Page 41 of Playing Flirty

It had been days since William sat on my couch, and even though nothing had happened and nothing ever would happen, the memory was crystal clear in my mind.

At least that’s what I told myself when Shaun and I walked into his apartment and my eyes immediately landed on William. Standing in the kitchen, he held a spatula while something fragrant sizzled in the pan in front of him.

“Hungry?” he asked.

Was that flirty? Have I completely lost the plot?

Shaun nodded. “Yes, yes, yes.”

“What is it?” I set down my bag and joined Shaun at the island separating the living area from the kitchen. The closer I got, the more my mouth watered.

For the food. Obviously.

“Spaghetti Bolognese.” William reached into a high cupboard and retrieved three plates.

Shaun closed his eyes, his nostrils flaring. “You’re gonna wanna say yes to this,” he said to me before hopping off the stool and walking into the bathroom.

As soon as I was alone with William, an easy smile spread across my face. “Well, yes, please. I didn’t know you could cook.”

His gaze darted up to mine and then to the closed bathroom door. Glancing back down at the sauce he stirred, a provocative smile curled onto his face. “I think you might find that I am multitalented when it comes to satisfying cravings.”

His voice dipped as he reached the end of his sentence, and my entire body vibrated.

That was definitely flirty. I was not imagining things.

This wasn’t Playing Nice, but something else. A new round…

A thrill coursed through my veins as one thing became clear: I wanted to play.

But I wouldn’t. It would blow up in our faces, much like Neema had warned.

Why was I even thinking about this? Nothing had happened.

William lifted the plate questioningly, his eyes landing on something behind me.

“Ten,” Shaun answered. “Fill it all the way up.”

“You?” William held a second empty dish in my direction. “One is a taste, ten is as much as can fit.”

“Uh, five?”

He tutted. “You can handle a bit more.”

“Six?” I squeaked out, ignoring the way his gaze dipped to my mouth.

He shook his head and gestured upward with his free hand.

“Seven?”

One end of his mouth quirked up. “You won’t regret it.”

When he finished scooping up everyone’s meals, he handed me my dish and asked, “Do you want to get started? We could work on the balcony or in my bedroom, but I believe bedrooms aren’t part of business meetings.”

“Why not here?” I gestured to the living area, where it was safer.

“Because Shaun isn’t going to leave us alone unless we can lock him out.”

I chuckled. Unable to resist the smell of the food any longer, I took one bite, and my taste buds came alive. Damn this man. Damn him and all his talents.

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