34. Parker

CHAPTER 34

Parker

A udrey was at a party with Ella and Cam’s friends, but I couldn’t wait. Not when I knew exactly what she needed to hear. Plus, I’d just found out that we had officially made the playoffs. We made the fucking playoffs ! My fist pumped into the air, but the person I wanted to share this with the most wasn’t here.

My fingers fidgeted with the small jewelry box in my pocket. I’d bought her this before the musical, but I hadn’t found the right time to give it to her yet. It wasn’t much—one day, I’d buy her an engagement ring and ask her to be mine, the way I’d wanted since I was little—but it represented her.

Hopping in my car, I drove to the house, ignoring how fast my heart was beating in my chest.

I didn’t even bother to knock. Opening the door to the house, I scanned the living room. The guys were all there—but no Audrey. Hearing a laugh coming from the kitchen—her laugh—I nodded to them before heading that way.

Like she was the sun, and I needed to orbit around her, drawn to her very presence.

“Parker?” Audrey blinked. “What are you doing here?”

But instead of answering, I pulled her into my arms.

And with my hands wrapped around her hips, keeping her body plastered to mine, I dipped my head down, taking her lips with mine. Kissing her with everything I had. I poured all of my love into that kiss, hard and unrelenting. I kissed her like she was the air, and I’d been suffocating.

Like it was the last damn kiss of my life.

But this wasn’t the end. Not of us. Not for us. No, this was just our beginning.

I swept my tongue over her lips, and Audrey opened, letting me inside, before her arms wound around my neck, fingers digging into my hair as she tugged me in tighter.

The world narrowed down, and it was just Audrey and I. I didn’t even care that all of her friends were watching us make out, that they’d seen me maul her like a bear. Because fuck, I needed her.

Lifting her into my arms so I could kiss her deeper, I wrapped my hands under her ass, not breaking our connection for one single moment.

Someone cleared their throat, and Audrey pulled away, her cheeks pink. The color of her wardrobe. My favorite fucking color on the planet.

She’d asked me once what my favorite color was. I’d answered red because it was a pleasant color and a decent answer. But really, it was the color of her cheeks when she blushed. The color she wore every single day, like an addict. The color of her bedsheets. Her pretty pink lips when I’d just kissed them.

“Fuck, Dream Boy,” Audrey whispered. “That was some kiss.” God, every time she said that, all I wanted to do was kiss her again and again .

I leaned my forehead against hers for a breath. “What do you say we get out of here?”

She nodded. “I think that’s a good idea.” She rubbed herself over my erection, and I groaned.

Yup. That was a great idea. I didn’t need any of them to see how hard making out with her had gotten me.

Addressing the room, I finally said, “Um, hi.” I was sure a blush covered my own cheekbones as I set Audrey back down on her feet. “I’m just gonna, uh, borrow my girlfriend now, if you all don’t mind.”

After adjusting myself—discreetly—I slipped my hand into hers, guiding her out the door I’d just come in.

I didn’t even pay attention to their reactions. No doubt, it was a surprise. None of them really knew what had been going on between us.

Fake, until it suddenly wasn’t.

It was real. So fucking real. Hadn’t I proved that over the last few weeks?

“Parker,” Audrey finally said, tugging at my hand as I reached my car. “What was that?”

I turned to look at her, taking in her appearance. Swollen lips, her dress slightly askew on her frame from the way I’d had her in my arms. Beautiful.

Mine. So perfectly mine.

“That was me coming to see my girlfriend,” I repeated it. Like maybe that would help her get it through her head.

She blinked. “What?—”

“I love you.” The words were out there before I could think better of it. “And I couldn’t have you go on for one more second, thinking I didn’t. I told you, this was never fake for me. To me, it’s always been real.” Audrey’s eyes were locked on mine, the pretty violet irises swirling with unshed emotion. “It’s always been you, Rosie. In every dream, every vision, you were the one I wanted by my side.”

“Parker…” She bit her lip, holding back a laugh.

I frowned. “What?”

“I’m just trying to figure out why you felt the need to barge in there, sweep me off my feet, and give me a grand declaration of love. Not that I don’t appreciate it, because I do, but?—”

“I heard you,” I admitted. “Talking with Ella.”

She furrowed her brow. “You did?”

“Yeah. That you weren’t sure how I felt.” I scratched the back of my head.

“Oh. Parker.” She giggled. “That’s not what I was saying.”

I frowned. “You weren’t?”

“No.” She beamed. “I was saying I love you, and I think I have for a long time.”

“You do?”

“Of course I do.”

I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her against me. “Thank fuck.”

She responded by wrapping hers around my neck. “You’re so ridiculous.”

“I’m new to all of this,” I responded. “Remember? You’ve gotta cut me some slack. I’ve never told a girl I loved them before.”

