22. Parker
22
PARKER
A t the sound of my name being called, I stand up and turn around, cautiously smiling at Danny and the guy standing beside him.
“Come meet Oz,” Danny says, crooking a finger and calling me over.
Pulling a rag from my pocket, I wipe my hands, pointlessly trying to clean the dirt, grease, and oil that’s all over me, as I pad across the shop to where Danny and his buddy are waiting.
“Oz, this is my…Parker,” Danny says. “Parks, this is my teammate, Oz.”
My breath hitches, and goose bumps pebble all over my skin the closer I get to Danny. Flashbacks of the way it felt to ride his dick last night, jump into my thoughts, and my nipples pebble, my sore pussy twinging in remembered pleasure.
“Hi, Oz, it’s nice to meet you,” I say, my voice a little breathy as I hold my hand out to Danny’s teammate.
I feel Danny’s presence at my side, and my body reacts. My lips curve into a smile, and I push out my tits, like a cat in heat posing for attention.
When Danny’s fingers curl around my arm, I want to whoop with joy, but instead of pulling me into his chest and kissing me right here like he did the other day, he roughly yanks me toward him, then marches me out of the shop and into the break room. Dragging me into the small bathroom, he slams, then locks the door, only releasing me once he’s blocking the exit.
“What the fuck was that?” he snarls, his mouth twisted into an angry scowl.
“What?” I question, confused.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing flirting with my friend? He’s fucking married, and you’re mine.”
Before I have a chance to speak, his lips slam into mine, his fingers tangling into my messy bun, pulling my head back to give him access to my neck. Sharp pain follows the path of his lips when he drags his mouth from mine and starts to nip and bite down my throat.
“Danny,” I gasp, but he ignores me, unfastening the snaps on my coveralls and undressing me with a dexterity that, if I wasn’t so freaking horny, I’d probably be impressed by.
Pushing my shorts and panties down my legs in one fast movement, his fingers delve between my thighs, pushing into my body and filling me in a single possessive move.
“This is mine,” Danny snarls against my throat, sucking at my skin hard enough that I know he’ll have left a mark.
His thumb finds my clit and rubs in tight, fast circles. “This is mine.”
His other hand runs down my ass, parting my cheeks and searching out my asshole. “This is mine.”
Spinning me around to face the door, I hear the sound of his belt unfastening and his zip being lowered seconds before he kicks my legs apart and slams his rock-hard cock into my pussy.
“Oh fuck. Oh god,” I pant, struggling to keep myself upright as he slams into me in brutally hard thrusts.
Bending over me, he grabs my tits, immediately finding my nipples and pinching. “These are mine.”
The change in angle forces his dick against the spot inside of me that makes me see stars, and I moan, low and desperate and wanton. I sound like a porn star, but I don’t care. Seconds later, all my thoughts evaporate from my mind as his hand covers my mouth and I splinter, screaming into his palm, my body grinding back into him as he fucks me into oblivion.
Groaning low and angry, he follows me over the edge, the heat of his release scorching my insides as he pumps his come into me.
Curling my fingers into my palms, I suck in ragged lungfuls of air while my body slowly calms. Strands of my hair that have come loose are hanging in my face while I stare down at the bathroom floor.
My coveralls, shorts, and underwear are hanging haphazardly around my ankles, and from my position still bent over, I watch as he reaches down and grabs my panties. Opening my mouth to protest, I straighten, intending to tell him I need to clean up before I get dressed, but I’m silenced when he roughly yanks them up, pulling them over my sex until the fabric is soaked in the cum that’s dripping out of me.
“Danny,” I gasp, but he ignores me, running his palm between my legs and pressing the cotton into my soaked folds.
Yanking my shorts into place, then quickly lifting my coveralls next, he curls an arm around my waist from behind, pinning my back to his front as he cups my pussy, grinding the heel of his hand into my mound.
“The next time you flirt with my friends, I’ll put you on your knees and choke you with my dick until everyone knows you’re mine.”
It’s fucked up, but I shudder at his words and not from revulsion or fear, but with excitement. Nothing about what happened in the last ten minutes should be attractive to me, yet here I am, a wet, soggy mess, turned on by his possessive, crazy behavior and his threats of more.
