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He snorts, that dumb smirk returning to his face. “Yes, you. Tell me about yourself.”
I raise my eyebrows. “Well, I work at your foundation. I’ve lived in Seattle all my life. I …”
Aiden cuts me off, rolling his eyes. “I didn’t ask for a work bio. How about what you do for fun. Do you have a boyfriend?”
I widen my eyes slightly. “No. No boyfriend,” I answer.
Aiden’s eyes light up a bit at that, and I resist the urge to narrow my eyes.
“How does a girl who looks like you not have a boyfriend?”
Okay, I can’t resist it anymore. I roll my eyes. Although a tiny part of me warms at his words. I can only hope I’m not noticeably blushing. Fuck. He’s obviously a player. What the hell is wrong with me? “Maybe it’s the lack of acceptable men,” I quip.
“Disappointing, huh?”
“Very.”
“Well, I can’t say I’ve ever left a woman disappointed,” Aiden murmurs with a smirk. He leans toward me. “They’ve all been very, very satisfied.” His voice is low, and his gaze is locked on mine, seemingly pinning me to my seat. There’s something in his look that sets a fire low in my belly. A fire that I’m trying my hardest to quickly extinguish.
I take a deep breath, breaking our gaze and shifting on the stool. Why did Aiden King have to be so goddamn handsome? Those stupidly blue eyes and that chiseled jaw. Fuck.
“That’s very … fun for you,” I manage to reply, trying to keep my cool. I take a sip of wine nonchalantly.
He shrugs. “I think it’s more fun for them.”
I laugh, looking anywhere but directly at him.
“You think I’m joking?” I can tell by his tone that he’s grinning.
God damn it, I can feel a hot flush creeping across my neck. I hope Aiden can’t see it. I force myself to look at him and portray an unmoved expression. I purse my lips. “Not to question your expertise, but men are notorious for not exactly knowing the different between a performance and the real thing,” I answer casually.
A shocked laugh bubbles up from his chest. He sets his glass down on the bar, leaning over slightly and laughing. “Lilly Richards,” he says after a moment, and my name on his lips sends another round of butterflies through my stomach. “You’re funny.”
I can’t tell if I’m more infuriated by the fact that he’s simply laughing at my intended insult, or at the fact that I’m shockingly, irritatingly, unacceptably drawn to that stupid smile on his face. That my name coming out of his mouth was the best sound I’ve heard all day.
Aiden composes himself, his hand now on the back of my seat, his body closer to me than he’s been all night. His eyes are still twinkling from my apparently hilarious comeback. “But if you’re wanting to test your theory, I’d be more than happy to play along,” he says quietly.
Heat pools in my core at his words, his proximity, the heat of his hand softly brushing against my back. Fuck. No, no, no. I swallow.
“I …” I stammer. I glance at our glasses on the bar. Practically gone. We’ve been here long enough. And I did only promise him one drink. And I’m afraid if I stay any longer, I might …
“I should probably go,” I decide aloud, tugging my jacket off my chair, which roughly removes Aiden’s hand. I hop off the stool, grabbing my purse. “Thanks for the drink,” I say, assuming that he’ll pay up before he leaves.
And with one quick glance at his surprised expression, I turn on my heel and leave.
Chapter 5
Aiden
I sit at the bar in stunned silence watching the last flash of blonde hair as Lilly escapes through the front door. My mouth slightly ajar, my brow furrowed, I slowly turn back to the bar, grasping my gin and tonic in my hand.
What just happened?
I’m almost too stunned to process the fact that I was just … rejected? No, that can’t be. I almost want to laugh out loud. I can’t remember the last time a girl turned me down. Back in high school, maybe? I wrack my brain. Sure, girls play coy. They pretend they aren’t interested, they play hard to get. But flat out rejection?
Wow, that’s a foreign feeling. Jesus Christ, have I lost my edge?
I chuckle, still in shock, then take a sip of my drink. Lilly Richards. The prettiest woman I’ve ever seen, and the first woman I’ve encountered who doesn’t want to sleep with me. Some cruel, cosmic joke, it seems.
