A Man Who Knows What He Wants Box Set 5 Read online

Oh my god.

  “You need to get to a hospital to get looked at immediately, before you pass out.”

  Oh my god. The thought hits me again, but for a different reason.

  The man turns around just enough light catches his face.

  It’s Parker Stone, my dad’s best friend.

  “Annika,” I mumble…my knees feeling weak.

  Annika looks at me and it’s like she’s seen a ghost.

  “Over here!” she yells.

  It’s the last thing I remember before everything goes black.

  Chapter Five

  Sophia

  Three days later

  “Sophia.” My name echoes through the lecture hall, if you can call it that anymore. After word got out about Parker putting those five boys in their place his class filled up so quickly he had to add three more classes and they were all moved to the biggest room our school offers. Stadium seating with the back half of the class a bit dark.

  I’d signed up for the criminology class since I needed an elective, and after watching Mindhunter, Criminal Minds, Killing Eve, and even Jessica Jones I thought this class could be a fun distraction from my other coursework.

  Oh was I wrong.

  With Parker leading the class this was about to become a totally different kind of distraction, as in distracting me from being able to focus in any other areas in the other parts of my life. He would be the one thing, the central point, where all my attention would be completely focused.

  Parker was my dad’s best friend and an L.A.P.D. cop. Or at least he was. Apparently he had a teaching itch he wanted to scratch and when the university came to him with an offer he couldn’t refuse he took them up on it.

  That’s why the class was listed as Criminology 101 in the curriculum with the teacher as To Be Announced.

  Oh he sure announced his presence all right. And right now he was announcing my name to the entire class.

  “I want you down here in the front…where I can keep an eye on you.”

  I look around realizing nobody in this class knows who I am. I could just slide into my desk and pretend I’m not here, but it’s much too late for that. Despite the dimmed lighting he’s somehow picked me out of the crowd and his gaze is strong enough to burn holes right through me and melt my seat and the feet of whoever is sitting behind me.

  A girl in front of me turns around, realizing he’s looking at me. “Lucky you,” she says. “Better go claim your prize before I do.”

  And that pretty much sums up how the last three days have been.

  In a world where men act like boys most of the time and most boys act like spineless wimps, Parker is a throwback to the time of real men.

  And speaking of throwback, every single girl on campus seems to wants a throwback of a different kind…as in have him throw them on their backs on his bed.

  There’s even rumors of a charity calendar featuring a picture of him for each month, but I know that’s not true. That’s not the kind of guy he is.

  I mean yeah, he is a complete stud, but he’s not interested in any kind of attention.

  He lets those wide shoulders, square jawline, chiseled chest and thick thighs do the talking for him. He’s a man of few words, but right now he’s using his words to call me up front and center.

  And there was another rumor that he himself had to stand tall, front and center, in front of the dean after what happened at the bar. Starting him off with a summer school class was apparently supposed to be an easy transition to seeing how college life was really like, but apparently he couldn’t wait to make a scene before classes even started.

  The dean was put to the test, to uphold the rules of the university he rules. He should have kicked out Parker immediately, but he didn’t. He waited until all the facts were gathered, even though he had clearly gotten into a fight at a bar that was technically on-campus. Granted it’s not much of a fight when one side dishes out all the punishment.

  But once the police report came back it was discovered those five boys weren’t even students, but just a pack of jerks who traveled around Southern California campuses trying to give girls spiked drinks so they could take advantage of them, Parker quickly became a hero in the region. And the dean wasn’t about to throw out a decorated cop and a campus wide hero, no matter how many bones he broke in order to protect a women.

  But the woman who needs protecting right now was me. And I need it from myself.

  I’d always had a huge crush on Parker since the first time I saw him at my sixteenth birthday party. I think he came over just to keep my dad company around a houseful of screaming girls, but our screaming had suddenly gone eerily quiet when he walked in.

  Tall. Dark. Handsome. And decked out in his police uniform. We all ran to the window and sure enough, there was his police cruiser parked right out front on the curb.

  There was something about the authority and power that just seemed to surround him. When he walked in the room it was like it cloaked you and you just felt safe from everything, except him. Not that he would do anything to ever harm anyone who didn’t deserve it, but he was just so big and strong and masculine that it made you shake in your shoes just a bit…but in a good kind of way.

  And that shaking in my shoes at sixteen had turned into pulsating in my panties by the time my eighteenth birthday had rolled around. And sure enough he showed up again in that uniform and parked the car right where he had before.

  I’d been asked time and time again what I wanted as a gift for my birthday and I’d given the standard answers…the acceptable ones. Money for college, help buying a new car, maybe a day pass for Magic Mountain or Disneyland. But what I really wanted was for Parker the perfect policeman to give me my first time before I went off to college for the first time. But how in the heck could I ask for that?