“Danny.”
“You should get back to work before you’re missed,” he says, reaching past me to open the door, then guiding me into the break room. Stepping around me, he grabs my chin and kisses me hard and fast, then he leaves without another word.
Danny and his friends are all gone by the time I finish making myself somewhat presentable, and only Bay is on the shop floor, an amused smile curling the corners of his lips.
“I…” I start, wondering how I can possibly I explain what the hell just happened to my freaking boss.
“I got it,” Bay says, waving away my concern with a low chuckle. “Finish up that oil change, then take Henry out for a long lunch.”
“No, that’s?—”
“I bet he’s got as much to say to you as you have to him,” Bay says cryptically.
It doesn’t take long to finish up the service on the old—but obviously well-maintained—Buick station wagon, and when I’m done, I take the paperwork into the office where Henry is staring at his computer screen.
“Hey, here’s the paperwork for Mr. Langley’s Buick.”
“Thanks,” Henry says absentmindedly.
“Bay said we can take a long lunch; do you want to go to the diner again?”
Blinking, he turns to look at me. “Long lunch? Why?”
“Well…Danny came to visit,” I explain. “And Bay said he thought you had stuff to talk about too?”
“No, I’m fine,” he insists quickly.
“Well, I have stuff, and we’ve both been crazy busy the last week, so let’s do as the boss says and enjoy a little downtime.”
Sighing, he nods. “Okay, I just need to finish up this invoice and then I’ll grab my stuff.”
“I’ll wash up. Meet you out front in ten?”
Nodding, he turns back to his screen and starts typing. Heading for the bathroom, I grimace at the feeling of the cold, wet fabric between my legs and contemplate taking off my underwear. Every girl has gone commando a few times in their life, but unless you’re wearing a skirt or a dress, it’s common knowledge that seams and no panties is not the best combination.
In the end, I decide to endure my damp, sticky, cum-soaked panties and instead strip out of my coveralls and pull the hoodie I have in my bag on over my shirt.
“Can we bring you anything back from the diner?” I ask Bay once Henry emerges from the office.
“Can you grab me a cheeseburger and fries?” Bay asks. “Lunch is on me today, so tell Annie to add your bill to my account.”
“You don’t need to do that,” both Henry and I argue.
Bay waves us away. “Lunch is the least I can do. Y’all are two of the hardest-working people I know.”
Waving goodbye, Henry and I stroll down the street to the diner. The hostess points us toward an empty booth, and once we’ve ordered, Henry rests his elbows on the table, propping his chin up with his palm. “So…Danny visited?”
Exhaling, I glance around me, making sure that no one sitting at the surrounding tables is close enough to hear. “Yeah, he came with Anders and another one of his teammates, Oz.”
Henry’s cheeks heat at the mention of Anders, and I store the information away to ask him about later.
“So, I take it you got things sorted out between you? You must have, if he’s coming to see you at work.”
Exhaling wearily, I take a long pull from my glass of strawberry lemonade. “Honestly, I have no clue what’s going on with us.”
“What happened after you got home last night? Is he still banning happy endings?” Henry asks with a smirk.
“No,” I admit, my cheeks heating. “There was a lot of happy happening last night, but we haven’t talked about what that means.”
“But you’re together, right?”
I shrug. “I have no clue. After he left me…unhappy for so long yesterday, I was angry and tired and frustrated, so when I got home, I didn’t even speak to him, I just went upstairs and took a shower. But then when I went into my room, he’d left me an outfit and…” A blush fills my cheeks. “A toy on my bed. When I went downstairs, we sort of ended up jumping each other, and then there was a lot of happy, and afterward, we took a shower together, and I slept in his bed. But we didn’t talk. At all. In fact, every time I tried to talk, he cut me off and kissed me or distracted me. It’s like he doesn’t want to have the conversation that would give us both some clarity.”
“I mean, you did sort of reject him the last two times he’s tried to talk to you,” Henry reminds me.
“I know,” I whine, covering my face with my hands.
“But him coming to the shop today must be a good thing.”
