He brought her out here to mess with her, and get his revenge for her duplicity� only for her to treat this as a pleasure trip, even asking if she could have a cigarette!

She shot him a look, and complained, �It�s fine if you don�t want to give me one. There�s no need to be so petty.�

And with that, neither spoke as Renee kept watching him smoke, while the atmosphere

between them stayed awkward. Still, Stefan was certain proof that someone up there played favorites. That chiseled, perfect

face could give star actors a run for their money, and his aloofness made his very presence irresistible.

Even as Renee stared at him, she could not help gulping as she restrained herself from

leaning in to kiss him.

Stefan did not miss Renee�s fidgeting, but misunderstood it as her craving a cigarette.

Frowning, he lectured her like a father would, �You�re a woman, but you smoke?�

His judgy tone pissed Renee off, and she straightened herself menacingly as she snapped,

�What�s wrong with women smoking? Why are men allowed to do it, but not women?�

�Men are different from women," Stefan said stubbornly.

�In what way?� Renee demanded sharply. �From my perspective, women can do anything men can, but men can�t do everything women can. In that respect, women are nobler than men!�

�How so?�

�Women are more empathetic, sentimental, and kinder. Most importantly, they can bear

children, and men can�t. Think about it�every human being came from a woman, so why are men allowed to smoke but women aren�t?�

Stefan actually could not come up with a retort against Renee�s eloquent logic, and she snorted. �See? Can�t argue against that, can you? Give me a reason if you think of one that�s reasonable.�

Seizing the moment while Stefan was spaced out, she snatched a cigarette from his box and ignited hers with his.

This time, Stefan did not stop her. He somewhat agreed with her perspective that women were nobler than men, as they were an amalgamation of that which was beautiful, while men embodied bloodlust, death, and violence.

As Renee smoked, she leaned very close to Stefan. Their faces were so close that they

could feel the other�s breath on their skin. It was a delicate exchange, as addictive as

nicotine-one could get lost in it without realizing.

�I smoke because I�m frustrated. What reason do you have to smoke?� Steafan asked Renee, staring at her through the smoke with a penetrating gaze.

Why did he feel like he had stared at her beautiful face countless times, and yet completely forgot about it?

�I�m frustrated too,� Renee rasped, closing her eyes after slowly calming herself. JrNovels.com