The others stood and slowly left. The women gave Talia comforting hugs and Parker small smiles. As they left, the guys waved to Talia and patted him on the back, except for Finn. He wasn’t worried. He understood why Finn was pissed. They would work it out, but neither of them was in any frame of mind to discuss it any more tonight. Carter was the last to leave. He said nothing, just gave them both a long look before disappearing out the door. Parker closed the door with an exhale and leaned against it, wincing when his back came into contact with the dartboard.Talia watched Parker as he moved around the apartment, cleaning up after the hoard had left. She didn’t know what to make of him. There was definitely an attraction between them, but he was a guy and wasn’t it true that guys could get hot for just about anyone? But his being attracted to her didn’t explain why he would try to protect her and stand up for her to his friends. Who was she to him? Just Carter’s annoying l
This was bullshit. “Stop,” Talia said. “Talia,” Parker said, a note of pleading in his voice. He’d stopped in front of his bedroom door, across from where he’d left Talia standing, but he hadn’t turned around. Talia crossed the room and grabbed his shoulder, spinning him around to face her. “You can’t just kiss me like that and then walk away,” she said, searching his eyes. Parker closed his eyes for a moment, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. His chest rose and fell with rough breaths, and there was a distinct bulge in his jeans. Talia stepped closer to him, pressing her body against his. He stepped back, and she followed him until he was pressed up against the door to his bedroom. He opened his eyes and glared at her. “We can’t do this,” he said. “Why the fuck not?” she asked softly, leaning into him. “We’re both adults and we both want it.” Parker sucked in a breath, his green eyes going dark as he took her in. When she presse
This was nothing like the teenage fantasies he’d had about Talia Jane, but he’d noticed over the last few weeks that Talia wasn’t anything like he thought she’d be. Instead of easing his dirty thoughts about her, it had only made them dirtier and hotter. He liked her snark. He liked her pissed-off attitude even more than he’d liked the girl-next-door image as a horny teenage boy. His hands reached for her breasts, even as his mouth continued to feast on her pussy. Her breasts were soft and plump in his hands, the tips hard. He molded them in his palms before tweaking her nipples. She bucked against his mouth and moaned. He did it again, this time slipping his tongue into her entrance. Natalie cried out, her core spasming around his tongue. He groaned, letting the vibrations rumble against her sex as he pinched her nipples once again. The fingers on one hand pulled at his hair while her other hand, still between her legs, circled her clit as he fucked her with his tongue.
Talia checked the time. Parker should be home any minute. She adjusted the t-shirt she was wearing, stretching the neckline even more so that it slipped off her shoulder. She wasn’t wearing a bra—and god, didn’t that feel good—and the short, stretchy pants she wore showed off every single inch of her legs. It had been a week of psychological warfare. Parker pretended not to be attracted to her while she tried to provoke him into making a move. She could probably strip off entirely and lie naked on the couch, but it was more fun torturing him slowly. It was kind of like foreplay. Did she go to bed at night so wound up that her vibrator had been getting a regular workout? Yes. But she was pretty sure Parker was suffering just as much. He seemed to have an awful lot of showers. Talia grinned. It was almost as fun as actually having sex with She still relived those scenes in her head repeatedly. The way his fingers felt inside her, and on her. His k
“Fuck you, Carter,” Talia said. “The movie was a piece of shit and it wasn’t just one, but three. Not to mention the fact he wanted me to play another eighteen-year-old bimbo. Seriously, why can’t men see women as anything other than an airhead? I’m nearly thirty and he’s trying to prolong this infantile image of me. It’s sick. I’m not supposed to grow up? Fuck, they tape my breasts down and I have to stick to this crazy diet, so I look like I haven’t even reached puberty yet. You think that’s normal? Besides, shouldn’t I get a say in what movies I do, or if I even want to act anymore?” “You want to retire?” Carter asked. “I don’t know. Acting was never something I chose, it was chosen for me and I just kept doing it because it made everyone else happy. It’s been a lifetime and I haven’t had a decent break, ever. I just thought it was about time I made some decisions about my own life instead of letting everyone else make them for me.” “Does Dad know you want to walk away from i
Talia insisted on lying down in the backseat of Parker’s BMW and covering herself with a blanket. He rolled his eyes but didn’t argue with her. If that’s what it took to make herself feel safe, then he would just roll with it. He was a little concerned about her being cramped back there. His car wasn’t exactly built for having someone ride in the backseat. “We’re out of the city now,” he said to her over his shoulder. “You can sit up now.” She drew the blanket off her head and craned her neck to look around. “Do you want me to pull over so you can move up to the front?” “Nah,” she said, kicking the blanket away and then crawling between the front seats to get into the passenger seat. Parker gripped the steering wheel and kept his eyes focused on the road so he wouldn’t be distracted by her. It was so easy to get distracted by her. She had been purposely driving him to distraction this past week, and he was moments away from giving in and burying his face betwe
