“But is it true? Who do you think is hotter, me or Parker?”
Parker scoffed as if the question was preposterous, but I was tipsy enough that I didn’t care.
“That’s not a fair question, Brandon.”
“Why not?” He crossed his arms.
“One,” I held up my finger for emphasis, “he has those eyes.” I motioned toward Parker’s face. “Two, he has that bad boy thing going for him that girls can’t seem to resist.”
“What?” Brandon asked, irritated. “I’m just as much as a bad boy. I’ve got more tattoos than he does, and I can drink him under the table.”
I waved my hand at him to stop his tirade. “Three.” I cupped my hands around my mouth as I mock whispered, “I’ve seen his penis and let me just tell you.” I wagged my eyebrows at him, and Staci fell over in the booth from laughing so hard.
“Okay.” Parker chuckled. “I think that’s enough.”
“Says the hot one.” Brandon pouted.
“Plus, he’s all brooding and caveman like, and although it pisses me off ninety percent of the time, it also makes me swoon.” I sighed dramatically then joined Staci in her infectious laughter, but Parker wasn’t laughing with us.
He was watching me, too close, and I knew that I wasn’t going to like what he had to say.
“I’m taking Livy to her room.” He scooted out of the booth then stuck his hand out to me.
“I’m not leaving. I’m having fun.” I winked at Staci as she continued to laugh.
“Livy, get your ass up before I carry you out of here.”
“Swoon,” Staci yelled out causing us both to erupt in another fit of giggles.
I bent over clutching my side from laughing so hard but then the entire room flipped on its head and my hip landed on Parker’s shoulder.
“Parker!” I screamed. “Put me down.”
He didn’t answer me. He just kept walking with me bouncing against his shoulder.
I heard the ding of the elevator before the doors closed around us and Parker set me on my feet. I pushed my hair off my face and straightened my shirt that had bunched around my ribs.
“What’s your problem? I was having fun.” I leaned my back against the wall of the elevator because I was feeling a little lightheaded.
“Too much fun.”
I waved him off. “No such thing. I was actually looking to have a little more fun tonight if you know what I mean.”
I winked at him and his green eyes were on fire. I actually had absolutely no interest in sleeping with someone, but for some reason on that very night, I had all the interest in the world to get under Parker’s skin.
“Don’t say shit like that to me.” His voice was so controlled, but it was easy to hear the anger that rested under the surface. It caused chill bumps to break out across my skin, and even though I knew I shouldn’t, it made me want to push him further.
“Why not, Parker. We’re friends, right?”
He just stared at me so I continued.
“It’s been far too long since I’ve been laid. At least, not properly. You can tell me about you and Emily if you want to. Is the sex hot between you all? It was definitely hot between us once upon a time.”
The doors opened in that moment, and I walked out with Parker on my tail. I stopped before getting to my room, and he ran into my back. I turned to face him, drunk on the alcohol and drunk on his proximity.
“Do you remember how you used whisper how desperate you were for me into my ear or is that something that you do with everyone?”
“It’s not with everyone.” He reached out for me, but I stepped out of his reach. He looked so vulnerable in that moment, but I wouldn’t let it get to me. I learned a long time ago that I had to protect my heart when it came to Parker James.
“I don’t believe you.” I could barely hear my own words over my heart beat.
This time he didn’t reach out for me. He slammed his body into mine, pressing my back against the wall, and his hands wrapped in my hair holding my face in place. “It was always you.” He searched my eyes. “Always.”
I shook my head trying to block out his words, but it was no use. They echoed through me making me doubt my decisions with every fading sound.
He growled in frustration.
“Listen to me.” I continued to shake my head, but this time he didn’t take no for an answer.
His hands tightened in my hair, and in the next moment, his lips pressed harshly against mine. I took a deep, shocked breath, and he took advantage of the moment, tasting my tongue with his.
My heart was pumping in my chest, my skin was covered in goosebumps, and I wasn’t quite sure how to feel. What I did know was that I never wanted it to stop. I never wanted to be without his hands on me again.
His teeth clashed against my lip, dragging my bottom lip through his teeth, and I chased that taste of pain with my tongue.
I ran my hands over his chest, lifting his shirt to expose his tattooed skin, and he let me, throwing it behind him, not caring who found us like this in the hallway.
We were rushed, begging to get a taste of each other if only for a moment, and I cried out as his teeth ran across my neck.
I placed a kiss on his chest and my eyes caught the tattoo over his heart. A simple tattoo. A black date and nothing else.
“What is this?” I ran my fingernail over the ink as he ran his lips over the spot he had just bit.
He pulled away from me looking down and watching my fingers trace over his skin.
“That’s the day you left.”
We stared into each other’s eyes, our breaths heavy along with our guilt.
“What now?” he asked the question that was screaming in my head. His face was so close to mine, and I could feel his breath against my lips. I brought my fingers to my mouth and tried to memorize the feel of his lips against mine.
I could still taste the adrenaline that pumped through my veins from the first day we kissed. I remembered how it felt to have his fingers dig into my skin as he pulled me closer to him, and I couldn’t forget the desperation that I had for him then because I felt that desperation tenfold in that moment.
But then I remembered what it was like to have him destroy me, and no matter how easy it was to remember that high, it was impossible to forget that low.
I could see the panic in his eyes. The panic over who to choose. The indecision over what he really wanted, and I knew that I couldn’t do this again. I could say that I was thinking about Emily, but I wasn’t. I couldn’t do this again because I feared he wouldn’t choose me.
“How does it feel?”
“How does what feel?” He was searching my eyes looking for something, and I prayed that whatever he was looking for he wouldn’t find there. I prayed that I was strong enough to hide it.
“How does it feel to know that you’re about to ruin someone else?”
I started to walk away from him, but he grabbed my hand, stopping me.
“Livy, don’t.”
“Don’t what, Parker? You’re about to get married. Go call your fiancée and don’t worry about me. I’m sure you remember that I’m very good at keeping our secrets.”
L I V Y