Red Hot Alphas: 11 Novels of Sexy, Bad Boy, Alpha Males (Red Hot Boxed Sets Book 2)

by Jo Raven

  More than a friend. More than she is currently, I hope. My fingers teeter over the keyboard, searching for a response. If I don't say something, she might tell him about the conversation, or maybe not. A familiar numbness is creeping back into me as the walls I had let down these past few days begin to rebuild themselves. He's setting me up to fall. It's clear as day now. Asher was right, the second that Veronica leaves her boyfriend, Parker and I will be over.

  Try as I may, I can't formulate a response. I simply shut my computer down and stare at the black dead screen for several moments. It reminds me of my heart. Less than thirty minutes ago, the world was illuminated brightly with possibilities of my future with Parker. Now it's dark and void of hope. It's only a matter of time before I lose him completely.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  That brief conversation steals my joy for the rest of the night. What should have been the accumulation of all of my hopes and fantasies driven into reality is marred by the fact that Parker is likely thinking about Veronica. In a way, I did this to myself. I never should have contacted her. But if I hadn't… The outcome would be the same. I'm deluding myself by thinking that this could have ever had a happy ending. He's been using me all along, just as Yolanda expected. Just as Asher said.

  “Did you like it?” Parker’s smile is bright and vibrant as he drives me back to his penthouse for the first time.

  I want to be excited that he cares enough to take me home with him, but I can't allow myself to get caught up in the grandeur of everything. This will probably be the one and only time I get to see where he lives. Unless Veronica drags her feet. I shouldn't count on that happening, and I shouldn't continue to invest my time in a man who is only going to break me in the end.

  “It was amazing.” My voice is almost a whisper. I've never been good at hiding when I'm upset, but I've tried to do my best tonight. It took so long for him to invite me out on an actual date, I don't want him to think I don't appreciate it.

  We pull up in front of a tall building and travel up an elevator fifteen stories to the top floor. All the while, Parker holds me in his arms, whispering sweet words into my ear and showing me so much affection that it's hard to believe he's in love with someone else. It's the truth though, and the sooner I accept it, the sooner I can get over this and begin to heal.

  “Home, sweet home.” He opens the door of his penthouse to me. It's massive and richly furnished and immaculate. Everything I imagined it would be and more. I wrap my arms around myself as I take it all in. He gives me a quick tour before leading me into the bedroom. This is the part where I thank him for the night with my body.

  “Do you want something to drink?” he asks after pulling his sweater over his head. My concerns are going to be a lot more difficult to discuss with his naked torso on display. I have to speak to him before he gets in between my legs again and wipes my memory clean of everything but his touch.

  “A water. I'm parched.” It's no joke. My lips are sticking together, my mouth is so dry.

  As he goes to the kitchen, I run my fingertip across the plush satin comforter on his bed, wondering if he's ever fucked Veronica on it. I know they've fucked. There's no question in my mind. I've never really thought about it before though. Now that I've seen her, I can picture it clearly. I can picture her on her back on this bed with him grinding between her thighs. She turns to look at me as if to say, He was mine all along.

  “Kira.” Parker's voice startles me.

  I take the glass of water he offers me. In his other hand is a rich maple-colored beverage. Probably bourbon. He sips it before placing the glass on the bedside table and grasping for his belt buckle.

  “We need to talk.” My words stop him dead in his tracks.

  Slowly, he pushes his pants down his thighs the rest of the way, then sits on the bed to take off his shoes. “Did I do something wrong?”

  Judging by my tone, I'm not surprised he thinks that. I might as well get it out. If I don't tell him, Veronica eventually will. “I chatted with Veronica on Facebook after you left my apartment earlier today.”

  The muscles in his back visibly tense. “Oh? I wasn't aware you two knew each other.”

  “We don't.” I move to sit in a chair that's next to his closet door. “I looked her up on Facebook.”

  “What would make you do that?” He turns to me on the bed, a perfect eyebrow raised in confusion.

