Yule Be Mine (7 page)

Her admiration threatened his resolve. Day in and day out, he worked his ass off trying to help people, trying to serve the public. More often than not, he got disappointment and complaints instead of gratitude.

But with Lily, she appreciated every damn thing he did for her. In her eyes, he was a hero. He was the man he'd always wanted to be.

Parker retreated, which annoyed the hell out of him. He didn't retreat from anyone. Anyone except Lily.

She strolled after him.

He stepped back again—and butted up against a wall. Shit. Trapped. “I'm a cop,” he said fast. “It's second nature to interfere.”

“With you, it's more than that. I bet you were always a defender of the underdog, huh?”

“No.” But he was. He could never tolerate bullies, and he detested cruelty of any kind. He'd become a cop because he wanted to help, wanted to make a difference.

“So modest.” She stared at his mouth. “There's something so sexy about the strong, silent type. Know what I mean?”

“No.”

“I bet you always wanted to be a cop.”

“Wrong.” God, he was a lousy liar.

“And now I know that you're attracted to me.” She stopped right in front of him, with only a thin space of air separating them. “So why fight it?”

Any second now, Parker knew he'd crumble. “You wanna know what I thought you did for a living?” He didn't give her a chance to reply. She'd left him little space to maneuver, and she looked so appealing staring up at him like that—the situation called for desperate measures. “I figured you for a hooker.”

Lily blinked at him.

Neither of them moved.

Even Elvis quit singing. That stunned him, until a new CD, this one Neil Diamond, clicked into place.

“A hooker?”

Feeling dumber by the moment, Parker nodded.

Her lips twitched a little, then firmed. “As in a woman who makes her living selling sex?”

Another nod, this one more curt. He waited for her to slap his face.

Instead, she giggled. “Oh my. You're giving me more credit for my sexual experience than I deserve.”

Parker drew himself up.
Just what the hell did she mean by that?

“What a dilemma for you, Detective Ross. Here you are, the quintessential defender of evil—”

“Knock it off, Lily.”

“The epitome of all that's good—”

Growling, he said, “You're asking for it.”

“A regular White Knight, and you thought the damsel in distress was a soiled dove.”

How dare she poke fun at him! Parker loomed over her. “You keep irregular hours. You have strange men at your door all the damn time. And you look…” His agile tongue tripped to a halt. Jesus, he'd backed himself into a verbal corner.

She batted her lashes at him. “I look…what?” Fighting a laugh, she said, “Like a…” The laughter won, and she barely managed to get the word out around her hilarity.
“Sexpot?”

Furious, Parker slid away from the wall and stalked over to the table. He grabbed up another chunk of ham and tossed it into his mouth. “Listen, I'm too shit-faced to be heckled right now. Take your little party home and let me get some sleep, why don't you?”

Rather than leave, she occupied his spot on the wall, collapsing back in amusement, her dark eyes all lit up and pretty. Her laughter never failed to affect him. He felt his ill humor slipping away.

And the way her breasts jiggled…

Parker stormed up to her, caught her upper arm, and pulled her away from the wall. “Time to go, Lily.” In about two more minutes, he'd be flat on his face, passed out.

If he lasted three minutes, she'd probably be under him.

Taking him by surprise, Lily drew up short, pulled him around, and threw herself into his arms. “You're precious, Parker, you really are.”

Precious?
Fighting the urge to snuggle her warm little body against his, Parker ground his teeth together. “You're laughing at me,” he accused.

“Because it's funny.” She chuckled again and shook her head. “Believe me, if I was a hooker, I'd starve to death.”

Don't ask, Parker. Just don't ask
.

Her hands came to rest on his chest, and she tipped her head back to see him. “You've fascinated me from the first day we met. And now that I know why you've kept your distance…”

Her reaction defied logic. “I can't believe you're not insulted.”

“Plenty of men have been after my money. That's a whole lot more insulting.”

Somehow, his hands ended up on her waist. He could feel the heat of her, the supple softness. “Idiots.”

Her gaze warmed. “But you had no idea I was rich. You thought I was a hooker.” Her fingers curled, subtly caressing him. “And still, you've always been kind and considerate. And you're attracted to me.”

“I'm a man. How could I not be attracted?” The words no sooner left his mouth than Parker wanted to cut out his own tongue. He needed to dampen her pursuit, not encourage it.

Didn't he?

He started to step away, and Lily launched into explanations. “I chose this apartment because it's close to one of my favorite shelters. I spend a lot of time there helping the homeless, abused women, and kids of addicts.”

