The Prize (7 page)

In moments, I drifted off, the first time I’d fallen asleep so quickly in weeks.

Chapter Ten

A noise yanked me from a deep sleep. Or maybe I imagined it in my dreams.

I bolted awake, my adrenaline pounding as I fought to escape whatever was holding
me down.

I screamed, extracted myself from my bed, and scrambled to jump to the floor and yank
open my nightstand. In less than two seconds, I had my Glock in my hand.

“Meagan? Shit.” The man in my bed lifted his hands in front of him as he sat up. The
faint outline of his body was all I could see as reality flitted back into my brain.

Parker.

Not some intruder.

Not Michael Swarth.

Parker.

He didn’t move a muscle as he spoke. “Meagan, hon, it’s just me. Please. Put the gun
down.”

I lowered my weapon with shaky hands, standing before him naked and scared out of
my mind. “Sorry.”

He inched forward slowly until he sat on the edge of my bed, reached for the gun,
and took it from me. He put it back in the drawer and closed it. And then he hauled
me into his embrace between his legs, wrapping his arms around me and holding me close.

His lips landed on my cheek, and he kissed me gently. “You’re okay.”

No. I wasn’t. He didn’t know how not okay I was.

When he lifted his face and tipped my head back to meet my gaze, his expression was
serious. “Does this happen often?”

I swallowed. “No.” It had been a long time since I reached for my weapon and actually
picked it up.

He searched my face for answers, finding none. “You’re dangerous to sleep with,” he
teased.

“Lethal,” I added, not kidding.

“So you weren’t joking when you said you don’t have men sleep in your apartment.”

I shook my head. “Did you think I lied?”

“No. I just thought you meant recently or something.”

“Never. Parker. I don’t sleep with men. Or anyone for that matter. You should take
this as a lesson and break this off now. I’m not safe.”

“That’s ambiguous. You aren’t safe to be around? Or you’re concerned with your own
safety? Two very different things.”

“Does it matter? Either way, you don’t want to be involved.”

“Now you’re going to make decisions for me?” he asked.

“Why not? You make decisions for me all the time.”

“In bed,” he added. “Nowhere else.”

“Your ‘bed’ encompasses a lot of territory.”

He chuckled. “True. What I mean is I only want to dominate you where it pertains to
sex, nothing else. I would never dream of telling you how to do your job or who to
shoot. But I’d rather it not be me. Could we maybe keep the gun someplace else? Like
the closet? Is that thing loaded?”

“Of course it’s loaded. It won’t do me much good without bullets.”

“I hate to point this out to you, but with the nightmares you obviously have, it’s
not safe for you to have a loaded weapon at your fingertips.”

“I’ve been perfectly safe for years. It’s not like I intend to shoot myself. It’s
you who isn’t safe. And I never intended for you to sleep in my bed. You weaseled
your way into this. Now will you accept that this isn’t going to work out between
us?”

He jerked his head back a few inches and narrowed his gaze. There was enough light
streaming in from my bedroom window for me to see him clearly. “Because you have nightmares?
Fuck no.”

Growing agitated, I yanked myself from his grasp and stepped back. I didn’t care
that I was naked and shivering with frustration. “Do you think I watched a scary movie
or something? Because you’re sadly mistaken. My life
is
a fucking scary movie, Parker.” I gasped and turned around to pace. I’d given him
far more details than I’d ever given anyone.

Finally, I ran my hands through my tangled hair and spun around to face him again.
“You should go.”

“What? No way. You’re upset about something. I see that. Let me help. Is someone after
you?”

He was too perceptive. I didn’t want him to know any more than he already knew. This
was my life. My cross to bear. I didn’t like my friends involved. It was bad enough
that every time I saw my parents I had to deal with their looks of sorrow. I didn’t
need to add anyone to that list. Ever. Not Parker. Not anyone.

