“Deal.”
Chapter Twelve
Shane
“You ready, kid?”
Parker nodded, putting his fists up. I grinned at the cocky look he gave me. The kid had brass balls, even if he couldn’t throw a punch for shit.
“Good. Try and hit me.”
He threw a punch so fast I almost didn’t move out of the way in time. The element of surprise was something I had tried to instill in him. He was paying attention, I thought as his knuckles grazed my cheek.
“Sneaky,” I said approvingly. He grinned. The kid was doing good. I was fucking proud of him.
He swung again, and I swatted him lightly to show him his weak spots. That was our routine. I couldn’t hit the kid. I was too strong to really spar with him. So he punched, and I gave him little slaps to keep him motivated and show where to keep his guard up.
But the kid was flagging today. Less motivated than I liked. I grinned suddenly. I knew how to keep him really motivated.
I went for the hat.
“Don’t!” he yelled, grabbing for it. But it was too late. Golden light brown hair cascaded down in the sunlight, settling over his shoulders. I blinked. That was a lot of hair. Shampoo commercial hair. I frowned at the visual. Something didn’t seem right. But the kid looked like he was going to cry.
“Relax, kid. It’s just hair.”
He stared at me, his arms dropped. Anyone could railroad you if you did that. He hadn’t learned a thing, I thought in annoyance.
“Arms up!”
He ignored me, chewing his lip. His hair was still down with his hat jammed over it. He really had a lot of hair for a boy. I wondered why he kept it hidden.
If long, luxurious hair was his thing, why not own it?
“The thing is . . .”
“What?” I asked, trying to keep the kid focused. I threw another light slap, tapping his shoulder. He flinched but didn’t raise his arms.
“I have to tell you something and I know you’re going to be mad.”
Now my arms fell. I stood up straight, staring at the kid. I had an uneasy feeling in my stomach. Something serious was going on. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what it was.
“Before I tell you, promise me one thing.”
“Sure, kid.”
“Just remember that I owe you my life, and I will never stop being thankful.”
“I just gave you a place to crash, kid. You weren’t on death’s door.”
“No. It was bad. I was scared all the time and my stomach never stopped hurting. It was only a matter of time until something really bad happened.”
I swallowed, not knowing what to say to that.
“And even if you hate me, I will always consider you my friend.”
“Hate you?” That was weird. The kid sounded more adult than usual too. “Just tell me. I’m not going to hate you.”
“The thing is . . .” he said again, clutching his hat in his hands. “I’m a girl.”
I stared at Parker, waiting for him to drop the bomb. It took almost a minute for his words to register. No, not his words. Her words.
“Wait, what?”
“I’m a girl. I figured out pretty quick that looking like this” —she gestured to her baggy clothes and the cap— “would save me a lot of grief. I . . . didn’t mean to lie to you though.”
“You’re a girl?”
“Yes.”
“This isn’t a . . . identity thing?”
She shook her head.
“No. I’m just a girl.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“So you don’t trust me. You think I’m a pervert.”
She shook her head, sending all those golden waves flying. Jesus, how had I not seen it? She was fucking gorgeous.
Shane, you are a bonafide idiot.
“No. Not even that first night. I just . . . I didn’t know how to tell you. And I needed a place to crash. It just seemed easier. Plus, I got used to being a boy.”
“How old are you, Parker?”
I barely recognized my own voice, it was so cold. So clinical. But I had to know the truth. A crazy, tilt-a-whirl feeling was happening in my stomach. Like my very own amusement ride. Except it was the kind that made you want to throw up.
She lifted those dazzling blue eyes to mine, looking apologetic. And scared. I hated seeing her look scared. It was even worse now that she was female. She looked like her little heart was going to break.
Something twisted open inside me. She’d been so scared that she pretended to be a boy. Poor kid.
“Eighteen. I didn’t lie about that.” She gave me a small smile. “I’ll be nineteen in two weeks.”
It hit me like a ton of bricks. The way she was looking at me. The way I was looking at her. It was like just knowing she was a woman and not a kid had made me look at her in a whole other way.