The Seduction Game

She gave another little tug but he held fast, smiling still. Kate wanted to tell him to let go, wanted to be firm and commanding. A business meeting. Tell him no. Put your foot down.

But his eyes scorched her, and his smile confused her, and the touch of his fingers on her arm sent goose bumps up and down the rest of her body. Her final thought as they approached the serving counter was that she was already far, far out of her depth.

She only hoped Will hadn’t realized.





Chapter Four


Will could practically feel the panic coming off Kate as they got in the line at the restaurant to give their orders. Her spine was ramrod straight. Her eyes darted back and forth and her face was bright red. More than that, she was clearly uncomfortable with the whole arm-holding situation. Will would like to pretend that it was instinctive, a spur-of-the-moment action, but that was not the case. It had been deliberate.

He wanted to shake her up, to see her blush again, and physical contact was the obvious way to do it. More than that, he wanted to touch her, to feel his own skin on hers, to get close enough that he could breathe in her floral scent. But, at the same time, he didn’t want her to feel trapped or uncomfortable to the point where they couldn’t communicate, so his touching time was limited.

Just a second more… Will relaxed his grip before running his hand down her elbow all the way to her wrist. Her skin was as soft as he imagined it would be. Her arm, delicate in the extreme, and he found himself clenching his other fist as his hand trailed away.

She gave a little gasp from the contact. Barely audible, it was likely that he wouldn’t even have heard it under normal circumstances, but Will was oddly observant of the stubborn geek. He looked down and saw the goose bumps running along her skin and couldn’t help but smile.

“Can you see the menu from here?” he asked casually. “It’s written on a chalkboard on the wall.”

“Yes.” Her word was little more than a whisper and she was running her hand up her arm. Trying to dispel the goose bumps, maybe? “I can see it.”

“What would you like?”

“I…I’m not sure.” A pause and then, “This is your place, what do you usually eat when you come here?”

Will’s smile slipped, because he realized that he hadn’t been to Coleido’s in months. Even before he’d left the country he’d spent most of his time in the sort of restaurants that would never let Kate in the way she was dressed. In fact he hadn’t even planned on coming here tonight, thinking instead to go to one of the funky little places by his harbor side apartment. Chinese. Sushi. Thai. They were all less than a five minute walk from him, full to the brim of professionals catching a quick bite before going home and doing some more work, or better yet, moving on to a club. He’d imagined steering Kate into one of the booths, ordering a rich wine, a plate of sashimi, and charming her. Only when he’d seen her waiting outside K.I.T. did he reevaluate his plans and he had remembered the amazing food from the Mexican place.

Looking around now Will was glad he’d remembered it. About three-quarters of the tables were full of people. Couples and groups of friends were all digging into their food with enthusiasm. At the back, someone was playing his guitar in between bites of a huge burrito. The music was vaguely familiar, the notes in no way discordant to the slow beat coming from inside the kitchen. And, Will realized that the guitar player was wearing the same sort of outfit as Kate. In fact, most of the diners were dressed like her and she could easily pass for one of the students or the more boho residents of the area. The skinny jeans, the Converse, those glasses. The place fit her.

It used to fit him, before all the money, all the responsibility, before everything became about being seen and making connections. Where Will ate dinner now wasn’t so much about what he wanted to eat or the atmosphere of the place. It was all about who was eating there, too. After all, he wasn’t likely to get any work done sitting on a rustic bench eating refried beans and cheese.

Why did that bother him all of a sudden?

Shaking his head, Will leaned around Kate, his chest brushing against her back. But this time it wasn’t deliberate. He was simply trying to get a look at the menu. Still, she reacted in the same way as when he’d taken her arm. A gasp, followed by a step away, and then she turned and shot him a look that was part glare, part panic.

“Can you be a little more careful, please?”

“Of course,” he said, moving to her left with exaggerated care. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Another glare.“ You didn’t. You just…”

“Just what?”

“Oh, nothing.” She crossed her arms so that the only part of her tee he could see was the top of Swamp Thing’s head. Will noticed that her arms were ever so lightly bronzed and wondered when she actually found the time to get that tan. All of the intel he’d received from Chris said that she spent the vast majority of her time either in her shop or above it. She was a workaholic, much like himself. The only difference being that she didn’t have his responsibilities.

Will frowned as the weight of those responsibilities pressed on him again, and he glanced down at Kate’s blond curls, the reminder of why he was out with her slapping him forcefully. To charm her. To make her sell. Whatever it takes. He thought of all his employees, his family ties…Kate Kelly stood in the way of it all…and yet…already he was wondering how much his reactions to her were beginning to confuse the situation.

Fuck.

“The quesadillas with chorizo and guacamole or torta with some beans,” he said quickly, forcing his attention toward the food and away from a plan that was already making him uncomfortable—just a half hour in. “I’m going to have those.”

“Ummm…I might just have tacos.”

Will found the tacos on the roughly written menu and shook his head. “Tacos aren’t enough, Kate. They’re a snack. I’ll order you the quesadillas.”

“I am perfectly capable of choosing my own meal.”

“I don’t doubt it. But you’re tiny. You need feeding.”

“Excuse me?”

Her voice was deadly and Will paused, trying to figure out exactly where he’d gone wrong. Women liked being told they were slim, didn’t they? “I wasn’t trying to be rude,” he began. “I just think that you need a good meal inside you. You’ve been working all day.”

She whipped around so that her back was now to the serving counter and her gaze pinned on his. “You have no idea how long I’ve been working. I might have started work at midday. I could be a late riser. I could have only worked a half hour today and spent the rest of the time with my feet up, reading a book.”

He shook his head. “Nope, I suspect you were in that shop at dawn, and you live right above it. I bet you carry on working when you go upstairs.”

She narrowed her eyes, though Will found her attempt to look threatening ever so slightly compromised by the slight panic he could see there. “You don’t know that. You don’t know anything about me, Will Thornton.”

“I know more than you think, Kate Kelly, so pick two or three dishes and make sure you eat them. You have to consider your health.” And though he wasn’t quite sure how the conversation had even ended up down this route, Will realized now that his words were nothing but the truth. Kate probably did work herself too hard. Her glasses hid it slightly, but the dark smudges under her eyes weren’t put there by too many nights of partying. She was tiny, delicate. Hell, she looked as though a stiff breeze would send her flying, and Will wanted—though he had no fucking idea why—to make sure she ate properly while she was with him. It was ridiculous and slightly odd, but the feeling was there all the same.