Still, I wasn’t quite prepared to believe what they said about Parker. Mike can be a jerk, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone better looking than him.
I was wrong.
Parker’s hot, there’s no other word for it. Dancing like I do, I’ve seen a lot of guys. Admittedly, there’s not a lot of cute guys, but still, I’ve seen more than my fair share of hotties. This guy tops them all. He is a little sexier than Mike, not that I would ever admit that to Mike. I don’t think his ego could take it. But, this guy is like movie star sexy.
“I’ll just go see what she wants,” Mike’s dad says, clearly unhappy. He gives me and Ida Sue both one last look and I’m not sure which of us gets the worst of the exchange.
All three of us watch him walk away, and instantly there’s like a weight lifted around us, the tension dissipates, and it feels like the air flows smoother somehow.
Mike picks that moment to come up behind me, slide his arm around my waist, and pull me into his side—away from his brother. I stiffen because his hold feels harsher, as if something has changed. I resist purely on gut instinct, putting just a little distance between us without trying to make it too noticeable. Parker’s hand leaves my back as he guides Ida Sue so that Mike and I are facing them. Mike being Mike, keeps his hand on my hip, his fingers getting precariously close to my ass. I’m not happy. In fact, I feel more than a little embarrassed and on edge.
I didn’t want to be at this party. Mike keeps leaving me alone to go and talk to people his Dad demands he talk with. I should have refused to come. I’m starting to think keeping my secret isn’t worth putting myself through the emotional rollercoaster that is Mike Huntington.
“Did Dad say anything to you, Ida Sue?” the guy asks, which makes it clear that this hot guy is Mike’s brother. For some reason, that makes me even more uncomfortable.
“Nothing I can’t handle,” she laughs. “I was just talking to this pretty little thing,” she says, patting my arm. “I got the feeling your dad didn’t much care for her, either.”
“Dad doesn’t care for hardly anyone, even his own son,” Mike says, bitterness thick in his voice. Something is definitely off with him. On instinct, I reach out and squeeze his shoulder as a silent show of support. It’s probably silly, but I know better than most people how it feels when your parents are disgusting human beings. I’m not trying to paint Mike’s dad with the same brush that I can use on my mother, but it’s clear there are issues with the man.
“Dad’s just hard to understand, Mike,” Parker responds quietly, but you can tell he’s upset. I have to wonder if making excuses for his father happens to him a lot.
Parker looks over at me and smiles, giving me a wink. It’s a fly-away gesture meaning nothing, but dang that man could melt the panties off of a nun. I’m not one prone to falling for a guy’s good looks and charms, but even my knees go weak.
Mike’s dad might be an asshole, but he definitely has a good gene pool.
“I understand him just fine. He’s an egotistical asshole,” Mike growls. That’s the first time I notice it and unease begins to fill me. I straighten, pulling away a little more. Mike’s been drinking, and not just a little.
“You must be Parker’s baby brother,” Ida Sue says, apparently oblivious to the tension between me and Mike and I should be thankful. If I wasn’t getting pissed off and aggravated I’d find it funny that anyone would refer to Mike as a “baby”.
“That’s me,” he says. “Second in line to the Huntington throne. Always falling short when compared to the great Parker.” Mike’s words are bitter, full of anger and I can see they bother his brother. They make every one of us uncomfortable.
Ida Sue studies him, she has a pensive frown on her face—which would make me nervous if I was Mike. Mike’s either too drunk or just doesn’t care. It could be a mixture of both.
“Seems to me you’re the one with the prettiest girl in the place standing beside you. That would make you the lucky one, right?”
“You would think that. But, Violet’s not mine, are you, Angel?”
“Mike, let’s go,” I mumble, seeing only bad things ahead and wanting to get out of here.
“What? It’s just the truth. I offered to take care of you, and you turned me down, right?”
“Good women take care of themselves, son. They just want a good man there to lean on when they need someone to care,” Ida Sue says, and I think I’d really like her. Right now, I’m too sick to my stomach to agree with her.