JACKSON FALLS ASLEEP pretty quickly once I read to him, and I step out into the hallway, closing the door quietly. It's silent. The lights are off downstairs, so I'm assuming everyone has gone to bed.

I know I shouldn't but I find myself outside Parker's door. I knock gently, but no one answers. I knock again. Nothing. Becoming impatient, I push the door open.

Parker is sat at the end of his bed, his head in his hands. The room is only dimly lit by the moon, but I can see the blood covering his knuckles.

"Hey." I close the door behind me quietly, leaning against it.

"Go to bed Kinsley." he mumbles without looking up.

I ignore him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Go to bed." he repeats.

"If you wanna talk I-"

Parker sits up, looking over at me.

"I don't want to talk, Elena."

There it is. It's as if I just watched the wall go back up like a sliding screen.

"Why do you keep doing this?" I sigh, leaning my head back against the door.

He looks at me now, his face emotionless. As gorgeous as he is, I hate that face.

"Every single time I think we're getting somewhere, you push me away." I sit up, taking a step forward.

Parker looks at me for a moment, before laughing. Not the laugh that makes my heart beat a little faster. A short, bitter laugh.

He pushes himself to his feet, walking towards the back door.

"Not everything is about you, Kinsley." he latches his hands behind his head.

I feel the anger creep up my neck.

"I'm not trying to make this about me." I step forward again.

"Please, just go Elena." he says, his back to me.

"You can't just suppress every emotion you feel, Parker."

"Elena." he warns.

"It's okay to feel things." I press.

He turns around. "Leave."

"Why won't you just talk to me?" I begin to raise my voice.

"Please, shut up Kinsley!" he yells, pushing his hands through his hair.

"Come over here and make me!" I yell back.

Parker brings his eyes to mine. My heart beat quickens at the intensity of his eyes. As if it was smashed, the wall breaks down and every emotion he was feeling comes flooding through.

He steps towards me and I step back, until my back hits the door. He towers over me, eyeing me for a moment. The only sound is my breath as I begin to struggle for air. The smell of his harsh aftershave invades my lungs as replacement, making me feel light headed.

Parker places each of his hands on the door beside my head, bowing his own.

"Fuck, Elena." he whispers.

Hesitantly, I stroke the hair back from his forehead. I take his face in my hands, tilting it up to look at me and he closes his eyes, melting into my touch.

"Open your eyes Parker." I say quietly.

He shakes his head no.

"Open your eyes, please."

His jaw tenses as he slowly opens his eyes, them meeting my own. He looks between them for a moment, tucking my hair behind my ear, his nose brushing against mine as he cups my face.

And then his lips come crashing down on to mine.

Time stops as Parker Ashford infiltrates my entire body. My mind, my smell, my touch, my heart. My knees weaken, my whole body becoming numb. The only thing I can think about is his lips against mine. He tastes sweet, like he just had a lollipop, his mouth warm as it moves against mine. Unsure if I'm dreaming, I take my hands from his face, wrapping them around his neck as he moves his hands to my waist.

Parker pulls away, my lips instantly missing his. He looks at me as we both gasp for air. He looks down at my lips, before pulling my body against his as he meets them again. This time, his movement is full of hunger, as if he can't get close enough to me. My eyes flutter shut as the heat rises from my stomach to my chest and I part my lips, allowing his tongue to enter. He groans against my mouth as he slips his tongue in, bringing his hands to the back of my thighs and picking me up.

We don't break our kiss as he carries me over to his bed, laying me down gently. His hands travel back down to my legs as he dips in between them, deepening our kiss. His fingers trace the skin down my bare thigh, and I push my hand in the back of his hair. I don't get time to miss his lips on mine as he brings them to my neck, planting little kisses that make my skin burn. A whimper leaves my mouth as he takes the skin between his teeth, kissing it after.

I take a fistful of his shirt, attempting to lift it. Parker sits up, pulling his shirt over his head. My eyes fall to the scar on his abdominal that I hadn't noticed earlier, and I trace my fingers over it, before pulling him down and connecting our lips once again.

His hand glides beneath my shirt, stroking my stomach and sending a blood rush to every part of my body. He grabs the hem of my shirt, pulling it up, only breaking our kiss to lift it over my head.

His eyes drag along my body as I lay before him breathlessly.

"You're so beautiful." he breathes against my neck as he leans back down.

My eyes fall shut again as I feel him touch every inch of me, his lips on my collarbone, one hand caressing my thigh as the other strokes my face. He lowers himself again and I feel his erection press against me, making me gasp.

He brings his lips to mine, kissing me slow and deep, before pulling back.

"You taste so good Elena." he licks my jaw, fanning his breath against my skin.

My name leaving his mouth sends shivers through my body.

"Thanks." I pant, my eyes fluttering shut. "My lipgloss is cherry flavoured."

He kisses down my stomach, running his fingers beneath the waist band of my skirt. He watches me as he pulls it down, discarding it around my ankles, and I kick it off.

"We really... shouldn't be doing this." I say, my eyes closed.

"Do you want me to stop?" Parker hesitates, looking up at me.

"No."

He leans up, bringing his lips back to mine again and I melt into his mouth. His fingers trace over the wetness of my panties and a needy moan escapes my mouth, making him hum in pleasure.

"You're so fucking hot Elena." his voice vibrates through my whole body.

I reach my hands to the waistband of his pants, but something makes me freeze. He hears it too, because he stops kissing me.

The door has just knocked.

"Parky? Can I come in?" Margot says from the other side of the door.

My eyes widen as I look at Parker.

"Hold on, Mom." he calls back.

He gestures to the door on the other side of the room, pointing at me. I sit up, grabbing my top and pulling my skirt on as I'm walking over.

"Are you decent dear?" she asks.

"Not yet," he pulls his shirt over his head, grabbing a pillow and resting it on his lap as he sits down.

I smile, stepping in to the bathroom and pulling the door shut behind me.

"Okay I'm good." I hear him say just as the door clicks shut.

Letting out a breath, I drop my things to my feet and slide down to the floor with them. I push my hands into my hair.

I almost had sex with Parker. Me and Parker almost had sex. Holy shit. As I repeat the words in my head, I close my eyes, resting my head back against the wall. I can't believe I let that happen.

The quiet mumbles of Parker and his mom begin to fade as I think about what just happened. And the fact that I want it to happen again. And again.

A few minutes later, I hear Parker's door shut, before he pulls the bathroom door open. He looks confused for a split second, before his eyes land on me, still on the floor.

"Hey." he offers me a hand.

"Hi." I take it and pull myself up, aware of the fact that this hand was touching every inch of my body not long ago.

"You good?" he runs a hand through his hair, his bicep tensing.

I nod.

"I think... I'm gonna go." I press my lips together.

Parker smiles, glancing down. I realise I'm wearing a bra and skirt right now. "Okay."

"Goodnight Parker." I turn away from him, attempting to hide the grin appearing on my face as I walk towards the door and pull it open.

"Night Kinsley."

I pull the door shut, letting out a breath.