Page 205 of By His Rule

I consider his point. “Jury’s still out.”

“Good to know.” He laughs. “Anyway, I like that you see me differently to others. You don’t care about this,” he says, gesturing to himself and then our surroundings. “You see me for who I am, not what I’ve been made into.”

“I dunno,” I muse. “I’m pretty sure I see both.”

“Do you have a preference?”

“Maybe,” I say, watching as our server begins wheeling something toward us.

I shouldn’t be hungry after the first two courses we’ve had, but the second I see the strawberries, marshmallows and chocolate, my mouth begins watering.

“How is this for you, sir?” the server asks.

I didn’t look at the dessert menu. Hell, I barely looked at any menu, but I already know that this isn’t on it.

“Perfect, thank you.”

The trolley he’s pushing tucks perfectly up against the swing seat, allowing us to both eat from it without having to move. It’s perfect.

“Can I get you anything else?”

“No, thank you. Just privacy from here on out, please.”

My stomach twists at Kian’s request.

We may have been secluded in our pod, but there were others right outside and able to see everything.

Here, we’re totally alone. No one can see what we do…

My stomach twists with a potent mixture of excitement and fear.

We’re so close to crossing the line. At this point, I’m pretty sure it’s inevitable. But what’s going to happen after?

I can’t lose my job. We need the money too much.

I would never forgive myself if I fucked this up and in turn ruined Wilder and Hendrix’s chance at college.

“Lorelei?” Kian asks, dragging me from my second freak-out of the night.

What is it about this man that turns me into this mess? I’m usually so strong and sure of everything. Yet when I’m with him…I question everything.

He holds a strawberry up that he’s dipped into the chocolate sauce and edges it toward my mouth.

Wow, he really isn’t messing around.

My mouth moves on instinct and my lips part, more than ready for what he’s offering.

His eyes dilate as I bite down on the fruit, and they darken even further when I moan in delight as the sweetness coats my tongue.

“You’re playing a very dangerous game here, Kian Callahan.”

“Can’t help it,” he says before throwing the other half of the strawberry I just had into his mouth. “I’m an adrenaline junkie. I love that feeling of not knowing what’s about to happen.”

“I’m pretty sure you have a solid idea of what you want to happen,” I point out as I reach for a marshmallow and dip it into some chocolate before licking it off.

Kian clears his throat. “Doesn’t mean it will. It takes two to tango.”

“So it does.” Loading up a second marshmallow, I hold it out for him.

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