Free Perfectly Broken by Emily Jane Trent Page A

made him feel stupid.
    She raised her eyebrows.
    “I flunked a year.”
    “How did you manage to do that?”
    Fortunately, she didn’t seem critical of him,
just interested. “Lack of focus, I guess. I got hooked on computer
games and got behind. My parents were horrified. They didn’t see it
coming. I hid it from them for as long as I could.”
    “So you were a year older than the others in
your class?”
    He nodded. “Yes, and don’t think I wasn’t called
dummy, too many times to count.”
    Susanna shook her head. “Hmm. Guys in high
school can be ruthless.”
    “It was the cause of more than one fight.”
    “I can imagine.” She sipped her wine. “So what
happened?”
    “I got back to studying.”
    She raised her eyebrows. “Gave up computer
games?”
    He chuckled. “No way. They were the only thing
that made the whole school thing endurable. But I did my schoolwork
first. I couldn’t face any more ridicule.”
    Tomas watched Susanna, but it didn’t seem that
she thought any less of him. The fact that she had been honest with
him compelled him to be the same. She was a different sort of
woman, and had a certain raw vulnerability. It was refreshing, as
Tomas had never been much good at social pleasantries.
    He refilled their glasses and watched her take a
sip, remembering how her lips felt on his.
    “So what’s the job you got?”
    That was a subject he liked to talk about.
Sitting up, Tomas filled her in.
    She seemed interested. “You have a career,
legally gambling?”
    “You could say. Actually, sports betting is all
about helping the clients place their bets. It involves some
serious cash, and that kind of risk I find exhilarating.”
    Susanna gave him a coy smile. “You’re a guy who
likes risk?”
    Tomas didn’t miss the double meaning there. “I’m
not one to avoid it. And there is a certain thrill in high stakes,
wouldn’t you say?”
    Her eyes held his. “Yes. I think we have that in
common.”
    “Going for the high stakes?”
    “The thrill of it.”
    Tomas felt heat flood his belly and settle in
his loins. The woman was a tease, and she did it so well. Yet he
knew she wasn’t all talk. The agreement had been just dinner, but
he hoped she would change her mind. No, prayed she
would.
    The meals were served, and Tomas was momentarily
distracted by the juicy steak. When he had eaten half of it, he
refocused on Susanna. Even eating was a sensual experience with
her. Watching her cut off a precise bite and slowly slide it into
her mouth turned him on.
    The way her lips slipped over the fork, and the
way she lightly held her knife in the other hand, tantalized him.
She half closed her eyes in response to the food, as though the
taste was a prelude to orgasm. And it just might be.
    “Enjoying yourself?” he said.
    She pressed her lips together. “Mmm, yes, I
am.”
    Tomas continued eating, not really taking his
eyes off of her. It seemed she was aware of his staring, but
undeterred. Susanna continued to savor, bite by bite, taking a sip
of wine occasionally. He wanted to order more food just so he could
keep watching her eat.
    Then a thought occurred to him, and he stopped
with his fork midair.
    Susanna looked up at him.
    “The day we met, I was chasing you. You kept
vanishing.”
    She widened her eyes.
    He furrowed his brow. “But it was the other way
around, wasn’t it?”
    Susanna swallowed. “What do you mean?”
    “I think you know. Just tell me. How did you
happen to end up at the same bar that I did? How did we end up in
bed together?” Tomas thought he already knew, but he wanted to hear
her say it.
    Looking directly at him, her blue eyes clear,
Susanna told it to him straight. “I pick up guys at funerals. I
told you, being so close to death makes people crave life, and sex
is an embodiment of that.”
    He looked at her pointedly. “By people you mean men ?”
    Without flinching, she answered his question.
“Yes, men. I pick up men. There, are you