form, his “cock” standing at attention. Did he always wake up with a hard-on? She held her breath as Parker peeked out the small window next to the door, clearly trying to avoid being seen by whoever was out there. And then simultaneously, he stood up straighter, audibly exhaling, while Madeline registered Christine‟s sing-songy voice calling out, “Parker?” Parker whipped the door open and then glanced down at himself with Christine standing just outside. “Oops. Sorry. Give us just a second, „kay?” He didn‟t wait for an answer, but softly shut the door at a much more reasonable pace than he‟d opened it. Madeline blushed, feeling the heat stinging her cheeks at being caught in such a predicament. “What is she doing here?” Madeline whispered as quietly as possible. “Do you think she knows something? How…?” Madeline was full of unanswerable questions. Get up. Move, girl. She looked down at herself, sitting on the bed with the sheets around
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her waist, her exposed breasts heaving with the stress of the excitement that caused her breath to come in quick gasps. Even though she had been the one awake just moments ago, wide awake, staring at the handsome well-sculpted body of her lover, she seemed to now be frozen, unable to move, while Parker hustled around grabbing jeans, a T-shirt, some tennis shoes. “Babe? You okay?” He reached for her as he finished donning his clothes. “Want me to let Christine in before you get dressed?” He chuckled. “You look like you saw a ghost.” “Right. I guess I feel like it. I was trying to wake you… I heard a noise… Obviously it was Christine.” Parker bent to retrieve some items from the floor and handed them to Madeline. “Here, put these on.” He was gracious enough to haul her up by the hands when she didn‟t readily comply, and help her get started. Madeline‟s mind seemed to click into place as he began dressing her and she reached down and took over the daily process that should have been simple enough to do asleep, on an average normal day, when one was not busy having had the daylights scared out of them. Her heart was still racing. Within moments, they were both presentable and Parker again opened the door. He ushered Christine inside the tiny cabin and onto a chair. “You startled us. Sorry. Guess we were…sleeping a bit late this morning.” Parker, flustered. Now there’s one for the record books. Madeline took the other chair and jumped in on questioning Christine‟s presence, ignoring Parker‟s stammering excuses for their lack of late morning composure. “Did something happen? Have you heard something? Is everything okay?” Christine smiled sweetly. “No, yes and no.” It took Madeline a moment to realize what all that meant. After a brief pause, Christine continued, Parker leaning on the table as if he needed extreme proximity to be sure he heard every word correctly. There were only the two chairs available in the cabin, so he was forced to stand and peer down at them. “Nothing happened, yet. But it seems whoever is hunting you has somehow pieced together your approximate whereabouts. No one knows quite how, but Reynolds called me just before dawn with the information. He wanted me to head out here and warn you, to be on the safe side. He‟s on his way here, somewhere over Missouri by now I would assume.” Christine smiled at them. “Did anyone follow you?” Parker began to pace the room, running his fingers through his hair. He stopped and stared at Christine. “No, sorry. Of course not. I‟m just…” “It‟s okay. Don‟t worry. No, I‟m sure no one could possibly have tracked me. I‟m fairly good at losing people, if you may recall.” She was not offended by the question at all. Totally understanding.
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“How did Reynolds find out we were being followed again?” Parker came over and sat on the edge of the table. Madeline reached her hand to his thigh and laid it gently on his jeans, needing his contact, his warmth, to keep her grounded. Fear coursed through her. The fine hairs on her arms were standing up. A chill sent a shiver down her body even though the air in the cabin was surely quite hot from the fire that burned all night. The last embers were still crackling in the fireplace. “According to your perp‟s profile, he seems to have struck again nearby last night. He… Well you don‟t need to hear the details, but…he‟s in town.” Christine took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She ran her hands through her curly blonde hair in exasperation. Her frustration did nothing to soothe Madeline‟s nerves. “Parker?” Madeline stared at his confused look that reflected her own sentiments. “How could he…” “Fuck.” He glanced around the room. Christine continued. “No one but Mark and I even knew where you were and even Mark‟s knowledge was vague. He only knew how to reach me.” “I don‟t get it. I had thought we could have hidden here for the rest of eternity if necessary and avoid this guy…” Parker raised his face to the ceiling and ran his hand over his eyes, brushing away the sleep or perhaps asking the rhetorical question of the heavens. “Well, apparently we need a new plan now.” Christine looked back and forth at the two of them. Madeline squeezed Parker‟s thigh, hoping to get a grip on…anything. And he reached to take her hand, brought it to his face and kissed her knuckles. His gaze looked deep into her eyes when she raised her head up to meet it. “Don‟t worry. I won‟t let anything happen to you. We‟ll figure this out. Trust me?” Madeline could only nod, but was relieved to have Parker‟s attention on her. She‟d had a niggling feeling in the back of her mind ever since they had first arrived at Christine‟s cabin that told her Christine and Parker had once been an item. The intimate effort he made to soothe Madeline‟s nerves spoke volumes. He had made clear his intentions toward her for both women‟s benefit. Fuck. Parker got up from the table and began to pace the room again. No way had Christine compromised them. Who then? “Do you think that computer link we had—” “No, not a chance.” Christine shook her head. “Shit… Let‟s think this through… There has to be something… Some hole we have not considered.” Parker could feel a headache coming on. How had this assignment gotten so out of control?
