“I’m about to punch you right in the thing,” I threaten Quinn through a whisper, while Bobbie claps her hands together happily.
“We have never, in the history of the Summersweet Athletic Boosters, sold this many tickets to one event. Everyone is just so excited for our guest speaker!” Bobbie gushes as Quinn shoos her away with one hand in an Aw, shucks! manner. “We’re already able to afford the new uniforms for the football team, as well as the band, and we haven’t even sold tickets for the raffle baskets yet.”
“What about the cheerleaders? Are they getting new uniforms too?”
Quinn’s question to Bobbie and the serious look on his face just makes me want to rip off my tank top and shorts and throw myself at him.
What the hell kind of game is he playing?
After Bobbie assures him that the cheerleaders will also be getting new uniforms, she says goodbye, saying she’ll see us both at the dinner.
“You can count on it!” Quinn shouts to her as she walks away, giving me a cheeky smile when I look at him with a raised eyebrow.
“What the hell are you doing? You’re not going to the steak fry.” I shake my head at him.
“Sounds like I’m the guest speaker. And now you need me to help you with something. You wouldn’t want to let all those kids down, now would you?”
His smile is so big it’s infectious, and I can’t help but return it. But not for the reason he thinks.
Hovering my earbuds by my ears, I start backing away from him.
“I think you’re forgetting I’m friends with two professional athletes,” I remind him, watching his smile falter. “They’re a couple of duds, but I’m sure they know someone much more impressive than the quarterback for the Sharks. Pretty sure Shepherd went to college with Vick Anderson. Now there’s someone who can sell a lot of tickets.”
“Take it back,” Quinn hisses in horror, when I mention the quarterback for Baltimore, the Sharks’ archrivals.
Since my heart can’t stand looking at his handsome face or his playfulness any longer, knowing he only stayed on the island because he needs a favor and not because he wants to get to know me better or anything, I force out a laugh, turning my back on him as I walk.
“I’m not helping you with any favor! I don’t need you. Go home!” I shout over my shoulder, putting my earbuds in and reaching for the Power button on my iPod.
But you want him…
We’re not talking about want—eat shit!
“I dare you!”
Quinn’s shout right before I turn my music on has my feet stuttering to a stop, kicking up sand as I quickly turn back around.
“Who did you talk to?” I growl, cursing every single one of my traitorous friends, while my heart starts thumping and my adrenaline starts rushing with the need to scream Yes!
“Doesn’t matter.” Quinn shrugs. “Did it work?”
The hopefulness on his face, my burning need to know exactly what kind of favor he needs and the physical impossibility of me turning down a dare, not to mention wondering whether or not this thing involves clothing, has me cursing under my breath.
“Fuck. Me.”
“According to TMZ, we did that on Wednesday,” Quinn retorts with a wink and a click of his tongue, which is in no way adorable at all, and I make sure he knows it by giving him my best resting bitch face.
“I’m sensing some hostility here.” Quinn nods seriously.
“What happened to the NDA? I thought I wasn’t allowed to talk about you. I’m certain that includes helping you out with anything,” I remind him.
“Oh, I ripped those up as soon as I got to my hotel room.” He chuckles. “Didn’t you hear Tyler screaming from there? It was quite loud.”
Nope. I am not going to laugh. He’s not funny. This entire situation is not funny.
“I’ll give you some time to think about whether or not you want to accept this dare. I don’t have a checkout date for the hotel, so you know where to find me. Oooh, maybe we’ll run into each other!”
With that, he gives me a salute, then turns and starts jogging away from me down the beach.
Oh, this is not good. This is sooo not good.
CHAPTER 8
Quinn
“Go away.”
“I’ll take a large decaf, black, and she’ll have a large morning roast with three sugars and a splash of cream.”
“You can’t just cut in front of me in line at Island Brew and order my coffee for me!”
“I thought you’d be impressed I remembered how you take your coffee.”
“I’d be more impressed if you didn’t order joyless bean water.”
“My trainer would kick my ass if I had caffeine. Decaf is a sad, lonely existence. I might need a hug.”
“Go home.”
“Home to the hotel? Excellent idea. I’m exhausted. I woke up a little too early this morning, trying to make sure a beautiful woman running on the beach didn’t get mugged.”