Laughing, Corina stood on her skates. “You sure your foot is okay to skate?”
I shot her a dirty look. “My foot is perfectly fine, thank you very much.”
There was no way I was going to tell her all four of my brothers had already found out about the damn glass incident, and so had a few guys I worked with. I could thank Trevor for that one. Little bastard.
“By the way, how did Trevor get a picture of me in the hospital?” I asked.
Corina’s face turned red. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Come on, y’all! Let’s skate! Aunt Corina, wait until you see Uncle Mitchell skate. He’s good!”
“Really?” Corina asked, her brows lifted.
With a smirk, I blew on my fingers and shined them on my chest. “Not to brag, but I did play a little hockey when I was younger.”
Making a face like she didn’t believe me, Corina said, “You don’t say.”
“I bet I can skate better than you.”
Shit. That came out before I actually thought about it. Corina had grown up in the north. I bet kids there ice skated all the time.
“I’ll take that bet, Mr. Parker.”
“Oh! What are y’all bettin’ on?” Chloe asked as she stepped onto the ice very carefully before she started skating. She was actually pretty good.
Corina tilted her head and gave me the sweetest smile I’d ever seen. What I wouldn’t give to see that smile every damn day…
“What are we betting on?” she asked.
“I’ll let you decide.”
“Okay. If I can skate better, you have to make me dinner.”
I stepped onto the ice and spun around. I had this in the bag. Corina’s eyes widened. “And if I win?”
Glancing to Chloe halfway down the rink, Corina looked at me. “I’ll share your bed with you again tonight.”
Now it was my turn to look surprised.
“Chloe’s not going to be there tonight,” I reminded her.
She let a sexy grin grow across her face. “I’m aware of that.”
That was all it took. I lost every ounce of coordination. I somehow tripped over my own feet and landed straight on my ass. And I didn’t even care because all I could think about was Corina in my bed. With no six-year-old niece between us. The thought of holding Corina in my arms made me go temporarily insane.
“Are you okay?” Corina asked, as she attempted not to laugh and failed.
“I’m fine!” I shouted, jumping up.
“You’re not starting off too well,” she said with a wink.
I stumbled again and looked down at the ice. “Jesus, when was the last time someone used the Zamboni on this ice?” I called to no one.
“Uncle Mitchell! You fell,” Chloe said as she skated up to me.
“There was something on the ice.”
“Your Uncle Mitchell was just about to show me how great he can skate,” Corina said.
Chloe started clapping and calling my name.
Pointing to my niece, I smiled. “I have my own little fan club.”
Corina rolled her eyes and motioned for me to skate. With a little spin, I took off around the rink, going as fast as I safely could. There weren’t a whole lot of people skating, but there were enough that I couldn’t go full speed. Corina got the picture.
As I circled around, I turned to the side and shot ice at Corina. Chloe laughed, but Corina gave me a dirty look.
“I guess it’s my turn,” she said, chewing on her lip. Oh, yeah. She was nervous now.
“Looks like I’m going to have a warm bed tonight,” I said.
“How come?” Chloe asked.
Staring at her, I tried to think of an answer but Corina beat me to it.
“He’s already cold and thinking of all the ways he can heat up his sheets!”
My dick jumped at the thoughts Corina had just placed in my head.
“In the dryer,” she added on quickly
With a smirk, I replied, “We’ll see about that. Now show us what you got.”
The second she flashed me that smile I knew I had been played by a master. Corina Miller knew how to skate.
She took off and skated perfectly.
“She’s good.” Chloe gasped. “I think you lost your bet, Uncle Mitchell.”
With a smile, I nodded. “Maybe.”
Corina made her way to the middle of the rink. Picking up a bit of speed, she did some kind of double salchow, fancy jump, spin thing.
“Yep. You for sure lost,” Chloe said.
I put my hand on her head and ruffled her hair. “I’ve been tricked!”
With a sweet giggle, Chloe nodded and skated over to Corina. I watched as Corina took my niece’s hands, and they skated in a circle. I loved seeing Chloe laughing and having so much fun. Skating my way over to them, I shook my head. Corina wore a huge, shit-eating grin.
“You sly little thing,” I said.
She half shrugged. “I like Italian food, by the way.”
Laughing, I held up my hands in defeat. “Italian it is.”
By the end of our skating session, Chloe had learned how to do a few little spins that Corina had taught her.
We sat on the bench and took off our skates. “So…how do you know how to skate?”
With a chuckle, Corina lifted her shoulders and gave me that sweet innocent smile. “Lessons from the age of two to sixteen.”
My head dropped forward, and I sighed. “You did play me!”
“What does that mean, Uncle Mitchell?”
I grabbed Chloe and pulled her onto my lap as she let out a small laugh. “It means she tricked me into thinking she couldn’t skate, but she knew all along she could skate better than me.”
Chloe made a shocked face and looked at Corina. “You played with Uncle Mitchell.”
With an uncaring shrug, Corina stood. “I really enjoy playing with your Uncle Mitchell. And I got myself a dinner out of the deal. So it was a win-win.”
Chloe glanced up. “I’m so sorry, but I’m kind of glad she won! I had so much fun.”
