Reign A Romance Anthology - Nina Levine Page 0,307

mom hands me a plate full of mashed potatoes. “Thank you.” I gift her with a grin. It’s then I remember I don’t know her name. Dylan didn’t tell me or even introduce us. I was thrown under the bus when she walked out and saw us on the street.

Honestly, I don’t know what came over me when I told her I was Dylan’s boyfriend. It felt like the right thing to say, when it was actually the dumbest.

All the ladies around me fill their plates. I sense a pair of eyes on me, and when I glance up, Ariel’s grin greets me. “So, Cole, how did you meet Dylan?” Ariel’s sweet voice cuts through the clinking of cutlery of the people around us filling their plates.

And now for the onslaught of questions.

I flick a glance toward Dylan who tries to hide a smile by shoving a forkful of roast beef in her mouth. “Well, uh…that’s a pretty funny story, actually. My friend attempted to play a trick on me, and it led me to this beautiful lady.” Two can play her game. I slide my hand over her thigh, and it stiffens under my touch. Dylan attempts to act natural, but I can see the sheer panic slice through her the moment I squeeze her leg.

“Oh, aren’t you sweet,” her mother gushes.

“What was the trick?” Jasmine asks.

My hand stays where it is, and I answer, “He told me that I had to get a test done before my next race meet. Said my original doctor wasn’t available, so he sent me to Dylan’s office. It was a bit of a shock to the system when I realized what it is she actually does with men’s bits.” I inwardly cringe at the thought of her standing over me with my legs splayed open in the air and her fondling my manhood then decapitating it. Okay, slight over-exaggeration, I know. However, she can totally fondle my manhood in another way anytime she wants.

The room fills with laughter from everyone except Dylan. I slide my hand farther up her thigh. She shifts a little, and that slight movement stirs a need in me. I want her, at least once.

There’s something about her that screams to me. A silent call only I can hear.

“How long have you been together?” Ariel asks. Here was I thinking the firing line would come from her mother. Perhaps Dylan’s wrong about her mother’s scrutinizing, and she should be worrying about her sister.

“It’s only new. How long is it now, babe?” Throwing in the pet name is perfect for a reaction as she begins coughing. My hand moves from her leg to her back, and I pat it lightly. Gee, I’m good at this pretend-boyfriend stuff.

She takes a drink of her water and clears her throat. “I’m not sure, maybe a month or two.”

“You kept this from me for a month?” Her mother’s voice raises with each word. “Dylan, why didn’t you tell me?”

“Sorry, Mom. I wasn’t sure he’d hang around. You know how men can be.”

Her mother’s brows pull together as she nods her agreement. The way the word falls from her lips, it’s obvious it has something to do with her dad. “Yes, well, we can’t compare every man to that worthless piece of—” She catches herself before cussing, then she takes a breath and continues, “Remember, every man in this world isn’t like him.”

“I know, Mom, but I can’t help it. All the men I’ve gone on a date with have been afraid of me and my job. Is it the job? Or is it the fact that I’m a woman who’s built an empire snipping dicks for a living?”

Ariel and Jasmine break out into laughter.

I chew my lip, but I can’t help the grin. My hand rests on Dylan’s back still, and it’s then I register that she’s quite vulnerable when it comes to men walking away.

What if walking away hurts her more?

No, this is her doing.

She asked me here.

Well, actually, she blackmailed me.

“Men are worthless,” Jasmine chimes in.

“Oh, okay, tell us how you really feel,” I say sarcastically with a slice of humor in my words.

Jasmine’s hard gaze lands on me, scrutinizing and analyzing. “What? All I’ve known is men walking away. We all have, so it wouldn’t surprise us at all if you didn’t come back after tonight.” She shrugs and adds more food to her fork then places it in her mouth.

Clearly, they’ve all been burned at some stage in their