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  “Focus, Parks,” Parker scolded himself as he opened his emails. “Sooner this is done, sooner you get back to her.”

  An hour later, Parker powered off his laptop and pushed up from his desk. The smell of food wafting down the hallway was making him hungrier by the second.

  He made his way quietly along the corridor to the kitchen but stopped when he reached the doorway. He stood there and silently watched her as she moved around the kitchen. She was humming along to a song on the radio, completely lost in a world of her own. She was truly beautiful.

  Parker closed the distance between her and him, then slipped his arms around her from behind, before he softly kissed the back of her neck.

  “Something smells good,” Parker breathed against her ear before he ran his tongue along the edge of her earlobe. “But you know you didn’t have to cook.”

  “I know,” Alice said with a smile, as she continued to stir the food in the pan in front of her. “But I wanted to. It’s the only way I know how to say thank you.”

  “Thank me?” Parker asked, surprised by her comment, “Thank me for what?”

  “Well, originally,” Alice said as she set down her spoon on the counter, turned down the hob, then turned around in Parker’s arms, so she was now facing him. “It was for the dress, and for asking your mom to go visit Gram. But now it’s for so much more. Though this seems somewhat lacking now, especially after your offer to have Gram come stay here.”

  “There is no need to thank me, Alice,” Parker said as he looked down into her eyes. “This is your home too.”

  “But I want to,” Alice replied, as she pressed herself against him. The moment she did, Parker could feel the lingering semi erection he had, spring to life,

  “Fuck, Alice,” he growled against her mouth, “What the hell are you doing to me?”

  “What do you mean?” Alice asked with a knowing grin, as she rolled her hips, brushing herself against him once more.

  “It’s like I lose all reason once I touch you,” he breathed against her lips. “Like I am an addict, and you are my drug.”

  “I’m a drug?” Alice asked with a laugh.

  “Oh yes,” Parker whispered as he softly bit her bottom lip. “It’s more than wanting you, Alice. I need you. I need you so much sometimes it hurts.”

  “You have me,” Alice said as she pressed her lips to his.

  Suddenly Parker could hold back no longer. The longing he had felt inside him all day had finally won. Pulling her closer to him, he slammed his mouth against hers.

  As their kissed deepened, Parker moved backward, until his backside hit the island in the centre of the kitchen. He spun around and lifted Alice onto the breakfast counter, pushing her legs apart and stepping in between them.

  “I need you, Alice,” Parker growled breathlessly against her mouth as he pulled his lips from her. “I need you right now!”

  “Then take me, Parker,” Alice said as she looked into his eyes,

  Parker stared at her for a moment, before he slowly brought his lips back down to meet hers.

  He kissed her slowly at first, allowing his hands to glide over her body until he reached her ass. Grabbing it firmly, he pulled her closer to him as their kiss deepened, and became more urgent.

  “Fuck, Alice,” Parker groaned loudly. “I need to be inside you.”

  Before she could reply, he pulled her down from the counter, spun her around and pushed her forward onto the hard surface. Parker pressed himself into her, kissing and biting her neck softly as he eased her skirt up her legs.

  “Parker,” Alice cried, and it just pushed him on. Hooking her panties with his fingers, he pushed them down, before he reached for the zipper on his pants and released his swollen cock that had been straining against the material. The moment it was free, Parker positioned himself against Alice, then with one thrust, he filled her completely from behind.

  “JESUS!” Parker cried as he stilled inside her. “I fucking love you.”

  He pushed into her again, and once more Alice cried out. It was probably the most erotic sound he had ever heard. Sure he had made his share of women scream with pleasure over the years, but this…this was different. As he continued to push into her over and over again, he knew he would never forget the sound Alice made as he made love to her.

  “Parker!” Alice cried once more as she shook violently from the orgasm that was rushing through her body. Parker pulled her tighter to him, as he erupted inside her. He could feel her sag in his arms, so he held her with everything he had until she finally lifted her head.