I tried to control my breathing while I yanked my top sheet from the bed and wrapped
it around me. “I’m sure it’s too much to ask, but I would appreciate it if you kept
this to yourself. I don’t want my friends to know. If you need to talk about our relationship
with Cade and Riley, fine. If you need to discuss how many times we’ve fucked or when
or where or how you’ve managed to dominate me, I’m okay with that. I’m begging you
not to share this one thing.”

Silence for several long moments. “Wow. This is serious.”

“What do you mean by that?”

He shrugged, not bothering to cover his nudity. His cock stood out from his body almost
fully erect. Was he always hard?

I jerked my gaze to his face when I realized I was staring.

“You’ve been so careful to keep us a secret is all. Whatever is going on with you
must be huge if you’re willing to out us to your friends in exchange for me keeping
my mouth shut.”

“Whatever.” I tried to sound nonchalant. I even rolled my eyes and cocked one hip
to the side. “Besides, like I said, I’m sure they all already know by now. They aren’t
stupid. We fucked in the restaurant bathroom.” My voice rose as I leaned forward to
stress the absurdity of that action.

“Mmmm. If I recall correctly, I didn’t get fucked at all in the bathroom.”

I winced.

He smiled. “It was damn sexy though, making you come so fast and hard when anyone
could have walked in and caught us with my fingers inside your tight, hot pussy.”

I stood taller, pressing my legs together at the visual that managed to bring me right
back to the edge of sanity. How could he arouse me under any circumstance? I licked
my lips, trying to regain control. “You were holding the door closed with your body.
No one could have walked in.”

He chuckled. “Are you saying you would have stopped me if I hadn’t had the sense to
protect your sweet pussy from being seen by half the restaurant?”

I pursed my lips. He had me there. I would never have stopped him. I’d been in a vortex,
consumed by the need to orgasm. I wouldn’t have stopped him even if three women had
stepped in.

“Come here, hon.” He reached out a hand.

I shook my head. “I can’t think when you touch me.”

“Good. You need to think less and feel more.”

“This isn’t a joke, Parker. You should go.”

“Not a chance.” He stood and stepped my direction.

I backed up, panicked. I didn’t want him to touch me.

He stepped into my personal space, crowding me without laying a hand on me. “What
are you afraid of?”

“We aren’t having this discussion.”

His shoulders slumped. And then he hauled me into his embrace. Persistent asshole.

I shivered as if cold.

“Come back to bed.”

“No. I won’t be able to sleep anymore. You go ahead. I’m going to take a bath.” I
wiggled free of him, trying not to inhale his intense masculine scent that teased
my brain into wanting more.

A bath would soothe me and chase away the chills that always followed the nightmares.

He said nothing and didn’t follow me into the bathroom.

I locked the door behind me, dropped the sheet, and turned on the tap to its hottest
setting. While the tub filled, I used the toilet, brushed my teeth, and then piled
my hair on top of my head to secure it with a clip. When I tested the water, it was
perfect, and I moaned as I slipped into the deep warmth. I relaxed immediately. I
had myself trained to use a bath as my method of escape and to pull myself back together
when I lost it.

This time was different. Instead of fighting against my usual rampant thoughts of
being kidnapped or shot, I found myself thinking about Parker. His hands on my breasts.
His mouth tasting me. His cock filling me.

I squirmed under the water, letting my legs spread open to keep the pressure off my
clit. My hands fisted at my sides as I pictured him naked on the other side of the
door, lying in my bed, perhaps propped on one elbow, waiting for me to come out.

My nipples puckered under the water. My clit pulsed. I could rub myself to orgasm
easily, but there was no way I could keep from screaming out at the release. And that
would embarrass me.

He wanted too much from me. I couldn’t give him what he deserved. I wouldn’t divulge
more than I had. I wasn’t in a state of mind that would allow me to share with anyone,
let alone a man who could control my body with a look.

I gritted my teeth. I needed to put an end to this nonsense and wipe my hands of Parker.
He had the power to bring me to my knees. And it felt so good letting him control
me I feared I would decide to stay there.

