A Beautiful Lie (Playing with Fire #1)(55)

The guilt crept up as he reminded himself that this was his best friend's girl. Milo, the boy he grew up with and the man that remained his friend through everything―he was gone and he was never coming back, but that still didn't make anything about this right. Milo had always asked him before a mission if he would take care of Parker if anything happened to him. Garrett was certain that this wasn’t what Milo had in mind. He was plagued with thoughts of Milo barging through the door and asking Garrett how he could betray him like this.

Garrett turned around and shut off the water, taking a deep breath. He closed the door on his personal feelings and put up the wall, reminding himself that this was just a job and Parker was just his friend. He was a SEAL, and she was CIA, and they were both there to get the job done, no matter the costs. He knew Parker would be completely professional about this, and so would he.

With a steel resolve, he opened the bathroom door and stepped out in the dark room.

Parker’s heart skipped a beat as the bathroom door opened and the light spilled out onto the bed. She was lying on her side, still clutching the towel to her chest as she watched the silhouette of Garrett with a towel wrapped around his hips step out into the room.

Garrett glanced at Parker, taking in the sight of her waiting for him in bed. He reached back into the bathroom and flipped off the light. He could no longer see Parker’s face and part of him was grateful for that. He didn’t want her to see just how much this was torturing him inside.

The light from the moon illuminated the room just enough so he could see where he was going as he rounded the bed and crawled in under the covers behind Parker. He wondered just how much sound the bugs could detect and hoped they couldn’t hear his heart about to beat out of his chest.

Parker was glad Garrett decided to turn the bathroom light off. There was only so much truth she was willing to share right then. If he saw her face during whatever it was he was planning, she knew it would be a dead giveaway. She was nervous and scared about the fact that someone was most likely listening to their every move right now, but deep down inside, in a place she kept hidden from everyone, a tiny thrill of excitement shot straight to her core as Garrett slid across the bed towards her and rested his hand on her bare shoulder.

Parker’s skin broke out in goose bumps immediately, and Garrett could feel them under his palm. He pushed himself up on his hip and reached down to pull the sheet and comforter up over both of their bodies. He knew Parker was still wet from the shower and figured she must be freezing.

Garrett let the blanket fall to his waist, knowing he was far from needing to be warmed up. Being this close to Parker, when she was wearing nothing more than a towel, made him hot enough.

Parker finally let go of her tight grasp on the towel and pulled her arm out from under the blankets, letting it rest on her side above the covers. She could feel the heat from Garrett’s body radiating off of him and wished he would close the gap between them and press himself against her. Parker needed to feel him. She needed his touch to calm her nerves.

As if reading her mind, Garrett scooted closer to Parker, still leaving a few inches between them, though. He felt himself harden as soon as he walked in on her in the bathroom and pulled her up against him. Right now he was practically screaming to be touched, and he didn’t want to make it more awkward than it already was.

Garrett held himself up on one elbow, looking down at Parker’s profile. She had her eyes closed and her bottom lip held between her teeth. He knew Parker well enough to understand that this situation was making her tense. If this was going to work, they both needed to relax.

Reaching up with his hand, he brushed Parker’s damp hair off of her shoulder, letting his fingertips graze her skin. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss in the crook of her neck and then rested his forehead there for a moment, silently letting her know that everything would be okay. Garrett felt her body relax, sinking deeper into the mattress, and he knew it was time to get the show started. He pulled his head up and placed his lips to her neck a second time, making sure to create a loud smacking noise with his lips this time, certain to be picked up by the microphones.

His lips made their way down the side of her neck and across the top of her shoulder, burning a path as they went. Each kiss echoed into the quiet room, and though Parker knew why he was making so much noise, the sounds broke through her mind and reminded her with each press of wet and warmth to her skin exactly who was doing this to her.

Garrett didn’t need to make this more than it was; he didn’t need to make sure it was enjoyable for her, but he wanted to. He had to. With the first taste of her skin in his mouth, he knew there was no turning back. He turned off his mind to the fact of this just being a job and concentrated on it being Parker. Once he got to the end of her shoulder, he made his way back up to her neck, letting his tongue skim against her with every touch of his mouth to her to her skin.

Parker couldn’t hold back the soft sighs that escaped when Garrett’s tongue touched her, and she couldn’t stop the quiet moans that broke free from her lips as he nuzzled his mouth and nose directly under her ear. He breathed her in and opened his mouth when he placed a kiss to the spot below her ear. His teeth grazed the smooth skin there as he sucked gently, his hand fisting into the material of the blanket draped over Parker’s hip.

Garrett suddenly didn’t care anymore about shocking Parker with his need for her. He wanted to hear more of her moans and soft cries of need, even if they were more for the benefit of those listening than for him.