“No,” I murmured. I pulled my gaze from his and looked across the frozen lake. “It shouldn’t be this hard. We don’t even like each other.”
“You’re lying.” He touched a hand to my cheek, and my ability to resist him dissolved. I leaned into his touch. When it came to Parker, I was powerless.
“Okay, maybe I like you just a little bit,” I admitted.
“Only a little bit?”
“I’d like you more if you never opened your mouth.”
He laughed softly and leaned down so his forehead pressed against mine. I was surrounded by the scent of him. By the feel of him. He was pure heat against the icy cold, and I was one wrong move away from getting burned.
“Why’d you follow me out here, Parker?”
“Because I wish things were different.” He drew in a breath. “We’re going to win our game next week, and your dad’s going to put you on the team permanently.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
“Of course. I want that more than anything. But I also know it will only make it harder for us to be together. And I just…” He paused, and I felt his arm wrap gently around my waist. “I guess I just wanted to keep dreaming that things were different a little longer.”
“We’re alone out here,” I replied softly, sliding my hand up to rest on his chest. “Maybe we can pretend just for a while…”
He lightly brushed his lips against mine. My whole body seemed to sigh in response. This was so different than the heated kisses we’d shared before. It was heartbreakingly beautiful and painful all at once, because we knew we weren’t just getting it out of our system. We were saying goodbye. One final kiss and we’d be done.
When we broke apart, my chest ached in response. I wasn’t ready to let him go. Not even close.
He wasn’t either. Barely a second passed before he pulled me against him again. I came happily, eagerly. His hand was in my hair. The other gripping my waist. All softness and hesitation gone, replaced by pure desire.
His kisses made me feel as if my feet no longer touched theground. They had my body vibrating like the stars above were igniting beneath my skin. I never wanted this moment to end.
When it did, I was left breathless.Wrecked. That kiss had carved a trail of destruction through me, fracturing my resistance into the smallest of pieces.
I took a step away from him. I had to.
“We should head back to the party.”
Parker nodded, his gaze still raw. I quickly pulled his jacket from my shoulders and passed it to him before turning from the lake. I hurried up the track toward the bonfire, even more desperate to escape than when I’d first taken the path down to the dock.
Chapter 30Parker
I returned to the bonfire, watching as Mackenzie walked ahead. Even now, I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off her as she sat on a log with Cullen and Jaz. I wished more than anything I could be next to her. Hell, I’d happily lie on the ground as the log if it meant I could be close by.
Our kiss before had felt final. It had felt like saying farewell to all the things we couldn’t be. I knew that my feelings for Mackenzie went far beyond just desire. Staring at her now, I didn’t just want to kiss her. No, I wanted to know her thoughts. I wanted all her scowls and smiles. I’d even take her punches, if it meant she could be mine.
I cared about Mackenzie. More than I could have ever thought possible a few weeks ago. And that was why I had to let her go.
“Where did you disappear to?” Owen asked, coming over to me.
“Uh, we needed more firewood.”
Owen laughed as he glanced at the roaring bonfire. “I think we probably have enough.”
“Yeah, probably,” I agreed.
I hated lying, especially about Mackenzie. I didn’t want to hide the way I felt. I wanted to shout it from a top floor window of the school. But I couldn’t. And the fact Owen had noticed I was missing only confirmed that kissing Mackenzie down bythe lake was a mistake. Not because it hurt. But because we could have been caught. It wasn’t worth the risk of the rest of the team finding out or word getting back to her dad.
Owen was still smiling as he looked around the party. “Tonight is really great.”
“You think?”
