“Parker. They/them.”
Parker holds their hand out for a handshake, and when I clasp it in mine, sparks crackle across my skin. Parker frowns, glancing down before slowly pulling their hand away.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I say. “Can I see your sketch?”
They laugh—a light, melodic sound that sends warmth spiraling through me. “That’s a little forward, don’t you think?”
“Nah, being forward would be asking you to come back to my place, actually.”
Parker’s eyes blow wide behind their glasses. “Actually, that would be less intrusive than asking to see my art.”
“Really?”
Someone bumps into me, trying to get past me into the hallway, and Parker grabs my arm, pulling me to the side.
“Yes, really. My art is my soul, you know?” Blue eyes sparkle as they stare at me. “It would be like opening myself up to you and showing you a piece of what makes me who I am. Way harder than showing you my body.”
I must be an unapologetic horndog because the next words out of my mouth are pure stupidity. “Okay, so then do you wanna come back to my place?”
If Parker is shocked by my forwardness, they don’t show it. They toss their head back with a cackling laugh, then shrug. “Sure, I’ve done worse things.”
Oof. Okay, then, but hey, this is a beautiful human, and I’m a horny twenty-one-year-old, and if they’re down, so am I. “Alright then, Cotton Candy, let’s go. Maybe once you’ve shown me your body, I’ll talk you into showing me your art.”
I shoot them a wink, then place my hand on the small of their back to lead them out of the room.
We’ve barely made it into the hallway when Parker whirls around, stopping me with a hand on my chest. “Wait.”
“Yes?”
Their lips turn up into a playful smirk. “Are you planning on leaving in that robe?”
What? I glance down at myself, then laugh when I realize I haven’t changed back into my clothes. “Give me a second.”
I head back into the classroom to change, leaving Parker standing in the hall.
Chapter 2
Parker
What am I doing? No, really, have I lost my damn mind?
I try to gain some semblance of control while I wait for Ben to get changed. Maybe I should just leave while he’s distracted. This has bad idea written all over it. I don’t do this, and I especially don’t do this with guys like Benson Wells.
“Alright, Cotton Candy. I’m ready.”
Fuck.
Wait a second. I can’t believe I’ve been skipping right past that. “Cotton Candy?” I ask, glancing up at this overwhelmingly attractive man. His hazel eyes are sparkling, and he brushes back a stray piece of his black hair. His cheekbones are chiseled to perfection, his jaw sharp and strong. If portraits were my type of art, I’d want to paint him over and over.
Still a bad idea.
He shrugs, laughing. “Yeah, you’ve got cotton candy hair, and it’s cute. Seemed fitting. It’s what I was calling you in my head while you were shamelessly checking me out.”
I scoff. “I wasnotchecking you out. I was sketching you. Not the same thing.”
“Sure.” Ben winks, making my cheeks flush hot. “You ready, Cotton Candy?”
Leveling him with a glare, I shake my head. “Not if you keep calling me Cotton Candy.”
