One Good Reason (Boston Love #3)(71)
After our shower, we towel off in silence. I’m still grinning like an idiot from the after-glow of my orgasm.
“So, you’re gonna have to pack at least a week’s worth of clothes,” Parker says casually, running the towel over his damp hair to remove most of the moisture.
The grin falls off my face. “Excuse me?”
“Clothes.” He drops the towel. “Enough for a week.”
“I’m not following.”
“You can’t stay here alone.”
“Why the hell not?”
“Because someone followed you here. It’s obvious they know where you live. Which means it’s not safe for you to be here.”
“I’m not leaving.” I swallow. “This is my home.”
“Fine.” He shrugs. “Then I’ll move in.”
“What?!” I gape at him. “You’ll do no such thing.”
“Oh, darling, don’t test me.” He smiles, but there’s a dangerous edge to it. “You’re not going to be out of my sight until this shit with Lancaster is resolved.” He pauses. “Maybe even after that.”
“What?!” I exclaim again.
He doesn’t answer. He just takes a few steps closer, bends down, and kisses me hard and fast. “I’m hungry. You want breakfast? I’ll make breakfast.”
Without another word, he strides naked out of my bathroom, leaving me slack-jawed and reeling.
“But—” I call after him, feeling totally helpless. “You can’t move in. I mean it, Parker!”
“You like bacon, right?” he calls back.
I sigh.
Fuck.
* * *
When my phone rings later that day, I grimace as I glance at the screen.
Parker looks up from his spot on my couch, where he’s been camped out watching old Christmas movies on my spare laptop for the past four hours as I pour over Lancaster files. He pulls off his headphones and raises his brows when he sees my expression.
“Who is it?”
I sigh. “Phoebe. Who on earth gave her my number?”
He laughs. “You do realize she’ll just keep calling until you answer, right?”
“I was afraid you’d say that.”
He pops his headphones back in to give me a little privacy and returns to his movie as I connect the call.
“Hello?”
“Holy frack, I can’t believe you answered. I was pretty much positive you were going to ignore my calls until I was forced to come over there bearing cupcakes and scale the walls into your apartment with my bare hands.” She hauls in a breath. “Really happy you proved me wrong, though, because I don’t think many cupcake stores are even open today, what with it being Christmas Eve and all. Plus, I think channeling my inner Spiderman may be a challenge in Louboutins.”
“Hi, Phoebe.” I say dryly when she stops babbling.
“Oh! Sorry. Probably should’ve said hello before launching in like a lunatic.” She sighs. “Anyway, Nate gave me your number. He didn’t want to, but I was in a…” She pauses and her voice drops to a sultry whisper. “Persuasive mood.”
“Gross.”
She laughs. “Anyway, I just wanted to call and tell you how worried we all were about you. And also to apologize for yesterday. I feel fully responsible. We totally freaked you out with all that talk about relationships and true love. Seriously uncalled for, I see that now. Trust me, Parker was so unbelievably pissed at me when I called to tell him we’d scared you off, I’ll be surprised if he ever talks to me again.”
“You don’t need to apologize, Phoebe.” I glance at the man across the loft; he’s fully engrossed in his movie. “And he shouldn’t blame you for a thing. I think he was just…”
“Scared,” she murmurs. “Yeah, I figured that from the way he reamed me out last night.”
I sigh. “I’ll talk to him.”
“You don’t have to. That’s not why I called.” She pauses. I can tell she wants to say more, but is worried how I’ll react.
“Just say it,” I murmur tiredly.
“Say what?”
“The real reason you called. Just tell me. We both know you’re dying to get it out.”
She makes a grumbly sound of protest. “So sassy. Maybe I just called to apologize.”
“Phoebe.”
“Okay! Okay.” She clears her throat. “Is Parker, like, right there hovering over you?”
“No. He’s watching a movie.”
“The boy does love a good Charlie Brown Christmas marathon.”
“I’m getting that.”
“One year, he made us watch it seven times in a row because he said there weren’t enough—”
“Phoebe.”
“Right.” She clears her throat again. “The thing is, I really am sorry that I upset you yesterday. It wasn’t my intention at all. Clearly, all the talk about love and relationships made you bolt faster than Boo when he sees a squirrel in the Public Garden. And that makes me somewhat nervous to say what I have to say.”
I wait, knowing there’s more to come.
“But it’s Christmas Eve, and I think I’d hate myself if I went to sleep tonight without doing everything possible to make the people in my life happy. Because that’s what this whole damn holiday is about, isn’t it? Joy. Love. Togetherness.” Her voice gets lower. “That’s why I have to tell you that, even though it totally freaks you out… I don’t think I’m wrong. About any of it.”