Page 26 of Under Pressure

“Is that what you think I do all day? Do you think I’ve got nothing else going for myself?” he teases, an eyebrow notched.

My chest goes warm before the feeling spreads up my neck. “That’s all I know about you.”

“We could change that.”

“What would be the purpose of that? I’m not looking for a boyfriend, and I doubt you’re interested in having a girlfriend.”

“There’s that confidence again, Quinn.” He rolls his lips before dragging his palm over them. When his hand falls, he’s smiling. It’s soft, almost shy. “What about a friend, then? You got room in your life for one of those?”

“A friend,” I repeat, the word tasting out of place.

“Yes.”

“So, you’ll give up on the whole taking-me-out thing, then?”

His cheek twitches before settling as he swallows. “For now.”

I grip the back of the chair and lean my weight against it. “What do you get from being my friend, Beck? We both know you don’t need to beg anyone for anything, let alone a woman. This has all started to feel like some sort of high school joke.”

I’d know, considering what his friends did to me back then. Though it’s becoming more obvious every day I see him that he doesn’t remember the things the way I do. If at all. Because if he did . . . he wouldn’t be here doing this.

“Is that why you keep saying no? Because you think I’m joking?” he asks, an unfamiliar rigidness twisting his features.

I lift my chin stubbornly. “Aren’t you? This can’t be serious. If you’re looking to win some bet, I can do what you need me to so you can win and then move on. I’m trying to run a business here, not be a punchline.”

The silence is deafening.

I dig my blunt nails into the chair and keep my gaze on the small indent between his nose and the tip of his upper lip. His nostrils flare, and my stomach tumbles. I try to prepare myself for what he’s going to say. For the appreciation of my offer and the confirmation that I was right all along.

I’m not an idealistic person, and right now, I’m grateful for it.

He clears his throat, but there’s movement in my peripheral vision. “That’s not?—”

“You’ll be happy to know that I’m finally done and going to head home now. Are you going to introduce me to your friend before I leave?”

Ruthie’s voice causes me to jerk as though I’ve beenelectrocuted. I replay those words in my head and realize quickly that she’s gone months without seeing him with her early hours. That’s one of the reasons I felt comfortable enough using him as the man behind my inability to date her grandson.

I thought she’d never know any better because she wouldn’t be around to have to meet him.

Fuck.

“Ruthie,” I say, but that’s as far as I get because what the hell am I supposed to say?

“I’m Beck, ma’am. Beckett, if you want to use my full name. I’m not picky.”

My heart clunks awkwardly in my chest as I look up at him. I’m already caught off guard, and this immediate kindness doesn’t help.

“Hello, Beckett. I’m happy to finally meet the guy who has gotten Quinn so interested. I should have known you’d be this handsome. And those muscles . . . I could use your help to move a few things around my condo, that’s for sure. How could I have expected this one here to be open to the idea of looking elsewhere?”

Eyes widening, I twirl toward her.What are you doing?I mouth, but she’s not looking at me. The entire weight of her attention is on the guy beside me, still lurking like a bad smell. Anxiety thrums through me, turning my skin to ice.

Reality drops like a weight onto my head, crushing me bit by bit. With a slow, tense turn of my head, I mutter a string of words that I never imagined saying to him.

“Touch me.”

His voice is ragged as he physically jerks. “What?”

“Shut up and touch me.Now.”