Page 102 of Just One Fake Date

Was something wrong?

She was thinking of calling him when she heard the squeal of tires. Ty pulled into the driveway in a hurry and looked a bit annoyed. His mouth was in a grim line. He was wearing sunglasses and when he got out of the car, she noticed his suit was a brighter blue than she might have expected. It was a dark royal blue and cut slim. He wore caramel leather shoes and really did look like a model in an ad for an Italian menswear designer. Shannyn liked that he was shaking it up a bit.

He checked his watch as he got out of the car. “Sorry!” he said, his irritation clear, and shut the door hard. “You’re going to appreciate how stupid this is. I was fifteen minutes early, so I went around the block, then got caught in a traffic jam...”

Shannyn laughed and locked the door, then stepped off the porch. Tyler looked up in the middle of his story and was apparently struck dumb.

He stared.

Shannyn walked toward the car, loving that she’d shocked him to silence. Her dress was navy with white polka dots, a flirty feminine dress that was fitted and flared, one that swung around her knees. She wore it with a little tailored navy jacket that hid her tattoos from view. Her pale pink shoes with kitten heels matched her clutch purse. Her long strand of pink freshwater pearls and matching earrings looked a little boho. Today, instead of her usual au-naturel look, her eyes were lined and thickly lashed, and she wore pink lipstick the same color as her purse.

It was kind of funny to realize how well she and Tyler matched.

She stopped in front of him and smiled. “Could I knock you over with a feather?”

“Maybe.” His gaze slipped over her as if he couldn’t stop himself from looking.

That made Shannyn feel powerful. She laughed as she spun in front of him. “Just channeling my inner Audrey Hepburn.”

“And doing it beautifully. Don’t mind me.” He looked again. “I’ve never seen your legs before.” His voice was low enough to start a thrum deep down inside her.

“In public.”

Ty grinned. “I wasn’t looking that night.”

“Not at my legs.”

He took a deep breath and removed his sunglasses. “Are you deliberately trying to surprise me?”

Shannyn nodded. “Did it work?”

“Of course. You have a perfect record in that department.” It didn’t look like that bothered him much. He looked her in the eye, his smile fading. “But you don’t have to be anyone other than who you are. Don’t change for me or anyone else, Shannyn. You don’t have to pretend for this.”

“You were the one arguing for plausibility.”

“I meant that it was plausible we were seeing each other, because we know things about each other, not that you fulfill any crazy ideas my family has about what kind of woman I should be with.”

“But...”

His tone hardened and that mouth tempted her touch. “It’s none of their damn business who I date. If I’m happy, that should be enough.” He pushed a hand through his hair, looking impatient. “Be yourself. That’s more than enough. If this is something you thought you had to wear, maybe to hide your tattoos, I’ll wait while you change. You don’t have to perform for my family.”

Shannyn felt a lump rise in her throat. “I’m not. I like this dress.”

“It’s pretty. You look great.” He smiled crookedly down at her and her heart skipped a beat at the intensity in his eyes. “But I like you, just the way you are, however you choose to be. Whatever you wear, I’m proud to be with you.”

Shannyn couldn’t speak for a moment, because she knew he meant it.

“Now you look like you could be knocked over with a feather,” he teased after a moment of silence.

Shannyn tried to swallow the lump in her throat. “That’s the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me,” she confessed.

“It’s true,” Tyler said and brushed a fingertip across her cheek.

“Thank you.” She couldn’t look away from his intense gaze and suddenly there didn’t seem to be enough oxygen in Brooklyn. She reached up and touched his mouth, feeling him smile beneath her fingertips. Then he tipped his head and kissed her palm, nuzzling his cheek against her hand, his gaze locked with hers.

She was lost, with no desire to be found.

Shannyn took a quick breath then tugged his lapel. “And what about this? It seems a bit trendy for you. Are you changing your style?”

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