4
Skyler flips down the mirror cover in the passenger sun visor of my Tesla for the tenth time. She fluffs her long layers at the roots. For the second time in ten minutes, she reapplies lip gloss. This is followed by a frustrated sigh, which feels like the millionth time.
“Peaches . . . what’s going on?” I reach for her hand, clasp it, and rest it on my thigh.
Her palm is warm and comforting, another oddity I didn’t expect to enjoy with a woman.
Holding hands. The act seems novel. Probably because I haven’t done it much in half a decade. Usually the women I dated in the past would reach for my hand. I’d hold their hands briefly, so as to not make them feel less than, but as soon as I could find a reason to let go . . . I would. With Skyler, I have a constant desire to touch and be touched by her.
Skyler squeezes my hand. “What if they don’t like me?”
I practically choke out my laughter. Her head twists toward me, and her eyes narrow into tiny slits. “I’m being serious!” she scolds, her cheeks flushing pink.
I chuckle. “That’s what makes it so funny!” I continue to laugh.
“You are not helping.” She attempts to pull her hand away, but I hold it fast.
“Peaches, they’re going to love you. The entire freakin’ world already does.”
“They don’t know me! I want your parents to know me. The real me. Not the actress they liked in one of their favorite movies. Just Skyler.”
I lift her hand up to my face but watch the road as I kiss the back of her fingers. “Baby, I’m telling you. They are not only going to like you, they will love you. Hell, my mother’s probably already planning our wedding and the name of our firstborn with her book group.”
I chance a look at her and grin.
Instead of seeing her laughing, I catch her with an expression that telegraphs she’s been stunned stupid. I tighten my hold on her hand. “Peaches, relax. I’m kidding. Mostly.” I wink, and she finally takes a full breath and lets it out slowly. Her grip loosens, and she slumps back into the leather seat.
“I’ve never met the parents before. Believe it or not, when I was younger, I was too busy acting to date. And when I was around twenty, I dated a little but not enough to ever reach that point. My first real boyfriend was Johan. And he never introduced me to his parents.”
I frown. “Why the hell not? Weren’t you with him over a year?”
She sighs and looks out the window as the traffic flows by. Behind us, in a rented blacked-out Range Rover, are Nate and Rachel, Sky’s protection team. So far we haven’t been followed, at least not as far as I’ve noticed, but I suspect the paps know what I drive, and a smokin’ hot, cherry-red Tesla isn’t going to be hard to spot.
“Yeah, eighteen months.” She answers my question but doesn’t continue. Even though I don’t want to push her and ruin any potential mood, I want to know more about her.
“First love?” I ask softly.
She nods. “Yeah, but I was the only one in it. At first, I thought he loved me in his own way. He was busy with his career, as was I. Though looking back, it was all wrong. I ended up being the only one to make any compromises in our lives. I moved in with him, met him at his shoots in between filming or during free times. He rarely came to wherever I was stationed for work.”
“Really? That does seem rather one-sided.”
She shrugs. “Part of me thinks I held on to him so tightly because he was there when I lost my parents three years ago. We had just started dating, and I was devastated.”
Bastard probably took advantage of her. Three years ago, she was only twenty-two. “And they were your only family?”
Skyler sucks in a large breath, which rattles out as I watch her attempt to control her emotions. Still, her eyes turn glassy, and the tip of her nose reddens.
“Hey, you don’t have to talk about any of this if you don’t want to, or if it hurts too much. I’m trying to get to know you better.” I pat her leg, then grip it firmly to solidify my seriousness.
She smiles softly. “I know, and it’s good to talk about them. They were amazing. Best parents a girl could ever have. I may not have had siblings growing up, but they gave me so much love and attention, I never felt alone. Until they passed.”
I nod and rub my thumb over her hand in what I hope is comforting support. “How’d they die?”
She cants her head and frowns. “You read the People piece, and I’m sure Wendy gave you all the information you needed on me.”
“This may be true, but I want to hear it from your mouth. The truth. Not what people print in the papers.”
She firms her jaw and purses her lips before speaking. “They’d always wanted to travel the world. And with my acting, they did a lot of what they wanted. I made sure of it. Since they dropped everything for me and my acting career growing up, I made sure they had plenty of money to do what they desired when I was an adult.”
I smile, hold her hand, and kiss it again, only for longer this time. “You’re a good daughter.”
“They were great parents. Well, they wanted to rent a yacht and sail the ocean, hit a bunch of European locations. It was a dream they’d had ever since I was a little girl.”
