Parker

Parker stretched when he finally dragged himself from bed. Since Bellemora wasn’t packed with wedding guests, he’d been given a room next to Beth’s. Last night, he’d stayed up with her watching old movies until she fell asleep. Then he forced himself to go to his own room.

It was torture peeling himself away from her. And he’d had trouble falling asleep without the steady rise and fall of her chest to reassure him that she was perfectly all right. But he wanted to be respectful of Beth’s parents.

The next morning Parker peeked in on Beth as soon as he woke up. She was still fast asleep, so he tiptoed out of the room and ordered her breakfast to be delivered a bit later. Then he got dressed for a run.

* * *

By the time Parker was showered and changed from his run, Beth was awake. She was sitting in bed finishing her breakfast while Brianne and Jaime kept her company with a game of Scrabble.

Beth’s face lit up when Parker walked into the room. “Hey you,” she greeted.

“Hey you,” he replied planting a swift kiss on her cheek.

Beth leaned in to his kiss, whispering. “You smell good,” with a grin.

“You guys are adorable,” Brianne crooned.

“And that’s our queue to leave,” Jaime said hauling Brianne to her feet.

“Aw, I wanna gawk at the love birds some more,” she teased.

“Or we could go be love birds ourselves,” he suggested.

Parker barely heard their witty banter as they left the room. He only had eyes for Beth. She was staring at him in a way that left him breathless and unable to think.

When they were finally alone he sat down on the bed, giving her a real kiss. Her lips tasted like maple syrup and she sighed into him. “How was your breakfast?” he asked.

“Perfect, but you knew that already because you ordered my favorites.”

“How do you know it’s from me?” he teased.

“Because there was maple syrup in my coffee. No one knows I like that but you.”

“You caught me,” he said upending the Scrabble board as he moved to sit next to her. He took a sip of her coffee and shivered at the excessive amount of sugar. “How can you drink this?”

Beth laughed. “All that sugar makes me sweeter.”

Parker grinned at her brilliant smile. Maybe it was true, because he’d never seen a sweeter sight. “You might be right about that.”

“I love that you know me so well,” she said snuggling into him.

He shrugged, playfully. “What can I say? It’s a gift.”

Beth’s face turned serious as she pressed a kiss to his lips. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“For what?”

“For everything. For knowing all my weird habits and loving me anyway. For taking care of me. For still being here.”

“Beth, there’s literally nowhere else on earth I’d rather be than by your side. And all that other stuff,” he said kissing her forehead. “It makes me love you even more.”

She blinked up at him, longing glowing in her eyes. “My parents left for Boston an hour ago.”

A sudden surge of desire flared inside Parker. They were finally alone. For the first time ever, they were in the same place, on the same page and they were free to do whatever they wanted. Excitement nearly overtook him as Beth traced a delicate finger down his chest.

“Oh, and Brenna left us something,” she added.

“What?”

“Open the top drawer in the nightstand.”

Parker peeled himself away from Beth long enough to open the drawer. “A key?” he asked pulling out the only item inside the drawer.

Beth grinned. “To the beach cottage. It’s ours for the rest of the week if we want to stay there.”

Parker blinked. “Are you kidding?”

Beth shook her head.

“Do you want to?” he asked.

She nodded. “Do you?”

“Of course I want to,” Parker replied.

“Good. I do too.” Beth giggled and Parker was back in the bed in a flash, pulling her into his arms again.

Their kissed carried them away and in seconds Parker was burning. Beth’s hands twined in his hair and down his back. The soft whimpers she made anytime his lips brushed a delicious new spot sent thrills through his body. Her hands slid under his shirt tugging his hem higher and higher. Parker yanked his shirt off in one fluid motion, easing Beth onto her back. She gasped as his chest pressed against hers. It was enough to make him still. “Are you okay?”

“There’s something digging into my back.”

Parker lifted her up, finding the culprit. Beth laughed when he held up a small wooden Scrabble tile and pulled him back in for a kiss. Things got hot and heavy quickly and Parker forced himself to slow down.

“What’s wrong,” Beth asked.

“Nothing. I just . . .” he paused.

“Parker, you can tell me anything.”

“I know,” he said kissing her lightly. “I just want to be sure that you really want to do this?”

“I’m sure,” she whispered. “I’ve never been more sure of anything. I want this Parker. I want you.”

Her eyes threatened to ignite his soul and it took every ounce of willpower he had to utter the next words. “Not like this.”

“What?” Beth blinked up at him. “Why?”

“Because I want it to be perfect.”

“Parker, it is perfect. It’s us. I couldn’t want anything more.”

“I want our first time to be perfect,” he whispered. “Not with Scrabble letters poking us in all the wrong places.”

Beth giggled.

Parker sat up, pulling Beth with him. “Plus, I’ve sorta been planning something.”

“Since when?”

“Technically, since you said the words beach cottage . . . but I’ll admit that it’s something I’ve thought about on more than a few occasions.”

“Well now I’m curious. What is it?”

“It’s a surprise. Are you feeling up for an adventure?”

“I was sorta feeling up for spending the day in bed with you.”

Parker grinned, his heart soaring at Beth’s words. “Give me two hours,” he begged. “And can I borrow this?” he asked picking up the key from the nightstand.

She nodded and he gave her a quick kiss. “Take a shower and pack an overnight bag. I’ll pick you up here in two hours.”