Chapter 49 Parker
PARKER
Storm: I’ve got a date tonight as well
The second I read his message, my heart drops into my stomach.
Linc. On a date.
I’m not sure that’s happened since he started playing for the Vipers. Or if it has, he’s kept it very well under wraps.
“Are you okay?” Casey asks as she retakes her seat in front of me.
The restaurant Kodie booked for us has been incredible. The food is mind-blowing, and the cocktails are exquisite.
“Um…” I hesitate, unsure how to explain how I’m feeling right now.
Angry. Dejected. Rejected. Hurt. Jealous.
I could go on, and none of them are good.
I didn’t see Linc again after our session earlier. I messaged him about going out with Casey, and that message received a thumbs-up. Not exactly the kind of response I was expecting after last night. But then, I guess he was busy.
Suddenly, dots start bouncing on my screen, and my eyes zero in on them, waiting as questions begin filling my head.
If he’s on a date, why is he messaging me?
Where did he meet her?
Is she a bunny? No, bunnies don’t date. They just fuck.
Is he on dating sites? Is Kodie right and he’s actively looking for someone to settle down with?
When his message comes through, I quickly discover it isn’t a written reply, but a photo. And the second I register who’s in it, I relax.
“Oh my god.” I laugh.
“What?”
Making the image larger, I hold my cell up so Casey can see.
“Aw, they’re the cutest,” Casey whispers, her face getting all sappy as she looks at them together.
By the time I spin my cell around again, I find another message.
Storm: Me and my bestie
A smile pulls at my lips as I stare at him sitting on Kodie’s couch with Sutton next to him, her arms around his neck as she kisses his cheek.
My heart thumps harder as I take in the state of his hair. He has a million small ponytails with multicolored bands everywhere.
“He’s so good with her. He’s gonna be a great dad one day.”
It takes a few seconds for Casey’s words to register, but the second they do, my eyes jump to hers.
“Do you think he wants that? A family?”
“I don’t know; he’s never said. Maybe he doesn’t even know. It’s not like he’s ever been serious with anyone to consider the next steps.”
“I guess,” I mumble, my attention dropping back to the photo.
I stare at Linc. A man who’s almost as familiar to me as my own brother.
He’s been a part of my life, my family, for almost as long as I can remember.
So why is it that I’m suddenly looking at him so differently?
And it’s not just because of my stupid teenage crush that likes to poke its head up every now and then. That’s just because he’s hot. This is…
I close my eyes as I remember how his embrace felt last night.
“Are you okay?” Casey asks softly.
When I look up, I find her brows pinched in concern.
I’ve told her about last night, about the state of my apartment and how overwhelmed I felt in the moment. I’ve told her that Linc was there for me when she chastised me about doing it alone.
But I haven’t delved into what really happened.
I haven’t told her about the kiss or how he slipped into my bed and held me all night.
It doesn’t feel right sharing that. It’s been us.
Our little secret.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I lie.
She glares at me across the table.
“I know this year isn’t what you expected”—I can’t help but scoff at that—“but everything happens for a reason. You need to remember that.”
“And what’s the reason for my apartment? That I needed to rebuy everything and start over?”
She shrugs. “Maybe. I never said it has to make sense. Have you seen anything worth checking out?”
I shake my head. Honestly, I’ve stopped looking at apartments; it’s too depressing.
“Freya is struggling too.”
“How is she?” I ask, a little guilt trickling through my veins that I haven’t reached out.
“She’s so lost. I just wish she could find some kind of purpose. But cooking for her parents and my dad, and then locking herself in her childhood bedroom, isn’t it.”
“She’ll figure it out,” I mutter sadly.
“Yeah, she will. When the time is right.”
We continue talking as we finish our drinks. We attempt to pay, but the second we ask our server for the check, she smiles at us and tells us that it’s already been covered.
“Kodie Rivers,” Casey muses.
“You’re a lucky girl, Case,” I tease as I pull my coat on and hook my purse over my shoulder.
“Yeah,” she says, her eyes practically hearts as she thinks of the man waiting for her. “Did you want to come back? Linc is probably still at our house.”
I almost say yes. The temptation to see him, to be close to him, is strong. But I don’t. I’ve got things I need to sort out at home. We’re heading out for another two road games at the end of the week; I have dull things like laundry to do.
“Maybe another time.”
“Oh, we should totally go out on a double date.”
“Linc and I aren’t dating,” I point out.
“Oh, yeah, I know that. But it would be fun.”
I mumble a response because I’m not sure I agree. It would feel very coupley, and that’s not what Linc and I are. We’re temporary roommates. Friends, kind of.
By the time we get outside, our rideshare is waiting for us.
It drops me off at Linc’s first before carrying on to deliver Casey back to Kodie. I stand on the sidewalk and wave her off, a foolish part of me hoping that she’s wrong and Linc is back.
She isn’t.
