“There is another option, which might be the best solution,” he said, breaking into her thoughts.
She lifted a brow. “What option is that?”
“I could move out and find my own place.”
Sebrina shook her head, knowing that was not the answer. She could just imagine having to explain to her family why he decided to leave. Sorry guys. Parker had to move out because I couldn’t keep my hands off of him.
“That won’t be necessary, Parker. Like you said, we’re adults. If we ignore it, it will eventually fade.”
He paused for a moment. “We are sharing the same house and at times, we will be sharing the same space. I hope you don’t think ignoring this attraction means we ignore each other, Sebrina. That would cause even more problems. I don’t want you feeling uncomfortable and I don’t want to feel that way, either. May I make a suggestion?”
She wondered what suggestion he wanted to make. “Sure. What are you thinking?”
“Maybe, if we both start dating other people, whatever this is between us will fade. Then we can start to build a better friendship. A platonic friendship. And pretty soon, we won’t see each other as sexual beings quite as much.”
Sebrina thought about his suggestion. “Umm, it’s worth a try. I definitely don’t want you to feel uncomfortable living with us.”
“And I want you to feel comfortable having me there, Sebrina. Although we can’t quit wanting each other, cold turkey, I believe if we become friends, it will eventually fade.”
She drew in a deep breath, finally feeling they were getting somewhere, although she really didn’t like the idea of finding someone to date, just to keep her desire for him at bay. However, at this point, she would try anything. “Okay, let’s work on the friendship piece.”
Parker smiled. “We already have by sharing breakfast together this morning.”
“That’s true.” She couldn’t help wondering, though, how she’d scare up a guy to date. Because of her hours at the hospital, she rarely went out. But she wouldn’t use her work hours as an excuse. Still, so far none of her dates were guys she’d been eager to see again. Kennedy, Monica and Victoria had accused her of being too picky. They also thought she was still pining over Wade. She wondered if Parker would start dating Dr. Nestor.
She glanced over at him and saw that he was staring at her. “Is anything wrong, Parker?”
He shook his head and took a sip of his coffee. “No. Nothing is wrong.”
That wasn’t true, though, Parker knew. Everything was wrong. Their conversation stayed on his mind for the rest of the day as he did various errands around town. First of all, Sebrina Bennett obviously had no idea of the full extent of her sensuality. If she did, then she would know ignoring the sexual chemistry between them would be hard, and the idea of stopping it all together was insane. To be completely honest, he was pretty sure his suggestion of becoming platonic friends wouldn’t work, either. But they had to start somewhere.
Too bad they hadn’t agreed to try acting on it. He inwardly groaned at the thought of working it out of their systems. Hell, he felt himself get hard at the thought of the marathon lovemaking session that would require.
Still, the last thing he needed to be obsessed with is a woman. He’d come to St. Paul to learn everything he could from Dr. Miller before moving on to Florida. Bottom line, he had a plan, and getting hung up on a woman was not part of it.
He returned home that evening, proud of what he’d managed to accomplish. He had joined a nearby gym, taken his car to get washed and serviced, had gotten his hair trimmed and then stopped by a men’s clothing store to purchase a couple of shirts. Finally, he’d indulged in his favorite guilty pleasure and had spent a few hours at a pinball arcade.
He’d enjoyed himself, and for a short while, he had managed to put the issue of him and Sebrina out of his mind. But it returned the moment he walked into the house. There was music playing upstairs. Did that mean she was up and not in bed? He checked his watch. It was five in the afternoon. She was usually asleep about now, since she had to be to work by eleven.
Parker headed straight for his bedroom to put his packages down and hang up his new shirts. On the way home, he decided he’d hit the cinema later on this evening. That new Marvel flick was out, and he wanted to see it. That was the one thing he missed about not being in Boston. He’d always had a group of friends to hang out with to do stuff like going to the movies, but tonight, it looked like he was on his own.
An hour later, he had showered and changed clothes, ready for the movies. Next time, he would have a date. He’d met Gabby Cummings at the arcade. She had been a little too flirty for his taste, even a little too talkative. However, she had been a looker with red hair and green eyes. Unfortunately, there had been no chemistry—not even a little bit. But hopefully, that would change on their first date. He had gotten her phone number and had promised to call her and he would.
He got ready to leave, figuring he could grab something to eat at the movies. He had picked up a huge hamburger and fries at the restaurant next to the arcade and was still full. As he headed for the door, he noticed the music had stopped playing upstairs and heard a sound coming from the kitchen. He glanced at his watch and saw it was close to six-thirty. It was unusual for Sebrina to be up and about around this time on a work night.
Deciding to let her know he was going out, he headed for the kitchen and immediately stopped in the doorway. Her back was to him as she talked on her cell phone, and it appeared that she was dressed to go out for the evening as well. Evidently, she was off work tonight.
The moment he saw her, desire, hot and sharp, suddenly clawed at him. Total awareness of her filled his every pore. Even the air he breathed was pulling in her scent, an incredible aroma that made a little burst of need flare to life in his midsection.
As if pulled by a magnet, his gaze was drawn to her perfectly shaped backside in the green sweater dress she was wearing. And the black leather boots she wore complemented the black leather belt around her small waist.
Six feet separated them, and it was obvious she hadn’t heard him enter the kitchen. He was about to let his presence be known when her next words stopped him. From the sound of it, she and her cousin Kennedy had planned to go to the movies tonight, but Kennedy’s husband had surprised her by returning to town earlier than expected. Sebrina was saying that she understood and that she would just go to the movies alone.
Parker backed out of the kitchen, figuring he’d heard more than he should have. But then, wasn’t he going to the movies alone as well? There was no reason they couldn’t go together, was there? Hadn’t they,
just that morning, agreed to be friends? It wouldn’t be a date per se, but just a platonic outing to the movies. There was only one problem. Two women were likely going to see a chick-flick rather than a superhero action movie. Still, if Sebrina had her heart set on a chick-flick, he’d find a way to sit through it.
The goal was to do things that might weaken their attraction, being friends and not lovers. A movie date was a good start. Coming up with plan, he moved back toward the kitchen, this time whistling to alert her of his presence.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE