I roll my eyes. As if that’s going to happen. “Uh, yeah, right.”

  She laughs and hits me with her hip. “You’re a hottie, Haven. Have fun with it.”

  This time I can’t help laughing. I turn to walk away, and there’s a smile plastered to my face. The music is loud, and I try to look around at the people sitting at the bar to see if anyone needs any refills when I hear my name.

  I swear it’s Parker’s voice, but I shake my head and smile even more. Heck, I’m even hearing his voice now. I’m definitely missing him.

  “Haven,” I hear again, and this time, I look in the direction I think it’s coming from.

  It’s then I see him. I know my mouth falls open. Parker, my best friend, the love of my life is here. I swear he gets bigger every time I see him. His smile is wide as he opens his arms to me.

  He wasn’t supposed to be here until next week. I set the tray I’m holding down and run for him.

  Chapter 4

  Parker

  I was staring at my best friend’s ass. That’s what I’m thinking as I call Haven’s name. As soon as she sees me, her whole face lights up. I hold my arms open, and she runs for me.

  I steady myself as she bolts into my arms. We both laugh, and like I’ve done a hundred times, I pick her up in my arms. Her legs go around my waist, and we hold on to each other. She’s hugging me, and the feel of her body against mine has me holding her tighter. She pulls back and looks at me. The excitement on her face reflects exactly what I’m feeling. Kiss her. That’s what goes through my head, and I barely hold back.

  “Okay, okay, nothing to see here.”

  Haven and I both look at the woman standing next to us as she holds a tray up and arms held wide. “Uh, Haven... you’re literally showing your ass.”

  Haven jerks in my arms, and instinctively, my hands go to her ass. The feel of the silky material under my hand has me palming her ass as if I can hide it from everyone that may be looking. Haven’s eyes are wide as she stares down at me. “Uh, Parker...”

  I blink, hearing the husky tone of her voice when she says my name. I swallow. “Yeah?”

  A small smile forms on her face. “Can you let me down? Briony can’t stand here and hold the tray all night.”

  I clear my throat and stare back at her. Right. I should let her down. And I do just that, but I can’t resist letting her body slide down mine. I hold on to her until her feet touch the ground. Our bodies are pressed together, and I can feel the stirring in my loins as she looks up at me in wonder.

  I clear my throat again. What the hell am I doing? I’m supposed to be her best friend. I’m not supposed to be mauling her. And what the hell is she even doing here? She lied to me. The sexual frustration I feel switches to something else. I put my hands on her shoulders. “What are you doing here? I thought you were working at the library.”

  Guilt crosses her face. I don’t think she’s ever lied to me before, and maybe this isn’t a lie, but it sure as hell is something she’s withholding.

  “Truth?” she asks.

  I grit my teeth, wondering what kind of bombshell she’s about to drop on me. “Obviously. We don’t lie to each other, Haven.”

  The crowd around us starts to clap, and I realize that the band just finished a song. They announce they’re going on break, and people start walking toward the bar. Fuck.

  Haven pulls from my arms and points to a seat at the bar. “Here, have a seat.”

  Begrudgingly, I do as she asks. Patrons and staff start ordering drinks, and Haven works efficiently filling orders. She keeps sneaking peeks at me, and I sit here and openly stare at her.

  Another server comes up and sets her tray on the bar top. “Haven, I need a draft and a shot of whiskey. Wow! It’s crazy out here tonight. And hey, Steven’s pestering me for your number, but don’t worry. I’m not giving it to him.” She starts to laugh. “I mean, unless you want me to.”

  I turn to the woman. “She doesn’t.”

  I blurt it out before I can think about it. The woman smiles at me and looks at Haven and tilts her head at me. “Uh yeah, if I had one of those, I wouldn’t bother with Steven either.”

  Haven is looking at me in surprise as she puts the drink order on the tray. When the other woman walks away, I lean across the bar. “What are you doing here, Haven? What happened at the library?”

  She shakes her head. “What if I wanted Steven to have my number?”

  I swear I can hear my jaw crack as it tightens. I don’t want to ask, but I have to know. “Do you?”