With a sigh, I make my way through to my bedroom and kick off my shoes.
My suitcase lies half-packed on the floor. It’s pretty much how life is now. I just need to fill it with clean underwear and clothes, and it’ll be ready to go again.
I make quick work of stripping out of my dress, take my makeup off, twist my hair up into a bun, and walk back to my bedroom to find some pajamas. But the second I pull the drawer open, I pause.
The new items I’ve bought are all perfect. Some comfy, some sexy. But none of them are what I want.
I glance at the door, wondering if I can chance it.
“Fuck it,” I mutter before walking out of my bedroom wearing only my bra and panties.
The second I step into Linc’s room, I question myself. But it’s too late now; I’m here. And if he catches me, well…I’ll just have to deal with the consequences.
I march toward his drawers and pull one open before rummaging for something that catches my attention.
“Bingo,” I hiss when my fingers find one of his old college shirts.
I gather the fabric to my chest before I close the drawer and slip back out.
After removing my bra, I pull the old, soft fabric over my head.
Perfect.
As I walk toward my bed, I lift the neck so it covers the bottom of my face and breathe it in. His scent floods my nose, and instantly, I’m back in his arms again.
Ignoring the jobs that are calling my name, I crawl into my bed. That also smells like him.
I have a problem.
I lie there for a long time with a million and one thoughts running around my head. But eventually, I’m distracted by the sound of someone entering the apartment.
My heart rate picks up, and I begin to question my decision to steal a shirt from his room. What if he notices? What if he comes in here and sees me?
But despite those concerns, at no point do I roll out of bed and take it off.
I can’t.
He crashes about in the kitchen for a bit before his footsteps get louder as he walks into his bathroom.
He turns the shower on, and my mind runs away with me as I think about him stepping under the water. I bet he looks insane with rivulets of water cascading along the sculpted lines of his abdomen.
My temperature rises right along with my heart rate. I rub my thighs together, but it does little to quell the desire that’s getting more and more insistent between my thighs.
It’s been a few days since I pulled out my vibrator. Maybe that’s why I’m so tense. I just need a private moment to let go.
I’m about to reach into my top drawer when the water cuts off.
It shouldn’t stop me—it doesn’t matter that he’s no longer in the shower—I’ve still got a very vivid imagination, but for some reason, I don’t move. Instead, I continue lying there with my clit pulsating, torturing myself with what could be.
Linc continues moving around as I picture him in those tight boxer briefs he likes to wear that leave very little to the imagination. I bite down on my lip as I try to picture how they might look when he’s hard. There’s no way they’d contain him. Linc is packing; I already know that.
After a few minutes, everything goes silent, and I assume he’s crawled into bed.
My heart continues to race, my body begging for relief. But I already know that whatever I give myself is going to be unsatisfying.
I need more.
I need—
I sit upright as my door opens, the bottom brushing against the thick carpet. My room is in darkness, but that doesn’t mean I can’t see his shadowed figure moving at the end of my bed.
I don’t say a word for fear I might scare him off.
Fire shoots through my veins, making me burn from the inside out at just the thought of what he’s doing, of what’s going on in his head.
It’s not until his knee hits the mattress that words finally spill free.
“What are you doing?” I whisper.
“Your bed is more comfortable,” he explains as he stretches himself out beside me.
“O-oh,” I breathe, unable to find any other words.
Slowly, I lower myself back down, leaving us side by side.
Seconds stretch to minutes. The only thing I can hear is my own heavy breathing as I wait to see what’s going to happen next.
Surely he didn’t come in here to just sleep…did he?
“You need to turn that brain off,” he whispers. “Your thoughts are so loud.”
“W-what? I’m not even—”
“Liar.” I huff in irritation that he knows me so well. “Either tell me, or roll over and go to sleep.”
My mouth opens and closes, but I quickly decide there’s no way I can tell him where my head is at right now. It’s still full of images of him walking around his room in those boxers. Shit. Is he wearing them now?
I bet he is.
My fingers twitch to reach out and find out if I’m right.
“Parker,” he growls, dragging me from my thoughts, and I quickly roll over, giving him my back.
He chuckles knowingly as he shuffles closer.
I stop breathing as the front of his body lines up with my back, and his arm wraps around my waist, holding me tight.
“You need to relax, little P.”
I release the breath I was holding on his command, but I can’t say I relax all that much. Especially when I wriggle a little in his hold to get comfy and discover something.
“Linc,” I warn, the steel rod suddenly pressing against my ass the only thing I can focus on.
He’s hard.
Lincoln Storm is in my bed, snuggled up with me, and he’s hard.
So much for relaxing.
“I know,” he rasps. “Trust me, I know.”
Desire shoots through me, and before I know it, I’m rubbing my thighs together again.
His warm breath races down my neck.
“Unless you want me to do something about it, I suggest you stop wiggling your ass like that, babe.”