Free Denying Mr. Parks (The Parks #1) by Lilly James

hand and gasped in contentment. Yes. It did make me feel better, even if it wasn’t a lot.
    ***
    An hour later I arrived at the pool in the WParks Hotel where I always went. As Julian worked at the gym, he gave me a free pass to the pool that I could use at any time. He didn’t do it grudgingly, but Steph knew swimming cleared my head, so she kind of talked him into giving me one.
    I changed into my high-waisted swimming shorts, making sure they covered my flat stomach, pulled on a matching bikini top, shoved my hair into a tight bun, and threw all my belongings into a locker. Before jumping into the pool, I double-checked my shorts covered my stomach and dived in. Normally I would’ve warmed up, starting with slow breast strokes, but I went straight in and hard with the crawl and completed forty lengths in record time.
    Swimming cleared my mind, numbed my body, and relaxed me. It was the only thing I found therapeutic after I stopped drinking eight months and three weeks ago. Yes, I counted every measly day of being sober.
    I held on to the side to catch my breath and wiped the water out of my eyes. As my breathing eased, I felt a presence behind me. I quickly turned around but saw nobody. I squinted in confusion. I could have sworn somebody had walked into the pool area. I’d heard the squeak of their shoes on the wet floor. Maybe someone had come in to check out the pool? But it made me feel uneasy for some reason, so I decided to leave.
    After changing, I walked through the luxurious hotel lobby, which was all whites and golds, and found Julian at the desk flirting with the pretty receptionist. I put my head down, picked up my pace, and had almost reached the automatic doors before he spotted me.
    “Nice swim?”
    I turned quickly and spotted Julian jogging towards me in skin-tight shorts and a black T-shirt with WParks Gym printed in white across his chest.
    “Yep,” I answered on a yawn, but something behind him caught my eye: Parks getting into the gold lift with a woman. I squinted to see a little better as my eyes were a bit murky from the water, but I only caught sight of her black, silky hair falling down her back as she laughed at something Parks had said. Then the lift doors shut.
    He had a girlfriend?
    Julian waved a hand in front of my face. “Earth to Evey?”
    I pulled my navy coat around myself, completely ignoring him. If Parks had a girlfriend, then why in the hell was he telling me he wanted me? The cheating, arrogant prick. No, I wasn’t furious with him for having a girlfriend. I was furious that he made a pass at me when he already had one. Fuck. I spun around on my heel and hightailed it through the doors.
    “You want a ride home, Evey?”
    Was Julian still following me?
    “No,” I said, partly coming back to earth. “I’m getting a cab.”
    “Why get a cab when you can have a lift?”
    “Because I don’t want anything from you.” My hidden dislike for Julian and my mood towards Parks enhanced my petulance, but I didn’t apologize, even when he winced a little at my outburst.
    “It’s just a lift.”
    “I said no!” I didn’t like to accept anything from anyone. That way, I didn’t come across as having to rely on somebody, especially Julian, for anything.
    “Jesus.” He held his palms up defensively. “No need to bite my head off.”
    I replied with an eye roll and a huff and flagged down a black cab.

 
    Chapter Seven
     
    “Evey!” Steph marched her skinny backside to me as soon as I closed our front door. I frowned as she prodded an accusing finger into my shoulder. “That wine. You drunk it, didn’t you?”
    I walked around her on a groan, dumping my swimming bag onto the kitchen counter. “Steph, I had a swig, no big deal. You’re the bloody one who bought it.” My tone was snappy and irritable.
    She thought for a second. “But I told you I wouldn’t buy the damn stuff if you were going to be tempted by it. You said you had it under control. I can’t keep