How many times had he propositioned me for marriage in that big, theatrical voice of his, arms thrown wide, grinning at the crowd?
Not once had I taken him seriously. None of us had.
We’d all laughed and cheered and played along because that was the role he played so well.
“Do you even want a girlfriend?” I asked carefully.
He ran a hand through his dark hair, messing it up further, and let out a long breath. “Yeah,” he said. “I do.”
I studied him for a long moment, and something clicked into place.
“You’re incredible in bed,” I said bluntly.
He blinked. “Well, thanks, I—”
“But everything after?” I cut in. “You’re terrible at it.”
He frowned. “What?”
“I could have been anyone tonight. Like women are interchangeable. You don’t make a woman feel like she matters. And where’s theaftercare?”
“Theafter-what?” he squinted at me as he tugged his shirt back on, hiding that magnificent view once more.
Silence stretched between us.
“If you actually want a girlfriend,” I said, crossing my arms, “you’re going to need lessons.”
Amos was wearing a scowl so deep it was obvious my words had left a mark.
“Okay. So I suck with women! I alreadyknewthat. That’s why I didn’t want to fuck you, Shelly Bear.”
I sat with that for a moment.
Pain was hinting out from his eyes, and I realized I’d hit a deep wound inside the man. One he’d never shown me before.
And then, slowly, something started turning over in my mind.
If this was all I was ever going to get from him, I might as well get something out of it.
“You know,” I said slowly, “we both have a problem. And I think we might be able to fix it together.”
He looked at me suspiciously. “What?”
“My mom keeps trying to set me up with her neighbor, Hunter.” And after tonight, I wasn’t about to sit through polite conversation with a man I didn’t want.
“Yeah?”
“She wants me to go to the Spring Fling Festival with him tomorrow, and I absolutely do not want to.” I paused. “If I have a date, then I have a reason to say no… and no one can argue with my decision.”
Amos straightened up slightly. “You want me to take you to the Spring Fling Festival?”
He grinned. “I candothat.” There was something almost eager beneath his casual tone.
For me, the sun rose and set on this man. Amos had been my supercrush for years.
So I threw something out there and waited to see how he responded.
“And,” I added, “In return for you doing that favor for me, I think we should pretend to date for a week. So you can get a feel for what it’s actually like. I can show you how you’re supposed to act when you’re with someone. I know what women actually want.”
