Page 19 of Corrupted Heir (Mafia Kings: Corrupted 1)

“So, what did you think?” Dominic asked as the waiter cleared away what was left of the food. “Did I win the bet?”

“I didn’t realize we were betting.”

“We were. And since you look thoroughly pleased by the meal, I think it’s fair to say I won,” he said with a smug grin that was almost cute.

“I will admit I’ve never eaten anything quite so good,” I conceded.

His smile turned devilish. Nothing “cute” remained. “Then I think it’s only fair that I collect my winnings,” he said.

Before I could ask what he was talking about, he swooped in. His lips pressed against mine with enough force to know this was no quick victory kiss, but not quite so hard that I couldn’t have pulled away if I’d wanted to. Which I did… and yet, I remained there as his tongue plied against the seam of my lips, and tiny tremors of something dark and forbidden shot through me. Dear God, what the hell was I doing? I must have lost my mind because I opened for him, but the moment I did, he pulled away.

He sat back in his chair unruffled and picked up the small dessert menu that had been left on the table.

“Ready for dessert?” he asked, glancing up from the menu. Though he kept a straight face, I could see it there in the corners of his eyes—the smugness that came from knowing he’d thrown me for a loop.

“Yes,” I said, sitting up straight and acting like I wasn’t the least bit flustered by that kiss.

He held up a hand, and a waiter came running over within seconds. Saving me from another embarrassing attempt at the menu, Dominic ordered for me. Then he nodded at the waiter who bowed before leaving.

“You’re not having dessert?”

“I don’t like sweets,” he said, clearing his throat.

A thick silence fell upon us.

“So, um… I’ve told you plenty about me. What about you?” I said, decidedly ignoring the thick tension that seemed to strangle me in place.

“What about me?” he said, cocking an eyebrow. Even the guy’s eyebrows were stupidly sexy. Was that even possible?

“How about, what do you do for a living?”

He looked away and cleared his throat. “I do odd jobs here and there.”

The guy hardly struck me as unemployed. “What kind of odd jobs?”

“This and that,” he hedged.

I rolled my eyes. “Okay, how about, why did my father set us up on this date? What kind of favor is that?”

“Your father arranged our date as a favor to my father. And as for why… Would you believe I found you to be the most intriguing woman I’d ever met the other night? That I wanted to get to know you better?”

The guy had been a primo asshole that night, and nothing about his demeanor hinted that he found me to be anything other than a giant pain in his ass.

“Who is your father?” I asked since the other line of questioning was getting me nowhere.

“He’s an important man. He thought it was time I got back into the dating… scene.”

Oh.

So, Dominic didn’t want to be here any more than I did. His father had pushed him into it too. For just a moment, I felt a spark of something more than attraction to this man. It was a spark of camaraderie that I hadn’t expected. Dominic had been avoiding dating, just like me, and here we both were, forced together by our fathers.

“He thought I’d spent enough time hopping from one woman’s bed to the next, and insisted I try something… different.”

Ssss. Just like that, the spark fizzled out like a Dr Pepper being cracked open. Dominic didn’t avoid dating to avoid getting hurt; he avoided dating so he didn’t have to worry about being tied down to one woman. Just freaking wonderful. A rich playboy.

“Well, don’t let me keep you from your bed-hopping,” I said with more bitterness in my voice than I’d intended to let slip through.

He eyed me strangely, like I was a puzzle he couldn’t quite put together right. “You asked me a question, and I gave you an answer. It seems a little unfair that you’re glaring daggers at me over here.”

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