Parker shook his head, but he was smiling as he followed them into the house. Stephen was the more physically affectionate of his parents, and knowing Talia’s situation would have put all his nurturing instincts on high alert. Parker just hoped it wasn’t too overwhelming for Talia. “You can call me Stephen,” his dad was saying as he led Talia into the large kitchen and got her situated on a stool at the breakfast bar. “Anthony will be out in a moment. He’s just on a business call. Now, what can I get you? Tea? Coffee? Cold water? Gin?” “Da,” Parker admonished, but Talia was grinning. “As much as I would love a gin, I’ll settle for a tea.” “How do you have it?” “Milk and two,” Talia replied as Parker slid onto a stool beside her. “Can I have one too?” Parker asked. “There’s iced tea in the fridge,” Stephen said, not turning around. Parker sighed but got up to get himself a glass of iced tea. Stephen was in host mode, and he would ignore Parker for the foreseeable future
Stephen talked them into staying the night. Neither Parker nor Talia had to be back in the city for anything the following day, so it was hard to say no. Talia had been in with Anthony for a long time, and it would have been dark by the time they got home. It was a weak excuse, but Parker was happy to give in to Stephen’s reasoning. Talia looked like she needed some time away from the city and all the issues that were waiting for them when they got back. She was quiet through dinner, although she was still polite and answered questions and complimented Stephen on his cooking. The usual Talia snark was absent and her sparkle had dimmed. Parker didn’t know what she had spoken about with Anthony—well, he knew the general gist of it all, but not the details—but whatever it was, it had affected her. Stephen had put them in the guest rooms on the west side of the house. There was a sitting room that connected the two rooms and effectively separated them from the rest of the h
6 months later“Are you ready for this?” Anthony asked as they stood outside the courtroom. Talia nodded and gripped Parker’s hand. The judge had called them back in for the verdict on Mark’s trial and she couldn’t deny she was nervous. The weeks spent preparing for the trial and then sitting through the witness statements and being cross-examined by an aggressive defense attorney who made her out to be some sort of diva and ungrateful bitch who was somehow ripping off the father who had done everything for her had taken its toll. And the media beat-up was just as bad. However, not all the media had been on her father’s side. Talia had discovered she had far more supporters than she’d thought. Her fans—the true fans—had gathered in force to support her and she loved them for it. Not enough for her to consider going back into acting, but enough that going through the trial had been bearable. But if not for the constant and unwavering support of Parker, Talia didn’t think she woul
Parker rolled his eyes as he took her hand and stood. “Seal the deal?” “Isn’t that what you said earlier?” He shook his head, his grin still in place. “No, I said celebrate.” “Okay, good. Let’s do that then.” Parker grabbed her and lifted her up, making Talia squeal. He kissed her and she wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his shoulders. Stumbling, he carried her to the bedroom and tossed her on the bed with a flourish, making her squeal again. “I feel like we need champagne and strawberries or something,” Parker said, standing with his hands on his hips as he looked around the room. “You mean like pouring champagne in my belly button and licking it out?” Talia asked, lifting her shirt to reveal her navel. Parker cocked an eyebrow. “Hmm…that’s something to think about for a later celebration,” he said. Talia pouted. Parker held up his hands. “I don’t have any champagne on hand,” he protested. “Then I’ll just have to
“You called Isaac,” Parker said when he walked into the apartment. Talia looked up at him and bit her lip. “I did,” she said. “But before you get mad, I didn’t say anything about what happened. And I did it because I knew you wouldn’t say anything to defend yourself.” Parker sighed. “I’m not mad,” he said, walking over to where she was seated, working on her miniature diorama. He leaned down and kissed her. “I’m grateful. Thank you. What you said to Isaac helped.” Talia grinned up at him. “So, they’re going to let you do the article?” Parker nodded. “They are.” “That’s so great,” Talia replied. “So it all worked out.” Parker pulled out a chair and sat down beside her. “Things have worked out for me, but what about you? What are your plans now? Without Mark controlling your every move, you can do anything you want.” Talia dropped her head and fidgeted with her fingers in her lap. “I don’t know what I want to do,” she said quietly. “I don’t think I wan
