Page 67 of Parker

He’s looking at me as if I hung the moon.

Justin had given her similar glances during their time together. And in those moments, Quinn had blindly accepted the façade. Looking back, however, the signs of his deceit had always been there.

She just hadn’t wanted to see them.

It had been the same with the handful of others she’d been stupid enough to let in. The few men who’d come before and after Justin…her dad… They’d all had that same misleading air about them. But not this man.

Not Parker.

Hard as she try, Quinn couldn’t find so much as a sliver of deception in his contented gaze. No hidden agenda or devious plan peeking out from behind the green and brown specs in his spellbinding eyes. No pity. Just…

Love.

The incessant thought returned with vigor. But this time, rather than explaining it away like before, Quinn took a breath.

When she did, when she opened her mind and heart to the possibility, the world as she’d known it changed.

Cliché as it seemed, with that one shared look—that one private, intimate moment in time—everything became surprisingly clear.

She wasn’t that young girl living in squalor with worthless parents and no money to her name. She also wasn’t the same idealistic fool who’d let her daddy issues influence her choices.

That girl, that same young, naïve woman…they didn’t exist.

Not anymore.

Those lost, pathetic souls had been replaced by a woman who was finally beginning to see her worth. A woman who, after years of hiding from her mistakes and letting the ghosts of her past take charge, was finally starting to feel whole again.

There isn’t a single fucking thing I’d change about you.

Parker’s earlier sentiment, while genuine, hadn’t been the root of her defining moment. The revelation hadn’t come because Parker had flown to her rescue or let her into his bed. But the incredible man had played a role in bringing the stunning realization to light.

Because when he looked at her as he was now, Quinn couldfeelthe truth in what he was seeing…

A woman who was worthy of life. Of love. And for the first time in her subsistence, Quinn realized she was done with simply going through the motions. Finished merely existing. And this new Quinn…

She was ready to live.

12

Quinn caughta glimpse of herself in the wide, full-length mirror in Parker’s private bath…and smiled. She’d been doing that more and more over the past four days.

That’s how long it had been since she and Parker first slept together. Four wonderful, amazing days since—upon Parker’s request—she’d stopped using the guest room and had moved her things in here.

With him.

They’d continued their search for a lead in her case, but so far, their exhausted efforts had produced squat. Quinn was also trying hard not to worry about Oreo, the stray that became so much more.

Christian and Brody had checked in periodically, but so far there’d been no sign of her adopted pet. The good news was, they hadn’t found signs of foul play where the cat was concerned, so Quinn’s hope was the furry creature had gotten to safety and was just waiting for her to return.

I’m not so sure I want to go back.

A small huff of breath left her lungs as she thought about the weight of that one, simple thought. Less than a week ago, it wouldn’t have even been a question. But after four blissful days working—and playing—with Parker, Quinn was beginning to reconsider all sorts of things.

It wasn’t about the money. She couldn’t care less about that. It was about the man, himself.

The sweet, sexy, talented man with a heart as big as his bank account…and a brain that turned her on as much as his sculpted body.

Although there were a few perks that came with Parker’s life that Quinn admittedly enjoyed. His sailboat being one of them.

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