a loveless life.” She put her hands on his shoulders and shook him. “What is it going to take for you to see that you had to let her go so that she could find her real Prince Charming, you big numbskull? Do I need to make it my life’s mission to help you see the light so that you’ll give a real relationship another try?”
All his life, Rory had been surrounded by his supportive family. Someone standing up for him wasn’t new, wasn’t out of the ordinary. But Zara was downright ferocious in her determination to make him see the light.
Then again, even if he was bound to fail, he’d never been able to resist one of Zara’s challenges. “Are you one hundred percent sure you’re right?”
“One million percent sure! You’re irritating and insufferable and far too cocky for your own good, but at your core, you’re not a bad guy. And there are plenty of women out there who would be able to survive dating you perfectly well, without falling apart.”
“Are you willing to prove it?”
“Did you hear anything I just said? Of course I’m willing to prove it.”
“Okay, then.” Did she realize he’d just effectively boxed her into a more-than-one-night corner? “Scratch everything I said earlier about not dating. Let’s do this for real. Let’s be boyfriend and girlfriend.”
Her eyebrows rose so high they nearly flew off her face. “Excuse me?” Her tone had pitched up nearly an octave. “How did our conversation just spin from you getting over what happened with Chelsea to the two of us becoming a for-real couple? What the heck has gotten into you?”
He barely resisted the urge to play with the double entendre that he’d just gotten into her. Mostly because he knew she wouldn’t just smack his shoulder, she’d likely knock his head right off his neck.
“If you’re right that what happened with Chelsea and my previous girlfriends was the exception instead of the rule,” he explained, “then it stands to reason that you and I should be able to date for long enough to know for sure if we are, or aren’t, feeling magic. If we aren’t, we’ll prove that we can go through a breakup without experiencing any problems or hurt feelings at the end. If you’re wrong, however, and the whole thing goes pear-shaped…”
“I’m not wrong. In fact,” she said as she thought more about what he’d just said, “it’s quite possible that you’re not just a pretty face after all.”
“Don’t hold back,” he muttered. “Tell me what you really think.”
“Seriously, your idea is genius! This is the perfect way for both of us to prove to each other that relationships don’t always have to go down ugly at the end. We’ll have fun dating, and then, when we can no longer hide from the fact that we don’t have the magic that your parents do—I’m thinking one week should do it, so we could make our official breakup date Saturday—we’ll happily call it quits, no harm, no foul. I won’t cry or beg or get drunk like your previous girlfriends. And you won’t sleep with my stepsister like my previous boyfriends.” She held out her hand. “Let’s shake on it.”
Though their deal sounded good on paper, Rory had to wonder if there was any chance that a week as a couple could possibly end up that cut-and-dried. Especially when he’d never forgive himself if he hurt Zara.
Good thing she was the most resilient person he’d ever met. He had to trust that she wouldn’t make this agreement with him if she wasn’t sure she could handle it.
Before he shook on it, however, he needed to clarify one thing. “Officially dating doesn’t mean stepping back on the sex, does it?”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course not. Sex is definitely still on the menu. So do we have a deal? Are we going to do our darnedest to prove to ourselves that dating and breaking up doesn’t have to be ugly?”
“Deal.” He gave her hand a firm pump. “And now that we’re officially on our first date, I have to say…” He took in her naked body. “So far, you’re the girlfriend of my dreams.”
She laughed. “Hurry up and make me come again so that I can say the same thing about you.”
He didn’t hurry…
But the look in her eyes was extremely dreamy by the time the sun came up.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“Make it stop.”
There should be a law against phones ringing in the middle of the night. Zara squeezed