  It wasn’t like he noticed me anyways. I was just his best friend’s daughter. I was completely off limits, although I fantasized about him looking at me…sneaking looks over my dad’s shoulder when the two of them talked and I found an excuse to enter the room. “Any more lemonade?”

  But my fantasies might not have been complete fantasies. I swear sometimes his eyes did lock on mine and when they did it seemed like a lot more than just a casual glance to acknowledge my presence.

  But if my woman’s intuition was right, even though I’m still just a girl, then college could be the perfect time to explore what there might be between us…with my dad being nowhere in the picture.

  And that starts now.

  I carefully scoop my books up off my desk and slide down my row in the most ladylike fashion I can before proceeding down the steps to sit right in front of him.

  So he can keep an eye on me.

  And more importantly so I can keep both eyes squarely on him.

  Chapter Six

  Parker

  I spotted her immediately. The minute I walked into the auditorium.

  She was trying to hide back there in the back, but I’ll have none of it.

  Partly because she’s already been targeted for one attack off-campus already. No way in hell am I allowing anything like that to happen again.

  I’m going to let this entire campus know right now that if anyone wants to try to so much as bother Sophia then there will be hell to pay…with me.

  And not just Sophia. Any woman for that matter. I got into law enforcement to protect and serve those who aren’t always strong enough to fight for themselves. But it wasn’t just something I did for my job. It was a way of life. And it would continue until I took my last breath on this earth.

  And speaking of breaths, did she ever take mine away. I swallow deep and make sure I’m centered behind my lectern so none of my students can see the raging boner that is so painful it’s giving me a headache. That’s definitely a first, but certainly not the first time I’ve responded to the sight of her in this way.

  I don’t know what it was, but there was just something about seeing her in that white dress on her eighteenth birt
hday. And then again she went and wore it at her graduation party.

  I tried my hardest not to look, let alone stare, but I know I wasn’t successful. I just hope I was successful in her dad not seeing me.

  What a jerk I was? Going into my best friend’s house and checking out his daughter so hard my eyeballs were about to pop right out of my head.

  But my eyeballs weren’t the only things that were popping. I swear when I looked at her her nipples would poke through that dress and point right at me. I’ve got a high beam on my flashlight that I can use to literally blind people when I approach their car, but she had a high beam of her own that was blinding me. But in a different way. I could not take my eyes off her. And not just her chest.

  The soft, feminine features of her face. Those big, round blue eyes of hers. That light blond hair that would bounce and blow in the wind with such effortless ease. Her beauty was just so natural. So perfect. And she didn’t wear a stitch of makeup, which made me want her all the more. She was completely natural and completely perfect.

  And completely capturing all of my attention like no woman ever had. I’d become a cop early in life and dedicated my entire life to it. I ate, slept, and breathed my police work. I’d had plenty of offers from women for dates and even a lot more aggressive offers to just skip the date and get down to business, but I’d never taken them up on them. Truth was I wasn’t interested. Not at all.

  My buddies joked at first that I was L.A.’s most eligible bachelor. But when I didn’t do anything about it they asked me if there was anything wrong with me.

  There wasn’t. Nothing was wrong with me, just nothing right in the way of finding that perfect woman. And I would never settle for less.

  I knew I wanted to be a cop from an early age. And when you find your calling that’s so powerful and fulfilling you know you can only accept a similar type of calling in other areas of your life. But those callings never came.

  Until her.

  Her eighteenth birthday I knew. But I also knew all about honor, integrity, and family values. And I couldn’t let my feelings be known then. I was so conflicted. I thought about her constantly. I couldn’t get her off my mind nor did I want to. But I knew I couldn’t tell her dad or her. Not yet.

  But when she decided to go to college I knew I had a chance. And it also presented a chance for me to broaden my work.

  With the #metoo movement going strong and women everywhere joining together to bring down men who had abused power for years I knew it was my chance to take my knowledge of police work and apply it to a university setting. What better way to change the world than to change the culture of our youth?

  And equally as important it would give me a chance to keep an eye on Sophia and pursue her with everything I had.

  And at the same time I could educate scores of young people. I know most men are good, but for those who aren’t it’s important to show women that they can, and should, stand up to them as soon as possible so their bad deeds don’t spread. That and to show men, who are sometimes clueless when it comes to dealing with women, how their words and actions are perceived.

  And my words and actions right now are leaving nothing to be perceived. They are crystal clear. I want Sophia right under my nose at all times.

  So I can smell her sweet natural scent. So I can see the depths of those blue of her eyes. So I can feel her presence just like she’ll feel mine.

  She moves down towards the seat in front of me that I stacked a pile of books on so no one would try and claim it.

  My eyes stay fixed on her in that perfect little summer dress. She’s showing just enough leg to make my teeth come down on my lower lip, but not too much that it causes me to grab her and pull her into my office and do everything to her that I’ve been dying to do. Not that the thought hasn’t crossed my mind about a million times already this morning.

