AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I can see why you like it here,” he says, taking it all in. The bright colors, bustling atmosphere, and the wonderful smells floating over from the surrounding tables—what’s not to love?
“This place serves paradise on a plate, I’m telling you,” I admit, accepting my drink with thanks.
“I meant the colors. It’s very you. Bright, bold, and bewitching.”
“Why, Mr. Hawthorne, are you flirting with me?” I tease, licking the salt from the rim of my margarita. His eyes follow the movement, and his pupils dilate.
“If you have to ask, maybe I need to up my game” is his husky reply, his eyes never leaving my lips.
Heat courses through my body, and I know it has little to do with the alcohol and everything to do with the man sitting across from me. He’s captivated me, completely. He consumes my thoughts, my dreams, and my fantasies. I could spend the rest of my life touching him and yet never have my fill. He’s an addictive entity, and I’m powerless but to succumb to my compulsion.
“Shall we order?” he asks, and I shake myself free of my thoughts, though his knowing grin tells me he’s aware.
“We really should. I’d be distraught if I got myself banned for lewd behavior,” I tease.
18
PARKER
“Ummm…” Summer quirks her a brow in my direction when I sit in one of the ridiculously huge armchairs that look more like thrones.
“This could work in the bedroom.” Looking around the store that has nothing to my personal taste, I add, “Call it the cum chair.”
“Hmmm…thirst throne would work better.”
The two of us burst out in laughter as she pulls me to my feet, and we walk out of the nouveau riche store. The gaudy furniture surpasses tacky. Wrapping my arm around her shoulder while we walk back to my Tesla, I press a kiss to the healing laceration on her head.
“Tell me you’re not complicating things because of me.” Summer rests her hand on mine on the center console.
“Heather hurt you, Summer. You’re lucky it wasn’t worse, and I’m lucky that it wasn’t Easton.” Blowing out a breath, I get us on the road to Harrison’s gallery. He agreed to give us a private tour of the recent pieces he’s curated. “So tell me, why interior design?”
Summer chortles bashfully, staring down at her lap. “After my dad left, my mom became depressed. I remember her throwing out a lot of furniture because it held memories, and when we could afford to replace it, she would be happy.”
“So it’s because of your mom?”
“No, absolutely not.” She shakes her head, turning up the song on the radio a little with a sigh.
It’s the same song she was dancing to the night we almost kissed, and as we come to a stop at the traffic lights, I lean over and do what I should’ve done then. I kiss Summer until she’s humming, and the car behind us toots its horn for us to move.
“Okay, so it’s not because of your mom, but she’s part of the reason.”
“I guess. It’s the happiness that she got from stripping our home of our old life and making it a fresh start. I suppose I like the idea of doing that for people. Giving them fresh starts to make new memories.”
“You really are a saint, aren’t you?” I chuckle, bringing our clasped hands to my lips and playfully biting her knuckles.
“Not when you do that shit to me.”
Of course, my dick instantly agrees, silently offering to take it all the way. Ignoring the ache of my muscles as they stiffen with the insatiable need to have her, I go back to our conversation.
“Tell me more about your mom. Is she going to be at your cousin’s party?”
A dread-filled groan grumbles from her. “There’s not really much to tell. She and my dad got divorced, and some years after, she met her current husband online. When he asked her to move to LA, she left, and I stayed with my aunt.”
“Why didn’t she—”
“I wanted to stay,” she says quickly as though she wants to get this conversation over with. “It’s not a big deal.”
The way she tries to take her hand back says otherwise. Summer never pulls away, not unless she’s trying to protect herself from getting hurt or trying to hide it.
