I should have ended the conversation right there.
I should have turned, walked back inside, and pretended this moment never happened. But something in the way he spoke—low, steady, certain—kept me rooted in place.
Not yet.
Two simple words, yet they held the promise of something more. Something I wasn't sure I was ready for.
I straightened my shoulders, lifting my chin slightly. "And what makes you think I'd let you?"
A slow, knowing smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "You already have."
I hated how easily the words settled in my chest, how much truth they carried.
Because he was right.
I was still standing there, still entertaining a conversation that had no business continuing. I wasn't the type to be drawn in so easily—yet here I was, caught in a web of curiosity I couldn't untangle myself from.
I let out a soft breath, forcing a cool expression. "You seem confident."
"Confidence is knowing the outcome before the game even begins."
His arrogance should have been off-putting. It wasn't. If anything, it only made him more intriguing.
A car pulled up to the curb, one of my family's chauffeurs stepping out, waiting for me. A silent reminder that I wasn't supposed to be here, lingering outside with a man whose name I didn't even know yet.
I turned slightly, glancing at the waiting vehicle before shifting my gaze back to him. "I should go."
He didn't argue. Didn't try to stop me.
Instead, he reached into the pocket of his suit and pulled out a sleek black card, extending it between two fingers. "For when you decide you want to know me."
A challenge.
I hesitated for a fraction of a second before taking it, feeling the cool texture against my skin. No name. Just a number.
I looked up at him, but he was already stepping back, turning toward his own car without another word.
No demand. No expectations.
Just patience.
And that? That was the most tempting thing of all.