Page 4

Marcus

T he four of us ride the elevator in silence, my eyes sliding to Parker every few seconds. Watching him cautiously make his way into the pool earlier reminded me of all the times we went swimming together. My heart ached at the memories of how we used to have so much fun together.

With another look at Parker, I close my eyes, hating where we are right now. Things were so good between us before he broke it off. I truly thought we were going to be together forever. He completely shattered my heart when he left me. But as much as it hurts to not talk to him or be around him, it hurts more to try to ignore him. The little snippet of a talk we had in the pool earlier meant everything to me. He’s tried talking to me on a few different occasions, and each time I’ve shut it—and him—down. But maybe it’s time to see what he wants to talk about. Maybe we could even become friends. Or maybe I’m not ready for that conversation yet.

As we leave the elevator, I head to our room with Parker. Earlier this morning, I went down to the lobby and asked them to take my name off the list. As irritated as I was yesterday, this morning I woke up feeling differently. Seeing him sleeping on the bed, soft snores leaving him, I realized I missed him. I missed being in his presence. He was the one person who was a bright spot in my life. Parker is going to be in my life for the foreseeable future, since he’s best friends with my sister. I have to get used to seeing him out and around. There are worse things that could have happened than being stuck in a hotel room with him.

Parker leads me into the room, and I watch as he grabs some clothes from the dresser and walks into the bathroom, shutting the door. The water in the shower turns on, and my mind instantly imagines Parker naked in the tub. His hands using his soap to wash off all the chlorine from the pool. I picture being in there with him, my hands running all over his lean chest. My fingers finding their way into his blond curls and tugging on them until he takes the hint and drops to his knees for me. The way he knows how to suck my cock so damn good; it has me seeing stars every time.

My dick hardens in my shorts, and I push down on it, trying to relieve the pressure that’s building. I’ve been attracted to Parker since the moment I laid eyes on him, when Kendra brought him home for Christmas one year. He walked into our house in an emerald-green sweater with an ivory-white scarf wrapped around his neck. He had a matching green beanie on his head, with those luscious curls poking out of the bottom. I didn’t have the courage to make a move on that trip. Hell, it took me a few years and him moving to Chicago before I finally decided to take a chance.

I’m standing in the middle of the living room at my parents’ house. Kendra comes back today to visit, and I can’t wait to see her. I’ve never spent this much time away from her in all our lives. We’ve been inseparable since we were in the womb. The day she told me she was moving away for college was one of the hardest days of my life. Of course I was happy for her, but now I count down the days until I get to see her again.

“Oh my god, she’s here,” my mom squeals, jumping up from the couch.

She and Dad rush to the door, throwing it open as soon as Kendra reaches it.

“Hi Mom, Dad. I’ve missed you!” I wait patiently, knowing our parents need this time with her. They both clutch on to her for a few seconds when she lifts her head and sees me. “Hi, big brother,” she whispers, walking over to me and stepping into my embrace.

“Fuck, I missed you,” I tell her, clenching her tightly.

“I missed you too.”

I hold on to her, only letting go when the door to the house swings open again.

“So sorry. I wasn’t sure how long to wait before I came in.” A soft voice cuts through the house and my head whips up, eyeing the gorgeous man who’s walked into the house. He’s wearing this gorgeous green sweater and a scarf. His blue eyes are bright as he looks at everyone, the tip of his nose red from the cold. He’s breathtaking.

“Fuck, sorry Parker. Got too excited. Everyone, this is Parker. My best friend.”

I look between Kendra and Parker, hoping I’m not checking out my sister’s boyfriend. Mom and Dad make their introduction before Parker walks over to me. I reach my hand out, waiting for him to take it. “Hey man, I’m Marcus.”

“Nice to meet you.” His hand slips into mine, the connection between us instant. His eyes fly up to mine, his breathing rapid. “I’m, uh—Parker.”

“Marcus.”

“You’ve said that,” he chuckles, keeping his hand in mine.

“Oh, right.” I slowly take my hand away, dropping it to my side.

We continue staring at one another until Kendra cuts in, wrapping her arm around his waist. “My two favorite people in the world. This is going to be a great trip. Come on, let’s take our stuff upstairs.”

Kendra and Parker start walking, but right before they disappear, Parker looks back, offering me a soft smile.

Fuck , he could be trouble.

I’m lost in memories of the past when the door to the bathroom creaks open. Parker walks out with a towel wrapped around his waist.

“Forgot my underwear,” he whispers, walking over to the dresser and rummaging around. He grabs some fabric before slipping a bright pink lace thong up his legs and dropping the towel. My eyes snag on his ass, perfect peach it is. My gaze stays on him as he walks back into the bathroom.

Knowing how long he takes to get ready, I walk into the bathroom with him. I turn on the hot water and quickly undress. His eyes track each movement of mine in the mirror, widening when I stand completely naked behind him. I’m playing with fire and I know it. I’ve barely talked to him in months, and here I am, standing in the same room as him, completely naked.

His jaw drops, and I turn around, not wanting him to see the smile on my face. I wash up in the shower, my ears straining for the little sounds Parker makes as he gets ready. He sings quietly to himself as he does his hair, and I snicker knowing some things haven’t changed with him.

After washing my body, I turn off the water and step out of the shower, still naked. I stand on the mat for a few seconds before grabbing the towel off the rack. Slowly wiping the towel over my body, I glance up discreetly, trying to see what Parker is doing. Our eyes connect in the mirror and we both freeze. His chest is rising roughly, his breathing getting heavy. I stand up straight, flexing my abs as Parker chokes on air.

“I’ll, uh… I’ll be right back,” he says as he flees the bathroom.

