Page 44 of Reckless Games

“You’re blackmailing them?” My gaze moves back to Adam, who is watching me intently. “You invite them here to use it against them in the future?”

“Not everyone is here for that reason. But yes. People come here to let go. To indulge their darkest fantasies. And if that happens to also align with my need to pursue a business opportunity…”

There’s no lying to myself as he admits his truth. He’s ruthless in every form. In life, in business, in bed.

“And that’s why you don’t participate, so they can’t catch you in the same position?”

He nods, the unspoken truth of that fact sitting between us. Because this week he did participate, in public where he could be seen. He poured candle wax on me in a room of people and fucked me at a live sex show.

He indulged for me.

My fingers grip his tighter as my heart starts to race.

“You need to know I’m not a good man, Lakeyn.” He reaches once more for my face. “Which is why this is all I can offer you. This week. It’s already dangerous enough as it is.”

For his business, probably. But in his words, I sense something deeper he’s still not saying.

Either way, he’s right. Our lives are worlds apart. This is the tip of the iceberg and there’s no reality in which we’d make sense outside these walls.

“I understand,” I say, knowing I need to.

“I stayed away from you as long as I could.” He rakes his fingers through my hair, pulling it back off my face. “No matter how much I wanted you, I knew you were better than all of this.”

“I don’t know about that.”

“I do.”

“How?” Deep down, I want to believe him. I want to think I deserve more than whatever Adam can offer me outside of here. But if my relationship with Josh taught me anything, it’s that I’m not easy to love because of my own limits.

“The first time I saw you was at your aunt’s funeral.”

The reminder turns my stomach.

“You walked past me, but you didn’t see me. Your eyes were in the distance, and I’m not sure where that beautiful mind of yours was.”

Drowning in grief.

“Probably distracted,” I say instead.

Adam nods, seeing straight through it like he does everything.

“Your sister was beside you, talking to someone as you walked up the steps to the church, but when she went inside, you didn’t follow her right away. You stopped at a display of flowers.”

The day was so foggy, I barely remember it, but the moment he’s referring to is as clear as if it were happening right before me.

“The roses.”

“The roses.” He nods. “You leaned in and smelled them. And when you pulled back, the distant look in your eyes was gone, and something else took its place. You almost smiled, even though I could tell from your eyes you’d probably been crying all morning.”

I blink back the tears that want to fight free with Adam’s retelling. What he saw mixes with the memory of what happened.

“My aunt used to wear a rose perfume. And I never really liked it. It was too strong, and she always wore too much of it. But that day, it felt like her. And that’s what I needed.”

Adam brushes a tear that breaks free.

“Why do you remember that?” It’s insignificant, and to anyone else, it would mean nothing.

“Because that’s what drew me to you.” He wraps both arms around me. “All my life I’ve been surrounded by people who need more and more. They’re never satisfied and they’re never happy. Nothing is ever expensive enough or special enough. But there you were, your entire demeanor shifted over a simple rose. You like things that are seemingly insignificant, but to you, they might as well be the most special thing you’ve ever seen. You’d rather have grilled cheese than caviar. You’d rather spend time with people like Stella, who makes you laugh, than people who can advance your social status or career. You care about things I never understood until you helped me see it.”

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