Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 100873 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100873 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
“Hey, it’s not like I’m—what’s his name?—Casanova. I don’t have time to be juggling women. I just have the odd night out like any normal guy my age.” He pointed a finger. “And I’ll have you know, the women I’ve been with don’t want relationships either. I’m considered too high-maintenance.”
Blinking, Catie tilted her head. “Say what?”
“The fame thing.” He twisted his lips. “Lots of women don’t want to have cameras shoved in their faces, lose their privacy. And the ones who would be okay with it… I dunno, I feel like they’re after me for the fame, not for me.”
Catie got it; she’d been chased by her share of fame hounds—in her case, it could get even grosser. Because too many times, said hounds were “willing” to date an amputee to get their shot at the spotlight. As if she wouldn’t kick their loser asses out the door if they came anywhere near her.
“Still,” she said, “your shtick is that you don’t break women’s hearts or roll out of clubs at three in the morning.” No woman in Danny’s orbit ever had anything bad to say about him.
“My shtick?” Chest rumbling, he grabbed her blanket-covered foot—but didn’t pull or do anything else rough. “Do you just sit around thinking up ways to annoy me?”
“You’re not that interesting, so don’t flatter yourself.” She held out the plate. “More cookies.”
He glared at her but rose to refill her plate. The instant his back was turned, she took a long, shaky breath to calm herself down because the tingle had returned, and it was in her breasts now.
And she was not okay with it.
“I’m only giving you two,” he said. “I don’t want your nutritionist blaming me for your diet.”
“What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.” Catie’s heart thumped as he walked toward her; she told herself it was just a thing of circumstance. After all, they were literally living a romance novel—snowed in, just the two of them, with him making delicious baked goods.
She’d have to be superhuman to resist.
The tingles would pass with the snowstorm. She just had to make sure not to do anything stupid in the interim—because wow, how horrific would it be to walk it back in the cold light of day? And to know she was just another notch on the bedpost?
A shudder rolled through her.
Yeeeaaaah. Nope, nope, nopety nope.
Taking a small bite of cookie to savor its chocolatey raisin deliciousness, she got back to those notches that had successfully killed the tingles dead. “Shtick or brand or whatever, yours doesn’t involve a parade of bitter women. They should be happy about that. Why are you getting blowback?”
“You know I don’t take dates to awards ceremonies or other formal events. I mean, I took Mum that one time, and that was cool, but apparently the fact I’ve never taken anyone else is starting to be noticed and maybe not in the best way. ‘Commitment issues.’” He curved his fingers into air quotes.
“Why haven’t you?” she asked. “Taken a date to a fancy shindig?”
“Because dates come with expectations.” He grimaced. “Especially a date on a stage that big, and even more because I haven’t done it before. It’s a serious declaration—and I haven’t been with anyone long enough to get anywhere near that point.”
Catie nodded slowly. “I see the problem, hotshot. By going solo most of the time, you’ve now set yourself up so you can’t take anyone without it being a major deal.”
“Exactly.” He pointed at her. “Which leads me to the solution to our mutual problems.”
“I’m listening.”
“I promised Leon I’d show up to the premiere of his play. He’s wrangled a theater outside the city for it.” He paused, frowned. “You ever met him? He came to a couple of barbeques at Mum and Dad’s, but I think it might’ve been while you were training out of the country.”
Catie shook her head. “I definitely don’t remember a friend of yours who’s involved with plays. You said he booked the theater—do you mean he’s actually putting on the play? Producing the whole thing?”
“Yeah, he’s fucking talented. Wrote the script, too.” Pure, generous warmth. “Anyway, his premiere deal’s meant to be tomorrow—if it manages to go ahead.” He nodded at the falling snow. “But if it does”—he lifted crossed fingers—“you could come with me to that. And later to a couple of other things, and I’ll be your fake boyfriend for whatever length of time is enough to protect you from any backlash.”
Catie chewed on that. “I have to pretend to adore you?” she asked dubiously.
Throwing back his head, Danny laughed so hard that she tried to kick him. “You’re not that good an actress, princess,” he said, catching her foot with a careful hand, his eyes dancing. “Just be your usual annoying self—according to everyone, that’s a sign of twuuu wuuuv anyway.”