Page 37 of Protected
“Nope, this is for me and you. I figured you might be hungry too,” he said and shoved coleslaw into his mouth. “Besides, I had a taste for a few different dishes and figured I’d buy it all.”
“Apparently,” she said, snagging a chicken wing. “I guess your appetite is back.”
Chelsey filled a plate with more chicken wings, a slice of cheese pizza, coconut shrimp, and some broccoli. It was an odd combination, but she was hungry enough to eat a cow.
“Yeah, thanks for your help with that.” He winked and her cheeks heated. “I guess I worked up an appetite,” Parker said, piling chicken Alfredo onto his plate. He took a long drag of his beer and set the bottle back down on the counter. “I can’t ever remember being this hungry.”
Chelsey grabbed a bottle of water, and then took her plate over to the two-seater table.
“How long have you been awake? Looks like you’ve already put a dent in some of this food.”
“About an hour. I feel like I haven’t eaten in months.”
Chelsey chuckled at the seriousness of his expression. “Actually, by the looks of you, you haven’t.”
Her gaze took in his bare upper body, and the beautiful tattoos covering it. His muscular chest was still drool-worthy and worked like a well-oiled machine, but his face was thinner than usual. Sure, he was still handsome. Yet the sallowness of his skin made him look a little ill. Hopefully, with him back to eating and not dealing with the stress of their breakup and worrying about Wolf, he’d be back to his old self in no time.
As she watched him eat, memories of all that he could do with that body, his mouth and hands, flooded her mind. Yeah, she was a lucky woman because he was all hers, and after spending the last few hours with him, it was as if they’d never been apart. Despite trying, she hadn’t been able to scrub him from her heart, and she probably never would.
That’s what concerned her. If trouble came his way, she feared that he’d react the same way—cut all ties and run.
“Parker, are you sure this is what you want? Are you sureI’mwhat you want? Because I can’t go through months without you again. I can’t do this on-and-off again thing with you. If you decide to up and leave Atlanta—”
“I’d be taking you with me,” he said and wiped his mouth and hands with a napkin.
He strolled over to the table and pulled her into a standing position, and Chelsey stared up at him. She couldn’t miss the seriousness and love radiating in his eyes.
Before they’d started dating exclusively, Chelsey had known he was the man for her. She just hadn’t known how powerful their connection would be. Her heart didn’t beat right without him, and it was like nothing she had ever experienced.
“I know I shook your faith in me, but I promise you, Chelsey. I’m going to regain your trust.”
“I trust you,” she said quickly.
Chelsey was hesitant to trust him with her heart again but honestly, she was in too deep to walk away now. What she felt for Parker was a scary, all-consuming, I-would-die-for-you type of love. A first for her. Granted, he had caused her heartache and tears, but it would be worth it in the end if it meant they’d be together forever.
“Good, because I’m not going anywhere, especially not without you. I’m planning to spend the rest of my life with you, assuming you’ll still have me.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist. “You’re all I want.”
When their lips met, heat spread through her body like usual. This man’s kisses, and the way he held her so gently, always ignited a yearning within her. Nope. She was never letting him go, and he was right about one thing. If he ever left, she was definitely going with him.
With one last peck to her lips, he pulled back.
“Are we good?” he asked.
“Yes, we’re perfect.” She reclaimed her seat. “So, where do we go from here? We had some plans before…”
She stopped the rest of her words before they could slip out. There was no sense in mentioning the breakup. Again. She was going to have to forgive and forget if she wanted their relationship to work. No way would Parker want her throwing his mistake in his face every other day.
No, she was going to have to do what they’d done earlier when they reacquainted themselves with each other’s body. They were going to pick up where they left off in every aspect of their relationship. Except this time, she’d be going into this with eyes wide open, instead of looking at him through rose-colored glasses.
He’d been through hell and survived and was a fighter in more ways than one. She couldn’t help but respect all that he’d seen in the last thirty-plus years and still managed to be a kind, loving, and generous human being.
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Parker said, interrupting Chelsey’s thought.
He moved back to his plate of food on the counter and returned to the table with it. Then he grabbed a container of some type of pasta and meatball dish and set it on the table.
“I’m thinking that where we go from here is forward. Except, I’m sure you’re not ready or interested in moving in with me…yet. However, I want all our friends and your family to know that you’re mine. No more hiding our relationship.”