Chapter 19: The Rules to the Game.
*Aaron*
I’ve developed inappropriate feelings for another Alpha’s Luna.
It was stupid. And now, I was in serious trouble.
I watched her from a distance, unable to tear my gaze away. Jane stood at the edge of the deck, fingers brushing the polished rail, her head tilted back as she took it all in. I could see the
fascination in her eyes, and I was happy I’d been able to give her
this moment.
I couldn’t stop looking at her, not when she looked so beautiful. The sun kissed her skin, wind blowing her wavy hair softly. She looked like she’d walked right out of my dream, just to torture
- me.
My wolf, Fen, stirred uneasily. Again? I asked him. What is going on?
I don’t know what this is. But I feel it too. It’s… magnetic. He responded.
That was the problem. I felt it. Every damn time she walked into a room, every time she looked at me. But it was wrong. She
Chapter 19: The Rules to the Game.
belonged to someone else.
“Have you never been on a yacht before?” I asked, leaning
against the railing, arms crossed
She cocked her head. “Do I look like someone who spends her
weekends sipping champagne on a yacht?”
“Your Alpha husband is a billionaire,” I pointed out. “This is New
York. Half the billionaires in the city own yachts. It wouldn’t be
strange if their Lunas spent time on them.” She lowered her
gaze
and turned her attention back to the sea. Wait… “You’ve really
never been on one of these before?” I asked again, slower this
time.
She shook her head, smiling softly. “Maybe he’s just not
interested in things like this.”
“Or maybe,” I said, raising a brow. “He’s just boring.” That earned
me a guarded look. “But you… you’re not boring at all.”
Jane rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Careful, I might start believing
you think I’m exciting” She turned to face me and folded her
arms, waiting for an answer.
I didn’t say anything right away. Instead, I let my gaze drop, just
briefly, tracing her lips, the curve of her jaw, the pulse ticking at
her throat. When I looked up again, she gasped lightly.
Chapter 19. The Rules to the Game
“I think you know what I’m trying to say,” I said, stepping closer.
“I’m more exciting than I look. That’s why we’re here, isn’t it? To
add some excitement to your otherwise very dull life.”
Jane glared at me. She took an angry step back and bit her lip as
if trying to control herself. But that movement had the opposite
effect on me.
“My life’s not dull,” she finally said.
“No?” I tilted my head. “Then what is it?”
“Complicated.”
“Good,” I murmured with a grin. “I’m very good at resolving…
complications.”
Jane swallowed heavily, staring at me under those beautiful
lashes of hers. My eyes drifted down to her parted lips. Fuck. I
wanted to kiss her, badly.
I wasn’t sure why I kept trying to piss her off, but I couldn’t help
myself. Maybe I liked watching her try to not react. Or maybe I
loved seeing her tiny nostrils flare up in barely restrained anger.
I had no right wanting her. She might break my heart. Might
shatter every single part of me. And still, I’d risk it. I’d risk it all.
Chapter 19: The Rules to the Game
I could feel my wolf stirring with the urge to move closer. But
we had to be cautious. I didn’t want to scare Jane off.
If I could bottle the way she was looking at me right now, I’d guard it with my life. Hell, if I could have her eyes on me like that again, I’d throw my heart off a rooftop a thousand times. with a smile on my face.
“Come on,” I said to her, nodding toward the staff waiting discreet distance away. “Lunch is ready.”
a
Jane moved to me immediately and I placed a hand on the small of her back, making sure to ignore the way it made me feel.
“Why don’t we take a look?” I grinned down at her and ushered her in.
The crew had done well. The dining area on the upper deck was set with crisp white linen. Champagne was already waiting in a silver bucket, surrounded by crystal glasses, a spread of fresh seafood, truffle pasta, summer salad and delicate pastries.
Jane stiffened. She stopped at the edge of the table, brow lifting. “This is… a bit much.”
“Would you rather I’d hand you a bag of fries and a soda?”
She smirked. “That would’ve been more my style.”
Chapter 19: The Rules to the Game
“But not nearly as fun,” I said, pulling out her chair. “Princess, let
me spoil you a little.”
She rolled her eyes but settled into the chair. Her gaze roamed
over the setup again. The appreciation and excitement in her
eyes made my chest swell.
“I get the feeling you don’t do anything halfway.”
“Nope,” I responded as I took the seat across from her. “Terrible
habit I tell you.”
Her laugh was real this time. I realized I’d been waiting for that
sound, craving it even.
We clinked glasses and descended on the food. As the meal
went on, something shifted between us. Jane began to relax, an
easy smile playing on her lips.
She was dressed plainly as always. Soft blouse, simple skirt,
minimal makeup. But here, now, she seemed different, at ease.
And I couldn’t stop looking at her.
She caught me staring once. Twice. The third time, she held my
gaze across the table. “You’re staring.”
“I know.”
Chapter 19. The Rules to the Game.
“This is usually the part where you look away.”
The flirting was no longer subtle. I knew I should pull back, slow
down maybe, but I didn’t. “Not if I don’t want to.”
“And you don’t want to?”
“No,” I said, matching her gaze. “I like looking at you.” And I
really did. She seemed so at peace, so happy.
Maybe it was the sea breeze, or the champagne. Or maybe it was
because for the first time, we weren’t talking about her shitty
marriage. We weren’t dissecting her husband’s behavior or
scheming to get him to fall into a trap.
And then, Jane ruined it with one word.
“So,” she said, reaching into her bag and pulling out her iPad,
“the plan.”
I blinked. “The… plan?”
She tapped the screen impatiently. “Yes, Aaron. I’ve been
thinking. If we want Xander to actually feel threatened by you,
we need to make him really jealous.”
My appetite quickly disappeared.
A moment ago, she was biting her lip when I spoke. Now, she
Chapter 19: The Rules to the Game
was talking about how to get her asshole husband to look at her
again.
I leaned back in my chair, trying not to scowl. “Did you really
want to talk about that now?”
“Of course. Isn’t this what we came here for?”
No. Not anymore. But I couldn’t say that. Yes, that was the original plan. But her husband wasn’t good enough for her. She deserved more. I want to give her more. Well, it didn’t matter
what I wanted if she had her sights set on her Xander.
Damn it. “What do you want me to do?”
“Just be yourself. The confident, charming, bad boy version I
met at the bar. You know, the kind of man who makes a woman
question everything she thought she wanted after one drink
and five minutes of conversation.”
My lips twitched at her description of our first meeting. “That
guy, huh?”
She nodded. “Yeah. That guy. He made quite an impression.
“And what about you? What role do you play in all this?”
Jane finally looked up. “I’ll stop at nothing to get Xander’s
Chapter 19. The Rules to the Game
attention.”
That did it. It felt like something inside me died. I was doing this
for her, while she was doing it for Xander. “Right,” I nodded
slowly.
It shouldn’t have stung. But it did. Because, I didn’t want to be
just a pawn in the game anymore. I wanted to be him. The one
she couldn’t stop thinking about.
So, I leaned forward, resting my arms on the table. “Fine. We’ll
play by your rules. But if we’re pretending,” I held her gaze
before continuing, “then I’m going to have to make you feel like
it’s real.”
