Page 7 of Penny & Royce

“Yeah,” he muttered, scrubbing his jaw. “She’s…” He blew out a breath. “I can’t describe it.”

“Oof. That doesn’t sound good.” His friend laughed.

He frowned at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you haven’t been able to take your eyes off her. I’ve never seen you this way with anyone. Do you even know her?”

“I know she’s a therapist. I know she’s related to my father’s enemies.”

She giggled. “Technically, I think they’re supposed to be your enemies, too.”

“Not my circus, Quinn.” He refused to be drawn into something that should have been resolved long before he was born. “Anyway, I know she’s big into family. One of her brothers is engaged to a Palmer, and her other brother is a local ER doctor.”

When Quinn was quiet for too long, he glanced over to find her staring at him like he’d sprouted a second head.

“And just how have you figured all of this out?”

He shrugged.

“Oh, Royce, you poor thing.”

“Oh, be quiet,” he muttered.

Quinn studied him for another beat, and her teasing softened. “Be careful with her.”

That got his attention. “I’m not going to hurt her.”

“I know you won’t mean to.” She tilted her head toward Penny. “A woman like that? She’ll notice if you come on too strong.”

Royce looked back toward the dance floor. Penny had moved away from the man who’d been flirting with her, and something in Royce’s chest eased.

“I know, but I’ve got to figure out a way to get to know her better,” he said.

And he did.

The thought of scaring Penny off sat wrong with him. He didn’t want to corner her or force some grand moment because he’d worked himself into a state. He wanted to meet her. Talk to her. See if that strange pull between them was more than him losing his mind over a pretty woman in a country club.

Quinn’s voice turned dry again. “That serious, huh?”

Royce placed his cup on the counter. “Could be.”

Then he moved through the room and headed toward the exit.

If he could catch a quiet minute with Penny outside, maybe they could have the conversation they hadn’t gotten at the bar. And if she didn’t want that, he’d back off.

He could do that.

Probably.

Royce waited outside longer than he expected to. He wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or a bad one. Penny didn’t seem to like big crowds, and she didn’t seem to like loud noise. He didn’t mind either one. Heck, he was usually game for anything that set his heart pumping.

Maybe that was part of the draw.

Penny was his opposite.

She had a calmness about her, a carefulness, like every step she took mattered. For a guy who would jump from a plane on a dare, Penny Klein called to some quieter part of him he hadn’t known was there.

When she finally emerged from the country club, Royce was standing near the edge of the parking lot, close enough to be seen but not blocking her path.