Sign Me Up by Dulcie Dameron
Jamie
is happening. I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING.
I’m kissing my best friend. And boy, can he kiss.
Yes, I know I started it. But something about being in his arms while we danced tipped me over the edge. The tension between us rose to new levels, new heights I didn’t even realize existed. Parker’s smell, his touch, it all overwhelmed me to the point that I couldn’t be near him a second longer unless I gave in to the urge to kiss his chiseled jaw.
And then he looked so shocked—so taken off guard—that I instantly regretted it.
I’d convinced myself that I’d been reading him wrong these past few weeks, that everything we’ve shared was simply done in the name of friendship and nothing more. Until he dragged me away from the party and kissed me again. Intentionally. Purposefully. Deliciously.
I had no choice but to be honest about my feelings.
Kissing Parker is an experience unlike any other and I never want it to end. Which is why the need to be alone with him overtook me, and I pounded on the elevator button until the doors finally opened.
Grabbing his leather jacket, I pull him inside, push on the button that closes the doors, and press my lips against his again. My enthusiasm seems to take him by surprise, but it doesn’t take him long to catch up.
Electricity sparks and sizzles between us as his mouth moves over mine. Someone who could hear might try to rein in their heavy breathing during a kiss, but Parker can’t be bothered. His breaths are erratic and wild, mimicking the desire in his touch.
Once again, my back’s against the cool metal wall, but this time, Parker hauls me up higher by my legs. I squeak in surprise, but instinctively wrap them around him anyway. He doesn’t miss a beat as he kisses me again, then whispers his lips gently down my throat.
I whip the wig off his head, needing to run my fingers through his real hair, then I’m clinging to his shoulders, his arms, his back, loving the feel of him under my hands.
How could I never have realized that things would be like this between us? How could I have ignored this crackling tension for so long, almost missing it completely?
He meets my mouth again with a deep groan that sends warmth zinging through my entire body. Then the elevator doors open, and I pull back, hoping that’s not what I think it is.
But of course, my worst fear is confirmed.
Stefan, Gladys, and Lucas stand at each other’s sides, taking in the view with contrasting expressions. Gladys’s is mildly impressed, while Stefan’s flashes between anger and embarrassment, and Lucas smiles with a maniacal glee that turns my stomach.
Parker releases me and I adjust my top, pulling the sleeves of the plaid shirt around my waist tight. “Um,” I start, then clear the gravel from my throat. “We were just…uh…” Any sort of valid explanation escapes me.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Gladys says, changing the subject and saving me from having to say, we were just making out in the elevator. “But it’s time to play pass the pumpkin. And you won’t want to miss it because I shoved a fifty inside.” She wiggles her eyebrows like fifty bucks is akin to winning the lottery.
“Yeah,” I say, running a hand over my wig, making sure it’s not totally disheveled. “Um. We’ll be right there.” Out of the corner of my eye, Parker picks up his wig and tries to fit it back on his head.
“I thought I saw them come this way, Mr. Sanders,” Lucas says, his sick smile widening. “Guess I was right.” Without another word, he stalks off and leaves us to our fate, whistling while he goes. Clearly, he orchestrated this interruption.
Gladys sends me a knowing smirk with a wink, then saunters off back to the break room while Stefan doesn’t so much as budge.
Silence permeates the air, heavy and thick, while his expression gives nothing away. Finally, our boss sighs and says, “We’ll need to discuss this in my office on Monday morning.” My stomach roils at his pronouncement, and he leaves without another word.
I release a deep exhale and turn to face the man I’m not sure I can still look in the eyes. I’m so afraid of what I’ll read in his expression after what just happened between us. Regret? Shame? Disgust?
But when I meet Parker’s eyes, they sparkle with amusement as he runs a hand over his mouth. “We’re in so much trouble,” I say with a groan.
He laughs and shakes his head. It’ll be alright.
“Are we…OK?” I sign.
His wide smile nearly blinds me as he hooks an arm around my waist and pecks me on the lips. Never been better, he signs, then tips his head toward where we should be. Ready to pass the pumpkin?
Blinking the kiss-induced haze of the last few minutes away, I nod. Parker leads me back to the break room like what we just did together wasn’t completely unexpected and more than a little bit taboo for a couple of people who insist we’re justfriends.
By the end of the night, I’m exhausted. Even with more of my co-workers helping me and Gladys remove the party decorations, it was still tiring. Plus, my emotions have officially been overextended. First with my warring feelings for Parker, then giving in to them, then being caught with him in the elevator by none other than my boss.
Ugh.
Thankfully, Stefan never said another word to me or Parker before he left the party early. But that doesn’t erase the ball of anxiety that’s knotting up my insides even as we speak. All weekend long I’ll worry about what our conversation will be like on Monday.
I guess I can kiss that interview with Paris goodbye. Bosses don’t take kindly to employees who make out with their co-workers at work parties, I’m sure.
Warm hands press down on my shoulders. Parker’s easy smile works to loosen a bit of the tension eating me up as he motions for us to head out.
I grab my little backpack, promising myself I’ll grab the boxes of decorations on Monday when I’m not so tired. I take a deep inhale of the cool evening air once we make it outside. The wind’s bite makes me shiver, but Parker must notice because the next second, he drapes his leather jacket around my shoulders.
He’s being so sweet and tender, I almost can’t take it. But then again, Parker’s always like this. He’s always gentlemanly and kind. Why couldn’t I ever see those things as boyfriend material before now? Why did it take me this long to wake up to his attention?
Then like a light bulb flickering to life, I remember why I refused to see him as more. Tyson. All the ugly memories of our breakup float through my mind, unsettling me. What have I done? Did I doom Parker and me to the same fate by making a move on him?
Before I can question myself too much, we’re at my car. I turn to face him and he grips the lapels of his jacket, pulling me closer. He kisses me again, soft and sweet, totally unhurried, as if we have all the time in the world. When I taste the punch and candy from the party on his lips, I smile against his mouth. It breaks the kiss and he pulls back, searching my eyes.
Lifting his hands, he signs, What’s so funny?
I shake my head. “Nothing.”
He tilts his head, not believing me. Am I a bad kisser?
A laugh erupts from me so forcefully, I double over. When I straighten, Parker’s arms are crossed, his expression unamused. “You are not a bad kisser,” I insist, then wrap my hands around his trim waist and bring him back to me. “How could you even think such a thing?”
He pulls his lips into a thin line, then licks his bottom lip like he’s mulling over what to say.Finally, he signs, You’re my first.
My brow furrows. “Your first what?”
I’ve never kissed a girl before. Besides a peck.
My mouth parts as I blink up at him. I’m sure my eyes are as big as dinner plates as I take in this bit of information. Parker’s mouth twists to the side as he reads my reaction. I tighten my hands around him. “You’re an amazing kisser, Parker. Like, out-of-this-universe amazing. And that’s not why I was smiling.”
His lips tilt into a boyish half-smile as he shrugs like he’s waiting for more.
I lift an eyebrow. “I smiled because you unsurprisingly taste like candy.”
Laughing, he throws his head back and wraps his arms around me. I nestle into him, joining in, and soon we’re both shaking with uncontrollable laughter. I’m thankful we’re alone and that no one is around to witness this. Hysterically laughing in a parking lot at close to midnight might look weird to anyone else, but for me and my best friend, it feels as if we were always meant to do this.