Chapter 6

Eliot had a feeling the smirk on his face was pretty permanently etched at this point. Parker had driven like a bat outta hell, and laid down a time that had shot right to the top of the board. They'd stepped out of the car and been pretty quickly the center of attention. The other drivers were apparently watching, Eliot thought with a grin. Little blonde woman kicks their ass, they seem to notice.

Most of the drivers were pretty friendly, chatty, asking Parker about how she handled this corner or that stretch of gravel. Eliot had kept his eyes open and aware for Darrien. The big man had scowled in the background and muttered to his co-driver.

Of course, when it had been his turn to run, Darrien couldn't quite match Parker's time. He was right behind, but still. No one came close to Parker. Hence the permanent smirk on Eliot's face. He'd really enjoyed strolling up to Darrien and asking for his money. Best part was, the dumbass couldn't make a scene, given how many other drivers were milling around them.

Eliot patted his pocket. He was going to buy Parker a beer tonight, he thought. She'd earned it, giving him such a feeling of satisfaction.

"Eliot!" he heard a squeal behind him, and turned just in time to brace his legs and catch Parker as she leapt into his arms. She pressed full-body against him, legs wrapping around his hips, arms around his neck, cheek against his. His nose was in her hair, and the faintly sweet smell of her sweat and that elusive something that was just Parker filled his brain. His hands wrapped around her waist without thinking, keeping her in place, soft against hard.

"That was great!" Parker bubbled in his ear, before pulling back and planting a smacking kiss on his cheek. For a split second, the whole world narrowed to the feeling of her lips, soft, pliant, warm, pressed against his skin. His hands tightened on her waist and he went very still before she was sliding down and away.

"I love to drive!" Parker exclaimed. Then she was practically dancing away. "Sophie, did you see me?" she was chattering to her earbud.

Eliot dropped his now empty hands rather uselessly to his sides, and watched her for a moment. His cheek still burned and his body was tight. He was screwed, he thought. Maybe it was time to just accept that fact.

Eliot was heading for the car, mind on Parker and how the hell he was going to handle this new revelation of sorts he'd had when Hardison piped up in his head.

"Eliot," the hacker said.

"Yeah," Eliot answered, a bit absently. So he was preoccupied. So sue him.

"Dude, we gotta talk," Hardison said. There was a note in his teammate's voice that got Eliot's attention. Shit.

"Yeah, ok," he said after a moment's pause. "Hotel room, once we're done here." There was quiet in his ear again. Eliot didn't think Hardison wanted to talk about the con. Nope. Pretty sure it was something else.

Eliot blew out a breath. Hell. He'd just known this was going to suck.

Parker was still talking animatedly to one of the other drivers, an older guy who was listening intently to her talk about how she powerslid around the fifth corner and it saved her about another second and a half…

Eliot leaned against the outside of the car and just waited for her. He scanned the crowd from behind his shades, unobtrusively trying to pick out faces that might cause them problems later. After all, they should have gotten the attention of their saboteur today. Over to one side of the clearing, he spotted a couple of men huddled together, and caught the sight of money changing hands.

"Nate," he said softly. "We got gambling in the southwest corner. Could be a motive?"

"Right," Nate's voice said. "Sophie, can you get us some faces with your cam?"

"On it," Sophie's voice replied. Eliot listened as Sophie flirted her way across the field, chatting with drivers, spectators and others. His eyes picked her out finally getting into cam range as the circle of men were breaking up. He studied faces carefully. After all, they might not get photos, you never knew with their cons.

Parker popped back up at his side. "Lotta people lost money on us today," she said cheerfully to Eliot. She leaned against the car next to him, her arm brushing barely against his. "Nobody wanted to bet on a woman winning."

Eliot glanced down at her, then back to the gamblers who were drifting away. "Their mistake, darlin'," he said. "I sure knew where to put my money."

He felt Parker's sigh. "You bet money," she said.

Eliot frowned a little. "Why's that surprising?" he asked. This really was confusing him. What else was he supposed to bet?

Parker was silent for a minute. Eliot's eyes followed one of the gamblers, a skinny man with a buzz cut and badly fitting western style shirt. He was talking intently to another man, and Eliot thought he saw money changing hands again.

"Nate, I think I've made the bookie," Eliot said. "Northwest corner, talking to a driver in red and yellow."

Parker shifted a little next to him. "I see him, too," she said. Then to Eliot, "Why do people bet money? I wouldn't bet money. I'd never bet money."

