35. Audrey

CHAPTER 35

Audrey

MAY

E verything was moving fast, but it felt like we were exactly where we were supposed to be. My heart was full, the random butterflies still bursting through me at moments just like this one.

Because there was Parker, standing outside on the sidewalk, holding a bouquet of pink roses with that smile that he only wore for me.

Meeting him halfway, I came to a stop in front of him, wearing a pair of denim shorts and a cute pink polka dot top tied in a knot at my waist. It showed the slightest sliver of midriff, but it was a warm day for May, so I was perfectly comfortable. I’d been unpacking the last of the boxes from my room at the sorority house, working up a sweat.

My boyfriend handed me the flowers, and I took them automatically, staring down at the beautiful roses.

“What are these for?” I asked, burying my nose in them.

“Can’t a guy buy his girlfriend flowers without needing a reason?” Parker looped his arm around my shoulders as he walked me back inside. “Especially when they just moved into their first apartment together?”

I shrugged, hiding my smile as I held the flowers tighter to my chest. “I suppose.”

“That’s my girl,” he said, nuzzling his nose against mine.

Fake girlfriend or not, I’d always been his girl, hadn’t I?

As of today, it was officially summer. My bedroom in the sorority house was now empty. Parker had moved out of the lacrosse house, too, and since neither one of us had actual furniture, we’d bought ourselves a bed. The rest of the furniture in the apartment was thankfully supplied by both of our families, who were very eager to pawn things off onto us.

Our apartment was basically fully furnished, though, so I couldn’t complain. My childhood desk sat next to Parker’s. The spot where I’d written our names in a heart with a Sharpie underneath my desk was still there, feeling like a wonderful twist of fate. We’d lost each other for so many years, but then we’d found each other again. Maybe the universe had known what it was doing when it gave me Parker as a child. Like it knew one day, he’d be my everything.

“I love you,” I murmured against his ear as we walked into our apartment together.

Parker’s face lit up like it always did when I told him how I felt. “I love you too.”

I leaned against him, feeling grateful beyond words.

He wasn’t completely off the hook from lacrosse yet since they had the playoffs starting next week. Luckily, I’d be able to catch every game—well, as long as they kept winning—and I was so excited to scream for my man. His parents were going to come down too, and even though it had been a long time, I already couldn’t wait to see Mrs. Maxwell. She’d been so good to me when we were younger, and Parker had assured me she was ecstatic that we were together.

It was going to be the best summer ever, and it was all because of the man by my side.

“What are you thinking about?” Parker asked as I sighed happily, resting my head on his shoulder.

“How lucky I am.”

Ella and I had talked every night since she’d left for the summer, and we really talked. She told me about Cam, about how they’d been talking about the future, and I shared about everything that had happened over the semester with Parker and I. Well, almost everything. Some moments were too special to share.

Still, I was deliriously happy. It should have been illegal to smile this much.

“Me too.” He scooped me up into his arms, carrying me the rest of the way into our apartment.

“Put me down,” I giggled.

He flashed his pearly white teeth at me. “Nah. Think I’m going to carry you around everywhere from now on, Rosie Girl.” Parker winked.

I rolled my eyes, loving the attention. The way he doted on me was sweet. I didn’t have to second guess his feelings for me, because he showed me every day how much he loved me through his actions and his words.

“You know…” I murmured, cupping his cheeks. “We haven’t christened our new bedroom yet.” I wiggled my eyebrows.

“And here I planned to feed you,” Parker said, making a tsking sound with his tongue as he dropped me on my feet.

I hummed for a moment as if thinking it over. “Bed first,” I responded. “Food later.”

He laughed, and damn if it wasn’t my favorite sound in the entire world.

What I’d learned in the last week was that Parker’s teammates really loved to tease him about us. He’d invited a few of the guys over to our place after practice this week. They were all spending a lot of time each day on the field and in the gym, so I knew how important it was for them to have some time to relax and unwind, too.

Samuel was quickly becoming one of my favorites, mostly because he and Parker were the closest and I liked how wholesome their friendship was.

“He tried to deny how into you he was from the beginning,” Samuel said with a laugh. “But it was so obvious from the moment he saw you at the Halloween party that you two were going to end up together.”

I looked over at Parker, who was sipping a Gatorade at the kitchen counter. He had the faintest of blush on his cheekbones, and I winked at him. All the guys had come here after practice, so they were all in athletic shorts and t-shirts, given the temperature outside.

“Honestly, I’m surprised it took you two as long as it did to start dating. We all had bets on when it would happen,” Derek chimed in.

“Oh? You took bets?”

“Yeah. I think I had one month.” Derek chuckled.

Taylor shrugged. “I had two weeks.”

Samuel sighed. “Who knew it would take over three?”

“She was my best friend, you guys,” Parker said, rolling his eyes and walking over to us. “I had to approach with caution. Like a lion pouncing on his prey.”

I giggled when he jumped on me, wrapping his arms around my stomach and pulling me down onto his lap. “But it was all worth it in the end, huh?” I asked, cupping his cheek.

“Yeah.” He pressed a kiss to my cheek. “Definitely.”

“Ugh, gross,” Taylor said, covering his eyes. “You two are disgusting. I’m way too single for this.”

