Page 33 of Surrender
I rolled my shoulders back, continuing to watch the car speed down the street until it disappeared down the block. “She is important,” I answered simply.
She was too good for him.
Too full of heart and light to be anywhere near a man who was fueled by ego, ambition, and the need to control everything around him.
Roxie smiled, but this smile was different from any I’d ever seen on her before. “She’s the one that got away?”
“No,” I answered. “Not yet.”
Chapter Thirteen
DARCY
Why was octopus a delicacy?
The tentacles, the little suckers, and God forbid they remove the eyes so he can’t judge me while I’m chewing on his limbs.
“Well, Darcy?”
I jerked my head up, meeting Parker’s narrowed glare across the table. “Sorry,” I croaked, and put my fork to the side so I could no longer poke and prod at my high-class dinner. “I didn’t catch that.”
Parker’s nose twitched. It was what he did when he was annoyed but was trying to keep it to himself. In public, he was always incredibly poised, always determined to keep up this appearance of sophistication and control. But I’d seen the cracks coming through, and they were getting larger and deeper. I wasn’t sure what it would look like when that anger and frustration broke through, but I sure as hell knew I didn’t want to be around for it.
I needed to start thinking about ending this relationship.
And soon.
“I asked if you had ever been on a motorcycle?”
The question caught me off guard, and I frowned across the table at him.
“Um, no… I haven’t.”
“Good. Dangerous things they are,” he said with a nod of finality, reaching for his glass of water. “I’d hate to think you’d be silly enough to jeopardize your safety like that.”
The comment was laced with accusations, and my stomach began to twist itself into knots. Surely, there was no way he knew about my connection with Nate, or the conversation we’d had inthe kitchen a few days ago.Had he been watching me?
Ever since Parker had picked me up from Lucy’s place this afternoon, his tone had been sharp, and the silences had been long and cold. It was a different side of him I hadn’t experienced much before.
Parker was usually charismatic, and he was never short of something to say or topics to discuss. It was why people were drawn to him, why they enjoyed being around him. I should know, up until this past week, I was one of those people, enamored by his job, his looks, and his personality.
But I’d seen changes.
Small at first.
Easy to miss.
But as I sat across the table from him, I grew increasingly wary about who exactly I had been dating for the past few months.
“Is something wrong?” I asked, my head falling to the side. I tried to make the question sound casual, but the knots in my stomach twisted even tighter.
While I was pretty good at standing up for myself, I wasn’t exactly one for confrontation.
“Not really,” Parker answered, setting his glass back down with a soft clink. He cupped his hands together on the table and interlocked his fingers. They were gripped so tightly, they were turning white, and I instantly knew I needed to start considering my options. “Unless you feel like there’s something you need to confess?”
“Confess?” I repeated. “Like what?”
He lowered his voice and leaned in. “Let’s start with your relationship with Nathaniel Brooks.”
