Embracing the Unexpected (15 page)

“I’ve missed touching you,” Jace said as he palmed Parker’s
cock.

Parker slipped his hands under Jace’s shirt, running them up
his chest and ghosting his thumbs over his erect nipples.

“I’m so lucky to have you.” Jace closed his eyes and
indulged in Parker’s touch. “You’ve taken such good care of me this week.” He
moved his hand under Parker’s balls and gently fondled them.

Parker stood up and gripped Jace’s hips, quickly tugging at
his pajama bottoms, being careful not to touch his incision. He dropped to his
knees and looked up at Jace.

“Let me continue to take care of you.” He pushed Jace back
into the chair, forcing him to sit. “Let me make you feel good.”

Jace threw his head back and enjoyed the sensation his
lover’s tongue was creating as he swiped it over his wet tip. Parker continued
to slowly move his tongue up and down his shaft.

Jace reached down and cupped his chin. “Stop teasing me,” he
said in a throaty voice. “Put your mouth on me.”

Parker shot him that sexy smirk before giving him exactly
what he was craving. He wasted no time getting down to business and within
seconds Jace was moaning loudly as his cock was hitting the back of Parker’s
throat. The man had no gag reflex and was seriously a natural at giving head.
Jace had never experienced anything like it.

As Parker bobbed up and down on Jace’s thick cock, Jace ran
his fingers through Parker’s hair, massaging his scalp. Parker slid his hand up
Jace’s thigh and gently ran his thumb around his tight hole, tentatively
stroking it. He had always been the top in this relationship and Parker liked
being the bottom, but Parker was creating the most delicious sensation as he
fingered Jace.

“Fuck. Parker. Yes, touch me there,” he moaned.

Parker seemed encouraged by his permission, because Jace
barely had the words out of his mouth when he inserted the tip of his finger
inside Jace’s ass, and slowly circled it as he sucked him off. Jace twitched,
moving against Parker’s face, and a few seconds later his hot cum pulsed down
his throat. While Jace released, Parker continued to finger him. Jace gripped
the armrests of his chair as he violently shuddered against that sexy, capable
mouth.

Parker looked up at him as he licked him clean, not missing
a drop of his essence. He slowly slithered up Jace’s body and placed his hands
on top of his. He gently kissed him, running his tongue along Jace’s, allowing
him a taste.

Jace sunk deeper into the chair, feeling exhausted over what
had just occurred between them.

“Are you okay?” Parker tenderly kissed him. “I may have
overdone it.”

“That’s the most excitement I’ve had in a few weeks.” Jace
laughed. “It kind of took it out of me.”

Parker stroked his face and then ran his tongue along his
bottom lip. “You go take a nap while I make dinner. I’ll bring it up when it’s
ready.”

“You don’t have to serve me in bed. I can come down to the
kitchen,” Jace insisted as he stood up and fixed his pants. “I’m feeling much
stronger today.”

“I want to,” Parker said. “I’m making homemade pizza. Your
favorite kind.”

“Vegetable?” Jace smiled because he loved Parker’s gourmet
pizzas. Parker was a pretty good cook when he wanted to be.

“With roasted peppers and mozzarella,” he informed him. “I
thought we could watch a movie, drink wine, and grope.”

“Hmm.” He wrapped his arms around Parker’s waist. “Can’t you
just come up with me now?”

“No, you need your rest and we have to eat,” Parker said.
“I’ll be up in an hour.”

“Okay.” Jace kissed his cheek and reached for the file on
his desk.

“Where do you think you’re going with that?”

“I thought I’d read while I was in bed,” Jace said. “It’s so
boring that it’ll put me right to sleep.”

Parker shook his head. “You’re such a workaholic.”

“Like you’re not? I know you sneak out of bed in the middle
of the night to check your email.”

“We’re perfect for each other.” Parker smiled. “Who else
would put up with us?”

“I agree,” Jace said. “I really enjoyed having you here with
me all week. I liked falling asleep in your arms and waking up against you.
It’s nice having you here in the house, even when we’re not in the same room.”

