“Is what always like this?”
She shifted, propping herself up on one elbow so she could meet his eyes. “Dating. Sex.” She gave a sheepish shrug. “I’ve never been with anyone like you before, and I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun with a guy. I was wondering if that’s normal.”
He traced her jaw line with his fingers. “Of course it’s normal. Sex should be fun. Dating, too.”
“The men I’ve dated have always been older,” she admitted. “And they were always more interested in quiet dinners at quiet restaurants, or going places where we didn’t talk.”
He grinned. “Sounds boring.”
“Sometimes it was. But I’d say it was more, I don’t know, passive than boring. I tended to gravitate toward serious men.” She smiled. “I like this better. You bring out my fun side.”
“I’m glad,” he said gruffly.
Out of nowhere, a rush of guilt trickled through him, a reminder he still hadn’t told Lynn the truth. He’d been holding off until they got to know each other better, but now that they were officially “together”, he had to quit stalling and confess their meeting hadn’t been a coincidence, or a twist of fate.
“Do you…” He had to clear his throat. “Do you trust me?”
Her eyes widened. “Of course I do.”
“You know I’d never hurt you, right?” His throat closed up all over again, and this time he had to gulp hard to ease the lump. “At least not intentionally.”
Lynn’s forehead creased in concern. “Where is all this coming from?”
“I…” Parker searched for the words. “I wanted to tell you someth—”
His ringing phone cut him off, bringing both irritation and relief. “Hold that thought,” he murmured, reaching for the nightstand.
The screen displayed Jack’s name. Parker instantly took the call.
“Hey, I’m glad I caught you,” his partner said. “Do you have a sec?”
“Sure. What’s up?” Parker asked.
“I need you to handle the Simms recon tonight. Dean needs more help with the Johnson event, and Didi’s come down with a stomach bug, so I have to step in for her.” Jack sounded frazzled. “Simms’s girlfriend is going clubbing and I was supposed to tail her, but now I can’t.”
“No problem,” he said immediately. “I’m on it.”
“You sure? I know it’s your night off.”
“I’m on it,” Parker repeated.
“Thanks, man. I’ll text you the deets.”
He disconnected the call and turned to Lynn. “Change of plans,” he said regretfully. “I know we were going to do pizza and a movie, but Jack needs me on recon.”
“That’s fine.” Interest flickered in her blue eyes. “What kind of recon?”
He slid up into a sitting position. “We’re planning a date for this client, Barry Simms. His girlfriend accused him of not having a romantic bone in his body, so he’s out to prove her wrong. But the guy’s hopeless. He seriously has no clue what she considers romantic, which means it’s up to us to find out.”
“Us?” She beamed. “Does that mean I can come?”
“I meant us, as in me and Jack and Dean, but…” Parker thought it over, liking the idea more and more. “Actually, I’d love it if you helped me.”
“Oooh, I can’t wait.” She damn near bounced on the bed. “Do I need to wear all black? Are we going to use walkie-talkies?”
He snickered, reaching to help her off the bed. “No.”
Lynn looked disappointed for a second as she searched for her clothes. She was in the middle of pulling up her pants when her expression changed, as if she’d remembered something. “Hey, what were you talking about? Jack’s call interrupted you.”
Parker faltered, his previous burst of confidence having vanished. “Uh, nothing important right now,” he lied, keeping his tone light.
“Oh. Okay.”
He ignored everything they had to do to get ready. Instead, he jerked her against him, covered her sweet lips with his, and kissed her until they were both gasping for air. Her body nestled tight to his, not an inch of space between them.
Holding her felt so perfect. Being with her was so right, but an edge of uncertainty had crept in, and for the first time, Parker wasn’t sure how the next part of this relationship was going to play out—what came next between them.
It was no longer sex for fun. So much more than getting-to-know-you dates. They’d come a long way in the past weeks and were headed into unexplored territory. All he knew for certain was while he had no idea where this was going, hell if he wanted it to stop.
He was addicted. Totally and completely.
Chapter Eleven
The only thing not moving in the immediate vicinity was the solid weight of Parker’s hand pressed to her lower back. Lynn leaned harder into the point of contact as she took another incredulous glance around the room.