Page 55 of Forbidden Game

“Yeah, the truth is that he’s a pain in my ass.”

“Is that on record?”

“You wish.”

My shoulders slump back after they pass, and I toss the menu back onto the table before taking a healthy gulp of champagne.

A hand slams down on my table and I jerk, tipping way more champagne down my throat than planned and coughing.

“Seriously?”

I look up into Sydney’s furious face.

She aggressively pulls the extra chair at my table back, sending a screeching noise through the restaurant, before dramatically sitting down. She folds her arms across her chest and crosses her legs, the top of her pointed heel grazing my leg in the process. If this were a video game, I would’ve just unlocked the achievement “pissed-off publicist.”

A very hot, very pissed-off publicist.

Yup. There is definitely something wrong with me.

“What are you even doing here, Parker?” Her face is one of unveiled displeasure, but I don’t miss the flicker of anxiety underneath.

“Well, I was enjoying an overly expensive glass of champagne.” I place the flute back on the table.

Her eyelids lower in annoyance. “You’re supposed to be filming gameplay content.”

“I’m going to do it later.”

“You’re streaming later.”

“Later later, then.”

She closes her eyes and brings one hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose. “Seriously, what are you doing here?”

“Looking for you because you’ve been avoiding me.”

“I’m not avoiding you.” Her eyes dart down as she smooths out the sleeve of her jacket.

“Rubbish.” I scoot my chair to the side and lean forward, resting my forearms on my knees. My face levels with hers, and I raise a brow. “I know you, Sydney, and I know you’ve done everything you can to avoid being in the same room as me since—”

“This isn’t the place,” she cuts in with a low hush. Her lips squish together as her eyes flick around the room.

“Fine.” I take out my wallet and drop a bunch of notes on the table. “Then let’s go somewhere else.”

I stand up and hold my hand out to her. She ignores it and strides out of the restaurant ahead of me.

“This is going great,” I mutter under my breath before strolling after her.

She’s turning to ice, freezing more and more by the second.

Will I be able to thaw her before it’s too late?

“Come on, I’ll drive us.” I press the button on my car keys to open the scissor doors.

“New car?” Her voice holds a little less animosity as she eyes it warily.

“You bet. A ‘24 Revuelto.” I give the roof a tap before swinging onto the custom obsidian leather and running my hands over the steering wheel. God, she’s a beauty.

Syd slips into the passenger seat and buckles her seat belt. “You say that like I’m supposed to understand what it means.”

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