Scattered Colors

by Jessica Prince

  “Hey,” his deep voice spoke, pulling me from the trance his eyes had me in.

  “Hi,” I responded almost shyly. No matter how used I was to being around him, he still had the power to make me nervous and excited at the same time. He’d always had that hold on me; that hadn’t changed with time.

  Clearing my throat, I took a seat next to him on the sand, folding my legs Indian-style. “Just so you know, if I fail my next exam, I’m blaming you.”

  “You won’t fail, gorgeous. I’ll make sure of that.” I’d given up on asking him to stop calling me that, because no matter how many times I asked, he still insisted on using my old nickname. As it were, since we were getting along, it didn’t hold the same pain it had before. I no longer minded when Parker called me gorgeous. If I was being honest with myself I actually liked it…a lot.

  “Someone’s feeling cocky.”

  “Not cocky.” He laughed, bumping his shoulder into mine. “Just stating a fact. Besides, how can you still question me after I rocked that Crucible paper back in high school?”

  I laughed as I remembered that assignment and how, at first, I’d dreaded being teamed up with Parker. “I forgot all about that!” I giggled. “If I remember correctly, you and I weren’t even talking when that assignment was due. I was so pissed, thinking I was going to fail because of you.”

  The sun bounced off Parker’s lip piercing as he turned to grin at me. “But then I saved the day with that stellar piece of literary gold.”

  I let out a little snort and reminded him, “You’d promised A-plus work. We only got an A-minus.”

  “Damn, you’re a ball-buster, aren’t you?” He gave me a mischievous wink before we turned back toward the water. “I’ve missed this, you know?”

  “Missed what?”

  “Sitting here, watching the sunset with you. It hasn’t been the same since you left. Watching by myself never felt as good as when you were next to me.”

  I remained silent for several seconds, the two of us looking on as the brightness of the day began to fade into the evening. “You really watched it every day?” I turned my head, my gaze studying his profile. The humor had washed away. He looked almost somber.

  “Almost,” he spoke softly. “Some days were harder than others, and I couldn’t bring myself to go down there. But when the pain of missing you became too much, I would go down to our beach and tell myself that, wherever you were, you were doing the same thing at that very moment. It helped a lot, thinking we were still sharing the sunsets even though you were gone.”

  I opened my mouth to speak only to come up empty. I didn’t know what to say. That battle going on inside of me grew strong once again. When he said things like that, it was so hard not to fall back into the way things were before. He knew me so much better than anyone else, even with all the time that had passed. After moving to Florida, I’d spent a long time rebuilding those walls around my heart that Parker had demolished. Since he was back, it felt like they were buckling again.

  “Parker—” I started, not sure whether I was going to ask him to stop or keep going.

  When he looked back at me, the sad smile he gave caused my chest to clench. “You don’t have to say anything. I know we’re just friends, and I’m okay with that. I just needed you to know what it was like.”

  I nodded in understanding, keeping my eyes locked with his until he finally turned away. We spent the remainder of the sunset in comfortable silence. It wasn’t until darkness descended on the beach and we stood to make our way home that I realized just how much I’d missed watching them with him, as well.

  “Move your pretty little ass, Linden!” Piper hollered from the living room as I put the final touches on my makeup and gave my hair one last fluff. “Pre-club ritual started five minutes ago!”

  Once again, we were heading to Hurricane. Piper claimed she was in the mood to dance, and Caleb said he was in the mood to watch his girlfriend shake it on the dance floor. Walking as fast as I could on my heels, I hurried down the hallway and into the kitchen where Piper had two shot glasses lined up for me. I downed both in record time. “Looking good, sweets,” she chirped as she took in my strapless red dress. I typically went for more coverage than the dress provided, but for some reason, I was feeling particularly daring. Maybe it was the prolonged effect of having spent so much time with Parker lately, but I felt the need to show a little skin just to see if his eyes would light up at the sight of it.

