Chapter 25 Lincoln
LINCOLN
Seven Years Ago…
Rett’s house is silent when I let myself in. Exactly how I hoped it would be.
There’s only one person here right now, and she’s upstairs, getting ready.
My heart thunders in my chest, and my hands tremble on my lap as I sink into the couch.
I don’t know why I’m here.
I shouldn’t be here.
But I couldn’t not be.
From the moment Seth came marching up to Rett in the dressing room the other day, it’s been all I can think about.
Rett was pissed, rightly so, but for some reason, he agreed that tonight could happen.
I guess he could only hold off the inevitable for so long.
Parker is going to be seventeen soon. She deserves to be living the life all her classmates are. She deserves to experience the same things.
But with Seth?
I shake my head. He’s not good enough for her.
Rett has to know it, but he’s letting it roll regardless.
He’s on our team, and…he’s one of us. For that reason alone, he should be kept far, far away from Parker.
She should turn her back on hockey players and look at the guys hanging out in the library, maybe even in the music department.
I know I’m dragging myself into this, but hockey players can’t be trusted.
We’re too competitive, too busy craving the high of the next win, and it doesn’t just have to be while on the ice.
Movement above my head has me looking up.
I wonder what she’s wearing?
It doesn’t matter what she’s chosen; she’ll look beautiful regardless. She always does.
I glance at the clock, and my heart rate increases. He’ll be here soon.
I understand that Clark, her dad, is busy. Her mom, too. But someone should be here for this. It’s a big moment.
Her first date.
And I’m going to be sick.
But there’s no time to wallow in self-pity, because not a second later, her footsteps begin descending the stairs.
I’m pretty sure I stop breathing as I wait for her to appear in the doorway, and the second she does, all the air rushes from my lungs.
“Wow,” I breathe, but I don’t think she hears it. She’s too busy screaming in fright.
“Linc, what the hell?” She has her hand pressed against her chest as if she’s physically trying to keep her heart inside, and her eyes are wide as saucers.
“Sorry,” I mumble, unable to stop my eyes from feasting on her.
She’s wearing a long, floral dress that shows off her new curves perfectly. And I suspect that if she were to turn around, I’d find her back exposed.
That asshole is going to touch her.
My teeth grind at the thought of Seth brushing his fingers down her spine, resting his palm on the small of her back.
I don’t know where the image comes from, because it’s certainly not a move I’ve pulled with any of the girls I’ve been hanging out with. I guess it’s because Parker deserves better than any of them.
She deserves to be dated, adored, and made to feel special. She’s not just there for a good time.
“You look…”
Heat blooms on her cheeks and races down her neck to her chest.
I’ve tried my best to keep my distance from her since that afternoon in her bedroom.
It made me want things I can’t have, and the easiest way to deal with it was to back off. I figured if she wasn’t so present in my life, I could forget about it all and move on.
It was bullshit.
It doesn’t matter how much distance I put between us. She’s still there.
“Thanks,” she whispers, struggling to accept my attempt at a compliment. “Rett isn’t due back for a couple of hours yet,” she points out, assuming that I’m waiting for him.
“No, I know. I’m not actually here to see him.”
“Oh, okay. Well, I’m heading out in a minute,” she says, as if I’m not aware.
“I know that, too. I just…” I trail off as my hand lifts to the back of my neck, rubbing at my tight muscles.
Why are you here, Lincoln?
She stares at me, waiting for me to say something.
There’s a part of me that wonders if she’s waiting for me to tell her not to date him and to hang out with me instead.
But I can’t do that. Not only would Rett kick my ass into next year, but she deserves so much better.
Not Seth, but definitely someone better than me.
Her eyes narrow, waiting for me to finish my explanation.
“I just thought someone should see you off on your big night,” I say lamely.
She shakes her head. “We’re just going to the movies. It’s no big deal.”
But it is. I haven’t taken a girl to the movies.
I just…
The less you think about that right now, the better.
“It’s your first date, little P. Someone needs to be here to warn Seth to treat you right.”
“I’m sure Rett has slammed him into the boards enough times already for him to be aware of what’ll happen if he screws this up.”
And yet, he was still brave enough to chance his luck.
Plexiglass is going to be the least of his worries if he fucks this up.
My words dry up as she moves closer—although I soon discover it isn’t me she’s getting closer to, but the window.
As she stands there, I can see the excitement glittering in her eyes for what the night might hold.