“I thought it was, but now I’m not so sure.”
Furrowing his brow, Henry purses his lips. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
Exhaling tiredly, I slump down in my seat. “When he first showed up, I was excited to see him. And then he introduced me to his buddy, and I got all tingly that he was telling his friend we were together or whatever. But then the next thing I know, he’s dragging me across the shop, locking us in the bathroom, pulling my clothes off, and fucking me. But it wasn’t pleased-to-see-me fucking. It was angry—you’re-mine, don’t-flirt-with-my-friend—fucking.”
“Were you flirting?” Henry asks, doubt lacing his features.
“No,” I hiss. “Not at all, but he went all crazy caveman on me, and I have no idea what that even means.”
“Clearly he’s jealous.”
“Of what?” I shriek, instantly lowering my voice as a few people turn to look at us. “Danny and I aren’t even officially together. We share a house?—”
“And a bed and a shower,” Henry inserts, speaking over me.
“Sometimes. But I wasn’t flirting.”
“So, tell him that.”
Exhaling, I nod. “I tried to, but he was too busy pulling my panties down and bending me over.” A smile creeps onto my lips as I remember the crazy, possessive way he claimed me.
“Oh my god, you love that he’s all crazy jealous,” Henry gasps.
A giggle slips free as I lift my hand and show him the inch-sized gap between my finger and thumb. “Maybe a little.”
“You weren’t…scared?” Henry asks, his expression worried and a little nervous.
“Danny would never hurt me.”
“He’s huge, he might not mean to.”
“He’s big, but he’s basically a teddy bear who looks like a really fit, toned model. I didn’t even know he could get jealous until today.”
“But you’d tell me, or someone, if he did ever hurt you?” he asks, clearly concerned.
“Absolutely. I’d tell you. But he’d never do that. I promise you he wouldn’t.”
Henry nods, but he doesn’t look convinced. “Have you ever been in that situation?” I ask carefully.
“Not really. It’s just…guys can be…rough. I don’t like…rough.”
My chest tightens. “I spoke to Danny about you moving in with us,” I blurt out.
“What?” Henry blinks.
“I know we haven’t known each other long, and I know you’re absolutely capable of taking care of yourself. But I saw two drug deals and the cops arresting someone minutes from where you live when I drove you home the other day. I almost turned around to come get you, I was so worried about you. I know that rent in Rockhead Point is expensive, but I also know that you really want to take the job at the garage, so the perfect solution is for you to move in with Danny and me. The house has three bedrooms, there’s plenty of space for you, and then we can ride to work and back together.”
Henry starts shaking his head before I even get a chance to finish speaking.
“Don’t say no. Just say you’ll think about it,” I plead.
“This morning, Bay offered me a job again, but this time he offered me an apartment too,” Henry blurts.
“He did?” I feel my eyes widening in surprise.
“Apparently both Bay and Penn kept apartments over the garage for when they were working late or just wanted some privacy. After they met their wives, they rented them out, only one of the renters moved out six months ago, and they haven’t bothered finding a new tenant.”
“That’s amazing,” I gasp. “Can you afford the rent?”
“That’s the thing, they offered me the apartment for free for the first six months, as like a signing bonus.”
A wide smile spreads across my lips, and I tap the table excitedly. “I’m so happy for you. This is amazing. So, when do you move in?”
“I haven’t said yes yet.”
“What? Why not?”
Sighing, his lips dip into a frown. “Six months free rent is a lot of money, on top of the already crazy good salary they were offering.”
Realization settles over me. “You’re worried it feels too good to be true?”
He nods. “Yes.”
“Look, I don’t know the Barnetts that well, but from what Danny’s told me, and what you’ve said, I think they’re just really great people. I know there aren’t many of them in the world, but I think you’re overthinking this and assuming everyone is an asshole.”
“They’ve always been nice to me,” he concedes.
“Exactly.”
“So, you think I should say yes?” he asks.
“Yes.” I nod enthusiastically.
Our food arrives, and we eat while chatting about Henry’s new apartment and his imminent move to Rockhead Point.
“Do you have to give notice on your current place?” I ask.
