Oh my god, had those words left his mouth? Don’t bring up sex when someone talks about buying anything. Jesus, this was a complete shitshow. So much for the DeMarco charm.
“Sex. Is. Optional,” she whispered, not meeting his gaze. “Good to know.”
Elissa licked her lips and turned her sharp eyes to him. Anger simmered in their depths. He’d lost. He’d offered everything he had, and she wanted nothing to do with it. With him.
“I think you need to leave now.” Her voice was no longer soft or confused. In fact, it drew the gazes of several others nearby, including her friend.
“I thought you liked honesty.” He held tight to this last straw, but it wouldn’t hold.
“There’s honesty, and then there’s…you. You need to look at yourself in the mirror and ask, ‘Am I the asshole?’ If the answer isn’t yes, you need to keep doing it until you figure out where this conversation went off the rails.”
His hopes, which had been growing ever since she walked into the bar, crashed and burned.
“You’re right. This was a mistake.”
He grabbed his black leather jacket and pulled his wallet out of the inside pocket. Ryan tossed down enough cash to cover their two drinks and a generous tip. He snatched his motorcycle helmet from where it had been resting at his feet, strode to the door without another word, and stepped into the cooling twilight of a January evening.
Jamming the helmet on his head, he stalked over to his bike. Ryan took a deep breath before starting it. He’d fucked that up about as well as anyone could have. Stupid ADHD. No filters between his brain and his mouth. And she hadn’t bought into his bullshit. Part of him was relieved. Not many would turn down the chance to make nice with the DeMarcos, even if it meant using him to do so. He’d seriously misjudged her.
The other part of him was more disappointed than he’d ever admit out loud.
He’d spent so many years dating women he knew would piss off his parents, he’d forgotten they weren’t his type. They’d been hookups he’d found on the dating apps, with the occasional friend willing to play along. The sex had been enjoyable, usually, and the commitment nonexistent.
He’d hoped to find the same tonight, but instead Elissa had walked through the door. She’d looked the part, but he doubted no-commitment sex was in her wheelhouse, let alone pulling a fast one over on his family. And something about her had Ryan wanting more.
seven
an offer i could refuse
Elissa watched, smug, as Ryan grabbed his jacket and stormed out of the restaurant. Had he expected he could smolder at her and she’d just take his hand and fake out his family? Dude didn’t know who he was messing with. Good riddance.
She sighed. He was so hot, though. Besides the arrogance, she wouldn’t have minded spending a bit more time with him. After all, he’d pegged her brain as her best asset right off the bat and hadn’t minded her honesty. Not to mention his eyes. She could get lost in those eyes if she let herself.
A tap on her shoulder brought her out of her reverie. Jules stood in front of her, her brows drawn down in concern.
“What happened?”
“He had an offer I could refuse. He didn’t take rejection kindly.” Elissa shook her head, still in shock.
Her friend looked down at the money on the table. “Well, at least he paid for the drinks. I’ll cash you out. Stay as long as you want, lady.”
Elissa contemplated her half-empty glass of rosé while Jules cleared away the beer glass. Another small sigh escaped her lips. Her anger over how the date had ended hid her disappointment. For a moment, she’d thought they had a connection, that he found her amusing or attractive. Something.
Now that the date was officially over, she gave in to the inevitable. Elissa pulled out her phone and turned it on. Her eyes widened as she caught a notification from a minute after she must’ve turned the darn thing off.
R: Family emergency. My sister called her oldest may have a broken arm and she needs someone to watch the other 2. Call or text and we can reschedule
What? What! If Ryan was babysitting his niblings, who had she been on a date with?!
Had he lied about his name, trying to coax some woman, any woman, to play along with his scheme? A chill shivered down her spine and her hand shook. What would have happened if she’d said yes, like an itty-bitty part of her buried deep, deep down wished?
“Son of a bitch!”
“Guess you owe the Wright family swear jar,” Jules said from behind her, laughter dancing in her voice.
“I don’t know. I think even Mom will let me have that one.” Even the one where she called him an asshole, because the truth was appreciated in the Wright household. Somewhere along the way, Elissa had internalized her mother’s great idea to keep Ami from swearing a blue streak in high school. “Take a look.”
She shoved her phone at Jules and took a sip of her wine, trying to calm her racing heart. It sorta worked. Or the wine made her see the humor in the situation. Because how, in the twenty-first century, do people end up on a date with the whole wrong person? No wonder he couldn’t remember her name. She wasn’t the right date.
