Page 46 of Just This Once

“Great. Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right there.”

“Don’t bother,” I warned her, wondering why she didn’t want the others around for this mysterious request. “I’m sure I’ll be gone by the time you get here.”

She laughed, and it was such a husky, sexy sound that my gut twisted into knots. “No, you won’t,” she told me. “Because I promise you, Grumpy, you’re going to want to hear this.”

My mind immediately went to sex, and my pecker went harder in my pants.

Before I could ask anything else, though, she hung up on me.

Dammit. I really wanted to pack up and take off. But the beguiling brat was right; I was too curious to hear what she justhadto ask me in person.

Tension stretched across my shoulders as I remained rooted in my chair.

This was such a bad idea.

And yet I stayed, anyway.

11

HOPE

Ispotted Parker almost immediately when I strolled into the student union. He was the hottest guy in the room, so he wasn’t that hard to find, but he was also centrally located at a table for two and looked studiously involved in whatever he was typing on his computer.

Needing to stall for a minute because my heart was racing, I got into line to buy myself a meal before going to him. I loaded my tray with a salad and some fruit, then snagged a drink and paid at the checkout station.

My stomach knotted with nerves as I finally started his way. But I was determined to do this, so I kept on until I reached his table.

Parker didn’t even look up as I sat across from him, but he knew it was me.

“Whatever your question is,” he spoke up dryly. “The answer is no. There you go. Now, get lost.”

Unrolling my plasticware from its napkin, I sighed. “Oh, Grumpy, you’re just so humorous. Truly.”

“I’m serious. I’m not helping you with shit.”

“But you haven’t even heard what I want yet.”

He glanced up from the screen of his laptop and frowned across the table. “I don’t need to.”

I merely shrugged and began to eat my salad as soon as my fork was free.

He huffed irritably and returned his attention to whatever he was doing, intent on ignoring me.

But I was way more annoying than he gave me credit for. I swear, aggravating people was my superpower.

And when I said nothing, just took a bite of lettuce after meticulously dunking it into my cup of salad dressing, he glanced up at me with furrowed brows, clearly upset that I was still present.

I smiled, knowing exactly how much I was already getting to him.

His jaw hardened, and I could tell he was biting the back of his teeth in an effort not to say something rude, which I’m not sure why he abstained. He’d never held his tongue around me before. But for some reason, he went back to work without a word.

Or tried to.

I didn’t say a single thing, but he kept glancing up to check on me, growling every time he found me there.

Humming pleasantly to myself, I picked up my cup of lemonade and took a long drink. But as soon as I set it down again, Parker snapped, his patience gone.

“Oh my God,what?” he exploded, slapping the lid of his computer closed to give me his full attention with an ominous glare. “What the fuck do you want?”

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