Page 37 of Taming Waves

“You sure you’re good?” he asks.

I nod.

“Okay. I’ll take it slow. Just let me know if you need me to pull over.”

I curl against the door and stay silent as the three of them chat the entire ride, feeling angry at myself for my reaction. Parker keeps glancing in my direction, concern etched on his face.

“You can just drop us off at my house. We’ll come pick up her car tomorrow,” Heather says.

Parker reaches over and clasps my hand. “Is that okay with you?” he asks.

I tug my hand free and cross my arms. “Yeah.”

I can tell he wants to ask more, but he doesn’t. He just nods and drives us to Heather’s house.

He stops the truck in front of her driveway and turns to Anson. “Can you guys give us a minute?”

“Sure. I need the bathroom anyway,” Anson says.

Heather leans over the seat and looks at me in question.

“It’s fine,” I assure her.

Once the two of them are inside, he shifts to face me. “Audi, look at me.”

I school my expression and bring my eyes to his. “Yes, Parker?” I snap.

“What happened back there?” he asks.

“Nothing.”

“Bullshit,” he says. “We were having a good time. You were having fun, teasing me with talk of anal beads, enjoying spending time with the girls, and then, all of a sudden, you shut down.”

“I was nauseous for a second. It hit me out of nowhere, and it passed. It wasn’t a big deal,” I lie.

“And now?”

“I’m tired, and I just want to go to bed.” He stares at me, trying to decide whether or not to believe me.

“Okay,” he finally says, reaching over and tucking a loose curl behind my ear, then sliding his hand down to caress my cheek.

I back away from his touch and open the door.

“Heather will bring me to pick my car up early in the morning. I’ll get the code to your garage from Anson,” I tell him and then step out.

“We can bring it to you. Maybe go for breakfast,” he says.

I shake my head. “I’ll see you at work on Wednesday.”

I shut the door and walk away. When I enter the side door, Anson and Heather are chatting in her kitchen. Anson gives me a weak smile and comes over to embrace me, placing a quick kiss on the top of my head.

“What’s that for?” I ask as he releases me.

“I’m just happy you didn’t toss your cookies on the ride home,” he says. “Are you sure you’re good?”

“Positive.”

“All right. We’ll see you girls later,” he says, holding up the bottle in his hand. “Thank you for theagua, Heather.”

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