Trouble with the Fake Boyfriend (Rock Bottom #3) - Holly Renee Page 0,70
man next to him that I truly got a good look. As soon as I took in his piercing green eyes, I knew why they looked so familiar to me. It was the same pair of eyes that had haunted my dreams for the last four years.
Parker fucking James.
From the way he was studying me, he thought he knew me as well, but he still hadn’t figured it out. The last time I saw him, I was nothing more than a girl. My body was different. My hair was different. Hell, I was a completely different person.
I was no longer the girl with mousy brown hair and long gangly legs. I had finally figured out my body, and I was no longer ashamed of it. I didn’t have a hesitant touch that begged him to teach me what to do anymore. My moves were calculated and assertive.
My hips rolled to the music and my knees brushed against his. I felt that small touch as if it had burned me. The flames licking up my legs and setting my entire body on fire.
My fingers fell to his trouser covered thighs, and I gently pushed them apart. My body rolled against his out of habit, and the strong spicy scent of him surrounded me. It was reminiscent of the Parker I used to know, but he smelled so much better now. He smelled like a man.
His hands lowered to the arms of the chair, and I watched his inked fingers as they clenched into fists. I flipped my hair against his chest and turned my back to him. I was practically sitting in his lap, and I took a shuddering breath while I had a momentary reprieve from him seeing my face.
I could feel how turned on he was against my ass, and that little piece of information fueled me. Parker was always the one in control. He was the powerful one, but not tonight.
My back pressed against his chest and my ass ground further against him as I rolled my body to the music. Fuck. He felt amazing.
His chest heaved below me and his harsh breath rushed out against my neck. It reminded me of four years earlier when I had given myself to him willingly, when I had practically begged him to make love to me. I closed my eyes against the memory. Don’t think about it, Liv. Don’t let yourself go there.
Leaning forward, I arched my back as I continued to grind against him. His hand ran up my spine, and a shiver chased his touch inch by inch.
“No touching,” I whispered as I would to any other customer.
His hand clenched against my skin before it fell away.
“Take it off,” his deep, gruff voice called out, barely heard over the music.
My trembling hands reached behind me and gripped the clasp of my bra. I could do this. Showing weakness in front of him wasn’t an option.
My fingers pressed the fabric into my skin, but before I could release the hold of the clasp, Parker’s hand covered mine.
His mouth leaned against my ear, and I almost died when I felt his warm breath rush out against my earlobe. “I meant the mask. Who are you?”
Chills ran through my body at his question. I was no one. Not to him. Not anymore. So instead of answering him, I rolled my hips a final time and moved to the man beside him.
He was still staring at me, and God, I wished I could move my eyes off him. I was on autopilot, moving through my routine without thought. But the feeling of a hand against the ribbon of my mask caused me to panic and search the face of the man in front of me as the mask fell to the floor.
Shame took over every other thought as I heard my name leave his lips.
“Livy?”
There were sharp inhales of breath around us, but I didn’t dare move my gaze away from my brother’s.
“Mason.”
A glass crashed to the ground beside me, but I still didn’t move. I couldn’t face looking at Parker anymore. Not without my mask. He was too potent, and I needed to protect myself.
“What the fuck are you thinking?” Mason roared as he gripped my arm. He pulled me to a standing position, and it wasn’t until that moment that I realized how naked I was in front of my brother. I covered my chest with my arms, but that only seemed to fuel his anger.
“So this is why you’re too busy to come home? This is how busy you’ve been with your new job? You fucking lied to me.” His eyes were black as the night sky as anger filled him.
His fingers dug into my skin as I watched the bouncer make his way over to us.
“Mason, you’re hurting me,” I whispered.
His fingers instantly loosened their grip, but he still held me close to him.
The bouncer, Hank, reached out for me, but Parker stepped in front of him.
“You need to move,” Hank threatened. “I’m taking her out of here.” He nodded his head in my direction.
“Over my dead body.” The sound of Parker’s voice stirred something inside me, and I had to remind myself that he was the same boy that broke my heart.
“It’s okay, Hank.”
Parker’s back straightened and my brother pulled me closer to him, his body shielding mine.
“He’s my brother.” I pointed to Mason, and I could see the shock in Hank’s eyes.
“I need to get Mark.” He started heading toward the door, but I stopped him.
“You think you can just give me a few minutes. I promise I will handle it.”
He looked hesitant as his eyes bounced back and forth between me and my brother, but eventually gave in. “Five minutes then I’m coming back.”
I nodded my head then he made his way back out of the room.
“Why are you here?” I pulled my arm from my brother’s grip and looked around the room at the combination of accusation and lust staring back at me.
“Why are we here?” Parker scoffed and ran his tattooed hands through his hair that had been perfectly styled before.
“Are you kidding me, Livy? Why are you here?” My brother’s voice shook with fury.
Parker’s name was on the tip of my tongue, but I knew that wasn’t fair. I couldn’t blame my decisions on him.
“It’s my job, Mason. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming to Atlanta?”
“When?” He threw his hands up in frustration. “You mean all those times I call you and you don’t answer. I called you today.”
I didn’t have a response because he was right. I hated lying to him, so I avoided talking to him as much as I could.
“You all need to leave.” I looked toward the door to make sure Hank wasn’t coming back. I didn’t want them to cause a scene. I couldn’t afford to lose my job.
“We’re not leaving here without you.” It wasn’t the words that surprised me but who they came from.
“You don’t have a say, Parker.” I stared up at him. He was still about six inches taller than me even in my heels and his green eyes were on fire.
“He’s right,” Mason growled. “You are coming home.”
I searched the room full of his friends who were all staring at us but pretending not to. I didn’t recognize any of them, and it hit me how far I had removed myself from my brother. I barely knew anything about him anymore.
Wanting to go home with him wasn’t the problem. I just didn’t want to get hurt again. Parker had practically destroyed me once and being around him made my chest ache. I couldn’t risk losing myself to him again, but I couldn’t tell my brother that. I had been nothing more than Parker’s secret, and my brother would shit himself if he knew what happened. If he knew that Parker was the reason I ran.
So instead of telling him, I put a smile on my face and tried to avoid the topic altogether.
“Who’s getting married anyways?” I looked around the room again. Some of the guys were covered in tattoos like Parker and some looked clean cut like my brother.
It wasn’t until my gaze landed back on the two men that my world used to revolve around that I realized how fucked I really was. All it took was one word from Parker’s lips.
“Me.”
Also by Holly Renee
Where Good Girls Go to Die
Where Bad Girls Go to Fall
Where Bad Boys are Ruined
The Wrong Prince Charming
Trouble with the Guy Next Door
Trouble with the Hotshot Boss
Acknowledgments
Thank you to all the readers and bloggers! There are so many books to choose from these days, and I am beyond grateful that you chose to spend your time reading mine!
If you have a moment, please take a minute to leave a rating or review on Amazon for Trouble with the Fake Boyfriend. Reviews help indie authors so much, and I would be incredibly grateful!
XO,
Holly Renee