Scattered Colors (39 page)

It hadn’t taken much for Piper to warm up to him after I shared his revelation with her and Stella, making it more comfortable for Caleb and Parker to come around on a semi-regular basis. By spending time with him, I was reminded of all the good times we’d had together back when our friendship had been simple. I’d forgotten how easy it was to laugh around him, so I pushed the flutters I felt in my belly every time his eyes met mine to the side, focusing instead on all the fun we were having.

My phone buzzed on the bed beside me. Dropping my pencil onto my textbook, I snatched it up and slid my thumb across the screen, giddiness filling my belly as Parker’s name popped up.

Parker: whatcha doing?

Me: studying.

Parker: Ur always studying. Take a break w/ me.

A goofy smile spread across my face, stretching my cheeks as I typed out my response.

Me: Can’t. Not all of us are geniuses like you. Some of us have to work for it.

I saw the little response bubble pop up almost immediately after I hit send, and seconds later his response came through.

Parker: Can’t help it that I’m awesome. Come hang w/ me and I’ll help you study.

It was a tempting offer; there was no denying that. As if he were able to read my mind, another message came through, this one containing a picture of the beach not too far from campus. I hadn’t been to the beach in far too long. Between work, class, and my friends, I’d been stretched thin. Just the picture of the crystal-clear water was enough to have me climbing from my bed and sliding my feet into a pair of flip-flops. Damn that Parker for knowing my weakness.

Me: Fine. But ur writing my next paper.

Parker: Deal. Get your butt down here.

When I got to the beach a few minutes later, I kicked my sandals off, preferring to feel the warm sand between my toes as I walked. I spotted Parker just feet from the water’s edge, his arms stretched out behind him, propping him up as he stared out at the water. As I got closer, I couldn’t help but let my gaze wander over the straining muscles in his arms as he rested back. Despite the heat outside, a chill worked its way down my spine at the sight of those tantalizing dips and slopes. As I closed in on him, Parker turned his head to look back at me. The beautiful smile that graced his face at my appearance caused my breath to hitch. No one but Parker had ever looked at me like that, like just one glance at me made everything better.

“Hey,” his deep voice spoke, pulling me from the trance his eyes had me in.

“Hi,” I responded almost shyly. No matter how used I was to being around him, he still had the power to make me nervous and excited at the same time. He’d always had that hold on me; that hadn’t changed with time.

Clearing my throat, I took a seat next to him on the sand, folding my legs Indian-style. “Just so you know, if I fail my next exam, I’m blaming you.”

“You won’t fail, gorgeous. I’ll make sure of that.” I’d given up on asking him to stop calling me that, because no matter how many times I asked, he still insisted on using my old nickname. As it were, since we were getting along, it didn’t hold the same pain it had before. I no longer minded when Parker called me
gorgeous
. If I was being honest with myself I actually liked it…a lot.

“Someone’s feeling cocky.”

“Not cocky.” He laughed, bumping his shoulder into mine. “Just stating a fact. Besides, how can you still question me after I rocked that
Crucible
paper back in high school?”

I laughed as I remembered that assignment and how, at first, I’d dreaded being teamed up with Parker. “I forgot all about that!” I giggled. “If I remember correctly, you and I weren’t even talking when that assignment was due. I was so pissed, thinking I was going to fail because of you.”

The sun bounced off Parker’s lip piercing as he turned to grin at me. “But then I saved the day with that stellar piece of literary gold.”

I let out a little snort and reminded him, “You’d promised A-plus work. We only got an A-minus.”

“Damn, you’re a ball-buster, aren’t you?” He gave me a mischievous wink before we turned back toward the water. “I’ve missed this, you know?”

“Missed what?”

“Sitting here, watching the sunset with you. It hasn’t been the same since you left. Watching by myself never felt as good as when you were next to me.”

I remained silent for several seconds, the two of us looking on as the brightness of the day began to fade into the evening. “You really watched it every day?” I turned my head, my gaze studying his profile. The humor had washed away. He looked almost somber.