I kissed Chloe on the nose and whispered, “I’m glad she won too, squirt. Come on, your daddy sent a text. He misses you.”
Chloe jumped off my lap. She reached for Corina’s hand as they walked back to the rental booth.
There was no denying that I felt something strong for Corina, and the more time we spent together, the more it grew.
Now the only thing I had left to figure out was how I was going to get Corina back into my bed.
Corina and I walked into the fire marshal’s office and sat down. While we were dropping Chloe back off at home, I’d gotten the call that they had found the source of the fire.
“Hey, Mitchell, Ms. Miller, thanks for coming down,” the fire marshal said.
With a nod, I reached to shake Jack’s hand. Corina did the same, except her hand was shaking like a leaf.
“What did you find out?” I asked.
“Electrical fire.”
I let out a relieved sigh. The last thing I wanted was for someone to have purposely set a fire and still be walking the streets of Oak Springs. When I glanced over to Corina, she was white as a ghost.
“Old wiring in the house caused a spark on the inside wall of the master bedroom. The whole second floor is a total loss, as you both know, but it looks like the first floor only sustained water and smoke damage.”
With a forced smile, Corina said, “Can they start work on the house now?”
“Yes, I’ve already let the insurance adjuster know about the cause of the fire.”
Corina’s voice shook. “Th-thank you so much. If you’ll excuse me.”
She quickly got up and made her way out of the office. Standing, I reached out for Jack’s hand once more. “Thanks, Jack.”
“No problem. I’m glad she wasn’t home. It could have been a lot worse.”
I nodded. “Yeah, it could have been. Thanks again. I’ll see you around.”
As I made
my way back to the truck, I sent Tripp a quick text to let him know it had been an electrical fire.
Stepping outside, my heart dropped. Corina was up against my truck, crying. I made my way over to her and gently cupped her face in my hands. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
Tears streamed down her face, and I would have given anything to make them stop.
“What if…what if I had been home? What if you hadn’t gone in and saved Milo? What if…”
I wrapped my arms around her. “Stop. No what ifs allowed. You weren’t home. I got Milo out, and everything else can be replaced.”
She pulled back and looked up at me. “I don’t want to move back into that house.”
My brows pulled together. “Why?”
Her lower lip trembled, and I knew she was simply scared. “Listen, that whole house is going to be re-done. Wiring, plumbing, everything is going to be stripped out, and I promise I’ll make sure there’s nothing unsafe in your house.”
I brushed away a piece of hair that was stuck to her tear-soaked cheek.
Her teeth sank into her lip, and she closed her eyes before dropping her head against my chest.
“Why are you making it so hard to be angry with you?” she asked, grabbing my shirt.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll fuck up somehow, and you’ll find another reason to be pissed.”
She sort of chuckled, knowing I was most likely right. She pulled back and looked into my eyes. “Thank you…for everything you’ve done and are doing for me.”
I ran the back of my hand down her cheek. “That’s what you do for people you care about, right?”
“Mitchell, I wanted to tell you—”
Another male’s voice interrupted mine. “Corina, is everything okay?”
Taking a step back, Corina faced Lane.
“Lane, hey. How are you?”
The little fucker flashed her a smile, then glanced at me and replaced it with a smug expression. “Mitchell, how are you?”
“I’m doing well, you?”
“Doing great. Life is good.”
“I’m sure it is, Lane.”
“What are you doing here?” Corina asked, clearly noticing that the exchange between Lane and I was forced.
“I wanted to see how you’ve been,” Lane said. “I’ve texted you a few times, and you haven’t answered.”
When he looked my way, I shot him a smug grin. Think on that one for a little bit, asshole.
“I’m sorry, Lane,” Corina said. “Things have been a bit crazy the last few days. I meant to respond and I forgot.”
He looked disappointed.
Good.
“No worries,” Lane said. “Did you want to go with me to the street dance in town?”
Corina glanced back and gave me a sweet little smile before turning to the dickhead. “I’m sorry. I’m actually going with Mitchell.”
Lane’s eyes snapped back at me. “I thought y’all were only friends.”
“Well, um, we have…”
Corina was struggling with her words, so I thought I would help.
“I’m not allowed to take a friend to the street dance? Wouldn’t that be what you were doing by asking her? Or were you hoping for something more?”
The look on his face said he’d love to punch the living shit out of me. Then he shot me a smirk. “Now that you put it out there, Mitch, I was hoping to move things a little further with Corina.”
“What?” From the tone of Corina’s voice, I could tell she wasn’t shocked by his admission. “Lane, we work together and I’ve already expressed that I don’t think it is a good idea for us to be anything other than friends.”
“I heard you went out with Philip,” Lane said.
Now her hands moved to her hips, and I knew she was pissed. Corina pissed off was one of the sexiest things I’d ever witnessed, and I’d witnessed it a few times already. But it was even better now that she was pissed at someone other than me.
“Excuse me? Are you snooping around my business, Lane?”
He shrugged. “I’ve heard a few rumors.”
“Hell, you gone off and done it now,” I said with a chuckle.
