Page 8 of Overruled

“She hadn’t gotten around to it,” Dad says. “You’ve given her a run for her money in the past.”

“It’s because he’s fluent in bullshit,” I mutter.

Ezra remains unfazed. “I’ve definitely never come up against anyone like your daughter. She’s…very good.” He pauses, his mouth hitching in a slow smile. “When she wants to be.”

I feel my neck flush with heat, my nostrils flaring in what has to be a comical expression as I remember the other night.

You can be a good girl when you want to be, Dani.

“Nothing like a little friendly rivalry to make things interesting,” Dad pipes up, oblivious to the fact that Ezra is trying to engage me in some kind of odd mating dance that I refuse to be a part of. “I can’t wait to see how things play out.”

Ezra’s eyes are still fixed on me, giving a surreptitious glance down the front of me before his head snaps back to my parents to flash another practiced smile.

“I’m always in for a surprise when it comes to Dani, but it’s never boring.

” Ezra checks his watch. “I’d better go back to waiting on my client. It was really great to meet you both.”

“It was nice to meet you,” my mom offers.

Ezra’s eyes catch mine, an annoying twinkle there that lets me know how amusing he finds all of this. “Always good to see you, Dani.”

I can’t manage more than a stiff nod, the familiar knot forming in my belly, one that always seems to work in tandem with the warming of my blood, leaving me aggravated. Especially since I can never really pin down if it comes more from irritation or arousal.

“He seemed nice,” Dad notes as Ezra strides off.

I catch Mom nodding from the corner of my eye. “Handsome too. Dani, have you ever—?”

“I need to go to the bathroom,” I spit out, pushing up from my chair. “I’ll be right back.”

I don’t wait for them to reply as I make a beeline for the restrooms, turning sharply just before I reach the hallway to cut across the edge of the dining room toward the bar area.

I find him there, slung casually in one of the oversized leather stools at the horseshoe-shaped bar, his fingers drumming lightly over the dark polished wood as he watches some sports game on the overhead television.

I shove his shoulder lightly. “What the hell was that?”

“Oh, hello, Dani. Miss me already? That has to be a new record.”

“I miss you about as much as I miss teeth cleanings.”

“Mm, sounds like you’re thinking about me in your mouth.”

“I actually cannot stand you.”

Ezra’s smile is slow, lazy even. It makes the knots in my stomach tighten even further. “I like you best off your feet anyway.”

“You think you’re cute,” I huff.

He bats his eyelashes at me in an overexaggerated fashion. “I think I’m adorable.”

“Why are you here? Really?”

“I told you, I’m meeting a client.”

“Is it Mr. Casiraghi?”

“I have more than one client,” he chuckles.

“Are you implying I don’t?”

“Calm down, Sour Patch,” he laughs. “I would never.”

“Don’t call me that.”

He drums his fingers over the bar again, still looking annoyingly smug. “Your parents seem nice.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“That your parents seem nice?” he repeats with a grin. “No hidden meaning.”

“There’s always a hidden meaning with you.”

“I think you think there is, but I’m actually very simple. I say what I mean, Dani.”

I narrow my eyes, still trying to figure out if there is some sort of angle here that I’m missing.

“Brunch with my parents is awkward enough without you mucking things up.”

“Didn’t seem very awkward to me.”

“Right,” I snort. “Only because my dad’s wife and my mother’s husband couldn’t be here to parade their weird little four-way friendship that drives me up the fucking wall.”

Ezra cocks his head. “They’re divorced?”

“But still the best of friends,” I say bitterly.

“That sounds like it would be tough to deal with as a kid.”

“Didn’t happen until I was seventeen. Fucking blew my world up, but I—” I close my mouth.

What am I doing? Ezra and I don’t do this.

This sort of thing is for friends with benefits who are actually friends.

“Whatever. I wanted to tell you that just because we…” I swallow, refusing to acknowledge it out loud.

“It doesn’t mean you can insert yourself into my personal life. ”

“I could make a joke about inserting myself , but I’m a gentleman.”

“Sure you are,” I scoff.

“Did you come all the way over here just to yell at me, or did you actually miss me?”

“Hardly.”

“Too bad,” he murmurs.

My nose wrinkles. “Why?”

“Because I’ve missed you.”

I refuse to let surprise show on my face; I remind myself that things like that are all part of Ezra’s game. That making me think he’s actually being nice would be like a gold star to him.

“Sure you have,” I reply blandly.

His fingers slide from the bar to tease against the tips of mine, his touch so slight that I might not even notice it if not for the sparks of electricity it causes to shoot along my skin.

“I can show you just how much,” he tells me, his voice lowering to a level that makes me want to press my legs together.

“If you want to come over later to…go over things.”

I tell myself that the shiver along my spine is one of distaste. The mistruth is like a lifeboat in an entire sea of lies that I’ve been treading these past few months.

I yank my hand away. “Not happening. I’m busy, and I already told you we aren’t doing that anymore.”

“Suit yourself.” Ezra shrugs. “I guess I’ll just see you at my office to discuss the settlement proposal in a few days then?”

“They tell me it’s mandatory,” I reply dryly.

“Can’t wait to see you either,” Ezra chuckles.

“Try to keep the bullshit to a minimum, if you can.”

“But, Dani,” he says with a wide grin, “you look so pretty when you’re pissed at me.”

I throw up my hands, spinning on my heel with a frustrated sound as his laughter chases after me.

I don’t know how many times I’ve told myself not to let Ezra rile me, but it seems like my brain still hasn’t gotten the message, like he has intimate knowledge about all my buttons and exactly where to press them.

I clench my fists as I stomp back to my parents’ table.

I’m definitely not still thinking about the way my skin tingles where he touched me.