Page 119 of Take What You Want

He leans forward, elbows on his knees, as he raises a brow at me. “It wouldn’t have happened?”

I glance toward Nikolai, who watches the two of us with interest. Flicking my eyes back to Reid, I say slowly, “I mean, it’s not like you would’ve taken me up on my offer if I would’ve asked you.”

“I wouldn’t have?”

“No?”

“Oh, I absolutely would’ve.”

His admission is like a slap across the face.Or ass.The good kind of slap. “Don’t be an asshole.”

“I’m not being an asshole. For once.” He chuckles.

“Fine,” I sigh. “Then don’t tease me like that. It’s not funny.”

“I’m not teasing. Does it look like I’m teasing, Nik?”

Nikolai’s eyes bounce back and forth between the two of us, like he’s not sure if he should jump in or let this play out.

“I’ve seen the type of women you’re with,” I mutter. And they definitely don’t look like me.

Reid cocks his head. “And you don’t think I can have more than one type?”

“No.”

“Do you want me to tell you that I think you’re a sexy woman, Jane?” he says matter of fact. “Is that what you want to hear? Will that make you feel better about yourself? Make you forget all of those shitty things your ex told you and made you believe?”

How in the hell does he?—

He gives me a knowing smile. The bastard. People often underestimate Reid’s intelligence and get distracted by the way he looks. They mistake his aloofness for a lack of interest and disregard of the things going on around him. Myself included.

But his ability to read people is astounding and I hate to give him props but…

“I’m not professing love for you, Little Walker, so relax.” He chuckles. “But I can appreciate a beautiful woman. Even if she belongs to my best friend.”

“I don’t belong to anyone,” I rasp and immediately take a sip of wine to clear my throat. I don’t want him, or Nikolai for that matter, to hear how his words have affected me. The air seems to have gone up a few degrees and my shirt clings to my skin.

“She’s still in denial,” Nikolai pipes in, but I don’t bother refuting him. Instead, my mind drifts off, thinking about the two of them together.With me.

I’ve always been able to appreciate that Reid is an attractive guy without being attracted to him. Maybe because I’ve always been blinded by Nikolai or because I know we’d never be a good match for each other. He’s too volatile, too moody.

But as I sit here and trace the veins in his hands as they flex when picking up his next bite of food and the way his full lips part as he brings it to his mouth…

I shift in my seat as my blood turns hot and a pull begins in my core. Thinking about the harshness of Reid balanced with the gentleness of Nikolai, I can hardly sit still.

Guilt floods me at the fact that I’m actually getting turned on thinking about it. I don’t want Reid.

“I can still give you what you want,” Reid says, interrupting my heated spiral.

I frown. “What?”

Nikolai shifts out of the corner of my eye, and Reid marks the movement with a knowing grin.

“You said you considered me as an option because I could give you what you want and walk away after with no strings,” he continues. “I can still do that.”

His glass is still half-full and he hasn’t had a refill yet, so he can’t possibly be drunk. But why else would he be saying this? Especially in front of Nikolai. I wait for him to shoot Reid down, to get angry, to shut him up, but instead he watches me, letting me take the lead on this.

Is he actually okay with this right now?

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