Sophie's Playboy (20 page)

But this time, she'd also be brokenhearted. It might cost Melina her job also, and she no doubt needed it.

Sophie put a hand on her queasy stomach. Parker and Melina were talking about medical stuff. Sophie joined them, needing to take her mind off herself. As long as they discussed kidneys and not hearts, she'd be fine.

* * * *

Parker wondered what Sophie's next move would be.

When he'd arrived at the station and saw what she was wearing, he knew she had intentions. Moving forward, moving backward—interpreting his parting statement in the least innocuous way. For the first time in his life, he didn't know what to do.

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When he'd heard Brianna's message the night before, he'd been furious. The thought that Sophie considered him a frivolous playboy—and therefore, her plaything—had turned his passion into towering rage. Then, when she'd said he had depth and intelligence, the anger had flared out and was replaced by something he couldn't define. Both reactions terrified him.

Why did he care so much what Sophie thought of him?

He'd worn his playboy image like a cloak for years, not caring what anyone thought of it. It had protected him and protected others from him. Now, suddenly, he detested that image even if Sophie apparently saw through it.

He cared more what Sophie thought of him than he'd ever cared about anyone, ever.

Maybe he cared more about
Sophie
than he'd ever cared about anyone, ever.

So when they got back to the station, he didn't know what to do.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Melina said, and started to walk to her car. She paused and smiled at them. "Don't look so sad.

I'm not dying."

Her joke fell flat, but she just shrugged and waved goodbye.

"You'd really give her your kidney?"

Parker looked down at Sophie, who was still watching Melina cross the parking lot.

"Of course," he answered. "If it was a match."

Now she looked up at him, and what he saw in her eyes both thrilled him and increased his terror a thousandfold.

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"Sophie..."

"Come home with me tonight, Parker." Her hand laced with his. "Just come home with me."

He couldn't say no, and for the first time, he didn't feel doomed.

* * * *

He followed Sophie to her condo and in the front door. She didn't look over her shoulder as she strode down the hall, her hips swaying enticingly due to those ridiculous—but sexy—

high heels. Parker felt a bit like one of the Pied Piper's kids, but he was helpless to do anything else.

Sophie moved into the bedroom and toward the center of the room. Her back still to Parker, she unbuttoned her blouse and peeled it off her shoulders. He leaned against the doorjamb and folded his arms. She acted like she was alone.

Her movements were natural, not deliberately seductive, but his mouth went dry anyway.

She turned toward the closet, and he almost swallowed his tongue. Her breasts swelled over the top of her black bra. His vague arousal went into high gear.

Still she ignored him.

He watched as she tucked the blouse into a laundry bag, then unbuttoned her skirt and stepped out of it.

And stood in front of him in a black push-up bra, a garter belt with sheer black stockings, and super-high heels. His fantasy come to life.

He pressed his sweating palms to his ribs to dry them on his shirt, but didn't move otherwise. This striptease was the 186

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sexiest thing he'd ever seen, and he didn't want to disrupt it for anything. He couldn't wait until she removed the bra. He could imagine her breasts spilling free, swaying, the nipples hard. He held his breath in anticipation.

But she didn't take off the bra. She sat at an old-fashioned vanity and started to unpin her hair. Once it had fallen to her shoulders, she brushed it slowly until it gleamed. She didn't look at Parker in the mirror. Or at least, he didn't think she did. He couldn't tear his eyes from the swaying of her breasts. God, he wanted to touch.

But she was teasing him, and he was loving it. Loving her for giving him this gift. Prolonging the anticipation until it damn near killed him.

She swiveled to one side and bent to slip off her shoes.

Parker nearly snorted and pawed the ground at the sight.

When she straightened, she turned back to the mirror, then reached behind her and undid the clasp on her bra. Her breasts popped free, just as he'd imagined. She sighed in obvious relief, dropped the scrap of satin, and massaged the faint red lines left by the edges of the bra. Her eyes closed in pleasure.

"Jesus Christ, Sophie," burst from him. His hands dropped to his sides and he took a few steps toward her.

She smiled at him in the mirror. That confident smile of a woman in complete control of her man.

Sophie stood and turned to face him. "Hello, Parker." She reached for the garter and Parker stopped her.

"Leave them on." He smoothed her hair where it lay above her breasts. "God, you are so sexy."

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"Thank you."

"You have no idea what you've done to me tonight."

"I have some idea." Her hand pressed against his hardness and he drew in a quick breath.

"You are a witch," he said through grinding teeth.

"Yep." She tilted her head. "Does that mean you don't want me?"

"Yeah, right, I don't want you. Like a starving man doesn't want a crust of bread." He walked her backward to the bed and watched her bounce as she fell back onto it. His pants became even tighter. He winced as he undid his belt and opened the zipper, then sighed his own relief.

"Come here." Sophie beckoned and he went, supporting himself on one knee and bracing his arms next to her shoulders. She reached up and unbuttoned his shirt.

"Mmmmm." She licked her lips. "Now, that's sexy." Her hands stroked over his chest, plucking at the little bit of hair he had.

Her lips twitched and he wondered what was funny. Then he didn't care because she was fingering his nipples. His eyes drifted closed, his mind focused on the path of her hands.

Down his sides, over his back, around his waist to his belly. A near tickle, her touch increased his arousal until he wasn't sure he wouldn't just explode right here, right now.

"You haven't kissed me yet," she murmured, her hands moving to his shoulders to slide his shirt off.

"Didn't I? I don't remember." Exerting incredible control, he slowly bent his elbows and brushed his lips over Sophie's.

Her hands slipped into the back of his pants and started to 188

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push them down. "I want to devour you," he murmured against her mouth.

