by Mia Watts
Parker’s stomach lurched. Shoving her hand into her backpack, she pulled out her cell and dialed Kei.
“You can’t avoid me forever. I know you’re in there,” Leo said, his voice taking on a silken tone.
Kei’s familiar ring sounded nearby.
“What the fuck are you doing outside my room?” Kei asked Leo. He answered the phone. “Hello?”
Parker held the phone to the door so he’d hear his own voice and Leo’s. Hopefully, he’d understand her predicament and get him lost.
“Hello?” Kei said again.
“Let me in,” Leo said.
“Hello?” Kei must have hit the end call button because she heard a dial tone.
She quickly punched it off and waited. Hoped.
“I’m not letting you in,” Kei said matter-of-factly.
“She’s in there. You know it. I know it. Soon, Housing will know it,” Leo said, smugly.
“She who?” Kei answered.
“Parker.”
“Parker’s a dude,” Kei said, sounding as though he thought Leo was an idiot.
“Parker’s a chick, and she’s in there. I also know she lives with you. I don’t know how you’re working it out, but unless you share the goods, you can kiss those fringe benefits good-bye.”
“What the fuck are you talking about? She who?” Kei repeated.
“Parker. The chick I’ve been calling Penny.”
The key grated in the lock. Parker moved away, hid on the wall side of her dresser where the open door would block her from sight.
“Penny’s dating Henry. You’re not exactly her type.”
She nearly laughed at the calm way Kei handled Leo.
“Penny is Parker,” Leo insisted.
Kei laughed.
“Stop laughing. I know.”
“Dude, I don’t know what you think you know, but I’ve seen Parker naked. You can’t fake that.”
“Bullshit! You’re rooming a chick in there, and you’re all fucking her. I’ve heard you all fucking her.”
“Goddamnit. Whatever drugs you’re on, I need some. Living your fantasy would be a helluva lot better than living mine,” Kei said, still laughing.
Leo swore. “Just open the fucking door. She’s in there.”
“Penny’s in here a lot. What does that prove?”
“I chased her in there. She’s in there. She’s Parker.”
“Who’s Parker?” Dan asked.
Parker breathed a sigh of relief. The cavalry had arrived.
“Penny,” Leo said.
“Penny’s Parker?” Dan asked.
“He’s high,” Kei noted calmly.
“No shit. Have you seen the tits on that chick? I’d do her and her tits, then I’d flip her over and take her from behind, and, well, shit. Now I’m all hard. You think Penny would let me do her?” Dan asked.
“Fuck, no. You aren’t her type, either. She likes those geeks,” Kei said.
“What are you talking about?” Leo asked, sounding exasperated.
“Penny.”
“Mostly Penny’s tits,” Dan clarified.
“Right. Sorry,” Kei said.
“So what about her tits?” Dan asked.
“Leo wants to see,” Kei said.
“Penny’s tits?” Dan asked.
“Parker’s,” Kei answered.
“Parker’s a dude,” Dan asked. “I don’t get it.”
“Parker is not a dude. I just saw Parker and Parker is Penny. Penny is in there,” Leo insisted. “You guys are fucking insane. Open. The. Damn. Door!”
“Penny’s tits belong to Henry,” Dan said soberly. “Parker’s are flat and guy-like. Do you like guys, Leo? Turn around and let me see your ass.”
“What?”
“Who?” Jaxon asked.
Parker clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing.
“Parker,” Kei said.
“Wasn’t it Penny?” Dan asked.
“Are they in there?” Jaxon asked. “Henry wouldn’t appreciate Parker scamming his girl.”
“He says Penny is in there,” Kei explained.
“And Parker,” Dan added.
“He wants to see Penny,” Kei said.
“Hell, that woman is fine. Who doesn’t want to see her?” Jaxon remarked.
“I want to see her. She’s in there,” Leo said.
“So what? She’s in there a lot,” Jaxon commented.
“Because she lives there,” Leo nearly shouted.
“I think we would all know if Penny lived here,” Jaxon said.
