Page 61 of The Publicity Stunt

The mocking confidence in his voice chips away at the shell of tolerance around me. “Okay, if we’re going to be friends—”

He snorts. “We’re going to be much more than friends.” I shoot him a glare. “Fine, go on.”

“If we’re going to be friends, then I think some ground rules are in order.”

“Ground rules?” He lifts a single dark eyebrow. “You’re on your second drink of the night, already breaking your one-drink rule. What makes you think we’re going to stick to the rest?”

“Because we are.”

A brief pause, then he eases into a smile. “I’m sold.”

I know he’s not. “Rule number one, no flirting.”

“April.” Judging by his despondent tone, you’d think I just asked him to be my accomplice in a murder. “You can’t ask me to do that.”

I ignore him. “Rule number two, no winning me back.”

“That’s not a rule. You can’t turn the inevitable into a rule.”

“Okay, that’s flirting.” I think. “And rule number three, no bad-mouthing my sister.”

Parker leans forward, face serious, voice low. “What the hell does Holly have to do with this?”

“Nothing, but she’s my sister and I can’t have you calling her a she-devil in front of her colleague. We aren’t kids anymore and anything you say to Theo is one more thing he can use against her.”

“Use against her?” He laughs. “They’re doctors, Chere, not tributes at The Hunger Games. Plus, I only did it that one time.”

“And then proceeded to ask for his number.”

“So? He’s a cool guy,” he counters.

“You’re only saying that because he hates Holly as much as you do,” I parry.

“Like-mindedness is a good quality in budding friendships.”

I point a single stern finger at him and repeat, “No bad-mouthing my sister.”

“Fine.” Amusement shimmers through his eyes and it sends a zing down my back. “Is that all?”

My jaw tightens as I nod. “Yes.”

“Great, because I have a few rules of my own.” He pats the table as if to prove a point.

“Unnecessary, but go on.”

“Rule number one, you can’t smile at me.”

I frown. “How am I supposed to control that?”

“One smile equals one flirt,” he says. “Fair is fair.”

“You’re turning this into a game.”

“Flirting with you is in my DNA, April. I can’t help it. If this is going to be hard for me, I’m going to make it equally difficult for you.”

“Fine, I won’t smile at you,” I say and mutter a soft “ridiculous” under my breath. “What else?”

He pulls away to get a better look at me. The neon sign flickers for a brief second, making his brown eyes appear like pools of honey. “The second you start falling back in love with me, you have to let me know.”