  I’m staring at her as if I’m daring her to say yes. I’ve never wanted to punch someone I’ve never met before, but I would love to punch this Steven in the throat right now. “Do you?” I repeat.

  She shakes her head. “No... Look, I wasn’t lying to you. I quit the library a few months ago. I just didn’t mention it to you. My dad left to work in New York and yeah, he left me the house, but now I have to pay the utilities and buy food and stuff. Luckily, college is paid for. I needed to make more money, and I do that here.”

  Fuck! Her dad’s never really been involved. I think that’s one of the reasons she loves my family so much. “You should have just talked to me. I would have given you the money.”

  She holds her hands up. “No way. I pay my own way, Parker. And don’t be mad at your mom and dad and Tony. I asked them not to tell you until I had a chance to talk to you about it.”

  “Two Long Island iced teas, please.”

  Haven starts mixing drinks for the next order. I watch her and am amazed at how well she does it. Of course, I shouldn’t be surprised. She’s super smart. Always has been. And she’s a fast learner. She looks like a professional right now as she pours different bottles into the two large cups. All through school, she was the smart one. I’m sure people couldn’t understand why she hung out with me—hell, I didn’t understand it for the longest time. But somehow our differences made us that much closer. I truly believe that Haven and I have a bond that is unbreakable. But as I watch her work, admiring the curves of her body that I’ve tried to put out of my head, I’m hoping that I don’t fuck this up. Because losing Haven’s friendship is not an option.

  Chapter 5

  Haven

  "I'll be right back. I need to help on the floor," I tell Parker as I walk out from behind the bar, out where all the tables are. There's only so much I can stand working in that closed-off space with Parker watching me closely. I swear my heart is racing triple time. I can't believe he's here. He wasn't supposed to arrive in Redwood until next week. Usually whenever I see him, it's something that I mentally need to prepare myself for, but there was no preparing tonight. I let my true excitement shine through when I barreled toward him, and he put me in a fierce bear hug. My body is still trembling from the after-effects.

  Parker puts his hand on my shoulder and looks at me worriedly. "I'll be right here if you need anything."

  My forehead creases, not understanding, but I nod and keep walking. It seems as if hours have gone by. The crowd has picked up, and I have worked my ass off refilling beers and doing orders. I told Parker that he can go on home, but he wasn't having it. He's determined to sit here until we have a chance to talk.

  I walk around the room, picking up empty bottles and carrying them to the trash. I make several trips and talk to a few regulars along the way. Steven is still persistent, but I just laugh it off. I'm smiling when I return to the bar and Parker is looking at me with a guarded expression. The closer I get, the more I can inspect his face. It's obvious he's tired. I imagine he doesn't get a lot of rest, and probably the last thing he wants to be doing is sitting at a bar.

  "I'm telling you, Parker, go on home. We can catch up tomorrow. I can tell you're tired." But before I even get the words out, he shakes his head. "Nope, I'm going to wait until you're off."

  I lift my arm up and look at the smart watch on my wrist. "We don’t close for a few more hours," I tell him. I've stopped next to him, and he turns to where his knees are on each side of my body. Parker and I have always been like this. We've always hugged and touched one another. That's just how our friendship is. So standing like this is nothing new.

  However, I have to keep reminding myself to not let my body let on how much being this close to him affects me. I look at his broad shoulders, which seem to get even bigger every time I see him. He juts his chin at me. "What is it? What are you thinking?"

  I laugh and shake my head. There’s no way I’m telling him that. I set the tray of bottles on the bar top and put my hand on his shoulders, rubbing them up and down his arms and then across his chest. I wiggle my eyebrows at him. "I bet you still have women falling at your feet all the time. Do you work out every day, all day? I can't believe how big you are."

  I feel his body pulsate under my palms. He reaches up and grabs on to my wrist, holding my hands in place. I suck in a breath as he stares back at me. His voice is low as he looks me in the eye. "What about this new look you have, Haven?”

  I can feel my face turn red. I roll my eyes and try to pull from his grasp as I pretend to laugh it off. "I know. I look ridiculous, don't I?"

