Page 76 of Kiss the Villain

My mouth twitches in a smile. “You like strawberries?”

“What made you think that? I could’ve picked them randomly.”

“They were tucked away at the very back of the fridge, hidden among all kinds of fruit, which means you were deliberately searching for them.”

He purses his lips. He really doesn’t like it when I read him.

I should do it more.

“Why strawberries?”

“Because. Why does your house smell of lavender?”

“Because.”

He narrows his eyes and picks up another strawberry but doesn’t eat it. “Don’t own any shirts?”

“Now, you’re looking at my chest, baby?”

“It’s disturbing.”

“The snake?”

“Your nakedness.” He cocks his head to the side. “What does it mean? The snake?”

“Should it mean something? Can’t I have a tattoo because I think it looks good?”

“I find it hard to believe you’d do something without purpose.”

Now,heis the one readingme.I like this game.

Mostly because I have more cards up my sleeves than he’ll ever have.

“I’ll disclose the meaning if you tell me the story behind your tattoo.”

“How do you know I have one?”

Well, damn. It’s on his upper arm and I haven’t seen that yet. And of course he remembers that I haven’t seen it.

I keep my expression neutral. “Don’t all kids your age?”

“I’m not a kid. I’m almost twenty-two.”

“Almost?”

“Yeah, my birthday is in four months.”

“Is it important to you that I see you as older than you are?”

“What?”

“I’m thirty-three.”

“And?”

“Does an eleven-year age difference really feel any less significant than twelve? Trying to narrow the gap, are we?”

His lips part and he soon presses them in a line. “I don’t care.”

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