13. Parker
13
PARKER
W hen I pulled up to Archer House that evening, an unfamiliar orange Nissan Rogue was parked at the curb behind Foster’s blue Dodge and in front of Hudson’s black Challenger. With no place left for me, I had to drive another block down before finding a free spot.
Faith and Ivey were each carrying a box from the house as I strolled up.
“Yo, Ohrley,” Hudson greeted. “Pop the trunk for me, will you, man?”
Twisting, he flashed me his hip so I’d see his keys hanging half out of the side pocket of his jeans.
“You sure you can afford my fee?” I asked as I snagged the fob and pressed the trunk button.
He chuckled. “Doubt it.” Then he set his box inside before taking Faith’s load from her arms and dropping that in next. After shutting the trunk again, he dusted his hands off and grinned when I tossed the keys back to him. “Thanks.”
“What’re you doing anyway?” I asked.
Slipping his arm around Faith’s shoulders to rest against her, he said, “Just clearing out the last of my things.”
“Xander’s moving in tonight,” Faith supplied as the three of us started up the walk together to the front door. “She’s inside right now.”
“Really?” I glanced back to realize there were some boxes in the back of Foster’s truck; probably his cousin’s shit. “Dugger started humping her leg yet?”
Hudson laughed. “Not yet, but he’s drooling quite a bit.”
“She’s even prettier in person,” Faith added, sending me a significant look. “And tall. Taller than me.”
“Nice,” I murmured, not even a little interested. I glanced around for Alec’s Cannondale, hoping it was in sight, but he usually kept his mountain bike in the garage, so I didn’t spot it.
I followed the other two inside, planning to hunt him down in his room and talk to him privately without all these other busybodies around. But he was loitering nervously in the front room as I stepped inside.
When he spotted me, his expression filled with leery unease, and my gut clenched, hoping he didn’t already know about the conversation I’d had earlier with his sister.
But all he said was, “So you’re here to meet the new roommate too, huh?” Motioning up the steps to the upper portion of the split level, he lowered his voice to a whisper. “Dude, I really don’t think I can live with her. She’s even prettier in person.”
I shrugged. “So?”
“So?” he exploded in dismay. “So I’ll never be able to relax. I won’t be able to just hang out in my underwear or whatever.”
“Dude, you didn’t hang out in your underwear before,” Hudson reminded him. “I would’ve kicked you in the nads if you had.”
“I’ll never feel comfortable enough to burp or fart or—or eat !” Alec went on. “She’s going to realize what a dork I am, like, immediately if she lives here.”
“Oh, buck up.” I knocked my arm against his. “She was going to figure that out immediately, anyway, no matter where y’all lived.”
But my support didn’t seem to help. He sent me a dry, unimpressed glance. “This is so not going to work,” he hissed just as footsteps and voices approached. “Shit.”
Squeaking out a sound of alarm, he dived closer to me, nearly pressing against my side as if seeking protection.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I demanded, giving him a look, and he promptly slunk away.
“Sorry, sorry,” he gushed, lifting his hands in surrender. “I just don’t know what to do.”
“Straighten your spine,” I told him seriously. “Stop hiding behind my legs like a shy nitwit and act like you have a pair. That’ll get you farther than anything.”
“Right.” Clearing his throat, he pulled back his shoulders and drew in a bolstering breath just as Oaklynn appeared first at the top of the steps.
“We usually all chip in for groceries,” she explained as she led the way down with a gorgeous blonde trailing behind her, followed by Keene, then Foster, and ending with Raina and Damien.
“But if you want to buy something for yourself, just make sure you label it so the rest of us know not to take it.”
“Okay,” the blonde answered, nodding her head as she listened. “No problem.”
Next to me, Alec whimpered and tried shifting closer again.
All I had to do was give him a threatening glance, though, and he mouthed his apology before stepping away again.
“And down there are Alec’s and Keene’s rooms,” Oaklynn went on, motioning vaguely to the steps that descended into the lower portion of the split-level.
“I’m the first door on the left,” Keene told her, sliding up to her side so he could wink. “In case you ever need to…visit.”