Chuckling, I finish drying myself off before sauntering into the bedroom. Parker is sitting on the bed, his phone in his hand. The phone drops onto his lap when he sees me, and he whimpers softly. Damn, I can’t believe the reaction he still has to me. I grab a pair of my briefs and put them on, but not before bending over slowly, showing him my ass.

“Fuck,” he whispers.

“Do you want to head down to the cabana together?” I ask, turning around and pinning him with a stare, pretending I didn’t hear him.

“Sure,” he tells me, his throat bobbing as he swallows hard.

“Let me finish getting ready.”

I get myself ready slowly, making sure to flex my arms as I drape my shirt over my head. And when I stretch out my legs as I pull up my shorts. The entire time I’m dressing, Parker is watching me out of the side of his eye. I still don’t know what I’m doing, but I know that Parker and I should at least be friendly. Especially with it being Kendra’s wedding week. I don’t want to do anything to cause extra stress for my sister at one of the greatest times in her life. Plus, I’m having a little fun seeing Parker swallow his tongue while staring at me.

Once I’m completely ready, I head toward the door, Parker following close behind. We ride the elevator in silence, continuing that way all the way out toward the sand. I’m not sure where to go, so I stop walking once we hit the beach.

“Do you know where the cabanas are?” I ask, knowing that Parker will already know. It’s a quirk of his that I always loved. Anytime we went somewhere new, Parker would make sure to research everything about the place down to the parking situation. He couldn’t go somewhere new without knowing everything about it.

“Yeah, it’s down this way. When we first got to the hotel, I actually didn’t know where the bar was, and I hated it. So I went online and downloaded the map to the resort. So, now I can easily tell you where each area is.”

Chuckling, I shake my head. “That sounds like you.”

“I know, it sucks,” he mutters, his gaze finding the floor. His shoulders turn in on themselves and it’s as though he’s trying to make himself small. I reach my hand out, about to touch his shoulder, when he jerks himself up straight and starts walking. “Come on, it’s this way.”

I follow behind him, Parker showing me the way. His blond curls are blowing in the wind, and I watch them flow freely, mesmerized. He slips his hands into his pockets, causing the fabric to pull tight across his ass. It stresses the perfect shape of his ass, and I bite my knuckle, making sure I don’t moan out loud.

We reach a strip of cabanas and I pause at the breathtaking views. There are about ten to fifteen cabanas on the water. And I do mean they’re on the water. They’re built on stilts, the ocean rushing underneath them. Each cabana is open on all four sides; a table and two couches in each one. The blue water below is crystal clear and I’ve never seen anything so gorgeous.

“Wow,” I whisper as the server leads us down a wooden walkway. My head is on a swivel as I take in the surrounding area, the sounds of the waves gently crashing against the beams.

“It’s beautiful,” Parker says, as he walks alongside me.

I glance at him, hating that we should be enjoying this together in a relationship and not separately. I should be holding his hand down the walkway, pointing out the different fish I see swimming under the dock. My hands finding their way into his curls, pushing them off his face and claiming his lips.

We stop at a table set for four, and on instinct, I pull out Parker’s chair for him. He glances at the chair, then at me before sitting down and scooting the chair up to the table. I take the one across from him and we both order a drink before the server disappears down the walkway.

Parker’s phone buzzes on the tabletop at the same time mine does.

Kendra: Tim and I are going to skip lunch today. Something came up. We’ll see you both at dinner. wink emoji

“Uh, seems Kendra and Tim aren’t coming,” Parker says at the same time I read the message from my sister.

“Well, it would appear so.”

“We don’t have to stay here then.” He bundles up the napkin, placing it on the table.

My hand flies out, laying on top of his. “Nah, we don’t have to leave. Both of us need to eat. And there’s no reason that we should go. Let’s just eat together.”

“Okay,” he smiles shyly, his gaze fixated on my hand. There’s an electric current flowing between us, and to be honest, it’s always been there. Since the moment I first laid eyes on Parker, something has always pulled us together. I used to think it meant that we were soulmates and belonged together.

The server comes back and hands us our drinks before taking our order. Neither Parker nor I say a word to one another and I hate that we’ve gotten to this point. Once upon a time, Parker used to be the one person I could easily talk to for hours about nothing in particular. Or we could sit in silence, and it would never become awkward or strained. Things have changed so much in less than a year. I used to wake up next to Parker each morning and now all I do is remember the feel of him in my arms. How perfectly we used to fit together.

Fuck, I really need to stop reminiscing about the past. We’re over. All we can be is friends.

“I can’t believe Kendra is getting married in just a few short days,” Parker says, my head snapping up. Shit, I forgot where we were.

“I know. I love my sister, but she can be a handful. Luckily, I know Tim will be able to handle her.”

“Tim is perfect for Kendra. If I had to choose someone to be with my best friend, I would have chosen him.”

“I can’t believe we’re here in Aruba. It’s like being on a whole different planet. When she first told me she wanted a destination wedding, I was skeptical, but I really love it here. I know my mom and dad are going to go wild once they get here. They haven’t been out of the country before, so they’ll love it.”

“It’s definitely one of a kind.”

Parker offers me a small smile as the server places our food on the table. He forces a grin, and I know he’s wondering what the hell is going on. Yesterday I was a complete ass to him, and now here I am trying to make small talk and engage him in conversation. I don’t know what to say either, except it’s harder to avoid him and not talk to him than it is to give in.

“Would you want to walk to the rock wall harbor when we’re done?” I ask, hating that I don’t want to leave him yet.

“Oh, uh, sure.”

I might be making the biggest mistake of my life, but I’m not ready to say goodbye. And this has always been my problem. Parker has some strange hold on me, and I don’t know how to ever let him go fully.