Her Marine Next Door - Aliyah Burke Page 0,22

nothing came out. She wheeled back, stomped to her room, and shut the door with far more force than necessary. He compelled himself to head out before he trailed her back there.

“Cullen,” he called out.

No answer.

Frowning, he stepped into the yard and looked around. Toward the far end of the yard, he spied Alpin standing partly behind a tree, tail wagging. With a slow jog, he set off and peered around the trunk.

Cullen was facing away from Alpin, holding Murray tight with his eyes closed.

“What are you doing, Cullen?”

“Hiding from Alpin, shhhh.”

“I hate to break it to you, C-Man, but I think he found you.”

Cracking one eye open then the other, Cullen made a dramatic turn to look behind him. Alpin canted his head to the side and released a low woof. Parker’s smile couldn’t be stopped as he watched him squeal in laughter and fall to the ground. The dog stood over him and licked him before Cullen bounced up and took off running.

Alpin sighed, then ambled slowly in the direction the boy had darted off. Parker leaned against the trunk and just enjoyed this moment. There wasn’t any fear in the boy, and Gemma was elsewhere. His woman was inside, covering that luscious body in her peach, mint, and raspberry lotion.

Home. Family.

Two words that reverberated through him like a block of C-4 going off. He’d never had anything so clear before, aside from when he’d first laid eyes on Skylar. Everything within him wanted her and for more than just the physical.

Still, he reminded himself he wanted to continue enjoy the single life. She deserved so much more than he could give. This thing with them was fleeting, perhaps could be continued whenever he was home, but he was a Recon Marine. His men depended on him to watch their backs. He wasn’t about to let them down, because suddenly, the idea of the white-picket-fence life was a slight temptation.

“I’m thirsty.”

“Okay, C-Man. Let’s go get you something to drink.”

Cullen ran ahead, and he followed at a slower pace. Already, his heart went out to him—he didn’t know how he was going to keep his distance. Whenever those blue eyes cut to him, it was like Skylar’s, in that he snared a piece of his heart. He went to the door and stepped inside. Skylar’s soft voice reached him, and he made his way to the kitchen in time to see the boy sucking on his lower lip while he scuffed the toe of his shoe on the floor.

“Peease.”

“Absolutely.” Skylar rooted around in the cupboard and pulled out a tall cup. “Here you are.”

Parker leaned against the doorjamb and watched his woman interact with the boy. Her jean shorts and peach tank top were havoc on his libido. She helped him fill it with water and gave him a smile as Cullen took it and Murray to the table, where he pushed the cup, then crawled up onto the chair.

Skylar moved by him and ruffled his hair in an easy and comforting manner. The smile C-Man turned on her broke his heart. Less than a day, and he’d already latched onto her in a way he didn’t see the boy interacting with his own mother.

Or himself.

A slight spear of jealousy hit him when he watched how easily she took care of the boy, but was so damn determined to keep him at a distance. Exhaling slowly, he let it go.

She hooked onto his gaze and lifted a brow. He wanted to thank her for treating his son like a person, but those words wouldn’t slip past his lips. If they did, it would only solidify the way this child had already begun to mean so much. He wasn’t ready for that. Had to protect himself as well. So he did what he always did to her when he was uncertain of the words that needed to come. Flirt.

When he winked, she shook her head and moved past him without a word. Leaning back to watch her vanish from view, he took advantage of the sight before it was removed. Then he went into the kitchen where Cullen sat, quiet, thin legs kicking as they hung over the chair.

“I’ll be right back, okay?”

Those small shoulders lifted and fell in a way that told Parker how little he believed him. Or didn’t care.

“Skylar?” he called out, stepping back to the hallway.

She popped out of her bedroom, tying her hair up in a ponytail. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong. Wondering if you can