  Goose bumps broke out on my skin at the sight of Parker standing near Caleb’s car. His back was to me as Piper and I walked down the stairs, laughing at something Caleb was saying, and I couldn’t stop my eyes from wandering down to where his jeans hugged his butt in absolute perfection. I’d barely pulled my gaze away from the tantalizing sight when the sound of our heels clicking against the concrete drew their attention to us. Just as I’d hoped, Parker’s eyes widened ever so slightly at the sight of me. I reveled in the heat of his gaze, watching in wonder as the dark brown grew almost black the closer I came. A spark of heat shot through me at how those dark pools traveled from my head, all the way down my feet and back up again. I had no doubt my cheeks were as red as my dress by the time his eyes met mine.

  “You look beautiful,” he whispered hoarsely in my ear as he leaned in to plant a kiss on my cheek. The familiar scent of his cologne overtook my senses and I remembered just how much I’d loved that smell back in high school. Two years of memories were nothing compared to how he smelled standing right in front of me, so close I could feel the heat from his body.

  I pulled back slightly and took him in. “T-thank you,” I stuttered, having grown momentarily overwhelmed by his presence. “You don’t look so bad yourself.” And he didn’t. The deep gray of his button-down shirt did wonders for his tanned complexion. A day’s worth of stubble covered his cheeks and chin, giving him a somewhat rugged appearance. His dark hair had been pushed back from his forehead, the silky-looking strands just begging me to run my fingers through it.

  “So…” I heard Caleb drawl from behind me and turned to see him with his arm thrown over Piper’s shoulders. “Are you going out tonight, or are we just going to stand in the parking lot and watch you two eye-fuck all night long? Don’t get me wrong, it’s hot as Hell, but the sexual tension is a little suffocating and I need a drink.”

  He let out an oof as Piper’s elbow made contact with his ribs. I released an embarrassed giggle at his hunched-over form as he gasped for air before eventually turning back to look at Parker again. His smile stole my breath as his hand came up and his rough fingers grazed my cheek. “I still love it when you do this.”

  “Do what?” I breathed.

  “Blush like crazy when you get embarrassed. I bet the tips of your ears are on fire right now, aren’t they?”

  If they hadn’t been before, they certainly were after that remark. Not knowing what to say in response, I simply smiled back and turned to climb into the back seat of Caleb’s car. He’d finally recovered enough to be able to drive and the four of us took off for the club.

  Piper and I wound our way through the mass of writhing bodies toward the center of the dance floor as soon as we were inside. The heavy bass vibrated its way through the floor and up my legs as I moved to the seductive beat of the music. It was so easy to get lost, to forget everything as my body swayed.

  When the fast, thumping rhythm gave way to something a little slower, I opened my eyes as I danced. My gaze immediately locked on to Parker’s as he stood against the railing one level up, one hand holding a beer and the other clenched around the pole as he watched me. He lifted the hand with the bottle in a little wave and I grinned back, his gaze locking mine in place as I moved. It wasn’t until Piper spoke that I was able to free myself of his attention and look away.

  “You two seem to be getting along well,” she spoke over the music as she took my hand and danced around me.

  “We are,” I called back.

  “It’s been, what? Two months? And y
ou haven’t killed him or had a breakdown. I’d call that success.”

  My head tipped back in laughter. “It’s been good,” I told her after she spun me around.

  “You know, he still looks at you like he wants to eat you alive,” she remarked, looking over my shoulder in his direction. I didn’t need to turn around to know he was still staring. I could feel his eyes on my skin like a brand.

  “I know. It’s…intense.”

  “Intense good, or intense bad?”

  I remained quiet for a few beats, giving that some thought. “I haven’t quite figured that out yet. I’ll let you know when I do.”

  “’Scuse me,” Caleb’s tall frame pushed through the crowd until he got to us and wrapped his arms around Piper. “You mind if I steal my girl for a few minutes, Freya?”

