mind!”
He nodded. “Okay. No worries.” He patted at
her eyes again and then handed her the handkerchief. “Here. Let me
take a closer look at you.”
It was the first time he’d looked deep into
her eyes. He wanted to look at her bruising and the bump a little
closer, but as he carefully brushed back her hair, he got lost in
that one big glistening emerald eye, shimmering with a few unshed
tears.
“You are beautiful, you know,” he told her.
“Even with this.” He grazed a thumb beneath her left eye, trailing
the edge of the bruise. He loved the look of her porcelain skin and
the smattering of small reddish freckles over her nose. He didn’t
know too many women who still had their freckles into adulthood. It
was mighty cute.
He grinned. “I don’t know what camera thing
you have, but I bet some big Jackie-O sunglasses would hide this
shiner slick as a button, and you’d look pretty sexy wearing
them.”
Reba physically gulped. “Wha— What?”
He stepped back. “I’m sorry. I think the
words in my head escaped my mouth and obviously, I need to get more
control on that.”
She nodded. “Kind of like when I said I
wanted to kiss you last night?”
Parker shoved his hands in his pockets. “Yes.
Like that.”
Reba continued, glancing to her lap. “We said
we were going to forget about that, right?”
He nodded. “We did.”
Silence fell between them for a few long,
tortuous seconds.
“Okay, that’s good, because with this eye
thing going on, I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t want to kiss me again
anyway.”
Closing his eyes, Parker exhaled. Long. It
didn’t matter if her entire face was purple, he still wanted to
kiss those pink, pouty lips of hers.
“Parker?”
He stepped forward. “Yes?”
Slowly, her face lifted and once again, she
turned those sparkling emeralds up on him. He reined in control for
a brief moment and then leaned forward to cradle her face in his
hands, angling her mouth toward his, and kissed her.
Her lips were dewy-sweet and soft as a calf’s
ear. He nibbled and caressed their plumpness, her touch sending a
wicked spiral of desire straight through him, her honey taste
revving up his libido to a higher gear. Her sighs slipping through
her parted breaths and landing on his mouth were nearly his
undoing.
He pulled back, slightly. “Reba…” he
whispered. “I’m sorry. I….”
She put two fingers on his lips. “Shh. Kiss
me again, cowboy,” she told him. “Don’t stop.”
And he didn’t.
Chapter Seven
Sunday morning
Parker had managed to avoid his stepmother
for the entire day after his father’s funeral. Not deliberately, of
course. Mostly by happenstance. He’d had a full day, what with
keeping Reba awake the night before, the meeting with Tom, and then
the emergency trip back to Livingston—he’d been hopping every
minute with very little time to spare.
Avoiding Liz and the rest of the family was
not going to be an option today. She’d called not long after he’d
dropped Reba off at her cabin last night and requested they all
spend some time together in the morning. Sunday morning breakfasts
at the new house generally were the rule of thumb, so why was Liz
making a special effort to make sure they were all there
tomorrow?
He agreed it was necessary. It would give
them time to talk and process the past couple of weeks and the
funeral and to speculate a bit about what comes next. Of course,
some things couldn’t be dealt with until the details of the will
were disclosed later next week.
Then, there was the part about all of the
siblings and Liz getting along. He reminded himself of the talk
he’d had with Tom. Spending time with them today would be a good
thing.
Even though he’d rather finagle some time
with Reba.
Reba . Her face had saturated his
dreams last night. He liked the way her name rolled around in his
head and off his tongue when he said it aloud. He imagined saying
her name on a whisper in her ear, when he was making
He nodded. “Okay. No worries.” He patted at
her eyes again and then handed her the handkerchief. “Here. Let me
take a closer look at you.”
It was the first time he’d looked deep into
her eyes. He wanted to look at her bruising and the bump a little
closer, but as he carefully brushed back her hair, he got lost in
that one big glistening emerald eye, shimmering with a few unshed
tears.
“You are beautiful, you know,” he told her.
“Even with this.” He grazed a thumb beneath her left eye, trailing
the edge of the bruise. He loved the look of her porcelain skin and
the smattering of small reddish freckles over her nose. He didn’t
know too many women who still had their freckles into adulthood. It
was mighty cute.
He grinned. “I don’t know what camera thing
you have, but I bet some big Jackie-O sunglasses would hide this
shiner slick as a button, and you’d look pretty sexy wearing
them.”
Reba physically gulped. “Wha— What?”
He stepped back. “I’m sorry. I think the
words in my head escaped my mouth and obviously, I need to get more
control on that.”
She nodded. “Kind of like when I said I
wanted to kiss you last night?”
Parker shoved his hands in his pockets. “Yes.
Like that.”
Reba continued, glancing to her lap. “We said
we were going to forget about that, right?”
He nodded. “We did.”
Silence fell between them for a few long,
tortuous seconds.
“Okay, that’s good, because with this eye
thing going on, I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t want to kiss me again
anyway.”
Closing his eyes, Parker exhaled. Long. It
didn’t matter if her entire face was purple, he still wanted to
kiss those pink, pouty lips of hers.
“Parker?”
He stepped forward. “Yes?”
Slowly, her face lifted and once again, she
turned those sparkling emeralds up on him. He reined in control for
a brief moment and then leaned forward to cradle her face in his
hands, angling her mouth toward his, and kissed her.
Her lips were dewy-sweet and soft as a calf’s
ear. He nibbled and caressed their plumpness, her touch sending a
wicked spiral of desire straight through him, her honey taste
revving up his libido to a higher gear. Her sighs slipping through
her parted breaths and landing on his mouth were nearly his
undoing.
He pulled back, slightly. “Reba…” he
whispered. “I’m sorry. I….”
She put two fingers on his lips. “Shh. Kiss
me again, cowboy,” she told him. “Don’t stop.”
And he didn’t.
Chapter Seven
Sunday morning
Parker had managed to avoid his stepmother
for the entire day after his father’s funeral. Not deliberately, of
course. Mostly by happenstance. He’d had a full day, what with
keeping Reba awake the night before, the meeting with Tom, and then
the emergency trip back to Livingston—he’d been hopping every
minute with very little time to spare.
Avoiding Liz and the rest of the family was
not going to be an option today. She’d called not long after he’d
dropped Reba off at her cabin last night and requested they all
spend some time together in the morning. Sunday morning breakfasts
at the new house generally were the rule of thumb, so why was Liz
making a special effort to make sure they were all there
tomorrow?
He agreed it was necessary. It would give
them time to talk and process the past couple of weeks and the
funeral and to speculate a bit about what comes next. Of course,
some things couldn’t be dealt with until the details of the will
were disclosed later next week.
Then, there was the part about all of the
siblings and Liz getting along. He reminded himself of the talk
he’d had with Tom. Spending time with them today would be a good
thing.
Even though he’d rather finagle some time
with Reba.
Reba . Her face had saturated his
dreams last night. He liked the way her name rolled around in his
head and off his tongue when he said it aloud. He imagined saying
her name on a whisper in her ear, when he was making
Similar Books
