Chapter 7

  Haven

  Did that really just happen? My whole body is heated, and I visibly tremble as I sit down on my seat in the car. I grip the steering wheel and rest my head against it, trying to catch my breath. It feels as if I’ve run a mile instead of just walking out of Parker’s house and down the driveway to my car.

  I close my eyes, trying to center myself before I start driving. I’ve slept at Parker's house a thousand times. Heck, we've slept in the same bed together. But THAT has never happened. I lift my head and look at my watch. I don't have much time. I'm going to have to rush home, change clothes, shower, and get to class. I reach into the plastic bag that holds my clothes from last night and search for my phone. After a few seconds, I remember that I gave it to Parker last night. It’s probably sitting on his nightstand being charged. Shit!

  I don't have long to figure it out. I can’t be late for class. I get out of the car and run back into the house. I never knock, and I'm not going to start now. But I do walk slowly in the front door. “Hello?” I say.

  Parker's mom comes to the door of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. “Hey, Haven, I thought you left already. We're going to eat breakfast as soon as Parker gets out of the shower.”

  I nod. “I appreciate that, but I have to get to class. I made it as far as the driveway when I realized that I’d left my phone charging in Parker’s room.”

  She nods. “Well, you know where it is. Feel free to grab it. Do you want me to fix you a to-go box?”

  I shake my head. “No, that's fine. I won't even have time to eat it. But I appreciate it, thank you.”

  She tells me she’ll see me later and walks back into the kitchen.

  I walk down the hallway toward Parker’s bedroom. I push open his bedroom door, walk across the room, and spot my phone sitting on the nightstand.

  I reach over to pick it up, and that's when I hear it. Something that sounds like a grunt... almost as if someone’s in pain or something.

  My head jerks up, and I look around the room. As I listen closer, I can hear the water in the bathroom through the open door. Don't look, Haven! That's what I tell myself over and over. But I pocket my phone and tiptoe across the room to the door of the bathroom. I can see Parker clearly, standing underneath the spray of the shower. The muscles of his back flex. He has one hand on the wall and his other one is working, stroking his cock between his legs. I shouldn't be watching this. I would die if I got caught, but like a peeping Tom, I can't force myself to walk away. It’s as if my eyes are glued to him. I stand and watch as he pleasures himself, and he's not slowing down.

  If anything, his movements become more erratic. His hips start to thrust back and forth. His grunts become more insistent and forceful. I can feel the pull in my lower belly. A wet heat pools between my legs. I rub my legs together as if the friction will soothe me, but all it does is make the throbbing more intense. I haven't even touched myself, but I know it wouldn’t take much for me to come, here and now.

  I watch him with my mouth watering. It’s as if my whole life has tilted on its axis. I know right from wrong, and this is so very wrong. But I’m rooted to the spot.

  I hear him loud and clear as he groans my name when he comes. “Haven.”

  He grunts loudly, and I gasp with surprise. He just came and said my name. My best friend, the man I have secretly been in love with for more than half of my life, just came with my name on his lips. I don’t know how long I stay here, but as soon as I hear the water shut off, I'm out all but running from the room. I barely get to my car before my phone dings in my pocket.I’m breathing hard, panting. I pull my phone from my pocket and open the messaging app.

  Seeing Parker’s name on my phone only intensifies every emotion that I'm feeling. I read the text. “Can you get off tonight?”

  I hold on to the phone tightly. My body is tingling, and truth be told, I could probably get off right now. But that's not something that I want to do in the driveway of their house, and I know that’s not what he meant.

  Another text comes in. “My brother is throwing a get-together to welcome me home.”

  I take three breaths to try to steady myself and reply, “You should hang out with your friends.”

  As soon as I get the read receipt that he saw the text, my phone starts to ring. I almost drop it when I see his name on the caller ID. I hit the answer button and say, “Hello.”

  I start the car and transfer the phone to the hands-free option as I pull out of his driveway. His voice fills my car. “You're my friend.”

  I grimace at his choice of words. I mean, I know it's right. We are friends. But damn, I want to be more. “Really Parker, it's not a big deal. You can hang out and catch up with all of them tonight. We can see each other tomorrow.”

  “No,” he blurts out.

  I can't help but laugh. He's so stubborn. “What do you mean, no?”

  “I mean, if you don't want to go, then I'm hanging out with you.”

  I shake my head and glance at the clock. I really do have to hurry. I push on the gas. “Parker,” I say, dragging out his name.

  “No, Haven, I'm serious. I want to spend as much time with you as I can. I can spend time with my brother tomorrow or another time. So it's up to you what you want to do tonight.”

  I pull onto my street. I hate to be a party pooper, but some of his friends I could do without. Of course I don't know who's coming and who isn't and plus, Parker wouldn’t let them be mean or rude to me. I’m just about to tell him no when guilt sets in. Even though I’d love to spend time alone with him, I’m not a selfish person. I should appreciate the fact that he wants to include me. “Fine, I'll go. I'm off tonight anyway.”

  “Great. I'll pick you up at eight.”

