Players (Lessons by Loki) by Aubrey Ross

to hang on you?” He had no doubt he already knew. He just wanted to hear her say it, hear her denying and explain why he was wrong about her nature.
    She started walking again, which took her gaze off his face. “He said you thought I was a submissive.”
    “I still do. ” She pulled her hand out of his light grasp. “Why does that upset you? There’s no shame in needing to surrender control to find pleasure.”
    “It makes me powerless.”
    He lightly grasped her upper arm, halting her steps again. “Did you feel powerless just now?”
    Her gaze darted toward his then away. “No.”
    Allowing her silence until they reached the other side of the street, he debated what to say. She was right. There was no need to complicate the situation with labels, but he was disturbed by the shame she attached to surrender. He’d barely begun to earn her trust. It made more sense to postpone a deeper conversation until their foundation was stronger.
    “Tell me this doesn’t change what we talked about. I still want to be your friend.”
    “Why?” She stepped up onto her front porch, putting their faces on a level.
    “Why do I want to be your friend?” He didn’t have to fake a confused expression. Her reaction made no sense.
    “ You’ve lived across the street from me for five years. Why the sudden interest?”
    He stepped closer and she stepped back. “I’ve always been interested in you. I just thought you were too nice to enjoy my attention.”
    She laughed. “You don’t think I’m ‘nice’ anymore?”
    Moving onto the porch with her, he urged her back against the front door. “I think you’re sweet, too smart for your own good, and utterly adorable. But I finally saw beyond the purity of your features and your innocent eyes.” He caged her with his arms, leaning in close without actually touching her. “You’re hungry for darker pleasures. You’re ready to play with the fire, and I want to make sure you don’t get burned.”
    “What does that have to do with friendship?”
    He chuckled. There was the too-smart-for-her-own-good part kicking in. “To abandon yourself to the sorts of pleasures I think you’re craving you have to trust your partner.”
    “Or partners?” Challenge rang through the question though she glanced away.
    “Or partners,” he agreed. “You can’t trust someone you don’t know, so I want to get to know you better. I want you to be comfortable with me.”
    Her gaze finally returned to his and he was shocked by the annoyance he found there. “So the only reason you want to spend time with me is so I’ll feel more comfortable when we have sex.”
    “That’s not what I said.”
    She eased her purse up, forcing him back and quickly found her key s. “Despite my behavior tonight, I’m not in the market for a lover or lovers.” She pivoted to the side and jammed the key in the lock. “If that’s your true motivation for wanting to ‘make friends’ with me, don’t waste your time.”
    He grasped the handle, keeping the door closed and preventing her escape. “I won’t deny wanting you. That would be dishonest, but it’s not the only reason I want to spend time with you.”
    “I’m deadly serious about this. If your primary goal is more of what happened tonight, I’ll frustrate the hell out of you.”
    Didn’t she realize how aggressive men responded to challenge? Apparently not, because she was waving a red flag in his face. “I’m willing to risk it. Have lunch with me tomorrow.”
    She stared at him for a long , silent moment. Her face was shadowed yet her eyes gleamed. “Was that a question?”
    He chuckled, amused by her stubbornness. “Will you please have lunch with me tomorrow? You still have Saturdays off, don’t you?”
    “I do and I will, but only if we go to a restaurant. I’m not going to be alone with you.”
    He ran the backs of his fingers down the side of her face. “Don’t trust yourself to be alone with me? I’ll be on my best