Page 65 of The Roommate Remodel

I point at her. “It’s all your fault I’m turning into a marshmallow. I’d have never stepped foot in a school if it wasn’t for you. Then those kids went and won over my heart with their cherub-cheeked smiles. But you already knew that, right?”

She shrugs. “If it worked on Leo, I knew it would work on any crude Viking.”

“Well, this Viking is willing to settle for a cheesy romance movie as long as ice cream is involved in tonight’s...”

What exactly is this?It was supposed to be our first official date. But with the rest of the guys around, we’ll hardly be alone.

“I’d bet money Leo and Vale already have dibs on the big TV,” she says, packing up her laptop.

“Then I’ll make them move.” I’m not about to call it an evening. I’ll kick them out. Promise them my firstborn. Whatever it takes.

“What will you say if they askwhy?” She lifts her eyebrows, a subtle reminder that this is not supposed to be public knowledge.

“I’ll tell them we’re hanging outwithoutthem. Then I’ll give them a look that will shut them up for good.”

“Are we just hanging out?” she asks.

Not in my book. “It’s our long-overdue date, and they’re not invited. If we turn on a chick flick, that will scare them away.”

She shakes her head, even though she’s smiling. “I think you underestimate your teammates. I suspect they’re sappy romantics underneath their caveman grunts.”

“Yeah, right. You haven’t heard them in the locker room. Their idea of a good time is seeing if they can burp the ‘Star-Spangled Banner.’”

“You’d be surprised what meeting the right woman can do.”

“I wish they would. They’re around the house too much, acting like sad sacks. Every one of them needs a woman to keep them from turning into a bunch of Neanderthals.”

“Too late,” she says, reaching for the food sacks at the same time I do. Our arms brush, and we both pull back and look at each other.

Her lips curve up on one side. “When I get a new office, we won’t be crammed in here like sardines.”

“There are advantages to small spaces,” I say, smirking. “Bumping into you is one of the perks.”

She presses her laptop bag against her body, her eyes fixed on me.

“You’ve got that look on your face,” I say, nodding at her.

“What look?” she asks, blinking.

“The one that says you’re not sure about something. Did I offend you?” I know that this is part of the challenge. Getting her to open up to me a little at a time.

“Of course not,” she says, shifting her feet. “Honestly? This dating thing scares me a little, especially since I know Alex is opposed to it. Not to mention how the team will react or your sister. If you remember right, things didn’t actually end well for us last time.”

“Last time,” I clarify. “We weren’t actually dating. That wasmy first mistake. I’m going to do things the right way this time and woo you like a proper gentleman.”

“Well, Mr. Darcy, I’m going to be a lot more careful about making hasty decisions. Jane Austen got some things right when it came to romance.”

I step toward her. “When you’re ready, I’ll be waiting,” I say with a grin, brushing my knuckles down her cheeks lightly.

“Then you might wait a while,” she says, jutting her chin out just to show me she’s not caving now.

Challenge accepted.

“Waiting for what?” a voice behind us says.

I wheel around and my jaw nearly falls to the floor.

Leo stands in the door with a grin that tells me he’s heard everything.

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