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“Cool.”
“There’s a good Italian place just down the block from my apartment. L’Isola Bella.”
“Sounds good. I’ll meet you there,” he told her.
She shut the car door and walked toward her car. Clicking the lock, she opened the door and slid inside. She glanced at Ryan’s car as it sat idling in the parking stall beside her. When she fired her car to life, he pulled away. Had he been waiting to make sure her car started safely? No, that was stupid. He wasn’t that sweet of a guy. He probably had just been checking his phone or something. Ryan was right. They were both overthinking everything way too much.
Chapter Nine
Ryan walked up to the bistro in Little Italy Peyton had suggested. A handful of tables covered in red checkered tablecloths made up the outdoor seating area. A large awning extended over the sidewalk, ensuring guests were protected from the California sun. Was Peyton an inside or outside kind of girl? Fucking ridiculous. This was exactly why they needed to get to know each other. When he’d first agreed to this thing, he hadn’t given two shits about what she liked. His goal was to get in and out of these dates as painlessly as possible. Sex had kind of gummed up the works.
His body was instantly alert as he watched Peyton walk across the parking lot toward him. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. Ignoring the chemistry between them hadn’t been an option. Getting to fuck Peyton was the only good thing about this whole messed up arrangement.
If he had his way, they’d be having plenty more of it too. Unfortunately, at the moment the only thing on his mind was fucking her, which wasn’t a problem in and of itself, but it sure as fuck made things awkward at social events when he didn’t know the first thing about the woman. Including something as simple as whether she liked to sit inside or out. That was something a supposedly doting boyfriend would know.
“Hey,” he said when she walked up beside him.
“How come you didn’t grab a table?”
“I didn’t know if you wanted inside or out.”
Peyton cocked her head to the side and studied him. “It didn’t occur to me you’d care which I preferred,” she replied.
“Go figure.” He shrugged. “So, which is it?”
“Out would be great. They usually keep the air conditioning cranked inside, so you practically need a sweater to sit indoors.”
“Out it is.” He pulled open the front door of the restaurant and walked up to the hostess stand. “Two, outside please.”
Seated at the table in the middle of the outdoor seating area, Ryan picked up his menu. “What’s good here?”
“I usually get pasta.”
He glanced over at the only other occupied table outside and wrinkled his nose as he looked at the plate of pasta. There was no way that would fill him up. After a game, he was ravenous and needed protein. Lots and lots of protein. “You into appies?” he asked.
“Like to share?” she asked.
“Yeah. Why are you looking at me like that’s a weird thing to ask?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t think we were really there.”
“Where? Sharing food?” What the hell was she on about?
“Yeah, I mean that’s kind of…” she broke off.
“Jesus, Peyton, I’ve had my dick in your mouth. I’d say we are past the point of whether or not we can share food.”
She scowled at him. “You don’t have to be crass.”
Was she for real? She continued to look at him expectantly. Apparently so. “Sorry. Good to know, you only like a crass mouth in the bedroom.”
A rough kick landed square on his shin, and he winced. “Fuck, why’d you kick me?”
“Because you’re being a jerk again.”
Ryan pinched the bridge of his nose. This had been a bad idea. What happened to the cool chick he’d met at the youth center? Or the woman he’d fucked last weekend? She was back to being the snooty woman who dated Andy. “Sorry,” he muttered. They just needed to get through this dinner. Learn a little about each other so they could pass as dating and get out of here.
“I’m sorry,” Peyton said. “I’m being as big a jerk as you are.”