So that's how she knew about mushrooms.
His next thought made his guts cramp:
Maybe she wasn't so innocent and naïve after all
. As much as her rosy demeanor had always annoyed him, he detested the thought of her facing the ugliness in life.

“While my house was being built, I needed a place to stay. But then I met you, and I didn't want to move until I got things straightened out between us. Only you refused to make a move beyond being friendly. I knew I had to do something to get your attention.”

She waved at the table where the candle still burned and Neil Diamond growled out an old familiar holiday tune. “So I forced dinner, and a little holiday cheer, onto you.”

“The dinner was great.”

Cuddling closer, she asked, “But the holiday cheer?”

“It's a myth. The holidays depress the hell out of most people.”

Her brows came down in a frown. “That's nonsense. The holidays give people hope. They give them something to focus on other than their troubles.”

“Like lack of funds, lack of family and friends, lack of…faith.” Damn it, he sounded maudlin. “Do you have any idea how many suicide attempts get called in?”

She put a hand to his jaw. “There will always be lonely and unhappy people, Parker. Neither you nor I can reach everyone. But during the Thanksgiving-to-Christmas season, the suicide rate actually drops.”

“You can't prove it by me.”

Now she looked indignant. “Parker, this is what I do. I know what I'm talking about.” And to prove it, she added, “The American Association of Suicidology has proven that December has the lowest suicide rate of any month of the year. And the National Center for Health Statistics has documented a suicide drop by at least twenty percent during the holidays.”

Anger rippled through Parker. “Christ, I fucking hate hearing people classed as statistics.”

Lily's smile wobbled, not because his temper scared her, but because she interpreted his words all wrong. “You're an incredible man, Parker. A hero.” She hugged herself against him again. “You care, when a lot of other people don't.” With a sigh, she added, “It's what I find most attractive about you.”

She offered herself so openly. It'd be beyond nice to lose himself in her slanted perception, to take all her softness and block out the ugly truths. But as a realist, Parker faced his own demons. And it was past time Lily did the same.

Hands shaking, Parker clasped her upper arms and levered her away. “Red light, Lily.” He gave her a slight shake, making her eyes widen. “Put your damn brakes on that fantasy, will you already? I'm sick of it.”

Appearing genuinely confused, she asked, “What fantasy?”

“I'm a cop,” he rasped, “nothing more and nothing less. What I do doesn't even put a dent in the shit going on in our world. So quit deluding yourself—about me and about everything else.”

She sighed again, this time in exasperation. “You refuse to soften up even a little?”

And Parker, being too tired and too horny to think straight, stared at her mouth and said, “Honey, right now, I'm about as far from soft as a man can get.”

L
ily knew when to take advantage of a propitious moment, and after Parker's bold admission, it wouldn't get much more propitious than right this very second.

Tonight, more so than at any other time, Parker needed her. Pressing into him so that she felt the hard length of his erection against her belly, she whispered, “Please kiss me.”

“Lily, damn it…”

She smiled—and closed her fingers around him.

Parker sucked in a startled breath. His erection pulsed, grew bigger. “Stop.”

Very gently, she said, “No.”

“Lily.”
He said her name like a warning.

Loving him more by the second, Lily caressed him, squeezed him…

And he broke. A growl rumbled from deep in his throat. His jaw locked. All his muscles went taut. And he rasped,
“I give up.”

Crushing her mouth under his, he moved forward, driving against her until it was her back pressed to the wall—with Parker firmly against her front.

Lord, she'd unleashed a storm. And she loved it. He tasted good. And he knew how to kiss. Or devour. Whatever. Lily couldn't breathe and didn't care.

With one hand curved around her nape, he held her head still while his tongue delved into her mouth. With the other hand, he felt her. Everywhere.

Lily moaned.

From the moment she'd met Parker, so strong, so quiet and honorable and caring, he'd touched her heart. He was every woman's dream, a hero, a real man, exactly what the world needed, exactly what she wanted.

His fingers tightened in her hair, but she didn't flinch away. He kissed her throat, nuzzled against her ear while urgently kneading her breasts.

“Is this what you want?” The low, rough words sent a shiver down her spine.

“Yes.”

His groan drowned out her gasp of pleasure. He took her mouth again, stifling her excited cries as he groped over her backside, her belly, and finally between their bodies to cup her mound.

“And this?” His fingers pressed.

The sensation was so erotic, Lily tore her mouth away and gasped.

With fierce intensity, Parker watched her. His eyes were burning and bright, his expression dark and hard. He looked wild—and he looked turned-on.

He looked determined.

