Page 37 of Parker
I look over my shoulder to find Quinn and Skylar standing behind me. When Quinn catches my eyes, his whole face changes—his emeralds sparkle, his dimples crater, his lips, the same ones that were kissing me so passionately in my dreams, smile at me.Sigh.My whole body responds in ways I desperately wish I could ignore, but I can’t. I’m glad to see him. That’s the truth.
“What happened?” snaps Skylar, gesturing to the coffee-geddon on the ground.
“Collision,” says Rick, winking at me.
Skylar kneels down on the floor, picking up cups and tops and fitting them back into the wet, flimsy cardboard drink tray. Large circles of spilled coffee discolor the tan hotel carpet.
“Why are you half naked?” she asks her brother, standing up. My sopping wet shirt dangles from her index finger. “Whose shirt is this?”
“Hers,” says Rick, winking at me. His eyes slide to Quinn, to whom he offers his hand. “Hey. I’m Rick Jones.”
As Skylar hands me my coffee-soaked polo, Quinn’s gaze drops to the monogram on the one I’m wearing. His eyes narrow at me for a second before he looks back at Rick, taking his hand. “Quinn Morgan.”
“Oh, yeah. Morgan,” says Rick appraisingly. “You own a little bike outfit, right? Out of Skagway?”
“So very, very little,” Quinn snarks, taking back his hand. “One bike. We rent it by the hour.”
Rick’s eyebrows raise a touch before he hoots with laughter, pointing at Quinn. “Oh, shit! I like your style, man.”
“Great,” deadpans Quinn. “I was really hoping for your approval.” He slides his eyes to me. “Are you okay? What happened?”
“I wasn’t looking where I was going,” I say, gesturing to Rick. “We crashed into each other.”
“And your shirt fell off?” Quinn’s voice is gritty.
“No,” I say, feeling a little defensive. “I was covered in coffee. And it was hot.Reallyhot.”
“So, you took your shirt off?” he asks, eyes wide.
“Yeah, I did. It was burning my skin. And also, screw you, Quinn.” I stare at him for a long moment, then take off Rick’s shirt and hand it back to him. I stand in front of both men, in the middle of a busy convention hall, hands on my hips, in my bright aqua bra. “Thanks so much for the loan, Rick. Real nice of you. Now, I think I’ll go upstairs and change.”
As I start walking away, Rick calls after me.
“Hey, Parker! Are we on for lunch or what?”
I turn around and look at Quinn, who’s visibly fuming, then at Rick, who’s smiling like the cat that got the cream.
“Absolutely,” I say, crossing my arms under my breasts to purposely lift and thrust them. “I’m four tables down from you. Pick me up at twelve!”
Then I turn back around and keep walking.
***
Quinn
Goddamn it.
I stand there, side by side with Rick-fucking-Jones, and watch Parker’s half-naked march to the convention room exit, along with every other Y-chromosome lucky enough to catch sight of the spectacle.
Once she’s out of sight, Rick turns to me. “So…are you two exes?”
“What?”
“Is she your ex-girlfriend?” asks Rick. “Because you two are giving off some strong ex-vibes.”
I’d like to smash this guy’s smug face in, and that’s a fact. I’ve known him for all of ten seconds, and I completely understand why Hunter hated him. I’m comforted by the fact that I’m several inches taller and a whole lot bigger than he is. I could take him if I needed to. Easy.
“No.”