Leave the Lights On by Karen Stivali Read Free Book Online Page A

volumes as she stared right into his eyes.
    Parker sighed. “Fine. A little. I haven’t been on a date in years.”
    “I’m pretty sure they haven’t changed much.”
    “Probably not. But I haven’t had a first date since high school.”
    “Breathe deep.” Tanya positioned herself alongside him, and he knew she was getting ready to stretch the tightest muscles in his leg.
    Drawing in a slow, steady breath, he realized how nervous he really was. Forget butterflies, it felt like he had bats circling in his stomach. Remembering the kiss they’d shared was the only thing keeping him from totally freaking.
    Kisses . More than one. It had felt so good to kiss someone. No. Not just someone. To kiss her. To have her in his arms.
    “You’ll do great, Parker. What woman in her right mind wouldn’t want to be with you?”
    Chrissie.
    “Whoa, kid. What just happened? You knotted up from head to toe.” Tanya’s hand stilled. “Back on your stomach. We need you more relaxed before we work on the leg.”
    Parker positioned himself on the table, his face nestled in the cutaway cushion. He closed his eyes and heard her step aside and pump more goop onto her hands.
    “Talk to me,” she said. “We’re not gonna be able to finish this session until you can relax a little, so whatever it is, spit it out.”
    Parker took a deep breath, flinching as she smoothed the icy gel over his skin. He opened his mouth, but the words that were choking him couldn’t come out. “It’s nothing,” he managed to say.
    Tanya snorted. “You want me to guess?”
    “Not really.”
    “Let’s see if I can guess.” She worked her hands in a circular pattern across his back, pressing hard, forcing him to loosen up, even though he felt himself fighting her. “You’re friends already, so you must be sure she likes you. You care where you’re taking her, so obviously you like her. You worried about the sex?”
    Parker’s face flooded with heat. He remained silent.
    “I’ll take that as a yes. Don’t worry about that. It’s like riding a bicycle. You won’t have forgotten.”
    Swallowing hard and squeezing his eyes shut, Parker braced himself against the pressure of Tanya’s hands as the icy sensation turned to heat. “You can’t forget something you never knew.”
    Her hands froze for a second, and he knew she was processing what he said. His face burned hotter than the goop on his back. She started rubbing again, concentrating on a knot deep in his shoulder where he tended to carry the most tension. “Never?”
    He shook his head from side to side, certain he was ironing the sheet beneath him with the heat radiating from his face.
    “Weren’t you and that other girl engaged?”
    Tanya dug her fingers into a spot so tight Parker grunted, but focusing on the pain made it easier to talk. “Yep. Minister’s daughter. Wanted to wait ’til we were married.”
    “Jesus.”
    “Yep, it’s Jesus’s fault.”
    Tanya laughed. “Good one. How long were you two together?”
    “Four years.” As painful as it was to discuss, Parker felt some of the tension draining out of him. Keeping a secret that big had weighed on him more than he realized. Humiliating as it was to admit, at least someone knew. And she hadn’t fallen over in a dead faint or anything.
    “You’re a good guy. I know a lot who wouldn’t have agreed to wait.”
    “I know. Like the one she cheated on me with.” Might as well make the humiliation complete.
    “Look, Park, this is all in the past. Focus on your life now. If Sophie’s as awesome as you’re telling me she is, she’s not going to care.”
    “I just don’t want to be… I don’t want to screw up.” His heart pounded against the massage table hard enough he could count the beats.
    “Screw up the sex? First off there are plenty of guys with tons of experience who screw up sex. Women are used to that, so right there—please—take some pressure off yourself. Are you worried you’re not gonna know