Page 63 of The Moments You Were Mine

The little boy was eyeing the snack bar with something like longing as Parker took the towels from me. Instead of helping dry Theo off, he turned those sunglass-covered eyes on me, taking me in from the top of my wet braid, down to my chipped, bubblegum-pink nail polish, and then back up. His gaze lingered on the towel I’d wrapped around my torso.

Parker’s smile turned into a frown, and he stepped closer to me, voice dropping as he asked, “Since when are you embarrassed of your body, Ducky?”

“What?”

“Covering yourself up in a tank top and now wrapping yourself in a towel. Where’s the Fallon who strutted along a packed beach, not giving a shit who saw her in a tiny bikini?” He was worried. I heard it beating in every syllable.

I wasn’t embarrassed. Was I? I had nothing to be ashamed of. So what if I’d put on a couple of pounds? Who the hell knew how I’d gained it with the pace I’d been working at since I’d come home, but I had.

“Look, Kermit, don’t start with me.”

Parker reached out, grabbed the edge of the towel, and yanked it so I spun like a top toward the edge of the dock. I barely registered I was going over the side before I latched on to his wrist and took him with me.

We landed in the water with enough force that it dragged us under the surface. My glasses went flying, and I barely caught them before they sank to the bottom. I kicked out, foot colliding with Parker’s leg before rushing for the surface. I came up sputtering.

“Jerk. You almost made me lose my favorite sunglasses!” I splashed water at him as if I was annoyed, but my lips twisted upward, contradicting my words.

“You’re way too uptight these days, Ducky. Let’s see what we can do to loosen you up.”

Before I could object, he’d picked me up and launched me into the sky, sending me and my glasses sailing. It reminded me of my dad doing this exact same thing. The first time Dad had come back to the ranch, he’d joined Maisey, Sadie, and me at the lake, playing with us in the water as if he didn’t have a care in the world. That day, I’d realized just how much he’d lost by leaving me here with Mom and Spencer. How much we’d both lost. I’d never thought those lost memories had mattered to him before then, but he’d been making it up to me ever since.

As I surfaced once again, Theo’s little voice squealed, “Me, me, me!” as he jumped up and down at the end of the dock. “I want to fly too!”

Just as Parker turned toward the ladder, I leaped onto his back and pushed him under. It was only because I’d surprised him that I succeeded. Theo’s little face registered shock before he started laughing as Parker burst through the surface.

He’d lost his glasses too, and now I could see every inch of the sly smile that creased his eyes and promised payback. That smile, that joy, pierced me like an arrow. It was another image of him that I’d keep locked in a secret place reserved exclusively for him.

“You lucked out with that sneak attack, Ducky.”

“I thought you Frogmen were always ready,” I taunted. “Besides, that’s payment foractuallymaking me lose my favorite glasses.”

I looked through the stirred-up water, trying to catch a glimpse of them. The lake was normally clear, especially this close to shore, but there was too much activity today.

He tugged my arm, yanking me to his chest, and our eyes met. Heat. Yearning. Happiness.

“You know what happens to sneaks, don’t you?” His voice was all sultry. A sensual dare.

“They win?” I taunted back.

His mouth came dangerously close to mine—so close I could feel the buzz that snapped between us. Then, his lips changed direction, breath coasting over my ear as he said, “They go in the torture chamber.”

His hand slid under my tank top, and he tickled me, fingers gliding over all the sensitive spots he’d found when we were little. I tried to jerk back, laughing and pushing at his hands, even as they drifted upward until his knuckles brushed the undersides of my breasts. The electricity that spun through me was almost as strong as the tickle.

I gasped and gurgled, still attempting to stop him, but he was relentless. Ruthless.

My lungs burned for air.

I knew of only one way to stop him. One thing that always got him to pull back when our play brushed over a dangerous edge. I attempted another gasp of air before sinking under the water and slipping through his fingers as he tried to recapture me. I kicked downward until my face was just at the waistband of his trunks.

I ran my palms along his inner thighs, letting my fingertips dance along a sensitive spot I’d found once by accident. I was delighted to see him respond. The bulge that appeared invitingme to do more than tickle.

Parker let out a muttered groan muffled by the water, and two strong hands gripped me under my armpits, hauling me to the surface. We were chest to chest, hip to hip again, and our mouths were right back to being dangerously close. Temptation hung in the air, turning those steel eyes dark and murky. When would he ever give in to this feeling? Why did he resist the pull when it would be so much easier to cave?

“Don’t start something you can’t finish, Ducky.” The growl that escaped those firm, full lips only lit me up inside.

“Parker, me! I want to play too!” Theo protested.

But Parker remained completely focused on me, searching for something that had my pulse beating frantically.