Beyond Me(4)
Author: Jennifer Probst

“She still worth it?” Adam asked.

Yeah. She was. This was a bet I couldn’t lose.

“Are we on?”

I turned to Rich, who’d asked the question. Glanced at the girl. And nodded. “Yeah. We’re on.”

Without hesitation, I pushed myself away from the bar and headed toward her.

Chapter Three

HIS VOICE was rich and deep, and made my stomach flip when I thought of all the things he could whisper to me. Naughty things. I felt my cheeks go pink. Damn that inner voice. Now I looked like some crazed idiot.

“Umm, sorry, I thought you were someone else.”

He made a point to look at the empty space around me. “Who?”

I frowned. “Someone,” I said stubbornly. “Did you need something?”

He laughed. His eyes were even more spectacular close up, an aquamarine so clear and blue I felt like I could dive in and get lost. His hair was curly, and the color of yummy bittersweet chocolate. The strands fell over his forehead in a messy sexiness that looked made up. Yeah, he was way too perfect. Even his cheekbones and jaw were sharp and definitive, giving him an older, commanding look. Way out of my league. I self-consciously tucked a long strand of my hair behind my ear.

“You’re the real welcoming sort, aren’t you? What’s your name?”

I paused for a beat. Just enough to get my point across—I was in charge of this conversation. My body disagreed as a strange heat pumped through my veins and itched under my skin. “Quinn. Quinn Harmon.”

“Hello, Quinn Harmon. I’m James Hunt. It’s nice to meet you.”

I gazed at him with suspicion from under my lashes. “You too.”

“Are you always this open and cheerful on break? I haven’t seen you around—do you go to school in Florida?”

“No, I’m with two of my girlfriends for the week. We’re from Chicago.”

“Ah, the Windy City. I’ve been there a few times. State University?”

“Yes.”

The conversation was painful, but he seemed delighted by my one-word answers. I wondered what his game was. Those full lips quirked slightly upward as if my crankiness made him happy. No wonder I couldn’t get laid. I was more comfortable having a conversation regarding misplaced false teeth and what foods had to be avoided because they cause gas. Maybe working in an elderly home in my spare time wasn’t such a great idea. Of course, soon I’d move into rehabilitation and be around alcohol and drug addicts. Probably not much better.

“Am I boring you already?”

I blinked. Did my blush deepen? “Oh, sorry.”

He waited for more but I stopped. Stared at him. Our gazes locked and a weird, tight tension pulled between us. I forced down my impulse to take a step closer to soak up his body heat. He didn’t smell of beer or smoke, but the clean scent of pool water and soap. “Are you enjoying the party?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yes.”

“Did you bring your friends?”

“No, they kind of dumped me this afternoon at the Cove Suites, and this girl was handing out flyers, so I decided to check it out. Don’t know who owns this place, though, do you?”

A wicked gleam sparked in those blue eyes. “Some rich kid probably.”

“Must be nice,” I muttered.

“The Cove Suites isn’t cheap. It’s one of the most exclusive hotels on the island.”

“Oh, my friend Mackenzie treated us. I’m just a poor working student, but she insisted we stay there and get our own rooms. She’s pretty generous.”

“And your other friend?”

“Cassie? She’s the serious type. Pretty brilliant, a bit more reserved.”

“That leaves you? What do you bring to the group, Quinn?”

My throat closed up and I had no spit left. The way he said my name, his voice dropping low in a kind of caress, made me think of dark rooms and bedsheets and him naked. I hurriedly took a sip of warm beer and grimaced. “I’m the helper, I guess. Workaholic. All sorts of fun stuff.”

He frowned, as if my remark didn’t please him as much as my one-word answers had. “You don’t like your drink,” James stated. “Let me get you something else. What do you like?”

“Sex on the Beach,” I blurted.

That grin was back. His teeth were very white and perfectly straight. He must have worn braces for years. Damn, even his teeth were sexy. “I like that too,” he murmured.

Oh, wow, and now I had that image in my head—him and me entwined in the sand and his hands running all over my body, making me feel things I never had. I freaked out at my reaction, which kick-started my big mouth. “Just the drink.”

“Too bad.” He turned to go to the bar, but then I remembered I didn’t know him at all, and the one rule I made my friends pinky swear on is to never, ever accept drinks from guys. Too many crappy stories on the Internet showing how a girl can be raped or manipulated.

My arm shot out. I wrapped my fingers around his bicep. His tight muscles jumped a bit under my touch, and his sun-warmed skin was slightly damp. Those eyes flared with a touch of lust. Wow, did he feel it too? “What is it?”

“I don’t take drinks from strangers. I can get it myself.”

He studied me for a while, as if trying to decide if I was smart or completely paranoid. “That’s a good rule. Never know what jerks are out to drag you into bed.”

I laughed nervously. “Well, I usually don’t have that problem, especially around Mackenzie and Cassie.”

“I disagree.” His gaze focused on my lips, and I pressed them together to combat the jump in my belly. Nerves? Or was that arousal coming up from the deep dark caverns of my body to finally introduce herself?

“You haven’t seen them,” I pointed out.

“Don’t need to. I’ve seen you.”

Oh. Wow. I had nothing for that comeback. He was a master at this. “Does that usually work?”

He cocked his head. “What?”

“Lines. You’re quite…smooth. Are you trying to get me into bed?”

The delight was back, dancing on his face. “Did it work? Will you go to bed with me?”

“No.”

“Then there’s your answer. Come with me to the bar for a drink, and I’ll see if I can up my game for you.”

He had the nerve to snag my fingers within his and lead me to the tiki bar. I planned to yank back from his touch, but he was so warm and strong, I decided to let it slide this once. Now I was beginning to like him, which was much worse. A player with a sense of humor was disastrous.