Page 43 of Parker

“Guess that makes me special.” He smiled.

Quinn didn’t. Instead, she stared back at him as if he were a puzzle she was desperately trying to solve. “Why did you really come here?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, you’re…you.You’re literally one of the richest people in the world, so I’m guessing this sort of thing isn’t common practice.”

Parker scooted himself to the edge of the cushioned leather, resting his elbows on his knees. With his hands linked loosely together, he turned his expression serious. “This is a first for me, I’ll admit. But my money doesn’t define who I am, Quinn. You asked why I’m here, and there’s only one answer. You.”

“But why?” She dropped her legs over the couch’s edge and sat up straight. “You don’t know me, Parker. Hell, you learned my name all of two minutes ago.”

“You’re wrong. Idoknow you. Quinn…Jinx…the name doesn’t matter. You’re my friend, and you needed help. It’s as simple as that.”

“Parker…”

“I lied about what I did for a living, because I knew it would only be a matter of time before you put it all together, and I didn’t want—”

“What?” Quinn frowned. “You didn’t want what?”

“I didn’t want to ruin what we had.” He swallowed again, his eyes searching hers for any signs that he was scaring her off. When he saw none, Parker continued, “It may sound hard to believe, but the highlights of my weeks this past year were the nights I got to talk to you. Online, over the phone…it didn’t matter. Those were the few moments when I could be myself. Therealme, not the one you’ve seen in the press. So yeah.” He sat back. “I didn’t want to fuck that up, so I lied.”

“I can understand that.” She nodded sincerely. “Really, I can. It’s why I was so quick to agree to no real names when we first partnered up on the game. I mean, I just admitted to using an alias, for crying out loud. But I never lied to you, Parker. I may not have told you my name, and I may have been vague with some of the things I shared, buteverythingI told you was true. And after Justin and…well, pretty much everyone else in my life before him…I just find it really hard to trust people. So I think that’s why I reacted so poorly yesterday. Not that it’s an excuse.”

“No, I get it.” Parker nodded. “I also know it didn’t make a whole lot of sense for me to insist on anonymity online and then try to talk you into meeting me in person. But the lie was already out there, and the more time I spent talking to you, the more I wanted to know about you. So I figured it was worth the risk to meet face-to-face.”

“And now we have.”

“Now we have.” He nodded. “And I hope, when you look into my eyes, you can see I’m telling the truth. The stuff with my job was the only thing I ever lied about. Everything else—the way my parents cared more about their image and their two-faced friends than me, not getting my first girlfriend until I was eighteen because I was a total nerd all through high school…it was all the God’s honest truth.”

Another tense silence filled the air around them. It went on so long, Parker was sure his explanation had fallen on deaf ears. But…

“I know I’m probably not what you expected.” Quinn shook her head with a sad huff of a breath. “Someone like you… Between my not-so-savory background and the way I treated you yesterday, it would be completely understandable if you wanted to walk out that door and never look back.”

Not a chance in hell.

There was something she needed to know. Something Parker needed to make very, very clear.

With his eyes lasered on hers, he stared at the most intriguing woman he’d ever known and said, “Sweetheart, the only way I’m walking out that door is if you’re with me.”

7

Chesapeake Beach,Maryland

Later that day…

Quinn stoodon the obscenely large deck overlooking the Atlantic. With the warm sea air blowing past, she wondered how in the world she’d gotten here.

Not to Parker’s mansion on the beach. She very distinctly remembered the flight here.

She could still hear his cocky little quip when they’d arrived at the small airstrip not far from the apartment where they’d stayed the night before. A large, private jet had come into view through Quinn’s window. Confused as to why they were there, she’d looked to Parker with an unspoken question, to which he’d replied…

Oh, yeah. There’s one other thing I forgot to tell you. I didn’t drive two hours to find you. I flew.

That last bit had been preceded by a flash of a smile that had made her heart race and her belly tingle. And that jet…

Quinn had never flown anywhere before, so she wasn’t quite sure what to expect. But a top-of-the-line luxury jet with room for up to nineteen passengers, a full gally kitchen capable of preparing just about any meal imaginable, two bathrooms, multiple flat-screen TV’s, and an electric fireplace was definitelynotit.

After less than two hours in the air, they landed at another small airstrip near Chesapeake Beach. From there, she was driven in the fanciest car she’d ever seen to where she was now.

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