Page 111 of Reluctantly Rogue

He’s good looking, charming, able to be self-deprecating, even while being talented, sophisticated, and witty.

He’s basically Ryan Reynolds.

If Ryan Reynolds were a U.S. senator.

Of course, Ryan Reynolds could be a U.S. senator quite easily. Even though he’s Canadian. He could probably run a very successful write-in campaignandconvince Congress to change the entire constitution to make it official.

The small crowd that has gathered around the end of our bowling lane suddenly erupts into cheers, and I pull my thoughts from Ryan Reynolds. I realize Christian has knocked over all ten pins. Again. Or is it twelve? I haven’t picked up much about bowling except that the more pins you knock over, the better.

I smile and clap along with everyone else and shake my head as he turns, grins, and waves as if he didn’t expect to knock them all over. Again.

“Your boyfriend is really good at this.”

I roll my eyes at Jonah. He’s been referring to Christian as ‘my boyfriend’ all night. The guy who just masturbated in front of me, while I was masturbating, two hours ago, is calling this other guy my boyfriend. I’m annoyed by that, but I’m trying not to show it. I like the little note of jealousy in Jonah’s tone and expression. And because I’ve never,everhad anyone be jealous of me before, I want more of it. I know it’s childish. I know I should be above this. But I’m also bowling for the first time, eating chili cheese fries for the first time, and wearing black skinny jeans for the first time. And I likeallof that. So I’m going to just enjoy having two men both want my attention tonight too.

Of course, I’m bowling because of Jonah. And he’s the one that brought me the chili cheese fries. He’s also the one that sent the stylist out to get me some ‘date night’ outfits and then immediately rejected all of the skirts, the shorts, and finally settled on the jeans. Soallof this is because of him.

Of course it is.

I’m beginning to realize that all of the things that make me feel good have to do with Jonah.

He’s sitting next to me, one ankle propped on his opposite knee, his arm stretched out along the plastic chair back behind me. He’s waiting his turn and I watch him watch Christian.

“You act surprised he’s beating you,” I say to him. “As if you’re not letting him win.”

Jonah shrugs. “When you throw strikes one right after another, it’s not hard to win.”

“Then why aren’tyouthrowing strikes one after another?”

Jonah studies me for a moment, then he gives me a half-smile. “Because it’s more important for him to win than for me to win.”

I knew it. I knew Jonah was letting Christian win. That is so like him.

“So he looks good in front of his fans?”

“Or at least in front of someone he hopes will become a fan.” Jonah gives me a pointed look.

So Jonah is trying to help Christian look good in front ofme? “I don’t know enough about bowling for him to impress me that way.”

“Neither of you is really here for the bowling,” he says, his gaze drifting to the people in the area around us.

I look around too. Of course a lot of these people know who Christian is, but I think that’s mostly because Emily is here with him. Emily is clearly a PR person whose job it is to be sure people know—and love—Christian, even if he’s not the senator from here and these aren’t his constituents. He has bigger aspirations, and it’s in his best interest for more people than those in New York to know and like him.

“How many of these people do you think Christian’s people invited to be here?” I ask Jonah quietly. “About thirty percent?”

He chuckles. God, I love that low, deep sound.

“I was going to say fifty.”

He’s probably right.

“But not Tami and the girls,” Jonah adds, his grin growing as his gaze lands on the women in the lane next to ours.

My eyes shift to the woman with the bright blond hair who just threw up her hands with a, “Fuck yeah!” as she spins away from the lane where she just got a strike. She’s bowling with her sister, best friend, and mom.

I grin. “No. Not Tami.”

Tami and her group are pissed about the circus around Christian, actually. I saw them whispering and frowning when we first came in and was next to Christian when Tami approached him.

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