Page 23 of Caught Looking

“It became my problem on the Fourth. I’m not going anywhere. I’m not quitting. Like it or not, baby, you’re stuck with me as your boyfriend.” And if I got to punch Owen Montgomery in the face before this was over, all the better.

Dottie arrived in the middle of our stare down with two arms full of plates. She bent her knees so I could take the first two off her hands, then she carefully set the rest on the table. Pancakes, sausages, steak, bacon, ham, eggs, and all the hash browns I could handle. Annalise got her usual. But Dottie didn’t look down or smile. Instead she pursed her lips. “I think you’d better eat quickly. And it’s a damn good thing you didn’t bring Roscoe.”

I followed her gaze and swore at the sight. The paparazzi had found us. And not just one or two photographers. There were at least a dozen people outside. Some had cameras. Another was setting up a tripod for video. There were at least two reporters I recognized.

The bell above the door jingled and Dottie yelled at them to get out. The diner was closed.

Annalise stared at her food. “Well…we wanted attention.”

But not to interfere with Dottie’s livelihood. I gave Annalise a smile, hoping it reassured her a little. I was used to this kind of attention. She was not. “We’re going to eat this delicious food. Then I’m going to leave a ridiculous tip. We’re going to walk out of here holding hands and then I’m putting you in your car and following you home.”

She nodded once. “I need to get Roscoe.”

“Then we’ll go get Roscoe and then to your house. With any luck we’ll lose them as soon as we pull out of here. They don’t usually want more than some shots of us smiling and holding hands.” But I had a sneaking suspicion we’d gone from interesting to fascinating. Which meant they’d be waiting at her house.

Our lives had just changed.

With this level of interest there would be cameras following us everywhere from now on. They’d be outside our homes, outside the stadiums, following our cars. Everything we did would be newsworthy, whether it was getting gas or going on a date.

This may have started out fake but now it was very real. Whether Annalise was interested in me or not, we were tied together until Montgomery finished his documentary.

So I needed to make the most of our time together. “How are you feeling?” She’d turned in on herself. I didn’t like it.

Her gaze darted to the windows and back. “Overwhelmed.”

“Nothing to be overwhelmed about. They’re just doing their job. What we do is interesting to people, which is a good thing, remember? The more interested they are in us, the less opportunity Montgomery has.” And the more chances I had to show Annalise I was more than tabloid fodder.

“What if I say the wrong thing?”

“You won’t. Just smile or ignore them. Either will do. If they ever get too close, tell me.”

She nodded once, taking a small bite of eggs.

We needed a change in subject if we were going to finish our food. “Has Roscoe ever bitten anyone?”

“No.”

“Hm. Well if he were to start, tonight would be the night. He could bite Nan’s boyfriend and then we could set him on the paps. Might be fun to watch them run away.”

The corner of her mouth turned up. It wasn’t a smile, but it was a step in the right direction. “Why do I get the feeling you and Jeri are going to turn out to be good friends?”

“Because she has excellent taste.” I began cutting up my steak first, proud of myself for earning a soft smile.

Annalise sighed and dug into her hash browns. “I guess I can’t make them disappear, can I?”

“Nope.”

“Fair enough.” She stared at her fork, twisting her lips off to the side. “You’re sure you’re up for all this?”

Two weeks ago I couldn’t have scored a date with Annalise if I’d begged on my hands and knees. Now we were having pajama dinners on the regular.

Well, maybe not after this…but we’d get back here.

I took a chance and slid my hand across the table, taking hers. “I’m up for all of this and more.” Maybe a little blunt honesty was what we needed.

She blinked from my hand to my eyes twice before she said anything. “Is this about sex?”

Fucking hell. My damned reputation was going to be the death of me. “No Annalise. I’mhappy.” If I went back in time and told the old me what a problem I was making for myself and that it would ruin my chance with the one woman I actually wanted a shot at, would I change? Probably not. “I like you. I want you safe and I want to get to know you. I was sleepwalking through life until you kicked my ass at practice.” I shrugged. “I want the chance to get to know you. Being your fake boyfriend is just a bonus.”

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