Chapter Eleven

“Tam, we’re going to be late,” Cora shouted through the bedroom door. “Stop primping and let’s go already!”

She wasn’t primping.

Glancing in the mirror, she applied the final swipe of her cherry berry bombtastic lipstick. It went perfectly with her red checker sundress. She’d spent half an hour curling her hair in order to make it look like soft, just got out of bed, tumbled waves. She usually kept her messy mane up in a bun or ponytail, but tonight she didn’t want to look like a disheveled artist. She wanted to look more like the sensual art she created. Her red heels were cute and only a little bit pinchy, but they made her legs look great, so…okay, she was primping.

She couldn’t seem to stop herself. Tonight was trivia night, and that meant the possibility of seeing Parker. Last night her dreams had been filled with the memory of their kiss.

She had no idea what possessed her to proposition him like that last night, but the more she thought about it, the more she knew she’d done the right thing. This chemistry thing they had going wasn’t dissipating. And the more time they spent together, the worse it would get until it boiled over and exploded, like that time she tried to make a mug cupcake and accidently set the microwave for ten minutes instead of two.

They couldn’t risk anything exploding around their parents. They had to nip this thing in the bud. Screw away the sexual tension.

“Tamsen!”

“I’m coming!”

A phrase she’d muttered to herself in the dark last night as she remembered how warm and delicious Parker’s lips tasted. Imagined pushing the man to the floor, stripping them both naked, and staying that way until they’d re-created every position in that The Art of Sexuality book Cora had gotten her for her birthday last year. Yes, she’d taken a trip to self-pleasure city, but it had either been that or stay up all night wallowing in sexual frustration.

The bedroom door opened, and an exasperated Cora leaned in the room. “Okay, seriously, girl what is… Aren’t you a little dressed up for pub quiz?”

“What? It’s nice out. I’m just celebrating sundress weather, and technically checker print resembles plaid, so it’s still team appropriate.”

Cora bit back a smile. “Mmmm hmmmm, and this ‘celebration’ with full hair and makeup wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that Parker might be at trivia tonight?”

“No.” She shifted under her roommate’s knowing stare. “Okay, maybe…I just… Shut up.”

Cora gasped. “Something happened last night, didn’t it?”

“Sadly, no.”

“But you wished it had. Tell me everything! No wait, we need to leave. Tell me on the way.” She glanced down at Tamsen’s feet. “You really wanna walk in those?”

She looked down at her heels, checking to make sure the cute ankle strap was securely fastened. “It’s only four blocks, and they’re pretty comfy.”

Two blocks later, Cora had all the details of the almost kiss and Tamsen was eating her words. Her toes were pinched, and her arches were killing her.

The second City Tavern came into sight, she was practically weeping with joy. The thought of seducing Parker with her shoes now seemed like a really ridiculous idea. He was the one who had left last night, despite that hardness she’d felt pressed against her and the hungry need she’d glimpsed in his eyes. Why would she think a sexy pair of shoes would be the thing to override his common sense?

Cora opened the front door. But before Tamsen could get inside to a blessed seat to rest her aching toesies, she found herself flailing, arms spinning as something caused her to trip. Once she’d steadied herself, she looked down to see her heel had gotten stuck in the grate on the sidewalk.

Who the hell thought that was a good place to put a grate? Why was it even there?

Cora hurried to her side, letting the door swing closed. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” She tried to pull her foot up and failed, the ankle strap digging into her skin. “Maybe.”

Another tug. Nothing. The thin, spiky heel was not budging.

“Crap. I think I’m stuck.”

“Again?” a deep voice chuckled from behind her. “We have to stop meeting like this.”

Double crap!

Tamsen turned her head to gaze over her shoulder and, yup, sure enough, there stood Parker with a few of his buddies.

“Hi, Parker.” She tried for a laugh that fell flat.

“Tamsen.” He nodded. “Need a little help?”

What she needed was disaster insurance to save her from all the embarrassing situations she kept putting herself in around this man.

“It appears I’ve gotten my shoe stuck in this grate.”

“I can see that.” He rubbed a hand over his mouth, smothering his smile.

She’d give him points for trying to hide his laughter. It would be a pretty funny situation. If it wasn’t happening to her.

He turned to his friends. “Why don’t you guys go grab a table? I’ll be in in a minute.”

“It seems like Parker has this well in hand. I’ll leave you to your hero, Tam.” Cora gave her a little wave. “See ya inside.”

He sure had something in his hand. Currently it was Tamsen’s calf as he bent down to inspect the latest disaster she’d gotten herself into. Warmth seeped into her skin and at the same time chills raced up her spine as his rough palm skimmed down her leg to gently grasp her ankle. She bit her lip to hold the moan of pleasure back.

One embarrassment at a time, please.

Parker glanced up. “Think you could take your foot out? It might make it easier to wiggle the heel free.”

She could, except…

“I have to unbuckle the ankle strap, and this sidewalk is filthy, and I’m not wearing any pantyhose.” Bare feet on the streets of Denver? Yuck, no, thank you.

“Yeah, I noticed.”

His eyes blazed with desire and…was he stroking her ankle with his thumb? A zing of pleasure shot straight up between her legs. Now if only they were somewhere a little more private so he could move that stroke a few feet higher and to the center.

No, naughty body. We came to play trivia.

Who was she kidding? She totally came all dolled up tonight to drive Parker wild. Was she playing with fire? Probably.

“Here.” He undid the buckle and slipped her foot free of the shoe and placed it on his thigh. “Keep your foot there while I rescue your shoe.”

She sighed dramatically, raising her voice an octave. “My hero.”