“Just two weeks. Although I doubt I’ll get my security back, because the place was falling apart when I moved in, and the landlord’s done zero maintenance in the four years I’ve lived there, so it’s basically crumbling now.”
“Tomorrow’s Saturday, so why don’t I come over in the morning, and we can get your stuff packed up and moved to your new place this weekend? I don’t mind doing a few runs in my car if we need to, depending on how much stuff you have.”
“I don’t have much. My apartment’s a studio, so I basically just have my bed and my clothes. Are you sure you want to spend your Saturday helping me, though?”
“It’s fine, it’ll be fun,” I say, excited to get my new friend away from the dangerous part of the city he’s currently living in.
Once we go back to work, the afternoon passes quickly. When Henry officially accepts the job and the apartment, Bay is so excited, he scoops the other man off his feet and into a hug that makes Henry blush bright red.
“Is the apartment ready to move in to? Because we thought we could go get his stuff tomorrow and have him all settled in before work on Monday,” I ask Bay.
Henry flashes me a glare, which I ignore.
“It might need a bit of a clean because it’s been empty for a few months, but yeah, I’m happy to have you here as soon as possible. Let me go and get you the keys, and you can head up and have a look at the place,” Bay says, striding off to the key box and returning a few minutes later with a small bunch of keys.
The air in the apartment feels a little stale when Bay unlocks the door and holds it open for Henry to step inside. Kicking off my boots, I follow my friend, looking at him as he takes in his new home for the first time.
The entrance hall opens into a small living room with a kitchen leading off it. There’s a bedroom with a closet and a bathroom with a tub. Large windows bring in lots of light, and the space feels inviting, even while it’s empty.
“I know it’s not huge, but—” Bay starts.
“Are you kidding? This is probably three times the size of my apartment,” Henry admits, his eyes glassy as he looks around the place he’ll be calling home.
“I have a couch in the basement if you need one,” Bay says, clearing his throat. “When Missy moved in, she redecorated and we got a new one. There’s nothing wrong with it, she just picked new colors, so it’s just been stored out of the way ever since.”
“I’m not sure I can afford?—”
Bay cuts Henry off before he can finish his sentence. “It’s just in the way. I’ll load it in the truck and bring it over tomorrow for you.”
“All the appliances are built in, you even have a washer and dryer, so once we get your bed from your old place and the couch from Bay, you won’t need anything else immediately to live here,” I say, giving Henry a moment to wipe the tears from his eyes.
“Sounds like a plan. But if you do think of anything else you need, just let me know. We’ve rebuilt and redecorated so many times in the last few years as our families have grown that I bet we could open a shop with all the stuff we just have laying around,” Bay says, pulling Henry into an oddly fatherly hug.
“We’ll be expecting you both for dinner once you get settled in. Missy has been dying to meet you, Henry. Welcome to the family.” Squeezing me on the shoulder as he passes, Bay leaves Henry and me alone in the apartment, gently closing the door behind him.
“Did you see this place?” Henry says, his tone awed.
“I’m so happy for you, this apartment is amazing, it’s much nicer than the place I was living in before I moved to Montana,” I admit.
“Can I really live here rent-free for six months? If they got a real tenant, they could be making a fortune off this place. It doesn’t seem fair that they’d give it to me for free.”
“Bay told you it’d been sitting empty for months, so they’re obviously not too worried about the money. Stop seeing it as them giving you something, and consider that they’re doing this because they know how overqualified you are for the job they want you to take, so they’ve offered you this apartment as an incentive. Big corporate firms do that all the time. They offer graduates signing bonuses, corporate apartments, and loads of other perks. This place is just a perk of the job.”
“I guess that’s true,” he concedes.
“And think of how much money you’ll be able to save. No rent for six months, no buses, and a great job with medical insurance.”
“Oh, my god,” Henry gasps, a wide smile etched across his face.
We spend the next thirty minutes making plans for the apartment before Henry says he has to leave to catch his bus. I offer to give him a ride, but he refuses, insisting he’s happy to ride the bus one last time.
It’s late by the time I get home, but I’ve had no texts or calls from Danny questioning where I am. The lights are on when I slow to stop outside the house, and I’m shocked by how relieved I am that he’s still here.
