“Good luck with that happening, Parker Knight,” she said and stormed past him. He caught her arm and swung her back to him. His closeness obliterated her.
Subconsciously she had counted the hours since the last time he had touched. Her body swayed into him before she could stop herself. He growled as she felt the hardness of his cock against her making her pussy ache.
He cupped her cheek then slid his hand to the side of her neck, his thumb brushing her quivering lips.
He slipped his thigh between her legs. Her dress parted for him then concealed the way he trapped her. She vaguely became aware of the other two men in the room, but Parker had used his whole muscular and tall frame to shield her from them.
“Do I have to remind you who I am, Everleigh?”
Her nipples chose that exact moment to swell even further. Her peaks were visible through her thin summer dress. Parker bent his head and licked his lips.
Oh god, help her.
“Do I?” he asked again. He glided his thumb into her mouth, then dragged her bottom lip down.
“No,” she squeaked and rattled with blind arousal when he released her, then licked the part of his thumb she had wet with her mouth.
By the time he left the room, Everleigh wanted nothing more than to fall onto the floor in a ball and never get up. But she had an audience, and she still had a minuscule amount of pride left.
Keeping her head high, she unhurriedly made her way back upstairs and stayed there the whole day, wavering between rage and fear and frustration.
What did Parker Knight want from her?
He threatened to spank her for not listening to him. He took over her life. But he didn’t touch her anymore. He certainly didn’t even sleep next to her after taking her virginity and then taking her over and over that one night only.
He already had her land. So that rendered her useless.
He should just make it easier for them both and send her on her way.
Chapter Ten
By four that afternoon, Guise knocked on the door for the third time. The other two times he brought her a full course lunch and then later snacks and drinks. Now he came bearing a black garment bag.
She didn’t need to know what was inside. Parker had arranged another dress for her. She had been so stressed about everything else, she had forgotten she was going to meet his brothers.
Part of her wanted to be completely defiant and not be ready. But the instant that thought popped into her head with the added notion that he would touch her again, even if to punish her, Everleigh quickly started to get ready. She had to keep her pride, dammit.
She took a longer more luxurious shower, styled her hair, added more layers of makeup then fiddled here and there until she thought her face would do the dress some justice.
Just as before, the gown was spectacular and fitted her perfectly. She also knew just like the other one, this one had cost a fortune. She tried not to blush at the idea of someone he had instructed choosing the underwear that had arrived with the dress as well. But she couldn’t lie, the black lace set was beautiful. She only wore them not to get into trouble with Parker.
Parker barely looked at her when she came downstairs. She bit her lip to stop the prickling spread of tears in her eyes.
The drive there seemed awkward enough. Something had changed. And it made her feel worse than ever.
She had been so consumed with what was happening with Parker and his sudden coldness toward her, she hadn’t realized they had arrived at the restaurant. She was very familiar with that feeling, of being unwanted but not being sent away. She had grown up being inherently reminded she was the odd one out where her father was concerned. She wasn’t going to put up with that now.
Still hurt and very distracted by Parker’s new attitude, she couldn’t help but be awed by all three brothers in one setting.
Silas and Elliot were so similar to their oldest brother, there was no mistaking they were related. Tall, dark, and dangerous. They carried the same degree of power and evoked the same degree of respect from everyone around them. But at the end of the day, they were superbly dressed, and ridiculously good-looking crime lords.
And she was married to one of them.
She knew she was off her game, her gaze kept reverting to Parker, but he wasn’t even looking at her. She also was confused by the looks Silas and Elliot fixed on their brother.
She couldn’t wait for the evening to end and when it did, she actually apologized to Silas and Elliot for being such poor company and blamed it on the cruise which had made her feel a little unwell. She had already laid the foundation for that lie, so she just used it to her advantage now.
As they waited outside for a few minutes for the limo to pull up, Everleigh breathed in the night air. Her own bakery was not more than twenty minutes away from the restaurant which had been a restaurant she never ever thought she would see the inside off.