  I’m shaking my head as if he can see me. I pull into my driveway, grab my bag from the passenger seat, and get out of the car. I wait for the audio to transfer back to my phone. “You still there?”

  “Yeah, I’m here.”

  “Okay. No, you don’t need to pick me up. I'll just drive myself; that way, if you want to stay longer, you don't have to worry about taking me home or anything.”

  He laughs, and the gruff sound causes me to think about him in the shower. I swear when he came, his voice was gruff just like that.

  “Ha ha, Haven. Nice try. You leave, I leave. You're stuck with me. I'll pick you up at eight.”

  I can tell he's about to hang up when I hear his mom hollering for him that breakfast is ready. “Wait. Where is the party?”

  He grumbles his answer. “I guess it's the new hot hangout of Redwood. The party's at On the Rocks.”

  I blow out a breath. “All right, I'll be ready at eight.”

  When I hear him say bye and the phone clicks, I stuff it into my bag. I don’t have long to shower and get ready. It seems like it takes twice the time because I keep getting lost in thoughts of Parker. He was pretty insistent that I go tonight. I bet he's worried that I'm upset about this morning. Or maybe that I'll read more into it than what it was. Regardless, I don't want to lose my best friend. There's no way I can let that happen.

  Chapter 8

  Parker

  I spent the whole day with my mom, dad, and brother, but my mind has been on Haven. I haven't been able to stop thinking about her. I've been counting down the minutes until it was time for me to pick her up. At exactly 7:59, I pull into her driveway.

  I ring her doorbell and wait impatiently for her to answer it. I don't have to wait long. She opens it with a smile on her face, and my mouth drops. She has on tight jeans and a V-neck shirt. I look her up and down, and when I look back at her face, it's flushed.

  "You look beautiful," I tell her. She takes her time and looks at me from head to toe. I can feel the arousal coming to a head as she looks at me.

  She cocks her hip out and puts her hand on it. "You don't look too bad yourself there, Army stud."

  She turns back to grab her purse, and I can't help but look at the way her jeans fit on her ass. Fuck, it's going to be a long night.

  She turns to me and looks at me skeptically. "Are you sure I can't drive?"

  I grab her hand and take the keys and toss them back onto the entryway table.

  "Nope. You're stuck with me."

  She crosses her arms on her chest. "What if..." But she stops without finishing.

  I put my finger on her chin and force her to look up at me. "What if what?"

  She looks at me defiantly. "What if you want to go home with somebody? I don't want you to get stuck—"

  I shake my head. "Don't finish that sentence."

  She opens her mouth, but I cover it with my fingers. "Don't say that you don't want me to get stuck with you. There's no getting stuck, Haven. I choose to hang out with you tonight. I'm not leaving with anyone else."

  I turn and open the door as I mutter to myself, "And neither are you.” I'll be damned if I'm going to stand by as she leaves with another man.

  "What was that?" she says as she walks past me out the door.

  "Nothing," I tell her quickly.

  When we get to On the Rocks, my brother Tony already has some tables reserved in the corner. Some of my old friends from high school are there, and I work my way around the table, giving high fives, fist bumps, and hugs. I have to practically pull Haven along with me. Everyone remembers her, and it seems I'm not the only one who is surprised by her new look.

  Some of the guys give her second glances, and I make a point of keeping her by my side. The drinks start to flow, but I keep my head and sip on a bottle of beer since I'm driving tonight. Haven leans toward me. "This is your party. You should be the one drinking and having a good time. I'll drive you home."

  But I shake my head. I don’t know what it is, but I have always had the need to protect her. I can’t lose my head around her. "That's okay. If you have a good time, I’ll have a good time. I did practically force you to hang out with me."

  She seems taken aback by that. “You do know I was just being nice, right?”

  I shake my head. “What do you mean?”

  She shrugs. “I mean I was being nice by telling you I’d pass tonight. I really wanted to hang out with you, but I also know I need to share you with your family and friends.”

  I grab on to her hand. “Don’t do that.”

  She squeezes my fingers. “Do what?”

  I pull our hands up and hold them against my stomach. “Don’t think that I’d rather spend time with anyone other than you. Don’t think you have to share me.”

  She seems surprised by that, but I’m serious. I really want to spend all my time with her. I pull her into the seat next to me. I watch as she laughs and jokes around with the guys. As time starts to pass, more people start coming over to say hi and talk to us. A woman comes up to Haven and pats her on the shoulder. "Hey, Haven, who are your friends?"

  I can feel Haven stiffen beside me, and I know instantly that this is not one of her friends. Haven points around the table, introducing everyone. She introduces me last. "And this is my best friend, Parker."

  My forehead creases at the introduction. I mean, what she's saying is true. We are best friends, but maybe I was wishing she could introduce me as something else.

  As soon as the introductions are made, the woman, whose name is Tammy, puts her hand on my shoulder. "Are you new in town?"

  I don't want to be rude to her, but I also don't want to encourage her. I turn and come face-to-face with her plunging neckline. It's as if she's pushing her breasts out for everyone to see. I lean back and barely hide my look of disgust. "No, I'm from here. I've just been out of town for a while."

