The Prize (11 page)

He came straight toward me, set his hands on my shoulders, and kissed my forehead.
“I don’t want to fight. Truce?”

“Sure. But not if you’re going to keep hounding me about this subject. I don’t mind
heading for the police station instead of your office.”

“Not a chance. You’re coming with me. I won’t say a word about our relationship for
the next nine hours. Deal?”

“Just nine?” I smiled. As soon as we walked out the door that evening, he would be
on me again.

“That’s all I can promise for now. Maybe over dinner we can renegotiate.”

“I’ll take it.” The truth was I couldn’t imagine driving away from him and spending
the day somewhere else. It wasn’t as though he was a police officer, but I felt safer
with him than I figured I would at the station for some reason.

As I put my makeup on, Parker headed into his closet and emerged wearing a suit and
tie. Again I imagined the magazine shoot as he worked the ends of his tie through
each other perfectly and tightened the knot. “Ready?” His gaze landed on mine in the
mirror.

“Yes.” I swallowed. My mouth had gone dry watching him.

He rolled his eyes and took my hand. “Woman, you do not have any idea what an open
book you are.”

I did. And I kicked myself for so blatantly ogling him. It didn’t help my case any.
All the more reason I needed to separate from him as soon as possible.
One more night
. I promised myself I’d get away from him tomorrow and find another option.

Chapter Fifteen

There was every possibility I accomplished more in the corner of Parker’s office that
day than I would have in my own.

For one thing, no one stepped in to ask me dozens of questions during the day. Several
people came and went to speak to Parker, but he simply introduced me to them by my
name and then steered the conversation to work without giving anyone the opportunity
to question my presence.

I was grateful for that.

He had several meetings and left me in his office in peace throughout the day. I took
the opportunities when I wouldn’t be bothering him to speak to a few clients and my
boss—who was relieved to find me working. We were getting close to the busiest month
of the year. It wasn’t a good time for an emergency.

Every time my phone rang, I yanked it over to see who was calling, praying Detective
Branch would have good news at some point. He called twice. Both times he had nothing
new to offer. He seemed relieved to know I was inside Edgewater Inc. and therefore
safe enough to not need his help. I warned him I wouldn’t be able to keep this up
forever, that I was taking advantage of a friend.

I needed Michael Swarth caught before I could rest easy. Sure, I had slept without
having a nightmare for the first time in weeks in Parker’s arms, but I couldn’t stay
with him. Even though he insisted otherwise, I was perpetuating the idea we could
be a couple as long as I slept in his house.

It was fine for the short term, and perhaps I could enjoy even a few weeks under his
watchful eye if I didn’t think I was doing more damage by the minute. But I had to
face the fact that Parker wanted more. And I was weak. He could wear me down if I
let him.

The sooner I broke free of him, the better off we’d both be in the long run.

“You okay?”

I jumped in my seat and twisted to the side to find him standing a foot away, his
head tipped to one side.

“You were staring at the computer screen but not moving. Did you get any new information?”

I shook my head. “No. Nothing. No one has seen or heard from Swarth. It’s like the
asshole vanished from the Earth.”

“Did you speak to your parents? Are they okay?”

“Yes. They went to Florida. They’re not happy with me, but they’ll live.”

“I can imagine.” He leaned his butt against the side of the small conference table
I was using and crossed his legs. “If you were my daughter, I’d be freaked out.”

“They’re used to me. Besides, they’re safe this way.”

“Do they have enough money to live on cash for a while?”

I swallowed back the temptation to tell him just how much money they had and nodded
instead. “They’ll be fine.”

He frowned. “For how long?”

“Long enough.”

“Would you tell me if they needed help?”

“Nope.”

He grinned, shaking his head. “Figures.” He nodded at my computer. “Did you get much
done?”

“Yes. More than a regular day, actually.” I glanced at my screen, the one I hadn’t
been seeing while I’d been inside my head thinking. My bank account was open. I’d
intended to pay a few bills and make sure everything was up to date. Even though I
wasn’t at home didn’t mean I didn’t owe rent and utilities.

Had he seen the screen? Was that why he was asking about money?

He hesitated and then revisited the subject. “I don’t mean to pry, but I can see you’re
in your bank account. If you need—”

I cut him off, exhaling in the knowledge he hadn’t looked closely. “I’m fine. I was
just paying a few bills.”

