"We are?" I ask, confused.
"You skiing and not breaking a bone. Or any of mine."
"Ha! Funny. But I’m not complaining."
"That’s my girl.”
“What do we plan on doing after dinner?” I wonder if he has any other surprises up his sleeve today.
“I thought we could just hang out by the fire or hop in the hot tub. Whatever you want. I’m up for suggestions.”
"Both sound nice," I say sheepishly. The thought of being isolated in a romantic hotel room with him has my heart racing with anticipation. This man is testing my willpower, and I wish I could throw my hesitations out the window.
"You should try the steak. It's some of the best in the state," he tells me as we look over the menus and I notice the prices.
"This is expensive," I murmur.
"Don’t worry. Guests staying at the resort get a fifty-percent discount."
"Oh." It makes me wonder about the cost of our room.
We order the same things—steak and veggies. Although I don't drink red wine often, he picked one I actually like.
"This place reminds me of the last restaurant my ex Blake took me to before he broke things off."
"Blake's a fucking moron."
I snort. "I was living in a false bubble and should've seen it coming. I just wanted us to be exclusive and for him to acknowledge that."
"Wait...you weren't?"
"Iwas. But he never wanted to make it official."
His jaw twitches. "And how long did you date?"
"Six months. He kept stringing me along, saying all the right things at the right times, buying me gifts, and showering me with countless compliments. I was certain he wanted to make thingsofficialbecause we hit it off so well. But I was very wrong and stupidly fell for his act."
"Christ. Was he a frat boy? What man doesn't make it known that you’re his?"
My heart pounds at his words.
I lower my gaze. "A lawyer."
He breaks out in a humorless laugh. "Oh, Fallon."
"I know. Trust me. As soon as he hesitated and came up with some stupid excuse about not ruining a good thing, I should've walked away."
"It's not your fault," he reassures me, which only encourages me to keep talking.
"I really thought he was different, just busy with work. So I kept waiting, wanting to take our relationship to the next level. I honestly believed we weretogether togetherand just needed confirmation. I wanted to hear him say it, but when he didn’t, I was gutted. He'd already met my family, and I'd met his. He took me to his cousin's wedding and introduced me to his nana! I didn't know putting a label on what we had would make him run. I thought I was in love, and it hurt to learn he was a player, and I definitely got played."
"Take it from a former fuckman, if we want a woman, we'll make it known and do whatever it takes to win her over. You know the sayingif he wanted to, he would? Because that’s exactly it. He didn't appreciate what he had. You deserve better than that, Fallon. Asking him that question, as hard as it might’ve been and as much as it hurt later, helped you in the long run. Sorry bastard."
I suck in a deep breath, taking his words to heart. Then I smile. "Former, huh? When did that change?"
"About twelve days ago when a brunette bombshell entered my life. Weirdly enough, I haven't been able to get her out of my head ever since she maced me."
My cheeks burn as I hold back a laugh. "I’m tempted to add that into my article."