Page 24 of A Small Town Risk

My body tightens as I climax.

“You’re mine, Parker,” he says as he comes right after me.

I relax my grip, and he pulls and moves to my side. We lie on our backs, breathing hard; hot and sweaty.

“I need a shower. Do you want to join me?” I ask, moving my head so I can see his reaction.

“I would love to.”

He has a goofy grin on his face.

As I slide off the bed, it dawns on me that we’ve once again neglected to use a condom. I know he said he’s clean, and I believe him. I’m on the shot, so I’m safe from getting pregnant. Ryan is the only guy I’ve had unprotected sex with. It’s a little unsettling giving him this much trust.

I never thought about kids before, but I know Ryan wants them; I’m sure he would be a good dad.

My mind goes blank when Ryan pulls me into the shower and rubs me with gel. He starts at my shoulders and works his way down my body, dropping to his knees andmassaging my calves. Then he presses his mouth against my core, and I throw my head back, pleasure zipping through me as his mouth and tongue work me over.

By the time we leave the shower, the water is turning cold. We don’t have time to linger; we’re both running late. Ryan is faster getting dressed and I’m still in my underwear when he pops his head into the closet.

“I have to go.”

“Can we talk real quick?”

While I don’t want to make him late, I still need to get this out. I’ve never been nervous about voicing my opinion, but I don’t want to hurt him since everything between us is so fragile.

“I want to be in a relationship with you. But can we keep it just between us for a little longer? Things are so good right now.”

He must realize how important this is to me. He takes his hand in mine and squeezes it. “Only for a short time. I don’t like hiding our relationship.”

His phone buzzes. “I got to go. See you later.”

He kisses me and disappears through the door.

I shake my head, finish getting dressed, and have a quick shot of coffee.

By mid-afternoon, I’m deep into work. I’m never taking time off again. It’s too hard playing catch up. It’s been a lot of late nights and early mornings for an entire week.

When my phone rings, I’m in one of my client’s homes reviewing work that still needs to get done with the contractor.

“Excuse me,” I say, walking out of the building.

“What’s up,” I ask Elle.

“You’re coming to my house tonight for supper.” She doesn’t give me a chance to answer. “You can’t say you’re busy.”

It’s like she’s reading my mind.

“I’ll see you at seven, and if you don’t show up, I’ll come and drag you here.”

She hangs up and I look at my phone, surprised by her attitude. She’s changed since getting married, and I’m not sure I like the new Elle.

I do a final check of the house before moving on to the next place. This project is smaller; it’s just the kitchen being redone. The clients are upset by how long it’s taking. I calmly explain that they’ve changed their minds twice about the backsplash and the cabinet colors. I stay calm and give them a new timeline forcompletion, noting it’ll work if no more changes occur. They say nothing in response.

I’m back at my store by five, with plenty of time for a desperately needed nap. I checked one more time for any text, but nothing came up. I was hoping to hear from Ryan. I’m sure he’s been busy like me.

I lay on my couch and set my alarm for half an hour. I place my phone on the coffee table beside me and close my eyes. I probably won’t sleep, but I need a few minutes.

The sharp sound of the alarm wakes me, and I sit up and hit the button on my phone to stop the ringing. I rub my eyes to get the sleep out and raise my arms over my head, stretching my back.

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