  I wasn’t given the chance to answer before Caleb’s mouth descended on Piper’s and the two of them were making-out on the dance floor like horny teenagers.

  My cheeks heated as I turned away from their public display of affection. I started squeezing my way through the crowd when a strong hand wrapped around my elbow, stopping me. Before I could turn around, the hand on my arm gave it a tug and I was propelled backwards, my back crashing into a strong, solid chest. I froze in place as the familiar cologne wafted up around me.

  “Dance with me.” Chills ran down my arms at the sound of Parker’s guttural voice in my ear. In the span of less than a minute, Parker had taken over three of my major senses. His voice in my ear drowned out everything else. His scent made me want to bury my face in his neck and never move. The feel of his fingertips lightly skating down my arms cause my body to tremble. I wanted to turn around so I could see him, so I could press my lips against his and taste him. At that very moment, frozen on the dance floor with Parker pressed firmly against my back, I wanted him to take me over completely.

  His hands snaked around my waist and pulled me impossibly closer against him as he moved to the music. I couldn’t help my body’s reaction to melt against him as I became pliable, swaying my hips as he directed my every movement.

  One song morphed into another, then another as we moved against each other. Everyone around me faded into the background until it felt like we were the only ones in the whole club.

  “You feel so good against me,” he growled in my ear. His hands on my hips squeezed, his fingers digging into my skin just a touch from being painful as he spun me around to face him. Those gorgeous eyes looked black as night as he stared down at me. His nostrils flared in desire, and I had to clench my thighs together against the tingles that shot through me.

  I lifted my arms so they wrapped around his neck and ran my fingers through the soft strands of hair on the back of his head. The tiny voice in the back of my head, screaming out in warning that I was traveling down the path of imminent heartbreak, was blocked out by my body’s reaction to him. When he buried his face in my neck and inhaled deeply, my knees buckled. If it hadn’t been for his strong arms around me, I would have melted into a puddle on the floor. His body quaked against mine as he breathed me in.

  “God, I’ve missed you,” he hissed almost painfully. “I’ve missed touching you, smelling you…” His tongue darted out and pressed against my neck and I couldn’t contain the low moan that forced its way past my lips. “…tasting you. I’ve missed us.”

  “I’ve missed you, too,” I sighed, my words coming out so quietly I was sure he hadn’t heard me. But when his head came up and his eyes reflected every single emotion he felt, I knew he had. My heart stalled before kick-starting again in a faster pace. He opened his mouth to speak just as a loud squeal sounded from behind me, cutting off whatever Parker was about to say.

  “Shot!” Piper yelled as she grabbed my arm and began dragging me from the dance floor, completely oblivious to the fact that she’d just burst the bubble Parker and I had been living in for the past several minutes. “We need shots, STAT!”

  I shot Parker an apologetic look over my shoulder as I was led away. The mischievous smirk on his face told me he wasn’t upset as he and Caleb followed behind us. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was in way over my head as we made our way up the small set of stairs which led to the bar area. Piper placed our order and I threw back one tequila shot, then another, and another in an attempt to drown that nagging little voice in my head. I didn’t want to overthink anything; I just wanted to feel. I allowed the alcohol to work its magic, washing away my worries and concerns as it warmed me from the inside out.

  The hours ticked by in a whirl of laughter and dancing. I’d switched to water when the effects of the tequila started making my brain a little too foggy. Every time Piper and I wandered back to the table after a trip to the dance floor, Parker was there to pull me into the empty chair beside him. He spent the entire night keeping me close to him and I was secretly thrilled by his attentions.

  “You thirsty?” He leaned in and asked in my ear, causing me to shiver at his closeness.

  My buzz had long since dwindled and my feet were throbbing from dancing in high heels all night. The last thing I wanted to do was move from my chair to go to the bar. “Water,” I pleaded, my mouth feeling dry from the earlier alcohol.

