Under the Lights (3 page)

“
Be still,” he commanded,
lacing his words with a tone that said he wouldn’t be refused.
She’d think he was playing the part of captor, but he would soon
correct that misapprehension.

She stopped struggling for only a moment,
and then she took up the battle again, using her free foot to kick
at the hand holding her.

Parker looked at Joe and Ross. “Hold her
down.”

The men sprang to action. It was the order
they’d been anticipating. Waiting for. Parker had asked them to
give the audience a good show with the initial striptease because
he wanted the crowd to feel like they’d gotten their money’s worth
in case things took a bad turn. From this point on, Parker didn’t
have a clue how the rest of the night would play out.

Becca yelled, fighting like a cornered cat.
She batted their hands away, kicking wildly in her attempts to
connect with anything she could.

Joe took a few scratches to the cheek before
he managed to subdue her right hand and she landed a pretty hard
punch to the center of Ross’ chest. It didn’t matter. The men had
her arms pinned to the mattress within seconds.

Parker had managed to get a firm grip on
both of her ankles, letting his tight hold drive home the fact she
was well and truly caught.

She continued to tussle for several moments
before finally accepting the truth. Her gaze landed on him, her
face flushed, her body glistening with perspiration from her
struggles.

He let her feel her captivity for almost a
full minute before declaring, “You’re mine, Becca.”

If his use of her real name surprised her,
she didn’t betray it. Instead, she shook her head. “Never.”

Though her reply was spoken in a whisper, it
was loud enough for the microphone to catch.

One woman in the crowd yelled, “You can have
me, Parker!”

Becca’s face hardened and Parker silently
cursed. While he might have physically overpowered her, he had a
much harder battle to win. It would be difficult to convince Becca
he was in this for the long haul. That he wouldn’t cheat on her and
he wouldn’t hurt her. He wasn’t her father. Somehow, some way, he’d
have to convince her of that.

He hoped to break down some of her
protective walls tonight.

“
You’re mine, Becca. Now,
tonight, forever.”

Her inhaled breath mimicked the sounds from
the audience. His declarations were sincere, but only Becca knew
that. For now, everyone else believed this was simply part of the
play—a dream man coming to claim his lover.

Becca recovered quickly and raised her chin
in that haughty way he’d come to recognize. Hell, there was some
sick, twisted part of him that even loved that look. Loved the
challenge she presented. Life with her would never be boring.

“
In your dreams, Parker,”
she taunted, throwing his name at him as well. It appeared neither
of them was willing to pretend to be anyone other than who they
were. Good. That made Parker’s work easier. Becca wouldn’t be able
to dismiss tonight as make-believe. The fight they’d begun behind
the scenes would now continue here…under the bright
lights.

He laughed. “No. Tonight
we’re living out
your
dream. Tomorrow, we’ll start to work on mine.”

Parker climbed onto the foot of the bed,
careful to keep his grip on her ankles tight. He wasn’t foolish
enough to release her. Not yet. She’d landed more than a few
painful kicks during her attempt to break loose. He’d have a
handful of nasty bruises on his arms and chest come morning.

He straddled her thighs, holding her down
with the weight of his body. Joe raised her arm and secured it to
the headboard once more. Ross followed suit, then both men took
advantage of the wheels on the bed, rolling it until it was
sideways to the crowd.

“
Go,” Parker
commanded.

Joe and Ross left the stage.

Their departure obviously confused Becca, as
she frowned.

“
Just us. It’s always
going to be just the two of us.”

He leaned forward and kissed her.

Becca didn’t even pretend to struggle.
Instead, she returned the kiss, parting her lips in silent
invitation. He accepted, slipping his tongue inside her wet warmth.
Soon, their kisses grew deeper, longer, more passionate. The music
had quieted, no longer the pounding heavy metal, but instead
something sexier. The lighting was also softer, creating the
illusion of romance. The fog machine continued to pump its mist
around the bed, until he could almost believe they were floating on
a cloud.

