She had met her fair share of men who thought charm was nothing more than a practiced smirk and a cheap line. They were easy to read—hungry for attention, impatient for something physical, dismissive of anything deeper. She had learned to laugh it off, to move on before the disappointment lingered.

Jason Todd, however, was different.

From the moment she met him, he carried himself with a presence that was hard to ignore—not just the broad shoulders or the dangerous kind of handsome he wore so effortlessly, but the way he listened. Really listened. When she spoke, his eyes stayed on hers. He never rushed her words, never cut her off with something clever to win her over.

There was respect in the way he treated her, quiet but undeniable. He held doors without making a show of it, noticed the little things—like when she shivered in the night air and wordlessly offered his jacket. He never pressed for more than she was willing to give, even when her playful flirting tested the edges of his restraint.

And oh, did she love to flirt with him.

She teased him mercilessly sometimes, leaning close, whispering jokes in his ear, just to watch the corner of his mouth twitch into that half-smile that made her stomach flip. He’d answer with a sharp remark of his own, never cruel, always clever, the kind that left her laughing and wanting more.

It wasn’t that Jason didn’t want her—she could see it in the way his gaze lingered, the way his breath caught when she brushed her fingers against his arm. It was that he respected her, cared enough not to reduce her to some fleeting night or empty conquest.

And that made him irresistible.