“Almost,” he spoke softly. “Some days were harder than others, and I couldn’t bring myself to go down there. But when the pain of missing you became too much, I would go down to our beach and tell myself that, wherever you were, you were doing the same thing at that very moment. It helped a lot, thinking we were still sharing the sunsets even though you were gone.”

I opened my mouth to speak only to come up empty. I didn’t know what to say. That battle going on inside of me grew strong once again. When he said things like that, it was so hard not to fall back into the way things were before. He knew me so much better than anyone else, even with all the time that had passed. After moving to Florida, I’d spent a long time rebuilding those walls around my heart that Parker had demolished. Since he was back, it felt like they were buckling again.

“Parker—” I started, not sure whether I was going to ask him to stop or keep going.

When he looked back at me, the sad smile he gave caused my chest to clench. “You don’t have to say anything. I know we’re just friends, and I’m okay with that. I just needed you to know what it was like.”

I nodded in understanding, keeping my eyes locked with his until he finally turned away. We spent the remainder of the sunset in comfortable silence. It wasn’t until darkness descended on the beach and we stood to make our way home that I realized just how much I’d missed watching them with him, as well.

“Move your pretty little ass, Linden!” Piper hollered from the living room as I put the final touches on my makeup and gave my hair one last fluff. “Pre-club ritual started five minutes ago!”

Once again, we were heading to Hurricane. Piper claimed she was in the mood to dance, and Caleb said he was in the mood to watch his girlfriend shake it on the dance floor. Walking as fast as I could on my heels, I hurried down the hallway and into the kitchen where Piper had two shot glasses lined up for me. I downed both in record time. “Looking good, sweets,” she chirped as she took in my strapless red dress. I typically went for more coverage than the dress provided, but for some reason, I was feeling particularly daring. Maybe it was the prolonged effect of having spent so much time with Parker lately, but I felt the need to show a little skin just to see if his eyes would light up at the sight of it.

Goose bumps broke out on my skin at the sight of Parker standing near Caleb’s car. His back was to me as Piper and I walked down the stairs, laughing at something Caleb was saying, and I couldn’t stop my eyes from wandering down to where his jeans hugged his butt in absolute perfection. I’d barely pulled my gaze away from the tantalizing sight when the sound of our heels clicking against the concrete drew their attention to us. Just as I’d hoped, Parker’s eyes widened ever so slightly at the sight of me. I reveled in the heat of his gaze, watching in wonder as the dark brown grew almost black the closer I came. A spark of heat shot through me at how those dark pools traveled from my head, all the way down my feet and back up again. I had no doubt my cheeks were as red as my dress by the time his eyes met mine.

“You look beautiful,” he whispered hoarsely in my ear as he leaned in to plant a kiss on my cheek. The familiar scent of his cologne overtook my senses and I remembered just how much I’d loved that smell back in high school. Two years of memories were nothing compared to how he smelled standing right in front of me, so close I could feel the heat from his body.

I pulled back slightly and took him in. “T-thank you,” I stuttered, having grown momentarily overwhelmed by his presence. “You don’t look so bad yourself.” And he didn’t. The deep gray of his button-down shirt did wonders for his tanned complexion. A day’s worth of stubble covered his cheeks and chin, giving him a somewhat rugged appearance. His dark hair had been pushed back from his forehead, the silky-looking strands just begging me to run my fingers through it.

“So…” I heard Caleb drawl from behind me and turned to see him with his arm thrown over Piper’s shoulders. “Are you going out tonight, or are we just going to stand in the parking lot and watch you two eye-fuck all night long? Don’t get me wrong, it’s hot as Hell, but the sexual tension is a little suffocating and I need a drink.”

He let out an
oof
as Piper’s elbow made contact with his ribs. I released an embarrassed giggle at his hunched-over form as he gasped for air before eventually turning back to look at Parker again. His smile stole my breath as his hand came up and his rough fingers grazed my cheek. “I still love it when you do this.”