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“What do we know about this perp?” Christine pulled a pad of paper out of her purse and grabbed a pencil. Just like old times. Madeline jumped up and stormed around the room, taking Parker by surprise. “His breath smells. He smokes. He likes his sex rough…” He had never spoken to her about the attack. She was hot, angry. She began listing things, holding one hand up to tick them off with the other on her fingers, her hip cocked to the side. A definite “don‟t fuck with me stance” of exasperation. Everything boiled over, months of pent-up frustration in one huge breath of words. “In fact, he likes his sex with unwilling women,” she screamed. “He has a tattoo of a skull on his right biceps. He wears combat boots to hold his victims‟ legs down. He spits on you when he speaks.” She started over with the first finger when she ran out of them. “His tongue is nasty when he licks your face with it. He kisses like a dog. His teeth are brown and crooked. He holds you down by the wrists to keep you from escaping and loves it when you squirm. He sticks his hand practically in your mouth to keep you from screaming. And…he uses a sharp knife against your throat to keep you from screaming while he roughly squeezes your breasts or your crotch.” At that, Madeline stormed from the cabin and screamed at the top of her lungs just outside the door. Neither Parker nor Christine had moved an inch during the entire display. “Fuck. And…God damn…” Parker looked at Christine, her eyes wide and shocked. She‟d had no idea what they were even running from. “Does that answer all your questions?” “I believe so. Go to her, Parker. She‟s hurting.” Christine was the most sensitive person he‟d ever met and he was incredibly grateful to have her in his court. If he had ever felt even a smidge of passion toward her, he would have kept her. Thank God he hadn‟t made that mistake. Parker edged out the door, not sure what would be waiting for him on the other side. He had to comfort her. If only you had a clue what she needed, asshole. He felt terribly inept at the moment. Madeline had wandered only a few yards from the door. She scooped up a handful of rocks off the ground, her back to Parker, and began to throw them as hard as she could, one at a time, toward the trees, a loud “uh” sound escaping her lips with each act of violence. Doing his best not to startle her, Parker tried to approach her with the loudest leafcrackling stomps a person could accomplish in the wooded area. She did not turn to him, but he stood right behind her. He could feel the steam radiating off her. He flinched every time she drew her arm back to hurl another stone. When she threw the last stone, he cautiously put his arms around her waist and pulled her in tight when she went limp instead of fighting him. Thank you, God. Her breathing slowed. Her chest rising and falling against him, the anger ebbed out of her.
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“Madeline?” He wanted her full attention for what he was about to say. “Hmmm,” she murmured. “I love you.” Parker turned her in his arms and held her firmly against his chest. Ran his hands down her soft, fine hair. “We‟re going to figure this out. We‟ll get through this. I promise.” Please, Lord. Help me keep that promise. The last thing Madeline needed was for someone to let her down right now. Silent tears were flowing out of her eyes, soaking his shirt. He just held her. Rocking her gently, a slight breeze picking up to cool her heated skin. After a few minutes, she pulled back, wiped her hands across her eyes and stared up at him. God, he wanted to erase that look of pain and fear. “I‟m…sorry,” she managed to mumble. “I never really got the opportunity to be…well, mad, I guess.” “Baby, you don‟t ever have to be sorry. And anytime you want to talk about what happened, I‟m here for you. I‟ll always listen.” Parker tipped her face up higher with his finger beneath her chin. He leaned in to gently place a kiss on her forehead. Her body shivered beneath his touch and her slender arms reached around his waist once more in a tender embrace. “Do you really think this will ever end? How did he find us?” She took a deep breath and released it against him. “I don‟t know, but I aim to find out.” Not sure how. “In the meantime, we need to get out of here.” “Right. I hadn‟t thought of that.” Madeline pulled back and started walking toward the cabin. Her shoulders were slumped and he heard her mumble, “I‟m just so tired of living on the run.” He echoed that sentiment.
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Chapter Sixteen Christine was waiting patiently in the cabin when Madeline and Parker returned. She didn‟t hesitate, though, when they came through the door. “We should really get going. We can figure out whatever we need to on the move. Do either of you need anything?” Christine was all business. “Nothing we can‟t replace at any Walmart.” Madeline even managed a smile that did not quite reach her eyes, but it was a start. Parker couldn‟t contain the little chuckle that jumped out. “Okaay. I‟ll assume you had to be there.” Christine giggled around the words. “Ready?” Just as Parker reached for the door, all hell broke loose. The clear sound of gunfire pierced the serene quiet nature. It echoed off the mountains, making it sound like several shots had been fired, when in fact, there was just the one. The one that was now lodged in the wall behind the three of them. Christine hit the floor next to the table. Parker flew through the air, taking Madeline down for the second time in their short relationship, right next to the bed. Adrenaline raced through his system. How the fuck had this bastard managed to track them down? Unbelievable. But Parker was trained to survive in these situations. Madeline was not. Parker wrapped himself completely over her to protect her from stray bullets. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?” he whispered into her ear, trying not to make any more noise than was necessary. No reason to let the bad guy know whether he hit anything or not. “Fine.” Her voice was muffled. “But you‟re crushing me to death.” She pushed on his chest, not causing him to budge an inch. “I need you to squeeze yourself under the bed and stay there. I have to get to the door and protect us. Okay?” Parker looked into her petrified gaze. “No. Don‟t leave me,” she pleaded, grabbing onto his biceps. “Don‟t you dare fucking leave me here.” She hissed the words to keep from yelling. Parker reached under the bed and pulled out the duffle bag full of guns and ammunition. He took the one he had trained Madeline with and placed it in her hand, wrapping her fingers around it to ensure she understood the implication. “Just in case,” he muttered. Horror filled her expression. His heart squeezed. Sweat ran across her face. She was white as a sheet. But she took the pistol as he instructed. The next weapon Parker slid carefully across the floor toward Christine, only then realizing she already had an automatic aimed at the door to the cabin. Where the hell 121
