Reckless Love Read online

  Kelly Elliott is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling contemporary romance author. Since finishing her bestselling Wanted series, Kelly continues to spread her wings while remaining true to her roots and giving readers stories rich with hot protective men, strong women and beautiful surroundings.

  Kelly has been passionate about writing since she was fifteen. After years of filling journals with stories, she finally followed her dream and published her first novel, Wanted, in November of 2012.

  Kelly lives in central Texas with her husband, daughter, and two pups. When she’s not writing, Kelly enjoys reading and spending time with her family. She is down to earth and very in touch with her readers, both on social media and at signings.

  Visit Kelly Elliott online:

  www.kellyelliottauthor.com

  @author_kelly

  www.facebook.com/KellyElliottAuthor/

  Also by Kelly Elliott (published by Piatkus)

  The Love Wanted in Texas series

  Without You

  Saving You

  Holding You

  Finding You

  Chasing You

  Loving You

  The Cowboys and Angels series

  Lost Love

  Love Profound

  Tempting Love

  Love Again

  Blind Love

  This Love

  The Austin Singles series

  Seduce Me

  PIATKUS

  First published in Great Britain in 2019 by Piatkus

  Copyright © Kelly Elliott 2018

  The moral right of the author has been asserted.

  All characters and events in this publication, other than those clearly in the public domain, are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

  ISBN 978-0-349-41851-3

  Editing by Cori McCarthy, Yellowbird Editing

  Proofing by Amy Rose Capetta, Yellowbird Editing

  Developmental editing by Elaine York, Allusion Graphics

  Cover photo and design by Sara Eirew Photography

  Interior design by JT Formatting

  Piatkus

  An imprint of

  Little, Brown Book Group

  Carmelite House

  50 Victoria Embankment

  London EC4Y 0DZ

  An Hachette UK Company

  www.hachette.co.uk

  www.littlebrown.co.uk

  Table of Contents

  About the Author

  Also by Kelly Elliots

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Parker Family Tree

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  A Note from Kelly

  Parker Family Tree

  Epilogue

  Thank You

  Dear readers,

  Reckless Love is the last book in the Cowboys and Angels series. I’ve loved writing these books and have come to love the Parker family so much. I hope you have as well!

  Please remember these are not standalone books. You must read books 1 – 6 first and they are all listed in order in the front of this book.

  Happy reading!

  Senior Year of High School

  “That is someone I’d like to tap.”

  I gazed past my best friend, James Larson, to Scarlett Littlefield.

  “Scarlett?” Jim Montigo asked. “I didn’t know she was back from Boston. Wasn’t she quite the prankster in middle school? Set a garbage can on fire outside the courthouse or something?”

  My eyes roamed over Scarlett’s body and I smiled. She’d always been beautiful, but now she was all grown up with a body to die for. Even under the dim lights of the backyard party we were all attending, my breath paused at the sight of her.

  “She was known to pull a prank or two.” Turning to James, I added with a smirk, “I don’t think she’s your type though, dude.”

  He huffed as I glanced back her way and tried to pull my eyes off of her.

  Jim chuckled. “Because she’s your type, Parker?”

  With a shrug, I replied, “She doesn’t seem the like the type of girl who would be any of our types.”

  Jim nodded.

  “She’s going to school in Boston you said?” James asked.

  She turned, and my eyes met Scarlett’s. What in the fuck was that feeling in my chest?

  We locked gazes and when she smiled, my damn knees wobbled, and warmth filled my entire body. I returned the smile, and I swore she swayed.

  “What the fuck, Parker? All you have to do is smile at a bitch and she melts on the spot?” James joked.

  “Don’t call her that,” I said, not pulling my eyes off of her.

  A hand waved in front of me, “Jesus, dude, are you drooling?” Jim asked.

  I slapped his hand away. “Knock it off, asshole.”

  Time moved slowly as I watched Scarlett make her way around to her friends, hugging them and saying goodbye. She was leaving, but not before I got the chance to talk to her. I remembered her from elementary school and middle school. She’d been the first girl I ever danced with at a school dance, and definitely the last. Not that anyone else knew that.

  Following her out of Mitch O’Conner’s backyard and onto the street, I called out her name before she got into her little sporty BMW. She was an only child and spoiled rotten, or that was the rumor.

  “Scarlett!” I called out. “Hold up!”

  She paused, then turned to face me. A smile lit up her entire face.

  Stopping in front of her, I pushed my hand through my hair and said, “Hey, I’m Trevor Parker.”

  Her cheeks turned a slight pink, and my cock jumped in my pants.

  “Our mothers are best friends. I know who you are, Trevor.”

