Page 78 of Reckless Harmony

Rayna, stop it!

She gave herself a mental shake. Now was not the time to rehash her orgasm at the hands of her arch nemesis. She had come so quickly despite the circumstances and the pain of the waxing because it’d been a long time since she’d gotten laid, and Stark was good with his hands. It was a one-time dip into insanity, and she would never allow it to happen again.

“Rayna?”

“I’m sorry.” She smiled at Jasper. “What were you saying?”

He eyed her over his wine glass. “I’m really enjoying our date.”

“I am too,” she lied brightly before finishing off her wine as the server discreetly placed the bill on the table.

Jasper drank the last of his wine as Rayna paid the bill before smiling at him. “Ready to go?”

“Yes,” he said.

He helped her into her jacket, and they left the restaurant. Rayna shivered in the cold air, glancing at Jasper’s expensive but thin winter coat. He was going to freeze at the ice rink.

She stopped at her battered SUV. Hoping he couldn’t hear the lack of interest in her voice, she said, “So, I can give you the address of the Sports Complex, or you can ride with me to the ice rink, and I’ll bring you back here to grab your car when we’re finished. What would you prefer?”

He smiled at her, and she couldn’t deny that he was a handsome man. His dark brown eyes were warm and inviting and didn’t radiate one bit of coldness like a certain blue-eyed cousin of his. Unlike his cousin, he was clean shaven, and she studied his mouth, willing herself to be even mildly into the idea of being in his bed. She’d had every intention of having sex with Jasper tonight if he was interested, and her utter lack of attraction to him was baffling. She should be into him, so why the hell wasn’t she?

Maybe because it’s Stark’s face you want buried between your thighs?

If her inner voice didn’t shut up, Rayna would strangle it.

Jasper took her hand, rubbing his thumb lightly across her knuckles. “To be honest, I’m not really into ice skating.”

Relief washed over her. She’d offer to take him for coffee and dessert at Grind My Beans instead. She could fake interest for another hour or so, and then she could go home, have a hot bath, and not think at all about Stark and his surprising ability to make her come.

“That’s fine,” she said. “How about coffee and dessert? Grind My Beans downtown has amazing coffee, and they make a delicious coffee cake that’s to die for.”

Jasper stepped closer and slid one muscular arm around her waist, tugging her up against him. “We could go for coffee, or we could just skip to what we both really want… you in my bed.”

He pressed his mouth against hers, his lips gentle and coaxing as he slid his hand into her hair. She returned his kiss, trying but failing to feel anything beyond a weary sort of annoyance.

She pulled back, and Jasper smiled at her before lightly tugging on a tendril of her hair. “What do you say we go back to my hotel? The room is hideous, and the walls are thin, but the bed is comfortable enough.”

He leaned in to kiss her again, and she dodged his kiss, untangling herself from his grip. “I think we should have coffee and dessert.”

Annoyance flickered across his face before he smoothed it away. “Sure. But can we take my car? Your car looks dirty, and I’m assuming it’s covered in animal hair.”

“I prefer to take mine,” she said, “but Grind My Beans is right on Main Street, so it’s easy to find. You can follow me, or I can give you directions.”

“Sure,” he said before giving her a flirtatious grin. “I doubt anyone in this one-horse town will be surprised to see your car at the hotel later tonight.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked as alarm bells clanged in her head.

He shrugged, pulling out a pair of expensive leather gloves and sliding them onto his hands. “They all know how much I paid for you.”

“Excuse me?” she said. “Paid for me?”

He waved it off. “Donated to the rescue, same thing.”

“No, it is fucking not,” she said.

He scowled. “No need to be crude. I hate it when women curse.”

“Well, that’s too fucking bad,” she said. “Because I’m using bad language when someone insinuates that I’m a sex worker.”

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