“I’m serious, Meagan.” He leaned closer, forcing me to meet his gaze.

“It’s not like I got fired and I can’t pay my rent. I haven’t even missed a day of
work yet. Stop worrying. Besides, you’ve seen my apartment. It’s not exactly top quality.”
I bit my lip. That was more than I wanted to divulge.

“Yeah. I’ve been meaning to ask you about that. You have your masters in accounting.
You work for a well-known firm. So, either they’re seriously taking advantage of you,
or you’re living well beneath your means. What I can’t figure out is why.”

“Not all of us find it necessary to surround ourselves with material things.” I cringed
the moment the words left my mouth, realizing they didn’t sound how I intended them
to.

He opened his mouth to speak again, but then hesitated. “Are you suggesting I spend
too much?” A slow smile formed on his lips. Good. At least he wasn’t insulted by my
comment.

“Not at all. That didn’t come out right. You’re free to spend your money however you
want.”

“Do you have a lot of student loans?”

“No.” He didn’t need to know that I had good scholarships and that my parents had
paid off the last of my college bills. I had no loans.

“You’re a mystery, Meagan Hollister.”

I shrugged. “Not my intention.” That was a lie.

He pushed off the table and changed the subject. “It’s after six. Let’s head home,
eat dinner, spend a quiet evening alone. Yeah?”

“Sounds good.” How long was I going to keep up this charade? I was getting myself
in deeper by the hour, letting him think this was going to last longer than one more
night.

Mentally, I gave myself until the next morning for two reasons. One, I didn’t have
a next plan yet. And two, I liked sleeping in his arms.

I packed up my computer bag and swung it over my shoulder.

“Did you speak to Amy and Cheyenne today?” he asked as we headed for the door to his
office. He reached for my soft-sided computer bag as we exited his office. Chivalry
was alive and well in Parker-world.

“No. They wouldn’t suspect anything. It’s not like I talk to them every day. They
have busy lives.”

“Yeah, well, I do speak to Cade and Riley every day. And I don’t want to continue
to keep your presence a secret from them.”

“Good point. I’ll call them tomorrow.”

“Jesus, this bag is heavy. What the hell do you have in here?” He asked as we stepped
into the elevator.

I glanced at him, pursing my lips.

“I’m kidding. Don’t panic.”

“My computer and my gun.”

He froze, his finger on the button for the garage. “Seriously?” he asked as he turned
to face me, the doors sliding closed.

I nodded. “I have all the permits to carry.”

“I don’t care how many permits you have. I don’t like my woman feeling so unsafe she’s
wandering around town carrying a weapon in her purse.”

“I carry my Glock with me most of the time, Parker.”

He waited a few beats before running a hand through his hair.

“Please tell me you own a gun.”

He took a deep breath. “Of course I do. Several. But I don’t carry them with me everywhere
I go. I have one in my nightstand. One downstairs in the den. One in the kitchen,
and one under my desk at work. I’m safe. But I’ve never met a woman so prepared.”

“It’s not like I don’t know how use it, Parker. Don’t freak out. I’m a good shot.”

He smiled and hauled me into his side. “Apparently you were even at ten years old.”

“Yes. Thanks to my dad. I might not be alive today to have this discussion about my
safety if it weren’t for him diligently teaching me to respect weapons starting as
soon as I could walk and talk.”

“Why did he do that? You were so young?”

“Because he had guns in the house. Any responsible gun owner needs to ensure they
have responsible kids. I knew I was never allowed to touch a weapon without his permission
or in the case of an emergency. That day when I was ten was the only time I ever had
to exercise that necessity. And it paid off. Too bad I wasn’t a good enough shot to
ensure our safety forever.”

He didn’t say anything until we were in his incredible black Porsche with the doors
shut. He locked them and turned toward me. “I know you act tough, but it had to be
hard, knowing you killed a man at such a young age.”

I turned to face the window when he hit that nerve. A tear escaped my eye to run down
my face. Damn him.

He reached a hand out and gently took mine in his, entwining our fingers. “I can’t
imagine what you must have gone through. I’m so sorry.”

“It was hard. I had years of counseling.”

