Parker laughed. “Is that right?”
When she nodded, he said, “Sorry, but I didn’t get that memo. I don’t think I’ve ever taken a pause when it came to food. But just for the record, I think you look beautiful, and seem to be in great shape.” Even her medical attire couldn’t detract from her good looks. She came off as professional yet gorgeous.
“Thanks, but you’re just being kind.”
He met her gaze over the rim of his coffee cup. “No, Sebrina, I’m being honest.”
His words seemed to make her go still, her meal all but forgotten.
The moment seemed to stand still. He sat, waiting for a response to his statement, but she said nothing, she just sat there, looking at him. The sexual tension was almost tangible.
Her eyes were so dark, they appeared to be like black velvet. And as he looked deeper into them, he swore he saw a tempest in her pupils that stirred every male instinct inside of him.
Then his gaze shifted to her lips. He’d never known a woman with a more delectable looking pair. They were full with a sensual dip in the center, which tempted him to lean across the table for a lick. He couldn’t help wondering how her mouth would feel against his, how it would taste. He would just love to find out.
“Parker?”
He blinked when those luscious lips moved and answered without taking his eyes off them. “Yes, Sebrina?”
“I think we need to talk.”
That prompted him to switch his gaze from her lips to her eyes. There was a heated tint in them. If she’d been his patient, he would not have wasted any time taking her temperature. She looked hot and flustered. “About what?”
“About this attraction that neither of us needs right now.”
He held her gaze. “Needs, Sebrina? Or wants?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
SEBRINA DREW IN A deep breath. She had to pull herself together. The huskiness of Parker’s voice held a sensuality that only made the situation worse. Twice she’d had to fight to control the increased rhythm of her heart, not to mention the deep throbbing between her legs.
This wasn’t good. Nothing had ever happened to her like this before. She’d been attracted to other men, but not to this degree and definitely not of this magnitude. Joining him for breakfast had been a bad idea.
He cleared his throat and she blinked, then took a quick sip of her tea. Although it wasn’t the wine she could have used right then, it bolstered her confidence level somewhat. Parker Stanhope— with his sandy brown hair, dreamy blue eyes and chiseled good looks—was just another man. A handsome man, but just a man. And she could handle him. She had to.
Sitting her teacup down, she said, “It doesn’t matter whether I use the word need or want, Parker. Both are liabilities.”
He smiled and she wished he hadn’t since he had such a sexy, make-your-panties-wet smile. “You think so?” he asked.
“Yes, and maybe that’s a topic we need to discuss.”
“What? The sexual tension we manage to generate?”
Did he have to be so blunt? “Yes.”
He signaled for a waitress to refill his coffee, then glanced back at her. “There’s really nothing to discuss. We can do one of two things—ignore it or act on it.”
She frowned. He had to be kidding if he thought those were the only options. “What about putting an immediate stop to it.”
He leaned back in his chair with an amused chuckled. “Good luck with that.”
Sebrina’s frown deepened. “And why not?”
“Because chemistry like ours doesn’t work that way. It’s not a faucet you can turn off when you feel like it, Sebrina.”
She shouldn’t, but she liked the way he said her name with that New England accent. “I believe it depends on the individuals. They control the narrative,” she argued.
The waitress came and poured more coffee into his cup. When she left, he said, “People might have the ability to control the narrative, but they can’t do a thing about nature. It is what it is. And haven’t you heard it’s best to let nature take its course.”
Sebrina shook her head. That was the last thing they needed. “I don’t understand why you would think we can’t stop it.”
“And I’m curious as to why you would think we can.”
She released a frustrated breath. “You’re not the first guy I’ve been attracted to, Parker. But I managed to get over the others quickly enough when I set my mind to it.”
He took a sip of his coffee. “That’s good to hear. And just for the record, you aren’t the first woman I’ve been attracted to, either. However, there is a difference between an attraction and the strong sexual chemistry you and I share. You can be attracted to a person’s uniqueness. You might even think they’re an exceptional individual and distinctive in their own way. But sexual chemistry is a whole other ball game and goes a lot deeper. It’s a feeling that stirs something to life within you. It can create energy where there isn’t any and it makes every pore in your body fill with awareness of that person. It’s even in the very air you breathe, causing a yearning so deep, it borders on pain.”
Jesus. Sebrina’s breath caught in her throat at the dark heat she saw in his eyes. She wanted to make a comeback but couldn’t. All she could do was sit there, mesmerized by his gaze.
“I felt it the moment you opened the door to me last week,” he then said, still holding her gaze. “And I picked up on the vibes passing between us, which let me know the feelings were mutual, Sebrina. It is magnetism we have no control over.”
She wished she could deny what he said, but she couldn’t. She had felt all the things he described. However, she refused to accept they had no control over it. She’d always had control when it came to men. She shook her head. “Sorry, but I don’t agree.”
“You have that right.”
She had more than a right, she had a will. And at that moment, she willed that whatever this thing was between them, this thing he was convinced they had no control over, be over here and now. “Why are you being negative, Parker?”
He placed his cup down and leaned over the table. “I’m just being realistic, Sebrina.”
There was something about the look in his eyes, something in the tone of his voice that gave her pause. Then he broke eye contact with her and rubbed his hand down his face, clearly frustrated. “I’m only trying to be as honest as I can with you, Sebrina. I’m having a hard time dealing with all this strong energy between us as well. I wasn’t expecting it, any more than you were,” he said.
“When Rae’jean found out I was transferring to St. Paul for a year, and she suggested I move in with you and Monica, I thought it would be great. However, I knew I was in trouble the moment you opened that door. Still, I figured we’re adults. We’re professionals. We are two levelheaded people. What you see as a problem, I see as fixable. So we’re back to square one. There are two options—ignore it, or act on it.”
She frowned over at him. “We won’t be acting on it, Parker.”
“Then we’re going to have to try to ignore it.”
Sebrina took a sip of her tea. She had never been faced with anything like this before. But she should be able to ignore this connection if she put her mind to it. After all, they rarely saw each other anyway.