Free Kiss Me Forever (Bachelors & Bridesmaids #1) by Barbara Freethy Page A

Their relationship had ended badly. He'd been an asshole to her, and she'd been stupid enough not to see his bad traits a lot earlier in the relationship. But very few people would believe that Doug was anything but a great guy. Like Alex, he had a lot of charm.
    "Maybe you and Wilmington can catch up later, Andrea," Alex said. "Why don't we get something to eat?"
    "That sounds great."
    "You're here with Alex?" Doug asked, more amazement in his voice.
    Before she could answer, Alex said, "She is. I'm a lucky guy." Alex took her hand and led her across the room.
    She blew out a grateful breath as she put some space between Doug and herself. "You know people are going to think I actually am your date," she said to Alex.
    "You looked like you needed a save."
    "Very perceptive. I did. Thank you."
    "And I don't care if anyone thinks you're my date." He paused as they reached the end of the buffet line. "So you dated Doug Wilmington?"
    She sighed. "I did—for far too long. It took me some time to realize that Doug liked my press connections more than he cared about me. As you may know, he's a lawyer who wants to be in politics. I was able to provide him with some good connections."
    "I think he liked more about you than your connections."
    She shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. It doesn't matter. He used me, and not just for press; he also cheated on me."
    "You're better off without him."
    "I know that. He's the kind of man who looks good on paper, but in reality, not so much. My mother could never see that though. She really wanted us to get married. I disappointed her when we broke up."
    "Did you tell her he cheated on you?"
    "No," she admitted. "It was embarrassing. I don't know why I just told you."
    "I'm a good listener."
    He actually was a good listener, which she hadn't expected.
    "Maybe you can't blame your mother for her opinion if you didn't tell her the truth," he added.
    "My sister said the exact same thing, but my mother and I have a difficult relationship. She's very judgmental and critical, and I often fall short, so if I don't have to admit to a stupid mistake like picking a loser to date, I usually don't."
    "But then you're protecting Doug and throwing yourself under the bus. You're letting her blame you for the breakup. How does that improve your relationship?"
    "It doesn't. But I can't seem to act more rationally around her. By the way, you're very good at analyzing people."
    "I've always been interested in psychology."
    "And you use that interest in your games, don't you?"
    "It helps to know what drives people to do certain things, yes." He shifted his weight. "Do you want to get out of here and find some food elsewhere?"
    "Absolutely."
    "Do you like Thai?"
    "I eat it at least once a week."
    "There's a good takeout place down the street from here. It's a hole-in-the-wall, but you won't find better Thai food in the city."
    "Lead the way."
     
    * * *
     
    Twenty minutes later, after picking up green curried chicken and Pad Thai, Alex drove Andrea toward the freeway leading out of the city.
    "We're not going to your house?" she asked.
    "I have a better idea. You keep saying you want to know more about me, so I'm going to take you to one of my favorite places."
    "I like the sound of that."
    "I thought you would. And, no, I'm not going to tell you where we're going until we get there."
    "I wasn't even going to ask," she said dryly. "But I hope it's not too far, because the food smells delicious, and my mouth is watering."
    "There's no traffic, so we should be there in about ten minutes."
    She sat back in her seat to enjoy the ride, silently trying to guess where they might end up. But none of her guesses came close to their destination.
    Alex turned off the freeway, driving down a frontage road that moved past the bay and the airport. Then he pulled onto a dirt strip facing the southernmost runway and shut off the engine. It was a dark and isolated spot, and it was definitely not somewhere she would have expected him to