Page 73 of Playing a Player (Sweet Cravings 1)

I was so glad that Connor had convinced me not to run away. I didn't want to hide from how I was feeling right now. Yesterday before I had discovered Rory was on a date, I had been so happy, despite the weight of telling him about the newspaper articles. And I didn't want to miss out on that feeling just because I didn't have the guts to tell Rory how I felt yet.

There was a knock on my bedroom door. "Keira?"

Even his voice gave me that now familiar pull in my stomach. I slipped on a pair of black heels before opening my door.

"Wow, you look amazing." He leaned forward and placed a soft kiss against my lips.

He had never kissed me like that before. There was something gentle and loving about it. When he pulled away I felt like I could see it in his eyes. He was looking at me like he had missed me. All those doubts from last night seemed so ridiculous when he was right in front of me.

He held up a tie. "Do you know how to tie this?" Just seeing him holding a tie reminded me of being blindfolded with one in his bedroom. He smiled at me, as if he could tell what I was thinking. "I've been thinking a lot about all the ways you might want to be punished. It should probably involve this, don't you think?" He handed me the tie.

I swallowed hard and took the tie from him. "I think you know what I like better than I do." I slipped the tie under the collar of his white shirt. He was wearing a dark gray suit and I had never seen him look more handsome. His suit was fitted and seemed to show off all his lean muscles. I pulled the end of the tie through the knot I had made and tightened it. His eyes locked with mine as I adjusted his tie.

He took a step forward, pressing my back against the doorframe. "Are you sure you don't want to just stay here?"

"As tempting as that is, I already told them we were coming."

He pretended to pout.

"Come on, Rory," I grabbed his tie and lightly pulled it, directing him to the door. "It's going to be fun."

"It'll be fun to dance with you all night." He slapped my ass.

"Rory!" I laughed. "You're going to try to embarrass me tonight, aren't you?" We stepped onto the elevator.

"I do like making you blush. But no, I'll be on my best behavior." He raised his eyebrow at me.

"You don't have to quite be on your best behavior." I pinched his ass.

He laughed and grabbed my hand as we walked along the sidewalk in search of a taxi. I looked down at our intertwined hands. He wouldn't be holding my hand if he didn't like me. This was the first time we were going on an actual date outside of our apartment. I couldn't help but wonder when the last time he had gone on a real date was. Was it his girlfriend from college? Or was it with someone last night? I didn't want to think about last night, but something seemed different about him today. If he had been on a date, it must have been an awful one, because he was acting like he was as smitten with me as I was with him.

Rory hailed down a taxi and opened up the door for me. He was being such a gentleman. Did a sweet, nice guy exist somewhere under his player façade? I didn't need to ask myself that question. I knew it did. Because I had witnessed him being sweet and nice. He was all those things on top of being sexy, and that was why I had completely fallen.

He sat down next to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "So, what is your friend's name?"

"Becca. And the lucky guy is Jeremy."

"How do you two know each other?"

"We were in a journalism club together in college."

"You really are a huge nerd, aren't you?" He smiled at me.

I shrugged. "I was worried about getting a job after graduating. Journalism club was just something else I could add to my résumé."

"Isn't actual experience better than some club?"

"Yeah, but how was I supposed to get my first job? That's the problem. Everyone wants someone with experience, so it's hard to land your first gig. I was worried. Weren't you? Culinary arts is really competitive, isn't it?"

"It is." He shifted slightly in his seat, but kept his arm around me. "I never actually finished, though."

"Wait, you didn't graduate?" I never would have guessed that. Everything that he had made for me was delicious and he had a really good job.

"Is that a deal breaker for you or something?" His thumb had dipped below one of the straps of my dress. There was something comforting about the way he always wanted his hands on me.

"No, not at all. I was just surprised. Why didn't you finish?"

"I just figured that actual experience was better than being critiqued over some dish I had no desire to ever make again in my life."

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