Page 31 of Fallout
Parker grins, his blue eyes penetrating mine. “Are you okay?”
“Am I… okay?”
“The other supernatural,” he says. “Did he scare you?”
“Oh.” I tuck a piece of hair behind my ear. “Yes, he did scare me, but I know you felt it through our bond. Part of me wants to talk to him because he’s like me. But the other part of me—the much bigger part—wishes he would just go away. He’s kind of creepy. If he genuinely wanted to talk to me, he would’ve approached you or your dad. Instead, he’s creeping around in the shadows. I don’t like it.”
“Me either.” Parker furrows his brows. “We’ve been trying to catch him, but we haven’t had any luck.”
“I know.” I glance down at my hands. “That’s why you’ve pawned me off on Will and Blaine and why you never spend time with me.”
“It’s my job to protect you.” He clenches his jaw. “I will always put your protection first, above everything.”
“I miss you,” I admit, finally meeting his eyes. “I don’t care about this other supernatural. I just want to spend time with you. I feel like I saw you more before we found out we were mates.”
He scoots closer to me, pulling me onto his lap. “I’m sorry.”
But when I’m this close to him and in his arms, it’s hard to stay mad at me. He likely knows it too.
Parker runs one hand up and down my back softly. I relax into his embrace, resting my head against his chest. He rests his chin on top of my head.
“I missed you, too,” Parker says softly.
I sigh, my body relaxing even more.
After a few moments, Parker speaks again. “We’re not supposed to be at your house alone. It’s one of your dad’s rules.”
I don’t move to pull away from his embrace. “It’s a stupid rule.”
“Maybe not so stupid,” Parker says.
I lean back so that I can look at him. “Why is it not stupid?”
“Because I really want to kiss you right now.”
My stomach twists. “I like where your thoughts are going.”
He grins. “Maybe we should go to my house.”
I raise an eyebrow. “So your siblings can interrupt our alone time?”
“Henley,” he scolds, but I can see the humor sparkle in his eyes. “I want your dad to like me.”
“He does like you.”
Parker gives me a pointed look. “He doesn’t trust me.”
I shrug. “To be fair, I don’t think he would trust any teenage boy that I’m dating. Soulmate or not, he’s my dad.”
“But that means I’ll be even more respectful and protective of you—because you’re mine.”
For a moment, I wonder if I should be flattered or offended that Parker is calling me ‘mine.’ I decide to go with flattered. If I’m his then he’s mine too, and I like the idea of that.
Parker cocks his head to the side. “What are you thinking?”
I grin. “Nothing. I agree with you, but it’s my father’s decision. You should talk to him about it.”
Parker stands up and holds out a hand toward me. I put my hand in his and allow him to pull me up from the couch. I expect him to lead me out the front door and to his Jeep, but he doesn’t. Instead, he tugs me closer to him and puts his arms around me. I lean into him.