Run To Rome

Before he could pull away, she wound her arms around his neck with a shy grin. “Very.”

His pulse leapt, but he avoided the temptation of her mouth for a peck on the tip of her nose. “That’s Italy Halli talking. And while I look forward to speaking with her again tonight, right now I need Wisconsin Halli’s attention.”

Her smile faded and she pulled her arms down. He gave himself a mental kick in the ass and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “I didn’t mean—”

She pushed away, shaking her head. “No, you’re right. Here I told Rachel we had a plan and we haven’t even talked about anything yet. Coffee’s made, and it’s sponge cake for breakfast, so—”

“Halli…”

She paused in the middle of handing him a clean mug.

“Will you have dinner with me when this is all over?”

Trent’s question was the very last thing Halli expected. He’d been in a strange mood since sneaking up on her earlier and she was still trying to read him. The ‘morning after’ situation only made things more awkward because, from the moment she’d woken up next to him, she’d wanted thousands more ‘morning afters’ with him.

For a speechless moment she simply stared at his serious expression. Her heart said yes, but common sense pointed out when this was over, she’d be Wisconsin Halli no matter where her feet were located, and he’d see she really was boring.

Thrusting the mug into his hand, she reached for the cake with her other hand and tried to make light of his question. “Let’s get through breakfast and the rest of the day before talking about dinner.”

“I’m serious.”

“So am I.”

Cake on the table, she opened the small refrigerator door to get the fruit and whipped cream and spotted the antibiotics bottle from Simone on the door. Thankful for the distraction, she grabbed the bottle.

“You need your second shot of antibiotics.”

He poured himself a cup of coffee and leaned back against the counter as he took a drink. “So that’s the way it’s going to be?”

“That’s how it has to be,” she confirmed.

Last night had been a great distraction—the best distraction of her life—but if she continued down that road, she’d start looking beyond the next twelve, twenty-four, and even forty-eight hours…and that would only lead to heartache. She was pretty darn sure heartache was in her near future anyway, no sense magnifying it with a voluntary dinner that would only highlight how completely different their lives were. Plus, he could say she wasn’t her parents, but the tabloid press would have a field day with Trent Tomlin’s girlfriend’s parents residing in federal prison.

She almost laughed a second later. Listen to her. Assuming she’d be his girlfriend with one dinner. Talk about setting herself up.

After retrieving the syringe, she faced Trent. “Ready?”

He set down his mug and reached for the button of his jeans. “Just remember, this is not fun for me. It bites like a sonofabitch.”

Halli couldn’t hold back a smile as she filled the syringe and then coaxed the air bubbles to the top like Simone had done. Trent bent over slightly, presenting her with one bare ass cheek. That’s when the nerves struck, and she hesitated.

“Simone pretty much just jabbed it in, right?”

“That’s what it felt like,” he confirmed between clenched teeth.

“Okay.”

The hand she braced on his back trembled. So did the one holding the syringe.

“Is your hand shaking?” he asked incredulously.

“I’m a little nervous.”

“You’re nervous?”

“I’ve never done this before.”

He jerked to his full height. “Christ, gimme the damn thing!”