The way he was sitting made the muscles on his back tense, and I found myself wondering how a high school boy could be this ripped. Suddenly, as if he had sensed my presence, he turned, and his eyes snapped up to look at me.
Surprise flittered through his gaze, but it quickly transformed into an arrogant smirk. My fingers clenched at my sides. Seth had totally set me up. No wonder he’d had a spring in his step as he walked away.
“So, you like to spend your evenings punching unsuspecting victimsandpeeping in locker rooms,” Parker said in a thoughtful tone. “I’m impressed the police haven’t caught up to you yet.” There was something devious about Parker Darling’s smile. Like it had been fed a strict diet of mischief and mayhem.
“I’m not here to peep at anything,” I growled. “Certainly not you.”
As he stood, it took all my willpower not to immediately contradict myself by looking down at the hard planes of his chest. I knew he was an athlete, but I still hadn’t quite been prepared to see the evidence of it chiseled into his bare skin.
“And yet you couldn’t keep your eyes off me today,” he replied. “I saw you watching me from the stands.”
I folded my arms as irritation rippled across my skin. “It kind of sounds like you were the one watching me. Maybe you should have kept your eyes on the puck.”
The way his eyes sparkled with dark delight, you’d think he got off on this kind of thing. The thought immediately had me biting back any more snarky responses.
“Look, I’m just trying to find my dad.”
“In the boys’ locker room?”
“I was told he was in here.”
“And you just go charging into male changing areas whenever the need strikes?”
“I thought it was empty!”
His smirk only grew. “Don’t worry, I’m not ashamed of my body, and I don’t like to let my fans down…”
“I’m not your fan.”
“I think you might be. You do seem kind of obsessed with me. I’m afraid the fan club is already full, but I can add your name to the waiting list if you want. It’s Mary, right?”
My teeth were gritted so tightly right now, I thought they might crack under the pressure. “Did you see how you guys played today? I’m surprised you’ve got any fans left.”
His expression dimmed slightly, and I knew I’d hit a nerve. I almost felt guilty, but then he said, “Yeah, well, it’s easy to judge when you’re sitting on the sidelines.”
My eyes narrowed. Nowhe’dhit a nerve. “I don’t want to sit on the sidelines,trust me.” I would have given anything to swap places with Parker. “You walked away from that summer camp with a slap on the wrist. Consider yourself lucky.”
He frowned, waiting for me to say more. But his concern quickly disappeared. “Whatever. I need to hit the shower.”
“Fine, I was just leaving.”
“Glad to hear it. I’d hate to have to take out a restraining order, especially against my biggest fan.” He was smirking again as he started to walk away.
“I’m not here for you!” I yelled after him, but he’d already disappeared behind the wall that separated the shower area from the locker room, and I soon heard running water.
I started for the door but hesitated when I caught sight of Parker’s clothes on the bench. I’d been itching to get him back for splashing me earlier in the week.
Clothes for clothes seemed like a fair revenge…
I knew I shouldn’t do it, though. Not after he’d suffered such a brutal loss. I could find another way to punish him—perhaps on a day when life wasn’t already doing it for me.
I turned to leave, but then stopped in surprise as Parker started singing. His voice actually sounded quite good. Then I heard the lyrics and recognized the song. “Obsessed” by Mariah Carey.
Without thinking, I started moving back toward him. He was standing in a cubicle, only a thin frosted white door blocking my view. I knew this was a bad idea.A terrible idea.I almost reconsidered, but then he started belting out the lyrics even louder.
I snatched his towel off the hook outside his cubicle and bolted back into the locker room, where I gathered his clothes, hockey gear, and everything else on the bench and shoved it all into his sports bag. Then I slung it over my shoulder and left the room without a shred of guilt holding me back.
After this, we’d be even. Well, closer to even.