  “Holy shit!” She exclaimed, breathlessly. “That was…holy shit!”

  “This is what you do to me,” Parker said with a grin. “You make me lose all control.”

  “I see,” Alice laughed as she tried to calm her breathing. “But I think dinner maybe ruined.”

  “Fuck dinner,” Parker said as he scooped Alice up in his arms. “I am far from finished with you.”

  Chapter 26

  Alice

  “We have fifteen minutes till we have to leave,” Parker said as he sat on the end of his bed and watched Alice get dressed. “If I promise to be quick, can we….”

  “Not a chance,” Alice laughed as she looked at his reflection in the mirror. “My hair is perfect, so is my make-up, so behave yourself, Mr. O’Neill.”

  “You’re no fun, Mrs. O’Neill,” Parker groaned as he climbed from the bed and walked across the room to where Alice was sitting. When he reached her, he bent down and pressed his lips to her bare shoulder. “But you are very irresistible.”

  “Well you will have to try your hardest,” Alice laughed as she looked up at Parker. She stared at his reflection in the mirror. It was hard to believe it had been only eight weeks since he came crashing into her life, seven weeks since she married him in City Hall. Alice felt like she had known him so much longer. She could hardly remember what it was like not to know him. He had become her best friend.

  “Tell me what you are thinking right at this moment?” Parker asked, giving her a funny look.

  “I was just thinking how strange it is that I feel like I have known you forever,” Alice replied honestly. “This whole thing, It’s just…it’s all so crazy…”

  “But it’s a good crazy?” Parker asked as he met her gaze in the mirror and Alice could see a look of nervousness in his eyes. “Right?”

  “It is,” Alice replied as she gave him a cautious smile.

  “But?” Parker said as he sat down on the stool next to her.

  “But aren’t you afraid that this won’t last?” Alice asked, and she could see the surprise on Parker’s face.

  “That we won’t last?” Parker asked, and Alice could hear the hurt in his voice.

  “I guess I am waiting to wake up and find this was all just a dream,” Alice admitted honestly. “I’m so happy, and I guess part of me is afraid that it’s too good to be true.”

  “Well,” he said as he took her hand and brought it to his lips. “For what it’s worth, this scares me too. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. But why does this have to end? Where is it written that it should? As long as we love each other, surely that’s the only thing that matters.”

  “It just happened so fast,” Alice said looking him in the eye, finally giving a voice to one of her biggest fears.

  “It’s true that how this started was far from conventional,” Parker smiled. “But I know how I feel about you, Alice. And I think I know how you feel about me. That’s the only thing that’s important.”

  “Yes,” Alice said with a broad smile. “It is.”

  “Now, come,” he said as he leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips. “We should get going.”

  Alice just smiled as she stood and gave Parker a twirl.

  “Do I look okay?” She asked as she held her breath, while she waited for his response. The dress she had finally selected was a full-length, black strapless satin dress, with a chiffon overlay, with sequins a
nd embroidery. It was possibly the most feminine, perfect dress Alice had ever worn. She gathered her hair up in loose curls on the back of her head and had carefully placed some hair jewels through her hair. She felt like a princess in a fairy-tale movie.

  “Breath-taking,” Parker replied with a proud smile that made Alice blush. God, she loved him so much.

  When they arrived at Parker’s parent’s house, Alice was stunned to see the queue of cars ahead of them, dropping guests off.

  The driveway was all lit up, and the front door seemed to be buzzing with arriving party guests, chatting happily as they made their way up the red carpet that covered the front steps of Parker’s parents’ house.

  “This is…wow,” Alice said as she leaned forward in the car, to get a better look at what was going on.

  “If there is one thing Mom knows how to do well,” Parker said as Alice continued to look at all the people making their way into the house. “It’s throw a party.”

  “I don’t think I have ever seen so many people,” Alice said as she briefly glanced at Parker before she turned back towards the house. “Or so many cars.”