It was like a lightbulb in his head, Parker's reaction to his side bet with Darrien. He'd forgotten how important even a few bills were to the little blonde thief. She didn't spend her money from cons, she didn't carry cash around… it wasn't something she was willing to risk. And that meant a lot from someone who was willing to throw herself headfirst off tall buildings.

Eliot reached down and unobtrusively squeezed Parker's fingers. "I only bet on a sure thing," he drawled, eyes still on the bookie, and released her fingers. "Waste of money otherwise."

Parker was quiet, mulling, he thought. Good. Let her chew on what that meant for a little bit, and maybe she'd get a few knots tied up in her like he had.

By the time Eliot made it back to his hotel room, he was about ready to bust a head or two. It took for freakin' ever to get away from the drivers. All he wanted now was a cold brew, maybe a nice meal…

He opened his door and saw Hardison, sitting on the bed, waiting. "Well, crap," Eliot muttered. He'd forgotten. Sort of. More like pushed his little talk with Hardison aside so that he didn't have to think about it and pretend it wasn't going to happen.

"Hey, bro," Hardison said soberly as Eliot shut the door.

Eliot dropped down into the chair next to the bed and leaned his head back. "All right, Hardison," he said wearily. "What's on your mind?" He had a pretty good idea.

Hardison fidgeted, fingers working against each other like he had an invisible keyboard in them. "Look, Eliot," he said awkwardly. He paused, and Eliot rolled his head to look at the hacker. "Umm, I mean, you been spending a lotta time with Parker."

Eliot grunted. "She's my partner." Damned if he was going to make this easy. He figured someone else should be suffering here besides him.

Hardison rubbed a hand over his head. "Yeah… Look, I got eyes, right? Ears?" Eliot narrowed his eyes at the other man. "I can see the writing on the way when it's shoved in my face. Parker, she don't feel for me that way."

Eliot opened his mouth and then closed it. Nope. He agreed. Parker didn't feel that way about Hardison.

"But it sure seems like she's feeling something for you," Hardison said, dropping his hands to hang between his knees.

Eliot felt the sigh start way down in his gut and slide up and out in a long slow release of breath. If only he knew what that meant or even what that was.

"And being that I'm so damn smart, you know, genius here," Hardison went on, gesturing vaguely, "Ain't exactly hard to see that you got some kinda feeling for her." He turned his head and looked Eliot dead in the eye. "Right?"

Eliot felt his mouth twist and resisted the urge to look away. "I dunno what's going on, Hardison," he finally said. "But something's changed between Parker and I, and I haven't got a name for it."

Hardison nodded. "Yeah. I see that." He blew out a breath. "It's no secret I… think a lot of Parker," he said. "But in all this time, she hasn't paid as much of that kinda attention to me as she has to you in the last coupla days."

He shifted on the bed. "I guess I'm trying to say, I'm ok with this," Hardison muttered. Dropping his head and staring at his feet. "Well, maybe not ok-ok, but pretty much ok. Gonna be ok."

Eliot sat up and leaned forward to Hardison. "Hardison," he said and waited for the younger man to look up. Eliot met his eyes steadily. "I'd never fuck around with Parker, you know that, right?"

Hardison looked back at him. "Yeah, I do," he said. "You steady, bro. Solid as a rock when it comes to this team. You'd cut off a hand before you'd fuck around with Parker's feelings." He nodded a little. "I'm ok, bro. You ok, too."

By the time Eliot got rid of Hardison, all he wanted now was a long, hot shower. As soon as the door clicked shut behind his teammate, Eliot was stripping down and striding naked into the bathroom. He flipped on the hot water, as hot as he could stand, and stepped into the spray.

Dammit. How had his life gotten so complicated in the past few days? Last week, he was having a fine time, beating the crap out of people on cons, picking up chicks for one-night-stands, working with people he considered family… Now, he was having deep conversations with a guy he thought of as a brother, and was tied into knots over one puny little blonde.

Eliot blew out a breath and soaped up his hair. Dammit. Parker. He suddenly grinned. Shit, she'd been excited when Darrien hadn't managed to beat her. He pictured that gleaming grin that had lit up her whole face, and then ducked his own head under the spray, letting the shampoo rinse down his back. He slicked his hair back, and stepping out of the spray, reached for the soap.

As he lathered up his hands, Parker leaping into his arms and wrapping around him came front and center in his mind. Eliot bit back a groan as the memory of those lithe limbs wrapped around him hit. That position would have been something else, in a different setting. Eliot shifted in the water, feeling his body tightening and rising as Parker pressed against him consumed his mind. The feel of her lips against his cheek, the smell of her scent… he could have buried his face in her neck and tasted that little bit of sweat that had lingered at the junction of her neck and shoulder. He stroked his hands down, spreading soap over his abdomen before hesitating.