  My brow lifted. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

  Leaning against her car, she folded her arms over her chest, lifting her already perky tits. My damn pants grew a little bit tighter. My mother would kill me if she knew the thoughts that were running through my mind right now.

  “I’m not sure I know you enough to answer that. If ru
mors are true, I’d say it was a bad thing.”

  With a hurt expression, I slammed my hand over my heart. “Ouch. You wound me so, Ms. Littlefield.”

  She chuckled and rolled her eyes. “You probably don't remember this, but you were the first boy to ever ask me to dance. At our sixth-grade winter formal in middle school.”

  With a crooked smile, I placed my hand on her car, bringing our bodies closer. It wasn’t lost on me how she shook a little and sucked in a breath as I drew closer to her.

  “I remember. You were the first girl I ever asked to dance with me.”

  And the last.

  Glancing to the ground, she dropped her arms to her sides nervously before looking back up at me.

  “So, how have you been?” she asked. Her voice was so fucking sexy. “My momma said you’re going to be taking over your family ranch after college.”

  “That’s the plan. Ranching is in my blood and it’s something I love. Can’t really see myself doing anything else.”

  “You look good in Wranglers, so that’s a plus.” Her cheeks turned a soft pink at the innocent flirting.

  “That is a plus,” I replied with a wink. “How do you like going to school in Boston?”

  Scarlett exhaled loudly. “It’s cold. We had a mid-term break so that’s why I’m home for a visit.”

  “You going to college up there also?”

  Her eyes looked so sad. “Yeah. Probably.”

  “How long are you in town for?”

  Her teeth dug into her lower lip, and I was pretty sure I let out a groan as her pink lip turned white.

  “I leave tomorrow.”

  My heart dropped. “Tomorrow?”

  She nodded. “Yep.”

  It was out of my mouth before I could stop myself. “You want to go grab a cup of coffee at Lilly’s?”

  Her face lit up again, and I decided right then and there I loved making her smile.

  “I’d love to,” she replied.

  “I’ll meet you there.”

  Scarlett flashed me another breathtaking smile and slipped into her car while I jogged over to my truck. I hadn’t told James and Jim that I was leaving. The last thing I wanted was to catch hell from them. The less they knew the better.

  The entire drive to Lilly’s my hands shook. What in the hell did this girl do to me? For the first time in my life, I wanted to be with a girl not only for sex, but to find out more about her. I was curious about Scarlett. Curious about why my heart seemed to beat faster when she looked at me. The little girl with the braces and braided pigtails was fun to play tag with when our mothers would visit, but now she was fucking stunning. I wanted to get to know everything about her, and I wouldn’t turn down a game a tag, if she insisted.

  Walking into the café, I spotted Scarlett in a booth. She glanced up and waved to me as I made my way over to her.

  “Hey,” I said, slipping into the booth.

  “You made it.”

  I frowned. “You didn’t think I’d come?”

  She shrugged. “I wasn’t sure. I guess I shouldn’t put too much stock into those rumors after all.”

  I tried to smile, but it fell short. What if she knew all those rumors were most likely true? Most of the girls I asked out were sure bets who I’d be making out with within an hour of said date, and if I was lucky, sleeping with that night. Hell, most of the girls were only interested in hooking up as well, just so they could say they had fucked me.

  After ordering two coffees, Scarlett and I were lost in conversation. I’d never been able to hold conversations with any of the girls I took out. Scarlett was different. So fucking different. She laughed at my stupid jokes and listened when I talked. She asked what having six siblings was like, told me she hated Boston but didn’t want to disappoint her parents, and said she planned on moving back to Oak Springs after college. I told her my plan was to go to college and work on the ranch with the goal of someday running it. Hopefully with a couple of my brothers.

  With a sigh, she dropped back against the booth seat. “It must be nice to have a dream.”

  “You don’t have a dream?” I asked, watching those beautiful light brown eyes study me before she answered.

  “Not really. I mean, I want to go to school, but there’s nothing I feel passionate about. I love animals and wanted to go to vet school, but my parents didn’t think that was something I’d stick with.”

  I frowned. “Why would they say that?”

  She shrugged, her eyes turning sad as she glanced down at her coffee cup. Running her finger over the rim, she stared at it, lost in thought.

  I studied her hands. Moving up, I watched her chew on her lip, and I ached with a need to kiss her.

  “I want to kiss you, Scarlett.”

  Her eyes jerked back up to meet mine. The corner of her mouth rose slightly as she asked, “Why?”

  With a laugh, I shook my head. “I don’t know.”

  Her brow rose.

  “I mean, I know why, but I don’t know…why.”

  She giggled. “That makes zero sense, Trevor.”

  I cleared my throat. “Okay, I want to kiss you because you’re beautiful. Funny. I like you, and you’re different from any other girl I’ve ever talked to.”

