Page 47 of Just Like That

“What about you?” I asked after dumping the leftover popcorn in the trash and depositing the bowls in the sink. “Are you a cheater?”

Only the dim lighting of a lamp on the countertop illuminated the room. We were folded in soft lighting, and I admired how the golden light cut across his sharp cheekbones.

In the faded light, his eyes were softer.

Kinder.

He moved toward me, crowding me as my back pressed against the countertop. JP leaned into my space as he placed a cup in the sink behind me.

His face was inches from mine. “I’m not the villain you think that I am, Hazel.”

My mind raced as my throat went hot and thick. I swallowed past the uncertainty and tried to find the words to tell him that I suspected he might be right about that.

His gravelly voice tickled the back of my neck, and my thighs pressed together. “I’m also not a cheater, but I do play to win.”

My breath was shaky, but I smiled. “Let me guess. Ruthless?”

A wolf’s grin spread across his face and my pulse danced. “Every time.”

Over his shoulder I could see the scattered game pieces still covering the coffee table. I swallowed. “You know ...” I licked my lips and his cool eyes tracked the movement, sending a bolt of lightning straight to my clit. “I’m pretty good at that game. Do you want to play a round?”

JP glanced over his shoulder to the living room. His lips twitched. “I’m a little bored with that one.” He shrugged. “I deal with properties and finance every day in my real job.”

“Ahh,” I teased. My palms gripped the marble countertop at my back. “You prefer the thrill of a real acquisition.”

JP’s hip brushed mine, and I wanted to ignite. “I like taking what someone says I can’t have.”

I slinked past him, needing space before I did something stupid like grab him by his T-shirt and press my mouth to his.

Again.

I cleared my throat and faked a smile, hoping he couldn’t see the way my nipples were actively broadcasting how keyed up I was. “How about ... you try something new?”

JP took my spot against the counter, moving one ankle over the other and crossing his arms. “Like?”

“Let me do a tarot reading with you.” Excitement built as I considered the prospect of getting some insight into the elusive JP King.

His brow furrowed. “Like fortune-telling?”

I rolled my eyes and laughed. “Tarot isn’t fortune-telling. It simply gives you insight. It’s a powerful way of revealing the truth about your life.”

He gave me a flat look. “So ... it’s bullshit.”

I scoffed. “Fine. Be a stick-in-the-mud.”

I turned to leave the kitchen when his quiet voice stopped me. “Okay.”

I eased back around to find him staring at me. Energy crackled under my skin. “Okay?”

He sighed and dropped his hands to his sides. “Let’s get this over with.”

The tiny quirk at the side of his mouth was endearing. He tried so hard to be an asshole that it was easy to forget there was a man I’d yet to fully understand hiding just beneath the surface.

I scampered out of the living room and dashed up the stairs to my bedroom. My tarot deck was wrapped in cloth. I also grabbed a smudge stick, matches, and a small piece of selenite crystal.

When I walked back downstairs, I paused to notice a few candles had been lit. I smiled at JP’s back.

He was focusing on something in the kitchen, and when he turned, he was holding two glasses of wine.

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