Bare Hearts Page 11

  “Why are crying; I didn’t hurt you did I?” I ask as I lay next to her.

  “No, it’s a good cry. I’ve just never felt this before, with anyone else. You make me feel things I’ve never felt before.”

  I smile and kiss her cheek as I wrap my arms around her middle, pressing against her backside. We fall asleep entangled in each other.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  LILY

  Waking up next to Parker, or even knowing he is close by makes my heart swell. I can’t believe he said he loved me. That wasn’t just a dream, right? Then I remember our night out and our night of love making. He is still asleep and his legs are entangled with mine. I slowly turn and stare at his gorgeous face. His jaw is very defined and his lips are lusciously full, I notice a small scar in his right eyebrow.

  I silently wish that we never have to leave this suite, that there were no other people counting on us, like my employees. But, he needs to check out that job Tim told him about last night, and I have responsibilities.

  Suddenly he wakes, pulling me into him and holding me against his hard chest, kissing my head. I rest my head on his chest as I admire his colorful arm tattoos. He has a sparrow, roses, snakes and skulls on one arm as well as a branchless tree on his other arm, along with an owl and a flag.

  Turning my face toward his, “How’d you get that scar?” I point to his eyebrow.

  “It’s from a fight when I was younger. I told you I ran with a bad crowd when my mom passed.”

  “I was just curious. You can barely see it, unless you look closely, though.”

  “How bout we order breakfast and then we have to head back home.”

  “Okay, I’ll go grab a shower quick,” I tell him as he picks up the room phone.

  *****

  In the car, Parker rests one hand on my thigh as he drives us back home. “This weekend was amazing; thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. I just wanted a weekend away with you where we didn’t have to worry about anyone or anything. Just us together, enjoying each other’s company. I enjoyed every minute of it,” he says as a sly smile appears across his face. “Want to swing by your place to grab a few things? You are spending the night at my place, just so you know,” he says as a matter of fact.

  I don’t bother arguing with him, because I don’t mind spending all my days and nights with him. And I secretly love when he tells me what to do. “Sounds good.”

  He continues to rest his hand on my upper thigh and I continue craving his touch, all over my body, inside and out, and I squirm in my seat. Luckily we arrive at my place so I can gather some of my stuff.

  “You can wait out here if you want; I’ll only be a sec,” I tell him.

  “Okay,” he says with a nod. I walk into the house and everything is exactly how I left it. I quickly grab a few more changes of clothes and some products I need for my daily routine.

  “Alright; I’m ready,” I say sliding back into the car.

  We make our way to his place and I start to think about the week ahead and what needs to be done at the shop. Finally at his place, we walk inside and my mouth hangs open at the mess his place is in. His place is completely trashed and ransacked, and we aren’t alone.

  “Oh, look who decided to show up,” Tony says as he grabs hold of Parker and tosses him across the floor as if he weighed nothing.

  “What the fuck do you want?” I spit out.

  “I actually thought you two split up and now I see you are back together. What did I tell you about this guy?” He says, swinging his gun around.

  “I know Tony! He told me everything. So you can stop whatever game you have going on.” I try to make my way over to Parker to make sure he is okay, but he shakes his head no at me.

  “Do you fucking love this guy?” Tony shouts, pointing a gun to Parker’s face.

  I sit on the couch as the tears start to overflow, so my legs don’t give out on me.

  “Yes,” I edge out. I try to keep my head together as I slowly try to get my phone out of my pocket to dial 911. Parker’s eyes never leave mine. “Why are you doing this to us?” I cry out.

  “Are you willing to die for her?” He turns around and asks Parker.

  “Yes,” he doesn’t even flinch when he answers him.

  I hit the 911 button on my phone that I already had programmed in.

  “Please stop pointing the gun at him,” I beg.

  “Are you really begging for his life?” He roars out.

  “Why do you feel the need to use a gun?” I try to get the message across that a gun is being used on us for the 911 operator.

  “I should just kill him for what his father did to your mom!”

  “Please don’t. I love him. It’s not his fault.” The tears start to flood my cheeks as I watch Parker, helpless and at my father’s mercy. My heart is racing and beating so loudly I am afraid the whole room will vibrate from it. “I’m begging you not to kill him, please,” I say calmly. I try to gather myself together for what I’m about to do.

  Parker’s eyes grow big when I say that. But I remember I have the gun Parker bought me in my bag next to me. I carefully and slowly pull out the gun unnoticed. “If you so much as hurt him I will kill you myself,” I spew out, pointing the gun directly on him.

  “You sure have a mouth on you; you’re definitely a daughter of mine!”

  “I told you before; I am no daughter of yours. Now I suggest you put the gun down because I will shoot you and not think twice about it.” I keep my gun trained on him with my finger on the trigger. His eyes grow large as he realizes the gun is pointed directly at him. I can hear sirens in the background. I continue to keep my gun pointed at him as the police arrive.

  The police pull up before any guns are fired. Several police cars pull into the driveway and enter the house, pointing their guns at Tony. Yelling ensues and he finally surrenders to them.

