I start the car and transfer the phone to the hands-free option as I pull out of his driveway. His voice fills my car. “You're my friend.”
I grimace at his choice of words. I mean, I know it's right. We are friends. But damn, I want to be more. “Really Parker, it's not a big deal. You can hang out and catch up with all of them tonight. We can see each other tomorrow.”
“No,” he blurts out.
I can't help but laugh. He's so stubborn. “What do you mean, no?”
“I mean, if you don't want to go, then I'm hanging out with you.”
I shake my head and glance at the clock. I really do have to hurry. I push on the gas. “Parker,” I say, dragging out his name.
“No, Haven, I'm serious. I want to spend as much time with you as I can. I can spend time with my brother tomorrow or another time. So it's up to you what you want to do tonight.”
I pull onto my street. I hate to be a party pooper, but some of his friends I could do without. Of course I don't know who's coming and who isn't and plus, Parker wouldn’t let them be mean or rude to me. I’m just about to tell him no when guilt sets in. Even though I’d love to spend time alone with him, I’m not a selfish person. I should appreciate the fact that he wants to include me. “Fine, I'll go. I'm off tonight anyway.”
“Great. I'll pick you up at eight.”
I’m shaking my head as if he can see me. I pull into my driveway, grab my bag from the passenger seat, and get out of the car. I wait for the audio to transfer back to my phone. “You still there?”
“Yeah, I’m here.”
“Okay. No, you don’t need to pick me up. I'll just drive myself; that way, if you want to stay longer, you don't have to worry about taking me home or anything.”
He laughs, and the gruff sound causes me to think about him in the shower. I swear when he came, his voice was gruff just like that.
“Ha ha, Haven. Nice try. You leave, I leave. You're stuck with me. I'll pick you up at eight.”
I can tell he's about to hang up when I hear his mom hollering for him that breakfast is ready. “Wait. Where is the party?”
He grumbles his answer. “I guess it's the new hot hangout of Redwood. The party's at On the Rocks.”
I blow out a breath. “All right, I'll be ready at eight.”
When I hear him say bye and the phone clicks, I stuff it into my bag. I don’t have long to shower and get ready. It seems like it takes twice the time because I keep getting lost in thoughts of Parker. He was pretty insistent that I go tonight. I bet he's worried that I'm upset about this morning. Or maybe that I'll read more into it than what it was. Regardless, I don't want to lose my best friend. There's no way I can let that happen.
Chapter 8
Parker
I spent the whole day with my mom, dad, and brother, but my mind has been on Haven. I haven't been able to stop thinking about her. I've been counting down the minutes until it was time for me to pick her up. At exactly 7:59, I pull into her driveway.
I ring her doorbell and wait impatiently for her to answer it. I don't have to wait long. She opens it with a smile on her face, and my mouth drops. She has on tight jeans and a V-neck shirt. I look her up and down, and when I look back at her face, it's flushed.
"You look beautiful," I tell her. She takes her time and looks at me from head to toe. I can feel the arousal coming to a head as she looks at me.
She cocks her hip out and puts her hand on it. "You don't look too bad yourself there, Army stud."
She turns back to grab her purse, and I can't help but look at the way her jeans fit on her ass. Fuck, it's going to be a long night.
She turns to me and looks at me skeptically. "Are you sure I can't drive?"
I grab her hand and take the keys and toss them back onto the entryway table.
"Nope. You're stuck with me."
She crosses her arms on her chest. "What if..." But she stops without finishing.
I put my finger on her chin and force her to look up at me. "What if what?"
She looks at me defiantly. "What if you want to go home with somebody? I don't want you to get stuck—"
I shake my head. "Don't finish that sentence."
She opens her mouth, but I cover it with my fingers. "Don't say that you don't want me to get stuck with you. There's no getting stuck, Haven. I choose to hang out with you tonight. I'm not leaving with anyone else."