The smile she gave me was enough to make my heart stop beating in my chest.

“I think after Millie, I was hesitant to open up to people. To my teammates and the idea of love. Because that betrayal runs deep. But you’ve been so patient with me. And yet, you have my entire heart in your hands, Rosie Girl. You’ve had it for a long time.”

“Me too,” she said, her voice breathless. “I was so scared of getting my heart broken again that for the longest time, I didn’t see what was right in front of me. Or maybe it was that I didn’t let myself see it. But you’ve always been the one for me, Parker Phillip Maxwell. I’ve known it since I was eight years old, and damn if I was going to go one more minute without telling you how much I love you. I’m in love with you.”

I was floored. Because damn, if we hadn’t been on the same wavelength. “I think we both need to get better at expressing our feelings earlier,” I said, chuckling.

“Probably,” she murmured, pressing her palm against my cheek.

I brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “Now, I have everything I could have ever asked for. I’m in love with my best friend, and she loves me back. My teammates are my friends, and they have my back.” I pressed my nose against hers. “Plus, I’m going to be the Captain of the lacrosse team next year.”

“What?” Audrey shrieked, jumping up and down. “You should have led with that! That’s amazing! Congratulations, baby.”

Smirking, I leaned down, kissing her softly. “You were more important. The most important thing in my life.”

She hummed, kissing me back.

“Now, do you want to go back inside and celebrate with my friends, or do you want to go back to your place and we can do some celebrating of our own?” Audrey raised her eyebrows suggestively.

“Back to my place,” I agreed. Definitely .

We’d barely been back in my room before I was slamming the door shut, tugging her dress off over her shoulders. My shirt followed, and then my jeans as Audrey unhooked her bra and shimmied out of her underwear—shedding our clothes and all our barriers. This was real, raw. And it felt so special to be with her like this.

“Parker,” Audrey moaned as I pressed kisses down her neck, over her collarbone, before kissing her shoulder and sucking the skin into my mouth. I liked the idea of marking her so that everyone knew she was mine.

I wanted to memorize her body with my tongue, to trace her curves, every inch of her I hadn’t before. She stood in front of me, completely naked, and I just stepped back to take her in.

Her tits, the perfect handful to fit in mine. Her hips, soft with those little dips, just begging to be gripped. All of her was perfect. Those pretty pink lips. Her cute little butt. That silky blond hair that she loved to wear down, blonde curls tumbling over her bare skin.

“You’re so beautiful,” I murmured, unable to look away.

Audrey’s cheeks deepened in response, taking a step forward to reach out her hands towards me. I let her explore the way I just had. Taking all of me in. Her small, soft hands wrapped around me, sliding down, her eyes glued to the tip of my shaft.

“How is it that no matter how many times I have you, I still want more?” She whispered, wiping her thumb over the bead of pre-cum that oozed out.

“You’re asking me ?” I chuckled, dragging a finger between her legs. “I’m insatiable for you, baby. I’d have you for breakfast, lunch and dinner if you let me. Spend all day buried between these thighs.”

I dipped my finger into her slit, finding her wet and ready. “You’re already ready for me, aren’t you, my Rosie Girl?”

She whimpered as I pushed two fingers into her at once, scissoring them between her folds. It wouldn’t take much to have her falling apart beneath me. We were both too worked up. Maybe there was something about saying those three little words to each other that made everything feel heightened.

We’d been experimenting, trying different positions to see what felt best, but there was still one I wanted to try.

“This time, I want you on top,” I said, cupping her breasts with my hands as I flicked my thumbs over her nipples. “I wanna watch these pretty tits bounce in my face as I fuck you.”

She nodded, eagerly agreeing and I tugged her over to the bed, laying down and patting my chest.

“Ride me, baby.”

This time, I knew would be hard and fast. We were both wound too tightly for anything else. But later, I’d take her slow and tender to show her just how much I loved her.

Audrey climbed on top of me, positioning my cock at her entrance, sinking down on me. Every time, I couldn’t believe how fucking good it felt inside of her. Would it always just keep getting better?

I gripped her hips as she took me to the base, sheathing me fully inside of her. Her knees were positioned on either side of me, giving her the perfect leverage to work me back and forth, in and out.

“Look at you,” I cooed. “Look how well you take me.”

From this position, I could see her stretched around me, watching as she rocked back and forth, her hips moving as she sought more friction.

Her eyes closed, hands planting on my chest as she let out a few short pants. “I’m so full .”

I chuckled, and she started rocking her hips back and forth, grinding her clit against me, letting out a cry every time she hit the base. Watching her chase her own orgasm was hot.

So was the way her tits jiggled every time she bounced on my cock, moving up and down. Grabbing her hips, I helped guide her motions, rolling them over and over as I thrust up inside of her, knowing I wouldn’t last too much longer.

