Page 11 of Fake Dating My Valentine

He laughed and helped me from the truck. “Then I’ll make sure to feed you extra.”

“Not unless you want me to burst out of these pants.” I slapped a hand over my mouth. “Why did I say that?”

“Hey, calm down, Torey. Relax, it’s just me.”

Just him. “I’m nervous and I don’t know why.”

“Because this is weird. It just is. But we have each other,” he said and took my hand in his. “So we’ll be fine.”

We were led to our table right away and I immediately ordered a drink, which came quickly. “We’ll be fine,” I insisted with more confidence than I felt.

I decided to just dive right in. “So Ryan, why did you choose the Army?”

He blinked. “You mean why did I enlist?”

I shook my head. “No, you were always protective and fit. I figured you might end up in law enforcement but this fits. I’m just curious why the Army instead of another branch.” I frowned. “Is that a weird question to ask?”

“No, actually. It’s just nobody’s ever asked that before.” He sipped his lemonade and sighed. “I chose the Army because I always wanted to be Special Forces.”

“Wow, even back then at eighteen you knew?”

He nodded.

“That’s incredible, Ryan. And you achieved it. Congratulations!” I raised my glass to him. “So what’s next, like a four-star general, or something?”

His laughter was deep and rich. “Who knows?” He put his glass down and stared at me until my nipples hardened. “So, you dated Lancaster?”

“No. I became friends with him. We kissed but there was no spark but we really like each other so now we’re friends. It’s weird but somehow not as weird as dating my best friend’s brother.”

“Is it that weird?”

I shrugged. “Yes, no… I don’t know. Maybe?”

“Wow,” he chuckled. “That’s crystal clear, Tor.”

“Shush.” We laughed and talked throughout the delicious meal—steak for me and a burger for him—as we got to know each other. “Are we ready to burn off some of these calories?”

“I don’t know about burning off calories, but I hope you can two-step because I haven’t been line dancing in ten years.”

“No pressure, right?”

“Wrong,” he whispered as we made our way back to the car. “So much pressure. I’m expecting cowgirl level line dancingfrom my girlfriend.” His gaze flicked down to the floorboards before he put the car in gear. “Will you be able to dance in those?”

I arched a brow at him. “Just you wait, smart ass.” The minute we arrived at the dance hall, I tugged him onto the dance floor and we tore up the aged wood until we were sweaty and laughing. “How’s that for dancing in these shoes?”

Ryan leaned in close and wrapped an arm around me as a slower song began. “Watching your hips sway in those things was incredible.” His brows wiggled and his eyes danced beautifully.

“You are such a charmer. Who knew?”

He leaned in close, so close I was sure he was going to kiss me and then he didn’t. “I knew and now you know too,” he whispered in my ear.

It happened several times throughout the evening. We had a good time. We flirted and our hands were all over each other. The chemistry between us was unbelievable but still his lips never touched mine.

I double-checked that I didn’t have garlic breath.

Checked for spinach in my teeth.

It was all good, minty fresh and free of debris, but it didn’t matter.

---