  “You got it, gorgeous,” he answered with his signature devilish grin. “Be right back.”

  As he made his way toward the bar, I couldn’t take my eyes off him. He really was amazing to look at.

  The chair Parker had just vacated shifted beside me and I turned to see Piper staring back at me with a shit-eating grin on her face.

  “You two might as well just sneak off to the bathroom and pound one out. You could cut the sexual tension between you with a damn knife!”

  “Shut it, you lush,” I laughed as I took in her slightly hazy light brown eyes. Obviously, Piper hadn’t cut herself off when I had.

  “”Oh, I know!” Piper shouted, smacking her hand down on the table like she’d just had the most brilliant idea in the world. “You two should totally have sex!”

  My cheeks and ears heated as I laughed nervously, scanning the area around us to make sure no one heard. “Stop worrying about our friends’ sex lives and concentrate on your own,” Caleb scolded playfully as he pulled Piper into his lap. “You’ve got your work cut out for you tonight, woman.”

  “Please,” she scoffed as she whacked him in the shoulder. “You’ll be lucky if I stay awake during the whole thing.”

  “Meh.” He shrugged casually as he took a pull of his beer. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

  “You two are insane.” I giggled. Just as they stood to head for the dance floor, the chair next to me scraped across. Parker set a glass of ice water down in front of me before caging me into my chair, one arm across the back, the other on the table.

  “How drunk are you?”

  I looked at him, confused by his off-the-wall question.

  “Huh?”

  “How drunk are you?” he repeated, leaning in to rub his nose along my jaw.

  “N-not very,” I stuttered as my eyes fell closed. “I quit drinking a while ago. Why?”

  His fingers caressed my chin as he tipped my face to meet him. “Because I’m about to go out on a seriously shaky limb here and ask you to come home with me, and I want to make sure you’re in your right mind completely before you answer.”

  “You…what?” My synapses misfired at his bold statement and I couldn’t formulate a response.

  “Come home with me, Freya.” The lust was shining in his eyes as he focused all of his attention on me, but that wasn’t all that was there. There was also a look of pained desperation, like the thought of my refusal would cut him to the quick. “I’m not above begging, baby. You have no clue how badly I want you right now, how I always want you. I can’t fucking think straight when you’re around.” His forehead fell against mine as he clenched his eyes shut. “Please say yes. Please. I need you so fucking bad.”

  If she turns me down, it may very well kill me.

  I coul
d see the apprehension in her beautiful blue eyes as she studied me. It gutted me that the reason for that apprehension was because of the pain I’d caused her in the past. All of her uncertainties, all of her fear of having her heart crushed again, were my fault. I couldn’t blame her one bit for being leery, but that didn’t lessen my need to have her in every way. Just like I’d told her years before, Freya was necessary. That was never going to change.

  My heart beat so hard I was sure she could hear it through the loud music and chatter that surrounded us. I feared it would beat right through my chest if she didn’t say something soon. What was I thinking, asking her to come home with me? I’d promised her my friendship. I swore not to push her but I hadn’t been able to help myself. Being around her on a regular basis was hard enough, but seeing her at the club…well, it was a delicious agony I just couldn’t resist. It wasn’t just because she looked breathtaking in that red dress or that watching her move on the dance floor was something a dying man would give his last moments to see. It was of how carefree she looked, how she responded to every single one of my touches that did me in.

  When I lifted my forehead from hers, I watched as her eyes opened and the crystal blue shined back at me, reflecting the same need I felt. She wanted me, too. When her tongue darted out and ran over her full, pink bottom lip I had to keep myself from leaning in to taste her. If I hadn’t been sitting, I surely would have fallen to my knees from the one single word that passed those lips on a sigh.

  “Okay.”

  I wanted to throw my fist in the air in triumph. I wanted to throw her over my shoulder and run out of the club before she could change her mind. But I had to be certain first.