Derek laughed, smacking the back of his head. “No one said you had to come over, man.”

He crosses his arms over his chest. “I didn’t want to get left out.”

Samuel looked at me, shrugging. “At least you didn’t have to share a wall with this one.” He hooked a thumb towards Parker. “It wasn’t exactly quiet.”

It was my turn for my cheeks to turn pink. God, I did not want to think about him hearing us have sex.

Parker’s hand tightened over my thigh. “You say that like you’re not just as loud with Danielle.”

“Oh, shit,” Taylor snickered. “Get him.”

I wiggled on Parker’s lap, trying to get comfortable.

“Audrey.” His words were rough against my ear. “Unless you want to make this worse, don’t do that.”

Why— oh . I giggled. He was hard. “Sorrryyy ,” I turned just slightly, batting my eyelashes at him.

He banded his arm around my waist, keeping me tight against him, and we stayed like that as the guys chatted. Warm and secure in his arms, I grew drowsy, finally drifting off.

I woke up when Parker shifted me in his arms later, saying goodbye to his friends. It had grown dark, the sun already setting in the sky. Considering it had been early evening when they’d come over, I had been out for a good amount of time.

“Sorry.” I yawned. “I guess I’m still tired after the events of last week.”

“You’re fine.” He chuckled. “I had fun today. Thanks for agreeing to have the guys over.”

“Of course. It’s your place too.” I tilted my head, looking at him funny. “And they’re your friends. Besides, I like them. They might enjoy teasing you, but they’re good guys.”

Parker nodded. “I know. Part of me has always known it, I think.”

He shifted me so I’d be straddling his lap, each leg on either side of him.

“So, you really liked me, hm, Parker?” I wound my arms around his neck, loving teasing him myself. “Embarrassing.”

Red spread up his neck and ears. “Rosie…” His voice was deep. “We’re dating.”

“Still.” I leaned in to kiss the tip of his nose. Running my fingers up through his hair, I gently scratched my nails over his scalp. He closed his eyes like he was luxuriating in the sensation.

“Imagine my surprise,” I whispered. “When I saw the hottest guy at that party and he turned out to be the kid I used to play in the mud with. The one who watched A Pup Named Scooby Doo with me after pre-school and cried when I wanted to watch Christmas movies. The one whose name I doodled on my sketchbook next to mine with a heart around it. And you were still you, but also… This.” I dragged my nails up his abdomen. “A gorgeous, handsome man, but still my best friend.”

His deep laugh settled in my lower region, my body already sparking to life with desire. “God, trying to just be friends with you was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I wanted to kiss you from that very first moment.” He pushed my t-shirt off my shoulder to kiss my bare skin. “You’ve always been the most beautiful woman in every room you’re in.”

I batted my eyelashes. “We really were so oblivious, weren’t we?”

Parker cupped the back of my neck, pressing a soft kiss to my lips. “I love you, Audrey Rose. So fucking much. Like my heart might actually burst inside.”

“I love you, Parker Phillip.”

Our soft and gentle kissing quickly turned into more. Rocking my hips against him, I was overly aware of his hardening erection underneath me. How the only thing that separated us was my thin panties beneath my skirt and his workout shorts.

“I want you,” I murmured, staring into his beautiful golden flecked brown eyes. That wonderful shade of amber that felt like my entire world.

“Bed?” He asked, shifting his hands to grip my hips.

I shook my head, pulling the t-shirt off over my head. “Don’t want to wait. Just want you inside me.”

Parker groaned as I slipped my hands inside of his shorts, his cock popping out. God, he was gorgeous. Long and thick, but somehow the perfect size. I ran my thumb down his length before circling the crown.

When I looked up at him, his eyes were dark.

“Put me inside of you,” he ordered. I liked it when he was all bossy and dominant. It was so far from what I expected when he’d confessed that he’d never had sex before, but I liked the growly in charge Parker as much as I loved the sweet, shy one.

Pushing my lace panties to the side, I lifted my hips, guiding him into me. We both let out a moan as I sank down onto his length, and it was glorious. I loved feeling this full.

Dropping my head back, I slowly rolled my hips against him as Parker sucked my nipple into his mouth through the lacy pink bra I was wearing. It was a matching set, and I swear every time he saw my panties were pink, there was a spark in his eyes.

He reached around my back, flicking the clasp even as he kept his mouth on me. The straps slipped down my arms, and then I shimmied it off, dropping it behind me. I loved the way his eyes roved my body, taking in my pink nipples that were hard from his ministrations.

Like I was sexy. Beautiful. His .

Sometimes I felt ridiculous, all of my pink and sparkles, but then I remembered how much Parker loved it when I was truly myself, and I realized I didn’t care what other people thought. I dressed the way I wanted because it made me happy.

And it didn’t hurt when Parker looked at me with desire in his eyes, either.

I rocked against him, each movement slow and sensuous, as he thrust his hips up to meet me, and it didn’t take long at all before we were coming together, our bodies wrapped around each other on the couch, like nothing in the world at all could tear us apart.

Looking into his eyes and kissing him tenderly even as he remained inside of me, I knew nothing ever would.