Page 70 of Matched By My Rival
The extra time with Parker had been worth it—even if Darnell gave me a look that said I’d never get to borrow “bae” again. That man had a serious relationship with his Chevy Caprice. Must be all that crushed red velvet. I felt like I’d gotten to know Parker a lot better, and not because of the sex, but because of the talking. We’d started slow, fixated on how desperate we were to gorge on one another’s bodies with the privacy to finally explore at length, but by the time we returned, we were talking comfortably. Like old friends.
Or maybe—my stomach fluttered at the thought—boyfriends.
But this morning, reality had been a bucket of cold water.
I’d woken alone. No warm body in my arms. No generous mouth ready to kiss me awake. I’d spent the night with Kristin on occasion, but all in all, I was used to sleeping alone. So, why did it feel so wrong now? One night with Parker should not have changed my habits so entirely. But there’d been something about cozying up to his broad back, draping one arm over his waist and resting my palm against his tightly ridged abdomen, that I’d liked. He was so muscled, far from soft, so it wasn’t really that he was comfortable. But holding him, holding someone so strong, mademefeel stronger. Parker was the more athletic of the two of us, the more resilient on the football field. There was no contesting that. But he didn’t make me feel inadequate. Quite the opposite. He had all that strength, and he simply…handed it over to me.
Now, it was back to business as usual—which was dissatisfying as hell.
Parker had sent me an early morning text, and it’d been sweet, but it only made me miss his presence more.
Just in case you woke up as lonely as I did,he’d written. Below his words was a selfie of him in bed. His blond hair was ruffled in waves, a few pieces sticking up, but somehow he made bedhead look good. Not just good—fucking sexy as hell. His signature grin was in place, a little flirty gleam in his eye, and his shoulders and chest were bare. I could picture him sitting in bed, the blankets pooled in his lap, probably naked beneath the sheets.
He didn’t look lonely. He looked inviting.
You’re a tease, aren’t you?I’d shot back.
In retaliation, I’d sent him a full-frontal selfie while I was getting ready to shower. It was no chore to get hard for the pic; I had a feeling I was going to be jerking off a lot again.
He hadn’t answered. Probably busy with training and classes. We didn’t talk as much during the day, so I went about my business. Made small talk with Cooper in the kitchen while I grabbed some coffee and toast. Went to classes. Then the library to catch up on research time I’d skipped in favor of studying Parker in intimate detail.
Around four, I got a text that I answered with relief. After two hours at the library, I was ready for a break. I rolled my neck, stretching, as I picked up the phone to read Parker’s reply.
Where are you right now?
Library
There was a pause. Then another message came in.
Want to be at the student rec center instead? Alone with me, in an empty bathroom, maybe?
My heart skipped a beat. We’d been so careful leading up to our weekend in Riverton, but I couldn’t resist the siren call now. It wasn’t a hotel bed, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.
Be there in five.
I gathered up my notes and shoved them into my bag, then packed up my laptop. I left in such a hurry I nearly stampeded Ollie. I was swerving to avoid a collision before I recognized Jonas’s former hookup. He’d been a regular at the frat party scene for a while, but I hadn’t seen him lately. Maybe he’d only been there for Jonas, and my former frat brother was long gone. Living in Colorado, last I’d heard, with a serious boyfriend.
I overcorrected and bumped into the table across the aisle, grunting. “Damn, sorry.”
“Someone’s in a hurry,” Ollie said teasingly. “You’re Simon, right? From Jonas’s frat?”
“Yeah, but like you said, I’m in a hurry.”
It wasn’t the friendliest thing to say, but Ollie was an infamous flirt, and I didn’t have time for that.
He smiled, despite my dismissive tone. “Lucky you.”
“Lucky?”
“Have some fun for me. Me and my guy are both working all evening, and I have a paper to write.” He pouted. “Not going to be much playtime in my future.”
How did he know I was meeting someone? Was I really so transparent? I stared at him for a moment, at a loss. “Uh, sorry?”
Ollie waved a hand. “Go on. I didn’t mean to hold you up.”
I got the glint of gold on his hand. Was that a ring? “You’re engaged?”
I was sure I sounded incredulous. But the Ollie I knew was hooking up with just about every available guy he could get his hands on. Plus he was still pretty young.
