Page 6 of Prey Tell
I’m nowhere near worthy of her.
As much as I want to bethat person for her, I don’t know how. I never learned how to be gentle. I never learned how to love. She wanted to know why I never dated? Because I didn’t knowhow.Sure, I could fuck like an animal. I knew how to bed a woman—knew all the ways to make them scream. But love? Nofuckingidea. And Parker deserved to lose her virginity to someone she loved—and someone who could love her back.
That person would never be me.
“Are there any decisions you don’t overthink?” I ask her softly.
She scoffs. “Of course not. I have to collect the data and analyze. It’s the only way I know how to function.”
I chuckle and place my hands in my pockets. My smile falls from my face. I dip my head in concession, though I wish I could tell her that I’d burn the world to get a taste of her.
Still, I’m putting my foot down.
I’m not worthy.
I can’t be that person for her.
“Parker, it’s not a good idea.”
“Really?” Her quiet voice is tinged with hurt as her arms drop to her side. “You’re rejecting me?”
Fuck.
“Look, it’s not because I don’t want to, okay?”
“Well, obviously it is, or you’d be—you would’ve—” She presses her lips together and closes her eyes. Shaking her head a few times, she opens them. Except where she was happy and chatty earlier, she’s now cold and closed off. “You know what? It’s fine. Of course you’d reject me. You’re entirely out of my league. I’m an idiot, and I never should’ve—”
“Out of your league?” I ask her incredulously. “Are you serious?”
The fucking irony.
I reach out to touch her arm but she flinches away. “It’s fine.” Only then do I notice the splotches of red along her collarbone, her neck. The way her chin is dipped down slightly.
Not only did I reject her, but I embarrassed her. I open my mouth to explain, but she pushes off the counter and walks past me. Without thinking, I grab her wrist and tug her back.
“Listen to me,” I grit out.
She pulls away. “You don’t need to explain. It’s complicated—with my brother, and who you are…” she trails off, still acting withdrawn.
“That’s not it. Those things don’t matter.” I look into her eyes, but all I see is hurt. A wounded eighteen-year-old. And my stupid fucking ass was the reason for her pain.
Thisis why I don’t do feelings, or dating, or love.
Because it always blows the fuck up in my face.
“Then what is it?” she challenges.
“It’s hard to explain. I’m not sure that I could.”
She rolls her eyes, trying to play it off, but I see the hesitation. The way she’s angling her body away from me. The way she’s fidgeting with the hem of hertoo fucking shortdress.
“Forget I ever brought it up, okay?”
When she looks up at me, I swear my heart cracks in half. Her lashes are wet with unshed tears, and her brows are pinched together in anger. Aside from casual joking around, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Parker angry at me.
I need to shut this down before she gets hurt.
She doesn’t know it yet, but I know she’ll be fine—soon, she’ll have her pick of the lot. Men would fall to their knees before her. And though it made me blow a fuse thinking about that, I knew it was true.
