Free The Seduction Game by Anastasia Maltezos Page A

couple of months of dating, he asked her to marry him.
    “I don’t see a future for us,” Diana had said.
    She had coldly rejected him, saying she didn’t love him and that she was going back to her ex-boyfriend, a man who was everything Adam was not. Rich.
    Adam had been devastated. That night when he’d arrived home, he discovered the babysitter at her wits end with a wailing, inconsolable Dana.
    “Adam, don’t ever leave me alone again,” Dana had cried onto his shoulders after he’d lifted her into his arms. “The new babysitter is mean. She wouldn’t let me watch TV.”
    That’s when he realized he was all Dana had. He had to look after her. Give her the things he never had growing up. Stability, security, and a strong, solid role model. He’d never been blind to his parents’ faults. They’d always been too wrapped up in their own world to provide him and Dana a loving home.
    Even though his parents had scared him off marriage, he’d been so blinded by Diana Rowlings, he had taken the risk for her. And then she scared him off love. He had vowed never to be in the same loveless marriage as his parents, and never to be hurt again by a woman.
    Amidst the loud music in the crowded club, his thoughts veered to Kate.
    He saw a small part of him in her. She was as wary of relationships as he was, but that’s where their similarities ended. Kate was vulnerable underneath her bravado. He was cold, hard, and had yet to feel anything remotely related to love for a woman. All he’d felt was pure, unadulterated lust.
    Until he’d met Kate Moore. She had sparked a thread of life in his cynical heart that he thought was long dead. And he found himself facing the stunning realization that the pretty schoolteacher had gotten under his skin.
    A tall, sexy brunette wearing a glittery pink top and black mini skirt brushed by him, tossing him a smile over her shoulder. He returned her smile, but his restless thoughts were still on Kate.
    Then he saw her. Katrina, wearing a skimpy black dress and a disappointed frown on her face as she watched him.
    * * * *
    Kate took a deep breath as she made her way nervously towards him. Her gold strappy sandals were barely able to carry her shaking legs. She prayed she didn’t land on her face.
    As she neared him, her jittery nerves worsened. She couldn’t forget the smile he’d given that brunette with the pink top. She wondered if he regretted meeting her here tonight.
    God, she was confused! He wasn’t meeting Kate, he was meeting Katrina.
    She took another deep breath and realized she wasn’t cut out for playing the bad girl. At the gym, she had nearly collapsed after she left Adam, because she’d been holding her breath the whole time she was with him. And now, she felt too self-conscious and naked in her skimpy black dress. She cringed inwardly, knowing what she had to do.
    She was going to tell Adam the truth.
    The only reason she’d donned her Katrina disguise was so she could gently and slowly explain her research, allowing him time to adjust to what she knew would shock him. She prayed her reasoning was right.
    Their gazes met and she felt an attack of anxiety. This was going to be harder than she thought. She wished he would forgive her and realize she’d done this with good intentions. Her self-help books benefited so many women, and he couldn’t fault her for wanting to help people.
    No. She wasn’t going to change her mind. She had to do this. All afternoon she’d been plagued with so much guilt and regret, she’d had to cancel her volunteer work at the hospital. The children would have noticed she wasn’t herself and she didn’t want to disappoint them with a sour visit.
    “I’m glad you came,” she said as she reached him. He ran his dark gaze over her, his eyes narrowing.
    “I’m glad I did.” The music slowed to a throbbing beat and couples melded together on the dance floor. Adam took her hand. “Let’s dance.”
    Kate stiffened as she let him