“Good, I’m starving.” She ran her fingers through her long, damp hair. “Anything I can do to help?”
“You could see if Billy has any biscuits.”
“Sure thing.” Parker sauntered over to the fridge, and as she opened the door, she asked, “Is he going to be eating with us?”
“No. He’s, uh... not gonna be around today and tonight.”
“Oh?” She pulled out the biscuits and started placing them on a pan. “So, he’s gone? He’s all set to do whatever it is he’s planning on doing?”
“Yeah.” I turned to face her, and the anguished expression on her face hit me right in the gut. “It’s going to be okay, Parker. He’s gonna take care of this.”
“Are you sure?”
“I wouldn’t be standing here if I wasn’t.” I stepped over to her and slipped my hands around her waist, pulling her closer. “I know you’re worried, but this will all be over soon.”
“And then what?” She looked up at me with doe eyes as she asked, “Are you going to send me on my way?”
“Oh, no, baby. There’s no way that’s gonna happen.” I lowered my mouth to her shoulder, trailing kisses along the curve of her neck. “Now, that I’ve got you, there’s no way in hell I’m letting you go.”
Parker
“You’re not letting me go, huh?” I smiled as I slipped my arms around his neck. “I kind of like the sound of that.”
“That’s good, because I meant it.” His eyes were filled with emotion when he added, “I think we’ve found a good thing here, and I plan to hold on to it.”
“I think we have a good thing too.” Jared said exactly what I’d been thinking since the night he showed up at my apartment. We shared an unlikely connection—first, it was driven by lust, but it quickly turned into something more. There was no denying it, I was falling for Jared, and falling hard. I eased up on my tiptoes as I pressed my lips to his in a soft, tender kiss filled with promise. It didn’t take long for things to become heated. We were both at the brink of losing control when the smell of something burning forced me to break free from our embrace. “The bacon.”
“Shit.” Jared rushed over to the stove and pulled it off the burner. “It’s a little charred around the edges, but I think it’s salvageable.”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
Jared didn’t look so sure as he took the bacon out of the skillet and placed it on a paper towel to drain. I placed the biscuits in the oven, then threw together a fruit salad while he cooked some eggs. Once everything was ready, we carried it over to the kitchen table and sat down. I was starving, so I wasted no time digging in. I’d only taken a few bites when Jared asked, “Feeling better?”
“Much.” I smiled. “Thanks to you.”
“Just doing what I can.”
“Well, it’s very much appreciated.” I took a bite of the very crispy bacon, then asked, “Do you have any idea how Billy is going to make it look like I committed suicide?”
“I might have a few thoughts on the matter, but nothing concrete.” Jared swallowed a mouthful of food before adding, “Billy’s the one handling all the details.”
“Do you still feel confident that he’ll be able to pull this off?”
“I do.” He reached over and placed his hand on mine. “You’ve had a tough morning. Let’s take a break from all this for a while.”
“How do you suppose we do that?”
“We could go for a ride or a walk,” he said before finishing off his eggs. “Maybe try a little fishing.”
“You, fishing? Seriously?”
“What?” he gasped dramatically. “You think I can’t fish?”
“I don’t know.” I leaned to the side and let my eyes skirt over his cut, then slowly down to his rugged jeans and biker boots. “You don’t really seem like the type.”
“The type? Are you kidding me?” he scoffed, sounding offended. “I’m definitely the type. I’ve been fishing since I was a kid, and just so you know, fish love me. They practically jump on my line.”
“Is that right?”
“Yep.” He took the last bite of his biscuit and said, “I could show you, but I should warn ya. A skill like mine can be considered a very desirable trait. I don’t know if you’ll be able to handle it.”
“I hate to break it to ya, but I’ve never found anything about fishing desirable.”
“Until now.” He gave me a wink, then stood and carried his empty plate and glass over to the sink. “I’m going out to the shed to see if I can find some fishing gear.”
“Wait... You’re serious about this?”
“Absolutely.”
Jared disappeared out of the house, leaving me to wonder what the hell I’d just gotten myself into. I got up and took my plate over to the sink, quickly rinsing it along with all the other dirty dishes before loading up the dishwasher. After wiping down the counters, I ran into the bedroom and changed into something more comfortable, then headed outside to find Jared. He was walking out of Billy’s shed with an oversized tackle box and two fishing poles. I couldn’t help but giggle, watching this hunk of a man smile like a kid at Christmas as he made his way down to the dock and started setting things up. By the time I reached him, he had new fishing line on both of the poles. He motioned his hand over to the tackle box, then said, “You need to pick a lure.”