Scattered Colors (40 page)

“God, I’ve missed you,” he hissed almost painfully. “I’ve missed touching you, smelling you…” His tongue darted out and pressed against my neck and I couldn’t contain the low moan that forced its way past my lips. “…tasting you. I’ve missed
us
.”

“I’ve missed you, too,” I sighed, my words coming out so quietly I was sure he hadn’t heard me. But when his head came up and his eyes reflected every single emotion he felt, I knew he had. My heart stalled before kick-starting again in a faster pace. He opened his mouth to speak just as a loud squeal sounded from behind me, cutting off whatever Parker was about to say.

“Shot!” Piper yelled as she grabbed my arm and began dragging me from the dance floor, completely oblivious to the fact that she’d just burst the bubble Parker and I had been living in for the past several minutes. “We need shots, STAT!”

I shot Parker an apologetic look over my shoulder as I was led away. The mischievous smirk on his face told me he wasn’t upset as he and Caleb followed behind us. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was in
way
over my head as we made our way up the small set of stairs which led to the bar area. Piper placed our order and I threw back one tequila shot, then another, and another in an attempt to drown that nagging little voice in my head. I didn’t want to overthink anything; I just wanted to
feel
. I allowed the alcohol to work its magic, washing away my worries and concerns as it warmed me from the inside out.

The hours ticked by in a whirl of laughter and dancing. I’d switched to water when the effects of the tequila started making my brain a little too foggy. Every time Piper and I wandered back to the table after a trip to the dance floor, Parker was there to pull me into the empty chair beside him. He spent the entire night keeping me close to him and I was secretly thrilled by his attentions.

“You thirsty?” He leaned in and asked in my ear, causing me to shiver at his closeness.

My buzz had long since dwindled and my feet were throbbing from dancing in high heels all night. The last thing I wanted to do was move from my chair to go to the bar. “Water,” I pleaded, my mouth feeling dry from the earlier alcohol.

“You got it, gorgeous,” he answered with his signature devilish grin. “Be right back.”

As he made his way toward the bar, I couldn’t take my eyes off him. He really was amazing to look at.

The chair Parker had just vacated shifted beside me and I turned to see Piper staring back at me with a shit-eating grin on her face.

“You two might as well just sneak off to the bathroom and pound one out. You could cut the sexual tension between you with a damn knife!”

“Shut it, you lush,” I laughed as I took in her slightly hazy light brown eyes. Obviously, Piper hadn’t cut herself off when I had.

“”Oh, I know!” Piper shouted, smacking her hand down on the table like she’d just had the most brilliant idea in the world. “You two should
totally
have sex!”

My cheeks and ears heated as I laughed nervously, scanning the area around us to make sure no one heard. “Stop worrying about our friends’ sex lives and concentrate on your own,” Caleb scolded playfully as he pulled Piper into his lap. “You’ve got your work cut out for you tonight, woman.”

“Please,” she scoffed as she whacked him in the shoulder. “You’ll be lucky if I stay awake during the whole thing.”

“Meh.” He shrugged casually as he took a pull of his beer. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

“You two are insane.” I giggled. Just as they stood to head for the dance floor, the chair next to me scraped across. Parker set a glass of ice water down in front of me before caging me into my chair, one arm across the back, the other on the table.

“How drunk are you?”

I looked at him, confused by his off-the-wall question.

“Huh?”

“How drunk are you?” he repeated, leaning in to rub his nose along my jaw.

“N-not very,” I stuttered as my eyes fell closed. “I quit drinking a while ago. Why?”

His fingers caressed my chin as he tipped my face to meet him. “Because I’m about to go out on a seriously shaky limb here and ask you to come home with me, and I want to make sure you’re in your right mind completely before you answer.”

“You…what?” My synapses misfired at his bold statement and I couldn’t formulate a response.

“Come home with me, Freya.” The lust was shining in his eyes as he focused all of his attention on me, but that wasn’t all that was there. There was also a look of pained desperation, like the thought of my refusal would cut him to the quick. “I’m not above begging, baby. You have no clue how badly I want you right now, how I
always
want you. I can’t fucking think straight when you’re around.” His forehead fell against mine as he clenched his eyes shut. “Please say yes.
Please
. I need you so fucking bad.”

If she turns me down, it may very well kill me.

I could see the apprehension in her beautiful blue eyes as she studied me. It gutted me that the reason for that apprehension was because of the pain I’d caused her in the past. All of her uncertainties, all of her fear of having her heart crushed again, were my fault. I couldn’t blame her one bit for being leery, but that didn’t lessen my need to have her in every way. Just like I’d told her years before, Freya was necessary. That was never going to change.

My heart beat so hard I was sure she could hear it through the loud music and chatter that surrounded us. I feared it would beat right through my chest if she didn’t say something soon. What was I thinking, asking her to come home with me? I’d promised her my friendship. I swore not to push her but I hadn’t been able to help myself. Being around her on a regular basis was hard enough, but seeing her at the club…well, it was a delicious agony I just couldn’t resist. It wasn’t just because she looked breathtaking in that red dress or that watching her move on the dance floor was something a dying man would give his last moments to see. It was of how carefree she looked, how she responded to every single one of my touches that did me in.

When I lifted my forehead from hers, I watched as her eyes opened and the crystal blue shined back at me, reflecting the same need I felt. She wanted me, too. When her tongue darted out and ran over her full, pink bottom lip I had to keep myself from leaning in to taste her. If I hadn’t been sitting, I surely would have fallen to my knees from the one single word that passed those lips on a sigh.

“Okay.”

I wanted to throw my fist in the air in triumph. I wanted to throw her over my shoulder and run out of the club before she could change her mind. But I had to be certain first.

“Okay?” I asked, still feeling somewhat stunned by her response.

“Yeah.”

“You sure, gorgeous? I don’t want you to have any doubts.”

When she smiled that brilliant white smile, I couldn’t help it; I leaned in and pressed my lips against hers. “Are you trying to talk me out of it?” she asked against my lips and I could feel her laughter.

“No! Hell no.” I jumped from my chair and grabbed hold of her hand, pulling her through the club as fast as I could move. I had to check myself once or twice when I felt her stumble in those heels. My patience having run its course, I pulled her to me and wrapped an arm around her waist, lifting her against my side so her feet barely met the floor.

“Wait,” she started as soon as we exited the club and I led her toward a waiting cab. “What about Caleb and Piper?”

Whipping my phone out of my pocket with my free hand, I kept hold of her with my other as I typed out a quick text.

Me: Cabbing home with Freya. Stay at Piper’s tonight or die….seriously.

Without waiting for a response, I slid the phone back in my pocket and moved for the cab. “All done. Let’s go.”

The sound of her giggling as I all but shoved her into the back of the cab warmed my chest and caused me to smile. I couldn’t wait to get this girl home. And she’d be lucky if I ever let her out again.

In the span of a few seconds, the atmosphere around us shifted. The sexual tension was still there in full force, but where we had been laughing and smiling as we left the club, at that moment, Parker sat pressed against the door of the cab, his jaw clenched and his fingers opening and closing in tight fists. My heart plummeted at the thought he had possibly changed his mind.