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“Parker doesn’t want me like that.” The words rip through me, leaving my chest raw, and my insides feel as though they’re about to pour out of me. Exactly like when he walked away from me after our almost kiss.
“Has he expressly said ‘Summer, I don’t want you’?” Honor asks, pushing my drink toward me.
“No.” And I’m certain he wants me.
I see it in the way he looks at me. I feel it even with the space between us. This pull—a thread that winds and knots tighter and tighter around my heart—that makes it impossible to catch my breath or shake off the heat of his presence long after we’ve parted ways.
“Has he specifically told you ‘I don’t want to fuck you?’ or ‘I’m not rubbing off to you every night?’ ’Cause, I can guarantee he is. Any man with eyes…” Alice hums, screwing her sex potion closed again and dropping it into her purse. She’s going through the stuff like it’s candy syrup.
“Jesus, no! He hasn’t said that, but—”
“But shit, Sum! But…fuck—”
“Yes, butt fuck, lovebug!” Alice cuts off whatever Honor is about to say. “That’s what Hot Boss fantasizes about every time your tight ass walks past him.”
“My point was that you need to stop thinking and start doing.”
“And if he doesn’t catch up to your stride, then it’s his loss ’cause you’re a damn catch.”
Rolling my eyes in resignation, I gulp down the entirety of my drink and slap the glass back down on the table while I shake the sherberty brain freeze. “Fine. Fine! Okay.”
“Noah Jackson better be ready for this!” Honor laughs while Alice finishes her drink in one too and then croons, “Atta girl!”
This is a bad idea if there ever was one, but the more we talk about Parker, the more I need to see him. It may be pathetic, but I can’t stay away, no matter how hard I will myself to try.
We barely touch the tapas we order, and by the time the rest of our group arrives, I’m buzzed. I have no idea what’s going on with me, but I’m so hot, I’m surprised sweat isn’t pouring off me. The mere friction of my silk dress is driving me insane as we leave the restaurant and walk a few blocks down to Parker’s hotel.
I have to take a moment to catch my breath before I walk through the revolving doors. The floral scent from all the tall arrangements set out in the lobby engulfs me, triggering my heart into overdrive. As crazy as it seems, my entire body calls to attention as I get us through to the elevator.
“Thanks, Sal,” I call back to the doorman who’s serving as a bouncer for tonight. The rooftop button lights up as he dips in and presses it for us.
“Sure thing, Summer.” He smiles before he adds, “Perks of the job, right?”
“You know what else could be a perk of the job?” Alice whispers in my ear, her hot breath making me shiver as it tickles down the side of my neck.
What the hell is wrong with me?
Pinching her ass with an over-the-shoulder glare, I tell her, “Behave yourself.”
A low cackle vibrates from her as the doors ping open to the twinkle light canopy outside. The place is busy with a stage raised up high enough that Honor swoons at the sight of her pop star crush.
The upbeat rhythm of the music makes me smile, even as my chest squeezes at sudden heaviness in the air. My awareness of Parker’s presence has my blood rushing through me, tingling as it courses through me hot and thick.
“We’ll get drinks if you guys find a decent spot to dance.” Grabbing my hand, Alice starts toward the bar, dragging me as I try not to buckle in my high heels.
The straps wrapped around my legs suddenly feel too tight. My entire being is sparking, fireworks waiting to go off. And all it takes is a glimpse.
Light blond hair glitters in the muted light, and I internally kick myself for not running my fingers through it when I had the chance. I’m enthralled by the sight of Parker in his fitted white shirt, tucked into black jeans that mold to every muscled inch of his long legs. The brown leather of his belt holds my full attention as he spins to grab a top-shelf liquor, and I imagine the pull of his abs, the flex of taut lines beneath his shirt.
“Close your mouth,” Alice chuckles in my ear. “You’re drooling.”
“Stop doing that!” I snap at her as another shiver runs through me.
“Feeling hot?”
“This was a mistake,” I tell her, turning to walk away, but before I can get far, I stall.
“Summer?”
