A Beautiful Lie (Playing with Fire #1)(5)

"I cannot reveal my sources, Parker. Let's just say that sometimes it pays to have top secret military clearance," Garrett said with a wink.

The funny thing was Parker was pretty sure he wasn't joking. Knowing his way around computers like he did definitely had its perks.

Parker gently placed the lens back in the box, stood up, and made her way around to where Garrett sat. He tossed the napkin from his lap onto the table and stood up quickly as soon as she left her chair, always the gentleman. When she got to him, she didn’t hesitate to mold her body to his and wrap her arms around his neck.

Parker was a hugger. He had learned that about her quickly, and over the years Garrett had to try not to cringe whenever she got too close to him. He would never admit just how much it excited him when she pressed her body into to his and he could feel every single inch of her curves and softness. And therein laid the problem. When she got that close, he got excited—literally. Her skin, her smell, her breasts pushing up against his chest, all of it made his dick stand at attention. But of course he chalked that up to a normal reaction he would have around any gorgeous woman.

Garrett quickly wrapped his arms around Parker and returned the hug. Anything else would just be rude. They were friends, after all, and friends hugged all the time.

“Thank you so much, Garrett. The gift is perfect,” she whispered against his cheek. Her warm breath floating around his ear and the way she softly said his name again made him grind his teeth. She always smelled like coconuts, beach, and fresh air, and tonight was no different. He breathed her in and held the scent inside his lungs, letting it burrow down inside him like he always did.

Parker pulled her head away so she could look at his face, and her breath caught in her throat. His usual pale blue eyes had darkened, and he stared at her like she was something to eat. Butterflies beat furiously in her stomach but as soon as she blinked, the look was gone, replaced by soft eyes and a friendly smile. She forced herself to smile back at him and not make the moment awkward, even though she was still wrapped tightly in his arms. She wondered, not for the first time, what he would do if she leaned forward and kissed him. Their faces were so close she wouldn’t need to move very far. Just a few small inches and her lips could be pressed up against his, and she could finally see if he tasted as good as he looked.

“I’m sure you’d probably rather have a diamond bracelet or watch like all the other years, but my measly gift will have to do.”

Garrett tried to inject humor into his voice, but he knew exactly what he was doing when he said those words.

He was putting the wall back up between them. With one sentence, he made her feel guilty for staring at his mouth and pressing up against him. It was like he knew exactly where her thoughts were headed, and he wanted to put an end to them before they even began. His loyalty was always something Parker admired about him. Even though it wasn’t his idea to apply to the Naval Academy, the education was top notch and the lessons he learned there were part of him now. He was military through and through—and loyal to a fault. She was his best friend’s girl, end of story. It didn’t matter if his best friend was gone. That was just the way it had to be.

Garrett paid the bill and as they walked out into the warm night air, Parker linked her arm through his and rested her head on his shoulder. She wouldn’t allow her feelings to ruin anything between them. Regardless of what she felt, Garrett was her friend first. She couldn’t bear the thought of ever losing him.

He smiled as he looked down at her. Being with Parker was the only time he was ever truly happy. It was also the only time he felt guilty, confused, and pissed off at the way his life had turned out.

They walked arm-in-arm down the sidewalk, the silence between them easy, just like always.

A sparkle suddenly caught his eye when the bright light of the moon hit the diamond ring hanging on a chain around her neck, dousing his good mood like a bucket of ice water. Parker took to wearing the ring around her neck a few months ago. That four carat princess cut solitaire had always been a reminder of just how much he had screwed up when he first met her. Right then it was a reminder of the news he had to tell her.

Garrett wanted more than anything to not have to tell Parker on her birthday, but he had no choice.

Garrett stopped in the middle of the sidewalk right outside her condo and turned to face Parker, a serious expression on his face. She knew immediately that something was wrong. And if she was being honest, she knew something was wrong when she first saw him today. At the time she just chalked it up to the typical melancholy that came with the daily reminders there was one person missing from their threesome.

She knew better now as she watched him shove his hands in his pockets and look down at his feet instead of at her.

Being the receiver of plenty of bad news over the years, Parker held her breath out of habit as he started to speak.

"I'm not going to draw this out or try to sugar coat it. I know you well enough to know you'll see through any attempt I try at making this easier for you. I've been given new orders. I ship out tomorrow," Garrett stated bluntly.

She let out the breath she'd been holding and looked at him in confusion.

"But you're a tech guy. They only use you when it’s an emergency, right? Aren’t you like...their last resort?”

Parker knew the risks of being friends with someone in the military. She was also well aware of the main risk of loving someone that was in the military - they could be ordered away at any time. Being a Navy SEAL obviously meant you were always at their beck and call. Garrett shuffled his feet and smoothed his hand down his face like he was trying to wipe away his emotions. He chewed on his bottom lip and looked anywhere but at her, all telltale signs he was nervously thinking of a way to drop something else in her lap. Parker reached up and placed her hand on his cheek, forcing him to look her in the eyes.