Since there wasn’t anything more I could do, I tried to put it out of my mind and, instead, did a little digging into Kentucky’s news reports. As I’d hoped, it didn’t take long to come across an automobile accident where a car had driven off a cliff, but there was little information about who was inside. The report said that police were trying to identify the owner of the vehicle and the victim. I hoped it wouldn’t be long before they were able to connect everything to Parker and her apparent suicide so we could both get back to our lives. When I heard Kiersten’s car pull up in the driveway, I quickly closed my laptop and met them at the door. They both had several bags of groceries, so I helped get them all into the kitchen. “Looks like you two bought out the store.”
“No, but we came close.” Kiersten started unpacking the various bags as she said, “I thought I’d make pan-seared shrimp with cheesy grits and homemade cornbread. It’s one of Dad’s favorites.”
“Sounds great to me. Anything I can do to help?”
“No, I’ve got it covered. You two go make yourselves comfortable, and I’ll let you know when dinner’s ready.”
Parker didn’t argue. Instead, she simply nodded, then went straight into the bedroom. She seemed a little out of sorts, so I decided to go in and check on her. “Hey, is something wrong?”
“No, it’s just our outing today got me to thinking.”
“About?”
“Billy’s plan and how he made it look like I supposedly committed suicide.”
“Yeah?”
“Well, I’m worried how things are going to go down.” She sat on the edge of the bed and continued, “If they really believe it’s me, then it’ll be on the news. They’re gonna talk about how I testified at Rossi’s murder trial and how he’s the reason why I did what I did.”
“I’m sure they will.”
“They might show that video.”
“Yeah, it’s likely that they will.”
“But that’s bad, right?” Before I could respond, she went on, “What happens when we get back home? People are going to know that it was me on the video.”
“We knew that was a possibility. That’s why Billy had you wear a wig and use the filter.” I sat down next to her and slipped my arm around her waist. “And even if they do happen to show the video on the news, no one in Tennessee is going to care about a random chick who testified in a trial for some dude in California. Besides, you work in a strip club, babe. It’s dark with plenty of fucking distractions. No one is going to connect you to the girl on the news.”
“What about Marlowe and the other girls at the club?”
“You don’t have to worry about them, Parker. I told you, when it comes to the MC, we look out for one another—including the girls who work at the club.” I leaned over and kissed her softly, then said, “You don’t have anything to be concerned about, Parker.”
“I don’t know, Jared. I just am.”
“Okay, let’s say someone does happen to recognize you—which I find highly doubtful, and they happen to ask you about it. What are you gonna say?”
“I have no idea!”
“Well, think of something. Maybe you could agree with them and say you noticed the resemblance yourself. Just figure out what feels right and stick to it.”
“You really think that will work?”
“Yeah, as long as you believe it will.” I chuckled as I told her, “It’s been my experience that when you’re confident in what you say, people will buy it, even when it’s total bullshit.”
“Oh, that’s been your experience, huh?” Her eyebrow arched as she pushed, “Do tell.”
“Nothing to tell.” When Parker’s lips curled into a smile, I knew I’d done my job of easing her mind and putting her worries to rest. I lowered her back onto the bed, then hovered over her and teasingly added, “At least not without divulging sworn secrets.”
“Mm-hmm.” She giggled. “We can’t have that.”
“No, we cannot.”
I lowered my mouth to hers, and the simple touch of her lips set me on fire. I’d never felt such a hunger for a woman like I did with Parker, and from the way she kissed me back, there was no doubt she felt the same. I’d waited a lifetime for her, and now that I’d finally found her, I knew I’d never be able to let her go. She felt too good, too right. The scent of her skin, the warmth of her mouth, the feel of her body so close to mine made me want her even more. My hands made their way past the small of her back down to her perfect ass, where I pulled her even closer. A soft whimper escaped her lips as they parted, allowing me to kiss her deeper. Her arms wound around my neck, and we were both on the verge of losing every bit of restraint until we heard the sounds of pots and pans crashing in the kitchen. Parker quickly broke our embrace and looked to the door. “I should be helping Kiersten with dinner.”