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“No,” he assures me once he manages to stop laughing, shaking his head. “It’s just…I didn’t expect you to take this so seriously.”
“I am serious,” I reiterate. “This isn’t some game, Parker.”
He holds up his hands in surrender with a grin on his face. “Okay, okay.”
I roll my eyes at him, but the corners of my mouth twitch upwards, betraying my amusement. “Listen, I will personally strangle you if Lauren finds out about us.” Sure, she’ll be mad at both of us at first, but she’ll eventually have to forgive Parker. He’s her brother, after all. Me? I’m just the best friend.
“Don’t worry,” he assures me. “I have no intention of letting my baby sister find out that I’m nailing her best friend.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “Nail?”
He shrugs and winks. “What’s a good nailing between friends?”
Friends. Yes, we’re friends. As insistent as I’ve been that we set up boundaries first, I need to remember to keep my own feelings and expectations in check. Just because a part of me wants to have more than just a fling with him doesn’t mean that he has to feel the same way.
“But remember,” I say, wagging a finger at him in mock sternness, “this may be for fun, but we need to be careful not to hurt each other.”
Parker gives me a measured look and then nods. “I agree. The last thing I want to do is hurt you, Chloe.”
He stands up from the desk and walks over to me. The room becomes very quiet, save for our breathing. There’s something in his gaze that makes my pulse quicken.
“I’m glad I said yes,” he murmurs as he rests his hands on my waist.
I take a deep breath and look up at him. He’s so close that I can see the fine lines around his eyes when he smiles. The heat from his body wraps around me and seems to pull me even closer to him.
“I’m glad, too,” I respond, unable to hide the smile tugging at my own lips.
He squeezes my hips lightly, then leans down to whisper into my ear, “So, should we get started?”
I pull back a little to meet his gaze again, my eyes wide at the idea. “Right…right now?”
His eyes light up as he breaks into a full grin. “Why not? We need to see just how compatible we are.”
“I-I…” My words get stuck in my throat, and I struggle to come up with a comprehensive response. “I don’t think we should do anything here.”
He takes hold of my chin and rubs his thumb along my bottom lip, making me shiver.
“No, I suppose we shouldn’t,” he agrees. “Especially if we don’t want Lauren to find out. So, let’s go to my place.” He suggests it casually, as if proposing that we go out for lunch, but I know he’s serious by the determined glint in his eye.
“Your place?” I gasp.
“Yeah. What do you say?”
I stare up at him for several moments before I manage to murmur, “Okay. Let’s go.”
Chapter six
Parker
We walk out of Lauren’s place, the afternoon sun casting long shadows as we move toward my car. We exchange glances every now and then, our faces flushed with a strange mix of anticipation and apprehension. There’s a heavy tension between us that wasn’t there before, and despite the light banter we keep up, both of us are aware of what will happen as we soon as cross the threshold of my house.
Reaching my car, I hold the door open for her. She slides in, offering me a small smile as she tugs on a loose strand of hair, a nervous habit of hers I recognize. As I shut the door behind her, I take a moment to compose myself before slipping into the driver’s seat.
The ride to my place is silent at first, but the tension makes it hard for me to breathe, so I have to break it before too long.
“So,” I say, sounding breathless, “how are things with Holt? Still suck?”
She turns to me and looks surprised. “You really want to talk about Holt right now?”
