Page 35 of Matched By My Rival
The floor was sticky with spilled booze. A few pub tables were positioned around the edges of a small room. Up front, a platform stage took up the north wall. A small dance floor/audience space was directly before it. The bar was a straight line to my left.
I started in that direction, eyes landing on a cute guy handling liquor bottles like a pro. The lights gleamed off his highlighted hair. His angular face was handsome, his jaw strong and dusted with stubble. He was good-looking, but he wasn’t quite right. His body didn’t match up to the pics I’d seen, did it? He could have posted fakes, but why bother? He was sexy enough in his own right, lean and toned and tight.
Then a door opened behind him, and I gasped. A tall, broad-shouldered hunk with silky dark hair stepped out.
It had to behim.
He was carrying two boxes, partially obscuring his face, and his biceps bulged as he crossed behind the bartender. He bent to put them down, releasing a grunt of relief.
“Fuck me,” he said with a groan—and I instantly knew.
I had a nanosecond to decide what to do. The cute bartender turned to me. “Sorry. You missed last call.”
“I know, I…”
The other guy’s head whipped up at my voice and our eyes locked. Staring straight into the intense stare of Simon Prentiss, I said, “I’m just here to meet a friend.”
SIMON
This couldn’t be happening. Parker Reed? Parker Reed was my Thrust match? No, I refused to believe it.
“There must be some mistake,” I growled.
He didn’t back down. Parker wasn’t the type. But for once, his obnoxious grin was absent.
“No mistake. A surprise, for sure.”
I turned to Rhett, who was watching us with the fascination of a driver gawking at an accident scene. “I’ll close up if you let me take care of this.”
“Yeah, sure. Bar’s done serving. Knock yourself out, just...clean up the blood before you leave.” He cut his eyes toward Parker. “Whoever you are, I wish you the best.”
He exited the bar through a little section of counter that raised up, creating a gap. I held it open for Parker, jerking my chin toward the back room. “Let’s go.”
Parker chuckled nervously as he passed through the bar entrance, brushing against my chest. I could feel his body warmth, smell his aftershave, an earthy natural scent that suited him.
Heart pounding, I led him into the back room. Surrounded by boxes of liquor and kegs of beer, I whirled on him. “Did you know?”
“Wh-what?”
Parker appeared off-balance. Usually he was a smooth fucker.
“Were you playing me?” I demanded, crowding him against a stack of boxes. We were close to the same size, but I didn’t let it stop me from putting every ounce of threat I could into my voice.
“No!” The word burst from him, sounding incredulous. “How would I know it was you? We never shared personal stuff.”
“So it’s a coincidence?” I said skeptically.
“Yes. It’s a really awkward coincidence that the guy I—” His voice cracked, and he looked away. “I didn’t know.”
“Look me in the eye when you say it.”
Parker reluctantly looked at me, frustration blazing. “You’re such an asshole sometimes, Prentiss.”
A shocked laugh burst out. “Really?”
“Yeah, I know I screwed up, okay? I never should have gone to that party with Kristin. And obviously we wouldn’t be here if you knew it was me on that app. But you don’t have to interrogate me like a fucking criminal.”
A whole series of memories hit me. All those flirty chats. Those sexts that Parker had so patiently walked me through. I’d thought he was the nicest guy on the planet.
