Page 210 of Sweet Temptation

“You’re completely at ease with drinking, socializing, flirting and saying whatever you want to.”

“Hey. I have a filter.”

“I didn’t mean it like that. I think you’re very selective about what you say and to whom. I’d go so far as to say you’re calculating, and not in a bad way.”

“And you’d be right,” I agreed.

“You care about what people think, and feel, because your goal is to entertain them, right? Like you said, you want to make people happy.”

“Uh-huh.” I liked that he paid attention. That he listened to everything I said.

“But I’m not as… natural… with those things as you are,” he said. “I tend to just bite my tongue. You know, keep quiet. So I don’t put my foot in my mouth.”

“Maybe we should loosen your tongue.” I picked up his first beer, the one he hadn’t even finished yet, and handed it to him. “I’d love to have a conversation with Ronan Sterling, unfiltered.”

“You mean drunk.”

“That, too.”

He eyed me over the rim of his glass. “You know, I have a policy. I don’t drink with clients.”

Nice try.

“I’m gonna assume you don’t usually fuck them, or date them, either.”

“That would be true.”

“So? You’re already breaking the rules tonight. Why not go nuts?”

“Uh, going nuts isn’t really my style.”

“Then go nice,” I said. “The fact that when you get drunk you get ‘nicer’ tells me you’re nice already. The lack of filter just lets you express it a little easier.”

“Maybe that’s the problem,” he muttered into his beer.

“We could find a reason to drink,” I suggested. “If that makes you feel better about it. We could be celebrating.”

“Celebrating what?”

“Your newfound freedom from the rules.”

He gave me a look.

“For tonight, I mean.” I figured anything more than one night might’ve blown his mind too much.

Baby steps.

“And that’s something to celebrate?” he asked.

“Hell, yes. It doesn’t take much, anyway. I’ll celebrate pretty much anything.”

“I noticed.”

“In my opinion, life is one big celebration.”

“I noticed that, too.”

“You notice everything, I know. And yet… I know very little about you.” I cocked my head at him. “You just agreed that you’re my boyfriend and I’ve convinced you to introduce me to your favorite uncle. But I haven’t even seen your apartment. Do you have an apartment?”

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