Page 44 of Dex

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.”

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