I sigh.“We should try to keep the story close to reality.”
“You’ve done this before, haven’t you?”His voice is suspicious.
“No.Have you?”
“No.But you seem pretty eager about it.”
I roll my eyes.“Look, I don’t want to keep repeating this.I only want to help my father.You’re suspicious of me, maybe you’re wondering why I haven’t met anyone, but you’re not a bad-looking man and I’m not bad-looking either—”
He cuts me off.“What?Did you just say you’re notbad looking?”He shakes his head.Then, he schools his surprise, nodding.“Yeah, I guess you’re not bad looking.”
It’s strange.In this moment, I like him a little more.“Thank you.”I tilt my head and give him a wide smile.“No food stuck in my teeth?No mustache?”
He exhales a laugh.“No.”
“No booger up my nose?”
“Jesus, Daniela.”
“Just checking.”I grin.“So, I must be presentable.”
“This is definitely better than what you had on the night we first met.”His eyes casually sweep over me.
I freeze.“Excuse me?”
“You weren’t wearing anything,” he says casually.
I blink.“I …what?”
“When I came to your hotel room, you could’ve been naked behind that door, for all I knew.”
“I was holding up my dress!”I cry out in exasperation.
He shrugs.“Not my problem.”
I narrow my eyes.“You weren’t curious?”
“Nope.”
“Not even just a little?”
“Absolutely not.”
I sit back, studying him.“You really don’t fancy me, not even a little bit?”
He leans forward and whispers, “Daniela, you’re the last person I’d want to marry.What we’re doing now, pretending to be madly in love, it’s all lies.You know that.”
I arch a brow.“What if I were the last person on earth?”
“Same.There were two other women in that room that night,” he says smoothly.“Both in their fifties.Both wearing trousers.I’d have picked them over you.”
I gasp.“You’re dead serious?”
“Damn straight.”
I burst out laughing.It’s so unexpected, because I’ve never had any man say that to me.While his words feel refreshingly different, they also leave a sting.Because at last I’ve met a man who interests me, but has no interest in me.
Our drinks arrive and Dexter lifts his glass.“Let’s toast to something.”
