Free All the Pretty Poses by M. Leighton Page B

Turns out it’s part angelic, part
evil. The evil part being the one that made me promises that he
never intended to keep, of course.
    As always when I get enthralled with the
Reese that I loved so long ago, the hurt girl resurfaces to prevent
me from making the same mistake twice. It’s her that gives him a
frosty smile and turns her attention to Sig at my side. My grin
gets deeper and more genuine, however, when, from the corner of my
eye, I see Reese’s expression turn thunderous.
    It makes me want to giggle.
    Take that, you egomaniac!
    My mood going into the dining room is
generally lighter, even more so when I realize there are no seat
assignments and I can sit wherever I want, which just so happens to
be sandwiched between Sloane, who I really like, and Sig, who
evidently really likes me.
    The meal is delicious and the company
delightful. Although Reese responds to comments and comports
himself in a polite enough way, I can practically feel the tension
humming just beneath his unaffected façade. As much as I hate to
admit it, it thrills me.
    He’s made it known that he wants me, that he
intends to have me. And I have made it known that I intend to make
sure that doesn’t happen. We are admittedly engaged in a battle of
wills. But something deep inside me realizes that this is only the
beginning, that Reese has yet to really even exert himself, and
that when he does, this battle is going to become much more
difficult for me. And much more dangerous.
    But that’s partly what makes it so thrilling.
Somewhere in the back of my mind and the bottom of my heart, I
wonder if I’m really strong enough to resist. Or if I even really
want to. I wonder if there’s a part of me that wants to get back
what we had all those years ago, when love was still young and
fresh and perfect and unscathed, to get that back even for a
moment. Or a month. Or a summer. If that would even be
possible.
    On one level, I seriously doubt it. But on
another level, I believe I’m strong enough to test those waters
without crumbling into a thousand pieces when things don’t work
out. I’ve already given Reese those tender parts of myself. What’s
left now is harder, harsher. Stronger.
    It’s the rise of one dark brow that jolts me
from my silent reverie. Reese is watching me. And I, lost in
thought, have obviously been watching him.
    Hurriedly, I turn my attention to Sig at my
side, laughing at whatever he’s laughing at, but having no clue
what we’re even talking about. Without looking back at him, I can
almost feel Reese’s amusement. His amusement and his predatory
eyes.
     
     

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN- Reese
     
    I’ve kept a loose eye on Kennedy the entire
evening. I’ve watched her flirt with Sig. I’ve watched her interact
with Sloane and Hemi. I’ve watched her try her damnedest not to
look at me and try her best to ignore me.
    And, best of all, I’ve watched her fail.
    I’ve seen the little glances my way. I’ve
observed the way she tucks her hair behind her ear when I speak and
I’ve seen the way she smoothes the chills on her arms when our eyes
meet. I can feel her attraction to me like the humidity in the air.
It makes me want to strip her bare, to lay her on the table and
lick the moisture from her skin while everyone else watches. And
wants her. Yet can’t have.
    While it frustrates me that she’s hell bent
on resisting me, it also excites me to some degree. The feeling of
conquest when she does give in—which she will, I have no
question—will be even greater. And my baser instincts thrill at the
notion of that.
    So, in the end, I grit my teeth and bear it
because I’m smart enough and strategic enough to let her have this
time before I really start working on her. I’m content to let her
think she’s winning. Until I’m ready to win. And then it’s game
over. Simple as that.
    After a glass of brandy in the lounge, the
excitement of the day starts to wear on everyone. One by one, they
all start to make their