One Beautiful Promise (Very Irresistible Bachelors 4)

“What’s the matter, Mr. Hero? Muscles sore?” That teasing mouth. I wanted to claim it, kiss her hard.

“If I say yes, do you promise to take care of them later?”

Laney blushed furiously, averting her gaze. Then she frowned.

“Cole, a guard is coming toward us.”

“Nah, he’s probably just patrolling around.”

Five minutes later...

“Did you just bribe the guard?” Laney asked me, flummoxed. I’d gone with him a few feet away to talk. He hadn’t taken our stair adventure lightly, insisted we’d disturbed the other visitors.

“No, I’ve used other methods.”

She cocked a brow. “And what would these be?”

“Just told him the truth. I’m trying to win over this gorgeous woman, and him escorting us out would ensure I fail.”

Laney’s eyes widened. She licked her lower lip, and that urge to claim her mouth slammed back into me. “And he bought that?”

“Between you and me, I think he just took pity on me.”

“Pitiable, huh? Not how I’d describe you.”

“What would you say about me, Laney?”

“I think you’re very convincing, and you know it. As proof, you’re here today with me. I don’t even know how that happened.”

I wiggled my eyebrows. “Just my charm at work.”

Laney threw her head back, laughing. “Oh, Cole. Isabelle really didn’t do you justice.”

“Now I’m intrigued.”

“Well, I’m hungry. Let’s eat the snacks I brought.”

“What?”

She pointed to the backpack. We sat on the top row, on a section designed for tourists, where a wooden overlay covered the original stone bench. I watched in fascination as she took out two sandwiches and bottles of water.

“When did you buy these?”

“This morning. Thought we might need sustenance since the tour is so long.”

She laid out a napkin as a placemat between us and opened our sandwiches on it. It was windy, so she had to secure the napkin with a bottle of water.

“Thanks. Damn, the food in this country is just amazing,” I said after swallowing a mouthful of the mozzarella and tomato sandwich.

“I agree. I’ve felt on vacation since I arrived, even though I’m working.”

“I’m regretting not staying longer. Hunter has the travel bug. He likes to take trips abroad whenever possible. I’m starting to get why. It’s refreshing to experience something completely new.”

“So what do you do when you take time off?”

“At most I go to the Hamptons, but I honestly don’t take long vacations. I got used to this rhythm of life. It was necessary in the beginning when we were building the business.”

“Well, then... make the most out of this day, mister. It’s the perfect day, don’t you think? The sun is so warm, and you’ve got the last ticket to the most kick-ass tour of the Colosseum. And now we’re sitting in the best spot.” She took off her sneakers, resting her legs on the wooden seat. I loved that she enjoyed this to the max. It had a positive effect on me too. It wasn’t that I didn’t know how to have fun, because I did; but I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been so relaxed.