“And . . .”
“I set them up with the yacht and team. They didn’t even make it to their first location when they hit a heavy storm. Capsized the boat. The entire team was lost, including my parents.”
I swallow around the sudden lump in my throat. “Jesus. Baby, I’m sorry.”
She sucks in a sharp breath. “Yeah, me too. If it weren’t for my setting it all up, they’d still be here.”
Oh hell no.
“Sky . . .”
She shakes her head. “Enough. Can we change the subject?” Her words are tight, and her mouth has flattened into a thin, harsh line. Not the prettiest look on her.
“Yeah, baby, we can. Especially because we’re here.”
Skyler looks out the window at my father’s bar. The kelly-green awnings, crisp and clean against the old brick facade, look brighter during the daylight hours.
“This is the place? Where they live?”
I chuckle and cup her nape so she’s focused on me. “Yeah, this is where they live in a sense. It’s where we all hang out, come to gather as friends and family. It’s my pops’s bar. Lucky’s has always been my favorite place in the world. It’s where I grew up. Mom wanted you to come to the house, but it’s small, and I wanted you, your team, and the guys to feel comfortable.”
Skyler leans forward, cups my jaw, and kisses me softly. She pulls away sooner than I’d like but runs her thumb across my bottom lip. “I love it. This is perfect.”
I grin. “Then come on, Peaches. Let’s get you a beer and one of the cook’s famous pulled-pork sammies.”
She moans, a sweet sound I feel in my dick. “Sounds heavenly!”
I run around the car and find Nate and Rachel are already outside, scanning the area, as I open Sky’s door and reach out a hand.
She extends a fine, jean-clad leg, which she’s paired with camel-colored suede boots that go up to the knees. On top she’s wearing an off-the-shoulder, slouchy cashmere sweater. Her wrists display a host of tinkling bracelets. A pair of dangling gold hoops adorns her ears, and her hair is down in beachy waves. My favorite look. I like running my fingers through those soft locks, which I have a sneaking suspicion she knows and likes as much as I do.
I lead her to the building and open the door for her. I can hear Royce’s deep laughter and Ma’s higher-pitched laugh from the entrance.
Pops has closed down the bar for the afternoon and night, which I know is a huge hit to the budget, but one he’d gladly take in order to have a family event with all the guys. Only downside is my brother, Paul, is still off on some secret mission with the government.
The second we enter, my mother stands up from her place at a long line of tables they’d set up so we could all sit together in the center of the bar. Her arms open as she approaches.
“Parker . . .”
I let go of Sky long enough to embrace my ma and take in her familiar Obsession by Calvin Klein scent.
“I’m so glad you’re home and safe.” She holds me close and then pulls back. “And now introduce me to your friend.”
I loop my arm around Skyler, and she wraps one of hers around my waist. I can feel her fingers digging into my side.
“Ma, this is Skyler. Skyler, my mother, Cathy.”
“It’s good to meet you, Cathy.” Skyler holds out her hand.
My mother pushes it aside and approaches Sky, so I have to let her go. “Oh, pishposh. We hug around here. Come here, sunshine.” She tugs Skyler into her arms.
Skyler’s beaming smile over my mother’s shoulder melts my heart.
Ma pulls back but cups Skyler’s face with one hand. “As golden as the sun. You know, you’re even prettier in person.” She pats Skyler’s cheek, and Sky lifts her hand up to hold my mother’s to her face.
“Thank you,” she says, emotion coating her tone.
Ma preens under Skyler’s look of awe.
My mother has that effect on people. Everyone loves her, and she loves everyone. Unless they prove themselves unworthy. Then she can hold a wicked-mean grudge, but it’s hard to get to that place with her.
“And who do we have here?” Ma gestures to Nate and Rachel.
“Ma, this is Skyler’s security team and friends. Rachel and Nate Van Dyken.”
“So fancy. Your own team.” She lifts her hands to her chest in a prayer gesture, smiling like a loon before shaking their hands. “Well, come on in, take a load off. I’ll have Randy get your drink orders.”
“Thanks for welcoming us, ma’am,” Nate says.
Ma turns around and heads to the table. “Such good manners.”
“Hey!” the entire IG team, sans Wendy, hollers out to us.
Royce stands, walks over to us, takes Skyler’s hand, and brings it up to his lips. “Nice to meet you, little lady.” His voice is a deep rumble.