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had she been keeping that? This is Christine we’re talking about here, Parker. She probably pulled the thing out of her bra. Christine caught the new addition with her free hand without ever taking her eyes off the door. She still had what it took. Parker gave a slight smile while he reached in for his piece. “Squish under the bed now, and whatever you do, don‟t let go of the gun. Got it?” Madeline did as he said while he eased off her and rolled toward Christine who had the best angle in the “house”. Thank God Madeline did not put up more of a protest. Parker wasn‟t sure what he would have done if she had gone hysterical on him. “How many do you think there are?” Parker whispered to Christine. “I don‟t know, but there was only one warning shot fired so far.” She inched toward the door on her stomach. “He fired it from a handgun, so he should have at most six rounds.” Suddenly, a rain of bullets pelted the inside of the cabin, shattering two of the windows and splintering the frame of the little room. “Unless, of course, he has other weapons on him,” Christine continued, shaking glass out of her hair. Parker quickly turned to Madeline, who was peering out from under the bed, shaking. But her eyes were wide as saucers and her gun was still pointed at the door. Parker was immensely grateful that he had given her that lesson yesterday. She held the revolver steady with her finger on the safety just as he had taught her. A quick glance was all he could afford. Parker looked at Christine and pointed in the direction of where the shooter had to be located outside, based on the angle of the shots fired. He exchanged several hand signals with her, thankful to the core that she was the one he was trapped in this mess with. As much as he hated that he had put her life in danger now too, there were few people alive that he would trust his own life to and Christine Jacobs was near the top of that list. Before either of them could move, a voice began screaming at them from outside. “I know you‟re in there, you little shit, and you cannot escape this time.” The voice was that of a certifiably crazy man. Madeline gasped from her position under the bed, but not loud enough to raise suspicion. “I‟ve been following you and your fuck partner for four days. Now I get to kill you both,” he continued to scream, wild hysterical laughter following. “And now you‟ve even added that pretty little damsel to the pack. My dick is hard right now just thinking of the fun I‟ll have with her before I kill her too. I just love to get my hands tangled in blonde hair… I hope you‟re a natural blonde, sweetheart. I‟m so looking forward to the sight of your cunt under all those yellow curls.” Parker could feel the sweat building up under his arms, running down his face, dripping in his eyes. He couldn‟t afford to reach up and wipe it away. Every single move a sharpshooter makes is calculated. His job right now was to not let this perp get to him. There was no room for emotion in a situation like this, ever. 122
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“What? You aren‟t talking to me now? You sure had plenty to say to me that night we were so rudely interrupted by the night guard before I could stuff my cock into your sweet pussy. I‟m still hard just thinking about it. In fact, I think I‟ll just capture your pretty boyfriend, tie him up and let him watch while I finish what we started.” Reginald continued on his rant. He was pacing outside the cabin, evident from the ever-changing direction and volume of his voice. “Yeah, you‟ve had me on quite the goose chase, but don‟t worry. I‟m not mad. I love a challenge. Once chased a woman over the border who thought she could get away from me. Months I spent stalking her „til she was nearly out of her mind. Oh we had fun when I finally lured her in.” He laughed again, deep guttural noises that ended with a wheezing sound. This bastard has asthma. Time to get the upper hand. “Put the gun down. You won‟t be able to outwit all of us. There‟s only one of you. If you give up now, your life will be spared. If not, I‟ll be forced to kill you.” It was a long shot, but Parker had to start somewhere. “Parker Phillips… Isn‟t that special? Do you really think I came all the way out here unprepared to take the three of you on?” Parker winced. Were there others? Did he have backup? “I‟ve had days to plan this. Trust me, you are the only ones leaving here in body bags.” Maniacal laughter erupted from Jones. It dawned on Parker that this was not your average run-of-the-mill rapist he was dealing with here. This man enjoyed the hunt, relished it. How many women had he hunted down? Did he purposefully attack Madeline in that precise location on the Yale campus to start a game of cat and mouse? The idea caused Parker to shiver in disbelief. Deciding to call his bluff, Parker yelled, “You have to be kidding if you think I‟m going to fall for that „backup‟ crap. You and I both know that you work alone. There isn‟t anyone to help you for hundreds of miles.” I hope. “Fuck you. You don‟t know shit, you asshole. You‟ve been too busy bopping that pretty little brunette to even pay attention to anything.” Parker grimaced. It was true. Don’t you dare let that fucker get to you, Parker. You know better than to fall for his shit. Pull it together. Time to make conversation. Buy some time to come up with a plan. “How did you do it? How did you find us?” Parker knew the asshole was itching to share his scheme. “Oh, you made it so easy. I almost wet my pants trailing you two.” More cackling. “The funny part is you almost got away with it. It was purely coincidental that I happened to follow you when you went to buy that beat-up piece of shit car you drove to „escape‟ Nebraska in. I didn‟t even have to do anything at all once I put a GPS tracking device under the hood…” Fuck.
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“God it was funny watching you two running across the country thinking you had outsmarted me. Gives me chills just thinking about it.” Never in all of Parker‟s days as a private agent had he been so careless. Who was he kidding? At no point had he imagined this job was more than a routine bodyguard. He never suspected that the mother fucker was going to actually hunt Madeline down. It was a costly mistake and it made his blood boil to think of the danger she‟d been placed in due to his irresponsibility. “What‟s the matter, Phillips? Cat got your tongue?” Wild chortles. “Anyway, it was a bit tricky when you traded the old junker for the Cherokee, but it only took a few twenties to get that bastard at the used car lot to tell me what he sold you and what plates were on it.” Lord have mercy. This guy was serious. He truly had been following them all the way from the college campus. Parker‟s skin prickled, no plan formulating in his mind. Just keep him talking. Help will show up soon. Won’t it? “You followed behind us all the way from New Mexico?” That could not have been possible. Parker may have failed miserably at this job, but he sure as hell had not been followed. His senses were always on the alert for that, even when he was not on a job. “Man, you‟re slow. Dude. I only had to follow you until you stopped. As soon as you left the car to pee I just slipped the GPS tracker under the rear bumper. Still there now.” His roars of merriment were beginning to wear on Parker‟s nerves. A glance at Madeline told Parker that she was still with them, still wide-eyed, but not shaking more than expected. Parker just hoped she didn‟t release the safety with her twitching fingers and shoot either himself or Christine in the process. Christine was inching her way over behind the door. She gave Parker the signal to continue talking, buying time. “So what took you so long to make your move? We‟ve been here almost three days now. Why wait to attack us?” This was met with silence. Had he finally hit a nerve? Would it help or hinder the situation? Oh, Lord. Had he been stalking them? Had he watched them have sex in the hot spring last night? Surely a madman like him could not have contained himself and stayed his distance if that were true. Nevertheless, the idea was unsettling and a knot formed in Parker‟s empty stomach. If he had eaten breakfast, he surely would have hurled it right now. Finally Reginald continued. “There was a small snag. But I‟m here now.” “What, were you on a date or something? Had to go to the movies?” Parker chuckled, but Christine gave him an eyeful that said “shut up, you‟re too close to the truth”. Parker mouthed the word “what” in Christine‟s direction, realizing that they had not had the opportunity to thoroughly discuss what even tipped her off and brought her out there this morning.