He liked hearing Parker in the kitchen or knowing he was
working on his laptop at Jace’s desk. He’d been alone for so long he’d
forgotten what is was like having someone in the house. He didn’t realize how
lonely he’d been until this week.

“I liked being here too.” Parker looked disappointed. “It
won’t be the same when I leave. I’ll miss being with you all the time.” He
stroked his cheek. “Go rest.” He quickly kissed his lips and headed for the
kitchen.

“Parker?” Jace knew exactly how Parker was feeling because
he’d been thinking about him leaving for the past few days.

“Yeah?” He turned and smiled at him. “Do you need me to get
you anything?”

“I don’t want you to go.”

“I’m just going to the kitchen.”

“That’s not what I mean.” Jace cleared his throat. “I know
it’s only been a few months, but when you know, you know.” He hoped he didn’t
sound stupid or sappy, but Parker was it for him and he needed him to know.

Parker nodded but didn’t respond.

“Would you consider moving in with me?” Jace asked. “I mean,
at least together? It would be easier for you to come here because my practice
is here, but I’m open to suggestions.”

“You want me to live with you?”

“I do,” Jace said. “When you left that night, well, I didn’t
think I’d ever hurt the way I did when Tyler left, but I was so wrong.”

“You were?”

Jace walked over to him and took his hand. “You mean more to
me than Tyler ever did, and I think that was part of the reason I was so angry
you didn’t trust me. I could never betray you. I don’t want anyone else and I
never will. I see a long and happy future with you.”

Parker squeezed his hand. “I was a mess that weekend when
you wouldn’t return my calls. I knew I screwed up, but I didn’t know how to
make it right.”

“I was being stubborn,” Jace admitted. “I won’t do that
again.”

“When I found out you were in an accident, I was terrified
I’d lose you for good.” Parker closed his eyes. “The car ride to the hospital
was the worse fifteen minutes of my life.”

Jace pulled him into a hug. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“I want to move in with you,” Parker whispered into Jace’s
shoulder. “After spending the week with you, there’s no way I could leave now.”

“I love you,” Jace said. “I’ll love you forever.”

“Always, I’ll love you always,” Parker said. “I know you’re
what I’ve been waiting for.”

Ava had spent most of the afternoon in the kitchen cooking.
She’d already prepared the salad, the twice baked potatoes were baking in the
oven, the broccoli was washed and ready to be steamed, and now she was just
placing the finishing touches on the roasted chicken recipe she’d learned from
a very prominent chef in the city. She’d been dying to try it out in Parker’s
gourmet kitchen. She looked around and frowned when she took in the mess.
Parker was going to freak.

She had a special dinner planned for her two favorite men.
She was thrilled they were taking the next step and moving in together. Parker
insisted on keeping his house for Ava to stay as long as she wanted. The house
was entirely too big for her, but she did love living there. Jace thought it
was a good idea for her to have some independence and living on her own was the
best place to start.

Her therapy was going well. She was able to open up and
express things in her sessions that had been bothering her for years. Jace was
not only an incredible therapist, but a very good friend to her as well. He
encouraged her to explore a relationship with Jack, and while she was taking
things slowly with him, she enjoyed his company. Her life was finally getting
back on track, and she was a much stronger woman than she’d been a year ago.

She’d just placed the chicken in the oven when she heard a
knock at the door. She quickly set the timer and ran to the front door. She
glanced at the grandfather clock in the foyer and noticed it was almost time
for Jace to arrive. He said he’d be there before Parker got back from the
office. She thought it was strange he was knocking. He did have his own key.

She pulled the door opened. “Where are your keys? You’re
going to make me burn the potat— Oh.” She took a step back and stared at the
man before her. He was the last person she’d ever expected to show up there.

“Hey.” He smiled at her. That charming smile, the one that
made her never suspect he was the devil himself.

“Mike,” she said as she pushed the hair from her eyes. “What
are you doing here?”

“I know I should’ve called but I didn’t think you’d answer.”
He shrugged. He hadn’t changed much in the past year. He was still tall,
handsome, and appealing. His blue eyes sparkled as he flashed his dimples.

Ava wished he’d stop smiling at her. It reminded her of the
day they’d first met. He was so polite and accommodating. She agreed to go to
dinner with him within minutes of meeting him. She was stupid then, but not
anymore.

