Page 50 of The Proximity Factor

A smirk appeared on his gorgeous face. “First, she wished me luck. But then she railed on me for never mentioning her to you. After that, she expressed her concerns about me dating someone so young. She worries I’m making a mistake mixing business with pleasure.”

“Well, bless her heart.” I rolled my eyes. What a hypocrite. “Are you worried?”

Parker peered deeply into my eyes. “I’m man enough to admit you scare the hell out of me.”

I laughed. “That’s good. We should probably keep it that way.”

“Agreed.” He tapped my nose.

“She regrets leaving you, you know. It’s written all over her face.”

Parker pressed his lips together in thought. “For a long time I hoped she would regret it, but I’m finding I don’t really care anymore.”

“I’m glad. Real, real glad. Now let’s go show her and Stephen what Ruptured Worlds can do.” Maybe then Parker’s ruptured world could finally come back together. And I would finally get that dang kiss.

“WHERE’S LANIE?” ETHAN ASKED ABOVE the noise of the expo, before shoving a churro in his mouth. He’d been helping me man the booth while Lanie did her thing.

The woman was a miracle worker. She’d kept the booth supplied with plenty of attendees wanting to try out Ruptured Worlds. Many of them downloaded the game online using the discount code, so sales were up. Not up enough to pay Lanie back yet, which meant I would probably be selling my car next week. I was trying not to let it depress me. My game was getting good buzz at the conference and online, and I had Lanie to thank for that. No doubt she’d lured a lot of the guys in with her gorgeous looks and charm. But once they were here, the game itself seemed to win them over.

I smiled at the set of four guys now playing the game at the booth, wearing headsets, and completely immersed. Explosions and cosmic lights rocked the screens. Some swore, others groaned, but all seemed to be into it.

“She’s out talking to anyone and everyone.”

“How was the hotel last night?” Ethan elbowed me in the ribs. “One room or two?”

I scowled at him. “That’s none of your business.” I thought about the door that separated Lanie’s and my room last night and how I’d stared at it for hours, telling myself to just go in there and take Lanie in my arms to show her how I felt about her.

Ethan held up his hands. “I get it. But, dude, I still can’t believe you landed her.”

“She’s not a plane. I didn’t land anything.” Although I still couldn’t believe she wanted me either. What did I really have to offer her? The hope of a semi-successful company?

“You know what I mean.” He shoved the rest of the churro in his mouth.

I knew what he meant, and I wanted to punch him. Lanie had told me what he said to her last weekend. The jerk.

“Listen, man, you’re one of my best friends, and I want to keep it that way. So never ask me whether I’m sleeping with Lanie again.” No one would believe me, even if I told them I hadn’t. I could hardly believe I hadn’t kissed her yet. It’s not that I didn’t want to. I wanted it more than anything. But I wanted it to mean something. And for it to mean anything, I had to have something to offer her.

“Fine, dude.” Ethan shrugged it off. “Have you seen Stephen yet?”

“Not yet, but Pete and Javon went to his keynote address yesterday to see what he had to say. He took credit for everything, acted like he’d never had a partner when he started Idle Mind Games.” It made my blood boil. Stephen wouldn’t be where he was if it weren’t for me. According to Pete and Javon, he didn’t even mention Maren. No doubt that ticked her off, but it didn’t surprise me. Stephen liked being the lone wolf. I should have realized that sooner. But when you’re best friends with someone for so long, you overlook their imperfections.

“The guy’s a bastard,” Ethan commented.

The biggest one I knew. I hoped I didn’t run into him. It was bad enough talking to Maren yesterday, although I loved watching Lanie own her. The way she did it so politely was just the icing on the cake. Like I said, you don’t want to mess with a southern belle. They’re lethal.

Speaking of which, the southern belle rocking my world came running up in her cutoffs and Ruptured Worlds T-shirt. She looked like she belonged in a rock video instead of at a gaming expo. “Oh. My. Gosh. Oh My. Gosh. The best thing ever just happened.” She threw her arms around my neck and kissed my cheek. “Parker, this is it!”

I wrapped my arms around her waist and pressed her body against mine. Anything to feel close to her. “What’s going on?”

“Okay, so, you know how I told you that Richy the Kid’s girlfriend is a major Taylor Swift fan?”

“Uh-huh.” I nodded. She’d told me, and admittedly, I’d dismissed it as being of no worth to me.

“I know you didn’t care,” she teased me. “But Jacie—his girlfriend—she’s here, and I just ran into her in the ladies’ room. I was humming ‘Cruel Summer’ while I was washing my hands and so she started humming it too. And then we both giggled and looked at each other. Then I noticed she had a Kappa Alpha Theta button on her Lululemon bag. And I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, girl, we pledged to the same sorority.’”

I blinked, only understanding half of what she was saying. She was speaking a language I didn’t know at high speed.

“We ended up talking about our favorite charity drives and the balls and the gowns. And of course, our besties. It was awesome. I know you don’t care about that.” She smiled.

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