We had barely left the house in two days. It was two perfect days of sex, food, and nothing else.

By the time we finally surfaced into Forbidden Ink, Staci and Brandon stood at my desk clapping.

I tucked my face into Parker’s side in embarrassment, and Parker only chuckled.

“Don’t you two have work to do?” Parker set the coffees we had just bought on my desk.

“I don’t know. Do we?” Brandon asked. “You two have been in your sex dungeon so long that we thought we might have to shut this place down.”

“Shut up, Brandon.” I shoved his shoulder as I walked around my desk.

“It’s true,” Staci said with her hands on her hips. “I thought I was going to have to find a new bestie.”

She winked at me and I wrapped my arms around her.

“Wait, I thought I was your bestie,” Brandon pouted beside me.

“I can have more than one bestie, Brandon.”

He smiled until Staci poked her head over my shoulder. “But I’m the best bestie.”

Staci and I laughed as Brandon tried to grab her, but she was too quick.

“How about we have a bestie night tonight since you both have been so neglected?” I asked, and Parker rolled his eyes.

“Yes!” Staci clapped her hands. “But you’re getting ready with me. You’ve been spending too much time with Parker already.”

I laughed but agreed and then we all got to work.

---

Staci and I had been at the karaoke bar for about fifteen minutes when Brandon finally walked in the door. It was the same karaoke bar that Parker took me on our first date, and even though we were having a bestie night, I couldn’t help feeling even more in love with Parker for him suggesting that we come here.

“Where’s Parker?” I asked Brandon over the loud singing.

He had texted me about ten minutes ago to tell me he was almost here.

“He’ll be here in a sec,” Brandon said before cheering for the guy doing a hardcore rendition of “Highway to Hell”.

Staci and I had already put our name in to sing a Spice Girls’ song, and we had each taken a few shot to help bring out our inner divas. We were both giggling at nothing when I said, “I love this song.”

The guitar riff of “Sex on Fire” by Kings of Leon started blaring through the speakers of the bar, and I turned to see who had the balls to sing that song.

“Holy shit,” Staci started laughing beside me, and I looked up on the stage to see Parker on the stage with the microphone in his hand.

But that wasn’t what made me giggle. Parker was dressed in jeans, a white t-shirt with a bright yellow jacket over it, and a fireman hat. My grand gesture.

He started singing the lyrics, and the girls in the bar started going crazy. I didn’t blame them. He looked hot as hell.

He pointed at our table as he sang the words, and I covered my face as Staci doubled over with laughter beside me.

He jumped off the stage, the microphone still in his hand, and made his way over to me. He pulled my stool toward him, and he spread my legs apart with his hands as he leaned into me. I couldn’t stop laughing as he shimmied his body against me.

The crowd around us was cheering and cat calling as he sang and danced. He winked at me as he pulled off his fireman hat and placed it on my head. He pulled the jacket off his back, before swinging it in the air to the cheers from the crowd. He threw it to me, and I barely caught it against my chest because I was too busy watching the way he was circling his hips.

When the song ended, he dropped the mic to the ground, which the DJ frowned at, and he grabbed my face in his hands.

“You are insane.” I was laughing so hard that I snorted which only made Parker smile harder.

“Most romance books are.” He smirked. “And you needed a grand gesture.”

“You are my grand gesture, Parker. You’re all I need.”

He gripped my thighs in his in hands and lifted me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist and everyone cheered again. I buried my face in his neck, embarrassed by all the attention, and laughed as he carried me toward the back of the bar.

“What are we doing?” I looked behind me as he turned the lock on an office door. “We’re not allowed to be in here,” I whispered like we were going to get caught.

“Shhh…” he said against my lips as he set me down on the desk, and I laughed again.

“No way, Parker James. We are not doing this.”

I looked back at the door, but it was still securely locked.

“Baby, are you scared?” he teased as he ran his hands down my body.

“I’m not scared.” My blood was rushing through my veins thinking about us getting caught at any second, but I wouldn’t dare admit that to him.

He pushed my legs apart and ran his hands down my jean-clad legs.

“Then show me what kind of bad girl you can be.” He grinned a devilish grin, and I felt lost in my draw to him.

I pushed him off me and onto the desk chair that sat behind him before I slowly pulled my shirt up my stomach and over my head.

He watched me as I rolled my hips to the music that could barely be heard in the secluded office, and his eyes clouded over in lust as I dropped to the floor in front of him on my knees.

I had danced in front of hundreds of men during my time at Toxic, and every time I had felt ashamed or dirty. But I had never felt like this. I had never felt so wanted or so loved. I looked up into Parker’s eyes as I rolled my body against him, and he groaned when my ass pressed into his lap.

“Tell me what you want, Parker,” I purred as I ran my fingers down his thighs.

“You. It’s always been you.”

I turned to face him, straddling his hips. “You’ve got me.”

“I love you,” he murmured against my lips.

“I love you too.”

He pushed my hair out of my face. “I’ve always loved you. Even when you were gone, I always woke up looking for you. I searched for you subconsciously even when I told myself I shouldn’t.” He shook his head and a tear ran down my cheek.

“But love is a word that is too weak and used too often to describe what I feel for you. It’s relentless and desperate, and every time you smile I fall harder and harder.”

“Parker,” I whispered his name because I didn’t know what else to say.

“Don’t ever leave me again, Livy.” He clung to me, my body pressed desperately tight against his.

“Never.”