“Yeah. I’ve been interested in the University of Tennessee for as long as I can remember. What’s wrong with that?”
“There’s nothing wrong with it. You are just so incredibly smart. I don’t want to see you stuck in this town like a bunch of those losers in there.” He hiked his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the party that was still in full swing.
“Those guys aren’t losers. Just because you go to an ivy league school doesn’t mean you are any better than them.” I crossed my arms and bit my lip between my teeth to stop myself from losing my temper.
“Actually, it does. It’s practically the definition of being better than them.” He smirked, and I wanted to smack him in his face that no longer looked the least bit attractive.
Before I got the chance, the back door burst open with a loud crash against the wall and Parker stepped out onto the porch.
“What the hell, Livy?” His voice was stern. “Mason and I have been looking for you everywhere.”
“Obviously not everywhere. We’ve been out here for about fifteen minutes.”
Parker snapped his gaze toward Thomas, and Thomas shrank back minutely. Maybe he was smarter than I gave him credit for.
“Come on, Livy.” Parker held his hand out to me, and I instantly placed my hand in his. The warmth of his skin ran through me, and I could feel that small, innocent touch throughout my whole body.
Thomas stepped toward me, his body crowding mine, and blocked my path to get to Parker.
“What’s your problem, Parker? We’re just talking.” There was a small part of me that was impressed Thomas had the balls to stand up to Parker. Not many guys did. His eyes were burning into Thomas and his muscles that clearly had about thirty pounds on Thomas were tense under his t-shirt.
“My problem is that you have no business being out here with Livy. She is too young for you and too good for you.”
I peeked over Thomas’s shoulder to look at Parker.
“That’s rich coming from you, Parker. You think you’re good enough for her? I’m in college. What are you doing? Doodling all your hopes and dreams?”
Parker’s art wasn’t doodles. It was phenomenal. He probably had more talent in his pinky finger than Thomas fully possessed. I opened my mouth to defend him, but he spoke before I could manage a sound.
“I’m not good enough for her either.” His eyes glanced at me for a moment. “She deserves far more than anyone at this party can give her.” My heart swelled and broke at the same time. “But I’m damn sure that you are going nowhere near her. So, I suggest you move out of the way or I’ll put you on your ass.”
“I’ll think I’ll leave it up to Olivia.” Thomas looked over his shoulder at me, and he looked smug. “Do you want to stay with me or go with him?”
My answer was easy. It had been my answer for as long as I could remember, and I didn’t feel like it would change anytime soon.
“Him.”
Parker’s pupils flared, but I wouldn’t let myself believe it was anything more than what it was. He was planning for a fight, and a fight was coming.
Thomas moved away from me and the disgust on his face was clear. I barely even knew the guy so I wasn’t really sure what his problem was.
“Are you serious, Olivia?”
I looked at him then back to Parker then back at him again.
“Yes?” I said it like a question. How did he think I would actually pick him over Parker?
“That’s fine.” He took a step closer to me and Parker mirrored his movement. “I always knew you were just a piece of trash like the rest of them.”
“Fuck you.” I took a step closer to him, but Parker was already there.
His arm reached out against me and pressed into my stomach. He pushed me behind him, somewhat forcefully, and I realized that his control was unraveling. Although I couldn’t see Parker’s face, I could clearly read the fear in Thomas’s eyes. He tried to mask it with his venom, but it was too real to hide.
Before Thomas got a chance to say another word, Parker’s fist landed across his jaw and knocked Thomas to the ground. Everything happened so quickly, but I felt like it happened in slow motion. I memorized the bunch of Parker’s muscles as he struck and the trail of blood that ran from Thomas’s lip as he fell.
Parker was on Thomas before his head even connected with the ground. He gripped his perfectly pressed collared shirt in his hands and pulled Thomas’s face close to his. “Don’t ever talk to Livy like that again.” Thomas started to open his mouth, but Parker shook him by his shirt. “Better yet, don’t ever talk to her at all. Don’t look at her. Don’t even breathe her name.”
Parker shoved Thomas away from him, and I cringed at the loud echo from his head hitting the wood of the porch.
The green of Parker’s eyes looked lethal as he stepped away from Thomas and made his way to me. There was a smattering of blood running down his knuckles, but I wasn’t sure who it belonged to.
Parker grabbed my hand in his and pulled me behind him without saying a word. His anger was scary. He was uncontrollable, unpredictable, and so damn hot.
My breathing was hard, but it wasn’t out of fear. I wanted Parker James. Every day it seemed to get worse and worse, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
I followed him through the house as he pulled me along behind him. He was walking so fast that I was having a hard time keeping up with him. His tight grip on my hand was leaving a bite of pain, but I liked it. I would take his skin on mine any way I could get it.
He took us to a large sitting room that was completely unoccupied before he dropped my hand and started pacing the room. It was shocking how quickly I was affected by the loss of his touch.
He ran his hands through his hair, and I watched as the blood from his knuckles trailed down his fingers.
“Parker, you’re hurt.”
I reached out for his hand, and he let me take it. All four knuckles of his fist were busted open and the blood was definitely his.
“We need to clean this up.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“But Parker…”
“I’ll be fine.” His tone was final. “Are you okay?”
“Me?” I pointed to my chest. “I’m not the one who just got into a fight.”
“I know.” He gripped both of my hands in his and butterflies took off in my stomach. We were standing so close to each other that I could feel the warmth of him. I could see the specks of gold that hid in the green of his eyes. His busted hand rose from mine and tucked a piece of my brown hair behind my ear. “But you are the one who Thomas just talked to like that.”
“Like what?” The voice boomed through the room, and I gritted my teeth.