Page 27 of Protected

Though he didn’t want to break their connection, Parker slowly lifted his mouth from hers and gazed into her eyes. “I’ve missed you so much, and I know I mishandled things between us. I just…”

Compared to the type of family Chelsey had and the way she’d grown up, Parker knew he wasn’t good enough for her. Whenever he thought about his upbringing and the man who had raised him, he didn’t feel worthy of someone like Chelsey.But that didn’t stop him from wanting a chance to prove to her that he could be everything she wanted in a man.

“Hear me out for the next few minutes, and I’ll explain where my head was at when I thought it was best to put some distance between us.”

“You’ve had plenty of time to tell me what’s going on. Why now?”

He released a long breath, unsure of what to say.

Yes, he could’ve told her months ago, but when he’d broken up with her, he thought he’d be leaving town. He thought he’d be protecting her and everyone else around him. Back then, he thought the less they all knew, the better. Now he wasn’t sure. There might not currently be a threat to his life. Yet, that could easily change.

“It was too dangerous.”

“And it’s not dangerous now?” she shot back.

Even when he told her months ago that they had to break things off, he suspected she knew he hadn’t told her everything. His reasons had been lame, even to his own ears.

“It might still be too dangerous, but I’m ready now. I’m ready to tell you everything about my past that I wasn’t ready to tell before.”

Silence pulsed between them before Chelsey nodded. “Okay, we can talk but have a seat and give me a minute. I need to freshen up a bit.”

Parker took a step back. “All right, but I could come with you and help,” he said, trying to lighten the moment some.

“No, absolutely not. I don’t trust you or myself to be anywhere near a bed right now.”

Parker laughed. He didn’t bother telling her that anything he’d do with her on a bed, he could easily do on the sofa. Hell, they could even do it on the floor, on the stairs, and even in thebathtub. It didn’t matter as long as he was with her, and they were naked.

Instead of saying any of that, he kept his mouth shut and watched her fine ass swish back and forth in those short shorts as she started up the stairs.

She glanced over her shoulder at him. “Give me five minutes.”

Ten minutes later, Chelsey returned with her curly hair hanging loose around her shoulders and mascara making her pretty eyes pop. She was still wearing the same T-shirt, but to Parker’s disappointment she had put on a bra. A lace one, based on what he could see through the thin material of the shirt, and her bare feet were now covered in thick red socks.

“Now, I’m ready for us to talk.”

“God, you’re beautiful,” Parker said, his heart squeezing as he stared into her gorgeous brown eyes. It didn’t matter what she wore, she was the most alluring woman he’d ever met.

Her features softened and she gave him a small smile. “Thank you.”

He gave a slight nod. They were off to a good start. That should excite him, but he was anxious about their talk. What would he do if she decided she didn’t want to be with him? What if she blew a gasket at the fact that her life could’ve been in danger while they’d been dating?

He didn’t have the answers to those questions, but if he wanted a future with her, it was past time to come clean.

“Do you want something to drink or eat?” she asked.

“No, thanks. I’m not hungry.”

She stared at him. “In all the time we were together, you haveneverturned down food. Even when no one offered you food, you wanted something to eat.”

He chuckled and sat on the sofa, patting the seat next to him for her to sit.

“Yeah, I’ve been hearing that a lot lately. Let’s just say, I’ve been having some stressful months, and I guess I just haven’t had an appetite.”

Instead of sitting next to him, she sat in a wingback chair across from the sofa. That was probably best, because if she sat near him, he’d want to touch her. Actually, he’d want to do more than touch her. So, yes, keeping some distance between them was good.

For the next few minutes, he told her about the day his mother was killed. Parker didn’t leave anything out, including how he couldn’t tell anyone about what had happened and how Wolf made the body disappear. It had been such a dark time in Parker’s life, and talking about it brought back all the hurt, anguish, and hatred he had for Wolf. There was no doubt Chelsey could feel what he felt for his father.

Parker told her about Wolf being the leader of the Diego Kingz, and how he’d been grooming him to take over the organization one day. The sick bastard hadn’t given a damn about him except for when Parker did something to make him proud. Like sell drugs or beat the crap out of someone who was encroaching on the Kingz’s territory.