He had plenty more where it came from. A hot center of hard lust Lenny had prodded into existence.

It was a bonus to not have to pretend with her. It was a delight he no longer needed to keep secret. He could admit his desire for her and act on it. “I’m far more devious than you know.”

She pushed against his finger, her eyes sparkling “Are you?”

He flattened his hand briefly over her breast and groaned at the spike of arousal that brought on, as he leaned down to kiss her. He’d do more if they weren’t in public. “If I didn’t feel so lightheaded I would work my deviousness against you till you squirmed, but if I don’t eat, I might need you to carry me.”

She pulled away laughing. He tugged her back and kissed her breathless. A quick cab ride took them to the nearest diner, where Halsey ordered a steak sandwich and devoured it while Lenny talked about Ida. How she’d promised D4D a donation, about the photo that would appear in the social pages, and how Mallory would love a ninety-two-year-old with a diamond and sapphire skull ring who admitted to having a piercing other than in her ears—but wouldn’t say where.

He enjoyed her chatting freely. When she stole a fry from his plate without asking first, he mentally punched the ceiling at the easy familiarity. They’d come a long way from hanging up on each other.

“What’s next?” she asked when their coffee came.

“I meet Cookie Jar at the auction house, and Zeke sells him a fake painting. Of course, he won’t know it’s a fake till later.”

“Clever.” Lenny tapped her spoon against her lips. Un-fucking-fair, how that made him harden again. “But he’s still holding the nation ransom.”

“If it all goes well, not for long. We seed a story that the painting is a fake, and that will embarrass our friend the prime minister, make him desperate to find a quick way to get the money he lost back. I’ll express my horror at us having both been scammed. He’ll buy that, but he’ll still hold me accountable for his loss and want revenge.”

She waved her spoon at him. “That doesn’t sound good.”

“Not good for Cookie Jar. He won’t see me coming. He’ll think he’s got me on the back foot, that he has leverage over me. I’ll try to placate him with a big donation, but his ego will demand he pushes for more.”

“Your cryptocurrency.”

“Which I’ll continue to hold out from letting him invest in while we make sure he knows from third parties how special it is and how much he’s missing out.”

“What third parties?”

“I’m thinking my mom.”

Lenny laughed then frowned. “I’m enjoying this too much.”

He grazed his little finger across the back of her hand where it lay on the table. He wanted the right to touch her all over like that, lightly enough to make her shiver before he made her whimper.

The con had gone surprisingly smoothly so far. “You don’t need to be involved any longer if you want to back out now. I can run things from here.” He’d hate doing that. He moved his hand away; there was only so much provocation his body could take. He’d promised to keep her safe from the fallout. The sooner he removed her from Cookie Jar’s orbit the safer she was. That was their deal, and he’d do everything he could to stick to it, even if he knew already there’d be a Lenny-shaped hole in his heart.

“I don’t want to back out. I’m having more fun than I’ve had for a long time, and this won’t last forever.”

That first part was a hallelujah chorus, a line of heat zipping under his skin. The part about not having a forever, he was hell-bent on ignoring for now.

“If there’s a role for me by your side reading hand signals and interrupting conversations, I’m happy to be PowerPoint Girl. And don’t forget I get to show my face at events I’d never get invited to and meet the Ida Daltons and the Princess Ketijas of the world. It’s good for me.”

“Is there anything else you don’t want?” If it were possible to trip on his smile, he’d have face-planted the table. They had the place almost to themselves. The only other couple were horribly drunk and tucked in a corner making out, as if his overcharged blood needed any more stimulation.

“I believe I would straighten my Mirena for you.”

He blinked twice. “You’d what?”

She laughed in a way that made a burst of fireworks go off in his chest. Forget forever, snatch this time with this woman and make it count.

“Never mind.” She tapped his foot with hers. “What did you mean by your question?”

He captured her hand. The way her features were arranged seemed extraordinary to him, the light in her eyes was a tease, and the quirk on her lips was asking to be kissed until her whimpers cranked his gears to breaking point. “How do you like to be loved, Lenore Bradshaw?” Hell, the boldness of that question, following the con he was on his way to pulling off. He was a different person when he was with her.

She leaned across the table and he did, too, their noses almost touching, their breath mingling. “Skillfully,” she whispered, making all the fine hairs on his body stand up and take notice.

“That leaves a lot of room for interpretation.” If his voice had any more gravel in it, they’d both en

Tags: Ainslie Paton The Confidence Game Romance
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