“I’d hang out in the bathroom every time she showered,” Dan said, snorting.
“I think Leo’s concerned that Parker will get in the shower with Penny,” Kei said.
“Hey guys, what’s up?” Henry’s voice carried to Parker.
Oh, God. Parker’s eyes watered.
“Uh, oh, now you’ve done it,” Dan drawled.
“We’ll solve this once and for all,” Kei said. “Henry, does Penny have a dick?”
“Wh-what?”
“The man wants to know if your girlfriend has a big-assed cock that you suck on a regular basis,” Dan said.
“Penny’s a girl,” Henry said slowly.
“I know she’s a girl. She’s Parker,” Leo reiterated. “Oh, fuck you. You’re all insane.” He made a sound of disgust, his steps retreating the way they’d come.
Parker leaped to her feet and did a silent happy-dance. The door opened and she squealed, launching herself at Dan. “Ohmygod, that was brilliant.”
“Hey, baby. Thanks,” Dan purred.
She squeezed him tight then grabbed Jaxon in a hug, too. “I love you guys.”
Letting go of Jaxon, she grabbed Henry’s face in her hands and pressed a loud kiss to his lips. “Amazing. I thought I’d never get rid of that guy.”
Finally, she reached for Kei.
He stiffly took her hug. “What did you do?” he asked.
“Nothing.”
“That was nothing. That was Investigation 101,” he said.
“Give her a break. Leo’s had a hard-on for her. He’s like a bloodhound except for Parker. That’s a whole new breed of animal. That’s like a Parkerhound or a Pussyhound,” Dan said, getting caught up in his visual description.
“Yeah, you can’t blame her for his ego,” Henry added, moving to boot up his computer.
“He followed me from the library,” she said, ignoring the others. It was Kei’s opinion that mattered to her and he didn’t look pleased at the moment.
“Leo’s driving principle is laziness, closely followed by self-service. He’s pretty damn sure you please him, and somehow he has information about who you are and that appeals to his pride. If he gets all those things and revenge, you’re the perfect storm. So, I’ll ask you again,” Kei leveled her with a severe look. “What did you do?”
Parker’s face heated with anger. Why did it have to be her fault? Why did men always think a woman did something to get treated like crap? “I left the library, that’s what I did. As usual, Leo was waiting for me. I got rid of him, I thought, but when I split off from my friends, he was waiting for me.”
“Like usual? He waits for you often?” Jaxon asked.
“Daily,” Parker acknowledged, feeling strangely relieved to look away from Kei’s intense stare. What Kei thought of her mattered more than she cared to admit. She certainly didn’t need him realizing it.
“But you’re dating me,” Henry interjected.
“Dude, you’re such a weenie about shit. He doesn’t care who she’s dating so long as he can be the one doing her,” Dan said. He took clean clothes from his drawer and threw a towel over his shoulder.
“What else?” Kei asked quietly.
Why did that question, so softly worded, make her want to cry and beg Kei to hold her? She’d held off advances before, even aggressive ones. This one had gone outside the scope of those. She’d handled it, barely.
She thought she read concern in
his eyes. If he knew Leo had more than come on to her, would he care? He’d said a lot of really beautiful things about his feelings, or potential feelings for her. But would that translate to actually caring about her in the face of the threat to his scholarship? He’d resisted sleeping with her to avoid entanglement. Her situation with Leo practically guaranteed entanglement, dragged him into it at the expense of his continued education if she didn’t follow through.
What would he say about that? She couldn’t keep the truth from him. It wasn’t right. She also didn’t want to tell him and make it his problem if she could extract herself.
Two days, she thought. If I can just hold Leo off for two more days, this won’t be a problem. Kei won’t feel obligated to save me and he won’t know how close he came to losing his scholarship.
Was it wiser to allow him to keep his distance from her by unknotting the personal ties, or was it selfish of her to take the two-day risk, which had five scholarships teetering on the tip of Leo’s whims?
Parker thought she knew the answer, but telling Kei and the guys what they could lose and why felt like she’d be taking a pair of scissors to the threads of their relationships.