Corina turned to me. “You be quiet.” She faced Lane again, poking him in the chest. “How dare you dig into my personal life. What I do and whom I’m doing it with is none of your GD business.”
Damn, if she wasn’t cute when she tried to swear and couldn’t.
Lane stepped forward. “Corina, I only—”
“I’m not finished talking. I don’t know what rumors you’ve heard, but Philip was in need of a friend. I was there for him.”
“And what about Tripp Parker? Seems like you’re making your way through the brothers, from what I’ve heard. Does Cord come after Mitchell?”
My fists balled, and I started to step closer, but Corina beat me there.
Corina slapped the living shit out of Lane. And that wasn’t enough. Her knee hit his crotch so hard the poor guy didn’t stand a chance. Correction: he wasn’t standing at all now.
“I’ve heard a thing or two about you, as well, Lane Lewis,” Corina said.
Lane was on his knees, bent over in pain. Corina leaned down and whispered into his ear before she walked around him and climbed into my truck.
There was no way I could have wiped the smile off of my face even if I’d wanted to.
I held a hand out to Lane. “You need help standing up, dickhead?”
He jumped up. “If this is your way of trying to pay me back for high school, you won’t win.”
I tossed my head back and laughed. “Dude, I don’t live in the past. But that woman sitting in my truck is someone I care about. And I’m warning you now, stay the fuck away from her. You understand me?”
A smirk moved over his face. “Well, I’m going to be working pretty closely with her, asshole…what are you going to do about that?”
I let myself scan him up and down before I met his eyes. “You’d be surprised at the things I’m capable of doing without it linking back to me.”
“Are you threatening me, Parker?”
I slapped him on the side of his arm and smiled. “Hell no. That’s a promise.”
My heart was racing as I looked out the window at Lane and Mitchell. I had no idea what was being sad, and I didn’t care. I was angry.
How dare Lane Lewis say those things. And what rumors had he heard? Maybe people were talking about me staying with Mitchell. After all, how would that look on the outside? First I’d dated Tripp, now I was living with his brother…
Crap! I wasn’t helping the rumors by telling Lane the only Parker brother I’d slept with was Mitchell. Why did I tell him that just now?
Ugh.
I buried my face into my hands and let out a scream. The driver’s side door shut, and I jumped when I felt Mitchell’s hand on my leg.
“Are you okay?”
Dropping my hands, I looked to see if that jerk was still there. Lane was walking away with something of a limp. I was glad I’d kicked him where it counted.
I looked back at Mitchell. “No! I’m not okay. I’m…I’m pissed off!”
His eyes widened as he let out a soft chuckle. “I’d say so. Easy with the language there, dove.”
My heart dropped, and I was instantly taken back to the night Mitchell and I spent together. My chest rose and fell as I fought for each breath as the memory hit me.
Sitting on Mitchell, my legs wrapped around his body as he held me tightly. He was buried so far inside me. Our breathing labored as we both came down from our orgasms.
“I’ve never felt like this before,” he said. “What are you doing to me, dove?”
My stomach clenched when Mitchell called me dove. It made our moments seem even more amazing, if that was possible. I’d never experienced such passion in my life. I would never forget the feeling of him inside me. It was clear that I’d given this man a piece of me that I’d been guarding. It would forever be his.
“Why dove?”
I asked.
With a sexy smile, he moved his hand up my arm and around the back of my neck, pulling me closer to him. When his lips brushed mine, I felt the fire ignite between us again.
“Doves are my favorite bird. They’re pure, fragile, beautiful creatures. They have a soft and beautiful call, which reminds me of how you sound when you come with me inside you.”
With a wide smile, I pressed my lips against his. “That’s beautiful.”
Mitchell brought us to the bed and held his body over mine. “You’re beautiful.”
He kissed me and I was lost again to him. To his touch, his kiss, his slow, sweet way of making love to me.
Mitchell Parker would forever hold a piece of my heart, whether I wanted him to or not.
Finally finding my voice, I asked, “What did you just say?”
Mitchell winked. “I said easy with the language.”
I shook my head. “No, that’s not all you said.”
He started the truck, and I realized how flipping hot it was inside the cab.
“That’s all I said.”
He pulled out onto Main Street and I tore my eyes off of him. Staring straight out the window, I swallowed hard and dug down deep to speak.
“You called me dove.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw him look at me before turning straight ahead again. He didn’t remember, did he? Or maybe he called all of his women dove.
His silence made my emotions go all over the place. Scared, angry, hurt, sad. I don’t know what I was thinking. Mitchell Parker isn’t going to change.
I looked back at him. It was obvious he couldn’t do commitment, and I needed that. I needed to know that the man I gave my full heart to was going to give me his in return. “Mitchell, I don’t think this is going to—”
“Wait. Before you say a word, please give me ten minutes.”
My brows pinched. “What?”
He reached for my hand and looked at me. His eyes were pleading. “That’s all I’m asking for. Please.”
I nodded as I whispered, “Okay.”
Mitchell headed out of town and toward his family’s ranch, but he took a left turn on Ranch Road thirty-seven. He drove for about ten minutes before pulling down a long driveway.