Page 27 of Just One Bite

Chapter Twenty

Olivia

I can’t tell anyone about this, especially not my sisters.

There’s an explanation for why Parker just whispered the words from my dream.

There has to be one. One that’s perfectly reasonable and not magical.

It’s a simple case of déjà vu. Yeah, one of my classes talked about that.

That some things in the universe sync at the same time, and it seems like you’ve experienced the moment before.

This probably happens to everyone and I’m worrying for nothing.

“You are going to smell like me … you could shower, but I like it. And it’s good for our cover.”

I’m having a mental breakdown, and Parker is worried about the way I smell.

He hands me a Quik-Recover box. The taste is sweet and a little like lemon. Every drag of liquid through the straw brings light back into the room. I can’t believe I did this.

“This was a bad idea,” I say.

“Why? It doesn’t have to mean anything.”

Have to? Meaning it could. Did he want it to? Did I want it to? I just met him. It’s too early. Too much. I’m stripped down to my underwear and so is Parker. I frantically start the search for my sweater, and Parker hands it to me from the floor.

“I can see you mentally crashing and burning before my eyes. It’s not code for anything. We’re friends. That’s it. I could tell you … needed help just like I did. We helped. Who cares?”

“But I just told you … all of these things.”

“That you think about me while you pick out underwear? We’re attracted to each other. It’s not a big deal. It actually makes this easier.”

“But …”

I moaned his name. I begged for him. It shouldn’t mean anything, but …

The bed shifts with his weight, and he sweeps the hair from my ear.

“What are you afraid of? That … I’m going to embarrass you with this newfound information?

Use it against you somehow?” He bats his eye lashes, but he’s frowning.

There’s a softness about him when he’s serious.

His gaze is intense, but I don’t mind it because I know he’s listening.

“No, that’s not it. I trust you, or I wouldn’t have done it.”

I really do, and maybe that’s the terrifying part. This is so unlike me. Coming to university and getting in bed with a man this soon is something I’d have never predicted for myself. Parker wasn’t on my bingo card.

“Good. I like touching you. And you like it when I do. It’s casual.”

He’s right. I’m thinking about this too hard.

I can work with casual. Connected dreams with a man? No. Off the table. I promised myself no distractions if I ever got to go to Doxlothia, and now that I’m here, my entire life is nothing but distractions.

Parker stands in his boxers, and I see him in a new light. His thighs are large and chiseled with muscle, and his broad shoulders contrast his tapered waist. I get a good look at those scars covering his muscular back as he rummages through his wardrobe.

“Is this … a regular thing?” I ask.

“It could be. If you ever want me to help you again. I definitely want to ask you to let me bite you again.”

I’d expected the bite to hurt like when Darien’s teeth tore my flesh, but Parker’s bite was warm from the moment his lips touched my skin, and once he started drinking, the burning desire in my body became unbearable and all I could think about was never wanting him drinking from me to end.

He smirks, and I think he’s looking at my lips. Probably just making sure I finish my drink.

“What was it like? ”

“Like … everyone else has been eating the most delicious chocolate cake and I’ve been chomping on carrots my whole life. It’s so fucking good. It’s like warm and … there’s this feeling when it slides down your throat—”

He stops, as if he’s just now registering that I’m human and he’s talking about consuming my blood. “It’s good. And I’m really happy you’re not in The Donor Program because I don’t want anyone else biting you.”

Oh, what would my mother think? No. It’s fine. This isn’t much different from being in the actual program. That thought sends my heart pumping. It is different because I’m not contractually obligated to do anything for the rest of my life.

The contract was the problem. The contract is what killed her.

“Is that a protective werewolf thing?”

“No, I think this is more of the vampire side kicking in. Vampires get very possessive when they find someone with good blood. And yours is top shelf. You never told me why you and your sisters aren’t in The Donor Program.”

There’s a silence between us as we get into our school uniforms. The whole interaction is fluid.

We stand in front of each other and finish at the same time.

Without asking, he helps me adjust my hair, and I help him with his.

It’s too natural. Like a well-worn path, but we haven’t walked this before.

“My dad hates it. My mom was in, and she … died. It was an accident. She was already weak from a lingering illness, and the stress on her heart was too much.”

“I’m sorry.”

I hate the pity that comes from telling someone my mom died, but Parker’s sorry doesn’t feel like pity.

He knows.