  “You are an evil son of a bitch!” I say as they place the cuffs on him. “I hope you rot in hell,” I say expressing the last words he will ever hear from me.

  Parker rushes over to my side and hugs me so tight I can barely breathe. But the tears continue to fall as I come to grips that Parker was almost taken away from me. That is one thing I would never have survived.

  “It’s okay,” he says, running his hand over my head.

  “It’s not okay!” I yell. “How could a father do this to his own daughter?” I question.

  “It’s over now. We don’t have to worry about him anymore.” He sits on the couch, pulling me into his chest and kisses my head. “You saved my life, you know that? You were so brave.”

  The police come back into the house to make sure we’re okay and they tell us we need to come down to the station tomorrow at the latest to give our statement. I’m thankful they are giving us time before we have to relive the nightmare over again. The police cars leave and all is quiet.

  “We can’t stay here. We have to go somewhere far away. I don’t even want to be in the same state as he is in. It makes my skin crawl,” I plead looking up at him.

  “Let’s just see how tomorrow goes and we will go from there, okay?”

  I don’t continue the argument. My energy is spent and I feel like I’ve shed enough tears for a lifetime.

  “I meant what I said when he asked me if I’d die for you. I wasn’t just saying that since a gun was pointed at me. I meant it,” he insists.

  “I know. Thanks for insisting on teaching me how to shoot, because I was ready to kill him if it meant you were safe. I was not going to lose you; not now. I love you so much.”

  “Do you realize that’s the first time you told me you loved me? You never said it back when I told you. I was afraid I had scared you.”

  I give him a weak smile and try to push the day’s event out of my head, but flashes of Parker almost being killed keeps haunting me, and I just can’t shake it. My nerves are completely shot.

  “Well I do love you. I was just waiting on the right time to say it back.
”

  “Nothing ever works out as it is planned, especially for us.” He laughs playing off the seriousness of our situation.

  “Ain’t that the truth,” I wrap my arms around his middle and squeeze him close to me. We fall asleep in that position for several hours.

  Hours later, I feel Parker moving, causing me to jump.

  “Please say I had a nightmare and you were not almost killed by my father.” I tell him.

  “Unfortunately, it was a real nightmare. I swear you don’t know how happy I am that you had that gun on you.”

  I stand to grab a drink of water, grabbing a beer for him. Pulling a gun on my father wasn’t easy; he is my father for god’s sake. How does one live with that? I was ready to kill him. If it would have come down to him or Parker, I would choose to save Parker in a heartbeat. He is my forever. The tears start to fall once more as I wrestle with my feelings.

  “You did the right thing,” he says snaking his tattooed arms around my waist and nuzzling my neck from behind.

  “Come on, you know what that does to me,” I say playfully.

  “I know,” he whispers. “I think I need to show my appreciation for you saving my life.”

  Oh. My. God. This guy completely does it for me.

  “I think I need to eat before I endure you ravishing me, the way you do. You’re insatiable.”

  “Sounds like a good idea.”

  We raid the fridge, only to realize there is nothing to eat, that we still need to go grocery shopping. I insist on freshening up before heading out, and it’s an excuse to give myself some alone time to come to terms with everything.

  In the shower, I slide down the stall giving myself one last cry. Loving Parker has come with its consequences and I was fine paying for those consequences, whether it was putting my heart on the line, hoping he wouldn’t crush it, or enduring my father’s animosity toward him. I would give my own life for his. I love this man. This is it for me.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  PARKER

  We are in the car, heading to the grocery store to grab some groceries to stock the fridge. Lily doesn’t want to leave my side, and I appreciate her for being so protective over me.

  “I just realized, I was so gung ho about protecting you and you were the one who ended up protecting me,” I say, trying to ease her mind and make light of our dire situation.

  “We protected each other.” She runs her hand through my hair, and the way she is looking at me is incredibly sexy. I give her knee a squeeze and she giggles.

  At the store, we buy enough groceries for the whole week, and then some. She insisted on paying, but I insisted that I pay, and needless to say she did not win that battle. At home, we unload the groceries and put everything in its place. Then we decide to have hamburgers on the grill, since I haven’t used it in quite some time while she makes some homemade pasta salad.

  I dread going to the police station tomorrow. I know it will be especially difficult for Lily and my heart breaks for her once more.

  “Are you prepared to go to the police station tomorrow?” I ask as we sit on the back porch, eating our dinner. Her eyes focus on the cement porch.

  “No, I’m not. I just want him out of my life for good. But who knows how long that will last.”

  “We will take it as it comes. I’m glad we can get back on track with us and just focus on each other,.” I pull her into my lap and caress her back. “Let me take you upstairs and make all this nonsense go away for the night.” I reach for her hand and lead us upstairs with beers for each of us.

  Upstairs, I pull her into me, and her body fits like a glove against mine. I just want to make the sorrow in her eyes go away.

  “God, I love you so much. It fucking kills me to see you hurting like this.”

  “Just kiss me, will ya?” She says inching her face close to mine.

