Page 24 of Mr. Romantic (Mister 2)

I open the door and come face to face with the deviant himself.

“Oh,” I say, stepping back. “You startled me.”

Nolan notes my change of clothes with an appreciative glance. The sundress isn’t overly short, but it’s a sundress. It stops mid-thigh and the top has a low-cut v that shows more cleavage than I’m comfortable with, now that his green eyes are taking me in.

“Going to dinner, Miss Rockwell?”

“Yes,” I say with hesitation. Why is he here? And now that he is, I begin to notice what he’s wearing as well.

Gone is the suit. Replaced by faded jeans that hug his muscular legs and… well, let’s just say there’s a healthy bulge right where you’d expect said bulge to be. I stare at it, unable to stop. Is he hard? Or is that just… I look up and find him smiling at me. Oh, my God. He caught me staring at his dick. And then, before I can even be properly embarrassed, I notice what else he’s wearing. A white cotton dress shirt, with only the bottom few buttons buttoned up, and nothing else.

His nipples are beautiful.

I did it again. And when I find his handsome face I get lost in the five o’clock shadow of his strong, square jaw.

His smile becomes a laugh. “Good.” And then he takes my hand, places it on his elbow like he wants me to hold on to him, and says, “I’ll walk you.”

I’m speechless. I have no idea what to do other than grab hold of his arm and walk with him as he steps forward.

“I’m sorry we didn’t hire you, Ivy. But there’s a very good reason for it.”

I roll my eyes, but I’m looking straight ahead, so he can’t see them. “Let me guess. The reason is because your sister is a bitch?”

Nolan sighs.

“Sorry,” I say. “I’m sorry. I understand. I’m not really qualified for the position and I knew that when I accepted the invitation. I only came for the ride in the private jet and a chance to meet the infamous Mr. Romantic.”

“Hmmm,” he says. And even though I can’t see him, I know that little hmmm came with a smile. “What do you think so far? Do I live up to the hype?”

“Not really.”

“No?” He chuckles as we walk past the pool. “Why not?”

The whole thing becomes surreal for me in that moment. The emptiness of the resort. The heat and the sun. I am two thousand miles from home and I’m clutching Mr. Romantic’s elbow like we are lovers taking an evening stroll.

“You’re a little bit quiet so far.”

“Is that right?”

“Your sister is the bigger personality. I’m surprised she wasn’t accused of something inappropriate in college. I think she has it in her.”

Nolan laughs. “That’s kind of true. She’s a handful to most, but she’s been good to me. She’s very protective.”

“She called you dangerous.”

“What?” He stops walking and looks down at me. “When?”

“Today. She told me to stay away from you. Didn’t you know that?”

“What exactly did she tell you?” His mood has changed. Not a lot, but there’s an edge to his words.

“She said something like…” I struggle to remember her exact words, but can’t. I shouldn’t have said anything. He’ll probably confront her and use me as an example.

“Like?” Nolan pushes.

“You’re not romantic. Something like that. They called you Mr. Romantic when all that stuff happened because it was a joke.”

“And the dangerous part?” His words are low and when I look up at him, the easygoing expression has changed into something else.