Sky grins wide and fans herself, looking at me. “Are all the people you know hot?”
“No, just me,” Roy jokes.
“Hey! I resent that.” Bo hops up from where he’s straddling a chair backward.
He pulls Sky into a bear hug. “Hi, darlin’.”
Sky returns his hug, much to my chagrin, and pats him on the back. “You over your jet lag?” she asks him, having just seen him last week in Copenhagen.
“Nuthin’ a few nights’ sleep and a couple of rounds with a chicklet didn’t fix.” He waggles his brows.
“What’s a chicklet?” Sky asks, and I place an arm around her shoulders and tug her away from our resident man whore.
“Peaches, you don’t want to know.”
“Peaches?” my mother gasps, obviously having heard my nickname for my girl. “So cute.” Her happiness practically pours off her in waves.
I roll my eyes as I bring Sky over to my father, who’s busy lining up drinks for everyone.
Pops wipes his hands on the towel he’s thrown over his shoulder and extends a hand out over the counter.
“Skyler, happy to have you here at Lucky’s. Thanks for making the trek from New York.”
Skyler shakes his hand. “Of course. Thanks for having me. I was looking forward to meeting Parker’s family and friends.”
“What’ll ya have?” he asks.
“Do you have cider?”
“Sure do. Angry Orchard?”
“Perfect, thank you.”
My father smacks the bar top. “Comin’ right up. Go take a load off.”
We sit across from Royce and Bo, Rachel and Nate to the side of Skyler, Ma and Pops at each end, fluttering around.
The moment Pops sets down our drinks, the bar door opens.
Nate and Rachel both stand up. Nate comes around the table, and Rachel stands in front of Skyler instantly. Both of them have serious “don’t mess with me” expressions on their faces.
“Whoa, whoa!” I stand and grip Nate’s shoulder. “It’s Wendy and I’m assuming her boyfriend,” I tell him, and his shoulders ease down, but he still stands firm.
“Hey, boss man!” Wendy flounces in, holding the hand of a tall man. He’s wearing dress slacks and an impeccably pressed dress shirt, no tie, and a fitted sweater over his shirt. The man has ash-blond hair and light eyes. He has every bit the “rich businessman on the weekend” vibe, though the woman whose hand he’s holding is his complete opposite. Wendy’s wearing red tights, a black-and-white houndstooth miniskirt, and a men’s-style white dress shirt tied at the waist. The front is open, revealing a red lace bra she means to show off. On her feet are black heeled combat boots. Her fiery-red hair is slicked to one side with a black plastic bow you’d see on a child. With Wendy, you never know what you’re going to get, but it’s always interesting, and she rocks it as though it’s the next haute couture.
“Wendy. Glad you could make it.” I walk over and stand in front of her and her mate. I put my hand out. “Parker Ellis. I’m the boss.”
“Michael Pritchard. Fiancé.”
“Wendy . . .” I smile as she holds up her hand, showing me a big, honking ring.
“He asked me to marry him! Can you believe it? Me!” Her entire being looks like she’s about to burst with joy.
I chuckle, and she flies into my arms to hug me, bouncing as she does. Over my shoulder I can see her man does not like her hugging other men. His jaw firms, and his eyes narrow. Still, he doesn’t scare me. I could take him if we went head to head.
“Of course I can believe it. You’re a catch, minxy.”
She grins and pulls back. “Now, introduce me to your superstar girlfriend. And punch me if I go all fangirl.”
“You put hands on my woman in anger, and you’ll be answering to me.” Michael wraps an arm around Wendy’s waist, bringing her back against his form.
She smacks at his hand around her waist. “Oh, he’s kidding.” She snickers.
“Not even a little,” Michael responds a tad threateningly.
“Oh shush.” She kisses his cheek, which seems to appease him. His demeanor softens at the first touch of her lips against his skin. Wendy tries to look past me. “I want to meet Skyler!”
“Come on over and meet the rest of the family, Michael.”
We spend a few minutes introducing Wendy and Michael, sharing in their happy news as Pops gets the drinks. Everyone agrees to having pulled-pork sammies and fries along with some appetizers the cook planned for us. Rachel and Nate decline an alcoholic beverage, and my respect for them goes up another degree. They’re on the job even though Skyler repeatedly told them this is supposed to be fun time.
Once the food is served and Ma and Pops are at their ends of the table, the real conversation starts.
“Skyler, I’m dying to know what it’s like to be a celebrity. Is it awesome or what?” Wendy asks unabashedly while chomping on a fry.