He chuckled and began jiggling her shoe out of the tiny grate hole. She tried her best to focus on watching his task and not on how warm and firm his thigh felt under her bare foot. Right now, she wanted to glide it up his leg.

Good grief, what was this man doing to her?

“All set.”

Parker popped her shoe free, turning it in his hand as he inspected it.

“Doesn’t seem to be any damage.”

Good, because as much as she regretted wearing the shoes tonight, they were her favorite pair, snagged on sale at the outlet mall.

He gently lifted her foot from his leg. She tried not to sigh in disappointment at the loss.

He grinned up at her as he slipped her shoe on like some kind of fairy tale prince. “There you go, Cinderella.”

“Thank you.”

He stood, and she found herself taking the tiniest step back. Not because he towered over her—which he did—but because she was afraid if she let herself get too close to him, she might thank him in a way that would have more than her shoe coming off.

He’d been pretty hesitant last night about them not crossing that line.

But she couldn’t help but think, maybe if they gave in to this intense chemistry they seemed to have, it would die off. It’d happened to her before. She and a college classmate had nearly combusted anytime they were in art class together, but after months of being sex buddies, their attraction fizzled, though they remained friendly.

Would that work with Parker? Might be a good idea to try. She certainly couldn’t keep behaving like a hormone-crazed teen around the guy. Maybe they should bang it out—so to speak. Get past this…whatever it was and transition into being friends.

For the sake of their parents.

“We better get in there before it starts.” Parker nodded to the bar. “You all ready to get your butts kicked tonight?”

She laughed. “Excuse me? Who kicked whose butt last time?”

He waved a hand at her logic. “Yeah, but I have a good feeling about tonight. We’re going to cream you.”

Do not think dirty thoughts. Do not think dirty thoughts. Do not think dirty thoughts.

“I guess we’ll have to see.” Turning carefully on her freed heel, she made her way into the bar, scanning the room until she saw Cora waving from a table with Jade and the rest of the Lumbersnacks.

“Saved by the stepbrother?” Cora asked with a smile as Tamsen sat down.

“Stuff it. Where’s my drink?”

Her roommate slid a sex on the beach over to her. Tamsen ignored the tiny straw and tipped the glass to her lips, taking a healthy sip. Not that she needed the alcohol. Five minutes in Parker’s presence and her head felt floatier than the time she and Jade split a pitcher of margaritas at last year’s work holiday party.

Trivia started, and Tamsen tried her best to keep her eyes on answers Jade was writing down, but she found her gaze wandering over to Parker’s table. A few times, he caught her looking. She put two fingers to her eyes then pointed them at him with a sassy smile—letting him know she was watching him and that he was going down. He shook his head and toasted her with his drink, challenging her declaration. Damn the infuriatingly sexy man. He was distracting her from the game, and he knew it.

When they took their mid-game break, the Lumbersnacks were trailing behind Most Extinguished by five points.

“I’m going to grab another round,” she declared, rising from the table.

“Can you grab your attention span while you’re at it?” Jade asked, tilting her head toward Parker’s table.

Tamsen sighed, because she knew Jade was right. “Leaving now.”

She headed to the crowded bar, ignoring her friends’ laughter. Catching the bartender’s eye, she motioned for another drink.

“Looks like someone is in danger of losing. Do I see a free drink in my future?”

She turned at the deep voice to see a smug, smiling Parker standing behind her.

“Oh please, I’m just trying to protect your poor little feelings before I crush you into the ground.”

He took a step forward, his chest pressing against hers. The thin material of her dress did nothing to hide the fact that her nipples were hard, painful points. Damn the sorry excuse for a bra that was built into the dress.

“Trust me. Nothing on me is little.”

The evidence of that was currently pressed against her stomach. She swallowed a moan and tried to remind herself they were just engaging in a little harmless flirting. Or were they? For a man who said they shouldn’t step over any boundaries, he sure was dancing awfully close to them. Had he been rethinking their kiss, too?

An idea popped into Tamsen’s head. One so delicious and wicked, she couldn’t stop the proposal from coming out of her mouth.

“How about we up the stakes for the bet?”

One dark eyebrow arched. “What did you have in mind?”

She tapped a finger to her chin, even though she knew exactly what she had in mind. Better to make the man sweat. Waiting always made men sweat, in her experience.

“If I win, you have to pose for me.”

“You want to sketch me?” The other eyebrow climbed his forehead, joining the first.

“With props.”

He leaned back, eyes wary. “What kind of props?”

An impish grin curled her lips. “Whatever kind I decide. That’s the advantage of winning the bet. And if you win…” She paused, glancing down to take a moment of bravery before glancing up at him from underneath her lashes. “You can help me redo my body casting. Make sure I get the oil all. Rubbed. In.”

His jaw tightened, eyes burning with heat. Oh yeah, he’d been thinking about the almost kiss just as much as she had.

“Playing a dangerous game, Tamsen,” his low voice growled.

She shrugged one shoulder. “Didn’t take you for a chicken, Parker. But we can bet for safe, simple drinks if you’d prefer—”

“Deal,” he said with a devilish smile.

Yes! She tried not to gloat or let her conscience remind her this was potential disaster in the making. There was nothing wrong with a little harmless flirting. And if it led to one night of passion that helped burn off so much pent-up lust, all the better.

“May the best team win.” He tipped his chin then turned and headed back to his table.

Tamsen moved back to the bar, noticing that sometime during her exchange with Parker the bartender had dropped off her drink. She grabbed it and walked on unsteady legs back to her table, determined to win this game.

Or not. She honestly didn’t know which outcome she preferred.

Either way, it looked like naked time with Parker would be in the near future for her.

A grin spread across her face. So really, she couldn’t lose.