Read Once Upon A Diamond (Prince Uncharming Book 1) for Free Online Page B

met. Take your pick.”
    “What's wrong with him? If he was a good prospect, you'd have called me right away.”
    He was broken and she didn't try to fix men. She also didn't believe a man would somehow magically change because of love. Never had. What she got is what she had, and pretty much she would have to make peace with the man as is or walk.
    Yvonne had never reached that “make peace” part of the theory. “Does it matter? We're going to have fun with each other.”
    Jessica narrowed her eyes. “Are these lies that you're telling yourself? You never bring a man to class.”
    “I didn't bring him. Technically.”
    “What does that even mean?”
    She gave her friend the short version. By the end of it, they'd run through their leg stretches. Jessica said, “Either that was one hell of a kiss or he's stalked women before.”
    Yvonne shook her head. “He's a financial analyst. He's a gambler at heart. He couldn't turn away from a challenge.”
    “Don't they just look at numbers and give advice?”
    “He looked at the risks—me. Considered his odds. Made a choice.”
    “Sounds romantic.”
    “It is, because I'm not a sure thing or a safe bet. And still, where is he? How is he looking at me?”
    Jessica had no chill. She looked right at him, held his gaze for five seconds and then said, “Like he's going to flip you onto his bed and do things you can't repeat without getting flustered.”
    Yvonne's smile was slow but no less bright. “Exactly.”
    She whistled and shook her head. “You're playing with fire.”
    She'd definitely thought about that the past few nights. At some point she’d had to kick off her covers because she was too hot at the truth of that. “Maybe.”
    Surprise laced her friend's voice, “You don't sound scared.”
    That in and of itself should have put a sliver of fear in her heart. She was being foolhardy. She let herself watch him out of the corner of her eye. Looking at him directly, especially the way his gaze was just gobbling her up, would force her to grab the barre for support. “He's not a safe bet, but he's safe.”
    Her friend's brows went up and she wore an are-you-crazy expression. “You know this how?”
    The question not the look, gave her pause. “You know I'm not touchy-feely.”
    Jessica's eyes widened. “I'm shocked you're even using that word.”
    “ Right? But I just know.”
    Jessica stared at her without blinking for a few seconds. “Tell me about the kiss again because I think it's broken your brain.”
    “Probably,” she agreed then a bubble of laughter rolled from her gut.
    They moved out onto the floor, spread out for the routine. And she could feel Greg's gaze only on her. Had she danced for anyone she dated in the past five years? No. Ballet was still her first true love. She had fun with it now, but for a long time she could only be intense about ballet.
    It wasn't for wussies or complainers. It wasn't always kind to women of color. To women, period, even though they made up more than seventy-five percent of working dancers. Dance was a part of herself she didn't normally share with someone who couldn't understand. So maybe that's why she felt safe with him. He hadn't looked in coffee shops for her. He hadn't gone to auction houses where she could buy jewelry or to estate sales. He'd found her in a ballet studio.
    Her stomach fluttered and she had to suck in a big breath to get back into ready-mode. But then she found his gaze. He watched her but she had no doubt he could see her. After class, she'd find out exactly what that image of her was.
    *****
    A little less than an hour later Yvonne ran up to Greg and pulled him out of the chair without fanfare. “If you're smart, you won't ask questions. You'll keep moving.”
    Greg had watched her chatting with another woman during the whole class. The moment the woman had been pulled into a different conversation, Yvonne had made her escape. The grip she had on his arm told him all he needed to