Page 162 of The Rules

"Relax, sweetheart," he said, voice thick with smug pleasure, each syllable a caress designed to crawl beneath her skin.

"I bluffed."

He grinned—wide, wolfish—teeth gleaming in the low light, the predatory curve of his lips making her stomach clench with something dangerously close to fear.

"But damn..." He chuckled, dark and delighted, the sound vibrating through the air between them. "That reaction tells me everything."

Kath inhaled sharply through her nose, heat blooming under her skin. She’d walked straight into it—and worse, she’d reacted. Given him what he wanted. Her pulse thudded at the base of her throat, fast and tight. It wasn’t shame exactly. More like the sharp sting of knowing she’d slipped—and he’d seen it.

"You're a bastard," she snapped.

Julian's smile only widened, as if she'd handed him a bouquet instead of an insult. The dimple in his left cheek deepened, making him look almost boyish despite the calculated cruelty in his eyes. "Mmm. That's what they tell me." He savored her rage like fine wine, rolling it across his tongue, finding it exquisite.

"So?" His tone dipped again, soft and invasive. "How far have you two gone?"

A beat. "I like details."

Katherine opened her mouth—whether to speak or lash out, she didn’t even know. But she never got the chance.

The shift was sudden, violent in its precision. Ben's hand slammed onto the table with enough force to make the glasses jump. The sound cracked through Katherine's body like lightning, sending a jolt up her spine that made her throat tighten.

Julian didn't flinch.

But Katherine did. Her shoulders tensed, muscles coiling tight beneath her silk blouse. A betrayal of weakness she couldn't control, couldn't hide.

"Enough," he said—calm, but honed like a blade. The word landed with the weight of a verdict, the kind that didn't need volume to dominate a room. Katherine recognized that tone—had heard it silence courtrooms, had watched it make grown men retreat.

The silence that followed pressed in around them—thick, electric, full of things no one wanted to say.

Julian stayed reclined, utterly unfazed. A soft sound escaped him—almost a purr. Pleased. Dangerous. The corner of his mouth lifted in that familiar way that made Katherine’s stomach clench with disgust and a flicker of tension she couldn’t quite shake.

She watched Julian, every muscle in her body tense with distrust. This man wasn't just Ben's brother—he was something else entirely. Something dangerous that wore the shape of a man, with eyes that saw too much and a smile that promised nothing good.

Julian took a slow, unbothered sip of his drink. His gaze drifted lazily between her and Ben, as though he were watching a particularly entertaining show that only he could fully appreciate. The picture of indulgent mischief.

Julian didn’t lower his voice. He didn’t need to. The offer dropped from his lips in a perfectly normal tone—clear, confident, and far too casual for what it was:

"You know... I could offer you amuchbetter deal than my dear brother here."

Katherine froze. Her lips parted slightly, but no sound came out—just stunned silence. Her mind flailed for a response that wouldn’t arrive.

She stared at him. Not blinking. Not breathing. Like her brain refused to catch up with what her ears had just heard.

"Ben likes his rules. His lines. His lovely little leash." Julian's eyes flickered to his brother before returning to her. "Idon't."

He let the words sit between them, heavy with implication. Then he lowered his voice further, pitching it just for her, excluding Ben from this moment of conspiracy.

Silence slammed down over the table like a vault door. Katherine didn’t breathe. Didn’t blink. Julian’s offer hovered in the air—slick, poisonous, and impossible to ignore.

She didn’t even get the chance to react.

Because Ben moved.

Fast.

His chair screeched backward—violent, abrupt. In the same breath, he was across the table—reaching. One hand shot out, fisting the front of Julian’s shirt in a brutal grip, yanking him forward over the wood like gravity didn’t apply.

Glass rattled. Katherine flinched.