Grabbing my bag from the trunk, I unlock the front door, then step into the house, inhaling the smell of meat and barbecue sauce.
“Something smells good,” I call out tentatively, kicking off my boots.
“I made ribs,” Danny says, stepping out from the kitchen, his huge body wrapped in a T-shirt that seems to cling to every ridge of muscle.
“I wasn’t flirting with Oz,” I blurt before I even realize I’ve spoken.
His jaw clenches and his lips purse as he looks at me, his eyes narrowed as he searches my face to see if I’m telling him the truth.
“You smiled at him,” he says through gritted teeth.
“I smile at everyone, it’s polite.”
“You smiled at him the same way you smile at me.”
“How do I smile at you?” I question, taunting him a little.
“Like you know you’ll be taking my dick in one of your holes soon.”
A choked sound of shock bursts from my lips as my eyes widen. It’s not the first time I’ve heard him talk that way, but it’s the first time he’s done it in the cold light of day. My body heats, and I swallow thickly, squeezing my core as desire pulses through me.
“Were you thinking about how his dick would stretch you out?” he growls, prowling toward me.
I shake my head.
“Were you wondering if his cock is as big as mine? If he’d make you as sore as I do, after I stretch your tight cunt and fill you with my cum?”
I shake my head again, my throat arid, too dry to even attempt to speak.
“Were you wondering if he’d put you on your knees and fill your mouth with his dick while you suck like it’s your favorite thing in the entire fucking world?”
Suddenly my dry mouth is full of saliva as I remember the way I sucked on his dick—the way I fell asleep with his cock in my mouth.
“No,” I grunt.
“Why not?” His question is all demand, and for a second, I try to understand what he expects me to say.
Confused, I look at him, but instead of speaking, he arches an eyebrow, daring me to answer.
“Because I’m yours,” I say, suddenly knowing exactly what he’s waiting to hear.
“What?”
He heard me, but I say it again, because it’s the truth. “I’m yours.”
“Who fucks you?”
“You do.”
“Who makes you scream?”
“You do.”
“Who fucking owns you?”
“You do,” I cry, tears filling my eyes.
“Come here, Parks.” Curling his finger, he pulls me forward like we’re connected by an invisible thread.
I stumble the few steps across the living room to him, and he cups my cheek with one huge palm, cradling the back of my head with the other, and pinning me in place while he takes my mouth like it’s his to do with as he pleases, and I guess it is. Maybe it has been since the first time he messaged me.
The kiss is deep and drugging and intense, like he’s making sure that once he pulls his mouth from mine, neither of us can ever misinterpret what it means. This kiss is the most visceral claiming moment I’ve ever imagined. His tongue is teasing mine, forcing it this way and that, leading the kiss and ensuring that I know that following is my only option.
Before experiencing this side of Danny, I’d have said that being alpha was only a thing in books, but now that I’ve seen it, heard it, and felt it, I know how wrong I was. I feel claimed, and it doesn’t feel wrong or stifling or misogynistic. It feels warm and comforting and right. So freaking right.
I wait for him to tug at my clothes, for this moment to turn into sex, but it doesn’t. Instead, he slowly, reluctantly pulls away, dragging his lips from mine as I push into him, chasing him for more.
“Let’s eat,” he pants.
“I need to clean up.”
“Are you still full of my cum?” he rasps.
“Most of it is soaked into my panties and shorts,” I say flippantly.
A proud smirk spreads across his lips as he drops to his knees, wraps his hands around my ass, and pulls me into him. Burying his face into my sex, he inhales deeply, smelling the remainder of both my and his arousal that’s saturated the fabric.
“Fuck,” he growls.
“Eww,” I squeak, pushing at his forehead and wiggling to free myself. “Don’t sniff me when I smell like stale cum.” I cringe.
“You smell owned.” He laughs, taking another deep inhale before releasing me and rising to his feet.
“You’re weird,” I say, my mouth twisted into a grimace.
“Go wash up before I strip you out of those clothes to see just how sticky and wet you are.”
Wrinkling my nose in disgust, I push out of his hold, hating the distance I’ve created, the moment the air between us turns frigid.