Sitting up, I kept one hand on her hip as I cupped her breast with the other one, sucking a nipple into my mouth, lavishing it with attention.

“It’s too much,” she groaned. “I need?—”

“I know what you need, baby.” I switched to her other nipple, unable to stop my hips from keeping that steady rhythm, fucking into her. “Touch your clit. Make yourself come.”

She nodded, bringing her hand down between us. The tips of her fingers ran over my cock, wet from her ministrations, before she felt the place where her body took me in.

I let out a groan as she pressed her fingers apart, rocking her palm against her clit. “S’ good,” she slurred. “How does it keep getting better?”

She took the words right out of my mouth.

I gritted my teeth. “I’m gonna come, baby. I can’t hang on much longer. I just need?—”

Audrey came before I could finish that thought, crying out my name, her back arching and pushing out her tits as she let go. She contracted around me, still rocking her hips as wave after wave of her orgasm ripped through her body. Damn, if that wasn’t satisfying.

Following close behind her, I held her tight to me as I roared my release, pouring inside of her. I felt like a caveman every time I did it, unable to hold myself back as I filled her with my cum. After I softened, I pulled out, watching our combined releases drip out of Audrey’s pussy. Scooping it up, I pushed it back inside of her. Nothing would come of it, not now—but it was still hot as hell.

“Round two?” Audrey asked, her fingers dancing over my bare chest as she snuggled her body against me.

“Later,” I promised, laughing as I brought her mouth to mine, letting my mouth express just how happy I was that she was mine.

“You know, we haven’t talked about what happens now that the semester is over,” Audrey said, her fingers curling with mine as we lay naked in my bed, face to face. I thought I liked this part the best—the intimacy of after, when we were cleaned up and cuddling. When she let me hold her and we just talked about anything and everything.

“We’ll figure it out,” I promised her as I played with her hair. “It’s not like I can’t drive up to you this summer.”

“That’s true. Or…” She hesitated.

“Or?” I asked, tilting her chin up with my finger, her eyes capturing mine. Holding my interest. She looked shy and reluctant—and I knew she was neither of those things.

If anything, I was the shy one, content to be quiet and reserved. Before her, I was completely comfortable sitting back and watching. Now, well… everything felt different.

“Well, Ella’s got an internship this summer with the costume design department at the theater company back home. And I don’t know your plans, but…”

“I did an internship last summer with an architecture firm, so now it’s just a matter of applying for something after graduation.”

“And where, exactly, are you hoping to end up?” Audrey fiddled with her hands in her lap. Her voice was filled with cautious optimism, and I held in a chuckle.

I rubbed up her hip, settling protectively on the inside of her thigh. “Why, sunshine?”

“Maybe it’s too early to hope we’ll be in the same city, but…” Those purple eyes locked on mine. “A girl can dream, right?”

“New York City.” I smirked. “Every firm I applied for is in New York.”

“But…” Her eyes scanned over my face as she processed what I said. “You couldn’t have known we’d end up together?”

“Maybe not. But I hoped. You were always my dream, Rosie Girl. Why do you think I held onto your picture all of those years?”

Her cheeks were pink, a sight that made me grin extra wide.

Reaching over to my nightstand, I slid it open, grabbing the surprise I had for her. Kissing her flushed cheek, I placed the small box in her hand.

“Parker.” She gasped. “What’s this?”

I shrugged. “Open it.”

It was a gold star pendant on a dainty chain—something I’d seen and had instantly thought of my girl. In the middle was a small diamond, and it sparkled when it caught the light.

“A star?” She blinked. “I don’t?—”

“It’s you,” I explained. “I’m sure one day you’ll have your own star, but for now, you’re mine. And that’s how I think of you. My sunshine. My star.”

“I have something for you, too,” she admitted, her eyes watery. “It might be crazy. And it’s definitely big.” Audrey bit her lip. “You can say no. If you don’t want to, I just?—”

“Audrey.” I pressed my lips to hers to get her to calm down. “What is it?”

She pressed a key into my palm.

I blinked. “Huh?”

“Will you move in with me?” She sat up on her knees, perched in front of me. “I signed the lease already, and it’s ours.” Her throat moved as she swallowed, and I could tell she was nervous. “If you want to.”

“And we’ll share a room?” I asked.

“Uh-huh.”

“And a bed?” I raised my eyebrows suggestively.

“Yes.”

“And we can be as loud as we want?”

That one made her laugh. “I mean, the neighbors might not appreciate that, but…”

“Yes, Rosie. There’s nothing I like more than the idea of waking up next to you every day. Every night you spent apart from me was miserable, anyway.” I kissed her, softly at first, before giving her my tongue. “Yes, I’ll move in with you.”

And just like that, we were moving in together.