Wow. Barely forming the words around her escalating need, Lily whispered, “I've never had angry sex before.” She swallowed, lightly touched his jaw. “I…I like it.”

In the blink of an eye, Parker changed, pulling back to let her breathe, his scowl lifting. He looked at her eyes, her mouth. After several deep breaths, he put his forehead to hers. “Either tell me to stop, or plan on getting fucked. Your choice.”

Poor Parker. She knew which choice he'd prefer her to make. She licked her lips. “Your room or mine?”

 

Accepting the inevitable, Parker squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them again. He hefted Lily over his shoulder, feeling like a deranged caveman, and not caring.

She reared up.
“Parker.”

“You had your chance.” He cupped her rounded backside to keep her still, and he liked that enough that he fondled her as he strode into his bedroom. He'd wanted Lily too long to dredge up any nobility now.

Lily, hanging upside down, said, “Finally.”

He tossed her onto his bed, bent one knee on the mattress beside her, and tackled the fastenings to her jeans. Urgency pounded in his brain. Need clawed through him.

“Lift your hips.”

She did, and he stripped off her jeans. Her panties were white with little candy canes all over them. He could see the shadowing of her pubic hair beneath. He could smell her aroused scent.

Ravenous and out of control, Parker gripped the hem of her sweater and yanked it up and over her head.

She covered herself with her arms. “No fair. You have to take something off, too.”

God, she had a beautiful body. Staring at her belly, he muttered, “Right. Whatever.” Nearly blind with lust, Parker shoved to his feet, stripped his T-shirt off over his head and, staring at her body, shoved out of his jogging pants and boxers.

Lily started to sit up to look at him, but he said, “No way.” He tumbled her backward onto the mattress and worked her panties down her legs. A little finesse wouldn't have hurt, but he couldn't dredge up even an ounce. The fact that he wasn't yet inside her showed remarkable restraint, as much as he could muster.

Her bra nearly ripped under his fumbling hands, but within seconds he had her naked. He wanted to touch and taste her all over, and to that end, he fell on her like a marauding berserker, his mouth at her throat, her shoulder, his hands sliding over warm skin and soft curves.

Lily laughed as he touched her everywhere. For only a moment, he suckled a nipple, and enjoyed her rising sounds of excitement. But at any moment, he'd lose it, so he levered up on one stiffened arm, opened her thighs and, breathing hard, stared at her pink sex while sliding one finger deep.

“Parker.” She arched up. Wet, hot.

Ready.

Breathing raggedly, he found a rubber in the nightstand, rolled it on, and then he was over her, groaning, on fire at the feel of her silky flesh, her stiffened nipples, the warmth between her thighs.

He closed his mouth over hers, stroking with his tongue while pressing into her, rocking deeper and deeper until she'd accepted all of him. Her slim arms wound around his neck, her ankles locked at the small of his back, and damn it all, he started coming.

He threw his head back, managed to growl out
“Sorry,”
while thrusting deep and hard, giving over to the draining of tension and anger and regret, and accepting the pervading numbness, the awesome calm.

Vaguely, he felt Lily's hands touch his chest, cup his jaw. He heard her gentle sigh, and when he sank onto her, wrung out, shot to hell, he noted the soft kiss to his shoulder.

The events of the day got the better of him, and Parker had only enough wits left to roll off to her side, sprawling on his back, before sleep claimed him.

 

Smiling like a goof, Lily lay there while her heart continued a mad gallop. She could easily guess how Parker would react to his carnal faux pas when he awoke. He was such a big, macho guy, so determined to always be strong and honorable. Leaving her would probably seem the ultimate insult to him.

She turned her head to look at him, and the smile faded to tenderness. God, he was so sexy, even now while dead to the world. And she wanted him so much. Her belly tingled and her thighs trembled and her breasts ached. But she could wait until he awoke. Even heroes needed sleep.

Carefully turning toward him and lifting to one elbow, she touched him, smoothing back his dark brown hair. To her surprise, his green eyes snapped open and stared right at her. But they looked more blank than aware, and suddenly he mumbled something unintelligible and dragged her close. Lily found herself cradled to his warm chest, one muscled arm around her back, one heavy leg over hers.

She couldn't move.

But then, she didn't want to. It was too early for her, but after a while, sleep beckoned, and she relaxed enough to drift off.

The lights were still on when Lily awakened, but she sensed a lot of time had passed. A distinct chill filled the air—and a warm, wet mouth tugged at her breast.

Her eyes widened. “Parker?”

“You betcha.” A teasing tongue licked across her chest, then curled around her other nipple. “You let me fall asleep.”

