He snorted. “It’s a safe bet he won’t ask you to prove we’re a couple by kissing me.”
“Exactly.” Sophie pushed around her eggs with her fork, the memory of that kiss leaving her all prickly. “Next time someone demands we kiss, I vote we just leave. No book hero would demand such of a couple.”
Stone cocked his head. “I bet one of those billionaire horndogs you plan to interview would. I mean if it were me, and I was feeling ornery, I’d demand a kiss. Not to prove some guy’s your boyfriend, but to prove I could take you from him if I wanted.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Not all rich guys are assholes.”
“But we’re not talking about all of them. We’re talking about the ones you labeled players. They would.”
“Fine. Yes. They would. Bottom line, I’m done kissing any man during an interview.”
He shrugged. “Smart.”
As they continued eating, the light banter could not entirely mask the tension that had her neck in knots.
Sophie was acutely aware her life was in danger. Stone was not her boyfriend; he was her protector, and she had one month to find nine more book boyfriend candidates who were not only willing to be interviewed but also to stay single until after their feature was posted, not to mention participate in a bachelor’s auction.
Finishing her meal, Sophie cleared her throat. “I made you another shirt to wear today. Something that should help sell the boyfriend image even more.”
Stone’s smile was one of good-natured reluctance. “I’m almost afraid to ask what it says.”
“You’ll see. It’s perfect for today,” Sophie assured him with a playful wink. How weird was it that mixed in with all her apprehension, she still managed a healthy dose of excitement? Exhilaration for the task at hand. She got to spend the day looking for breathing book boyfriends. And excited to do so in the company of Stone. He intrigued her mind.
“If you say so,” Stone replied. “If the poor schmuck passes the initial gut-check test, what kind of questions do you plan to ask?”
“I’ve created a new and improved boyfriend questionnaire.” She picked up her juice and took a sip. “Do you want to take it?”
He sat his napkin on the table. “Why not?”
Sophie flipped open her notebook to a fresh page, her pen poised and ready. “Okay, let’s start easy. What does a perfect day look like for you?”
Stone considered the question, his brow furrowing. “A perfect day? It starts with no alarms. Then, maybe a long run in the early morning quiet when the city’s still asleep. After that, just a calm day—no surprises. Time to read something that isn’t a mission report or a romance novel, and maybe dinner at a place where no one knows my name or asks any questions. Simple and uneventful.”
Sophie noted his answer and chose not to comment on the romance novel dig. “All right, what do you value most in a relationship?”
“Efficiency,” Stone replied almost immediately, then chuckled at her look of horror. “Kidding. Trust, I guess. In my line of work, trust is everything. You can’t really get close to someone if you’re always wondering if they’re hiding something or lyingto you. And I need someone I trust without hesitation. Even the slightest hesitation will have me bailing.”
Sophie filed away that response. She’d ponder it more later. “What are you passionate about?”
“That’s a tough one,” Stone admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “I used to be passionate about a lot of things. Now? It’s more about making sure I do my job well. Protecting people who need it, ensuring that what needs to happen happens. It’s not about passion; it’s about duty.”
Sophie wrote down his answers, her smile waning slightly. How sad not to have a passion. She had lots of them. “Last question: Describe your ideal partner.”
Stone’s gaze drifted past Sophie as he appeared to consider his words. “That would be a waste of time, because she doesn’t exist.”
“Pretend she does. Describe her,” Sophie persisted, intrigued by the sureness in his voice.
He shrugged. “Someone who understands my life, the unpredictability of it, and the weight of what I do. They’d need to be strong—not just physically but emotionally. Someone who can watch me walk out the door every day knowing I might not come home. Someone who doesn’t need constant reassurance or can’t handle being alone sometimes. Someone who would never blurt out another’s secret.” He gave her a rueful smile. “As I said, my perfect woman doesn’t exist in reality. She’s a fairytale. Which is why I’m a confirmed bachelor.”
Sophie snorted.
“What?”
“It’s nothing.”
“It sounded like something,” he persisted.
“It’s just if I had a million for every time you’ve felt the need to remind me you’re a bachelor for life, I’d be able to buy up 5thAvenue by now.”