She really was tall, just two or three inches shy of Dugger’s six-foot frame, so the two of them were nearly standing eye-to-eye when she sent him an apologetic wince. “Oh, I’ve already been warned about you, sorry.” Then she glanced around the room before spotting me and pausing. “And you too,” she added, pointing.
I lifted my eyebrows at her, not expecting such an immediate out. “How the fuck do you even know who I am?”
Xander merely smiled, a smile that I’m sure made poor Younger start to sweat profusely.
“Foster showed me pictures,” she said sweetly.
I scoffed and glanced toward my betraying friend. “Wow. Thanks so much for the glowing recommendation. Bestie .”
“Yeah, ya douchebag,” Keene chipped in, lifting his hands in a what-the-hell gesture. “Just what did you think we were going to do to her?”
Foster merely shrugged. “Nothing I’d approve of, I’m sure.” When Keene opened his mouth to argue, Foster held up a hand. “Hey, I didn’t forbid her from anything. I just gave her fair warning. What she does with it is up to her.”
Eyes lighting with possibility, Keene said, “So?—”
“Anyway,” Oaklynn broke in, clearing her throat loudly before Keene could spout off something completely inappropriate. “The kitchen is through here, where I think Damien has some paperwork for you to sign.”
“Yep,” Damien answered, shifting sideways to squeeze through people so he could hurry after the two ladies and into the kitchen. “They’re on the table.”
While Keene started complaining to Hudson about Foster, Alec nudged my arm, smirking triumphantly. “Did you notice how she didn’t get warned about me?”
I squinted his way before saying, “You do realize that’s not a good thing, right?”
He blinked, confused until it finally dawned on him that no one thought he even had enough game to interest the Union girl into behaving naughtily in the first place.
From there, his expression fell like a kicked puppy’s. I snickered and shook my head, amused by the poor, hopeless bastard.
And while I was still smirking over his misery, the door opened.
When Hope stepped inside, my smile fell abruptly.
As if sensing me, her gaze veered my way, and I narrowed my eyes because I did not appreciate the way her presence sent me into a state of aroused distress. Because I wanted her. I wanted her with an urgency that made my head buzz and my skin pickle.
Her words from earlier in the day burst through my head.
I want to come so hard on someone’s dick that my entire world flips on its fucking axis.
Well, I wanted my dick to be the one she came on. I wanted it more than I could remember wanting anything in a long-ass time.
And I hated being stuck with this craving.
Gritting my teeth, I fisted my hands at my sides and glared at her hard enough that she turned away to give her attention to her brother.
“Hey. You ready to go?” she asked.
When Alec stared at her in bewilderment, she lifted her brows and added, “To the movies?”
“ Oh !” His eyes flared, and he slapped a hand to his forehead. “I completely forgot about that.”
“You—” Her lashes fluttered in confusion. “You forgot? About the movies ?” Glancing around at the rest of us, she demanded, “Alright, what’s wrong with my brother?”
“New pretty roommate’s got him all frazzled,” Hudson explained.
“What? She’s moving in today ?” Hope lifted both eyebrows in surprise. Then she scoffed. “No wonder why everyone’s here, just loitering around.” Gaze moving directly to me, she mocked, “Trying to get a peek?”
Tightening my scowl, I mutely flipped her off.
“Well, Raina and I are here to help her move in,” Foster spoke up with a significant clearing of his throat. “Which reminds me…” He slapped Keene in the stomach as he passed by to head toward the exit. “Come on. Let’s start packing some boxes inside.”
But Keene merely scoffed. “Like I’m going to help you after you just threw me under the bus like that.”
“It’s not me you’d be helping, idiot.” Foster turned at the door so he could push it open with his spine as he stepped backward from the house. “It’d be Xander.”
“I bet she’d really appreciate it,” Raina taunted.
“Dammit,” Keene huffed as if he wanted to argue, only to hurry forward a second later, racing after Foster. “Alright. Wait on me.”
As Raina followed him out, Alec lifted his finger. “I’ll help too.” But he paused before taking two steps. “We still have time before the movie starts, right?” he asked Hope.
She gaped at him as if he’d lost his mind before shaking her head and answering, “Uh—sure.”
