“Yes, I was actually wondering if I could have a moment alone with your boss,” I said, eyes leveled on Annie.

“Of course,” Gerta began, getting up from her seat, but Annie stayed her with a hand.

“It’s okay, Gerta. I was just about to head home anyway. Mr. Fitzpatrick can walk me out.”

The way she emphasized addressing me formally made me want to grin. I thought that maybe, just maybe, my Annie was getting a touch territorial and didn’t like the camaraderie Gerta and I had struck up.

She stuffed the files in her handbag, slung it over her shoulder, and led the way out of the office. All the way to the elevators, she kept at least a foot of space between us. It made my inner predator growl with satisfaction to know she felt the need to distance herself for fear of what might happen. I prayed for an empty lift, and someone answered that prayer because when we stepped inside, there was no one else. I stood close beside her as she hit the button for the ground floor.

“So, looks like we’ll be spending a lot more time together, baby.” I grinned and tilted my head down at her.

She scrunched up her face. “Don’t call me that.”

“What?” I winked. “We’re a couple now. Couples give each other all sorts of nicknames.”

“Not all couples do that. And if you’ve forgotten, we’re a fake couple, so there’s no need for nicknames.”

She was all stoic and together now, nothing like the Annie of this morning. The one who snorted and laughed with me, the one who made my heart stop when she smiled.

“Damn, I was looking forward to your calling me puddinchops,” I joked, trying to break down her barrier. It worked a little because I saw her lips twitch in a smile.

“Christ, that’s awful,” she replied with a little shudder.

I nudged her with my shoulder. “What would you suggest, then?”

“I already told you that I quite like Mother Fitzpatrick,” she reluctantly teased.

“Oh, fuck no. That’s not happening,” I said and let my voice drop as I moved closer so that our arms were touching. “Though I won’t object to your calling me Daddy.”

Her eyes got really big then, and I burst out laughing. “I’m joking, Annie; relax. I’m joking.”

We were stepping out of the lift when she exhaled, “Thank God.”

“I know.” I chuckled. “I think I might have even creeped myself out with that one.”

When she looked at me then, there was a smile on her lips, and I thought I saw genuine fondness in her eyes. Beyond the lobby, I could see that the streets were absolutely crowded, and I remembered it was St. Patrick’s Day. I wasn’t crazy about crowds, and when I saw Annie looking nervous, I could tell that she liked them even less than I did.

Placing a hand on her lower back, I said, “Hey, I was thinking of taking a drive today. Get out of the city until all the festivities are over. You want to come?”

“You want to go for a drive…in your car…with me?” she asked, swallowing.

“Sure,” I said. She hesitated, and I guessed she was struggling because of the line she’d drawn between us while we were at the bakery. So I tried to ease her concerns while also attempting to encourage her to say yes. “Listen, no hard feelings about earlier, about what you said in the bakery. I heard you loud and clear. But this…no need for things to be tense between us. This can be our first fake date as a fake couple. I might even take a picture and post it to Instagram.”

It was too bloody cute when her eyes practically lit up that I’d mentioned Instagram and actually knew what it was used for.

“You’ve been studying the material I sent you?”

I gave her a sincere look, hoping she got the double meaning. “I’d do anything you asked of me, Annie.”

It took a while for her to reply. Her eyes lost focus as they moved between mine, and when she spoke she sounded a little dazed and a little afraid. “I guess going for a drive could be productive…?”

“Don’t sound so frightened.” I laughed. “I’m not a maniac; and besides, there’ll probably be paparazzi following us, so I won’t be able to try anything too crazy.”

As soon as we stepped out onto the crowded street, the lack of space seemed to stress her out because she was breathing agitatedly. I moved my hand from her back and pulled her close, keeping my arm around her shoulders like a barrier.

“Got a touch of claustrophobia?” I asked, guessing.

She nodded, pressing herself to me. I enjoyed how her soft curves fit against my body, how she felt under my hands.

“Just a touch,” she admitted.

“I won’t let anyone get to you, okay? You stay close, and we’ll be fine. Is there any point hailing a cab, or will it be quicker walking?”

