Page 196 of Playing Dirty

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LUCA

From across the bar, I watched it.

Not the words.

The distance.

Or lack of it.

Whatever they were, it wasn’t casual.

The girl—Rowan—didn’t step back.

Neither did he.

That wasn’t flirting.

That was something else.

Something structured.

I grabbed my drink.

And for the first time tonight—

I stopped thinking about joining the conversation at all.

Because some things weren’t meant to be entered.

Only observed.

ROWAN

Mason finally shifted slightly.

Not away.

Not closer.

Just enough to reset the balance.

“You should enjoy the night,” he said.

That almost made me laugh.

Almost.

“Is that your version of letting go?” I asked.

“It’s practical.”

“That’s your answer for everything.”

“It works.”

That made me look at him again.

Properly.

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