Page 215 of Well Played

My cock stiffened.

She opened the door to a restaurant I’d never been to.

Hot air and the scent of spices wafted across the space.

Well, this is going to be interesting.

4

Yasmine

Nick intrigued me.He didn’t seem to understand my relationship with Kaden.

Sometimes I didn’t understand it either, but I never would show doubts. I didn’t have a problem with Kaden going on dates and fucking other women. What I wasn’t clear about was why he kept coming back to me. Yes, we were incendiary together—but I worried we’d eventually fly close to the sun and our wings would melt.

Icarus, anyone?

I worried our passion couldn’t be sustained. On the other hand, if he felt he needed to go elsewhere, how passionate were we, really?

Nick held his chopsticks aloft. “You’ve told me about your family and your career…but you haven’t told me much about yourself.”

I sniffed. “Perhaps my family and my career are my life. Did that not occur to you? I’m an open book.”Please believe me.

He chuckled. “Sweetheart, I call bullshit.” Belatedly, he glanced around the restaurant.

Not a child in sight.

He blew out a breath. In relief?

“You’ve told me nothing about yourself.” Well, something about what his parents did. And that he believed in repairing things. That felt nebulous, though. Like he was only showing me the surface.But isn’t that what you’re doing?

He arched an eyebrow. “You’re too young to hear about my pastimes.”

I sat straighter and rolled my shoulders back. My posture was always excellent, but I’d hunched over my beef and broccoli. This place had plenty of authentic Chinese dishes, as well as some more appropriate for blander palates—like mine. I might have fiery red hair, but that spiciness did not extend to my eating habits. Nope, I got heartburn. “I can guarantee I’m not too young.” I’d spent the past eight years being underestimated.

“You’re barely out of high school.”

“I nearly have a college degree.”

At my counter, his eyebrow arched again.

“I’m not just a pretty face.” I’d received many compliments for my beauty over the year—rarely for my intellect.

Kaden knew better.

“What are you studying?”

“Teaching English as a Second Language.” I arched an eyebrow of my own. “I plan to teach lessons to new arrivals. See, I’ve also got a knack for languages and have mastered several Eastern European languages, including Ukrainian. That one’s come in handy recently.”

His eyes darkened. “Yes, unfortunately that’s true.” He poked at his food.

“I didn’t mean to rob you of your appetite.”

He blinked. “I’m just thinking that sometimes…are we contributing to society? To the greater good?”

“Speak for yourself.” I titled my chin. “I provide people with entertainment. To get them away from their pain for a day. For a moment. That’s a worthwhile endeavor. A reason to get up in the morning. The fact I’m also learning a practical skill isn’t a bad thing.” I grinned. “I can’t fly forever.”

“You fly with reckless abandon.”

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