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“I think I’m enjoying the suspense too much to tell you.” Rome’s rumble deepened. “Besides, you’re about to get your answer.”
I looked out the windshield but had no idea what he was talking about. It looked like a regular shopping center. He wasn’t taking me to the grocery store, was he?
The car slowed as he approached a turn and pulled into a parking lot. That was when I saw the sign. In-N-Out Burger.
“No way!” I squealed. I couldn’t believe Mr. Always-Eats-Healthy was taking me to In-N-Out. Had we slipped into a parallel dimension?
“I figured it was a safe bet since you’re a native Californian and all.”
“And will you be dining with me or just watching like a masochist as I eat the deliciousness?”
We pulled up to the end of the epically long line. “Oh, I’m eating. I’m not a saint. It’s cheat day, baby.”
“Gotta confess, I like the sound of that.”
The naughty promises in Rome’s eyes melted me. For the first time in my life, I wished I wasn’t in the drive-thru line at In-N-Out.
The rest of the night passed in a blur. Rome drove us home, and we walked through his yard, following a path of battery-powered candles to the beach behind his house where a large plaid blanket was surrounded by more fake candles.
“Oh my god, Rome. This is amazing.” Even though it was still mostly dark, I could hear the water crashing on the beach. It was the most romantic setting I could’ve asked for. I’d been so worried that he’d take me to some swanky restaurant where people would stare at us like a zoo attraction.
But this? This was perfect.
He was perfect.
Chapter Seventeen
Rome
The light playing off Sophia’s bright eyes took my breath away. She looked at me with all this intensity. But not in the adoring fangirl way that, after a while, gave me the chills. Sophia sawme. I’d spent so much time pretending to be other people or even pretending to be who people thought Roman Grier should be that sometimes it felt like I’d lost my sense of self.
Uncomfortable with my thoughts, I shoved them away and doled out the food. In seconds, Sophia was groaning. The sudden press of my erection against my pants was uncomfortable. I had to shift a bit on the blanket to get shit under control.
Until she groaned again, and the sound sent all my blood below my belt. I looked up in reflex and took in Sophia and her voracious appetite. She had both hands wrapped around her burger and was at least three bites in. Her eyes narrowed on me. After she swallowed her huge bite, she shook her head. “Nuh uh. You promised that you were gonna eat, too. Don’t make it weird, Ro.”
I grinned. In the span of two-ish weeks we’d gone from her calling me my full name to my face to her having a cute nickname for me. I liked it. “What? It’s dinner and a show.”
“Not funny.”
Laughing, I pulled my burger out of the open cardboard box and dug in. Not even a minute later,Iwas the one moaning. My mouth still full, I spoke. “Damn, I forgot how good these things are.”
“Worth the hell Kevin will put you through tomorrow?”
“What Kevin won’t know, won’t hurt me.”
Sophia laughed, but my words felt prophetic. She didn’t know what I had planned, and suddenly I felt like shit for even thinking of doing the fake engagement in the first place. I liked her. I really liked her. Why the hell was I planning on using her?
I couldn’t.
I wouldn’t.
I’d stash the ring in a drawer and forget about the stupid plan.
I just wished I could’ve done the same with the other way I’d betrayed her. But then I wouldn’t be sitting here next to her. And I couldn’t go back and undo it.
Trying not to let my feelings show, I turned back to my burger and the wonderful woman sitting next to me on the blanket. “So did the movie help you with your writing? Clear up any problems you were having?”
“You know, it did. I noticed how much of the story was devoted to romance. The cute kissing scene and the wrap up at the end. I am wondering how…detailed I should get with mine though. I’m not writing a movie with a teenage cast. My characters are adults with a history.”
