Page 4 of Traitorous Lies
Not cool, Monique.
Not cool at all.
We don’t whine at guys we don’t even know just because they’re no longer in touching distance.
She would have pouted at her own reminder, but it was right. She didn't know this man and she couldn’t assume that he was any different from the men she usually had to put up with flirting with her at these kinds of events.
Whatever magnetic pull she felt toward him, it had to be ignored.
“Can I get you a drink?” Jaxon asked, and she could feel his eyes boring into her even when she blushed and glanced away.
What kind of spell was he putting her under?
How was he doing this? Normally, she’d just say no, easy-peasy, but she couldn’t seem to make the word come out of her mouth.
Instead, she actually nodded.
“May I?” he asked, holding out his hand rather than just snatching up hers like most of the men who hit on her would do.
Wait.
Was he hitting on her?
Or was he just being polite?
It would help her to read him if she could actually see his face.
Reaching out to place her hand in his, she paused for a second. “Could you … take your mask off? So I can see you?”
She could have sworn that now he was the one who hesitated, but then he reached up and pulled off the mask, and she sucked in a breath. This man wasn't just handsome, he was drop-dead gorgeous. Like he should be modeling on the cover of one of her favorite romance books kind of gorgeous. So gorgeous in fact that it took tremendous effort on her part not to reach out and let her hands roam his body to find out just how delectable it was beneath his suit.
One side of his mouth quirked up as though he knew exactly where her thoughts had drifted and thought it was amusing.
“Like what you see, princess?” he drawled, his voice washing over her like a warm breeze, soft and caressing.
Her cheeks heated until they felt like they were on fire, but she wasn't a liar, and he’d asked her a direct question, so she nodded. She absolutely loved what she saw.
Taking a step closer, crowding close, he dipped his head until she felt warm puffs of air against her ear. “I very much feel the same way, princess.”
Something about the way he said the word princess made her shiver. There was an intimacy there, even though they’d known each other for mere minutes at the most. Normally, the name would rankle. She might have come from a wealthy family, but she was no spoiled princess. Monique worked hard every day, and she lived only off the money she raised herself to fund her animal rescue.
When Jaxon’s fingers curled around hers, and he drew her toward where the drinks were set up, Monique found herself smiling. This night was one she’d been dreading, and now she was excited about it.With Jaxon for company, how could she fail to have a wonderful evening?
Just because it wasn't normally what she would allow herself didn't mean there was anything wrong with it, or that anything bad was going to happen.
What could it possibly hurt to spend a few hours chatting with this man?
After all, it wasn't like he was the same as all the other men who were interested in her only because they planned on using her.
Chapter
Two
October 31st
8:16 P.M.
When was the last time he’d been around a woman who didn't try to manipulate or hide what she was thinking or feeling?
