Her Best Friend's Brother(24)

Parker paused, grimacing, outside Mel’s closed bedroom door. Libby was pretty sure they had left it open.

He knocked. “You guys stil in there?” No answer. “We should realy finish loading the truck if we are stil planning on leaving tonight.” There was a heavy thud. Worried, Libby rushed towards the door, but Parker puled her back making a shushing motion placing a finger on his lips.

Sure enough Libby began to hear heavy breaths and soft moans. “Eww.” She took an involuntary step backwards yanking her hand off of the door knob as if it she had been burned. “They wouldn’t…” She blushed.

Parker pounded on the door with the palm of his hand a few times. “Dude! Come on!”

“Get lost Park” John finaly answered through the closed door.

“What do you suggest we do?”

“Parker, my friend, if I have to explain that to you then you are beyond my help. Now get lost-- you are embarrassing my girlfriend.”

“Come on Libby. We might as wel go find some lunch.” Parker was shaking his head as he led her back downstairs. Libby was speechless.

In the kitchen Libby puled out al the ingredients for griled cheese sandwiches and Parker manned the frying pan. “Should we make something for John and Mel?” Parker wrinkled his face. “No way. Although I bet they’re working up quite an appetite. They can make their own when they’ve… finished.” Libby found herself blushing again.

“Parker, do think we, I mean John seemed to think we…” She wasn’t actualy sure how to ask her question.

“Wel we almost before and maybe now…”

Parker laughed. Loud, knee slapping, slightly obnoxious laughter.

“I didn’t think it was that funny!” Libby was so mortified she barely remembered what just plain embarrassed felt like. “Al I meant was… oh never mind it was dumb.”

“I’m sorry Libby. I shouldn’t have laughed, but you looked so nervous and we didn’t realy almost anything.” He slid a plate, with her griled cheese on it, over the counter to her and took a big easy bite out of his.

“Last summer!”

“Sweet heart if that’s almost than—wel than I guess that explains your scarlet cheeks upstairs.” He was laughing again.

“Oh for Pete’s sake!” Libby huffed. “I don’t know why I bother.”

Parker seemed to register the genuine distress on Libby’s face. He walked around the kitchen island and spun her around to face him bracing his arms on the counter on either side of her. “It would be awesome Libby… for me. You are beautiful, and sexy, and I have totaly thought about it. But it would just be sex. And you aren’t a ‘just sex’ kinda girl. Do you realy want to trash two years of friendship for an hour of fun?”

“An hour?” This brought more chuckling from Parker, and he dropped a light kiss on her nose.

“Damn I like you Libby! I wouldn’t risk your friendship—even for three hours!” He whispered that last part into her ear before shoving off from the counter and returning to his lunch.

“I am surrounded by men determined to save me from myself… lucky me.”

“Is this about Brian? You two not getting along?” Parker was eating his lunch again.

“No, Brian is fine… but we aren’t realy together.

Just forget it okay?” Libby stuffed her mouth ful of griled cheese to force herself to stop rambling.





Chapter Eight


Outside Tony was pacing around the driveway. He had been so happy to be home a moment ago. But then he had walked in and seen Libby wearing what was obviously Parker’s shirt since Parker himself wasn’t wearing one, and what Libby was wearing must have been five sizes too big.

Tony wasn’t realy a violent guy, but it took al his self control not to rush in and pummel the guy when he had leaned in to kiss her. As soon as he had regained his motor functions Tony had quietly backtracked to the front door.

Why hadn’t he known that Parker and Libby were stil together? Libby hadn’t mentioned it, but then barring one late night inebriated phone cal (which stil haunted his dreams three months later) they had pretty much avoided al things romantic. It wasn’t as if he thought she sat home alone every weekend, but there was a pretty big difference between knowing she was dating, and having to witness it in his kitchen! Where the crap was he going to eat his breakfast cereal from now on? He sure as hel wasn’t ever going to be able to sit at the kitchen counter again.

Okay, he had to get a handle on this. Tony concentrated on taking deep breaths. Libby hadn’t spoken to him for five months after that party. After the night he had basicaly chased her into Parker’s arms. He was so stupid! She had been right there and he had pushed her away. He had actualy reminded her that Parker had been her date. Told her that of course Parker wanted to be more than friends. Stupid! No. He wasn’t going to think about that. He was just going to remember that, during those long quiet months, he had sworn to himself that he wouldn’t make any more dumb mistakes where she was concerned. And if that meant being just friends then that was what he would do, because he wasn’t prepared to lose her again. Maybe he should just drive around town for awhile. How long until Mel was leaving for New York?