“Go take a shower. I’ll get dinner finished.”
Nodding, I take a step back, then another, until the two feet of distance between us feels more like a mile. Tears fill my eyes as I spin around and dart up the stairs, leaving Danny and so many complicated feelings alone in the living room.
I’d planned to be quick, to wash up and go back downstairs, like spending more than five minutes in the shower would change the declarations we’ve both just made. Only the moment the water washes away the remaining fluids from between my legs, doubt consumes me. Will he change his mind? Can he change his mind? He said I was his. He said he owned me, that I belonged to him. Could all of that change in a matter of minutes?
Thirty minutes later, I’m clean, dry, dressed, and have wasted as much time as I can. The only thing left to do is to go to him and face the inevitable truth of if he and I are really happening.
Inhaling a slow, resigned breath, I shuffled down the stairs, each step feeling like a hurdle that I’m struggling to descend.
“I thought we could sit at the table tonight,” Danny says, his voice banishing some of my doubts that are ricocheting around my mind.
“Okay. Can I do anything?”
“Nope, you spent so much time upstairs inventing a dozen reasons why the last couple of weeks haven’t been real, that everything is ready. If you hadn’t come down in the next two minutes, I was coming up there to carry your ass down here to eat,” he says with a knowing smirk tipping the corners of his sexy full lips.
“I wasn’t?—”
“Eat,” he interrupts, cutting off my denial.
Staring down at my plate, my stomach growls as I take in the ribs coated in rich, thick barbecue sauce sitting alongside charred corn and slaw.
“This looks great, but you don’t always have to cook for me,” I say.
“I know.”
Nodding, I pick up a rib and start to eat. Smirking, he follows suit, lifting it to his mouth and taking a bite. Eating should not be sexy, but there’s something about watching him lick sauce from his lips and suck it from the tips of his fingers that makes a low simmering heat start to boil in my stomach.
“We should talk,” he says, his eyes narrowing as his gaze rakes over my racing pulse and pebbled nipples.
“Or we could just fuck. It’s been hours since lunchtime,” I say, trying to make myself sound seductive.
“Are you feeling greedy, Parks?” he asks with a smirk, dropping his rib back to the table and slowly sucking the tip of his forefinger between his lips.
“Yes,” I admit, heat immediately filling my cheeks.
“Tell me what you need.”
“You.”
“Tell me exactly what you need.”
“I want you to fuck me,” I whisper, suddenly feeling shy.
“How?”
“You choose.”
“You asked for this, you must know what you need. Do you want my fingers stretching you out until you soak my hand? Do you want my tongue to taste all that delicious cream you make for me? Do you want one of those toys upstairs? Maybe you want me to fuck you with that big alien-looking dildo. You could hold on to your ankles while I destroy your cunt, forcing you to take every inch of that thing.”
“You,” I manage to croak out.
“You want my cock?” he asks, arching his eyebrow imperiously.
I nod.
“Where do you want it?” he taunts. “In your mouth? Do you want to gag on the head while I force it into your throat? Your cunt? Do you need me to fuck you hard and deep and pump you full of my cum like I’m trying to breed my kid into you? Your ass? Do you want me to fuck your asshole like a dirty little cum slut?”
“Danny,” I whine.
“Tell me. I want to hear every filthy detail of where and how you want me to fill you up,” he demands.
“Just…” I trail off, struggling to articulate that I just need him .
“Does it end in the morning? Do you go back to forgetting you belong to me the moment the sun rises? Are you going to tell me not to kiss you in front of other people?”
“I didn’t?—”
“I won’t be some dirty little secret, Parker.”
“I never asked you to be,” I snap, feeling some of my lusty heat turn into angry fire.
“You told me not to kiss you at work.”
“Because I work in a garage. I can’t be a girl boss when you’re treating me like a fat girl fuck toy for everyone to see,” I snap again, sounding angrier than I actually am.
Blinking, he pushes back from the table and stares at me. “A…fuck toy.”
Before my eyes, his huge frame gets even bigger. “A. Fat. Girl. Fuck. Toy.” Each word sounds like it’s been ripped from his throat, guttural and furious.