  I lean forward to look at Haven. "Let's go grab a drink," Haven nods, I help her out of her chair, and we walk up to the bar. I hear her grumbling underneath her breath, but I don't ask her about it. When we get to the bar top, the woman that was working last night asks what she can get us. I'm surprised when I hear Haven say, "A whiskey. Neat."

  She looks up and sees the expression of surprise on my face. "What? Would you rather me not drink? It's not too late.”

  I shake my head. "No, it's fine. I was just surprised. I didn't know you drank whiskey." She shrugs her shoulders. "I normally don't, but I can tell tonight I'm going to need it."

  The man from the last night that was talking to Haven is here again tonight, and he's watching her. Jealousy surges through me, and before I can think twice about it, I turn to her. "I need to ask you a favor."

  The woman sets the shot of whiskey in front of Haven. She looks at me curiously, downs the shot, makes a face, and swallows. She coughs a little. "What kind of favor?"

  Before I can second-guess myself, I blurt out, "I want you to act like we're together."

  She looks at me, alarmed. "Why? And what do you mean, together?"

  I nod down the bar. It seems that Tammy has followed us and is now staring a hole at the two of us.

  Haven turns back to me with a big smile on her face. "What? You need a bodyguard? The big buff military guy needs protection?" she says laughingly as she slaps her hand across my chest.

  I grab on to it and hold it right over my heart. I shrug without laughing. "I don't want to deal with this. I'm only home for a week, and I'd rather spend it with you than fending off some woman I know I don't want anything to do with."

  Haven seems to weigh my words carefully. “Okay, but what if there’s another woman you might be interested in? I don’t want to mess that up for you.”

  There’s something she’s not telling me. I’ve known her long enough to know that there’s something going on in her head. “First of all, I won’t be leaving with any woman but you.”

  When she still doesn’t answer me, I start to pull back. "I mean, if it's a big deal," I start, but she doesn't let me finish. "It's not a big deal." I nod as we make the agreement.

  I look back at the table where my brother is. They’re all talking, so I take this opportunity to talk to Haven. “Are we going to talk about it?”

  She laughs and holds her hand up to the bartender. “Another shot, please?”

  I laugh and position myself closer to her. “Look at me.”

  She does, slowly. Her eyes are already starting to look glazed. She’s never been much of a drinker. “I’m looking at you.”

  “Okay, if you’re not going to talk about it, I will. I know that this morning probably weirded you out.”

  She doesn’t answer me. She opens her mouth and then closes it again. I swear she almost looks guilty or something. I try to explain myself. “When I woke up and uh... felt your body against mine, I reacted...”

  She buries her face in her hands. “It’s fine. There’s nothing to talk about. I told you it wasn’t a big deal. Let’s go back to the table.”

  As soon as the next shot is set down in front of her, she lifts it up and throws it back. I grab on to her, afraid she might fall back. “Slow down there, honey.”

  She reaches for me, threading her fingers through mine. She smiles up at me almost dreamily. “Uh, so are we starting now? Am I supposed to make it believable? You want me hanging all over you or giving you some space? How should we play it?”

  Damn, I want to go with option one. Yes, I’d love her hanging all over me, but I know I wouldn’t survive it. “Just act like you like me and you don’t want to share.”

  She nods. “I can do that.”

  "Let's go back to the table. Do you want another shot to take with you?" I ask her.

  She nods. "Yeah, I think I might need it." I don't question her, but I do order her a shot and pay for it before helping her off the stool and walking back to our table.

  As soon as we sit down, Haven takes another drink, but this time she sips at it. "You okay?" I ask her.

  I reach over and wrap my hand around hers. She looks down at our intertwined hands and then up at me. "I've never been better."

  Chapter 9

  Haven

  I down the rest of my whiskey. I'm sitting in the chair next to Parker, still surprised by his request. It will be easy for me to act like we are together; I've dreamt about it long enough. As the night goes on, more people gather around the table. Parker has pulled my chair closer to him, and his hand is on my thigh. He has pulled his chair out and is sitting sideways facing me when Tammy walks up to him again.

  "I don't have anywhere to sit. Do you mind if I sit in your lap?" She doesn't wait for an answer. When she starts to sit down in his lap, he puts his hand up to stop her.

  He reaches over and lifts me easily from my chair and pulls me onto his lap, and then points to the vacant seat. "There you go. You can have that one."

  Both of Parker's hands are resting on my hips. I’m ignoring the glare from Tammy, which is easy to do because I'm trying to not put all of my weight on Parker. When he grips me harder, I turn around and look him in the face.

  "Sit down," he orders me as he pulls my hips against his.

  I roll my eyes. "Don't bitch if your legs fall off."

  He puts one arm around my waist and the other is across my legs. The way we are sitting doesn't seem to faze anyone around us. The laughter and jokes continue, but I can't help but tune it all out. The only thing that I can think about is Parker holding me.

  Tony's new girlfriend arrives, and I talk with her. Her name is Britney, and she’s as sweet as can be. She leans forward me, pointing between Parker and me. "I had no idea. I thought you guys were friends."

 

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