Parker dragged his lips along Becca’s soft
cheek until they rested just outside her ear. Then, in a quiet
voice, he whispered, “Give in to me.” He was careful to keep his
words no louder than a breath, so that the microphone didn’t
capture his voice.

Then he pushed himself upright until he
looked down at her, still straddling her thighs. Becca lay
motionless beneath him. Parker studied her face, troubled by her
easy acquiescence. Had she really surrendered? Or had she found yet
another way to stonewall him?

Her calm acceptance told him everything he
needed to know. She’d battened the hatches and was biding her time.
Resolved to endure everything he dished out. Apparently she thought
by playing along she could bring the show to a quick, painless
ending.

He smiled at her. Becca blinked rapidly, her
nervousness peeking through.

“
You’re still fighting
me.”

His voice filled the room. A crease formed
in Becca’s forehead. “No.”

“
I know you, Becca
Preston. Better than you realize. I know what you’re afraid of, but
you’ll just have to trust me when I say I’ll never hurt
you.”

Parker distantly heard the sighs from the
women in the audience, but he ignored them.

Becca scowled. He’d used her full name. Let
everyone in the room know exactly who was lying on the bed beneath
him.

She glanced toward the crowd, anxiously.
“You’ll never have me,” she answered quietly. She was trying to
steer them toward safer waters—back to make-believe.

He was never going there with her again.

“
You’re wrong. And I’m
going to prove it.”

“
How?”

Rather than answer, he reached out and
touched her breasts, squeezing them roughly. Becca gasped but her
body responded, just as he’d known it would.

He’d tested the waters in the dressing room
and had proven exactly what he’d always suspected to be true. He
and Becca were not only compatible companions; they were physically
in tune with each other. Their bodies responded to each other
powerfully. It was just one more way they were connected, one more
tie that would hold them together. Friendship, lust, desire…love.
All of it was there. If only Becca would look beyond her fears to
see it.

Whatever wall she’d built against him
started to crumble once more. Becca fought against the cuffs at her
wrists in earnest. “Release me. I don’t want this anymore.”

Her voice broke on the last word, the terror
in her tone slicing through him like a knife. Regardless, he
couldn’t give her what she wanted.

He shook his head. Then he felt the truth
slipping out, unbidden. “I can’t, Becca. I can’t let you go. Don’t
you think I’ve tried?”

She stilled, her eyes pressing closed
tightly as if by shutting him out, she could hide.

“
Oh no, you don’t. Open
your eyes. Look at me.”

She lifted her eyelids slowly, her
expression one of sadness. He wished he knew a way to ease that
emotion for her. Unfortunately, nothing but time could assuage her
apprehension. Until then, he needed to convince her to give him a
chance to prove himself.

“
Don’t look
away.”

He dragged his hands along her sides until
they rested at her waist. Then he lifted her nightie, baring the
slightest bit of skin. His bent legs shielded most of her lower
body from the crowd. Her panties were conservative, covering her
pussy and ass. Scoundrels didn’t allow total nudity onstage. Not
that Parker would ever expose Becca to anyone else’s eyes.

She sucked in a breath when his fingers
caressed her sensitive skin.

“
So sweet,” he
murmured.

She tried to scoff, to look away, but he
tightened his grip on her waist in warning. Becca responded to his
unspoken dominance and her eyes didn’t leave his face. Instead, she
studied him, trying to figure out his next move.

Parker was finished with the game. He let
the shields drop.

Smiling, he drew one finger down the side of
her face. “You’re always so suspicious.”

He dragged his fingers along her throat,
then stroked the skin above the neckline of her gown, the tops of
her breasts just peeking out. His close proximity to her heart
allowed him to feel how quickly it raced. He pressed his hand over
the pulsing organ, trying to instill some semblance of calm.

“
Breathe,” he whispered.
He let his chest rise and fall slowly, encouraging her to mimic the
rhythm. “It’s just me. Parker. You know me. You trust me,
right?”