Shit, why not. Sometimes a man just had to take the situation in hand, so to speak, to deal with it. Eliot reached down and stroked his erection, leaning his other arm against the wall of the shower. Damn, Parker just got him fired up. That silky skin, those slim, taut muscles… he pictured again those firm legs wrapping around his waist, this time in a little more privacy and this time wearing a lot less clothing. Long, smooth, pale skin… he pumped his hand a little harder and felt the coil in his gut. That pretty head tipping backwards, baring the slender neck for his lips… those sweet breasts bare and pressed against his own chest, waiting to be stroked and tasted…

Eliot groaned aloud and shuddered as the images got to be too much, and he came in a rush. His breath was racing, and heart beating fast as he finally leaned back and tipped his face under the hot water. Crap. He should feel bad about what he'd just done but… Hardison had pretty much just given him the go-ahead. Never mind he didn't know what he was going into, but it didn't feel wrong to think about Parker that way. Eliot glanced down ruefully as he shut off the water and reached for a towel. Hell. It had felt damned good.

Eliot rubbed the towel over his torso, briefly dried his hair, and then wrapped it around his waist before striding out into the bedroom. He came to an abrupt stop. He stared.

"Parker," he croaked, before clearing his throat. "What are you doing here?"

Parker was sitting balanced in the windowsill, her slim shape silhouetted against the setting sun outside. Her hair was gilded by the red-gold of the dipping sun, and dammit, Eliot felt the desire start all over again.

She looked at him, and Eliot stood still. He wasn't sure what she wanted, what she needed, but he was standing pretty much naked in front of her. To his mind, that made the next move up to her.

Parker slowly slipped out of the widow. "You're not wearing any clothes," she said, voice soft like she was trying not to be heard.

Eliot swallowed. "Usually don't in the shower," he said, a little roughly.

Parker took two steps toward him. "I kissed your cheek today," she said. She paused and waited.

Eliot made sure he kept breathing. "Yeah," he said quietly.

She took two more steps toward him. It wasn't a big room. She was maybe two more steps from being right up against him. "That wasn't how I wanted to kiss you," she said, even softer.

Eliot was pretty sure his heart was going to thunder right out of his chest. How could she not hear it? Also, he was pretty sure Parker had noticed his towel tenting in the front. Kidna hard to miss.

"How…" he started before breathing in. He tried again. "How did you want to kiss me?"

Parker took another step toward him. Then one more, very slowly. Eliot could feel the heat radiating from her body, smell the sweet scent of her skin, she was that close. She kept her eyes on his the whole time. Slowly, very slowly, she lifted one hand and laid it in the center of his chest. Just like when she'd woken him last night.

"Like this," she barely breathed and stretched up to meet him.

Soft, soft warm lips met his and Eliot clenched his fist to keep from grabbing and taking. Instead he summoned all the control he had and concentrated on the kiss. Her taste, and feel… the way her mouth moved with his, her tongue dipped briefly out to tease his. Eliot was holding back, holding back a raging inferno of lust and desire, behind that kiss.

When Parker eased back, her lips were wet and plump and she licked them absently. Eliot swallowed, watching that pink tongue dart out and in.

"That was better," she whispered. Then she suddenly smiled, and there was that quicksilver gleam of eyes and teeth that was starting to make Eliot nuts in the best kind of way. "How did you want to kiss me?" she asked. Damn the woman, she was teasing him, he thought.

Oh, to hell with it. Eliot lifted one hand and laid it over Parker's on his chest, and slid the other at the nape of her neck. "Like this," he growled, and dove in. This was no soft, gentle kiss, this was a hungry claiming. He pulled her close, tight against his body, fitting soft curves against him, arms closing tight and hard about her. His mouth slanted, tasted, destroyed. Hers was just as quick and hungry and with an edge of desperation. Her free hand slid around his back, hot little fingers dancing over his bare spine. He released her trapped hand to slide his own around her back, under her shirt and against the tender skin at the small of her back, hauling her even closer. Her hand slipped up into his damp hair, twisting and tangling while they tried to devour the other person.

Eliot finally tore his mouth away, breathing heavy. Parker was panting, slim limbs tensed and trembling in his arms.

"Stay or go," Parker," he said, voice rough and dark and so damn hot that he almost didn't recognize himself. "Stay or go, because I'm about to make that decision for you."

She was tight and still in his arms, pressed body to body and eyes locked on his. Her pupils were huge and dilated, her breath rushed and heavy. Eliot stared down into those eyes, feeling about as tightly wound as he ever had before. If she left, he just might have to try her trick of throwing himself out the window.

