Her Marine Next Door - Aliyah Burke Page 0,2
Everywhere.
Hours later, she sighed as her too-sexy neighbor lifted her into the passenger seat, strong fingers around her waist. To her mind—obviously her drug-addled mind—his touch lingered a heartbeat longer than necessary.
Even if it was only in her head, it would be nice in her dreams to think he couldn’t keep from touching her.
As he slid behind the wheel, she shut her eyes and prayed to be home soon. He didn’t speak, and she hated how much time had passed, nearing evening. Her day had been wasted. She ground her jaw and held on to hope she could get more work done tonight. She was behind on this piece and didn’t relish the idea of missing her delivery date.
And she was going to be even slower now because of this injury.
The truck slowed, and she sat up. There wasn’t any way to ignore the fact that they were the center of attention as all his guests watched Parker pull up to her house. Behind the wheel of her truck. He wove carefully through the vehicles whose owners had decided it was okay to use her driveway. With ease, he backed them in and killed the ignition.
Be nice, Skylar. Open your mouth and say something kind for him helping you. He could have left you and just taken the blender. But he drove you there, kept you safe, and didn’t leave you.
“Thank you,” she muttered. “For taking me”—her words faltered when he pinned her with his sharp stare—“to the hospital. I know you had plans to be elsewhere. And doing other things.”
He removed her key. “Don’t move.”
“I can—”
“Ain’t got no call to argue with me. Stay in the damn truck until I get there.”
His tone was dangerous, and it vibrated through her.
“What’s up, Parker?” one of the hot babes in a bright turquoise bikini yelled. “You’ve been gone for hours.”
Skylar began to move just as he opened the door. His dark brows narrowed and she stilled, unnerved by the glint in his eyes. “Do you ever listen?” He never once addressed the blonde’s comments.
“Do you ever not bark orders like you’re a goddamn commanding officer?” Her words were slightly slurred, but she didn’t apologize, the meds apparently having boosted her argumentative side. “I mean, I’ve thanked you already, said you could use my blender, let you in my house, and you’re still yelling at me. In fact, I’m not trying to get your attention or take up your time. I’ve gone out of my way so you didn’t have to come.”
His gaze narrowed as he assessed her features.
“Maybe I like the idea of you in my arms, Skylar Radford. Ever think that’s what’s going on here? And I’ll wait until the drugs are out of your system before we address the comment of me coming.” He unhooked her belt and swept her up in his arms. “Because, trust me, I have plans for both of us doing that. Multiple times.”
Nope. That thought wasn’t entertained at all. Not in real life. However, for fantasies that was something entirely different.
“Parker!”
Again, he ignored the screeching harpy and carried Skylar back into her home. He took her directly to the couch, where he deposited her and placed her meds nearby. After which, he took her phone and entered his number.
“You call me if you need anything or feel the slightest bit off.”
“I’ll be fine. Thank you.”
He bent down and boxed her in. “Don’t test me, Skylar.”
“Don’t you have a party with horny women to throw?”
He dragged two knuckles down her cheek. Her pulse skittered beneath the simple—yet surely hollow—gesture.
“Say the word, and I’ll stay here with you.”
All she detected in that spoken statement was pure honesty, and it threw her. His deep baritone rumbled through her, making her long for something more, something she’d had in the past, only to have it yanked from her. She dismissed her wavering emotions and pushed those memories back to a dark, uninhabited corner of her mind. “Goodbye?”
His grin told her he wasn’t perturbed by her answer. He stood up, winked, and left her alone.
…
“What was all that, Parker?” Sally asked, her fake boobies about to spill free of the fuchsia top. “You said you were getting a blender and then tore off with her for hours.” She sidled up to him, laying her silicone implants against his forearm. “We came to see you, too. We know how you all are when you’re just off a long deployment. Insatiable, and just how we like you.”
“I took her to the