"Do it." At that moment, her hands found him. He crushed his mouth to hers and lunged, almost driving himself deep, as deep into her as he could go. But he stopped himself. He knew she wouldn't be ready. Men could come just watching a woman, but women needed more. Women needed touch.

So he touched her. He pulled back and fell to his side, propped on one elbow. He smoothed the other hand down her neck to her collarbone.

"Parker, I don't want slow and gentle. I want you to devour me." She tried to reach for him.

"Shh." He pushed her hand back to the bed. "Don't worry.

I'll devour you." Increasing his pressure, he slid his hand down her chest and covered her breast. She arched. He pinched her nipple and her mouth opened in a gasp. "Harder,"

she urged, so he squeezed harder, and she moaned. He did it to the other breast and she writhed on the bed.

God, she was hot.

He lowered his mouth to her breast and sucked, simultaneously pinching the other breast. She screamed almost silently. He moved his hand lower. When he checked her dampness, his finger slid inside almost of its own accord.

He bit down lightly, and felt her squeeze his finger as she came.

Quickly he moved over her and positioned himself. She parted her legs and grabbed his hips to pull him into her.

"Parker, God, it's not over!" She arched against him, trying to move his hips. He drove into her, amazed at how 189

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completely wet she was, overcome by her slick heat and the look of desperate ecstasy on her face. Even moving, he could feel her squeezing him rhythmically. Her orgasm never seemed to end, drawing his with it, higher, higher, incredibly higher, to a peak he'd never experienced before.

Just before he exploded, Sophie's eyes met his. Her lips didn't move, but he heard it just the same. The fear in his heart had no chance against the other emotions that flooded him.
Me, too
, he thought, then burst into flames.

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CHAPTER 12

Sophie went to work the next day feeling like she'd gotten ten hours of sleep instead of, oh, about two. She'd spent the drive home after dinner planning how to keep emotion out of their lovemaking. How to avoid talking about it and scaring Parker off. She'd decided simple seduction would do the trick, and it had.

Right up until the end. When Parker had entered her and driven her even higher, she hadn't been able to keep her emotions from her eyes. And she could have sworn she'd seen answering emotions in Parker's.

They'd held each other for a few minutes, then Parker had sighed against her neck. "We didn't use anything."

"I did."

He leaned back to look at her. "What?"

She squirmed and looked at his shoulder. "I use a diaphragm. I, uh, got ready at the restaurant. Before we left."

"That protects us from pregnancy, but what about the rest?"

She liked the way he said "us" when talking about pregnancy. Not that she doubted he'd stand by her if she did get pregnant, but the affirmation was nice anyway.

"Are you afraid of catching something?" she asked. He grinned.

"Not hardly."

"Hey!" She slapped his shoulder. "That wasn't nice."

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"I didn't mean what you think." He stroked his hand over her shoulder and down her arm. "I meant that you're smart.

And careful."

"Usually."

"Are
you
afraid of catching something?"

Given Parker's reputation, she probably should have been.

She looked up at him. "Have you ever slept with another woman without using a condom?"

He shook his head. "Never. Not even my first time. I've never forgotten before." He smiled. "I should say, I've never been so overwhelmed by a woman that I forgot or even considered not using one."

That heated Sophie's blood again and she kissed him.

"Mmmmmmm. We didn't do enough of that yet." She pulled his head to hers and kissed him again. He had that warm, pliant, contented taste of the aftermath. It inflamed her and she kissed him harder, pressing her body against his and clutching his shoulders.

Parker pulled back. "Again?" He looked amused.

Sophie frowned in concern. "Can you?"

He laughed and hugged her. "For you? Anything!" They stroked and kissed for several minutes, then he paused again.

"Isn't there something you have to do?" He pressed the heel of his hand to her pubic bone. She nodded toward the nightstand.

"There are some pre-filled applicators in the drawer."

Parker sat up and opened the drawer, removed a long tube, and unwrapped it. He leaned back over her and nudged her thigh.

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"Open for me."

Sophie did, and the act was more erotic than anything he'd yet done to her. She moaned when he pulled away to toss the empty applicator in the trash.

They tried for tender this time, but when they got to the point of no return they rolled back into fast and hard. This time Sophie was on top, and Parker held her breasts in his hands, teasing her while she rode him. Dying with the pleasure of it she squeezed his nipples, too, and bent to bite his lip and nip at his neck and ear. They came together in an explosion undiminished by the previous release.

Sophie fell asleep on top of Parker.

He'd been gone by the time she woke this morning and she vaguely remembered a soft kiss and morning twilight.

She had no idea what to expect today, but nothing could pierce her bubble of happiness. It was made of Mylar.

The team was meeting mid-morning to go over their dinner of the night before and script their comments. Sophie hoped Parker showed up a little early. She wanted a kiss.

She didn't get it. To her disappointment, Parker actually arrived half an hour late for the meeting. Sophie and Melina had already blocked the time and written her opening comments. She tried not to glare when Parker came in, looking delectable in a navy suit and red brush-patterned tie.

"Crisis at the office," he apologized, settling on the couch next to Melina. "What have we got so far?"

Sophie struggled to keep her attention on what they were doing. They pulled Stevie in for his input.

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"The hamburger was fine. Juicy, done the way I wanted it, cheese melted perfectly. The fries weren't too soggy. What more can I say?"

Sophie let Melina coax a few more comments out of him.

She was too busy watching Parker watch her. She'd worn an ultra-feminine sundress that hugged her to the waist, then flared into a full skirt. It covered her legs, but his gaze went to them every time she crossed or uncrossed them.

"Hey, Sophie, what's with the dress?"

"What?" She looked at Stevie, who was somewhat out of focus. She was remembering undressing for Parker the night before. She barely noticed Stevie frowning at her, or exchanging knowing looks with Melina. She was too busy sending signals to Parker via telepathy.