  I can't even bear to look at him. “You know what happened with Asher and I. The whole time I was with him, I thought I was the only one. Then I found out about his wife,” I pause, fidgeting with my fingers. “I fell in love with the wrong man, and I got hurt. Badly. Asher told me you still love Veronica. I couldn't take the chance of that happening to me again. I had to find out.” My eyes shoot up to meet Parker’s. I need to see what he's feeling, to study his face for any sign of emotion.

  “You said you chatted with her.” The lines in his face are hard and unreadable. “What did she say?”

  “She said that you're still in love with her… and that she's in love with you.” It breaks my heart to even say it. If he didn't know that she loves him, he does now. I could have just fucked myself out of a relationship with him from that disclosure.

  His head drops as he takes a moment to think. “She's still dating that jackass. There's nothing between her and I.”

  “If she wasn't dating him though, would there be?”

  He reaches over to the bedside table and picks up his drink, downing it all in one long swallow before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. I'm not sure if this is a diversion tactic or if he actually needs the alcohol in his system to be able to tell me the truth. “No. I only want you now.” His eyes flit back up to capture mine, and the relief that floods my chest is almost palpable.

  I want to let my guard down completely, but I'm just not sure if I can believe him or not. “Asher said you still love her. She thinks you still love her. I'm not sure what to believe.” I chew my bottom lip, hoping I don't sound too pathetic.

  “Come here.” Parker sets the empty glass down on the bedside table and pats the bed next to him.

  Reluctantly, I stand and approach him, crawling up onto the bed until our shoulders are touching. He turns and wraps his arms around me, pulling me tight against his chest.

  “You mean more to me than the world, Kira. More than anyone. More than her.” He places a gentle kiss on my earlobe, and I melt.

  “Promise me, Parker. Promise me she doesn't mean anything to you.” I clutch onto his arm as if it will keep me from falling into a never-ending pit of despair.

  “I can't promise that.” I feel him shaking his head. “She doesn't mean nothing to me. She never will mean nothing to me. But you mean more to me than she does. It might not be what you want to hear, but it's the truth, and I hope it's good enough.”

  His raw honesty makes my eyes water. It is good enough. It means that he won't go back to her when she comes for him. It means he belongs to me.

  “Now get undressed,” he whispers sweetly into my ear as he grips the bottom of my blouse to pull it over my head.

  ***

  “The man doesn't give up.” I stare down at my phone and the third text message that Asher has sent me this week. When he hasn't been asking if I'd reconsider working for him, he's been spreading gloom about my relationship with Parker. It's doomed, he says. Don't believe what Parker tells you. He'll go back to Veronica the first chance he gets.

  Parker has never given me a reason to doubt him, but this is one thing I'm still shaky on. Veronica has been in his life a lot longer than I have. They've formed some kind of unbreakable bond, if you'd hear it from his lips. It's not difficult for me to see how that could easily lead to him abandoning me, despite his sweet words.

  “That is looming on the edge of desperation.” Yolanda glances at my screen before she leans in to pull another slice of cheese pizza onto her plate.

  It's Friday night, and we've decided to have a girls' night in with pizza a
nd beer at my place. I had to establish with Parker that Friday night belongs to Yolanda and I. He can have me for the rest of the weekend. Apparently, he plans to. I'll spend the night with him tomorrow.

  “It just weirds me out that he keeps texting me. I've never been pursued so frantically. I mean, I already told him that Parker and I are dating. Since they're best friends, he must know that. Why does he keep trying to talk to me?” I gesture with my hand, trying to make sense of it all.

  “He keeps bringing up Veronica, doesn't he?” Yolanda wrinkles her nose as if the name is a four-letter word.

  “Yeah. He hasn't really said anything specific. All of his messages are basically telling me to wait and see. The thought of having to wait and see what happens whenever Veronica leaves her boyfriend is unnerving.” I shift uncomfortably at the thought. She said it was going to happen, so I suppose it's just a matter of time before Parker has to put his money where his mouth is. All I can do is hope that he was being honest with me.

