own head.
As he kisses me again, I can’t help but wonder why he stopped himself before he said it.
Chapter Twenty Seven
I watch as Parker pulls on his briefs and moves into the room off to the side, which I remember is the bathroom. Grabbing my clothes off the floor, I start to get dressed while waiting for him to return. I climb back onto the bed and sit there, replaying our intense love-making session in my mind. Then the “L” word pops into my head again, and I wonder again what stopped him from saying it to me earlier.
“Dressed already?” Parker asks while coming back into the room.
My surprised eyes dart over to him, almost like he caught me saying a secret out loud. When I realize I didn’t actually say anything, I reply, “Yeah. Midnight curfew, remember?”
He comes over and gives me a big kiss on the lips while running his fingers through my hair. I let it go on longer than I probably should since I do need to get home soon. I just can’t bring myself to say no to him right now.
Taking a breather, I say, “I really do need to get home, Parker.”
He groans and gives me one last kiss. “All right. Even though it’s against my better judgment, I’ll let you leave,” he says, letting out a light chuckle. “Give me a sec to get dressed, okay?” He collects his clothes and moves back into the bathroom.
I decide to go outside and get some fresh air. The room is filled with lingering heat and the scent of sex. It’s beginning to drive me wild. I open the door and step out, taking in a deep, relaxing breath of cool air. A contented sigh parts my lips and makes me smile.
“So, you must be the new flavor of the week,” I hear a female’s voice come from my left side.
I turn abruptly to face her because obviously she’s talking to me. “Excuse me?”
“That Parker sure is quite the manwhore. You better run while you still can, chickadee, because his heart’s already taken by some girl named Dani.”
“Who are you?” I ask, finding myself getting more annoyed the longer she keeps talking.
“Oh, I’m just Ex-Plaything Number Three, who lives down the hall.”
“Number three? He told me he only had one.” Her laughter brings an angry frown to my face.
“You’re Dani, aren’t you?” she asks with an eyebrow raised.
I close the dorm room door before I answer, not really wanting Parker to hear any part of this conversation. “Maybe.”
“You’re very pretty. I can see why he likes you so much. But let me give you some advice, girl to girl. Guys like Parker may truly only love one woman, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be satisfied with only one. Think about it,” she explains with a squinty-eyed smile.
“You let me deal with Parker, okay? I think I may know him a little better than you,” I reply, though deep down I’m not confident in what I say.
“Your funeral,” is all she says before starting to walk off. “Oh, and the name’s Sarah. Not that you really wanted to know, but there it is.”
“It was nice meeting you, Sarah,” I call out to her.
“Same here.”
The door to Parker’s room opens and I glare at him. “Everything okay out here?”
“Yeah. What makes you think it isn’t?” I reply, shrugging my shoulders.
“Uh, your face kind of tells me it isn’t,” he states, joining me outside.
I know I’m going to regret this the moment I ask. “Who’s Sarah?”
Parker brushes his hand across his chin and gazes down the hall where I saw Sarah walking earlier. “She’s my ex. Was she just here?”
“Yeah, and she told me she was number three. Is that true?” I ask, not sure if my heart can handle the truth right now.
The moment he begins to comb his hand through his hair, I know my answer. “Dani—”
“Just take me back to my car, please,” I say, interrupting him.
“Can we talk about this?”
“For right now, I think I’m done talking to you. All I want is to go back to my car and drive home. That’s the least you can do for me.”
My heart feels like it’s being shredded into a bloody pulp, and I feel so stupid for yet again tearing down my walls for him.
“Okay. I’ll take you to your car,” he answers, closing and locking the door behind him.
The drive back to The Brick House is overflowing with awkward. I’m actually glad we’re on a