Page 213 of Sweet Temptation

And he was nice about it.

“You’re so beautiful,” he told me, twice, while we made popcorn in a pot on his stove.

Andre was in the adjoining living room, trying to play DJ with the sad music collection on Ronan’s home computer. Dinner seemed so long ago already, I had the munchies, so snacks were first priority. After that, I’d take over the music. I’d already joined Ronan’s WiFi and connected my phone to his speakers, pretty much the moment I stepped in the door.

“Find 3 Doors Down,” I called to Andre. “I know he has them.” I grinned at Ronan.

A moment later, “Kryptonite” started playing.

“I love how you love music,” Ronan said, staring at me. “It makes me want to pay more attention to music.”

“Good. Then I’ve done my job.”

His gaze lingered on my lips. “I thought your job was to make people happy.”

“Are you happy right now?”

He was leaning into me, closer and closer. And I wondered if he’d actually throw drunken caution to the wind and kiss me in front of Andre. “Yeah…” he breathed, his lips an inch from mine.

I smelled something… off.

“Burning!” I blurted, and we both jumped into action. He grabbed the pot off the stove and I snatched the big bowl he’d set out on the counter, laughing. He dumped the popcorn into it. It wasn’t too bad. I picked out the burnt ones, then buttered and salted.

I watched as Ronan ate the burnt ones I’d picked out. He shrugged. “I like the burnt ones.”

“I hate empty calories,” I complained, as I ate a handful of popcorn and washed it back with a tequila shot.

“But they look good on you,” Ronan said, his eyes moving over my body. When they met mine again, they widened. “That was a compliment. I meant… you’re so beautiful.”

I wondered if he realized how many times he’d already said that to me tonight.

I was definitely enjoying Unfiltered Ronan.

The three of us sat down around his dining room table—after Ronan pulled out my chair for me—with the popcorn, the bottle of tequila and our silly shot glasses. Andre poured us out another round of shots.

I wasn’t sure how many we’d done. They were all kinda blurring together now.

“To getting drunk and stuff,” Andre aptly toasted us. After we’d downed the shots, he burped and said, “So, now what? Drinking games? Kings Cup?”

“We need more people for that,” I said.

“Drunk Jenga?”

“Do I look like a man who owns Jenga?” Ronan said.

Both Andre and I looked at him.

“Never Have I Ever?” Andre suggested. “Truth or Dare?”

“We’re not twelve-year-old girls,” Ronan pointed out.

“Then what’re we doing here with all the shots, if not playing drinking games?” Andre inquired.

“We’re getting Ronan to loosen up his professional boundaries,” I said.

“Oh, shit. Why didn’t ya say so? Strip poker it is.”

“Ooooohh,” I said. “I love that.”

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