  “Waiting blows. You should have her meet you at his penthouse and make him choose.” I know Yolanda's just joking, but it actually doesn't sound like a bad idea.

  “You should see this girl. She's gorgeous. I almost couldn't blame him if he went for her instead.” I scowl.

  “You said she's on Facebook, right?” Yolanda takes a messy bite of her pizza, smearing grease all over her chin.

  “She is.” I quickly move to hand Yolanda a napkin.

  “Thanks,” Yolanda mumbles between chews while wiping at her face. “You should show me her picture.”

  “I can do that.” I grab my phone and pull up the Facebook app. Yolanda scoots closer to me on the sofa as I log in and click around until I've found Veronica's profile. My breath hitches as I see a status message that wasn't there before. Single.

  “Wow, she is cute,” Yolanda comments. Veronica's profile picture shows her sprawled out on her bed with a perfect smile across her tanned face.

  “Cute and single,” I grumble. “That wasn't there before.”

  “I guess it's time to see if Mister Parker Bernier is everything you'd hoped he'd be, or if he's a naughty little heartbreaker.” The words sound way too playful for their implication.

  “I guess it is,” I reply dryly, wondering what his next move will be.

  ***

  After Yolanda leaves, I switch to my PC and hover over Veronica's profile page like a depressive maniac. Knowing that she's single out there somewhere in the world yearning for my boyfriend's touch is driving me crazy. I know I should wait to see what happens between them, but I just can't. The thought that he might call me up at any moment and tell me that he's leaving me for her is about to send me over the edge.

  I know what I'm about to do is crazy. I know it's wrong. But I just can't handle the thought of being blindsided again.

  There's a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach as I open up the private messenger and begin typing out what could ultimately end things between Parker and I without her even intervening. Contacting her about their relationship was a violation of his trust. Doing this… He might not ever forgive me, but I can't just sit on the sidelines and wait for her to come steal him.Congrats on being newly single. I know you were hoping to hook up with Parker, but he and I are together now. I'm not trying to sound bitter or nasty, but you should have gotten back with him when you had the chance. It's too late now.

  I hit the send button and wait. And wait and wait and wait until it's time to go to bed. She never responds.

  Lying there in the darkness alone thinking about what could be happening at this very moment between them is enough to keep me up all night. If she's not responding to her Facebook, then what is she doing? I never even bothered to ask Parker if he had plans tonight. I was too consumed with hanging out with Yolanda. Maybe that was a mistake. Perhaps I should have stayed on top of him.

  ***

  The morning sun greets me too early. My night was restless, tossing and turning. In the few short hours that I was able to sleep, nightmares of walking in on Parker fucking the gorgeous raven-haired girl plagued me.

  I crawl from bed like a zombie and drag myself to my computer chair. It only takes a few clicks for me to realize there's still no response from Veronica. Then again, it's only seven o'clock. She might not be awake yet. A tremor of sadness races through me as I picture her nestled in Parker's arms with her head on his chest. No, Kira. Don't think of that. You'll see him tonight. Everything will be okay. He's not with her. He told you he cares about you more.

  My paranoia is stronger than my reasoning though. I mope around the house in a daze, returning to my computer every few minutes to see if she replied to my message. It's not until almost noon that the little red notification button pops up in the corner.

  Her response is equally emotion-infused. I don't know who you are, but I think you're mistaken. Parker and I love each other. He already knows that I'm single, and we're planning to see each other tomorrow night.

  My heart feels like a lead weight, dropping to the floor and cracking. He lied to me. He blatantly lied to me. Everything he said about caring about me more… Asher was right. God damn him, he was right.