“Quicker walking,” she said sharply, and it seemed she was having trouble getting the words out.

Soothingly, I kept rubbing my thumb back and forth over her shoulder.

“Deep breaths, yeah?” I said, coaching her.

She breathed in deeply and nodded. “Yeah.”

It took a while for us to get to my apartment building, and we walked in silence. I even had to sweet-talk a female cop into letting us jump a barrier blocking one side of the street from the other. When Annie pulled herself up on the bars and climbed over, I had to work not to openly stare at how her dress rose, revealing her shapely thighs.

By the time we got to my place, I needed to have lunch. Going to change out of my stained shirt, I told Annie to take a look around if she wanted and help herself to the food in the fridge. She said she wasn’t hungry and seemed content to wander through the penthouse. I knocked back a protein shake and then shoveled down the salad and cold cuts I’d prepared earlier this morning. I was just eating the last bites when Annie pulled up a stool next to me.

“I think I’d die of boredom if I had to eat what you eat every day. I’ve just been looking in your fridge, and there isn’t a single dessert in sight.”

I shrugged and pushed my plate away. “You get used to it. Well, okay, sometimes it’s a struggle; but mostly the sugars get flushed from your system, and you stop craving them all the time.” I paused and looked her over. “So, this drive we’re taking, you got any suggestions on where we could go?”

Her eyes met mine then darted away, her cheeks blushing pink. She laughed softly, but I detected a note of anxiety. “Let’s just try to get out of the city first. If we even manage that, then we’ll decide.”

Chapter Ten

@RonanFitz: @Socialmedialite I’m not having fun and I hold you solely responsible.

@Socialmedialite: @RonanFitz Have you checked out @dirtyrugbyjokes yet? ;-)

@RonanFitz: @Socialmedialite My earlier statement stands firm.

*Ronan*

As it happened, we did make it out of Manhattan. It took us a while, but I was finally on the motorway heading toward Poughkeepsie. Man, they did roads so much better here than they did back home. Sometimes it felt like there were a million lanes going each way. Also, there was something deeply satisfying about having Annie sitting beside me while I drove. It had been almost ten days since I’d been on the road, so I was obviously in dire need of a fix.

I heard Annie let out a quiet laugh and turned my head to look at her. “What?”

“I was just thinking that I’ve never seen anyone so fixated on a car before,” she replied, her tone surprisingly playful.

I held back a smile, quiet for a moment, before I teased, “Yeah, well, I never saw anyone perform fellatio on an éclair until the day I met you, love.”

She gasped and proceeded to slap me on the arm. “Ronan! I can’t believe you just said that.”

“Hey, I think you should own it. The way you eat is sexy as fuck.”

I glanced away from the road to look at her and saw that she was blushing again. She fiddled with the hem of her pink cardigan and stared out the window. I wanted to touch her so much in that moment that I was practically white-knuckling the steering wheel. It would be so easy to just slip my hand under that silky dress, feel her skin, see how quickly I could get her wet....

I pushed those thoughts away because I was suddenly having difficulty focusing on the road.

“I’ve never owned a car before,” she said, breaking the quiet.

I looked at her. “No?”

She shook her head. “Never. I’ve always wanted one, though. Something fast, like this one. It’s gorgeous. But I’ve never had a reason to buy one, and I don’t know how to drive. Also, highways feel so…I don’t know, intimidating.”

“Ah, once you get over the learning part, it’s as natural as walking. Believe it or not, you’re sitting in my very first car. To this day, she’s still my favorite.”

She gave me an incredulous look. “This was your first car? This is a classic! Did you fix it up yourself? It must have been so expensive.”

“It was, but I scrimped and saved for it. It wasn’t until I made it onto a professional rugby team that I could finally afford it, though.”

“Wow,” she breathed. “Well, all the scrimping and saving was definitely worth it. I’d love a car like this.” She leaned back as though luxuriating in the comfort of the seat and classic lines of the muscle car, and I had to admit, it was a bit of a turn-on. Like I needed to be any more sexed up around this woman.