Page 18 of How to Play the Player

“Oh, we absolutely are. I know what happened between you two yesterday.” She pauses, then adds with deliberate casualness, “You know, where you had her pinned to the chair and underneath you?”

The memory hits me like a slap to the face—Quinn’s defiant eyes meeting mine, the slight tremor in her voice when she argued with me, her plump pink lips silently calling to me to move in closer. The smell of lilies and something that’s distinctly her own musk mixed in. Heat crawls up my neck, but it’s rage, not desire. My cock hardening only fuels my anger further. Just another betrayal, this time by my own physiology. “I was making a point. And where I come from, that’s none of your business.”

“Ooo, on the defensive now. I think I hit a nerve,” she teases.

Of course, she eavesdropped. I wouldn’t put it past her. Everyone that was there probably knows, whether they were witnesses or otherwise. “Again, I was making a point. You keep pushing, Ms. Hernandez…” I threaten.

She seems unbothered and more intrigued. “What point was that? The ‘I’m still insanely attracted to you but pretending to hate you’ point?”

“She betrayed me, Kami—” The words, like they always do, taste bitter on my tongue, metallic and sharp.

“Whatever you say. I listen; I don’t judge.” She holds up a hand when I start to protest. “Kiera told me the whole story.And from what I’ve heard and seen about this girl, I don’t think she?—”

“She conned me. End of story.” My voice comes out rougher than intended, scraping against my throat. The memories I’ve fought to suppress try to surface—moments of what I thought was happiness, all built on lies. The rage burns fresh when I think about how completely I’d fallen for her act. “She wasn’t real. And I stopped loving what wasn’t a long time ago.”

“You say that, but the body language from both of you suggested otherwise. And don’t think I didn’t see how you positioned yourself between her and the door, either. LastIchecked, those weren’t intimidation tactics.”

I think back on her slight shiver when I blocked her path and made myself the only thing she could see. The way her eyes darkened despite her anger. The soft curve of her neck when she tilted her head back to meet my gaze. My fingers twitch.

I shift in my chair, cursing myself for the way my body responds to the memory.“As much as I love your little play-by-play on me”—which I don’t—“I have a virtual meeting with the Robson clients in ten minutes.” I shuffle papers on my desk, a transparent attempt to look busy.

She groans. “You Knight men and your running away from your feelings. So stubborn.”

“Like I said, we’re done here.” I gesture toward the door, hoping she’ll take the hint.

“I don’t know if you noticed, but underneath all that anger, she still looked at you the way every woman looks at her man.”

I scoff, ignoring the unexpected twist in my gut at her words. “You’re delusional.”

“You probably know better than me, but don’t you find it funny how that line between rage and passion gets blurry real quick and easy?”

I turn my chair to the large window adjacent to me and watch the city view without really seeing it. All I can see and think about is Quinn. The hurt in her eyes. Her questions.Why would you choose to blame me instead of believing me? But she chose her path. And all the memories, the fantasies, and the dreams about her don’t matter anymore.

“Fine.” Kami stands, smoothing her skirt. “I’d recommend you figure out how to handle this…tension before your first meeting with her.” She pauses. “That is, unless…” Her grin widens. “Handlingthe tension is what you plan to do?”

I level a glare at her that would send most employees running. “My strategy is simple—keep it strictly business. I’ll control the meeting, set firm boundaries, no rehashing the past. Just the work and nothing else.”

“So a wall of ice and passive-aggressive resentment.” Kami raises an eyebrow. “That’s your big plan?”

Quinn has always had a way of getting under people’s defenses, of making them confess more to her than they intend to. But not me. I’m not taking the bait. Not this time.

Kami puts her hands up in surrender and heads for the door, then pauses. “I’m just pointing out that despite your ‘hatred’ for her, you sure let her get to you.”

“Get out,” I growl.

Kami’s laughter echoes down the hall as she leaves. I turn my attention back to my work, but the numbers on the screen blur together.I loved you.Those words in that broken whisper are one of the many things she’d said that I can’t get out of my head. They loop endlessly, undermining my concentration.

I drain my coffee in one hot gulp, welcoming the burn sliding down my throat. But this is nothing compared to what I’ll be facing. The prospect of seeing her regularly, of working alongside her, sends a jolt of rage through me. I’ll need to master not just my temper but also the treacherous physical responsesmy body still has to her—a problem I’d thought was solved forever ago, buried under meaningless encounters with women whose names I don’t remember and don’t care to know.

And if Jonathan thinks he can change my mind about her by putting us together, he’s naiver than I thought.

Doesn’t he know some betrayals can’t be undone, no matter how much you might want to forget them?

Chapter Nine

Thursday, Ten a.m

Quinn’s Office

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