Then Parker pushed back and stepped a step away from him. Eliot's heart dropped, splattering on the ground. Right up until Parker reached down and grasped the hem of her black shirt and in one smooth motion pulled it over her head. His heart stopped dead, and then resumed at a pace previously unknown to mankind.

"Jesus," he muttered, not even hearing himself as he reached for that lovely smooth pale body and hauled it back against his own. Their mouths crashed together and they were stumbling backward toward the bed. Eliot's towel fell to the floor and somehow agile, tricky Parker managed to skim out of her pants and shoes without separating from him. Then they were rolling across the bed, skin to skin, only her thin panties still between them, and then they too were gone.

His hands were sliding down her sides as they came to rest in one place, her body partially trapped under his hard one. His mouth pulled away from hers and she gave a little moan of displeasure that changed to a sigh as he tasted her neck and that spot he'd fantasized about earlier. That breathy sigh made Eliot burn even more and his hands slid back up her sides and around to cup those pretty breasts. Soft, sweet, nipples hard and hungry… he lifted his head to look and watched his big rough darker hands on her pale curves, stroking, kneading… it wasn't enough, and he leaned down to taste.

Parker moaned against, her hands in his hair, arching against him, pressing her flesh against his greedy mouth. "Eliot," she sighed, and it was a warm whisper that wound around him and stroked his hunger as clearly as her hands could have.

He sampled first one breast, than the other sweet curve. His mouth danced between the mounds, and under to taste the faint sheen of sweat that gathered there. Her hands slipped down to grasp at his shoulders, and he moved lower, trailing his tongue down that flat, smooth belly and opening his mouth over her bellybutton.

"Eliot," she sighed again, and this time it was a needier sound than before. That little edge pleased him unreasonably, and he nipped at her skin. Then he moved lower, slipping his hands between her thighs and spreading them as he moved down the bed.

Eliot glanced up Parkers body, just for the sheer pleasure of seeing it arched and gleaming in the setting sunlight, blonde hair tousled and coming loose from her ponytail, hands clutching at the sheets besides her. He gave a dark, satisfied grin, and bent his head back down again, tasting her. Her juices filled his senses, her taste was heady and intoxicating and her body so responsive. She gasped and moaned as he teased with the tip of his tongue, darting about and over that sensitive spot. Her hips shifted in his hands restlessly and her hands twisted in the sheets.

"Eliot!" she moaned. He slid his hand farther up her thighs and eased one rough fingertip into her scalding warmth. She moaned and twisted again, and he stroked her with finger and tongue. God, she was hot. So beautiful and sexy and everything he'd dreamed she'd be. He slipped another finger to join the first, working and spreading and curving inside all the while he kept tasting and teasing outside. He could feel her tensing, drawing closer and closer and closer…

And then she came apart in his hands, little mewing cries escaping from the back of her throat as she was drawn tight as a bow. Her body went limp in his hands and she gasped, chest heaving. Eliot slid his wet fingers out and started to leisurely kiss his way back up her heaving body. God he felt good. Smug and powerful.

And then Parker took a deep breath, and all of a sudden they were rolling and Eliot found himself staring up into those pretty blue eyes with some small amount of surprise. He had time to register the smoldering passion that stared down at him before her mouth crashed down on his and they were off again. His hands reached up to haul her tight against him, her body pressed over his. His cock was aching by this time, so hard and tight, he though he might just loose it then.

But Parker wasn't done with him. She tore her mouth loose and started to follow the same path he had, down his neck and chest. It was Eliot's turn to groan. "God, Parker…" he ground out as that hot, wet mouth closed and tugged on one of his flat nipples. He couldn't resist jerking his hips against hers and she moaned against his chest. Her hands fluttered against his sides, and then were reaching down to caress his erection. At that point, Eliot was pretty sure his eyes crossed and his brain stopped working.

He'd had enough. Hauling her up, using his strength against her busy hands and mouth, Eliot rolled them once more. By the time they'd come to a stop, he was sliding home between her legs. Parker gave a gasp and he couldn't stop the groan.

For a second, they both held still. Eliot struggled to savor the feeling of her hot, tight warmth closed tight around him, her arms and legs wrapped around his own. And then Parker shifted and that was that. His body took over, plunging, diving, advancing and retreating.

Her mouth was wild on his, her hands everywhere. The world narrowed to just her skin, her eyes, her taste, her feel, and then his world exploded and he was gone.

Whew! I did promise smut, right? This'll have to get you through the weekend, I think I'm worn out!