“You’re from Awful too?” The question slipped out before I could soften it.
“Yeah,” he said quietly, the cocky edge gone from his voice. “My family has a ranch about three miles down the road from the Duffy’s place. Been in the family since my great granddad homesteaded it in the thirties.”
The image hit me fast and hard.
Roman in dusty boots and worn denim, his hat tipped low over his rich, caramel skin. Damn.
“Stop picturing it,” Bennett growled.
I startled out of the daydream. “What areyou—”
“Garcia,” he muttered, stepping closer so the others wouldn’t hear. There was a flicker of something jealous in his eyes that made my insides go liquid. “Straddling a horse. Probably in assless chaps.”
“I hadn’t gotten that far,” I told him.
“And you never will.”
He gently tugged me a few steps away from the booth, just far enough that the rest of the chatter faded.
He cleared his throat. “So, Valentine’s Day.”
I groaned before he could finish. “Ugh, I can’t wait for it to be over.”
“I take it you’re not a fan?”
“Of flowers that die in three days and crowded restaurants with overinflated menu prices? No, thank you. It’s a scam invented by greeting card companies and chocolate lobbyists, though I do like when the chocolate goes on sale the day after.”
Bennett’s mouth twitched, like he was fighting a smile. “Noted.”
“I mean, what’s the point of having a single designated day to show somebody you care? It’s just performative—”
“Bella.” He caught my flailing hands in his. His thumbs brushed over my knuckles, and I shut up mid-rant. “I’m trying to ask you out. For Valentine’s Day.”
I stared at him. “Oh.”
“Yeah, oh.” He squeezed my hands lightly. “I don’t need all the other lovey-dovey, commercialized crap either, but I would like to spend time with you.”
My heart was doing somersaults now. “Really?”
He nodded. “But if it makes you feel better, we can make it an . . . unromantic non-date date.”
“No roses?”
“No.”
“Or stupid stuffed bears with each other’s names on them?”
He laughed. “Nope.”
“And you won’t try to getme naked?”
“Not—”
I giggled when he caught himself. “Just kidding.”
Then, before I could overthink the crowd or the cold or the fact that we were standing in the middle of a farmers market, I pushed up on my toes and kissed him.
It was quick and impulsive. I felt him freeze for about half a heartbeat before his hands tightened on my waist and he kissed me back.
