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I grind my teeth, not liking the tone in his voice. “Don’t lecture me like I’m a child. It’s not like I plan to make a habit of it. I only fed you because I had no other choice. IstoppedHenry from biting me, and Josephine wasn’t exactly my fault. I can’t help it if your friends keep trying to kill me.”
Parker sags in his seat, feeling like shit. My words were too harsh. I’m angry about the vampire attack, but I know it wasn’t Parker’s fault, and I know he feels terrible about it. “Nora,” he croaks. “I’m so sorry.”
Now he’s apologizing for things that weren’t his fault. Don’t I feel like an ass? “Never mind. It doesn’t matter. I’ve already forgiven you for taking me to Henry. What he tried to do, and what Josephine did, is not your fault. I don’t blame you,and I’m not mad at you. Let’s not fight.”
Parker mulls over my words before slowly reaching across the console to drop his fingers on my forearm. I’m grateful he doesn’t grab my hand. He knows how much I hate that. “You’ve really forgiven me?” he asks.
There’s no mistaking the hope in his voice. I feel bad for putting it there. I hadn’t meant to lead him on, but I’m probably the queen of mixed signals where Parker’s concerned. It’s not my fault my body and my head want different things in his case.
I shrug as indifferently as possible. “I forgave you the night I met Director West and she freed me from Henry. You were out trying to find your missing friend, and I was not only hanging out with your main suspect, but I was acting suspicious. You did what you had to. I get it. No harm, no foul.”
Parker’s murmured thank-you is so soft it quiets us both, and we finish the drive to the mall in silence. Parker keeps his hand on my forearm, and I don’t move it. I should, because it’s basically the closest thing I can get to handholding if I don’t want to spend the drive in his thoughts, but I find his light touch comforting.
When we arrive at the mall, he parks in front of Macy’s and leads me straight to the coat section. I don’t even want to know how much the coats on these racks cost. Parker doesn’t seem to care. He wastes no time heading into the clothes and holding out ones he likes. I’m not surprised the man likes to shop, considering he dresses immaculately and looks like aGQmodel.
“Oh, this one is lovely.”
He holds out a red coat that is, admittedly, very stunning. I give him a look as I shake my head. “If you can describe it aslovely, it’s not the coat for me.”
He waits a moment, then decides not to argue, and reaches for a white one. “White?” I laugh. “Are you kidding? I’d ruin it in a day.”
He puts it back and reaches for the same coat in black. When he cocks his brow, I still shake my head, pointing at the waist. “Nothing with a belt. That’s just ridiculous. I belt my pants, not my coats.”
He chuckles and wanders to another rack. I stand back, watching the man shop for me with amusement. He’s got great taste, but he’s completely missingmytaste. He holds up a coat that would go to my knees with a hopeful expression. “Parker. No. That’s a dress, not a coat.”
He sighs. “It’s called a skirted swing coat, and it’s very nice, Nora. Have you ever owned anything nice?”
I laugh. “I grew up in foster care in Detroit, worked in a garage changing oil and tires, and lived in the slums. What do you think? I’d probably have been shot for a coat that nice where I used to live.”
He puts the coat back but doesn’t reach for another one. “Nora…” His face falls. “You deserve so much more than the life you’ve had.”
His comment doesn’t faze me. When it’s the only life you’ve had, you get used to it. “A lot of people deserve more than they have. And plenty have more than they deserve.” I shrug. “That’s just life. No use dwelling on what could or should be. Best to learn to be happy with what you’ve got.”
He holds my eyes with a steady gaze and says, “I admire you, Nora.”
I have to look away when my cheeks flush. I’m not one of those women who can’t take a compliment, but Parker has a way of taking intensity to the extreme. “Thanks,” I mutter, grabbing the nearest coat. It’s a puffy monstrosity that I’d never wear in a million years and actually recoil from when I realize what I’m holding. “Ugh. Who would wear this?”
Parker chuckles, and I’m grateful I’ve successfully relieved the tension between us. I can handle him a lot better when his mood is light. He picks up a stylish sleek black jacket next, and I sigh. “Don’t they have anything…I don’t know…badass? Something that saysstay back, before I cut a bitch?”
Parker bursts into laughter. The sound shocks me. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him laugh out loud like that. He’s normally so reserved and serious. I’m kind of proud to have broken through his composure. “Sorry,” he says. “I didn’t take you for the tight black leather type.”
“Ugh. I’m not. First, that’s way too cliché, and second, I wouldn’t want Nick to think I’m copying his style.”
I roll my eyes conspiratorially, and Parker laughs again. Sadly, he’s gone back to that quiet chuckle. It’s nice, but not nearly as satisfying or sexy as his laugh. “I think you’re the only person in the world that gets away with calling him Nick.”
I smirk. “I amnotcalling him Gorgeous. That’s just ridiculous, and the man hears it way more than is healthy for a guy’s ego.”
Parker laughs again—a second real laugh—and I can’t help the proud grin that spreads across my face. I meet his smile with mine, and suddenly he’s right there, all up in my space, stealing the breath from my lungs and making my heart beat erratically. His eyes lock on mine, filled with so much heat that I gasp. “Parker.” I mean it as a warning, but I can’t quite make it sound like one.
He moves in closer. “I want you, Nora.”
Well, shit.
I gulp in some air and accidentally shiver. Our chests are touching now, but his hands are still at his sides, and he’s being very careful not to touch my skin with his own. Our mouths are just inches from each other. He refuses to break our stare, and I can’t. “I’m a desperate man,” he whispers. “Ease my suffering.”
He leans in. I don’t move. I’m not sure if that means I’m giving him permission or if I’m just too frozen with nerves to back up. His lips hover, just for an instant, over mine, so close I can barely feel them. Instead of pulling away, my eyes fall shut, and then, suddenly, Parker devours me in a heated kiss.
It’s the first kiss I’ve had in almost four years, and my body reacts as such. I push myself against him, and kiss him back.