“You still do.”

“Yes.” Besides Dr. Frost, I had never discussed the fact that I killed a man with
another human being. Not even my parents. The subject was off limits.

Dr. Frost told them to let me open up on my terms in my time frame. It never happened.
I didn’t want to discuss that night with them ever. It scared me to death. They could
have died.

“You’ve held this life-altering experience stuffed inside you for fifteen years.”

“Yeah.” I lowered my gaze to my lap, watching the way his fingers caressed my knuckles.

“That’s a lot for someone in the fourth grade.”

“I’m not that little girl anymore.”

“I can see that.” He lifted my hand to his face and rubbed it against his cheek, drawing
me closer. “You’re definitely a grown woman. One who has carried this burden alone
for too long.”

“I’m fine,” I lied. It wasn’t as though I’d never discussed this with Dr. Frost. I
had. Countless times. She’d encouraged me to speak to my family and friends for years.
I’d declined the offer. It seemed easier to bury the emotions than to face them. And
it had worked fine, at least until that fateful phone call from Branch…

“I hope one day you’ll feel safe enough to open up to me more.” His words were sad,
and he released my hand to start the engine. It purred to life, the power of his fancy
car rumbling under my butt and making me look forward to the drive. Any hesitation
I had concerning the value of this vehicle was tamped down inside. I ignored the fear
that we could be carjacked for the entire drive.

We rode to his house in silence, arriving to the delicious scent of Mexican food filling
the kitchen. Ruth was already gone, and Parker chuckled as he read the note she’d
left. It was the first moment the mood had been lightened in hours. “I forgot to tell
her you were staying here. She discreetly says she noticed I must have a guest and
prepared extra for dinner.”

I lifted a brow as he handed me the note.

“What?”

“Don’t you have other
guests
sometimes?”

He chuckled again. “If you’re asking me if women stay here, then no.”

“What do you mean
no
?” I set the note on the table and followed him down the hall toward the bedroom.

He loosened his tie as he headed through the bathroom to the closet. “Just what I
said. I don’t bring women here.”

“Ever?”

“Nope.”

I leaned against the doorframe of his closet and watched him hang up his suit jacket
and kick off his shoes. With my arms crossed under my chest, I thought about the things
in the shower that morning. “You expect me to believe you never have women spend the
night here?” How long was he going to defend that lie?

He unbuttoned his pants and lowered the zipper, ignoring my question.

My attention shifted to his cock as he lowered the expensive trousers over his ass.
His impressive girth filled his underwear until they bulged.

I almost groaned when he shrugged a pair of jeans up his legs and fastened them, leaving
his dark blue dress shirt on, unbuttoned about halfway and untucked. He rolled up
his sleeves as he turned toward me. “Your turn.”

“My turn for what?” I stood taller. Why was I still wearing my heels?

He inched toward me, a smirk on his face. “Give me tonight.”

“I thought I was.”

“No.” He shook his head. “I mean submit to me. Totally. Turn yourself over to me completely.
Let me dominate you.”

I didn’t move. My nipples jumped to attention. So did my clit. Damn them both.

He stood so close to me, I could feel his breath on my forehead as I lowered my gaze.

“You’ve been tense for days. Or perhaps weeks. The only times I’ve known you to let
go were when we were fucking or you let me dominate you. I’m asking you to do that
tonight. Give me the entire evening. I promise it will relax you and calm you. Hell,
you don’t need me to tell you that. You’ve already experienced it for yourself.”

He was right. That was why I didn’t want to do it again. I could fall for him. Fall
hard. And it would make it that much harder to walk away. “I don’t think—”

“Don’t overanalyze, Meagan. Just say yes.” His hands smoothed up my arms from my fingers
to my shoulders. He tipped my head back with slight pressure under my chin from his
thumbs. “Turn over your control. Let it go. Just for tonight.”

I swallowed. Should I? The answer to that was a resounding
no
. But could I turn him down? Also
no
. Damn it.

His hands slipped slowly down to the front of my blouse. He released the top button
while I stood there like a statue, my hands at my sides, clenched. “I love this blouse.
It’s see-through enough to tease me all day. I could glimpse the outline of your lace
bra under the silk.” He lowered his thumbs and flicked them both over my nipples.