Beyond Me Read Free Page A

engine that revved like a thing of beauty, was badass black and chrome, and had every extra gadget I could squeeze on there. It had taken more than a year for them to make it to my specs, and it was my pride and joy.
    “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.

 
    H IS 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