  Before Parker could answer, Alice spotted a man making his way up the steps to the house, and there was something familiar about him. It took her a moment, but then she remembered where she had seen him before. He was the man that was yelling at Parker when she arrived at his office a week earlier.

  “Who is that man?” She asked Parker as their car came to a stop at the bottom of the front steps. Parker followed her gaze, and Alice was surprised at the change in his expression the moment he saw who she was talking about.

  “Nobody that matters,” Parker sighed as he glared out at the man.

  “It doesn’t seem like he’s nobody,” Alice said as she watched Parker closely. Before he could reply, Tom opened the car door, and Parker quickly climbed out of the car. He turned back to Alice and took her hand as she climbed from the car too.

  He gave her a smile as he closed his hand around hers and led her up the steps, but he still didn’t reply to her comment.

  When they reached the door, the man was still standing there, and it almost seemed like he was waiting for Parker.

  “Parker,” the man said with a sneer that instantly made Alice feel more than a little uncomfortable. She didn’t know who this man was, but what she did know was he wasn’t there to wish them well.

  “Lewis,” Parker replied coolly as he led Alice in passed the man and straight into the house. Once they were inside, Parker immediately stopped one of the waitresses that were passing out the champagne. He took two glasses, handing one to Alice before he lowered the other one down with one gulp.

  “Are you okay,” Alice asked, her eyes not leaving his.

  “Couldn’t be better,” he replied, giving her a reassuring smile before he pressed his lips to hers. “I’m here with the prettiest girl at the party, so I’m more than okay.”

  He pulled her to him and kissed her once more when Nicole suddenly appeared next to them.

  “You’re here,” Nicole squealed excitedly. “Mom and Dad have been looking for you everywhere.”

  “I love your dress, Nicole,” Alice said as she turned to the girl and gave her a warm smile. “You look very pretty.”

  “Thank you,” Nicole blushed as she linked Alice. “But I think my brother brought the prettiest girl tonight. Now, let’s look for Mom and Dad. They are starting to freak out.”

  Nicole led Alice and Parker through the crowd, stopping time and time again to wait for Parker as he said hello to guest after guest.

  “There you are,” Eleanor gushed when Alice, Parker, and Nicole finally reached where they were talking to some guests. “I was starting to worry you weren’t going to show.”

  “We are here now, Mother,” Parker laughed as he greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. “You look beautiful.”

  “Thank you, Sweetheart,” Eleanor said before she turned her attention to Alice and took hold of her hands. “You, my dear, are simply stunning. My son is such a lucky boy.”

  “Thank you for helping me find the dress,” Alice replied, kissing Eleanor on the cheek. “I love your dress, too.”

  “Thank you,” Eleanor replied with a warm smile. Then her grin widened more. “Jenny is here. She arrived with Jenson, and they look very cozy together.”

  Alice just laughed as she scanned the crowd for her friend. She knew that Jensen had asked Jenny to be his date for the party, and she knew Jenny was more than a little excited about it.

  “There are so many people dying to meet you,” Eleanor said, linking Alice’s arm. “Everyone is dying to know who is the girl that tamed my wild son. You are going to knock their socks off, and then maybe they will leave you both alone.”

  “That’s the plan,” Alice replied, but still she couldn’t help but feel nervous. Since her run-in with the photographer, and Parker had hired Brady to protect her, they had very little trouble with the press at all. Still, they had managed to get photos of them when they were out and about together, and there was always some clever caption beneath it.

  Alice knew that despite their best efforts, they couldn’t find any dirt on her. In her heart, she knew they wouldn’t, but it didn’t make her feel any less concerned when she saw their photo in the latest newspaper article.

  After meeting an endless line of people, whose names Alice knew she would never remember, Eleanor excused herself to talk to someone, and Alice finally managed to find Jenny, who was with Jensen and Harrison.

  “There’s the blushing bride,” Jenny said as she hugged her friend tightly. “How are you holding up?”

