Page 48 of RAKEish

“Reevaluating you doesn’t necessitate us sleeping together.”

“But it could?” He was ready to back off, to hail her a cab if she rebuffed him again. “Oh, by the way. These are for you.” He pulled out his five cards from the Flirtation Gala and handed them to her.

“You kept them all?” she murmured, not glancing at the back of them.

He leaned in, hoping his smile was as disarming as he intended. “I saved them all for you. Even wrote my favorite saying on the back just like Ms. Birdie instructed.”

One-by-one she flipped them over and read:

“First looks are often deceiving…”

“…but second glances can reveal secrets…”

“In every jest, there is truth…”

“Turn over a card, as you might a new leaf, and let’s write a midnight story that starts with ‘What if?’”

She stopped reading and shook her head as if she were having a conversation with herself, and she didn’t like the answer herself had just given her.

“You should listen to that inner voice you’re trying hard to ignore,” he prompted.

Her gaze met his, amusement and challenge mingling there. “If we’re doing this, I’m expecting the full rake experience. Don’t give me the sanitized version.”

The groan that escaped him was half frustration, half anticipation. “Can you be more specific?”

“I want something…different. Uncharted territories, not the well-trodden path,” she said, her voice a mix of curiosity and determination.

He had to ask, even as he braced for her answer. “As in dirty talk, Doc, or are we venturing into kinkier domains? BDSM?”

Her cheeks flamed. “Are you into BDSM?”

His laughter was light, trying to ease the tension. “Dirty talk it is. Anything else?”

When she licked her lips, it was as if she’d struck a match, igniting something fierce within him. “Just a heads-up,” she warned, pointing her finger in playful admonition. “Don’t catch feelings. This is just a detour on my road to self-discovery. It’s not a journey to love, but I’m betting it ends with a climax.”

He couldn’t resist the jibe, his confidence peaking. “I guarantee multiple climaxes,” he corrected, signaling for a taxi with a flourish. Her teasing had been a spark, but his promise? That was a blazing commitment.

CHAPTER 16

Lux’s nerves buzzed with a cocktail of anxiety and excitement as the elevator ascended to Scott’s floor. To ease the growing tension, she cast around for casual conversation. “How did you end up living in Chelsea?” she asked, surprised to find his world orbiting so close to hers.

The elevator dinged at his floor, but it wasn’t until the doors glided open that he answered, taking her hand as they stepped out. “This was my mother’s place. It came to me after she passed.”

“How old were you then?” she asked softly.

“Twelve,” he said with a simplicity that belied the depth of such a loss.

They moved down a hall that was pleasantly scented, a stark contrast to her own building’s aroma. “I often take for granted that I still have my mom, even with our constant button-pushing. I should remember that the next time she drives me crazy.”

“I'd give anything for one more piece of Mum’s advice.” Scott’s voice was tinged with a rare wistfulness as he unlocked the door.

Inside, Lux’s eyes swept the space. “It’s beautiful,” she said, though the word ‘cozy’ echoed silently in her thoughts. Rakes, she assumed, wouldn’t appreciate such a homely compliment.

“I’ve kept most of it as she left it,” he admitted. “I should update it, but parting with her choices is something I haven’t managed yet.”

Lux traced her fingertips over the furniture, her touch gentle as she searched for a connection to his past. “Why did she have a place here, in the States?”

“She was American. Dad gave her this apartment when they married. They wanted a foothold in both countries. It became her haven; now it’s mine.”

---