I shrug. “My dad gave up his job and all his research, started joining these anti–Donor Program support groups. All it did was instill fear in my sisters. I wouldn’t join, but …

I don’t hate it as he does. I hate him more for being so useless and not doing anything but scaring them with his stories. ”

He shakes his head like he understands, and I know he does.

“I think my mom would be disappointed. She would understand his resentment, but … she believed in The Donor Program. My mom was naturally a believer in things bigger than herself.”

A memory sparks in my mind. It’s a glimmer.

My mom smiles at me and holds her Donor Program badge in my face .

“You see this? This means I help the people in Vviveren.”

“What about your dad issues you mentioned?” I ask.

“He’s a dick to pretty much everyone except my stepmom who has never liked hearing about my mom.

I think it’s because she knows their love was different.

After my mom died, he met her. She brought her son to live with us and then my dad ended up having a daughter with her.

He treats her like a princess, so that’s good. ”

“Your mom … died too?”

“Yeah, her name was Lucy.” His brows shoot up like he’s shocked he said it, then he softens.

“She got sick. She wasn’t in The Donor Program, even though my dad is a vampire.

She was the Alpha of her pack, and it’s typically frowned upon for pack leaders to be donors.

My dad wasn’t interested in doing anything with me after she died.

I think I reminded him too much of my mom.

Which is good. She deserves to live on.”

Parker’s staring at my lips, and as I finish my drink. There’s a little scar below his bottom lip, and his upper one is cut as if a claw nicked him. For a brief moment, I imagine those lips on mine again in a messy upper-lip kiss.

I clear my throat and lean away. “If you feel better. Then hold up your half of our deal and get ready for class.”

“Yes ma’am.”

He shovels the food into his mouth I smuggled from the dining hall.

“So about earlier. Would you let me … bite you again?” He says it between chews. I’m reminded I should be disgusted, but I'm not.

“You got blood on my sweater.”

“You’re right, I should have had better control.”

There are about a million reasons I should say no to letting Parker bite me again, but oddly, even with the audition results coming today, I don’t have the usual anxious nausea in my stomach.

“I'm not saying no.”

He grins. “Friends with benefits is going to be so fun.”

“What if I get attached?” I tease. “What if I show up at your doorstep begging for you?”

“I wouldn’t show up on my doorstep looking for sex if I were you.”

“Why?”

“Because … I’d pull you inside, lock the door, and take you up on that offer. ”

“You’re kidding.” My heart kicks.

“Am I?”

“I don’t know.”

“Just saying … you’re a different story. And if you’re ever feeling that itch, my door is open.”

I swallow, warmth growing in my face again.

“Well, I don’t plan on showing up at your doorstep in the middle of the night anymore, so don’t wait for me.”

“We’ll see about that.”

I excuse myself to the restroom to fix my hair before we head out. My eyeliner is holding on by a thread, and despite Parker’s attempts to help, my hair needs to be repinned.

“I expected to find a certain hybrid lingering about. Imagine my surprise when I see a beautiful woman bent over the counter fixing her makeup.”

My stomach flips at Darien’s words, but I continue wiping my eyeliner and reapplying without saying a word.

“Oh, come on, that quick to write me off?”

“Tell me what you want or leave me alone. Or try to bite me again. I’m sure Parker would love the opportunity to tear into you.”

“No doubt. Though, it’s not advised to drink from a human who’s already donated for the day.”

He wants to get under my skin. I pull out my lip pencil, continuing to ignore him. How does he know? It has to be the smell of the blood on my sweater.

“Not that anyone would dare to bite Parker Owens’s mate .”

He drags out the last word, and our eyes meet in the mirror. Parker said he was going to take me as his mate. But that was for show. I don’t know what mating means with werewolves.

“Have you ever thought about how much you two have in common? Such a coincidence that your boyfriend shares the same love of competition as you. You’re both in Noxx House. You just happen to have rooms that mirror each other. Remarkable. Do you have any other things in common?”

“What’s your point?”

“I just wonder if you think about it.” He plucks lint from his uniform jacket.

“You think too much about me.”

“That’s true.” He flashes his teeth, and I turn to leave. “Just think about it, Olivia.”

As I move to the hallway, I vow to not think about it out of spite. At least not today. Audition results are today, and that’s the most important thing. Everything else is a distraction. Parker shuts his door behind him, with my bag in hand, his smile warm and bright.

A beautiful distraction.