Page 7 of When Autumn Arrives

I nodded, not ready to admit to her just how fucked up in the head I was. I wasn’t ready to let her in, and this fucker was a good enough sign. I turned, heading toward the locked door, but we weren’t alone anymore.

A knock sounded at the entrance, then Parker’s voice indicated who was there. “Thea, baby. You here?”

“Just a second,” Thea called.

She hurried past me and opened the door to let Parker in. A pit formed in my gut as I witnessed one of my best friends step into the bar. He wrapped his arms around Thea’s waist, pulling her into him. Then he kissed her, hard and punishing.

My jaw clenched when she moaned against the wetness of his lips.

Parker grinned, pulling away. “I missed you too.” He laughed, his nose nuzzling into her hair. He inhaled the scent of her shampoo, and instead of pulling away the way I had, he squeezed her against him tighter.

I watched in awe. How was it so easy for him to open up again? After the betrayal we’d been through.

Thea let out a yawn, and Parker pulled away from her. “Let’s get you to bed, nabi.” He grabbed her hand, then glanced my way. “Hey, man. What are you doing here?”

I shrugged. “We hadn’t heard from you guys, and I didn’t think you’d want her here alone so late.”

“Well, he’s here now. You can leave.”

She had said it so sweetly that Parker didn’t catch the animosity as she hitched a thumb over her shoulder and toward the door. Still, he glanced between us, one brow arched. He knew something had gone on between us, even if he didn’t want to outright admit it.

“Do… you want to… stay?” he finally asked.

“No,” Thea and I said together.

He chortled, then turned into Thea. “We still hate each other, I see.”

I grumbled, brushing past them. When I was outside, the door slammed behind me, then the lock clicked into place, and I found myself alone all over again.

Chapter five

Thea

I ignored my phone as it rang on the sink and finished showering at leisure. No one ever called me. The boys texted. The only person who would call was Riley, and it was too early in the morning for her to be FaceTime-ing me with Paisley. So, whatever it was she was calling about could wait until I finished my peaceful morning routine.

I towel-dried, then moisturized. Peaceful wasn’t the right word for the loneliness I felt as I got ready for my day. I was lonely, despite Parker still asleep in the other room. I still hadn’t been completely honest with Parker and Hendrix. I didn’t have anyone but Chrissy. And I yearned to see my baby.

I’d convinced myself about a dozen times this week not to drive to North Carolina to see her. Kyle would turn me away. Riley might be willing to set up a lunch between the three of us, but it would only result in tears from both Paisley and me when it was time to part ways.

Parker rapped on the door, then twisted the knob. He pushed open the door, his boyish grin plastered on his face. His brown eyes sparkled, and dark, unbrushed hair fell around his face. He was naked, and his warm skin set me on fire as he approached, pulling me into his chest.

I peered at him through the mirror and reached up to run my fingers along his cheek. His eyes closed, and he hummed with satisfaction. I hadn’t seen Hendrix since the morning he confronted me, and that was five days ago. He’d been texting me, but said work was crazy, and promised that everything was fine between us.

It didn’t feel fine, though. The dynamic had shifted, and I didn’t know if we’d get it back. I shouldn’t have been so worried about it. I knew what was going to happen soon enough. Paisley would come home, and I would cut ties with my boys of summer.

Parker clung to me, his lips pressing against my neck. His hand reached for the knot on my chest that was holding the towel in place, and he dropped it, a hand reaching up to fondle my bare breast. I sighed as my hands fell to the countertop and gripped the cool granite.

His lips pressed against the nape of my neck. I dropped my head while he continued to the center of my shoulder blades, lower and lower. Each press of his mouth against my skin left me breathless. Still, I wasn’t feeling up to sex right now. Not when Hendrix was avoiding me.

Before I could stop him, his mouth was at the small of my back. I gasped when his teeth sunk into my ass.

“Wait,” I sputtered, reaching for my phone and used the Face ID to unlock it.

“What are you doing?” Parker asked.

I ignored him, despite how he teased me with light touches of his fingers around the opening of my back entrance. Hendrix picked up on the third ring, and his face came into display. He was in a white tank top, with a yellow hard hat settled on his head.

God, he was so fucking sexy, with dirt smudged on his cheek, his dark stubble longer than I’d last seen him.

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