I lean to the side to catch what I can of her eyes. “How I know something about you that you don’t know about yourself.”

I hold her gaze for a second before Parker rights herself so she faces forward again and I grab some fabric of the dress to create traction and tug the zipper upward with no luck.

Parker sighs. “You might need to rip it off me.”

I lean forward, my head hovering over her bare shoulder and smirk. “Don’t threaten me with a good time.”

The light blush on her cheeks grows a little more intense and I take that one as a win, but I’m losing when it comes to this fucking gown. Even with Parker holding the dress secure to her body, it does slip down a bit, but my focus is lost when my fingers touch her skin. But it’s not the softness that steals my breath.

It’s the rough patch of poorly healed flesh that makes the world stop.

You’d think this was the first time I’ve seen it. The scar is nearly as large as my hand, a slanted rectangle a few inches under Parker’s left shoulder blade.

I’ve never wanted to go to war with a memory that wasn’t mine. I know if it was possible, I’d do it for Parker.

“Should we move closer to the window so you can see it better?”

Are you kidding? I want to scream. I’ll never get it out of my head.

“Almost got it.” I grab the zipper a little firmer and tug, doing everything I can to focus on the metal teeth in front of me while the ones in my mouth grind together so forcefully they threaten to pulverize the enamel into dust. I’m still gritting them together even when the zipper is free.

“You got it?”

I nod but don’t say anything as Parker adjusts the fabric and then waits for me to zip it correctly. I don’t know if I can even speak. I don’t even know if I want to. Not until she turns around. And suddenly, I want to tell her so many things.

Stay away from them. Let me protect you.

But none of those words come.

Facing me, Parker drops her gaze down at the dress. “It’s too much, isn’t it?”

The hesitation and doubt lacing her voice snap me out of my head. “You could never be too much.”

She softly narrows her eyes. “Then why are you looking at me like that?”

Because I’m just so fucking sorry I abandoned you.

I shake my head and turn away from my thoughts and only let myself see the Parker in front of me—beautiful, daring, and dangerous to my senses in red.