“Why the actual fuck is there a rabbit in my room?” he asks, pulling me even further into the bedroom and then frowning down at the cage. He even cocks his head slightly to one side. “I’m guessing this is Dakota’s doing.”
“Actually, it was—” I start, just as Chasm and Maxx come in, and the door swings shut behind them. I don’t get the chance to finish my sentence because Parrish turns around and captures my face between inked fingers. His beautiful honey and hazelnut eyes stare down into mine, and then he’s kissing me.
If I thought the kiss between us through the wine cellar’s door was powerful, this one blows it away. It’s unfettered and desperate, begging to be returned. No, more like demanding to be returned. His lush lips consume mine, his tongue sweeping a dangerous arc inside my mouth.
I’m powerless in that moment, trapped in the white-hot light of his affection, of his need, of all the tangled emotions left inside him from being held a prisoner for so long.
My fingers find his shoulders, curling around them and digging my nails in. He still feels pretty muscular, maybe even more so? I’m wondering if he didn’t spend a lot of his free time in that room working out. Not much else to do, I’m guessing.
We stumble back until my legs bump up against the footboard on his bed, and the moment goes from dangerous to lascivious in a single heartbeat.
A knock sounds at the door, and Parrish breaks our kiss with a scowl, leaving me breathless.
“Open this door—now.”
It’s Tess. She’s given us about three and a half seconds of privacy.
Chasm and Maxx watch the pair of us with completely inscrutable expressions. Even if I could unwind the myriad emotions traveling through their gazes, I wouldn’t do it. I don’t want to know. Not right this second.
Chas waits while Parrish brushes the glossy wetness from his mouth and then reaches over to do the same to me. When Parrish’s thumb brushes over my lip, I shudder, hating the coldness I feel when he steps back to put space between us.
Chasm unlocks and opens the door, stepping aside to reveal Tess standing there with her arms crossed over her chest.
“Door open, please,” she breathes, shaking out her hands like she’s struggling to flick away the worst of her fears. This poor woman. I’m not without sympathy for her, really. I’m not. I’m sure she has PTSD at this point. Seeing the door closed and locked was probably triggering as hell. Still, I’d love some time to not only kiss Parrish but talk to him.
We need to get on the same page in respect to, well, everything.
“I know you want some alone time, and I understand that, but please do this one thing for me.”
“Yes, mother,” Parrish replies, but not without sympathy. “We’ll keep the door open.”
Tess nods, letting her gaze sweep over the rest of us, still dressed in our outfits from Justin’s party. She hesitates in the doorway for a moment before taking off down the hall. I can hear her and Paul having a murmured conversation from here.
“Hey, Parrish?” Maxx offers, and he turns his gaze over to his friend. “Can I show you something real quick?”
Parrish’s eyes narrow to slits and he nods, watching as Maxx holds out his hand. Chasm offers up his phone, and I do the same, giving over both phones to him and waiting as he disappears into my room for a moment. I’m not a huge fan of leaving my phone while Maxine is with Justin, but he told me to ‘enjoy my reunion’, and we’ve seen what happens when he doesn’t like the direction of my interpretations.
Maxx returns with the bug detector, and Parrish frowns hard, flicking his eyes in the direction of Paul and Tess’ voices. They must be in her office now, but with the door open. We won’t have much privacy, but I’m not complaining because …
Parrish grabs my hand and pulls me close to him again, resting his hands on my hips. He lets out a long sigh, his wavy chocolate hair fluttering around his forehead. It’s a bit longer now, but just as sexy. I can’t resist reaching up to dig my fingers into it, and he shudders, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me close so that he can tuck me under his chin.
“All clear,” Maxx declares, tapping the device against his palm. “We can talk now if we’re careful.” He pushes the door so that it’s mostly closed. “There’s a new camera in the hall, between your bedrooms.”
“And one on the roof,” Chasm remarks with a tired sigh, taking out a cigarette and staring at it with longing. “Guess Dakota’s bathroom is my new smoke spot.” His mouth twitches into the realest smile I’ve seen in weeks as he lifts his amber eyes up to his friend. “I’m glad to have you back, bro.”