  My tongue darted over my lips, her gaze taking in the motion. When her eyes lifted back to meet mine, she said, “Then maybe you should kiss me.”

  I smiled.

  She smiled.

  And my heart felt like it was going to explode on the spot.

  “You kids want anything else?” Lilly asked, glancing between me and Scarlett and breaking our intense connection.

  “No thanks, Lilly,” I said with a polite smile. Scarlett pulled out the money for her coffee, but I tapped her hand. I barely noticed the slight gasp she made from my touch because it felt like a zap of electricity.

  “I got it.”

  “Thank you,” she said, blushing. She started to slide out of the booth.

  “Where are you going?” I asked.

  “I have to leave for the airport early in the morning. I better head home.”

  “Your folks taking you?” I asked.

  She nodded as I tossed a ten onto the table and followed her out of the café.

  We walked toward her car and with each step closer, my heart raced in my chest.

  Scarlett stopped at her door, then faced me. When she looked up and smiled, I knew that Scarlett Littlefield made me feel something I’d never felt before and that scared the shit out of me. Maybe it was a good thing she was leaving town. I had a feeling she would keep my stomach in knots if she stayed in Oak Springs.

  “Thank you for the coffee and conversation, Trevor. I really enjoyed it.”

  The way she said my name made my chest squeeze even more.

  I stepped in, making her lean back against her car. When I lowered my mouth, I paused inches from her lips. Closing my eyes, I breathed in her scent.

  Fucking heaven. I’d never forget that smell of vanilla and coffee mixed together.

  “Trevor,” she whispered, right before I pressed my lips to hers. Her hand landed on my chest, and I thought for a moment she was going to push me away, but she gripped onto my T-shirt and pulled me closer to her while she raised up onto her toes. Our kiss deepened as I pushed my fingers through her hair and held her tightly. I’d never in my life experienced a kiss like that.

  When we broke apart, our breath was deep, labored. Leaning my forehead against hers, I was about to ask her for her phone number when she spoke first.

  “I’m not like the girls you’re normally with, Trevor.”

  My eyes closed. What did she mean by that? That we could never be together? I wanted to tell her I didn’t want her for that reason. That I knew she wasn’t the type of girl to love ‘em and leave ‘em. Hell, I wanted to get to know her. Talk to her. Find out what she loved, hated, dreamed about. But none of that would come out. I could only manage to get two words out.

  “I know.”

&n
bsp; Taking a step away, I stared into her eyes and willed myself to say the things I had just thought.

  Nothing came out.

  My hands were shaking so I slipped them into my pockets. It was like she was waiting for me to say something, and I had no fucking clue what to say.

  Pulling in a deep breath, she let out a gruff laugh and shook her head.

  “Right. Okay, well, thank you for the coffee.”

  Scarlett spun around and opened her door. She went to close it, but I grabbed it before it could shut.

  “I…I really enjoyed talking to you, Scarlett.”

  With the most beautiful smile I’d ever seen, she replied, “Me too, Trevor. See you around.”

  Nodding, I let the door go and took a few steps back. The car started and I stood on the sidewalk and watched until I couldn’t see her anymore.

  My head dropped back as I closed my eyes. It was the first time in my life I felt like I had just lost something. Something special.

  Present day

  I downed another shot and stared straight ahead, watching the scene play out at my old high school buddy’s bachelor party in the private room at one of the local dive bars in Oak Springs. I was buzzed and that helped me to forget that Scarlett was still ignoring me.

  “Why don’t you let me give you a ride home? You’re pretty trashed,” Wade yelled at me.

  “Fuck no! It’s Brad’s bachelor party. I’m not leaving until I make sure he gets fucked by the stripper…and I’m not trashed.”

  Wade rolled his eyes. “Dude, he’s not fucking a stripper a few days before his wedding.”

  “Why not?” I asked as I eyed the blonde. Those seemed to be the type I was going for lately. They had to be blonde, or I couldn’t fuck them. As a matter of fact, I was finding myself having a hard time fucking any woman lately. I hadn’t been with anyone in weeks. Hell…it had been months—if I didn’t count Scarlett. I messed around with a few girls, but I couldn’t get past that. I didn’t want them.

  I wanted Scarlett.

  “I’d fuck her,” I deadpanned.

  The stripper looked my way and grinned before she walked toward me. She had wrapped up her little dance and had been talking to Brad before she heard my comment. She sat right on my lap, her glorious tits all in my face.

  “Want to go home with me, baby?” I asked, my mouth against her ear, my hand on her thong-covered ass. She winked as she pushed into me. Too bad my dick wasn’t really in the mood. Pushing her off, I stood.