  His hands tighten on my wrist, and he pulls me toward him. "You don't look ridiculous at all.” We're so close I can feel his breath on my cheek. I search his eyes, trying to understand what I'm seeing. His nostrils flare, and I feel his chest expand as he takes a deep breath. I want to ask him what he thinks of my new look, but I'm not brave enough to do so. Instead, I pull back. "I need to get back to work."

  He nods. "I'll be waiting right here."

  I almost start to argue with him again and tell him to go on home, but I know that it’s a lost cause. Parker is going to do what he wants to do. I spend the next hour working when one of the managers offers to let me cut out early. Parker hasn't moved from his spot, and I know he’s ready to go. I can use the money, but I don’t want to miss out spending time with Parker; he’s only here for a short time. I walk over toward him. "You ready?"

  He nods and gestures for me to go in front of him. I wave bye to everyone that is left and then we walk outside. He walks with me to my car, and I stop next to the driver's side door. "Now where?"

  "You want to come to my house?"

  I nod my head. "Yeah, that's good. I should probably go home and grab some clothes though, first."

  He shakes his head. "You can wear something of mine."

  I start to argue with him, but I decide not to. I've spent the night at Parker's house a lot throughout the years, and I've worn his clothes before. I know he's thinking that this will be like old times, and a part of me doesn't want to stop it from happening. He points down the block. "I'm parked right down there. I'll follow you, okay?"

  I nod and get into my car.

  The drive to Parker's house is quick, and I stop at the end of his driveway to let him pull in first so I can pull in behind him. He waits for me at the front of my car, and we walk into the house together. His mom and dad greet us, and I can't help but smile as his mom holds on to him, a little tighter and longer. It's obvious that she's really missed him. I know exactly how she feels. His parents have always stayed up late, but it isn't long after we get there that they go upstairs to their bedroom, leaving us alone.

  Parker and I stare back at each other almost awkwardly, and then my phone beeps from my pocket. I pull it out and look at it. Parker leans toward me. "Who is that?"

  I look at him, surprised because I would swear that I hear jealousy in his voice. "It's no one. My phone is about to go dead."

  He holds his hand out. "I have a charger in my bag. I'm pretty sure it's in my room. I'll go charge it there."

  I hand over my phone and watch as he walks out of the room. When he comes back, he has clothes in his hand. "Here you go so you can get more comfortable if you want."

  I take the clothes from him and disappear down the hall and change quickly. I look at myself in the mirror, wearing his gray T-shirt with Army written across the front of it. I bring it up to my nose and inhale the scent of him. He may not realize it yet, but he probably won't be getting this shirt back.

  When I get back into the living room, Parker is taking up most of the couch. I sit next to him, but before I can get a word out, he blurts out, "I don't think I like you working at the bar. I wish you would let me help you."

  I shake my head. I'm used to this side of Parker. He's always been protective of me, and that's probably why I didn't want him to know that I was working at On the Rocks. But honestly, we live in Redwood. Nothing ever happens here. He doesn't need to worry about my safety. "I knew you wouldn't like it. That's probably why I didn't say anything to you, but it's fine."

  He opens his mouth to say something and then closes it quickly. He leans back on the couch and puts his arm around my shoulders. "All right, so tell me everything that I've missed since I've been gone."

  Chapter 6

  Parker

  I had to get her something else to wear. I knew there was no way I would be able to sit next to her on the couch while her thighs were on display. I've barely been able to keep my eyes off her body, period. I thought giving her a sweatshirt and a pair of my sweatpants would do the trick. But as soon as she walked back into the room, it didn't matter, I still want her. Plus, seeing her in my clothes makes me feel a whole new level of possessiveness for her.

  We talk for a while until we're both yawning. I don't even ask her if she's spending the night, I just assume she will.

  Growing up, she stayed here all the time. She slept on the couch; she's even slept in my bed. She falls asleep first, and I turn off the TV and lie on the couch next to her. She's on one end and I'm on the other. It's not comfortable, but I can't force myself to leave her to even go to the other room. I don't know how long I lie here, thinking of her, listening to her breathe, but it's bringing me a calm feeling that I haven't felt in a long, long time. That's the last thing I remember before finally nodding off.