It would give Kei the perfect excuse to stay far away from her. God help her, she didn’t want to give him that excuse.
“He’s just an ass,” Parker told Kei with finality.
“Did you sleep with him?” Kei asked her in a deadly calm voice. He raised his hand, cupping her jaw.
Kei had evidently noticed the signs of Leo’s anger. Still, his question hurt more than the physical assault. She jerked her chin away. Unfortunately, Jaxon saw her face. Caught up in the excitement when they’d walked through the door, the atmosphere had finally calmed down enough for the guys to really look at her. Judging from the tightness of the skin around her cheek, she must have already started swelling.
“Holy shit, girl. Did Leo do that?” Jaxon asked.
Dan pushed his way through, reaching for the knob. Kei grabbed his wrist and shook his head.
“Why not?” Dan snapped. “You can’t fuck with Parker and not fuck with all of us.”
“Because going hot-headed will only result in trouble. Calm down and let’s think it through,” Kei told him.
“I’m fine,” Parker said, shrugging it off. “There’s nothing to think through.”
“He hit you?” Henry came to her side, crowding around her with the others and stroked her cheek tenderly. “I’m sending him a computer virus. Something nasty and Trojan-y.”
“That’s sweet, but really, I’m fine. Besides,” she said sunnily, “I have some great news.”
“Leo has ball rash?” Dan asked.
“Probably, but I can’t confirm the reports,” she answered. “No, I think you guys will like this. Lillian at Housing has a room for me in two days.” She flashed a huge, excited smile as she looked from one face to the next.
After a moment of silence, Kei shrugged. “It’s about time.”
Dan shot him a horrified look. “How can you say that? They’re taking away Parker. Our Parker.”
“They had to eventually. We all knew it was coming,” Jaxon said uncomfortably.
“But I’m not done with the, ah…” Henry suddenly turned red and flustered. “Learning stuff.”
“Yeah, we gonna have good-bye sex?” Dan asked bluntly.
Parker’s smile felt twisted. “Is that all you think about?”
“No,” Dan defended. “Well, yeah, pretty much.”
“I feel special,” she said.
“You’re special. Dan’s an ass,” Jaxon clarified.
Dan wasn’t exactly the great-expresser-of-tender-emotion, but she could see the drop in his shoulders and the shallow attempt at humor. Kei walked away from them and started pulling books out for study. Jaxon’s gaze followed him briefly before focusing on her again and wrapping his arm around her. She leaned against him, taking his offer of comfort.
“I sounded like a jerk just now,” Henry said, frowning.
“I have brothers. You all hide behind the cock. I get it,” she said.
“When are they moving you?” Henry asked.
“I’m in on Thursday,” she answered.
“So soon?” Jaxon asked. “Can you delay a day? You know, let us take you out and have one last hurrah?”
Parker rose up and kissed his cheek. “The sooner I get out of here and away from Leo, the safer we’ll all be. I’ll go Thursday, but if you want to take me somewhere, make it a picnic. None of us have money to throw on meals we can’t afford.”
“I make a killer peanut butter and jelly,” Dan offered. He sullenly stuffed his hands in his front pockets.
These were her boys. God, she was going to miss seeing them every day. She’d even miss Kei with his hot and cold affections. Half the time, she didn’t know if he was pissed off at her, disdainful, or interested. She had yet to feel the masterful slide of his cock moving inside her where she wanted him most. He seemed immune, unmoved by her despite the sincerity of his words about souls and eclipsing.
She’d turned in Jaxon’s embrace, her cheek resting on his shoulder as she watched Kei settle in and flip to an open page in his notebook. Something cool touched her temple. Henry held a washcloth to the spot where Leo had struck her.
“Thank you,” she murmured. Her hand covered his and she held the cloth for him.
Henry moved closer, pressing kisses to her neck. “I’m going to miss you.”
She sighed softly and arched her neck to give him room. “Me too.”
Dan’s hands circled her hips. “Wanna play a little? It would take your mind off the move.”
