Page 27 of Thief of Hearts

“And speaking of things I enjoy,” he continued, “I think this is the most time I’ve ever spent with a woman without her ending up in my bed. Although tonight you will be adjacent to my bed, so perhaps that counts.”

“It does not,” I told him firmly and he laughed. “Is that how you spend your time? Trying to seduce everyone you come across?”

“Something like that. And it’s not trying and it is fairly easy.”

“It is? Show me.”

His eyes sparkled in the low light and he straightened up. “On you?”

Goddess, no. I wasn’t sure I’d survive the attempt. “Not on me.”

Disappointment flashed across his face. “You pick the woman, then.”

Were we really doing this? It seemed so strange. And I only had myself to blame. I looked out over the room filled with people. I spotted a woman I assumed was more to his liking—tiny, waifish, gleaming dark hair.

She was also surrounded by a gaggle of men. If we were going to do this, I was going to make it as difficult as I could. I pointed her out. “That one.”

“Fine.”

“Will I have to wait all night?” I asked.

“It’ll only take a few minutes. And to make things interesting, I won’t even speak to her.”

I laughed as he walked into the room. There was no way for him to accomplish his task.

He walked over to a food table, his back turned to the woman I’d picked out. He didn’t look her direction. Didn’t make eye contact.

I watched as she stopped speaking. Her gaze landed on him once, twice, three times. The men surrounding her were trying to get her attention but she only had eyes for Zain. After a minute she got up and made her way over to him.

How could this be working? He wasn’t even doing anything!

When she approached he turned to smile down at her. I couldn’t hear what she was saying but the rapture on her face was unmistakable. He tapped a finger against his cheek and she reached up to kiss it. I was both appalled and mesmerized.

Appalled because I was worried what I might do if he turned all that charm on me.

She then whispered something in his ear and ran back to her group.

Zain, looking smug, made his way back over to me. “She asked me to meet her later.”

“Are you going to?”

“No. Why would I?” he asked.

I couldn’t help but let out a short laugh. “Why would you want to spend time with a beautiful woman?”

“I already am.”

If my heart pounded any harder, it might actually manage to punch its way through my chest. Hadn’t he just shown me the kind of man he was? One who could seduce women without even speaking to them?

“Besides, if I go off with that woman, I’d be bending over all night in an attempt to kiss her and I’ll probably get a crick in my back. But kissing someone like you . . . you’re almost as tall as me. I can imagine you’d be easy to kiss.”

The smart thing to do would be to walk away. I had made my appearance, people had seen me, and I should leave and go back to my room and to bed.

Not stand here and tempt fate.

As if sensitive to my internal struggle, he changed the subject. “Did you notice anything different today when you arrived in the city?”

“Everything here has been different.” Mostly my reaction to him. A reaction I was determined to suppress.