  The next morning when the sun is peeking in the windows, I wake up to a weight across my body and Haven mumbling, "Oh, shit."

  I lift my head and look at her. She’s sprawled across me, her legs wrapped around mine and my arms wrapped around her body holding on to her butt. I know I should let her go, at least that's what I'm telling myself, but I don't. She moves, and I can't hold in the grunt as her leg rubs against my hard manhood. Instinctively, I hold on to her tighter, palming her ass, holding her still. We both freeze, staring into each other's eyes. I can't release her, not yet.

  I'm afraid if I feel her shifting across my body, I'm going to come right here and now, embarrassing us both. I grunt at her, "Don't move."

  Her eyes widen, but that's the only move she makes. I swear she stops breathing. Looking into her eyes is not helping matters. I clench my eyes shut and try to think of anything else except the feel of her against me. Haven shifts softly, and I groan again, "Fuck! Kill me now.”

  She lifts up on her arms, taking the weight of her upper body off of me. "I am sorry, I'm too big," she starts.

  I shake my head, grinding my teeth together. She doesn't realize that by taking the weight off her upper body, she's pressing her lower body even more against me.

  I can hear the bang of pots and pans in the kitchen and I know that my mom is already started on a four-course breakfast. "You are not too big. I'm trying not to come right now, Haven. I should probably be embarrassed, but I'm not." My body has responded to her the only way it knows how.

  "Oh," she says, and her mouth forms a perfect O, putting all new thoughts in my head. I start to mumble, and she whispers to me, "What are you doing?"

  "I'm counting sheep," I tell her.

  I feel her body jiggle as she laughs. “I think that's for when you're trying to go to sleep.”

  I open my eyes and stare into hers. "All right, well, I need to do something because my dick has a mind of its own right now."

  She bites on to her lower lip and swallows. I take three deep breaths and then another. When I realize the feeling is starting to subside, I slide out from underneath her and land on the floor. I'm sitting with my legs up, my elbows resting on my knees. Haven sits up on the couch and looks at her watch. "I have to go, I have class."

  I know we need to talk, but I'm not in the right frame of mind right now. “Will I see you later?" I ask her.

  She nods as she pulls on her shoes and is tying her laces. She's not looking at me, and it's making me nervous. Did I just fuck up everything? I reach up and put a hand on her knee. "Are you okay?"

  She laughs at that. "I should be asking you that. Are you okay?"

  I've always been honest with her, and I'm not going to start lying now. "I will be."

  She doesn’t get my meaning and jumps up off the couch. "I have to go. Just text or call me later, and we can meet up or whatever."

  I point toward the couch. "We should probably talk about this, don't you think?"

  She grabs the plastic bag that holds the clothes that she had on last night. Her cheeks turn pink, and she shrugs her shoulders. "There's nothing really to talk about. It's a morning hard-on, right? Completely normal."

  I can't help but gape open-mouthed at her. Really? Does she think that's all this is? Can she not feel the attraction between us, the chemistry? Maybe she feels it but doesn't want to do anything about it. I start to ask her, but she holds up her bag. "I really have to go."

  I nod from my place on the floor, "Okay, I'll call you later."

  It's like she runs out the front door, and I get up to walk to my bedroom. My mom calls from the doorway of the kitchen, "Breakfast will be ready in 20 minutes."

  I keep walking because I definitely don’t want to get caught with morning wood by my mom. "I'm going to shower. I'll be out soon," I call to her as I walk into my bedroom.

  I strip off my clothes as soon as I get into the ensuite bathroom. My cock is still painfully hard, and I know the only thing that is going to take care of that right now is a cold shower. Fuck, a cold shower probably won’t even touch it, but I get in and stand under the icy spray. I try to clear my mind, but it doesn't work. All I can think about is Haven, images of her and her skirt and tight black T-shirt, seeing the way other men looked and appreciated her and then this morning the feel of her on top of me. I reach between my legs and grab on to my shaft and start to stroke myself. I need this release. I need to come with Haven's name on the tip of my tongue.

 

1 2 3 4 5 6