Parker smiled. “I’m sure that can be arranged, but you might have to give me a minute. I think you broke me.”
Rafe laughed and leaned across to kiss him, wrapping him in his arms. Parker might have been joking, but he had a niggling thought that maybe Parker had been the one to break him, because he sure didn’t feel like his usual self right now.
And funnily enough, that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
10
This so-called walk of shame thing was getting to be a habit. Parker poked his head into the living room, but there wasn’t a sign of anyone about. The kitchen was empty too, just a couple of glasses and an empty wine bottle beside the sink. He took the steps two at a time, grateful that his sneakers cushioned his footsteps. He closed his bedroom door quietly and headed straight to the attached bathroom for a shower. His body ached—oh, boy, did it ache, and in all the right places—so the pounding of hot water on his muscles was amazing. It was hard to regret the night before when his body vibrated at the very thought of Rafe’s hands on him.Damn!The things he could do to Parker’s body!
Parker couldn’t believe how much he’d taken Bo’s advice on board—in with a penny, in with a pound, as his grandma used to say. If he was going to have a one-night stand, holiday fling, or whatever, then he was going to do it properly. And Rafe had given him exactly what he’d been asking for, exactly what he’dneeded.
But as he dried himself, pulling the towel across his slightly bruised skin, the doubts set in.
The whole experience of being with Rafe felt like so much more than sex. As much as he wanted to deny it, his heart was already invested, and he wanted to spend more time with the man. Yes, he was eager for another roll in the sack, but just as much he warmed at the thought of simply talking, getting to know him better, and therein lay the problem.
He rubbed the towel over his damp head, drying his hair, as much as trying to scrub his ridiculous thoughts away.See, you can’t even have a one-night stand without getting all caught up in the bullshit.
He swiped the condensation off the mirror and shook his head at his reflection.Stop overthinking it, stupid.He and Rafe wouldn’t be having a relationship; they didn’t have a future. It was just a bit of fun, so he didn’t have to worry about his heart getting caught up with someone who was furthest from the type of man he was looking for. Been there, done that, and it wasn’t happening again. Pretty soon Rafe would be on a plane and out of there, and he would be heading back west. And living on the other side of the country put paid to any idea of being in the same sphere post the short HyperOctane US tour.See? Nothing to worry about.
Feeling a lot lighter, Parker hung up the towel and finished getting ready, determined to make the most of the rest of his trip. He deserved to have some fun, so why not let his hair down, so to speak?
Ten minutes later, he walked into the kitchen, this time greeted by the aroma of Harvey’s coffee. “Morning,” he said with a smile.
“Hey,” Harvey said, looking over his shoulder. “Coffee?”
“You bet. Thanks.” Parker took a seat and pulled out his phone. He checked his socials while Harvey fiddled around making his espresso. He didn’t post very often but he’d gotten into the daily habit of checking Twitter and Instagram to see what Harvey had been getting up to. Social media was one way of feeling that he wasn’t so far away when he had lived halfway around the globe.
“Mum’s been online again. She’s commented on the selfie you posted from the bar yesterday.”
“Oh, Jesus. What did she say this time?”
Parker chuckled. “I quote, ‘what’s a mother got to do to wrangle an invite to cocktails with her firstborn son?’”
“That’s not too bad, I guess.” Harvey slid into the seat opposite, pushing a coffee towards Parker. “Last week she commented that I was well overdue for a haircut, and the post before that… the photo of the band in the hot tub? She referred to an adorable, her words, picture she had of me sitting in the bath naked.”
Parker’s chuckle turned into a full-on laugh. “I saw that,” he managed to say. “You’re lucky she didn’t post the photo itself.”
“So are you, little bro. You’re in it too. All white and wrinkly and showing off the family jewels, if I remember correctly.”
“I was only two!” Parker spluttered. “God, we’ve got to watch out for that woman—the damage she could do to our manhood! She’s got quite the following, doesn’t she? Her comments get more likes than your original posts.”
“She’s a marketer’s dream. I think I’ve got a ton of followers who are only following my account so they can keep up with what Mum says.”
Parker took a sip of his espresso, appreciative of the coffee, grateful for Harvey’s smile as he grinned at him, and thankful for their caring, if not a little crazy mother.
They both looked up as Ravi entered the kitchen. He yawned wide and scraped a hand through his scruffy hair.
“Rough night?” Parker chuckled.
Ravi’s gaze shot to Parker, mouth wide. “I… ah….”
Harvey jumped up. “Just a few drinks after the restaurant. You want a coffee, Rav?” Harvey was halfway to the machine by the time Ravi answered.
“Yeah, that’d be awesome.” Ravi took the seat Harvey had just vacated. He fiddled with the cords on his sweats, obviously still half asleep, ignoring Parker as he focused on unravelling the knot.
Unless?The sofa didn’t show any signs of being used last night, at least not when Parker had walked past an hour ago, and Ravi had obviously just come from bed. In the spacious apartment, the only other bedroom apart from the guest room that Parker was using was Harvey’s. Come to think of it, he didn’t recall seeing the sofa bed made up the night before either, not that he’d really been looking, too lost in his own thoughts about Rafe when he’d snuck in during the early hours. But now he looked at Harvey’s back at the coffee machine, and Ravi’s downcast head, in different light.I wonder—
“Get that into you, then grab a shower.” Harvey placed a freshly brewed espresso in front of Ravi and took a seat. Ravi grabbed the cup and immediately brought it to his lips. “As soon as you’re ready, and after the groceries arrive, we’ll hit the road.” He looked at Parker, ignoring Parker’s pointed stare. “I thought we’d head up the mountains today. I want to show you the Blue Mountains.”
