Page 33 of Suit

And then I met Jade in law school and joined the club.

And the rest is history.

“How about you? Did you study anything?”

“Yes, my father allowed me to get my degree in accounting and information technology, but only because it benefited him. I don’t think he planned on marrying me off just yet because I was useful. He was angry when Katerina ran off.”

My gaze drops to her wrists, and she quickly hides them under the table.

“You’re smart.”

“Thanks for noticing. So are you,” she fires back, eyes dancing with amusement.

We study each other for a moment until our drinks and food arrive. She stares at both of the options she wanted, and I grin. “Choose whichever one you want. I’ll take the other.”

She raises her gaze back to me. “You got both just so I could look at them and choose?”

“Yes. And if you want something else, we can get that too.”

“But which one do you want?” she asks, raking her teeth over her lower lip.

“I don’t mind, princess. We can share both if you want to do that,” I suggest, and her eyes widen in surprise.

She pulls the pasta toward her. I smile and cut off a piece of steak to feed to her.

She takes a bite, and a soft moan escapes her. “Delicious.”

After taking a bite of her pasta, she stares at my plate longingly, and I laugh under my breath and swap our plates around.

Her answering smile is worth it. We finish our meals, chatting as we eat, getting to know each other. Elena isn’t going anywhere, and although I don’t want to lead her on, I can’t help but fall into an easy conversation with her.

“So where am I sleeping tonight?”

My eyes widen, surprised at her blunt question. Do I want her in my bed every night? Yes, but that’s not going to help me keep my distance from her. “I think it’s for the best if you sleep in your room. Just so we both have our space.”

She nods, her eyes flickering with hurt before she masks it. “Okay, I understand.”

I can feel the moment she withdraws from me, and I don’t like it.

But I also can’t be who she wants me to be.

ELENA

After we finish eating, Suit asks if I still want to go on a longer ride.

“Another time maybe,” I reply, smiling sadly. I didn’t miss the waitress slipping him her number. It was clear she either knew him or of him, or maybe they’d slept together before. I don’t know what he did with it because I couldn’t look. It hurt too much, so I kept my eyes on my phone. Ignorance is bliss. I always said I would never turn into my mother, who always looked past my father’s affairs, but here I am.

We get back on his bike, but the ride feels different now. The hope I had felt on the way here is long gone. I don’t hold on to him tightly, and I don’t smell the leather of his cut. I close my eyes and wait until I’m able to put some distance between us.

“Thank you for lunch and the ride,” I tell him as I get off the bike and remove my helmet. He takes it from me, and I can feel his gaze on me as I walk back into the clubhouse.

Ora waves me over when I pass the bar, her brow furrowing when she sees my face. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I lie.

She leads me over to the couch and takes a seat. “Try again.”

“Suit took me out for lunch and a ride on his bike, only to tell me I should sleep alone tonight. I don’t know, I guess I thought after last night, things might have changed between us, but they haven’t.”