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“Something like that… Had me a hot little number last night. She was tasty…but barely even put up a fight. I like it better when they struggle. It‟s more satisfying. Makes me horny as hell, don‟t you think so?” Not in this lifetime. Who in the world would like their women struggling beneath them, begging to get away? Fucked-up bastards like Reginald Jones, that‟s who. Christine made her way over to Parker while they listened to Jones ramble and leaned in to whisper in his ear, her mouth so close that her breath was almost as loud as her words. “Every law enforcement agency in the country has a wanted picture of this guy. Apparently he struck again last night near here. The woman he raped described a man who precisely matched Reginald.” Parker resumed his interrogation, armed with this new information. “But you still haven‟t explained why you waited three days to come out to the cabin. Surely she wasn‟t that hot.” He was getting sloppy if he left another victim alive. Scuffling sounds. Jones was pissed about something. “Look, you asshole, if you must know, the GPS doesn‟t work out here. You‟re out of range. I didn‟t plan for that. Took me a few days to hunt you down on foot. But I‟m here now, aren‟t I? And your time is almost up.” His voice was getting more insistent. “Are you going to come out here like a man or do I have to bust in there and get you?” What would be the best response to keep this crazy fucker as sane as possible? “Dude, you know as well as I do that I‟ve been shot at hundreds of times in my life and no stray bullet has ever even come close to hitting me.” Parker glanced at Christine, wincing as he remembered the same was not true for her. This was not her gig anymore, not since she did get shot in the line of duty. She had better hold it together so that all three of them walked out of this mess alive and in one piece. A rain of bullets pummeled the little cabin once again. “There‟s always a first, Phillips. Today isn‟t going to be your best day,” Jones screeched dementedly. The more he talked, the crazier he got. Madeline whimpered under the bed. She was no longer holding the gun up in the air, her hand would have grown too tired by now. But she was still gripping the handle, even though she was shaking more than Parker would have liked and tears were streaming down her cheeks. She was petrified. Madeline was wrung out from the stress of listening to this madman chortle and mock every move she and Parker had made for the last week. The strain was evident on Parker‟s face too. He was berating himself for not picking up on this vermin. The sound of screeching tires worked its way into Madeline‟s consciousness. Someone was coming. Someone would rescue them… Right? With a renewed sense of optimism, Madeline gripped the damnable pistol in her right hand and used her left to steady it, aiming at the door. Parker lifted his head and cocked it slightly to the side, listening. “That had better be Reynolds,” he muttered under his breath. 125
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There was no time to think. Gunfire broke out in all directions. Madeline could no more have used the pistol in her hand than she could have flown a kite at that moment. She dropped the offensive device and curled into a ball, covering her head with her hands. The barrage of bullets flying around was deafening, forcing her to stick her fingers in her ears to drown out the sounds. She began to feel like a fetus huddled under that old bed. Finally, there was an abrupt halt to the earsplitting noise around her. Too afraid to look up, Madeline could not bring herself to move. She stayed tucked in her little ball, panting with the effort to breathe, her neck and limbs stiff from trying to protect herself. Who won? There was no noise at all for several moments and then shuffling sounds around her. Someone reached out to lay a hand on her shoulder, making her flinch and draw further under the bed, afraid that Reginald Jones was now going to finish the job he started. What sort of fool had she been to think she could ever get away from him? “Madeline, you‟re okay, sweetheart. You‟re not hurt.” Was that Parker? His voice was muffled. Why didn‟t he sound right? She pressed deeper under the bed, fear overriding her sanity. “Baby, it‟s me. Parker. It‟s over.” Again, he reached for her arm and laid his hand on her skin, warm, gentle, not the rough, demanding touch of a madman. Madeline uncurled herself and twisted her face to stare into that of Parker. “You don‟t sound right. What is the matter with my ears?” Parker smiled then, a look that soothed her while he pulled her out from under the bed. “The gunfire was very loud, baby. Like when you‟re at a rock concert. Give it a minute. The pressure will subside.” He pulled her into his embrace and gave her a squeeze. Madeline looked around the cabin. “Where‟s Christine? Who came in the car? Is he… Is Reginald Jones—?” “Dead. You‟re safe. Christine is outside with Reynolds. He was wounded—” Madeline shot upright. “Oh my God. Is he okay? Did he get shot?” “Shh, baby,” he began while running his hands all over her to assure himself that she was still in one piece. “He‟ll be fine, just a leg. It will heal… Help is on its way.” Parker pulled back to look at Madeline, assessing her sanity. “Are you okay? I need to go help Christine. Can you stay here on the bed and wait for backup to arrive?” Parker rose from the floor with Madeline in his grip and set her gently on the bed. When he leaned in to lightly run his lips over hers, she sucked the warmth from him into herself. “I‟ll be fine. But do you need my help? Shouldn‟t I do…something?” “No. Just wait here, okay? I‟ll be right back.” With that, Parker was gone, taking his powerful strength with him, leaving Madeline to shake uncontrollably on the edge of the bed. She had to lie back to avoid falling on the floor. Once again curled in a fetal position, Madeline forced her body to relax. Deep breaths, Madeline… In… Out…
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Just when she thought she would be able to breathe like a normal human being again and not hyperventilate, a loud, whirring sound filled the air. Madeline bolted upright and glared into the empty space of the cabin while the whipping sound got louder and louder, trees blowing around hectically outside the broken window, debris flying all over the room. Parker burst into the room and ran over to Madeline, grabbing her around the waist and carrying her to the door. “Time to go, baby. Your chariot has arrived.” He smiled at her, but she was not reassured. A sense of dread worked its way up her spine and sent her into a panic. “What? What are you talking about?” She had to scream to be heard over the loud, thunderous commotion. Just then they emerged into the light of day and Madeline looked up at the object creating all the noise, a huge helicopter hovering over them. There was no place for it to land between the trees and Christine was loading Detective Reynolds into a stretcher to be lifted onto the chopper. Seeing the detective for the first time brought tears to Madeline‟s eyes. Because of her, a man had been shot. A good man. Just doing his job. Protecting people. Saving lives. Saving her life. She watched while Reynolds was hauled up into the large, metal bird above her, her hair blowing in all directions, making it difficult to see. In record time, the cage that had carried the detective up to the chopper was once again lowered to the ground. No. No. No. Parker was carrying Madeline over toward it. She struggled to stand up, to get him to release her. “No. I can’t. I won’t. Please. Parker. Don‟t make me leave you!” He had to scream to be heard as her scrambling efforts increased. “Baby, you have to go with Reynolds for now. I need to wait here for the authorities… Please, don‟t look at me like that. I‟ll be along soon… Madeline, I promise… I love you.” Parker placed her now limp body into the carrier and strapped her in securely. Madeline stared at him, feeling defeated and betrayed. How can he do this to me? Why? She needed him right now. Couldn‟t he see that? In seconds the heavy cord around the basket pulled Madeline into the air, whizzing toward the helicopter and safety. It would not seem safe though, not without Parker.