“What do you want?” she asked.

“May I come in?”

Inside Parker’s house? Was he out of his mind?

“I don’t think so,” she said as she stepped out onto the
porch, closing the door behind her. “Parker is going to be home soon, and it’s
probably not a good idea if you’re here when he arrives.”

“I didn’t come here to cause a problem.”

“Why did you come?” Ava’s heart was beating wildly, but she
tried to stay calm. Rationally, she knew Mike wouldn’t hurt her. He usually
needed to be provoked, and she had no intention of doing that. She just wanted
him gone before Parker got here. She knew that could create a huge problem.

“I’ve been doing some thinking about what happened between
us. The way things ended was less than amicable.”

“You think?”

He looked at her for a few moments before continuing. “I
probably shouldn’t have pressed charges against Parker, but he did break into
my home and assault me.”

“You know why he did that.”

“He shouldn’t have put himself in our business. What
happened was between us.”

“Parker was only reacting to what happened between us. You
beat me up so badly I was hospitalized.”

“And so was I,” he said. “Look, I didn’t come here to fight.
I just wanted to say thank you for not revealing why Parker did what he did.
You could’ve testified on his behalf but you didn’t.”

Ava hated thinking about how she didn’t come forward and
defend Parker, but he insisted she didn’t. He knew she was too fragile at the
time and he said she couldn’t take much more. He took full responsibility for
what happened and managed to keep most of it out of the papers and tabloids.

“You have Parker to thank for that,” Ava said. “He said
there was no sense in dragging me into it but I do regret it.”

“It was better for all of us in the long run.”

“What do you mean? Parker suffered for it all. It could’ve
ruined his career.”

“It didn’t, and I just want to make sure it stays in the
past.”

Ava didn’t understand why he’d all of a sudden show up there
to make sure she would stay quiet about their relationship. She’d never told
anyone other than Parker, his family, and Jace, but that wouldn’t affect Mike,
so what was he doing there now?

“It’s in the past. I’m moving forward, so what are you doing
here?”

“I’ve decided to make my father happy and run for the vacant
House seat next fall. You know he has aspirations of me running for Senate or
something higher in a few years, and this is just the next step.”

“So, you’re here to make sure I don’t do anything to screw
that up for you?”

“I know you don’t play that way,” he said. “Look, what I did
to you was stupid. I don’t know why I treated you that way, but I'm sorry.” He
took a step toward her, but she moved back against the door. “I’m not going to—
Don’t be afraid of me.”

Ava wanted him to leave. She couldn’t believe the nerve he
had showing up there to make sure she didn’t do anything to ruin his future
political goals.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Ava knew it was coming. The apology that always came after
he’d hit her or made her do something she didn’t want to do. He’d lay it on so
thick and make sure he sounded like the victim until she’d have no choice but
to forgive him. He always made it her fault.

“I was wrong. I didn’t want you to leave. You were packing
your things and I couldn’t take that you were leaving me. You were so important
to me, you still are.”

Ava wanted this to stop. She didn’t want to hear how much
he’d screwed up and how he’d never do it again. She’d learned enough in her
sessions with Jace to know that she was the victim, but she could now take
control and she was a survivor. No man would ever hurt her that way again. She
would never allow it.

“Mike, I don’t want to revisit this with you. It’s been over
for a year, and we’re both moving on. I wish you success with the campaign, and
I won’t do anything to stand in your way.”

“Ava.” He took her hand. “I know this is a lot to ask, especially
since so much time has gone by, but I’ve missed you and things weren’t always
bad between us. We did have fun.”

She nodded because when things were good, they were really
good, but that never lasted. She’d lived in constant fear she was going to set
him off. The littlest thing could make him go crazy.

“This campaign is a really big deal.”

“I said I wouldn’t do anything to make it hard for you.”

“But you could make it easier for me,” he said. “There are
so many upcoming functions and fundraisers I need to attend. I need to start
building a positive reputation in the community if I want to take this as far
as I can. A governor’s run could be in my future, or so my campaign manager
tells me. We could do this together. We could have a really good life.”