“Danny,” I start, realizing the mistake I’ve made.
“Go to bed, Parker.”
“No. I need to explain.”
“I can’t talk to you right now.”
“You said I was yours,” I panic.
“You are mine.”
“Then listen to me.”
“You just told me I treated you like a fat girl fuck toy. I don’t even know what to say to that,” he says, his shoulders deflating, making him look defeated.
“I didn’t mean?—”
“I told you I wanted you. I told you that you were mine before all of this started. How the fuck did I treat you like a fuck toy?” His expression is heartbroken.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” I gasp. “I meant that’s what it looks like to the outside world. That’s not how you make me feel,” I pant.
“You think the outside world would take one look at us and think I was treating you like a toy?” he asks incredulously and clearly hurt.
Sighing, I slump back into my seat. “Look at us, Danny. You’re the prom king, and I’m the dateless girl sitting alone.”
“I wasn’t prom king,” he snaps.
“Fine, but you know what I mean. When people look at us, they see you…a guy who looks like he should be on the front of a Sports Illustrated , and then they see me and they sing the ‘One of These Things Is Not Like the Others’ song in their head.”
“That’s not true,” he protests.
“I’ve seen the women you date. Tall, skinny, athletic. They’re all beautiful, and not a single one of them looks like me. I can’t be your experiment.”
“Who the fuck says I’m experimenting?” he growls angrily.
“Then why? I don’t understand.”
“Parker, have you looked at yourself in the mirror?”
Exhaling, I shake my head. “I don’t need you to tell me that I’m pretty. I know I’m pretty. I know I have a banging rack. I’m not struggling with low self-esteem. But I’m also aware that, despite the saying, opposites don’t really attract. I’m never going to go to the gym with you. The only time I’ll ever run is toward cake or away from zombies. I’ve got tits and an ass, and let’s be real, if I ever have kids, my tits are only going to get bigger, and my ass is going to spread.”
Parting his lips, Danny starts to speak, but I lift my hand, silencing him.
“I know you’re attracted to me. The number of times we’ve fucked about in the last couple of weeks has more than shown me that. But you’re my best friend, and I refuse to lose you when you get bored and decide that I was a fun distraction but that bikini-shoot ready is more your type.”
“Are you done?” he snaps.
I nod.
“I’m in love with you.”
Blinking, I stare at him, feeling like I didn’t understand a word he just said.
“Parker. I’m in love with you,” he says again, staring at me expectantly like he’s waiting for a response. And of course he’s expecting a response, but I don’t seem to be able to speak.
A frustrated humph sound bursts from his lips. “Go to bed, Parker.”
Parting my lips, I try to speak, but he silences me with a narrow-eyed glare.
“Go to bed, Parker. Think about what I said, and decide if you feel the same, or if you feel anything for me, because right now, you’re treating me just like the fuck toy you think the world sees you as.”
My eyes widen and fill with tears as I watch him shove his feet into shoes, then throw open the front door and step out into the night. A part of me wants to chase after him, but my feet don’t move, because even though I want him, even though I honestly do feel like every inch of me belongs to him, I still don’t get it.
Me loving him makes perfect sense. He’s beautiful both inside and out. He’s my best friend. He’s been the comfort on the end of the phone for over a year. He came into my life just months after my dad died and I’d had to close his business, and even though he’d been my lifeline when I felt like I was drowning, it never made sense that he could actually need me.
While my life was falling apart, his was great. He has a great job in a great town, with great friends who are basically family. He has a line of beautiful women all clambering after him. He has a beautiful home in the most idyllic place. And I was just his online friend. The gamer friend. The friend.
But I was more too. Wasn’t I? He told me he wanted me. He came to me that first night. He called and texted and invited me to play. He pursued me , not the other way around.
He told me he loved me, and I said nothing.
Jesus, I’m an asshole.
For a year, he’s been asking me to come and visit him. He tried to see me when he came home for Christmas. He got me a job. He booked me a flight. He insisted I live with him. He kissed me. He fucked me. He made me a priority, and what have I done? Nothing. I’ve done nothing but question him and doubt him and…use him.