to her lips. He’d never known a woman with a more delectable looking pair. They were full with a sensual dip in the center, which tempted him to lean across the table for a lick. He couldn’t help wondering how her mouth would feel against his, how it would taste. He would just love to find out.
“Parker?”
He blinked when those luscious lips moved and answered without taking his eyes off them. “Yes, Sebrina?”
“I think we need to talk.”
That prompted him to switch his gaze from her lips to her eyes. There was a heated tint in them. If she’d been his patient, he would not have wasted any time taking her temperature. She looked hot and flustered. “About what?”
“About this attraction that neither of us needs right now.”
He held her gaze. “Needs, Sebrina? Or wants?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
SEBRINA DREW IN A deep breath. She had to pull herself together. The huskiness of Parker’s voice held a sensuality that only made the situation worse. Twice she’d had to fight to control the increased rhythm of her heart, not to mention the deep throbbing between her legs.
This wasn’t good. Nothing had ever happened to her like this before. She’d been attracted to other men, but not to this degree and definitely not of this magnitude. Joining him for breakfast had been a bad idea.
He cleared his throat and she blinked, then took a quick sip of her tea. Although it wasn’t the wine she could have used right then, it bolstered her confidence level somewhat. Parker Stanhope— with his sandy brown hair, dreamy blue eyes and chiseled good looks—was just another man. A handsome man, but just a man. And she could handle him. She had to.
Sitting her teacup down, she said, “It doesn’t matter whether I use the word need or want, Parker. Both are liabilities.”
He smiled and she wished he hadn’t since he had such a sexy, make-your-panties-wet smile. “You think so?” he asked.
“Yes, and maybe that’s a topic we need to discuss.”
“What? The sexual tension we manage to generate?”
Did he have to be so blunt? “Yes.”
He signaled for a waitress to refill his coffee, then glanced back at her. “There’s really nothing to discuss. We can do one of two things—ignore it or act on it.”
She frowned. He had to be kidding if he thought those were the only options. “What about putting an immediate stop to it.”
He leaned back in his chair with an amused chuckled. “Good luck with that.”
Sebrina’s frown deepened. “And why not?”
“Because chemistry like ours doesn’t work that way. It’s not a faucet you can turn off when you feel like it, Sebrina.”
She shouldn’t, but she liked the way he said her name with that New England accent. “I believe it depends on the individuals. They control the narrative,” she argued.
The waitress came and poured more coffee into his cup. When she left, he said, “People might have the ability to control the narrative, but they can’t do a thing about nature. It is what it is. And haven’t you heard it’s best to let nature take its course.”
Sebrina shook her head. That was the last thing they needed. “I don’t understand why you would think we can’t stop it.”
“And I’m curious as to why you would think we can.”
She released a frustrated breath. “You’re not the first guy I’ve been attracted to, Parker. But I managed to get over the others quickly enough when I set my mind to it.”
He took a sip of his coffee. “That’s good to hear. And just for the record, you aren’t the first woman I’ve been attracted to, either. However, there is a difference between an attraction and the strong sexual chemistry you and I share. You can be attracted to a person’s uniqueness. You might even think they’re an exceptional individual and distinctive in their own way. But sexual chemistry is a whole other ball game and goes a lot deeper. It’s a feeling that stirs something to life within you. It can create energy where there isn’t any and it makes every pore in your body fill with awareness of that person. It’s even in the very air you breathe, causing a yearning so deep, it borders on pain.”
Jesus. Sebrina’s breath caught in her throat at the dark heat she saw in his eyes. She wanted to make a comeback but couldn’t. All she could do was sit there, mesmerized by his gaze.
“I felt it the moment you opened the door to me last week,” he then said,