AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It meant that I didn’t want to risk what he was willing. I didn’t want to bring her into the fold only to be burned once again. Sharing her meant risking our brotherhood. We wouldn’t survive that.
“Yea,” I said, kicking him under the table.
“Well, I was going to introduce you guys. But since you’ve already met, Thea, would you like a drink?”
“Yeah,” she nodded, setting her purse on the booth between her and Parker. “I’m starving. What’s good here?”
I shrugged, putting on my best friendly face. I was a naturally cheery person, and even if I was angry, I rarely shared my emotions. Joyfulness just came naturally to me, and Thea seemed to feed off that. She turned to Parker, waiting for his response.
Parker rested his arm on the back of the booth, an intimate gesture that marked his territory to any of the men in the room. He was claiming her, even if she wasn’t sure exactly what that meant. “They have the basics in a small town like this. Pizza, wings, beer. Fries.”
She scrunched her nose. “What about cheesesteak?” She reached for the menu in the center of the table, flipping it open. Glancing at it, her lips scrunched as she contemplated her next meal.
All I could think about was how I wanted to feast between her thighs, while also trying to push that thought away. Because despite what Parker was expecting tonight, I wouldn’t give in to this ridiculous plan.
“They do,” Parker confirmed.
I wasn’t hooking up with her in a no strings attached capacity. She was too good for that, too fucking sexy with her dimpled cheek and bright eyes to only get a taste of once. We couldn’t keep her, so we couldn’t have her. That was final. No matter what Parker said to convince me otherwise.
“So, Thea. Where are you from originally?” I asked, watching her as she scanned the menu.
“I just moved from North Carolina. Before that, my mom kinda just shuffled me around wherever.”
“How so?” My beer was now finished, and I needed a new one immediately.
“My dad was a lineman, so he went wherever there was work. Mom tried to follow so that I could see him. She calls home Pennsylvania right now.”
She grinned, her eyes on Parker as he set his bottle down. Picking it up, she inspected the label before taking a swig. That earned her a squeeze on the shoulder from him. He swiped the bottle back, drinking after her, then flashed her a wink.
Turning to me, he said, “She’s swapping spit with me already, and I haven’t even bought her dinner yet.”
Thea blushed and nudged him in the side. “She is interested in craft beer. Hence the bar renovations. Of course, I had to have a sip.”
Parker raised a brow, his head facing me, but a side eye on her. “And what did you think, nabi?”
My breath hitched when he said that word. I didn’t know the specific meaning to that particular word, but I knew he liked to call Millie something in Korean, too. He called anyone in bed we were with by jagiya–baby or honey. Here he was, already giving her her own special endearment.
Thea grinned up at him, that sweet dimple showing. “I think you have good taste.”
I closed my eyes, inhaling to steel myself for the rest of this evening. Parker wasn’t going to let go of this girl. I’d have to pry her from his cold, dead hands. And I knew this was going to cause an uproar in the house.
Chapter Seven
Thea
“The food was great,” I said, wiping my mouth with a napkin. I pushed my plate into the center and the guys piled theirs on top.
I went with the buffalo chicken bites and hadn’t been disappointed. I stuck with water, only having half of the beer I ordered so that I could drive home responsibly.
“You planning to have food at your bar?” Hendrix asked. His gaze settled on my mouth, and he licked his lips while he waited for my response.
The way he did it, his tongue wetting the pink flesh, made my stomach do somersaults. I didn’t know if I’d ever get used to feeling so wanted.
I forced myself to focus on his question, to steer myself away from my mind getting into the gutter. If I got off track too much, I’d wind up spreading my legs too and looking like a whore.
“Yes. My friend, Chrissy, is a chef. She’ll handle food until we can afford some staff,” I said, making eye contact with Hendrix.
Parker’s hand had started on the back of the booth, but was now draped over my shoulder. It was comforting, and I knew I was treading in dangerous waters. This, being comfortable and safe with someone, meant more than just a summer fling, and all I had time for was a fling. I couldn’t get involved emotionally with anyone when Paisley would be home in a month and a half.