Her breath caught. “I don't think I could have stopped you.”

“I'm a pig. Mmmm, you taste good.” And he started sucking at her breast again.

Shockwaves of pleasure moved over her, reigniting her earlier arousal. She tunneled her fingers into his hair. “What time is it?”

“Who cares?” And then, “Open your legs.”

Wow, he sure had awakened with a “prove-himself” attitude. “Why?”

“I want to finger you. I want to feel you and get you off, and then find another rubber and take you again. The right way. The way you deserve. The way I've been thinking about for months.”

She shouldn't have asked. Heat throbbed beneath her skin—and she opened her legs.

“Nice.” His hands were big and rough, and he knew what to do and how to do it. “Poor baby,” he crooned, while touching her intimately. “You fell asleep all hot and wet, didn't you?”

Lily couldn't talk, not with his fingers moving over her like that, pressing into her and retreating and teasing…

“I should be shot. How does this feel?” Parker pushed two fingers deep, stretching her, carefully thrusting, and then his thumb rolled over her clitoris.

Her muscles jolted in reaction, stealing her breath so that she couldn't answer.

Voice low and thick with satisfaction, he whispered, “You like that, Lily.”

She arched her neck and managed a small sound of agreement.

Parker smiled against her breast. “I'll make this good for you.”

And true to his word, he kept up the wonderful foreplay until her entire body burned.

“Come for me, Lily. Let me redeem myself.”

Such idiocy! How could he blather on while she—
oh God
. Tension suddenly gripped her and her fingers bit into his hard, sleek shoulders while her hips lifted in rhythm. Pleasure rolled through her, and then, by small degrees, ebbed away, leaving her limp.

Before she could open her heavy eyes, Parker rose over her, kneeing her legs apart to press into her, deep and deeper still. With his warm breath coming fast, he cupped her face and kissed her gently. “Just relax,” he instructed, “and I'll take care of you.”

“Protection?”

“Already in place.” He leisurely kissed her, long and slow and consuming, then kept on kissing her. He filled her. His heat and scent surrounded her. Yet other than his tongue, he didn't move an inch.

Lily shifted her hips, felt the sweet friction of his erection inside her, and decided moving was a good thing. But when she tried it, Parker pressed down, holding her still.

She pried her mouth away from his. “Parker…”

“Shhh.” He kissed her throat, took a soft love bite of her shoulder. “I want you to be with me this time.”

“I am.”

“Not yet.”

Ready to press the issue, Lily trailed her fingers over his chest—and got her hands pinned above her head.

“Behave,” he admonished, then his attention caught on her breasts, and he lowered his head to tongue a stiffened nipple.

She couldn't move at all, not with his hips between her thighs, his weight holding her down, her hands restrained by his. It was frustrating. And a turn-on. And she didn't want to wait anymore.

“I'm ready, Parker.” And to taunt him into action, she said, “Remember, I'm younger than you. I recover quicker.”

His head shot up. “I'm the one who woke you.”

“I know.” She stared at his mouth, a little breathless, a lot in love. “Now show me what you can do.”

He seemed to harden even more, his expression, his muscles, the erection deep inside her. One side of his mouth curled in a predatory smile. “You want to come, is that it?”

“I want you to love me.”

Her deliberate wording took him off guard. But Lily held his gaze, letting him form his own conclusions. No matter how he took it, he'd be right.

Releasing her wrists, his eyes locked on hers, Parker trailed his hands down to her thighs. He hooked his elbows beneath her knees, lifted her legs high, and tilted her hips up so that he sank into her even more.

Breath catching on a gasp, Lily braced her hands on his shoulders—but she didn't look away from him.

Without a word, he began a steady rhythm that gained in strength with each thrust. Harder, deeper. Gaze burning, Parker watched her. His hair hung over his brow, his shoulders strained, every muscle delineated.

Lily came first, the release taking her by storm, forcing a high cry from her throat.

Parker muffled his answering groan against her shoulder. They went limp, arms and legs tangled, hearts beating together. Lily had to bite her lip to keep from telling Parker about her feelings. She'd been half in love with him a week after making his acquaintance. Since then, she'd fallen a little more in love every day.

Now that they'd been intimate…well, she just couldn't imagine any other man in her life.

When her breathing calmed enough so that she could speak, she turned her head and saw the clock. Two A.M. She smiled and whispered, “It's Christmas Eve, Parker.”

He grunted, struggled up to his elbows, and stared down at her. He wanted to say something, Lily could tell, and she held her breath, waiting.