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Chapter Seventeen Parker had stared into those haunted eyes and known that he had broken her heart. It had tugged at his soul and left an empty feeling in the pit of his stomach. But a madman had lain on the ground dead next to him and his one-time partner had stood beside him, unwittingly drawn into this disaster. Parker had no choice at the time but to stay and clean up the aftermath, deal with the local authorities and ensure that Christine was safely ensconced once again in her life of leisure. It was his job. Now, three days later, Parker stood outside the door of the largest mansion he‟d ever visited. His gut clenched and he couldn‟t bring himself to reach up for the knocker. Would she even be willing to see him? Would her father even let him in the door? Parker paced for a moment at the entrance. All thoughts of what he might say had fled his mind. “Sir, I‟m in love with your daughter.” Right. That’ll go over well. He chewed on his thumbnail. And hell, that was just to attain entrance. Then he was going to have to face a very angry Madeline. Parker‟s shoulders sagged. She hadn‟t taken any of his calls. His work was cut out for him, but she wasn‟t going to escape him that easily. Suddenly, the door opened in front of him before he had a chance to finish his pondering. Parker whipped to face the entrance and pulled himself to his full height. A stately older gentleman stood regally in the doorframe, reminding Parker of the entrance to Buckingham Palace. The tall slender man with graying hair cleared his throat and began, “Sir? Are you going to stand out here all day? Or were you planning to knock?” Shit. It hadn‟t occurred to Parker that someone might have seen him out there. Surely this was not Dr. Cooper. No. Madeline had mentioned a barrage of servants that lived with her. “Sorry, I… I need to speak to Mr. um… I mean Dr. Cooper.” So articulate. Way to go, Parker. “He‟s not in at the moment.” Was the guy swallowing a grin? “Please… Come in.” He stood back with a wave of his hand and motioned Parker into the house. “I‟m sorry, but I‟m afraid he was called away for an emergency surgery about an hour ago. He won‟t be back until late tonight. Perhaps there was someone else who could help you?” Oh, yes, he was definitely mocking Parker. Why? Did he even know who he was?
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While Parker stared at the butler, assessing the strange situation, he couldn‟t bring himself to speak. So the man continued, “George Anderson, pleased to meet you. I‟ve heard so much about you.” He reached out his hand. Is this guy kidding? He’s never even seen me before. He has no idea…Madeline. Parker smiled at the realization. “Is she mad?” Parker took George‟s hand in a firm grip. Madeline had mentioned that she was extremely close to the staff. They were, in fact, her only friends. “Er, than a hatter, yes.” George chuckled. “I‟m glad you‟re here.” “Where…is she?” Parker was not looking forward to her wrath, but he had to face it sooner or later, because he sure was not letting her go, ever again. “Upstairs. Hasn‟t come out of her rooms since she got back. Says she never wants to see you again.” Now George was full on laughing. And this is funny how? Parker took a deep breath. “I guess I have some groveling to do, huh?” “I would say so. No time like the present. Follow me.” George turned to walk toward the stairs, his shoulders heaving under his struggle to compose himself. Parker pulled at the collar of his shirt. He had purposefully chosen the oxford-style blue dress shirt, khaki pants and loafers for the visit, assuming he would be facing Dr. Cooper first. A suit may have been more practical, but Parker didn‟t own one. Now the material was irritating his neck and he reached to unbutton the first few buttons on the way up the stairs. Was it hot in here? George led Parker down a long corridor and finally came to a stop. “Good luck, sir.” He walked away, not even trying to contain his chuckles. A tentative knock brought no response, so Parker took a deep breath and slowly opened the door. At first he could see nothing. It was dark in the room and his eyes needed to adjust to the lack of sunlight. Maybe George had been wrong and Madeline was not even in the house. The large room was in a state of disarray, clothes flung on the floor, discarded in haste. It was a decidedly feminine room, but thank God it wasn‟t some putrid pink color. Parker didn‟t think he could stand it if Madeline were particularly “fluffy”. No, it was a woman‟s room, on second thought. Not a holdover from her childhood. The walls were a simple beige, and as Parker‟s eyes adjusted to the lack of light, the rest of the furnishings revealed themselves to be various shades of brown with just the right amount of rose and blue mixed in, feminine, but not too girly. He didn‟t spot Madeline at first and hadn‟t even moved from the doorway when he heard the distinct sound of deep breathing, that of sleep. Parker smiled, pulled the door shut behind him, intentionally locking it, and quietly made his way to the bed. There, deep under the covers, was the love of his life. The woman whom he wanted to spend every waking and sleeping moment with for the rest of eternity, if she would have him.
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The comforter was luxurious, expensive. Beige with an intricate pattern of mauve and light blue threads woven into the material. Parker would have liked to stay here staring at her peaceful sleeping form forever, but he needed to hold her, have her in his arms. And that could only be accomplished by rousing her…and taking on her wrath first. Parker sat down on the edge of the bed next to Madeline‟s temporarily tranquil form and gently laid a hand on her arm. “Madeline?” he whispered through his clogged throat. “Hmmm,” was her only initial response as she snuggled deeper under the covers and turned to the side, facing him. Her expression was so relaxed. A slight smile on her lips. At least she would wake from a good dream instead of a nightmare to find this intruder in her room. Parker hesitated to consider himself a welcome intruder. In fact, his hand was shaking on her shoulder. “Honey?” he continued, a slight rise in his volume. Madeline‟s eyes shot open and she bolted to a sitting position. “What? Parker? What are you doing here?” She instinctively pulled the blankets up around her shoulders to cover her state of semi undress, but not before Parker noticed that she was wearing…one of his T-shirts? He smiled. Now where did she get that? “It‟s okay,” he soothed. Maybe this was going to go better than he expected. Obviously she had been back to Nebraska, rescued some of her belongings and some of his as well. A lump rose to Parker‟s throat. She may be furious, but she did love him. “You…you left me.” She dropped the covers to plow her fists into Parker‟s chest, not with any real force, but as a means to make her point. Parker reached for her wrists and pulled her hands to his lips. He smiled as she marginally relaxed and he leaned in to kiss each of her soft, feminine fingers. “I had to take care of some things. I had a pile of paperwork, a dead body and an ex-partner to settle up with… I‟m here now.” He looked up into her deep blue eyes. Tears were silently falling down her cheeks. It killed him a little that he‟d hurt her. “I…I didn‟t think you would come back… I was afraid,” she choked on a sob, “that what we had…wasn‟t real.” Madeline‟s face was white with her very real fear. “You came back.” She reached for his neck and pulled him into her embrace. Parker breathed a long sigh of relief. This was not going nearly as badly as he‟d expected nor as George had presumably considered it would go. She had just been scared, afraid it was over, that he wouldn‟t come to her. “I told you I would be here as soon as I could, baby.” Parker pulled Madeline into the tightest hug of his life, never wanting to release her warmth again. He mumbled into her ear and ran his hands up and down her back over her long hair, ensuring himself that she was indeed real, was indeed his. Her hair was soft and slightly damp. Parker inhaled her floral shampoo, his nose buried in the long tresses.
