Page 29 of Power Play

“Five.”

Her eyes cut to mine. “That made it worse.”

I smiled as she slid into the chair across from me. She looked less polished than she had at the Sin Bin the night before, though less polished for Charm still meant every piece of her looked intentional. Her hair fell loose over her shoulders, her mouth was glossed soft pink, and the thin gold chain at her throat rested against the warm skin exposed above her tank.

My attention dropped farther than it needed to.

Cream shorts with long bare legs.

That fucking coral top.

I dragged my eyes back to her face and found her watching me. One delicate eyebrow lifted. “Are we starting with literature or my shirt?”

The laugh escaped before I could stop it. “You’ve gotten brave.”

“I’m asking for clarification.”

“Literature.”

Her mouth curved. “Eventually?”

I stared at her.

Charm calmly reached for the chair beside her and pulled it closer to the table as though she hadn’t just thrown gasoline over the exact fire I’d spent the drive trying to put out.

This was what made staying on the friend side of the line harder now.

She fucking flirted back.

There was no shocked retreat anymore. No pretending she didn’t understand. She gave me enough to know the attraction wasn’t living exclusively in my head, then sat there looking pretty and innocent while I decided how much trouble I was willing to cause.

I pushed an iced coffee toward her instead.

She looked at the cup, then at me. “What is this?”

“Your coffee.”

“You know my order?”

“I guessed.”

Her fingers closed around the cup. “That could be a disaster or a gold star.”

“Vanilla cold brew, light ice, extra foam, cinnamon on top.”

Her mouth curved. “You sound obsessed.”

“I pay attention.”

“That sounds stalkery.”

“I’ve known you almost four years, and you drink the same coffee every time we’re together.”

“Sometimes I drink wine.”

“That really cleared your name.”

She laughed softly and took a sip. “Gold star.”