Which again, was not an option.

The longer I continued to see him like this, the harder it would be to end things.
My body warred with my mind, the obvious need to climb out of this tub and put my
foot down at odds with the tingling sensation running up my spine at the desire to
have him run his tongue up my skin from my clit to my nipples.

I moaned. Even in the warm water, I shivered at the thought of him touching me. Or
just looking at me.

I jumped when he knocked on the door. “Meagan, hon, your phone keeps ringing.”

Fuck
.

I closed my eyes, trying to find the strength to lift myself out of the tub. Phone
calls before dawn were never good.

“Meagan?”

“Yeah. I’m coming.” I gripped the edges of the tub with both hands and forced myself
to stand. As soon as I wrapped a towel around me, I opened the door.

Parker sat on the edge of the bed again, still naked, my cell in his hand. He held
it out. “I didn’t mean to snoop, but why are you getting multiple calls from a Charlotte
area code at this hour?”

I grabbed it from him as it rang again. With no other option, I answered it. “Hello.”

“Meagan. Finally. I was worried.” Detective Branch exhaled slowly. “Bad news.”

I didn’t move. I stood one foot from Parker, staring at his cock, and listened to
the surreal words coming from Arnold Branch.

“Michael Swarth already jumped his parole.”

I didn’t move, focusing instead on Parker’s length and the way it lay nearly fully
erect between his legs. Was it always ready to go? Did he have any down time?

“Meagan? You with me?” the detective asked.

“Yeah. I heard you. Thanks for calling.” I ended the call without waiting for him
to speak again and set the phone on my bedside table gingerly as if it might break.

“Meagan?”

I flinched when Parker spoke my name in the same questioning tone as Arnold. “Hon?”

I pulled myself from the trance I was in and dashed from the room. After drying off
my still-wet arms and legs, I dropped the towel on the floor and dashed back into
my bedroom. Ignoring Parker, I yanked open my dresser drawer and pulled out a bra
and panty set. As I hopped on one leg to get the lace over my feet, Parker came up
behind me.

“Where’s the fire? Meagan, talk to me.” His hands landed on my shoulders.

I tugged my panties up and then shoved my arms into my bra. “I have to go.”

“It’s not even five in the morning. Go where? Who was on the phone?”

I stepped away from him and headed for my closet to grab a pair of jeans. I glanced
over my shoulder at Parker. “I’m out of here in five minutes. If you want to stay,
I don’t care.”

“Meagan, hon, please. Talk to me.” He took two strides to reach me and grabbed my
arms to force me to look at him. “You can’t run out of here like the hounds of hell
are after you without telling me what’s going on.”

“Sure I can.” I gave him a quick fake grin and yanked free to reach back into the
closet for a shirt. It was going to be cold outside. I grabbed a sweater also.

My hair clip snagged on the neckline of the sweater as I pulled it over my head, and
I had to shake it free, leaving my hair in complete disarray around my face.

Parker grabbed his underwear from the floor and shrugged into them. His pants followed.
He left them unbuttoned as he followed me into the bathroom again.

I grabbed a toiletry bag from under my sink and tossed things into it. My brain wouldn’t
run on full speed. My mind kept wandering to the
what ifs
.”

What if he already found me?

What if he found my parents?

Why hadn’t my mom called yet?

Parker blocked the door, his arms grabbing the frame on both sides when I attempted
to leave the bathroom. “Stop. Stop darting around and tell me what’s going on.”

“Not gonna happen. What I’ve been trying to
tell
you is that it’s none of your business. I told you to be prepared for disappointment.
That would start now.” I glared at him, trying not to feel the squeeze in my stomach
that ached to have him wrapped around me instead of turning him away. But this was
for the best. “I have to go, Parker. Don’t try to stop me. And please don’t call Cade
and Riley the second I’m gone. I don’t want my phone lit up with calls from my friends
before dawn. I have to take care of some things.”