Page 52 of Seduction in Spades

He holds the door for me and the instant I step inside, I’m surrounded by the smell of garlic and ginger. It’s a casual order-at-the-counter-and-seat-yourself establishment.

“What would you like?” Nolan asks when we step up to the counter.

Everything looks amazing. I’m not a picky eater and haven’t ever explored many different cuisines and dishes. Living paycheck to paycheck never allowed for such extravagance.

“Whatever you want to order is fine. I’ll grab us a table.”

He tips his head to the side, trying to get a read on me. I lift my brow and saunter off to a table in the corner. A few minutes later, he takes the seat across from me.

“Did I do something to piss you off?” He pours a cup of tea and slides it across the chipped Formica to me.

“As a matter of fact, you did.” I take a slow sip, keeping my gaze fixed on him. “You put the glasses away wrong. I store them upside down. I had to flip both over this morning before I left for work.”

Nolan sets his elbow on the table and rubs his chin, returning my stare. “Is that so?”

“It’s very so.” I take another sip and set my cup in front of me.

“Anything else I didwronglast night?”

The irony is, he did everything right. Everything a woman would want in a man. Nolan is relentless. If I let him know he’s softening me, he’ll continue his chivalry and I won’t be able to resist him.

Hell. Who am I kidding? I can’t resist him now.

“Nah.” I shrug. “Last night was fine. Put me to sleep and was out like a baby.”

He doesn’t move other than the slow swipe of his tongue along his bottom lip. I clench my thighs and sit a little taller. The subtle smirk tells me he’s fully aware of how damn sexy he is.

“Ace. Order up.”

“Ace?”

When he leaves the table, I let out a breath and mentally fan myself. Somehow I’m going to have to tell my body it’s not getting ravished by this man tonight. I need space or I’ll lose my mind.

He sets a tray of food in front of us.

“This smells amazing. What did you order?”

“Egg drop soup, sushi rolls, noodles and Bok choy, sweet Thai chili. I wasn’t sure how spicy you like your food.”

“I like it hot.”

“Noted.”

We eat in silence for a few minutes before I break it. “So you get the ‘It’s fine’brush-off a lot, do you?”

Hearing about his long line of women will help me not crave him as much. Maybe.

“All the time. Serena is a master of it.”

“Serena?”

“Once she hit puberty, she and my mom argued about the stupidest shit. Lasted until she finished college. I got the aftereffects of it.”

“Serena is your sister?”

He takes a bite of noodles and nods. “When she went through her bratty teen years and was always getting grounded for her attitude, I’d go into her room to try to help calm her down. I didn’t like seeing my mom and her fight.”

“You were the peacemaker? Somehow this surprises me.”

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