She scowls. “No. I’m trying to behave like an adult. I seem to revert to teenage levels of maturity around you, but I want to do better. I made a mistake, and I’m not afraid to admit it. You’re not the loser I thought you were.”
Her admission is music to my ears. I wish I’d recorded it, to replay again and again. I never expected her to be so honest with me. If I’m being real, I thought she was too snooty for that, but perhaps she’s not the only one of us guilty of misjudging the other.
“Thank you,” I reply, letting her hear my sincerity. There’s a time for being a dick and now isn’t it. “That means more to me than you know.”
“Yeah, well.” She shrugs self-consciously. “No one is perfect.”
Her lips press together, and fuck, I want to kiss them. The table is narrow, and if I lean across it, I could easily touch my mouth to hers. But if I did, it wouldn’t be enough. I’d want to haul her onto my lap and grind myself into her ass. Would she ride me? Let her tongue tangle with mine and kiss me back with all that pent up fire inside her?
“Jase.” Her voice is low and cautious. “Stop looking at me like you’re hungry, and I’m dinner.”
“Iamhungry,” I confess. “And not just for dinner. You look better than anything on the menu.”
She wets her lips, and a breath escapes between them. Her eyes are dark, the blue just a pale ring around her enlarged pupils. Reaching over, I touch her hand, but she snatches it away. A shiver runs through her body, and I harden, imagining how hot it would feel to be inside her.
“You want me, too,” I murmur, watching her try to pull herself together.
Her voice is raspy when she says, “We need to focus on work.”
Sitting back, I let her change the topic, noticing she hasn’t told me I’m wrong.
8
Lena
I didn’t realize it was possible to get so turned on just from hearing a growly alpha male make crude comments across the table in a salad bar. The fact there are people all around us—including children—barely registers. All I know is that he wants me, and I want him, and my single-minded vagina is throbbing between my thighs, begging for attention. Squeezing my legs together, I try to stop my thoughts from veering into the dangerous territory of wondering how Jase’s stubble would feel against my skin.
Ugh, it must be morally wrong for me to be this horny in public. I’m already wet and ready for him, and all he’s done is touch my hand. I’m not even sure I like the guy, even if he’s not the violent asshole I initially believed.
“Lena?” His cocky grin widens, showing his teeth. He knows exactly what he’s doing to me, the dick.
“Work,” I say out loud. “Questions.” Yes, that’s it. “Will you answer more of my questions now?”
He sighs, and runs a hand over his damp hair. “There are things I’d rather do, but shoot.”
Resorting to my notepad, I’m about to read the first item when a waitress comes to take our order. I choose a chicken salad tortilla, but Jase orders three separate meals without checking the menu.
“You come here often?” I ask when the waitress leaves.
“Yeah, they sponsor me, so I get free meals.”
“Sweet deal.”
He nods to my list. “What do you wanna know?”
A flock of pigeons take up residence in my belly. Now that I know Jase more, asking these questions feels personal. “You must earn a reasonable amount.” I looked up his net worth earlier. Even if the estimate I found is a little off, it’s impressive. “What do you do with your money?”
The question seems to bore him. He takes a drink from my glass again, even though his own is full. “I bought a house. I pay the bills and the mortgage. I see a physio and a massage therapist every week.”
Nothing surprising there. “You mentioned yesterday that you contribute to charity.”
“Yeah.” He clams up. “Not much to say as far as that goes.”
“Really?” I cock my head. “Are we back to one-word answers and evasion?”
He sighs, and rolls his neck from side to side. Finally, he speaks. “Most of my money goes to King’s Sports Grants. I’m one of their major donors.”
Because I’m a sadistic bitch who enjoys his discomfort, I ask, “Is there a particular reason for that?”
