Page 160 of The Rules

Julian cocked his head, smile sharpening. He didn’t answer. Just watched her. Not like a man admiring a beautiful woman, but like a strategist evaluating a piece on the board. Wondering how much it might cost to sacrifice it.

Ben shifted beside her, the tension in his frame coiled and precise—like a man ready for a blow he’d already chosen to absorb. His posture remained composed, but his attention angled toward her now, steady and unspoken.

"Julian has a habit of keeping tabs on me," he said, eyes fixed on the table. "Comes with the job."

Katherine’s head snapped slightly to the side, eyes narrowing.

"You ran a background check on me?"Her voice cracked like a whip—sharp, incredulous, dangerous.

"Sweetheart," he said, smooth but a little too fond, like he was reminiscing about something fragile and broken, "I look into everyone who gets close to my brother."

He leaned in now, elbows on the table, eyes catching the low light just right—reflecting sharp and pale, more wolf than man. His grin stretched a little too wide. A little too pleased.

"Call it a habit. A hobby. Maybe I just have a soft spot for Ben. Always have. It’s weird, right?" His head tilted, studying her like she was a riddle he’d already solved. "He lets the wrong people in. Always has. And I like... knowing about them."

A beat. Then he lifted his glass slightly, like he was toasting some private joke only he was in on. "Occupational hazard."

The silence that followed was tight. Intimate. A trap disguised as conversation.

Katherine didn’t blink. Didn’t flinch. She just tilted her head—mirroring him—and let her lips curl into something deceptively warm.

A smile made of glass and teeth.

"That’s cute," she said sweetly. "Obsessing over your big brother like that."

She leaned forward, voice dropping to a whisper meant just for him.

"Should I be jealous?" Her lashes lifted slowly, deliberately. "Or just deeply,deeplyconcerned?"

For a fraction of a second—less than a breath—Julian’s smirk twitched. His eyes flicked, just a beat too slow. And something cold slid behind his expression like a shadow shifting in the dark.

Ben let out a breath beside her—tight, sharp, like he’d swallowed something sideways.

But Julian? He didn’t blink.

He just sat there, smiling like the world was a chessboard and she'd finally moved a pawn into range.

And for the first time, Katherine felt it.

Not just the chill.

Therisk.

Because maybe she’d landed a hit.

Or maybe?

She’d just earned his full attention.

Katherine narrowed her eyes, posture shifting ever so slightly. Not retreat—adjustment. The initial jolt of hearing her stage name faded, replaced by sharp, strategic clarity.

This wasn’t just conversation anymore.

"And what exactly is your occupation?" she asked coolly, voice clean as glass but edged like the stem of a broken one.

The grin that spread across Julian’s face was slow and dangerous. Not warmth. Not charm. Something slicker, darker—like oil sliding across water.

"Let’s just say I deal in secrets," he said, almost purring the words. They slid across the space between them with deliberate ease.