“He’s not good enough for you,” I finally blurt.
“Oh, and did you have someone in mind who might be?”
She turns to me and holds my eyes.
Is she…is she begging for me to say yes, to tell her to go out with me instead?
No, that’s just my twisted imagination.
“I don’t think there’s anyone walking this Earth who is worthy of you, Parker Donnelly.”
Her breath catches at the honesty in my words.
Her reaction is everything, but it isn’t going to change anything.
She’s still going out with him tonight, and I’ll spend all evening wondering what they’re doing, guessing if he made a move and kissed her.
“That’s sweet. But even if it’s true, I’m not going to sit around the house experiencing nothing. So…”
She fully turns to the window this time, and I get to see that I was right. Her dress exposes her entire back.
Her skin is flawless, her shoulders covered in the same cute freckles her nose and cheeks are, although they’ve lessened over the years since I met her.
The fabric begins just above her ass, and my fingers twitch to reach out and drag my knuckles along the seam.
I glance at the clock. He’s due to pick her up any minute.
Is there any point in hoping that he’s going to stand her up?
Nah, he’ll be here. I’m not that fucking lucky.
There’s a rumble of an engine outside and I panic, thinking our time together is over.
I shoot up from the couch, but a shot of pain goes up my leg as I press my foot to the floor.
I cry out in pain before crashing back down, clutching my leg.
“Linc, what’s wrong?” Parker asks in a rush, her attention turning back to me.
“Crap,” I force out, my leg continuing to spasm.
“Shit. It’s okay. I’ve got you. Can you stretch it out for me?”
When I open my eyes, she’s on her knees before me, her hands wrapping around my lower leg and gently pulling it from my hold.
“That’s it. Rest it there,” she says softly, placing my heel on the coffee table before me.
Then…then she does something so fucking magical, I feel something tumble in my chest.
She presses her thumbs into my calf, and instantly, I feel relief.
“Okay?” she asks as she continues massaging my muscles.
“Fuck,” I gasp as warmth rushes up my leg, spilling through my entire body.
Sure, Parker has touched me before. But never, ever like this.
Holy shit.
I relax into the sensation, enjoying it far too much considering she’s about to spend the night with someone else.
As she slides her hands up toward my knee, the fire inside me only burns hotter, and I can’t stop my dick from reacting.
It hardens beneath the fabric of my sweats.
Shit. She needs to stop.
She needs—
There’s a blare of a horn outside and it bursts my bubble, sending me crashing back to Earth with a bang.
My head falls back against the couch, and my eyes close while my hands rest in my lap. I pray that they cover the evidence of what her touch did to me.
One moment her warm hands are there, and the next, they’re gone. The air that rushes over my skin is like ice, cooling my blood and reminding me of everything I shouldn’t be doing, like being here right now.
Dragging my eyes open, I find her on her feet and checking herself in the mirror.
“It’s him. Are you sure I look okay?” she asks before spinning toward me, holding her hands out from her sides so I can take her all in.
“Y-yeah, you look—”
The doorbell rings, cutting off my words, and she rushes past me to answer it.
She pauses with her fingers on the door handle.
“Are you okay? Is your leg…”
“Yeah. I don’t know what you did, but it helped. A lot.”
“I’ve been researching,” she explains. “I think I want to be an athletic trainer one day.”
“Well, in that case, I volunteer to be your patient anytime.”
She giggles, and the sweet sound worms its way inside my chest.
“I might just take you up on that. Enjoy your night,” she says before finally opening the door to reveal Seth on the other side.
“Oh shit, Parker,” he gasps.
“Hey.” She giggles again, but this time it’s like a knife straight through my heart because it’s not directed at me.
I shift on the couch to get a better view, and he spots me.
“Oh hey, Linc. How’s it going?”
“Yeah, it’s…going. Watch yourself tonight,” I warn.
He smirks and rolls his eyes.
“Yeah, yeah. I got it. She’ll be home safe and sound by eleven.”
“Good to hear it.”
“See you later,” she calls over her shoulder. “Have a good evening.”
And then the door closes behind her, and she’s gone.
Have a good evening. As if that’ll be possible.
The urge to follow them burns through me, but I can’t.
I might not want Seth to have her, but I can’t have her either.
I just have to hope that one way or another, he royally screws this up, so I have a really fucking good excuse to teach him a lesson.
A really fucking painful lesson.
Because Parker Donnelly is mine.