Page 45 of The Proximity Factor

“I can’t wait to see them. Are you hungry? I ordered pizza,” he said, proud of himself. He was concerned he didn’t consider others’ needs enough, but I didn’t see him that way at all. If anything, it was just the opposite.

“I’m starving, but I want to show you what’s in the box first.”

We walked over to the living room, and all the guys waved and smiled at me with goofy grins that said, We know what you’re doing. No. No, they didn’t. But I knew Parker would never tell them whether we were or weren’t doing what their male minds thought about 24-7. It made me like Parker even more. I knew he didn’t see me as a conquest or a trophy.

“Hi, y’all.” I waved. “You should pause your campaign because you’re going to want to see this.” I said campaign all smart-like. That was gaming speak. Parker was teaching me all the lingo. I was even keeping the MMORPGs straight from the run-of-the-mill MMOs and plain old video games. Watch out, world. Who knew how far I could go with this information? Before I knew it, I might even memorize the periodic table. Please, someone stop me before that happens.

The guys paused their campaign and gave me their full attention. I lifted the lid of the box Parker was still holding, pulled out the T-shirt on top, and held it up for everyone to see. “Look at these T-shirts I got for everyone.” My credit card was on fire this past week. The credit card company even called to make sure it was me making all these big purchases. I was praying so hard that the returns from the expo, rather than the sale of Parker’s car, would pay for every cent.

Pete, Javon, and Ethan all stood and grabbed a shirt to admire.

“Cool graphic,” Pete commented.

It really was. It was of a planet breaking apart. A red-hot lava substance poured out of the cracks. One heroine from the game stood atop it like the baller she was.

“You all have to wear them to the expo,” I instructed. They were all going as attendees. The plan was for them to walk around and tout the game while Parker and I ran the booth. The booth was going to have four large screens to allow people to play the game. I’d had to talk Parker into getting the larger booth. I was all about going big or going home. And this was do-or-die time for Ruptured Worlds, so I thought we needed to give it our all. Sometimes you had to seem like a big deal to become a big deal.

“I hope I run into Maren and Stephen wearing this.” Javon grinned appreciatively. “I’d love to see their faces when they find out you’re there.”

Parker set the box down near his shifting feet. “Yeah, I’m sure they won’t be happy about it,” he said uneasily.

We hadn’t ever really discussed his ex-wife. I figured we would when he was ready. It’s not something I wanted to force him to do, even if I was curious about her. All I knew was Daphne hated her with a passion. I think it’s because she’d really loved her like a sister before Maren wrecked Parker’s world. Of course, I had thought about what it would be like if I ran into her. Oh, I had a plan for it, and it was going to be epic. But who knew if it would even happen?

“What do you think of the shirts?” I asked Parker, anxious to both save him from the conversation about his ex and get his opinion.

He reached over and rested his warm hand on my cheek. His thumb did a gentle sweep over my skin. “I love them. Thank you.”

I wanted to lean into his hand and revel in his touch, but there was too much to be done, and I might attack him in front of his friends if I did. He had no idea how much I wanted to get my hands on him.

“I’m glad,” I said, instead of releasing all my pent-up yummy tension on him.

“Well, aren’t you two cute?” Pete teased us.

Parker dropped his hand. “Get back to work,” he playfully grumbled at his friends, all of whom couldn’t stop staring at us, especially Ethan. He’d quit being flirty around me, which was good.

“I’m going to grab something to eat and head to my room to work on the social media pages. I’m researching the hashtags we should be using. Sexy, huh?” I smiled. Parker had woefully not used social media to his advantage. I was changing all that.

Parker stepped closer and whispered, “Very sexy. If I haven’t mentioned it in the last ten minutes, you’re amazing. Thank you.”

His cinnamon scent hit me like a three-hundred-pound defensive lineman. Something fierce burned inside of me, urging me to pull him close and show him how amazing I could be. But once again, I refrained from accosting him. “You’re welcome. Don’t forget to come say good night to me.” He had no idea how much I looked forward to that forehead kiss every evening.

“I won’t forget,” he promised. “I’d better get back to work too.”

Needing to fan myself, I nodded before I turned and headed for the kitchen. Who knew I could get so hot and bothered by a man barely touching me?

While I was grabbing a slice of pizza and some raw veggies, Ethan strolled into the kitchen.

“I’m just grabbing something to drink.”

“Okay.” I held up my plate. “Have a good night.”

“Hey, I just wanted to say, no hard feelings here.”

My brow raised. “Um, okay.” Not sure why there would be any hard feelings.

“I saw the way you looked at me.” He grinned. “Don’t get me wrong—I’m flattered. You’re a beautiful woman. But I’m not really the settling down type. You’re getting the better man.”

I slapped my free hand against my chest. “Look at you, fretting over something you didn’t need to. If I knew you’d been so worried, I would have put you out of your misery a long time ago. Because believe me when I say I know Parker is the better man. Good night, darlin’.”

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