Page 12 of Roman & Olivia
Mateo didn’t seem to care one bit about this confession.
“She doesn’t have anyone else, Mateo. All she has is me. No one is going to get hurt because I won’t let that happen. We’ll play pretend long enough for her crush to pay her some attention, and then we’ll stage a breakup. And that will be that.”
Still, Mateo wasn’t convinced. Thank goodness he had the good sense to keep his mouth shut about it. And if his family knew about the fake arrangement, then they’d be less likely to put their noses where they didn’t belong.
Roman gestured to the two bags of feed that were at his feet. “How many more do we have?”
“Two.” Mateo jutted his chin toward Cameron. “Thanks for helping us unload. You can get back to work. Marcus and I will handle the rest.”
Cameron nodded and headed out, followed closely by Marcus. Mateo hovered. Of course he did.
“You know, just because you’re the oldest and managed to find someone to love and you’re starting your own family doesn’t mean?—”
“Just… be careful.”
“Yeah, I will,” Roman said. He watched his brother leave before scooping the bag of feed onto his shoulder and positioning it on the shelf with the others.
Olivia would be showing up soon for one of their little tutoring sessions. He’d managed to put her in her place, even if it made her embarrassed. She was wrong to believe that she couldn’t control herself around her crush. That giddy feeling could come from anyone who showed her the attention she wasn’t used to getting. Right now, she was desperate to give that exact attention to someone else.
It wouldn’t be difficult to help her see where she was going wrong and re-wire her brain. It was going to take a bit of time, which was why he’d chosen to do their double date in a week and a half.
When Olivia arrived,she was still dressed in her office attire. That wasn’t going to work for him. There were still a few things he wanted to complete in the barn. A shelf needed to be repaired. The horse he’d taken out for the day needed a good brushing. The skirt and blouse she wore wouldn’t survive if he was going to have her help him out so he could get done faster.
She smiled brightly at him, and he nodded toward the house. “Go get a change of clothes from Sophia.”
“What?”
“I’ve got some stuff left to do today, so unless you’re prepared to get covered in horsehair and dirt, I think you should change.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You told me to come here after work.”
“Yeah. I’m not staying up all hours of the night to teach you how to flirt with a random guy. You can help out, or you can forfeit your tutoring session.”
She threw her head back with a groan and stormed toward the house. When she returned, she was wearing a pair of tattered jean shorts, an old pair of Sophia’s boots, and a black tank top. She’d pulled her hair into a messy bun on her head, too.
And she looked…
He muttered a curse under his breath and looked away as she strode toward him. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen her dressed in something similar before. He’d seen her in a bathing suit out at the creek, for heaven’s sake. Seeing her skin on display wasn’t new.
There was something about today’s outfit that was hitting him everywhere it hurt. He swallowed thickly, looking anywhere but at her. Today he was supposed to teach her how to react to a guy who was interested in her. Based on the heat that had flickered to life in his body, he wasn’t going to be playing a part as much as actually feeling it.
His reaction was ridiculous. She was a woman—an attractive woman—who looked as good in a dusty set of work clothes as she did in a formal gown. But she was still Liv.
JustLiv.
Roman grabbed a brush from the shelf and held it out to her. “Stanley needs a good brushing. We can go over what is appropriate and inappropriate in theory, and then we’ll practice. Sound good?”
“Yeah.” She took the brush, her fingers grazing against his. He’d half expected to feel a tingling sensation from it, but nope. Nothing.
He couldn’t tell if he was relieved or disappointed about that knowledge. He glanced at her again, that initial reaction to her fading. It had been fleeting, thank goodness.
“Guys want to see that you’re interested, but they don’t want someone who…” He gave her a pointed look. “Is too easy.”
“Duh. I know that,” she said, running the brush over the horse in front of her. “My problem isn’t not having the knowledge, Roman. I can’t seem to get my body on board with what my head knows to be true.”
He nodded at that. “So, you don’t go out of your way to talk to him at work? You don’t smile every single time you cross paths?”
She looked guilty at that.
