Page 41 of The Problem with Playboys

“None, actually. They only wanted one name, and I think Marcus is perfect for this.”

“Don’t you have a client that could use a little positive publicity? You just spent the second half of last week dealing with Dakota Ladd’s return to shoplifting.”

“I don’t think Dakota is ready for this. It’s baby steps for her right now. Do you not think Marcus will want to do it?”

“No. I do. And if he doesn’t want to, I’ll make him do it. I’m just surprised since Marcus isn’t your client anymore. I haven’t paid you anything beyond your fee for the Miami interviews.”

Confusion began to cloud Chloe’s thoughts, and she really wished she had a better understanding of her place in Parker’s life, the way she fit—or didn’t—into his life. “I don’t need you to pay me. I wanted to do it.”

“Oh, okay. I don’t want to take advantage of you being...” He hesitated.

What? Me being what?

“I mean, I don’t want to take advantage of our relationship.”

At least that word gave her a tiny bit of clarity. “I want to help you and Marcus. But I also don’t want to overstep.”

“It’s not possible for you to overstep. It was very, very sweet and kind of you to do this. Thank you.”

Chloe felt as though she’d just gone for a ride on a roller coaster. One minute she was happy, the next she felt like the bottom had dropped out of her stomach. Yes, she’d been returned to the start, where she felt safe, but she wasn’t sure how many more times she could take that. “You’re welcome. I’ll email you the details.”

“Perfect. I’ll see you tonight?”

The words that should have been tacked on at the end of his question wereat home, but his apartment was not home for Chloe, even though it felt that way. “Yes. I should be there by seven. What do you want to do for dinner?”

“Takeout? Maybe Italian?”

“The last time we ordered Italian, we were eating cold pasta carbonara at midnight because we were otherwise occupied.” She grinned so wide she had to bury her head in her hand. That had been a wicked hot night. Right after their dinner had been delivered, Parker cast her a look in the kitchen that made food a total afterthought. Before she knew what was happening, they were kissing, clothes were strewn all over the floor and he had Chloe calling out his name from her perch on the kitchen counter.

“If we get a replay of that night, I definitely want Italian.”

She laughed. She might be questioning many things right now, but she never doubted her desire to be with him. “I can’t wait.”

“I can’t wait either.”

Chloe hung up and turned in her chair and stared out her office window, trying to process her conversations from the last hour. She was in deep with Parker. So deep, even when she’d told herself hundreds of times that she’d never get there. That she wouldn’t allow herself to go there. Was it genetic? Had she caught what her mother so often fell prey to? It was possible. They were alike in many ways. Could she be in love with Parker? She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath.Just get back to work. You can worry about everything with Parker and your mom later.

Parker had to take a minute after he got off the phone with Chloe. Coming close to sayinggirlfriendwas one thing. Nearly referring to his apartment as home was another. But what really confused him was the three little words that popped into his head right before he hung up.I love you.Where in the hell had that come from?

A knock came at his office door, which was open. “Mr. Sullivan?” Luna, the office manager, popped her head inside, carrying a large three-ring binder. “Sorry to interrupt.”

Parker shook his head to clear his thoughts. “No. No. It’s fine. What is it?”

“You asked for these college basketball scouting reports?”

Parker needed to get back on his game, and back to work. “Right. Thank you.” He took the file from Luna, but as she walked away, he realized he could get some other information from her. “Luna, can I ask you a question?”

She turned back to him. “Sure thing. What’s up?”

“If a guy was going to buy a woman a piece of jewelry that said I like you a lot but not necessarily more than that, where would he go?”

Luna arched both eyebrows at him. “You do realize that not every woman thinks of a gift of jewelry as a promise, right? If it’s not a diamond ring, I think you’re safe.”

He felt like an idiot, but that was becoming a familiar feeling when it came to these matters. “So I can just go to Tiffany? Somewhere like that?”

She nodded. “I’m sure they’ll hook you up with the perfect thing.”

“Great. Thank you.”