“Do what?” I breathed.

“Blush like crazy when you get embarrassed. I bet the tips of your ears are on fire right now, aren’t they?”

If they hadn’t been before, they certainly were after that remark. Not knowing what to say in response, I simply smiled back and turned to climb into the back seat of Caleb’s car. He’d finally recovered enough to be able to drive and the four of us took off for the club.

Piper and I wound our way through the mass of writhing bodies toward the center of the dance floor as soon as we were inside. The heavy bass vibrated its way through the floor and up my legs as I moved to the seductive beat of the music. It was so easy to get lost, to forget everything as my body swayed.

When the fast, thumping rhythm gave way to something a little slower, I opened my eyes as I danced. My gaze immediately locked on to Parker’s as he stood against the railing one level up, one hand holding a beer and the other clenched around the pole as he watched me. He lifted the hand with the bottle in a little wave and I grinned back, his gaze locking mine in place as I moved. It wasn’t until Piper spoke that I was able to free myself of his attention and look away.

“You two seem to be getting along well,” she spoke over the music as she took my hand and danced around me.

“We are,” I called back.

“It’s been, what? Two months? And you haven’t killed him
or
had a breakdown. I’d call that success.”

My head tipped back in laughter. “It’s been good,” I told her after she spun me around.

“You know, he still looks at you like he wants to eat you alive,” she remarked, looking over my shoulder in his direction. I didn’t need to turn around to know he was still staring. I could feel his eyes on my skin like a brand.

“I know. It’s…intense.”

“Intense good, or intense bad?”

I remained quiet for a few beats, giving that some thought. “I haven’t quite figured that out yet. I’ll let you know when I do.”

“’Scuse me,” Caleb’s tall frame pushed through the crowd until he got to us and wrapped his arms around Piper. “You mind if I steal my girl for a few minutes, Freya?”

I wasn’t given the chance to answer before Caleb’s mouth descended on Piper’s and the two of them were making-out on the dance floor like horny teenagers.

My cheeks heated as I turned away from their public display of affection. I started squeezing my way through the crowd when a strong hand wrapped around my elbow, stopping me. Before I could turn around, the hand on my arm gave it a tug and I was propelled backwards, my back crashing into a strong, solid chest. I froze in place as the familiar cologne wafted up around me.

“Dance with me.” Chills ran down my arms at the sound of Parker’s guttural voice in my ear. In the span of less than a minute, Parker had taken over three of my major senses. His voice in my ear drowned out everything else. His scent made me want to bury my face in his neck and never move. The feel of his fingertips lightly skating down my arms cause my body to tremble. I wanted to turn around so I could see him, so I could press my lips against his and taste him. At that very moment, frozen on the dance floor with Parker pressed firmly against my back, I wanted him to take me over completely.

His hands snaked around my waist and pulled me impossibly closer against him as he moved to the music. I couldn’t help my body’s reaction to melt against him as I became pliable, swaying my hips as he directed my every movement.

One song morphed into another, then another as we moved against each other. Everyone around me faded into the background until it felt like we were the only ones in the whole club.

“You feel so good against me,” he growled in my ear. His hands on my hips squeezed, his fingers digging into my skin just a touch from being painful as he spun me around to face him. Those gorgeous eyes looked black as night as he stared down at me. His nostrils flared in desire, and I had to clench my thighs together against the tingles that shot through me.

I lifted my arms so they wrapped around his neck and ran my fingers through the soft strands of hair on the back of his head. The tiny voice in the back of my head, screaming out in warning that I was traveling down the path of imminent heartbreak, was blocked out by my body’s reaction to him. When he buried his face in my neck and inhaled deeply, my knees buckled. If it hadn’t been for his strong arms around me, I would have melted into a puddle on the floor. His body quaked against mine as he breathed me in.