Page 68 of Prisoner of Steel and Shadow

Ronan shook his head and took another drink. Either he was drunk, or this was actually starting to taste good.

Ducking her head, the woman quickly crossed over, nervously tucking her hair behind her ear. “What can I do for you, gentlemen?”

Bast was all charm as he murmured, “We need to settle a bet. Would you mind helping us?”

She shifted her guileless blue eyes between them. “What kind of bet?”

“Well, my friend here thinks he’s an expert at seduction. I, however, know that the title rightfully belongs to me. We’re hoping you’d put the matter to bed”—he winked, making her blush even harder—"and tell us which one of us has the right of it.”

“You want to s-seduce me?”

The note of hopefulness in her tone had Ronan clenching his teeth. What the hell was Sebastian doing? He hadn’t agreed to any of this.

“If you wouldn’t mind.”

“Not at all!” The blonde practically jumped into Sebastian’s lap.

He didn’t bother hiding his smirk. “All right, Ronan. You’re up first. Pretend she’s your Shadow and give her your best chat-up line.”

“Bast... I’m not doing this.”

“Then you’ll never win her back, and all of this will have been for naught. Is she not worth a little piece of your pride, Butcher?”

Of course she is.

“I just don’t want to humiliate you.”

“Oh... you won’t. Now, fire away.”

Ronan drained the last of his bottle, grimacing as he set it back down. Clearing his throat, he stood, a little surprised to find his legs weren’t as steady as they should be. More worrisome was the fact that there were currently two blonde girls swimming on Bast’s lap.

“Which one am I talking to?” he asked.

“Oh, this is going to be amazing,” Bast murmured, giving the girl a kiss on the cheek. “Stand up for us,mon ange. Right here in the middle.”

She giggled and obeyed. Bast gripped her hips and twisted so each man had access to one of her ears.

“There you go, Ronan. And to show that this is truly for your benefit, I’ll give you some free advice. Whatever you say, whisper it. Everything sounds better in a whisper.” He was grinning down at the blonde, who was enthusiastically nodding her agreement.

“Whispers. Definitely. Brings to mind the bedroom,” she said breathlessly.

Bast ran his finger down the length of her nose. “Exactly.”

Feeling like an absolute arse, Ronan searched his mind for something—anything—he could say. Vaguely recalling Kragen successfully using something similar, he dropped his voice and gave it a go. “Have you been covered in bees recently?”

“N-no?”

“Hmm... you look sweeter than honey.”

She giggled. And not an ‘I want you to lift my skirt and have your way with me’ giggle, a ‘Mother’s tits, this man is absurd’ giggle.

Fuck, he needed another bottle.

“Well, it’s no wonder why you struck out, Ronan. You’re absolute shit. Have you ever even been with a woman? You need to do it like this.” Bast tipped the girl’s chin up until he was peering down at her, his expression filled with smoldering intensity as he whispered, “Do you believe in love at first sight, or do you need me to walk by you again?”

A breath stuttered out of her. “I-I believe.”

He grinned and straightened, practically giving Ronan whiplash with how easily he switched out of his role as seducer and back to his usual cheeky countenance. “Try again, Ronan.”

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