Take Me Down (The Knight Brothers 2)

“Mr.– Oh! We don’t even know your name,” Harper said. “His car broke down and he needs a room.”

“I’m Parker Knight,” he said, giving Harper a grateful wink. A wink that turned Emily’s insides to mush, not that she’d let him know that.

“James Stevens, and this is my daughter, Emily. And her friend, Harper.”

Harper, the traitor, treated him to a friendly wave.

Parker chuckled and grinned at her before turning back to the older man. Emily refused to admit what that wink – at her friend – did to her insides.

“Your daughter said you aren’t renting. But I’m really in a bind.” He appealed to her father instead of Emily, obviously because she’d already turned him down. “So can you make an exception? Please?”

Her father turned to her, a frown on his face. “Emily Ann Stevens, I’m disappointed in you. How could you turn away someone in need? You know we rent to a person or two at a time. We just can’t handle a full house.” He turned back to the man named Parker. “Of course you can stay. Emily, show the man to a room, please.”

Her stomach cramped as she realized she wasn’t going to win this battle. The hot city guy was here to stay. For a couple of days or more, she didn’t know. As far as she was concerned, one day was one too many.

Chapter Two

Parker followed the little spitfire who wanted nothing to do with him, as she led him through the house and to a set of stairs, his gaze on her ass the entire time. Two flour handprints stained her jean pockets, making him want to set his palms there and squeeze those cheeks until she moaned, which only served to accentuate the already hard problem in his pants.

“You’re the only guest we have,” she explained, glancing over her shoulder only to catch him staring at her rear end.

She scowled at him and came to a stop at a closed door. “You can put your bag in here. It’s been cleaned but I need to make sure you have towels and everything else you’ll need, so I’ll be back.”

She started to head past him, the warm scent that followed her making his mouth water as he caught her wrist. “Why does having me here piss you off so much?”

The second he’d laid eyes on the blonde-haired, brown-eyed beauty staring at him with a frown on her pretty face, hair up in a messy bun, and a Kiss the Cook full apron, he was intrigued both by her looks, a combination of wholesome and sexy, and the obvious animosity she had without even knowing him.

She pulled her bottom lip into her mouth before releasing it with a pop. “You look like trouble, city boy.”

“Do you always judge a book by its cover?” he couldn’t help but ask.

She didn’t look the least bit apologetic for being called out on her behavior. “I don’t, actually, but something about you has my gut screaming to watch out.” She shook her head, glancing down at her small wrist, which he still had in his hand.

He immediately released her, missing the heat she’d generated in his palm. “Hey, I’m a nice guy. Some people even think I’m charming.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” she muttered and he narrowed his gaze. He wondered what she had against him being from the city. Why calling himself charming put her off. And most of all, why, despite the fact that she had obvious walls around her a mile high, he wanted to climb them anyway.

“I’ll be back up with fresh towels, some water, and a few other things.”

“You don’t need to wait on me. I can come down and get them for myself.”

“And have my father tell me I’m depriving you of the full Ruby Rose experience? No, thank you.”

Okay, so he’d let her treat him like a guest. Which brought up another question. “Why aren’t you open for business?” he asked.

Her heartfelt sigh went straight to his gut. “It’s a long story.”

“If the part for my car takes a while, like Matt said it would, I’ll have time to listen.”

She muttered something under her breath, turned, and walked away.

Chuckling, he rolled his suitcase in and looked around. Instead of a floral bed-and-breakfast appearance, it was a rustic vision of wood furniture and bed frame, accentuated by deeper red tones in the comforter and window treatment, and he loved the room on sight.

If he had to be stranded in the Colorado mountains, he could think of a lot worse places to be. One thing he knew for sure, he looked forward to getting under Emily Stevens’ skin a whole lot more.

* * *

Parker woke up freezing. His body was shaking, his nose was cold, and his dick was shriveled. A glance at his watch told him it wasn’t even five thirty a.m.