  “Okay, I guess,” she said as Harrison grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing waitress and exchanged it for the empty glass in Alice’s hand. “There are just so many people here; I will never remember all their names.”

  “Just get that bubbly into you,” Harrison said as he put his arm around her shoulder. “The best way to get through these nights are drunk; very very drunk.”

  “Sounds like a good plan,” Alice laughed.

  “Where’s Parker?” Jensen asked as he sipped his glass of champagne.

  “The last time I saw him, he was talking to his dad,” Alice said and frowned as she remembered the look on Parker’s face as he spoke to Robert. She knew something was bothering him, but she had no idea what that was. She did have a feeling it was something to do with the guy from the office, but she didn’t know why he was getting to Parker.

  “Is Robert still finding it hard to let go of the reins?” Harrison asked with a laugh.

  “Parker hasn’t mentioned anything about his dad at all,” Alice shrugged. “But there was some guy out front that seemed to upset him.”

  “Some guy?” Jensen asked.

  “Lewis somebody,” Alice explained. “He is from the office, and Parker seemed a little bothered to see him here. Do either of you know why?”

  “No,” both of Parker’s friends said in unison, and Alice knew they both knew exactly why Parker was upset about this guy. She also knew they would never betray their friend. No, if she wanted answers, she would have to get them from Parker.

  “Should my ears be burning?” Parker said suddenly from behind Alice as he slipped his arm around Alice’s waist, and Harrison instantly dropped his arm.

  “Maybe,” Alice said with a smile as she turned and looked at her husband. “I thought I had lost you.”

  “Never,” he replied as he pulled her closer to him, and kissed her softly on the lips. “Are you okay?”

  “I am,” Alice smiled as she looked into Parkers eyes. “Though I think I have met more people tonight than I have in my whole life. There is no way I am remembering all those names.”

  “You will get used to it,” Parker said with a laugh as he took the glass from her hand, then handed it to Harrison. “But right now, I want to dance with my wife.”

  Parker took hold of Alice’s hand and led her to the dance floor. As they did, Alice
could feel everyone’s eyes on them both, and much to her surprise, there was a round of applause as Parker took hold of her in his arms, and they began to move in time to the music.

  “I guess this is our first dance,” Parker said as they moved slowly around the dance floor.

  “We have danced before,” Alice replied with a giggle. “When we were at that party a few weeks back, remember?”

  “Now that you mention it,” Parker said giving her a knowing grin. “I do remember that dance, and I remember this is the same song we danced to on that night.”

  Alice listened for a moment, then smiled as she realised it was indeed the same song. It was a song by Brett Young, called In Case You Didn’t Know.

  “You remembered the song,” she exclaimed, stunned that he would remember something like that.

  “I remember everything, Alice,” Parker whispered as he looked into her eyes. “Since the day in the coffee shop, I remember every single detail.”

  “Did you ask for this song to be played?” Alice asked knowing she couldn’t possibly love this man any more than she did right at that moment.

  “It’s our song, isn’t it?” Parker replied with a smile, as he pulled her closer to him once more. “Now stop talking, and dance with your husband.”

  Alice closed her eyes and rested her head against Parker’s chest and listened to the words of the song, as they moved in time with the music.

  Alice didn’t care that every pair of eyes were on them right at that moment. All she cared about was the man she was dancing with, and how much she truly loved him.

  When the song finished, the crowd applauded once more, as Parker led her from the floor.

  “Could you two be any cuter,” Jensen laughed as they reached their friends once more.

  “Suck it, Miller,” Parker said with a laugh, as he grabbed two glasses of Champagne for him and Alice.

  “Actually,” Alice said as Parker offered her one. “Can you hold it for me, I need to use the little girl’s room.”

  “Okay,” Parker said as he pressed his lips to her and gave her a wicked grin, and Alice knew what was going through his mind. “Maybe I could come with you?”