Parker giggled. “You’re such a transparent giver.”
Dan took the cloth. He placed a kiss on her temple, her cheekbone, her jaw. When she finally opened her eyes after the soft pecks, she was surprised to see him cup Jaxon behind the head and pull him into a deep, questing kiss.
Jaxon broke away, chuckling. “Dude, seriously, you need to think about that closet you’re in.”
“Closets are for sissies too scared to figure out what they like and don’t like.” Dan shrugged. “I like kissing. You have pretty lips. She’s got great tits. Henry’s nipples look tasty. There isn’t anything about Kei I wouldn’t try. Speaking of which, get your ass over here and join the Parker going away party.”
Chapter Nine
Kei looked up when Dan addressed him. The three guys huddled around Parker who leaned languidly against Jaxon. They looked like a protective barrier, and he appreciated the sensation that they’d all stand together against anyone who’d harm her. Especially Leo. Sitting among his books, he did feel left out of the building tension the other four seemed to stoke with each soft kiss and tender look.
It was a though he could see the invisible ripples in the air around them. Sexual energy, always banked like an ember with Parker at its center, had begun licking around each of his roommates. They all waited for his answer, seeming to hope he’d be the billows they needed.
He wanted Parker. Every part of his body begged, and somehow sharing made it acceptable for him to partake with them. He craved having her to himself, but wouldn’t allow the weakness. Being one of four others, taking, loving, enjoying each other’s bodies for the sake of unified pleasure felt—safe.
His balls ached with the heaviness of sex. He pushed his notebook off his lap. Leo had tried to hurt her. He knew Parker didn’t go for his sort and wouldn’t debase herself with a fool like him. He’d said the words to strike out at her when fear for her safety had scared him into admitting he cared to keep her treasures close to home.
“I think he’s gonna play,” Dan murmured.
Dan’s look wasn’t lost on Kei. Kei played to it, enjoying the fact that not only did Kei’s woman want him, but so did his roommate. Kei stripped his shirt from his body, feeling the loose silver chain he wore slither through the neck hole onto his bare chest. He liked the heavy feel of it and the tinkling sound of links on flesh.<
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He wondered if he’d feel the same way about gold links on Parker’s chest, and the necklace housed in the artistic box on his dresser. Kei pushed the thought away. She probably wouldn’t have any interest in being the wearer of that chain.
Parker reached for him, her eyes uncertain. Guilt prickled at his chest because he knew he’d put that there. She’d been up front with him about wanting him. She wanted all of them, but he didn’t think he’d been reading her wrong when he sensed that her primary attraction was for him.
Kei took her outstretched fingers and brought them to his lips. His gaze searched hers, hoping to tell her with his soul the words he couldn’t say aloud. I want you. I need you. You fill my eyes and wash my heart with peace. I’m yours for all time, Sakura.
But American women and modern ways allowed for many lovers and inconstant futures. Kei wanted her as his own. The five of them played at sex while his heart took the sensual assault of having her without having her. It would have to be enough since Parker seemed unwilling to do without the others. Perhaps her love wasn’t as true as his. Or perhaps he was a coward, unable to discover the truth of what she felt.
Parker sighed. It soothed him like a balm. Did she see? Could she understand his silent message?
Parker raised her arms. Jaxon obligingly removed her shirt and Henry fussed with the hooks on her bra. Immediately, Dan loosened her jeans and eased them down her legs. She turned and the men followed. She leaned back against Jaxon, tilting her hips when he pushed off her underwear, leaving her naked to Kei’s hungry gaze.
Henry hurried away only to come back with condoms which he started to hand out.
“No,” Kei said. “Only I’ll take her pussy.”
Parker’s lips parted. Her pupils darkened the clear blue of her gaze and he knew his words had aroused her.
Kei took the condom and quickly dispensed of his pants, the rest of his clothing. Then he handed the condom to Parker. “If you allow it,” he said gently.
“I didn’t have sex with Leo,” she said. He thought he saw hurt pucker her brow.