Page 74 of Just This Once

“Sinceyesterday?” I huffed out an irritated breath. “Not that it’s any of your business, but no. I didn’t.”

“That’s right,” he murmured. “You just said it’s been six months for you.” Then his brows furrowed suspiciously. “But I’m confused. This bucket list thing is important.”

Feeling strangely defeated, I shrugged. “Yeah. So what?”

“So why haven’t you moved on to other options unless…” His gaze swirled with questions for a second before he straightened, blinking in realization.

Not comfortable with the smug triumph I saw growing on his face, I demanded, “Unless what?”

He smirked. “Unless my invitationisstill open.” When I swallowed uneasily, his smile grew wider and cockier. “It is, isn’t it?”

I groaned, supremely frustrated, and took a turn to grip my head so I could get a hold of myself. But Jesus.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” I wanted to know. “I just gave you the perfectout, tied with a pretty, pink bow on top and everything, so you could be all guilt-free and not have to worryabout losing a single one of your best friends. But you wouldn’t take it. Why didn’t you just…takeit?”

He winced as if in pain before meeting my gaze and quietly admitting, “Because I don’t want an out. I wantyou.”

Dammit. A heart could only take so much. And hearing him admit that—repeatedly—was making me cave.

But he was right. It would upset Alec if I casually slept with Parker. For some reason, I hadn’t thought that through. Why hadn’t I thought of that?

There was no way we could be together.

“I’m not going to be the one who breaks up the seven,” I said.

“Then they can never know about it,” he rasped with guilt and shame clear in his eyes but also a stirring of desperate longing. “Ever.”

“Parker,” I whimpered, and a hungry need rose up my throat before I could stop it. “Don’t.”

He winced, and I knew he was going to do it, anyway. He was going to make me forget I evenhada brother.

“Give me a deadline to answer you by,” he uttered, his voice hoarse with contrition and yearning.

“I don’t—” I shook my head, not wanting to give in to this but feeling myself slip anyway.

I wished he would just say no already, so there’d be no treachery or lies behind any of it. Because if he didn’t say no, there was no way I could say no either.

“Grumpy, it’s fine,” I assured him softly with one last attempt to save us both. “You don’t have to do this.”

“So I should just ignore your dying wish as if it means nothing? Yeah, right.” He stepped closer. “Give me a fucking deadline.”

I looked into his eyes, and that was it. I forgot everything in the universe but him. “Saturday,” I blurted before I could stop myself.

He flinched because there it was. A timeframe. There would be no more dancing around the subject anymore come Sunday morning.

Jerking his head with a short nod, he cleared his throat and lowered his attention to the floor.

“Fine,” he said gruffly, not daring to look at me now. “I’ll have an answer for you by midnight on Saturday.”

“O—okay.” My breathing turned shallow and a little panicked. I had to reach out and grab the back of my chair to steady myself.

But this could actually happen. Why had I not considered that I might for-real have sex with Parker Ohrley?

I pressed a fist to my abdomen and exhaled to calm myself only to realize he was starting around the table and heading for the door, obviously done with the conversation.

I pressed my lips together and swallowed, unable to tell him goodbye.

As he passed by me, he stepped close, pausing, and I forgot to breathe.

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