Demise of a Self-Centered Playboy by Piper Rayne

Author:Piper Rayne
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Piper Rayne, Inc.

Nineteen

Denver

Cleo sits in the dimly lit family room, sharing a carton of ice cream with me. I realize now that we have a lot in common, though my issues have been in existence more than a decade longer than hers. Which makes me a veteran and the more knowledgeable one.

I should probably say goodnight and go upstairs—to our separate bedrooms—but I keep asking questions instead, needing to know more about what makes this woman tick. “So you’d like to stay and run Lifetime Adventures?”

Her shoulders rise and fall. “I guess. I mean, I am kind of enjoying building it from the ground up again. And eventually I’m going to win the debate with you about incorporating a family dynamic.”

I shake my head, and she laughs. It’s been an ongoing conversation since day one. I think she did inherit Chip’s stubborn side, which means at some point she probably will win.

“What about you?” She pokes me in the chest and steals the ice cream container.

“What about me?”

“What are you looking for?”

I think of a way to answer this question. I’m enjoying running Lifetime Adventures too, and I loved filming the show this weekend. It was like the best of both worlds, allowing me to explore but also get paid well.

“I’ve never looked for anything in my life.” It’s the most honest answer I can give her. Although I’ve bullshitted a lot of women in my time, I try not to do that with Cleo.

“Nothing?”

I shake my head. “Not since my parents died. I like living my life one day at a time. What’s the point in making plans when you may not get to see them come to fruition?”

Her lips tip down and she hands me back the ice cream, staring at me as if we’re having a staring contest. I blink first.

She stands and licks her spoon clean. “I should probably go to bed.”

When she slides through the space between my legs and the coffee table, I stop her, taking her wrist. “Did I say something to upset you?”

She wears a smile, but it’s fake. Like the one she used in the lawyer’s office. “No, I’m just tired.”

I release her and listen while she puts the spoon in the dishwasher.

“Goodnight,” she murmurs.

Does she really want to do this now? Because it has the potential to ruin everything we’ve developed these past weeks.

“Do you want to ask me a more direct question?”

She says nothing, but from the lack of movement behind me, it’s clear that she’s stopped moving toward the stairs. “No.”

“Are you sure?”

“I think you’ve given me enough clues to figure out the answer for myself.”

“Maybe I’m dodging,” I say, standing and turning to face her.

“Are you?”

I run a hand through my hair and look down. “I want you. I can’t deny that. I want you in a way I’ve never wanted another woman.”

A flush rises up her neck into her cheeks. “But?”

“But we’re building this company together and I tend to fuck things up. If I sleep with you,

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