Page 194 of Revenge Puck

He lifts a shoulder. “I tipped generously.”

Wow.Looks like every man in existence is conspiring against me.

Lucky me.

Aaron pulls out the chair in front of him, palm up, motioning for me to take a seat.

Grudgingly, I place myself in the chair. It scrapes faintly against the protective flooring laid over the ice. I glance around again to see if there are any details I haven’t caught, but things appear as they should be, quiet and deserted.

Oddly enough, this is the most intimate and vulnerable I’ve felt with him.

“I don’t know if I can trust you,” I state plainly.

The sentence hangs between us.

He doesn’t so much as react. “That’s fair.”

Fair.

That almost irritates me more than if he’d argued.

I swallow and sit back in my chair, crossing my arms to let him know I’m not falling for his handsome face, his deep voice, or his apologies so easily.

Ha!

“One of my conditions,” I remind him smartly, “was that you make things right with my brother.”

The dimple appears in his cheek. “I know.”

I stare at him.

“And?”

“And… I did.”

“You did?” I blink at him several times, growing more and more frustrated the longer we sit here in the cold, side-stepping the problem. “Could youbeany more vague.”

Aaron chuckles, reaching for the wine bottle on the table. He pulls the cork out and pours a bit into my glass—then his.

“You’re so fucking cute when you get annoyed.” He takes the glass and sips from it. “I like this side of you.”

How dare he call me cute when we’re in the middle of a negotiation!What does he think this is, a date? Who does he think I am? Someone who caves this easily?!

I narrow my eyes. “Don’t.”

He pauses mid-sip. “Don’t what?”

“Deflect.”

“I’m not deflecting.”

“You are. I asked you what happened with my brother, and instead of answering me, you’reflirting.”

His mouth curves, but at least he has the decency to set the glass down.

“Okay,” he says, leaning back in his chair. “I won’t flirt.”

The cold from the rink seeps through the thin soles of my unsensible shoes, but I don’t waver. I refuse to back down or give him the satisfaction of thinking I’m uncomfortable.