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“The situation was just so…so unreal. I couldn‟t be sure…” Madeline took a deep breath. “What…what are you wearing?” What am I wearing? Where did that come from? Madeline pulled back to inspect Parker from a distance of a few inches. She ran her delicate fingertips over the front of his chest, her gaze meandering down to his pants, causing his cock to swell with need when she lingered at his crotch. As her head lifted back up to face him, she continued. “Why, Parker Phillips, you clean up nicely.” She smiled at him. A smile that melted his heart. “Did you do this for me? I‟ve never seen you in anything other than jeans and a T-shirt.” “Well…not exactly. I had thought…” What was he supposed to say? I had thought to impress your father? Madeline laughed. “Daddy… You thought you were going to be entertaining my father. How…noble.” She ran her hands up his arms and down his chest. His breathing increased. He needed her. Now. “Well, seeing as he‟s not here right now… I don‟t think you need all this white-collar clothing at the moment…” There is a God. Madeline‟s tiny fingers began to release the buttons of Parker‟s shirt, one excruciating little disk at a time. His heart was pounding with need. When she finally released the last button from its hole, he lifted slightly while she pulled the starchy shirt out of his pants and then pushed it off his shoulders. Thank goodness he had left the sleeves unbuttoned and rolled up, otherwise he would now have been imprisoned in the stiff material like handcuffs. And he desperately wanted his hands available at this time to explore Madeline‟s entire body. Parker leaned over Madeline and pushed her tiny form into the soft mattress to lie on top of her, his chest bare, the only material between them his favorite University of Milwaukee T-shirt. It looked much sexier on her than it ever had on him. Perhaps he would let her keep it. Tenderly kissing Madeline‟s lips, cheeks, ears and anywhere else his mouth happened to fall, Parker reached up to grasp her sweet globes with each hand. He gently squeezed and kneaded the soft flesh until she was writhing beneath him, her nipples poking out through the thin fabric of the T-shirt. “Parker…” She was glassy-eyed when he gazed into her deep blue eyes. Parker wanted to explore her entire body, ensure that she was truly here, unscathed, whole. He‟d had nightmares that she‟d been shot. He quickly reached lower and whipped the shirt over her head to expose her beautiful chest to his perusal. She was so sexy. Her nipples were a deep shade of pink and she was lifting them toward him, silently begging him to touch her. Parker lowered his mouth to one mound and sucked the sweet disk in, while reaching to weigh and fondle the other breast, avoiding the protruding nipple.
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At last he softly ran just the tip of his fingers over the demanding tip, making Madeline arch her chest off the bed. Her hands, which had been caressing his shoulder blades, firmly began to squeeze him. She ran them down to his ass and grasped a hold of him, pulling his throbbing erection more firmly against her groin. Even through her lace panties and his khaki pants, Parker could feel the heat of Madeline‟s center. “I…I need you… Parker…please. Take these pants off. I need you inside me.” “I‟m getting there, baby,” he mumbled against her perfect tit, lifting just a hairsbreadth off to blow on the distended, wet nipple. “Ahhh…” She squirmed beneath him and he smiled into her chest, loving how responsive she was every time he took her. It always seemed like the first time. Would she always be this open? This uninhibited with him? God, I hope so. Madeline was going crazy. Her skin crawled with the need to have Parker inside her, to ensure that he was really here, in her house, in her bed. She was not beyond begging. Her hands went wild trying to touch all of him. She ran a trail up over his broad, muscular shoulders and back down to squeeze his tight ass again. She reached around front for his belt, but he stopped her with his free hand, the one that wasn‟t currently torturing her traitorous nipple. She could not lie still, keep from bucking against his groin and lifting her chest up in offering. But Parker had other ideas. He gave a sharp pinch to her swollen nipple and then used both hands to drag her own above her head. Around and between nibbling on her chest and breathing intentionally on the wet disks, Parker mumbled, “Baby, I can‟t think with your hands all over me like that. I want to enjoy you for a minute…” “But…but…I need you to—” Parker lifted his head to gaze into her eyes, the deep chocolate color she was used to almost black with lust. “Keep your busy little hands right here against the headboard or I‟ll have to tie them there.” Oh. My. God. Did he just say “tie them”? Madeline‟s sex clenched and a flood of fluid leaked out of her. She froze and stared at the top of his head. Without any further conversation, he had resumed sucking, licking and nibbling his way across her heated chest. When he lowered himself to trace a line of kisses across her abdomen, she just about came undone. She sucked a short breath in and just held it, desperately trying to obey his command. But as soon as his fingers found the edges of her lace panties and tugged them down, she couldn‟t take it anymore. Forgetting modesty, she spread her legs as far as
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they would go to accommodate his body between them and her hands flew to his head poised just above her sex, blowing his hot breath on her sensitive clit. “Ah, ah, ah… I warned you…” What? Warned me about what? Oh, God, the headboard. He was kidding…right? Apparently not. Parker glanced around the room while taking her wrists in his hands. He spotted her soft robe hanging on the edge of the headboard, pulled her arms once again above her head to place both wrists into the same hand, and with one quick yank, retrieved the wide, fluffy belt from her bathrobe. Madeline gasped, her eyes staring into his intent face, which held only a small grin, but did not return the gaze. Her face, hell, her whole body, flushed. Patches of red crept over her skin, climbing up her chest, her neck, her cheeks. Parker delicately wrapped the belt around her wrists and tied them to the headboard. Madeline moaned and then bit her lip in embarrassment. How can I be this aroused to be tied up? Why am I not scared? She had never dreamed that she would have participated in any form of bondage, especially after the attack on campus. But this man on top of her was not Reginald Jones. He was never going to hurt her. She knew this in her soul. When he finished, he gave her a quick gaze that showed a hunger in his eyes that she could not deny. He was going to devour her whole and she was going to like it. A slight tug on the fabric of her restraint revealed that she could actually pull free if she wanted to and the knowledge relaxed her inhibitions even more than they already were. The pink surely splotching her body seemed to fill in, leaving her entire skin hot and needy. Parker settled his frame between Madeline‟s outstretched thighs and continued his silent exploration, once again nipping his way down her heated torso toward her sex. With both hands, he pushed her thighs as wide as he could and stared at her. She should have been embarrassed at the intimate perusal, but she was so aroused that she only knew she wanted him to touch her, touch her with his fingers, his mouth, his…cock. Now. As he stared, breathing heavily on her exposed pussy, liquid heat ran a path out of her center, down the crack of her ass, onto the sheet below her. His breath cooled the area, but her stomach clenched with wanting him. “Parker…” “Yes, baby? Did you want something?” He gazed up at her, his chin just inches from her clit. “Tell me what you want…” Lord, he was going to make her say it. Say what she needed him to do. “I…I need you…to…” “That isn‟t very specific. You need me to what, baby?” One side of his mouth lifted in a provocative grin.
