"I can’t reconcile this side of you with the grumpyass you normally are."
He searches my features, then nods. "I can understand why it must seem so confusing. This is a charade, and here I am, doing things a real-life fiancé would do for you."
I tilt my head. "I can’t understand how you are so reasonable sometimes."
"I'malwaysreasonable," he murmurs.
"You’re joking, right?"
His lips kick up on one side, so he has that one-sided smile on his face that’s so freakin’ sexy. My heart stutters a little.
"Maybe I am… a little," he agrees. "But I’m not unnecessarily unreasonable."
I stare at him.
"I don’t go out of my way to be cheery, but I also don’t make things difficult for other people."
"And what do you call asking me to move into your room, knowing full-well there was only one bed, and then asking me to pose as your fiancée,andmaking it impossible for me to refuse?"
"I call that a transaction." He raises a shoulder.
"It didn’t make my life easier, necessarily."
"It helped you get back at your wankhole of an ex."
"It did." I look away, then back at him. "I guess I’m confused because you said you wanted to re-instate boundaries and then you were—"
"Massaging away your pain?" His forehead furrows. "It’s a little confusing to me, too. I hadn’t meant it to turn into a seduction routine or make you come— Okay, maybe I did want to make you come, but only because I knew it would relax you further. But I’m all for the boundaries."
I rub at my temple. "This entire discussion is giving me a headache. Also…" I lower my hand and scowl up at him. "You told me you’ll tell me about your family."
"If you tell me about yours?"
I fold my arms about my waist. "I don’t talk about my family with anyone."
"Neither do I."
I jerk my head in his direction. "You introduced me to your Grams."
"But you don’t know about my past."
I have a sense of it from the pictures I saw on the walls of his grandmother’s house, but I also noticed they stopped when he was a teenager. After that, there are no pictures of them together as a family, and I have to admit, I’m curious.
"The only reason I want to know about your past is so I can do a better job as the PR manager of the team." I tip up my chin.
He widens his stance. "And the only reason I want to know about your past is so when I’m interviewed about you by the media, I know enough to keep this charade alive."
"O-kay." I nod slowly.
"Okay." He holds out his hand. "Shall we do it over dinner tonight?"
* * *
"So, he’s taking you out to dinner?" Mira squeals over the phone.
I increase the distance between the phone and my face. "Jeez, pipe down, will ya?"
"He’s taking you out to dinner; that’s a big deal."