“Of course,” he said, straightening his sweater—the one with aspen leaves knitted into the threads. Poor guy.

“Thanks, man,” I said easier. But as soon as he left, I let my shoulders sag and leaned against the door to look at Parker. She hadn’t moved from her spot by the windows.

Remorse cut into my gut with sharp blades.

“Parker—”

“At least it’s a king bed.” She didn’t look at the bed, though. She kept her eyes away from the entire room. “I’d hoped for a little loveseat, but I don’t think I can curl up on those armchairs. I’m small but not that small.”

There were two chairs set up by the French doors. She’d contemplated sleeping on them. It didn’t matter that she was ashamed of me meeting her family; I’d become something petty and small when I’d lashed out and made her feel this way. As for myself, I felt about two inches tall.

“Parker,” I said again, this time sitting on the bench at the foot of the bed so we’d be eye to eye. “I’m sorry. All right?”

Her gaze stayed unfocused as she nodded. “It’s fine. Things were said …”

“No.” I took her hand and found it cold. Unacceptable. Holding it between both of mine, I softened my voice as best I could. “I was a fuc—a jerk. I shouldn’t have said those things, making you feel cheap. It wasn’t true and I didn’t mean them. It was a dic—It was wrong to do.”

Parker’s lips wobbled with a smile. “Am I imagining things or are you attempting to refrain from cursing?”

“Yeah, well …” I rubbed the back of my tense neck but kept hold of her hand with my other one. “It seemed like a good way to show my sincerity and respect for the situation.”

Her smile finally bloomed, and I swear it was like the sun coming out of clouds. Hell. I was a fuck—freaking mess.

“Just when I finally start cursing, you’ve gone and stopped.”

It felt good to grin. “Well, that’s different.” I tugged her a little closer. “You letting go and cursing is sexy as he—heck.”

Her laughter sparkled over my skin and lifted a weight off my heart. “As heck, huh?”

“Heck, yeah.”

Laughing softly, her gaze clashed with mine. Heat bloomed under my skin, and I drew in an unsteady breath. God, I wanted to hold onto her slim but curvy hips, cup her fine ass and give it a squeeze.

No. I couldn’t do that. We had undeniable chemistry, but we’d never work in the real world. Not when she couldn’t even introduce me to her family without looking like she was about to throw up.