She simply shrugged as she gestured to the flowers in his hand. “What are those?”
His irritation forgotten, he frowned down at her. “They’re flowers.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “I meant, what are they for?”
“For you.”
“Why?” Rory asked, eying the roses as though she was afraid that they were going to attack her.
Christ, she was acting like she’d never received flowers before and it took him a second to realize that she probably hadn’t. If he didn’t want her brothers to come work for him so badly, he’d be tempted to kick their asses for this bullshit.
“Because that’s what I do for my dates,” he lied. He’d never bought a woman flowers before, but for Rory, he made it a point to pick up the flowers on his way home even though it meant that he had to rush to get ready. It just felt wrong not to get them for her.
“I’m not really your date, Connor,” Rory pointed out as she took the flowers, acting like she didn’t care, but he didn’t miss the pleased little smile or the way she smelled the flowers as she turned around to place them on the small table next to the front door. Now, he was kicking himself for not stopping off and getting her a box of chocolate. Next time, Connor promised himself as he stepped aside so that she could lock her door.
“Um, what are you doing?” Rory asked, looking down as he took her hand in his.
“Holding your hand,” Connor said, quite enjoying the feel of her smaller hand in his. He’d never been one for PDA, but with Rory, he was willing to make the exception, especially if it got him what he wanted.
“Why?” Rory asked, trying to pull her hand away, but he simply ignored her as he walked with her around his truck and opened the door for her. With a roll of her eyes and a muttered, “I could have done that myself,” she climbed in.
He had to bite his tongue as he closed the door for her. It always irritated him when he saw other men treating her like she was one of the guys, but it absolutely pissed him off that she had such low expectations of how she should be treated. Well, he’d fix that. He’d use this time to show her exactly how a man should treat her so that when he was through with her, she would at least know that she deserved better. It was the least he could do for her, Connor decided as he climbed into the truck.
“Would you stop doing that?” Rory asked a minute later as she tried to pull her hand free, but he ignored her since he knew that she just didn’t know any better, but she’d learn, he told himself.
“No.”
“No?” Rory asked, giving up on trying to free her hand to glare at him.
“No, so you’d better get used to it, Rory. For the next five months, you’re mine,” Connor said, liking the idea more and more. It really was too bad that sex wasn’t involved with this deal.
“Ah, no. For the next five months, I’m going along with this sick and twisted plan of yours while we’re in public to get my project, which by the way, I’m going to start soon since I’ve more than earned it,” she informed him, yanking her hand back and trying to take him off guard, but he’d been ready. He had her hand firmly in his and refused to let go.
“When it’s just the two of us, I don’t have to do anything but try to figure out a way to get rid of the body without the police figuring it out,” she said, giving her hand one more good yank that he easily ignored before she gave up.
“I have to hold your hand to help stay in character,” Connor said with a shrug as he turned into O’Malley’s busy parking lot. He’d planned on taking her out to a nice restaurant and then out for a drink, but Rory apparently had different expectations for the night, judging by her attire. That was fine, more than fine, actually. He’d help build up her expectations so that when the next guy came around, and he’d probably beat the shit out of him just on principle alone, she wouldn’t put up with cheap assholes that didn’t have a clue about how to treat a woman.
“Stay in character?” Rory said slowly as though she couldn’t quite believe what he’d said.
“Exactly,” he said absently as he drove towards the back of the large parking lot since he didn’t feel like wasting twenty minutes waiting for a prime spot to open up. Besides, he didn’t like taking those spots. He wouldn’t feel right if he took a spot up front and forced a woman to park in the back of the parking lot where the streetlights didn’t quite reach and where any asshole could be hiding in the woods that bordered the parking lot.
“I think we should set some ground rules,” Rory said absently as she shot an anxious look over her shoulder towards the busy restaurant.
Rory James afraid? He never thought he’d see the day and he couldn’t help but feel satisfied that he was responsible for it. She was always trying to be tough and act as though nothing ever fazed her. It was nice to see her act human for a change.
“You’re absolutely right,” Connor said with a firm nod of agreement. When she opened her mouth, no doubt to cut him off and start sprouting a bunch of rules that he would only ignore, he decided to save them both a lot of time and aggravation by just explaining to her how this was going to play out.
“For the next five months, you’re going to play my sweet, loving girlfriend. I don’t expect sex,” but he sure as hell wouldn’t turn it down from her. “I do expect you to act like you enjoy being with me. If that means that I’ll have to suck it up and hold your hand, have you sit on my lap, and kiss you in order to do that, then that’s just what I’ll have to do,” he said with a helpless shrug that he knew would just piss her off.
“Look,” Rory practically hissed, “there’s no need to continue with this sick and disturbing plan of yours. We can just call a truce and move on, and eventually, everyone else will as well.”
He pretended to think that over. “You really think so?”
“Yes!”
“I guess we could do that...” Connor said, purposely letting his words trail off and biting back a smile when she sighed with relief. She really should have known better. “But we’re not going to.”
“I. Hate. You.”
