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Lifting an eyebrow, he let a hint of sternness color his tone. “You know better than that, Ms. Ouranos.”
Was it wishful thinking or did her breath catch at the gentle scold? “Can’t blame a girl for trying.”
He absolutely could blame her, and if she was his, he would have taken great pleasure in putting her over his knee for a playful punishment. But since she wasn’t his, in any sense of the word, he gave her a polite smile instead. “I suppose not. Where would you like to eat?”
It was her turn to raise an eyebrow. “I haven’t agreed yet.”
“All right.” With a shrug, he turned. “I’m sure I’ll see you in court tomorrow.”
“Wait!”
Allowing himself a quick grin, he smoothed out his expression before turning back to her. “Yes?”
“Dinner at The Chophouse and the interview. But that is it, Banks.”
“Of course.” He had no problem keeping things professional.
For now.
* * *
What a bizarre fuckingday this had turned out to be.
She couldn’t really even complain, considering she was sitting down to dinner with a man who was notorious for refusing interviews. Even if her pride was still a little wounded from his accusations at lunch, she’d take a hundred similar barbs if it meant getting the scoop on her fellow reporters.
With their meals ordered and a glass of red wine in front of each of them, she pulled out her phone. “You don’t mind if I record this, right?”
“That’s fine.”
“Awesome.” Placing the device between them, she opened the app she used for all her interviews and hit the record button. “So, Mr. Banks, how are you feeling about the Compton trial?”
It was a joke, mostly, but the look he sent her had her heart pounding against her ribcage. “Mina.”
Gods, what that tone of voice did to her. She’d always been a sucker for growly men, and she couldn’t help but imagine him using that same scolding tone in the bedroom. Maybe add in a little hair pulling, a couple smacks on the ass to spice things up. Maybe that was the secret. The reason women seemed to flock to him.
She wanted to know, but she was terrified of what it might take to learn the truth.
“Kidding,” she said, putting thoughts of his bedroom prowess out of her mind and flashing him a smile that usually had men eating out of the palm of her hand.
Not Cyrus Banks, though. “If you can’t behave yourself, then you can put the phone away and we’ll skip the interview.”
“All right, all right, I’ll be a good girl.”
Something dark and almost hungry flashed in his eyes that sent heat rushing to her cheeks. If she didn’t get them back on track, she was going to end up doing something she would regret.
“Okay, so, you’re not from this area, correct? You grew up in New York?”
The corners of his mouth dipped down. While certain aspects of his past were a matter of public record, he was notoriously tight-lipped about the details. For a moment, she thought he was going to shut her down, but he eventually gave her a small nod. “That’s correct.”
Obviously getting any additional details from him was going to be like pulling teeth. But she liked it that way. There wasn’t as much thrill sitting down with someone who was ready to pour out every little detail. “Come on, Cyrus. Give us a little more than that. Parents? Siblings? Girl next door who got away?”
Another flicker of emotion in those pale brown eyes before he was all charm again and she felt that itch at the base of her spine. The one that told her there was a story there if she could just dig deep enough. “Two parents, still married. And a younger brother.”
“I know the breed well,” she returned dryly. “I have one of each, a sister and a brother.”
“And you’re the oldest?”
“Yup. We’re each only about two years apart, so we were pretty close growing up.” Sharing her own family history wasn’t nearly as painful as his seemed to be, and if it helped him relax enough to open up, she was even happier to do so. “Do you keep in touch with baby bro?”