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“Suck my…my…clitor— Suck my clit…please.” There, she said it. And then she held her breath while Parker lowered his mouth and without one second of preamble, drew the throbbing little nub into his warmth in a long, hard suck that pulled a scream out of Madeline before she could stop it. Parker‟s left hand flew up to cover her mouth and he released her to chuckle. “Baby, do you want the entire household staff to come running into the room? If you keep screaming like that, they will bust the door down thinking I‟ve surely hurt you.” He grinned at her. Had she screamed that loud? “Do I need to gag you also? Or do you think you can manage to keep those little lips closed except for only the softest of moans?” He had to be kidding this time. Madeline wasn‟t sure she would have the same response to being gagged as she‟d had to bondage. But then again, her body was continuing to betray her at his new proclamation. A fresh wave of liquid leaked from her onto the mattress, a burn in her abdomen that demanded release. He didn‟t say anything else, but proceeded to lick a circle around her aching clit and then lower until he thrust his tongue inside her and dragged a line down to her tight lower hole. He wouldn‟t, would he? God, yes, he probably would. Madeline clenched her thighs at the thought, which Parker must have taken as a sign that she was not ready to have that hole breached just yet. Or else he simply didn‟t have that aim in mind at the moment. He kissed and blew his way back up to plunge his tongue back into her, over and over, until she could not keep her hips still another second and would have lifted them straight off the bed, except at that exact moment, Parker gripped her upper thighs to hold her tighter to the bed while he devoured her. Madeline bit her bottom lip between her teeth to keep the moaning filling the room to a minimum. When she surely would have died from the torture, Parker suddenly surrounded her clit with his mouth. In one swift move, he released her hip with one hand and plunged several fingers of the other inside her while he bit down on her aching nub. Stars erupted inside her head, a short scream pierced the air of its own accord and Madeline‟s body pulsed around Parker‟s fingers, an attempt to draw them further into her core. He did not let up and milked an intensely long orgasm from her body. As good as the experience felt, Madeline was still needy, her body craving the tight stretch of his penis. And he was quick to relieve her of that desperation. Parker leaned back, disposed of his pants and rolled a condom on in record time. Before her skin could chill, he was on top of her, poised at her entrance. “I can‟t wait another moment, baby. You‟re so sexy. So responsive. You drive me crazy wanting you.” He reached up to untie her hands from their prison and then pushed all the way in to the hilt, a grunt of satisfaction slipping out of his mouth. “Now you can wrap your
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hands around me.” He smiled at her and began a steady pace, pumping in and out of her core, never taking his eyes off hers. Madeline felt another orgasm building against the intense pressure of Parker‟s enormous width inside her. She rocked her head away from his gaze and moaned, “Oh God. I‟m…I‟m gonna come…” Parker used his fingers to pull her face back to center, forcing her gaze back to his. “I want to see your soul deep in your eyes while we come, together.” His words washed over Madeline like a stream of warm syrup. Her muscles tightened around him and she gritted her teeth to hold back the impending orgasm. “Let it go, baby. I‟m right with you.” If he would just shut up, she could hold back another minute, but the loving words pushed her ability to slow down the building need within her. She lost the battle and the walls inside her gripped Parker‟s thick shaft over and over again. He was quicker this time and covered her mouth just beforehand with his palm, stifling the intense scream that erupted involuntarily. As she milked his cock, he picked up the pace for several more thrusts until he stopped to hold himself fully imbedded and moaned out softly while he came deep inside her. “Hmmm” was the only distinguishable sound Parker made for several moments afterward, while he covered Madeline‟s face and lips with featherlight kisses. Finally, he relaxed and rolled onto his back, dragging her limp body with him to maintain the contact. “I love you, Madeline Cooper.” “I love you too, Parker Phillips.” The breath Parker was holding when he spoke his words of love slowly released at her response. She had finally spoken the words he had longed to hear from her lips. “Don‟t ever leave me like that again,” she uttered softly against his chest, teasing his nipple with her tongue. Parker looked up at the ceiling and thanked his lucky stars. “What are we going to do now?” she asked once she had a moment to think about the greater life situation around them. She had been trying to finish her dissertation and Parker lived… Where the hell does Parker live? “God.” Madeline raised up to look Parker in the eye. “Where do you normally live, anyway?” Parker chuckled and squeezed her against him. “Wherever you do, baby. Wherever you do.” “But… I mean—” Madeline tried to reason this out in her head.
