Playing With Seduction Read Free Page B

continue seeing her was to agree to the modeling gig. Unfortunately, she remained steadfast in her resolve to keep things strictly professional between them.
    He came up beside her to get a better look at the pictures, and his arm brushed along hers. He heard a tiny intake of breath as she subtly shifted away from him. There was no denying the spark of awareness between them, though she definitely did her best to not acknowledge the sexual tension in any way. Which only made him more determined to shake up her too prim and proper composure.
    “You two photograph well together,” she said in a light, breezy tone as she scrolled through the shots, attempting to keep things casual between them. “You’re stunning as a couple, and Nicole is totally into you.”
    He got the impression that Kendall was actually encouraging him to date Nicole—which made his gut burn with frustration. “It’s all one-sided.”
    “Didn’t look that way to me,” she teased, just as a very erotic and suggestive photograph filled her screen that made a mockery of his words.
    He opened his mouth to tell her exactly what carnal thoughts had filled his head while Nicole had been squirming beneath him with her legs wrapped around his waist, but didn’t get the chance as the other woman walked out of the bedroom studio to join them. She was dressed in an indecently high miniskirt and a tight, low-cut blouse that exposed nearly half of her breasts.
    “Here’s your fee for today’s session,” Kendall said with a smile and handed Nicole a check.
    “Thanks. It’s been fun.” Nicole slipped the check into her purse, then gave Jase a blatant once-over while licking her bottom lip. “You sure I can’t convince you to come over to my place for a few hours?”
    Annoyance swept through him, that Nicole would be so brazen in front of Kendall when he’d already, very nicely, turned her down. He shook his head. “No. My plans haven’t changed.”
    “All right, then. I guess I’m on my own,” she said meaningfully and gave them both a little finger wave before walking out of the studio.
    Once she was gone, Kendall glanced at him with a half smile. “You do realize, don’t you, that you just turned down a sure thing?”
    What the hell was up with her pushing him toward another woman? “That was way too easy,” he said about Nicole. He leaned a hip against the high countertop while pinning her with his direct gaze. “I like a bit of a challenge when it comes to the woman I’m interested in.” Kendall had certainly provided that.
    She laughed lightly. “You’re a glutton for rejection, aren’t you?”
    “It’s a good thing I don’t have a big ego,” he said with a shrug. “Have dinner with me tonight. Any night. You choose the day and time.”
    Her lips flattened, and her green eyes turned serious. “Jase, you’re a really nice guy, but I think we’d be better off as friends.”
    God, he hated being shoved into the friend zone. Especially with her. “Why just friends?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m attracted to you. You’re attracted to me. We’re both single. I’m just asking you out on a date, not to marry me,” he joked.
    She tensed at the comment, clearly uptight about something he’d said.
    He softened his tone and tried a different approach. “Give me a legitimate reason you won’t give me chance, and I’ll back off.”
    She exhaled a deep breath. “First of all, I’m divorced.”
    He feigned a shocked look. “Oooh, the scandal,” he teased.
    She didn’t so much as crack a smile. “And I’m thirty-five, and you’re twenty-seven. That’s an eight-year age difference between us.”
    Jase already knew how old she was, thanks to Sawyer’s girlfriend, Paige, who was also one of Kendall’s closest friends. Since her age had never been an issue for him, it hadn’t even occurred to Jase that it would be a deal breaker for her. He was actually surprised she’d used the age difference as an