Page 43 of SIN Looks Good On Us!

I thought about giving her some smooth line, something that would've sounded good coming out of my mouth. Instead, I told her the truth.

"You didn't want anything from me. You are the first woman in a long time who looked at me like I was just a man, not a bank account or a name people whisper about. That's rare where we come from."

I caught it before she could hide it. For one second, she let me see the woman behind all that attitude. Then she tucked her right back behind those walls.

"I have a boyfriend."

"I know."

"And that doesn't bother you?"

"It bothers me plenty." I held her gaze. "Don't mean it's gon' stop me. I know your man. And trust me when I say this, he's single."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Means exactly what I said." I picked my glass back up, unbothered. "A man don't get to call himself somebody's boyfriend if he ain't acting like one."

"You don't know anything about my relationship."

"I know enough."

"That's a bold thing to say to a woman on her first date with you."

"I don't play it safe. Never have."

She sipped her wine, watching me over the rim of the glass. "You're used to getting what you want, aren't you?"

"Always have."

"What happens when you don't?"

"Hasn't happened yet."

"There's a first time for everything."

That was cute, so I smiled at that. "We'll see."

She shook her head, but I caught that smile before she could hide it. She was trying hard as hell not to like me, but that guard she was holding onto all night was slipping and we both knew it.

"Tell me about you," she said, changing the subject before I could push any further. "Not the rumors. Not what people whisper in the streets. The real you."

Nobody had asked me that in longer than I could remember. I set my glass down and looked at her for a second before I answered.

"That's gon' take more than one dinner."

"Then I guess you better make sure there's a second one."

"Already working on it." I grinned.

The rest of dinner was smooth. Somewhere between the food, the laughs, and her talking shit back to me, she forgot to keep that guard up. She laughed more, joked with me more, and every now and then I would catch her looking at me before she'd remember she wasn't supposed to.

By the time the waiter cleared our plates, she leaned back in her chair and looked me over like she was still trying to figure me out. I couldn't blame her. Hell…I would've had questions too.

"Can I ask you something?" she said.