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“So do I. I don‟t have any permanent roots right now. You probably are in no position to be very far away from your father at this point in time. We‟ll get a place right here in Connecticut, if you like.” He kept going, building the story of their lives like it had already been written. “First I‟ll have to talk to your father and then we‟ll get married—like yesterday—and then after I‟ve made an honest woman out of you, we‟ll move into a place nearby and live happily ever after.” Parker smiled into her face, proud to have “answered” all of her questions. Madeline just stared at him. Was it really that simple? “What.” He froze. “You don‟t think… Will your father… Will he not agree?” Madeline laughed. “Oh, he‟s not that bad. Will he jump up and down with joy? Not initially, but he‟ll come around.” “Great,” Parker drawled out, not convinced. His brow furrowed with worry. “And here I am bonking his only daughter in his house right under the eye—and ear—of his entire staff. He‟s just going to love me when he gets home.” His eyes rolled upward. Madeline just smiled at him. The staff would never tell her father a word. They adored Madeline and were over the moon that she had fallen in love. Her father could be stern, and no, this was not what he‟d had in mind for his debutant daughter, but he would get over it quickly. Madeline decided not to say another word. Watching Parker stew over the upcoming confrontation was just too juicy to resist.
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Epilogue Parker flew around the corner, taking the turn much too quickly in his little BMW, cursing that he still had not managed to figure out how to drive the thing properly. It always seemed like it would tip over when he rounded the curb. When Madeline had called Parker at the precinct to tell him it was time, he had dropped everything and flown out the door like a man being chased. After leaping over the hood of his car, he had fumbled in his pocket for the keys, jumped inside the little deathtrap and careened off down the road. His buddies would understand. Everyone in town knew about, and openly joked about, the tiny car. None of his fellow officers would ever stop him. Plus, they were all anxiously awaiting the arrival of Parker and Madeline‟s first child, probably secretly hoping Parker‟s neurotic tendencies would ease once his wife was no longer keeping him walking on eggshells. Parker didn‟t care what those pansies said behind his back. They were all just jealous. With their modest house looming ahead of him, Parker began to hyperventilate. His pulse was beating rapidly. Get a grip, man. She’s just having a baby… Having a baby! How in the hell had they come so far, so fast? Was he ready? Parker flew up the driveway, threw the car into park and leapt from the cursed vehicle. Dr. Cooper had given Parker the sports car as a wedding present—probably to impress his friends and not be embarrassed when his less-than-desirable son-in-law was seen in public with his only daughter. Madeline had squeezed Parker‟s hand until it hurt in silent supplication that he accept the presented gift graciously. She had later begged him to get over himself when he whined that the car was simply ridiculous and he would not be caught dead driving it. That had been a year ago. And here he was, still buzzing around the small town in the child-sized model. Not his idea of a manly car, but he was willing to do anything to make his sexy wife happy. When Parker crashed through the front door, he ran up the stairs two at a time and almost overshot the bedroom in his heated attempt to get to Madeline. There she sat, poised, all fresh and unbothered in their marital bed, staring up at him. And Parker stood there panting and heaving long breaths as if he were the one in labor instead of his beautiful wife. She just smiled. “Did we speed a little? Honey, it hasn‟t been three minutes since I called you. Did you miss the part where I said this would probably take…ow…ow…hours?” This last bit she forced out through gritted teeth and Parker ran to her side.
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He grabbed her hand with one of his and used his other to wipe her hair back from her brow. “Are you sure you want to do this?” She smiled at him and then at the ceiling. “At home, I mean. Are you sure you really want to give birth here?” Madeline knew every person in the medical community for miles and miles around, of course. She‟d had extensive prenatal care. The best money could buy. And all personnel had assured her that the baby was indeed head down and facing the correct direction. She could have a home birth with a midwife with little threat to complications. These facts, however, did little to assuage Parker‟s fears. What if something went wrong? His face was scrunched. His brow furrowed enough to give him a headache while he watched Madeline breathe through another contraction. “Aren‟t those pretty close together? Didn‟t you just have one, like, two seconds ago?” He froze in terror. Where was the midwife anyway? “Well…” she continued to breathe, “they…were…further…apart…until…” “Madeline,” Parker yelled, “where is the midwife?” “She said…she would be…here in…a few…hours.” Another contraction hit his lovely wife and she moaned while rolling her head back and forth against the pile of pillows beneath her. “Maybe…Oh, God…I don‟t think…” Parker had had only minimal instructions about this event. Sure, they had attended the required Bradley classes, but he was in no way prepared for her to give birth now. “Madeline, hang on,” he stated frantically, his blood pumping through his body, burning him up, “let me call the midwife.” “No…time…” She stared into his eyes. “I‟m sorry…I know you did…not want…this…but—” Madeline moaned again, louder this time, and pushed the sheets down from her body to reveal a flood of fluids that ran between her legs. Her water had broken. “I need…to push… Parker? Help me.” She was scared now. Just the edge of fear was evident in her raised voice. Parker, you can do this. You have no choice. Man up and get a hold of yourself. “Okay. Right.” Parker ran his hands through his hair and tried to think. Towels. Don’t they usually get towels together in the movies? “Be right back.” He ran into the adjoined bathroom and grabbed the entire stack of towels from the shelf. What else? “Parker!” Madeline screamed through gritted teeth. Parker took a deep breath and raced back into the bedroom. He found her leaning forward on her elbows, her feet pressing into the mattress. Hands shaking, he set the pile of linens down on the edge of the bed, pushed his sleeves up and climbed between Madeline‟s legs. When he managed to get her sweat-soaked night shirt out of way, the sight before him took his breath away. The head was crowning. “Baby,” he began to croon, “you can do this.” Who was he trying to convince? “On the next contraction, just push… I‟m right here.”
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Madeline did as she was told, as nature had intended, really, and within minutes Parker was holding the most precious, perfect little girl he had ever seen in his life against his chest. “Is…it…a…?” Madeline was still panting. Parker looked into her eyes, tears of love running down his face. “A girl. A perfect little lady. She looks just like you…” He handed Madeline the baby, almost reluctant to let go of this warm, new life of their making. “I love you, Madeline Phillips. You make me the happiest man in the world every day.” “I love you too, honey. I love you too.” Parker‟s heart swelled at the words, even though he knew the two sets were meant not only for his ears, but also for the sweet little angel now wailing in her mother‟s arms. Life would never be more perfect than this.
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About the Author Becca Jameson lives in Texas with her husband and two kids. When she isn‟t writing, she can be found reading, editing, scrapbooking, running, swimming, biking or taxiing kids all over creation. She doesn‟t sleep much…or sit down often…but she loves to be busy! To learn more about Becca Jameson, visit her blog or email her.
Becca welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
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