“Great.” He rushed outside to join the others.
And she kept talking to herself as if still addressing him. “We might just miss a few previews, which are your favorite things to watch, but…whatever.” Lifting up, she squinted as she watched him out the window. “Let’s help carry heavy, awkward boxes around instead.”
Hudson chuckled and patted her arm as he and Faith passed by to help cart in boxes as well. “Like I said, frazzled.”
“I guess.” Her murmur was full of distraction until everyone had left the living room except her and me.
Two seconds later, she sucked in a startled breath as if finally realizing that we were alone together, and she whirled to look directly at me.
I hardened my jaw.
“What?” she snapped.
I shook my head, letting her know I had nothing to say to her, and then I silently left the house after the others.
Damn woman. No way could I tell her brother about her request now. What if he figured out how much I actually wanted her? I couldn’t let that happen. No one could ever know that she’d become an ache in my bones.
Everyone else was already at the truck when I stepped outside. I jogged over, reaching them just as Foster who was standing inside the bed picked up a box and winced. “Ooh, this one’s heavy.”
Bypassing his girlfriend, he handed it to Keene.
“Hey, why do I get it, then?” Keene muttered, grunting when it loaded down his arms.
“Because you can’t deny me sex,” Foster countered as he winked lovingly at Raina and handed her a box that must be fairly light.
“Yes, I can,” Keene countered. “I’ll deny you sex right now. You can never have this fine-ass body. Do you hear me? I don’t care how big of a football star you are; I ain’t puttin’ out for you.”
“Oh jeez,” Foster muttered, rolling his eyes as he handed another box down to Alec next.
Keene scoffed and turned my way. “Here you go, Park.”
When he tried to pass the heaviness on to me, I sent him a get-real scowl. “Don’t even try it, fucker.”
“Come on, Sneezy,” Hope encouraged, appearing at his side to jostle his arm.
I jumped hard because I hadn’t realized she’d followed me outside.
“Don’t you want to show off these bulging muscles for the new girl? Because I gotta say…” Lifting her eyebrows, she sent him an amazed once-over. “You grew, like, seriously buff since high school.”
He blinked at her for a moment before beginning to nod. “You know what? Yes, I did.”
“Hell, yes, you did,” Hope agreed full-heartedly. “In fact, load him up with another, Happy. He’s got a girl to impress.”
“Yeah,” Keene seconded. “Pile one more on there, Union. I got this.”
Foster hesitated, not quite sure what was happening, but then he shrugged and plopped another box into Keene’s arms, completely obstructing his vision.
“Shit. Oh shit.” Keene wobbled and stumbled around, trying not to drop both cartons.
“You’ve got this,” Hope encouraged, fisting her hands as if she was actually rooting for him. “You’re doing great. And the way you’re carrying them is making your ass look incredible.”
That made him straighten. “Really?”
“Oh, yeah. Don’t stop now. She’s watching from the window.”
No one was watching from the window, but Keene couldn’t see that from his limited perspective. He kept walking, intent to look strong and capable, even as he muttered, “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” all the way to the front door.
“You know, Langston,” Hudson murmured as the few of us remaining at the truck paused to enjoy the show. “When you’re not unleashing your evil on me, I kind of actually enjoy some of the shit you pull.” And still watching Keene, he lifted his hand to the side to offer her a fist bump.
Preening, Hope sent him a smile and knocked her knuckles against his. “Thank you.”
“Should we help him with the door?” Faith asked.
As Keene toddled up the steps precariously to the front entrance, no one at Foster’s truck budged.
And Hudson finally shook his head. “Nah.”
Oaklynn ended up being his savior when she pulled the screen door open to exit, only to pause and back up, letting him in first.
“He’s fine,” Hudson announced, and we all turned away in disinterest to receive our own boxes to carry.
Both Faith and Hudson had gotten theirs by the time Oaklynn, Damien, and Xander had arrived to help out.
“Anything left for us to carry?” Oaklynn asked.
“Here, you can take this,” Hope offered, turning to extend the laundry basket full of folded blankets that Foster had just given her. “It’s pretty light.”
“Thank—oh my God !”