Chapter 16

“Fuck,” I groaned, not for the first time in the past hour. The woman was maddening, but I couldn’t do it. And that left me backed into a corner with only one way out: I was going to have to romance the hell out of the infuriating-as-hell Fallon Moore. And that meant finding a way to repair whatever had sent her storming out last night.

Fucking hell, this was going to suck because I knew just where to start.

With worms squirming beneath my skin, I yanked out my cell phone and hit the speed dial for Leo. Leo. The last guy I wanted to turn to for help at the moment. Unfortunately, Leo was also the only guy I could think of who had a way with women beyond getting them into bed.

He picked up on the second ring. “Hey, Dom. What’s up?”

“I need some damage control.” I could feel a headache growing in the back of my skull.

“Damage control?” he said, the tone of his voice changing in an instant from laid-back to high alert. “What happened?”

“Nothing happened,” I snapped, still chewing on the words I was going to have to spit out eventually. “Okay… So, what’s up?”

“I fucked up last night. I just need some help patching it up.”

“Last night? What are you talking about? You were with that Moore girl… Whoa, hold on.”

I could hear Leo laughing despite his attempt to cover up the mouthpiece. Goddamn son of a bitch. “For fuck’s sake, Leo. Could you please try to take this seriously for a minute?”

“Okay,” he said, trying for serious but falling about a mile short. “So, the great Dominic Luca is having lady trouble, is he?”

“I’m not having ‘lady’ trouble. If you’ve got a woman looking for a good fuck, I’m your man. But flowers, walks on the beach, and that shit…”

“All right, I get it. And because I’m such a good brother, I’m going to help you, but it’ll cost you.” He really was enjoying this, wasn’t he?

“Cost me what?” I spat.

“Oh, I don’t know. I’ll stick this favor in my pocket for a while and get back to you. For now, why don’t you tell me what happened?”

And so I told him everything, from the moment Fallon walked out of her apartment to the minute she

stormed out of the restaurant.

“So, you basically told the poor woman your only interest was in getting laid as often as possible… and you’re surprised the date didn’t go well?”

When he put it that way, it didn’t sound so good. But I’d only been trying to be honest—a new leaf and all that shit.

“All right,” Leo said, putting on his serious tone—about fucking time. “Here’s what you’re going to do…”

***

In the morning, I made a few calls, and my men brought everything over within an hour. I took a deep breath, got in my car, and drove as fast as I could to her apartment. Like some stalker, I waited for her outside of her second floor walk-up. Its brick face was hideous, decades old and crumbling. Although not necessarily in a bad area, I wouldn’t predict a real-estate boom in here in the next fifty years.

The apartment door opened, and I stepped into view. Like last night, she was rifling through her bag and just kept walking. She bumped right into me and let out a little scream.

It was damn cute, but I did my best not to smile at her discomfiture. I didn’t need Leo to tell me that was a bad idea. I cleared my throat and stepped back to give her space. “Hi Fallon,” I said with a lopsided grin.

Fallon gave me the same look as last night, the look that said she wouldn’t be terribly opposed to giving me a hard shove into traffic. “What do you want? Didn’t I tell you that I’m not interested?”

“Well, technically, you didn’t.” I chuckled, my hands behind my back.

It looked like she wanted to laugh, but she didn’t and let out a sigh. “Fine. What is it?”

“I think we got off on the wrong foot. I was an idiot. No, I was a dickhead yesterday, and when we met.”

She looked me up and down, lingering on my crotch before her gaze met mine.

“You were definitely a total dickhole.” On any other woman, that potty mouth would have been a turnoff. On Fallon, it was really fucking cute.

“Okay, hear me out. I wasn’t lying when I said I haven’t exactly been the relationship-type guy up until now, but the thing is, I’d like to be. And I like that you’re not just beautiful, but you’re witty and kind and passionate about the things that are important to you… like the animals you work with.” I was speaking out of my ass, and I felt like a schoolboy all over again, fumbling over my words. “I’ll make it right.”

I could feel the tension around her begin to dissipate while her expression turned contemplative rather than contentious. She was considering it. Leo had been right that honesty dressed up with a few compliments was a good way to lead in. The strange thing was, though, I hadn’t had to search for the compliments. Fallon really did seem to be all those things. It was too bad she also had the temper of a firecracker, or maybe this marriage thing wouldn’t have been the worst damn idea in the world.

“All right, let’s say I’m considering it. How do you propose we move forward?” She raised one perfectly arched eyebrow, but she was in. I could feel it in the spark that had reignited in the air between us.

Just for good measure, though. “I’ll answer one question”—since she’d been so keen on answers last night—“But the rest will have to wait until we go on a date again. Deal?”

She nodded and couldn’t stop the quiver of a smile that turned up the corners of her pretty lips. “Deal.” “My family are investment bankers,” I said, though the lie tried to stick in my throat. “I was

embarrassed to admit it to you because you were right that night at the vet office. I grew up spoiled, and I didn’t want you to think less of me because I do work my ass off. Everything I have, I’ve worked myself to the bone for.” It was true that I’d worked my ass off, so there was some semblance of truth to my lie. Did that make it better? And why did I care? I was standing here, practically begging her to give me another chance. Wasn’t that enough? I didn’t beg anyone for anything. I took what I wanted, when I wanted.

“Thank you,” she said with more sincerity than my lie deserved. It made an unfamiliar feeling bubble up inside me that seemed an awful lot like guilt.

Thrusting the feeling aside, I pulled out the bouquet of flowers I’d been hiding behind my back. Leo had said roses, but my mother loved lilies, and that had felt like the right way to go. “I brought you a peace offering,” I said.

The way her eyes lit up told me I’d made the right choice. Roses were boring, and I had a feeling Fallon was anything but boring.

“They’re beautiful,” she said, as she pressed her nose between the bright pink blooms, breathing in the light, sweet scent.

“You’re beautiful,” I said, not because it was part of the script, but because it was true. She smiled. “All right, you’re out of the dog house… for now.”

“So, you’ll give me one more chance?”

She pressed her lips together, and her expression turned serious.

“If I’m an asshole, you have permission to punch me in the dick,” I joked, putting up my hands in mock- surrender, partly to try to convince her, but partly just because I knew it would make her smile.

And finally, one of my jokes made her laugh. It was loud, and it was unrestrained, and full of warmth and light.

“All right, Dominic, I will give you another chance. I do understand what it’s like to have a parent pressuring you. But no more clamming up every time I ask you a question. If we’re going to do this, then I’d like the chance to get to know you. Deal?”

“Deal,” I said, smiling at the way she’d turned the tables. “I won’t let you down, limone.”

“Limone?” she repeated, her blonde waves glittering off the sun. She tilted her head and scrunched her nose as if she’d just eaten a Sour Patch.

“Oh, would you look at that?” I said, glancing at my watch. “Our time’s up. I’ll see you around. I’ll text you a date and time.”

I shoved my hands in my pockets and walked off before she could respond.

The hot air that drifted up from the vents from the underground subway turned to steam as it rose up around me and combined with the cold morning air. Without looking back, I got in my car and sped off. The encounter left me feeling humiliated, but maybe not as much as I’d thought it would. I’d accomplished what I’d come here to do, and now I had business that needed tending.