Page 135 of Just This Once

“No.” I shook my head. “What have I done?”

“You just made ittheirsong,” he charged hotly.

I squinted and tipped my head. “Huh?”

“Alec and the new girl,” he huffed. “Union’s cousin was hanging off every word he sang. She practically fell in love with him right there on the spot. And now, when they get married someday,thisis going to be the song they have their first dance to as newlyweds. Are you happy now? You just gave themourfucking song.”

My lips parted in awe. But he thought of it asoursong?

I suddenly couldn’t breathe so well.

I pressed my lips together and tried to pull my wits back in around me before I admitted, “Okay, fine. Maybe I wanted to see if you…remembered it.”

“Remembered?” He scoffed out a hard laugh. “Oh, I remember just fine. I remember dancing to it in the rain, then fucking you to it in the rain. I remember spending the rest of that afternoon inside you. And that night too. And I remember waking up Sunday morning to you being fuckinggone.” When he nailed me with an accusing glare, I shrank further back on the sink away from him.

“You left me,” he hissed. “You left me without even saying goodbye.”

“I—I’m sorry,” I gushed, biting my lip. “I didn’t think it would upset you.”

“Oh.” He lifted his eyebrows as if that made sense. Then almost immediately narrowed his gaze. “No, you’re right,” he seethed sarcastically. “It felt fucking great. I love being ghosted like some humiliating one-night stand you regret.”

“I didn’t regret it,” I blurted in immediate denial. But when he stared back at me with eyes that looked hurt, I swallowed.

“I don’t regret it,” I repeated in a quieter, solemn tone. “I—I just—I couldn’t say goodbye.” Reaching up, I traced my fingers down his cheek in a loving caress. “I knew I wouldn’t be able to leave if I’d waited for you to wake up.”

Parker rasped out a hoarse moan and leaned in to rest his face against mine. “Come home with me,” he whispered, gripping my waist possessively. “Come home with me right now.”

I drew in a sharp breath. “Parker,” I whimpered, frankly tempted. But then I swallowed and pulled my face back again. “No. You know we can’t. I need to go back down there.”

He shook his head, his jaw tense. “You’re not going back to him,” he repeated.

His eyes swirled with desperation as they peered into mine.

Melting, I returned my fingers to his face. “I’ll leave Keene alone. I swear. Does that help?”

“No,” he mumbled moodily and buried his nose in my neck so he could run it along my throat. “I still want to kick his ass.”

A smile flickered across my lips, and I tipped my chin up as I sank my fingers into his hair. “I kind of like your jealousy,” I admitted greedily as I drifted my lips across his jaw and then started to pull away. “But I really have to go.”

He tightened his grip on my waist, keeping me on the counter. “Just one more minute.”

“Parker,” I groaned, resting my forehead on his shoulder before fisting a hand and pressing it against his chest. “Do youwantus to get caught?”

He was quiet for a moment before he pulled back to look into my eyes. “What if we just told him? Alec. He’s reasonable and understanding. Maybe he’d be…fine with it.”

I lifted my eyebrows, not sure how to breathe for the longest second. Because oh…my God. This had to be at least somewhat real for him if he was willing to risk the wrath of the seven.

But, no. It couldn’t happen, not even with their approval.

So I sniffed. “Seriously?”

“What?” he demanded, clearly not understanding.

I sighed. “The only way my brother would be fine with you having sex with me is if he thought there werehonorableintentions behind it, like, serious, monogamous, long-term, and relationship-minded intentions.”

His mouth opened and then closed. A moment later, his jaw tightened, and he glanced away, looking annoyed.

“Yeah. I didn’t think so,” I murmured, ignoring the disappointment I felt.

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