She started to deny it, but his girl was
nothing if not honest. “I trust you.”

He winked. “How much did it hurt to say
those words?” They’d always shared the same sense of humor, wit
laced with sarcasm.

She laughed lightly. “Too much.”

A light chuckle from the crowd reached his
ears. God. This performance may have started as a dream sequence,
but he and Becca were taking it out of that realm quickly,
revealing too much of themselves in the process.

Parker reached for the hem of his t-shirt,
tugging the soft cotton over his head. The room erupted with
applause and cheers, but the thunder was nothing compared to the
pounding of his own heart.

He lay down on top of Becca. Pushing her
legs apart, he pressed his covered cock against the seam of her
panties, letting her feel his erection, his desire.

Becca groaned when he thrust more firmly
against her, but she didn’t close her eyes, didn’t take her gaze
away from his.

He began moving his hips against her,
imitating the act of sex for the audience. Then, he took her
silk-covered breast in his mouth, sucking on her taut nipple.
Applause erupted at the sexy, provocative show they were putting
on. Parker was careful not to cross the lines very clearly drawn
for the actors prior to show time. Emma was extremely specific
about the limits. Unfortunately, Parker wanted Becca too much. Her
sweet sighs and the sensuous way she was thrusting against him was
too damn tempting.

Maybe it hadn’t been such a great idea
announcing his feelings in such a public setting. She made him
forget himself, the world, everything.

“
Unhook me,” she
pleaded.

“
No.”

“
God, Parker, please. I
want to touch you.”

He glanced up at her flushed face and
smiled. Apparently Becca was suffering from the same problem. If he
released her hands now, he feared what she’d do, how far she’d go.
She certainly didn’t seem to remember there was an audience.
“Later. You can touch me all you want. Later tonight.”

She blinked rapidly, her eyes focusing on
him once more before darting to the crowd. She cleared her throat.
“Aren’t you forgetting? This dream is over once I wake up. There
won’t be a later.”

“
Dreams can come true,
Becca.” Parker could only begin to imagine what the audience was
thinking of tonight’s show. Emma had sketched a rough plotline
based on Becca’s desires and trusted him to carry it
out.

Instead, Parker had rewritten the script,
taking this performance somewhere completely different. Time to
move in for the kill.

“
You belong to me, Becca.
You’re my captive. And I’m never letting you go.”

God bless Emma. The lights began flashing
once more, the music reverting back to the lullaby.

With the dimmer lighting, Parker was able to
reach into the pocket of his jeans with the hand invisible to the
crowd. He increased the speed of his fake fucking as he pressed on
the remote button.

Becca jerked as the toy sprang to life
inside her. Her eyes closed and Parker sensed she was very close to
coming.

Time to up the ante.

“
Who do you belong to?”
His voice was stern, his tone demanding.

Becca’s back arched. “Please.”

He pushed harder, making sure she felt
exactly how much he wanted her. God. What would he give to be
inside her right now? “Who, Becca? Who?”

“
I—I—” Becca shook her
head against the pillow, her arousal growing. She looked so
incredibly sexy as her back arched off the bed. He continued
thrusting against her, working his covered cock against her clit as
the vibrator beat powerfully inside her, the plug filling her ass
tightly. He grasped one of her breasts and squeezed it firmly,
before pinching her nipple.

“
Goddammit! Tell me,” he
commanded when he realized she was at the edge.

“
You,” she screamed. “I’m
yours. Always.”

Her climax crashed over her. God. There was
no way the audience wouldn’t know it was genuine. Her reaction was
too genuine, too beautiful to be faked.

As the last tremors racked her body, he drew
closer, kissing her gently.

“
And I belong to you. I
love you, Becca.”

Becca’s gaze captured his once more.
“Parker,” she whispered.

“
Marry me.”

Want to find out how Becca
and Parker’s red-hot romance ends? Check out
Over the Threshold
(coming
soon).