Talia pulled back from the kiss. “Don’t you think it was pretty selfish of me not to sacrifice myself for you?” she asked. “No,” he said, reaching up to tuck some hair behind her ear. “What you did wasn’t selfish, it was survival. There’s a difference. Me expecting you to sacrifice yourself for my job would have been selfish. Are you doing what you need to in order to survive? Not selfish. Not in the slightest.” “It feels selfish,” she mumbled, leaning her forehead against his. “I feel like I need to do something to make it up to you.” Parker cupped her face. “Talia,” he whispered. “This is not some quid pro quo thing. There will be times when you will save me. I have no doubt about it. That’s how relationships work. It’s swings and roundabouts. There is no big tally sheet in the sky and nobody is keeping score.” “I just don’t want you to feel resentful—” Parker cut off the rest of her sentence with a kiss. “How could I be resentful of the fact that I get to have you in my l
“She’s asleep,” Parker said, coming into the living room from his bedroom where Talia had finally succumbed to sleep. He slumped onto the couch beside Stephen and laid his head on his father’s shoulder. Anthony looked over at him from where he was sitting, going through some paperwork on his laptop, and Carter paced, not able to sit still. “I take it the article came out,” Parker said. “Yeah,” Carter replied with a sigh as he raked his hand through his hair. “It’s going to do us some damage,” Parker said. “Maybe,” Carter said with a shrug. “Maybe not.” Parker frowned at him. “What does that mean?” “It gets your name out there,” he replied. “It will drive people to your blog.” “Fucking hell, Carter,” Parker exploded, jumping to his feet. “Seriously? You think this is a good thing?” “I didn’t say that,” Carter replied. “I just said it wasn’t necessarily damaging to us.” “And what about Parker asked. “The article would have tanked that de
Anthony had filed a police report as soon as he arrived in the city. “Their hands are tied,” Anthony said with a sigh. “There is no evidence of force and as she recently hid from the public because of a scandal, we have nothing to say she isn’t doing it again because of the latest issue.” “But can’t they force her to at least speak with them? To check that she’s okay?” Parker asked. “As far as they’re concerned, she has just gone into hiding again,” Anthony reiterated. “Until we have something to say otherwise, they can’t do anything. This has the potential to be a high-profile case because of who she is, so if they make a big deal about it and it turns out to be something innocent, it might blow up in their faces.” “That’s bullshit,” Parker growled, pushing up from his seat to pace around the room. He hated that he was sitting there doing nothing while Talia was trapped in her father’s house. It was torture to know where she was and yet not be able to get to
“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” Talia said. After Mark’s big reveal the night before, Talia had been left to sleep off the effects of the sedative he’d given her. The fucking bastard. He’d locked her door so she couldn’t get out and the window was too far from the ground for her to escape that way. Not without breaking something, anyway. Which Talia wouldn’t have minded, except with the way she’d been feeling, the thing that got broken might very well be her head, and she was kind of attached to it being in one piece and remaining on her shoulders. So Mark had stalked her and Parker and then kidnapped her and drugged her and imprisoned her and he was under the impression that he was perfectly within his rights to do so. “I’m doing this for you,” Mark said. “Your mental health is at stake here.” “The only threat to my mental health is your arsehole behavior,” Talia snapped. They were sitting in the sunny kitchen at the table and Mark was trying to pretend that it
Carter clicked his fingers. “The original photos, the ones that were taken when you took her out to look at the miniature street art.” Carter turned to Parker. “You were in some of those photos. Your face was blurred, but that could have been done after the fact.” “So he’s been following me?” Parker asked. “You and Carter. Both would be my guess,” Jack said. “So he’s been following us, but how did he know I was sending a car to pick her up?” Parker asked. “Have you noticed anyone following you?” Carter asked. Parker shook his head and then paused. “What?” Carter asked. “What’s that look?” “It’s probably nothing,” Parker said. “Just say it,” Carter said. “I was speaking to Talia just before I went into the meeting he said. “When I hung up from the call, I bumped into a guy…you don’t think…nah. It can’t be. This isn’t some espionage movie.” “Could he have overheard your conversation?” Jack asked, leaning back in his chair and looking up
Parker was on a high. By all accounts, Atticus was on board with his proposal. Isaac just wanted to check in with the rest of the band before giving him a definitive answer. That was fine with Parker. Things would go much more smoothly if everyone was in agreement. The last thing he wanted was a hostile environment and if any of the members had misgivings about the proposal, then he would walk away. It would hurt, but he would do it. For this to work—for everyone involved—there had to be open communication and a willingness to participate. Without that, Parker may as well give up now. He climbed into his car, cursing the parking ticket and flapping on his windscreen. Getting out again, he grabbed it from under the windscreen wiper and shoved it into his glove compartment. The Playbook could pay for that. It was the price of doing business, after all. He turned the music up loud as he navigated through the heavy traffic toward his apartment building. He couldn’t wait to tell Ta