Page 52 of Parker

Even now, three days into her impromptu visit to Casa de Parker, Quinn tried hard not to think of the others who’d been here before her. In fact, for the last three nights, she’d lain in that bed, lost in a sea of silk and the fluffiest of cottons while doing her damnedest to think of anything else.

And then she’d kick herself for letting his sexual past matter in the first place.

It didn’t matter. It couldn’t.

I won’t touch you like that again. Not unless you ask me to.

Quinn shut the refrigerator door much harder than necessary, the glass condiment jars inside rattling noisily together with her efforts to push the unwanted memory away. She needed to forget about eating and figure out who was after her.

The sooner she did that, the faster Parker could fly her back to Chicago in his fancy jet, and she could leave the prince of gaming—and his beach front castle—behind.

Ready to march into the man’s office and demand he share what he’d found on Justin so far, she huffed out a breath and spun around.

“What’s the matter?” Parker stared down at her. “Don’t see anything you want?”

Hand flying to her chest, Quinn’s racing heart pounded against her palm as the tiny cry of surprise escaped. Doing her best to ignore his question’s double entendre, she willed her pulse to steady and her lungs to slow their movements.

“Damn it, Parker!” she barked. “You scared the crap out of me.”

“Sorry.”

He didn’t look it in the slightest.

In fact, the man seemed to get better looking as the days passed. Aside from the slightly dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep, his typical attire of a t-shirt and jeans showcased his sculpted chest, toned, sinewy arms, narrow waist, and strong thighs.

Too bad he isn’t turning around. You could watch him walk away again, just like every other time he left the room.

“What are you doing here?” Quinn asked a smidge too loudly.

Brows arching, Parker looked both ways before guessing, “I live here?”

With her lungs filling to capacity, Quinn’s naturally straight teeth clamped down onto her bottom lip to keep from spewing a nasty retort. It wasn’t this man’s fault her overactive—and highly neglected—hormones were out of control.

Or is it?

Ignoring the meddling voice in her head, she forced a softer, more cordial expression. “What I meant to say was, why did you sneak up on me like that?”

“I don’t sneak, sweetheart.” The blues in his eyes smoldered. “I walk, jog…run. I’ve even been known to stalk across a room on occasion. But nope.” He shook his head. “No sneaking.”

How? How was it possible for a man to be so astonishingly charming and maddening all at the same damn time?

“I came in here to see if you were hungry.”

Sure am, but not for—

“I could eat.” She cut her own thoughts off.

“Good.”

Something in his eyes changed then. There was a look of mischief there, and suddenly Quinn became very,verynervous.

“Why?” She eyed him closely, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. “What are you planning to do?”

“Not me. You.”

“Me?” A deep furrow. “What amIgoing to do?”

“You’ll see.”

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