  I grab her face with both hands and bring her soft lips to mine. “You taste like cherries,” I whisper. I feel her smile against my lips. The kiss becomes passionate and wanting. I lift the hem of her shirt and fling it above her head, then quickly unclasp her bra with one hand. Her tits spring free and her nipples perk at my touch. I move us over to the bed and lay her down underneath me.

  “Make love to me, Parker,” she whispers against my lips, and I obey her request. I take my time sliding her jeans down her legs and onto the floor. All she has on now is a black lace thong. I slide my body back up slowly, stopping to kiss every inch of her bare skin. Her skin is so soft and milky. I continue to kiss her and my tongue explores her mouth as my hands rub her full mounds. She tilts her head back as I slide my tongue down her neck and a moan escapes her throat. I trace my hand over her slit and my finger moves in a circular motion.

  I press my erection against her middle and her legs spread wider as she wraps her legs around my waist. I bury my head in her neck as I slide inside her.

  “Shit, I forgot a condom!” I pull back out of her.

  “It’s okay; I’m on birth control,” she says with reassuring eyes.

  “You feel so good inside,” I moan as I slide back in.

  She bites her bottom lip as I slide in and out and she digs her nails in my back. As soon as she moans again I know she is about to cum. The moan vibrates the room and causes me to explode inside her.

  “That was beyond amazing,” I say as I roll to her side.

  “It was, trust me. I loved every minute if it Parker, and I couldn’t imagine being with anyone but you. I love you and the way you make me feel. I’m going to shower real quick,” she leans in kissing me and I watch as her naked body makes its way into the bathroom.

  ****

  I wake up early, dreading the day ahead. I watch as Lily sleeps peacefully. Carefully sliding out of the bed, I get a start on the coffee and making breakfast, since I have a freshly stocked fridge.

  Just as I’m plating the food Lily descends from the stairs and into the kitchen. “I could smell this all the way upstairs. Smells so good,” she says as flips her hair over and sits at the table.

  “Fuck, you look so sexy in just my tee shirt.” She flashes a smile and nudges my side.

  “We need to go down to the police station today,” she says with a frown.

  “Later, Babe; just try to eat up for now,” I say, sitting next to her.

  By the time we get the dishes cleared and take our showers, it’s time to head to the police station.

  “You ready for this?” I ask, squeezing her knee as we drive to the station.

  “I hope so,” she says. Her eyes are downcast and I can see she is nervous.

  “You’ll be fine, I promise.” She gives me a weak smile. I pull in to the station and lean over to give her a kiss. Taking her by the hand, I lead her into the station. I spot the officer from yesterday and let him know we are there to give our statement from the incident.

  He greets us, leading us both down a hall to a conference room.

  “Have a seat. Would either of you like a bottle of water?” He offers.

  “Sure,” I say. Lily is sitting next to me, and I’m holding her hand against my leg.

  When he leaves, I give her hand a light squeeze, letting her know everything will be okay.

  “Okay, here ya go,” he says, handing over the waters

  “Thanks,” Lily says.

  “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like your statement on what happened yesterday. Please start from the very beginning,” he instructs.

  I watch as Lily untwists the cap of the bottle to take a drink. Setting the bottle back down, she clears her throat before she speaks.

  “Officer, my dad has been in the mob since I can remember. For some reason he hated that I was involved with Parker. But I will start from the very beginning.”

  The officer listens and takes notes as she makes her statement. And when she said she’d start from the very beginning, she did. I am so proud of her for being so brave and facing this head on. I’m not sure I would be strong enough.

  L
ily finishes her statement and the officer shifts in his chair.

  “I can certainly understand why you had enough of his crap and had a gun on him. But I’m afraid I may have some bad news. I’ve been in contact with some higher ups such as the FBI, and they think its best that you two go into the witness protection program. They have been looking into him since he’s been out of prison. They plan on taking out his whole team.”

  “Then why would we have to go into witness protection?” She asks.

  “Well, we might not be able to convict all of them, or even him. We don’t know how the trial will turn out. So we felt it was best if you go into the program. And the sooner we can do it the better. I’ll give you two some time to talk about it.” He walks out of the room, giving us some privacy.

  My stomach turns in knots at the thought of going into the program. I turn my body to Lily. “What are you thinking?”

  “Honestly? I don’t know what to think. I mean, what if we break up? What about my aunt? So many things are running in my head.” She shakes her head.

  “You don’t have to worry about us. We are good. We will always be good, as long as we’re together. And I don’t see why your aunt can’t come with us.”

  “If they came looking for me and couldn’t find me, her place is the next one they would go to. If we do this, where do you want to go?” She asks, turning to me.

  “Wherever you want; I will follow your lead,” I tell her.

  “Have you decided if you wanted to go into the program?” The officer asks when he returns.

  “What about my aunt? She is the only family I have left; they are sure to go looking for me at her place. And I want to visit my mom’s grave before we leave.”

  “I understand where you’re coming from. We can get your aunt in the program if she wants to. If she doesn’t, you can’t have any contact with anyone from your past life. You will be given new names and everything. Take the night to think about it and call your aunt. Then come back tomorrow with your decision.”