  “Eyes and ears to the front everyone! Lesson plan is on the board,” my voice bellows as she approaches. I don’t want other students looking at her.

  At my girl.

  And yes, she is mine.

  I never knew I could be so possessive, especially about another person. But then again I never knew another person like her.

  And there’s still so much more to know. So many mysteries. I want to know the curves of her spine as I slowly kiss my way all the way from her neck down to her tailbone. To memorize every curve…every sensitive spot. Every spot that causes her to jump when I run my lips across it.

  I want to know her favorite shows when we lie in bed at night munching popcorn binging on Netflix.

  I want to know what she wants to be when she graduates college, so I can use my experience and connections to help her achieve all her dreams. Each and every last one…personally and professionally.

  And my numero uno personal dream is to put a baby inside her as soon as possible.

  My baby.

  Our baby.

  The start of our family.

  But this possessiveness that has come out in me has to be tempered for the time being. If she knew all these thoughts I’m having it would scare her to death. She’d report me to the police. Imagine that…a cop being reported to the police for all the premeditated thoughts he’s having about her.

  Planning to have a child.

  Planning to have a family.

  Planning to make her his and being completely obsessed with it.

  I’ve never tried a drug in my entire life, and this is a stark reminder why I never will and will never need to. Her. I’m completely addicted.

  That blond hair of hers bounces back and forth as she arrives in front of me.

  I motion to the seat that is hers.

  I look realizing I’ve forgotten to move the books out of the way. I just couldn’t take my eyes off her. I can’t pay attention to anything else.

  I lean forward and remove the stack of books, tossing them on the desk.

  I brush off the seat with my hand, making sure it’s clean. It needs to be a seat fit for a princess.

  A princess who will one day become a queen.

  My queen.

  Chapter Seven

  Sophia

  One day later

  I’m so early to class today that the prior class using the auditorium is still in session.

  It’s surprising considering that so far I’ve been having trouble being on time. I’m still learning the ways of college life and getting around campus. Not to mention I barely slept at all last night.

  All I could think of was him. And oh my God. What was that thing in his pants yesterday?

  I didn’t know they made them that big.

  I sure saw it and a lot of other girls did too. News had spread around campus causing Parker’s reputation to grow even more. And grow is an understatement.

  A few girls had tried to take cell phone pictures of his rod, but weren’t quick enough. He’d managed to slide back behind his lectern or podium or whatever you call those things just in time. That and cell phone cameras aren’t that good. That auditorium is big and luckily the girls who had tried were sitting further back in the room. The girls in the front half of the auditorium hadn’t even bothered to try. I think they were all frozen in shock at the sight of it. I know I was. The second I sat down I couldn’t move. I didn’t even adjust myself in my seat. I can only imagine how far my mouth was hanging open.

  Once the class before Parker’s ends I slide into the room and get my seat. Not a minute or two more and the first few rows are already filling up with girls. And these girls are really, really pretty. Some of them I don’t even remember from yesterday. Are they even enrolled in his class?

  Fortunately they’re not making rude faces at me or anything. I guess they don’t see me as a threat. They probably think he’s just protecting me after what happened at the bar. I’m sure they don’t know there’s a history between my dad and him.

  About thirty minutes pass and I turn around and look. The auditorium is completely full. There are people sit
ting in the walkways and standing in the back. Most of the students are girls, which seems very strange for a criminology course.

  I hear the sound of boots coming down the hall and my face quickly swings around to the front.

  There he is.

  White collared button down shirt with the top couple buttons opened. Levi’s that fit him snugly. No dad jeans here. A brown belt that matches his boots and a gold buckle. And to top it off he’s got a pair of Ray-Ban Aviators hanging from the front of his shirt. They just look so cool there folded up gripping the pristine white cotton just under that second button which keeps them firmly in place. He is the definition of hot and cool at the same time.

  “Are criminals born…or made?” he says before he’s even reaches the podium.

  I have no clue, but I know he was born to make babies with me and I’m guilty of having a whole lot of thoughts about exactly how we could do that right about now.

  Chapter Eight

  Parker

  One day later

  “Sophia!” I call out across campus.

  She freezes mid-step and slowly turns toward me.

  I’m turning into a stalker. What’s wrong with me?

  It’s just that after what happened at the bar I need to know nobody’s going to try anything with her again.

  At least that’s what I tell myself.

  But I know the truth. I need her all to myself. And I checked her schedule to make sure this “chance” encounter happened.

  There’s no way I could just show up at her dorm and I don’t want to hold her after class to talk to her. I can see the way the other girls are starting to look at her. I don’t think she notices, but I could feel their jealous glares from the front of the room. They were seething as they shot her nasty looks. Looks which she didn’t seem to notice, or just didn’t care about…because her eyes were focused on me.