Page 24 of Seduced By You

I longed for her to kiss me, to know what those soft lips tasted like, to feel the length of her body fused to mine.

“You almost had me there, Kingcaid.” A dig in the ribs followed. “You’re playing the part of boyfriend to perfection. But you needn’t bother here. Let’s save it for when we have to put on a show.”

She might as well have punched a hole in my chest, ripped out my heart, and devoured it along with a full-bodied Merlot.

“Spielberg, here I come.” How I sounded normal, I’d never know. But she bought it, flashing me a broad grin.

“Come on, then, stud. Show me a good time.”

The real tragedy was that her idea of a good time and mine couldn’t be any further apart.

Chapter8

Leesa

I’m losing my mind.

Kadon Kingcaid would makesomeone a fine husband one day. He was caring, kind, and great company, had a face and body that modeling agencies would fight to the death over, and was the best listener I’d ever met. In my experience, men in general were dreadful listeners with short attention spans and a desire to speak only about themselves.

He also knew how to show a girl a good time. A boat trip down the Seine was something I’d wanted to do every time I’d traveled to Paris, but I’d only ever been here for modeling gigs, and those didn’t come with spare minutes to myself. And like I’d told him, Benedict hadn’t ever shown an interest in visiting. At the time, his disinterest had disappointed me, but now, looking back, I was glad I was here with Kadon rather than him.

Before we’d boarded, I would have bet more than a few quid that he was going to kiss me. And the most confusing thing of all… I’d wanted him to. I’dwantedKadon to kiss me. Kadon. My best friend. The man I’d never looked at that way before. What the hell was wrong with me?

I blamed Paris. Like he’d said, it was the city of love and romance. And my emotions were all over the place knowing that tomorrow, I’d have to face Benedict and play nice and pretend he hadn’t hurt me when we both knew he had. I hated the power that gave him over me. Plus, I was certain my poor brain was getting confused between what was real and what was fake. By Sunday, when all this was over, everything would go back to normal. I was sure of it.

“How are you feeling about tomorrow?” Kadon topped off my glass of wine.

“Can you read minds? I was just thinking about that.” I drew figures of eight on the crisp white tablecloth. “I’m dreading it, but I hope it will allow me to close that chapter of my life for good. And if I can annoy Benedict a little, all the better.”

“Oh, we’ll needle him all right. By Sunday, he’ll think he’s slept on a pin cushion.”

I laughed. “Now there’s a happy thought.”

“Trust me. I know men like Benedict. As long as he thinks he’s got the upper hand, he’ll behave like the smug asshole he is. However, when he realizes that you’ve not only gotten over him but are also already in another relationship, that will bug the shit out of him.”

“At least I waited nine months. He didn’t wait nine fucking minutes.”

He laughed. “Andthat’swhat you should say to him if he tries to play the injured party. Which he will. I guarantee it.”

“You don’t know that. You’ve never even met him.”

“I don’t need to have met him to know what he’s like.” He reached into his jacket pocket and slammed a hundred-euro note on the table. “Let’s have a wager. I bet you, by the end of the weekend, Benedict will tell you something like he wishes you hadn’t broken up but that he had to do what he thought was best for his career. In fact, I’ll go one better and speculate he suggests an affair.”

“He wouldn’t do that. No way.”

Kadon tapped his fingernail against the bill. “Then put your money on the table, Alarie.”

Surely he wouldn’t… right? Not even Benedict was that much of an arsehole. I mean, yeah, he’d as much as admitted he was marrying Fenella for who her father was rather than any deep love for her. But he had to at least like her. And that might grow into love.

If Fenella hadn’t slept with him when he was with me, I’d tell her what he was like. But as far as I was concerned, they deserved one another.

“I’ll take the bet.” I added my own one hundred euros to Kadon’s. He folded the notes in half and slid them into his wallet. Holding up his glass of wine, he waited for me to pick mine up, too.

“Let the games begin.”

I rose the next morning as the sun bathed the Eiffel Tower in yellow and gold. While this bed might be one of the comfiest I’d slept in, the view from the window was more than enough to drag me from between the sheets and head to the window to take it in.

I loved Paris. I loved it more after last night. The view from the Seine aboard a sleek cruiser while enjoying amazing food, fine wine, and the best company, was a night I’d remember for always. The number of times I’d mused how lucky I was that Kadon had chosen that particular beach and time to go for a run. But as much as I adored seeing him every day and working at the beach club, it wasn’t my dream career.

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