Page 96 of By His Rule

No man should have the power to make me second-guess myself.

But there is something about Kian that totally disarms me.

He is the perfect specimen of everything I hate in a man. He should not affect me in any way, other than to disgust me and turn me off. But I’m learning that I have a very different reaction when I’m in this man’s company and the object of his attention.

Fucking hell. I’m just like all the others.

Do not fall for it, Lorelei. He’s just trying to make a point. And right now, he is winning.

Straightening my spine, I repeat my little pep talk over and over as we descend through the building, and I pretend to listen as he talks football.

23

KIAN

“What the fuck was that?” Lorelei screams, making my smile grow wider.

For someone who claims not to like football, she’s sure invested.

Her face, when we arrived and I directed her to a box, was priceless. Anyone else would have been beyond excited to have such incredible seats for this game. But, oh no, not Lorelei Tempest. She was pissed not to be in the stands with everyone else.

She is like no other woman I have ever spent time with. It’s as amusing as it is confusing.

I wasn’t trying to impress her—at least, I don’t think I was. But it’s becoming more and more obvious that my usual way of impressing women—anyone really—is having zero effect on my new assistant.

And let’s not even get started on why we’re here in the first place. I was meant to be coming with Dad, but when he called this morning to cancel, there was only one other person I could imagine watching this game with. Fuck knows why. She drives me crazy.

But watching her little brother on Friday night was…fun. So, I figured that she owed me a game.

It made sense until I said the words out loud and to her face. Then I just felt like a bit of a moron.

I have plenty of other associates who would love to watch the game from up here. But I didn’t want a single one of them here with me.

I wanted her. And that is fucking terrifying.

“Who the fuck is that?” she barks, pointing down at the field as I finish my beer and abandon the glass.

Following the direction of her finger, I watch as a Seattle Saints player gets to his feet, leaving a trail of Chiefs’ carnage behind him.

I glance at his number. Eighty-eight.

“Kane Legend.”

Lorelei nods as if she’s aware of his name.

He just took out almost all our defense in one play.

“He’s good. The Saints are really fucking good. Have you been watching their quarterback?”

She scans the field, trying to find him. “Dunn?”

“The one in blue, yeah.”

“Wait, there’s?—”

“Luca Dunn is the Saints’ quarterback. Leon Dunn is one of our wide receivers. They’re twins.”

“Huh. You know a lot about football,” she points out.

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