Page 45 of Chandelier Enthralled
“Let’s not do this.”
My heartbeat ticked up at an alarming rate. “Do what?”
His gaze flicked to my lips, lingering too long. “Interact.”
I moved closer to him but then slid toward the chessboard and focused on it. “Do you…play?”
“Are we talking about chess?”
The board sat between us like a map of possibilities. I picked up a piece and showed it to him and then said, “The knight is the only piece that can jump over the others on the board, symbolizing the cavalry’s ability to bypass obstacles.”
He gave a nod. “The movement mirrors the strategy of outflanking opponents.”
“You do play.”
He glanced at the coffee maker with an impatient expression.
I lifted the queen and set her down again in the same place. “Where did you say you lived again?”
“I didn’t.” He sounded amused, and then said, “The Hollywood Hills.”
I dragged my gaze away from his lips and settled on the opponent’s king that was trapped in the center, its pieces coordinated in defensive positions. I slid the queen over a square, leaving her vulnerable.
Offering her.
Hoping he couldn’t resisther.
Intrigued, Greyson tilted his head, proving he was seduced by the guile of the position I’d changed her to. He reached out and captured my queen, wearing a cute smirk as his eyes lit up.
We moved the pieces, one and then another, in silence, our eyes rising to challenge each other with a stark arousal that couldn’t be denied. Each move a silent conversation. My knight ventured forward, not to conquer but to explore, and his bishop slid across the board offering itself up. We weren’t just playing; we were discovering more in these still moments about each other.
My urge to learn more about him felt like a calculated risk. I couldn’t say why it felt that way—perhaps it was because he was a good friend of my brother’s and was older than me.
Greyson moved his king to win the game. His grin of triumph was a thing to behold, a dimple showing in his left cheek.
“Why are you here again?” I asked softly.
“Why do you want to know?” he whispered back.
“In polite society people share these things. Unless you have something to hide.”
He shuddered with uneasiness.
I took a moment to admire the man with one of the most ridiculously captivating faces I’d ever laid eyes on.
He noticed me staring. “Don’t you have a boyfriend?”
“Hugo and I are no longer together.”
He quirked a curious brow. “The narcissist?”
“Yes.”
“Sometimes, things fall apart because they’re never meant to fit.”
I looked away. “I thought he was the one,” I said, my voice trembling.
“His punishment is losing you, Willa.”