  A mix of pain and anger fuels my keystrokes as I beat into the keyboard. I'm seeing him tonight. Since there's obviously some confusion over which one of us he wants to be with, maybe we should both show up at his penthouse and make him choose. If you're interested, I'll be there at five o'clock.See you there. :-)

  The smugness of her smiley-face emoticon only enrages me. I want to keep typing, to tell her that I think she's a stupid selfish bitch. To tell her he's mine. She had her chance a long time ago. The fact that she thinks she can just swoop in and take him from me…

  I'm a seething emotional mess until it's time for me to go to Parker's place. It takes everything in me not to cry off my makeup as I'm getting ready. Why I'm putting myself through this, I don't know. What I do know though is that I'm on the losing end of this battle. She's prettier than me. She's known him longer than me. And she’s owned his heart longer than I have, if I ever really owned it at all.

  I'm not supposed to show up to his place until five o'clock, but I'm on his doorstep at four. If he has any idea what I planned, he's acting oblivious. He greets me with a kiss and then leads me inside, surprised that I'm early but not at all suspicious.

  “I just couldn't wait to see you,” I say before showing myself to his living room.

  Maybe I should tell him what's going on before Veronica arrives. It would be the right thing to do. The right thing won't get results though. I need him to be caught off guard, stuck between a rock and a hard place, forced to make a permanent decision. I need to know that what he said to me was true, otherwise I'll never feel secure with our relationship.

  As I sit in his living room and sip on a water while we absentmindedly watch television, I worry that the minutes will tick by like hours. Veronica doesn't afford me the luxury of waiting for her though. At a quarter after four, the doorbell rings. I was right to show up early. Apparently, she had the same idea.

  “I wonder who that is?” Parker casts an annoyed glance towards the door.

  I bite my bottom lip as I stand to follow him. The tension in the air builds tenfold as he wraps his hand around the doorknob and opens it to my rival for his heart.

  His entire body tenses in surprise. “Veronica. What are you doing here?”

  She doesn't even look at him as she spits venom in my direction. “Who is she?” When he doesn't answer the question, she repeats it, jerking her head in my direction. “Parker, who is she?”

  I feel like I'm frozen in place. Part of me can't believe she actually came. She looks so stunningly beautiful, and pissed. Even though we planned this, you'd never be able to tell. Her anger and shock seems completely genuine.

  “Hello, Veronica.” I find my voice. It sounds equally as spiteful as hers.

  “Veronica, this is Kira.” Parker rakes his hands through his hair, looking especially
nervous.

  “I know what her name is. What is she to you?” Veronica’s blue eyes are wide and accusing. As much as I dislike the fact that she could potentially come between Parker and I, I do admire her boldness. Questions that I would hesitate to ask she shoots at him without a second thought. I'm glad she's not timid.

  “Can we go outside and talk for a minute?” There's an edge in his voice as he moves to close the door, leaving me trapped inside the penthouse while they have a private conversation.

  “No.” My body reacts on pure emotion, my hand grabbing the side of the door to keep it open. “I think that anything you have to say to her should be said in front of me as well.”

  He looks completely dumbfounded. Never before have I seen Parker Bernier so flustered. It's like he's been caught in the act of doing something bad. He was doing something bad—playing with both of our hearts. Whatever he has to say, we both should hear it.

  “I thought you loved me, Parker.” The way she's acting is so dramatic. There's pain in her expression, the same pain I was feeling when she told me they were going to get together after she broke up with her boyfriend.

  Parker's jaw tenses as he stares down at her. “Veronica, I care about you a lot. You know I do, but… what we had, it's in the past. I wanted to be with you for the longest time. I begged you to break up with him countless times.” There's so much emotion in his voice that it's almost stifling. We're a threesome of pain right now, our words like razor blades, lashing out to strike at one another. If words were wounds, we'd all be covered in them. Now it seems like he's delivering the killing blow to Veronica. “I needed to move on with my life. And I did. Kira's my girlfriend.” He casts a glance in my direction, but there's no fondness in his eyes for me.