Page 30 of Eternal Hoptimist

Parker snorted as he took a drink of water. “Any way I attempt to answer will be bad.”

I grinned. “I think it’s great you two are close.”

“Most people at the office wouldn’t agree. We’re too casual for a boss-assistant relationship, but if I’m going to spend most of my life working, I might as get along with the person I work closest with.”

“Sounds like he keeps you sane.”

Parker laughed as his long fingers wrapped around the drink Hector brought. I dragged my attention from his big hands to his face.

“Funny you say that. One time I asked him to check something on my phone. The next time I went to text him, I noticed he’d changed his contact name to ‘My Sanity.’”

Parker had two more drinks while we talked about everything and nothing. The bar remained crowded, but we held on to our table tucked in the corner. I wasn’t sure if Hector and Mark were even still there since we hadn’t seen them since they took off to “play darts.”

I stuck to water as Parker grew tipsier because I wanted to stay in control. Especially since each sip of alcohol brought me one step closer to being handsy, and getting handsy with Parker would lead to trouble.He wasn’t anywhere near sloppy drunk, from what I could tell, but my urge to take care of him beat out my interest in drinking. I couldn’t take care of Parker in the thousand X-rated ways I wanted to, so I kept an eye on him while we were out.

He entertained me with lively stories about his law school days and how Hector kept him in line at work. I was hypnotized by the slight flush on his cheeks and the animated way he moved his hands.

Parker dropped his chin on his palm, his smile goofy. “I haven’t been this relaxed in a long time.” He sighed. “Maybe after I get partner, I’ll have more free time.”

I doubted that having more responsibility would equal more free time, but I didn’t want to piss on his parade.

Parker’s phone buzzed on the table. “Hector took off with Mark.”

“I figured that happened a while ago.”

Parker licked his lips. “On a scale of one toGolden Girls, how do you feel about cheesecake?”

“Is Rose from St. Olaf?”

Parker’s cheeks went pink with pleasure. “There’s a great place open late nearby with amazing cheesecake by the slice.”

“Let’s go.”

We arrived back at his condo armed with four slices of cheesecake because Parker couldn’t decide on a flavor. I spread the bounty on his coffee table while he grabbed forks.

Parker ditched the jacket and rolled up his sleeves while I ditched the tie and unbuttoned the top two buttons of my shirt to breathe easier. I turned to ask what flavor he wanted and caught him staring at my chest. The man wasn’t making it easy to keep my distance, especially with how comfortable I was sitting on the couch with him, decompressing after an evening together.

Despite having only spent time together on a few occasions, being with Parker felt natural. No second-guessing or overcompensating to try and make sure he enjoyed himself. I simplywas.

We laughed about his family and ate too much dessert. When he tried the Oreo fudge ripple slice, he made a suggestive groan in the back of his throat. It sent my mind skyrocketing back to our kink conversation. My brain, the asshole, suggested images of blindfolding Parker and feeding him other foods to pull that sound from him again.

“This is nice. I miss having someone to spend time with.” He tipped his head back against the couch and smiled a soft, relaxed smile. “I miss falling asleep next to someone too.”

He stared off into the distance in front of us. I watched him for several long moments until his eyes rounded. “God, sorry, overshare. I guess the alcohol is still working its way out of my system.” He smiled sheepishly.

“I miss that too,” I found myself saying. “Beds are more fun when there’s another person in them.”

Parker’s smile was flirty. “That’s true.” He took another bite of cheesecake.

My eyes zeroed in on his tongue darting out to lick his lips.

“Maybe we could do that.” The words bypassed my filter and fell out of my mouth.What?

Parker’s eyes widened. “Yeah?”

“Clothes on. Sleep cuddling. A new addendum to our agreement.” I talked myself into it while trying to convince him.

He studied me for a moment. “I should politely refuse, but I’m far too gone for that. You dangled a very cozy carrot in front of me, Mr. Jackson.”

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