Skyler sips her cider and licks her lips. I want so badly to lick them for her, taste the apple cider on her pretty mouth for myself. Instead, I rub her thigh from hip to knee in a repeated pattern, which is probably soothing me more than her.
“It has its advantages and disadvantages, I suppose, like any job.”
“Yeah, like meeting amazing people and going to cool places.” Wendy’s eyes light up with interest.
Sky smiles. “True and definitely a bonus. Though the lack of privacy is a constant battle.”
My mother frowns. “Do you get a lot of people bugging you for autographs and the like?” she asks.
“Sure. I don’t mind talking to fans. Usually they’re really respectful, want to tell me what their favorite movie of mine is, or get a signature. The paparazzi are the problem.”
“Vultures,” Nate rumbles under his breath.
“What are you working on now?” Pops asks.
“Another in my Angel series.”
“I love those movies! You’re such a badass in them!” Wendy gushes.
Sky laughs. “Thank you. It is a lot of fun to do the action shots, and I try to learn the moves so I don’t need a stunt double too often.”
“Cool . . . ,” Wendy gasps, and leans her cheek into her hand, her elbow braced on the table, focusing entirely on Skyler. My assistant is in complete awe of my girl, but she’s reining it in and keeping it together. Over time, I’m sure she’ll get past Sky’s celebrity and think of her as a friend. Hopefully. Sky could use some good friends, Tracey being the only one I know of.
“It is cool.” Sky smiles.
“And probably not hard to work with the hottie Rick Pettington.” Wendy fans her face. “That boy is hawt!”
Michael tightens his arm around his woman’s shoulder; instinctively I grip Sky’s leg.
Royce laughs into his fist. “Hoo-boy. And the daggers come out.”
“He’s very nice to look at, yes. And he’s a friend,” Sky offers diplomatically.
I jolt my head to the side to look more closely at my woman. “A friend? He’s upgraded to friend status?”
Skyler sighs and pats my chest. “Yes. He’s always been a friend, but more so now. You can’t work sixteen-hour days with someone and not become close.”
I frown. “How close we talkin’?” I growl, and the entire table laughs.
“Put a lid on it, son,” Pops warns. “Girl has to work alongside a lot of nice-looking fellas in her business, I imagine.”
“Thank you, Mr. Ellis.” Sky beams at my dad.
“You can call me Randy, darlin’, or Pops. Everyone does.”
“I think I’ll be taking a visit to this set, make my presence known.” I nudge Sky’s temple and lay a kiss there.
“Good idea. Keep a lock on what’s yours,” Michael affirms with a chin nod.
Wendy rolls her eyes but snuggles closer to her man. He kisses the top of her head, runs his hand around her neck, and tugs on the padlock there. Her eyes dilate, and she sighs dreamily.
“Really? You’ll come to the set?” Sky sits up, a hopeful, happy expression on her face.
I cup her cheek. “If my coming to your work puts this kind of smile on your face, you bet your ass I’m coming for a visit.”
She smiles super wide. “Awesome,” she says on a breathy whisper, and my dick is hardening rather painfully in my pants.
I give her a few pecks on the lips, which has Ma, Wendy, and Rachel sighing and Bo and Roy gagging and throwing barbs.
“Shut it! Just because the two of you haven’t gotten your heads outta your asses and found yourselves a good woman doesn’t mean you get to harp on me,” I fire off, not at all angry, just telling it like it is.
“That’s exactly what it means, brother,” Royce pipes up.
Bo tips his head back and laughs.
“See what I have to put up with?” I pop a fry into my mouth.
“Yeah, you’ve got it so bad. Great parents, an awesome assistant, brothers for partners. Let me cry you a river,” Sky says, pouting.
“You’re on their side!” I fire back, laughing and tugging her closer.
She chuckles. “No, pretty boy, I’m always on your side. Unless you’re being an ass. Then I’m on your brothers’ side.”
I open my mouth to say something when Royce cuts me off.
“Marry her, man.” He shakes his head. “Woman’s perfect.”
“Totally, brother,” Bo adds.
I nuzzle her neck and lay a few kisses there. “You are pretty perfect . . . for me.”
Sky cups my chin and looks me straight in the eyes. Her gaze is piercing with intention and things to come later when we’re alone. “Don’t you forget it.”
I rub her shoulder and bicep and grab for my beer while I stare across the table unseeingly. “Not a chance.”