Free lori king rough ride romeo by Lori Page B

early? The sun’s barely up.”
    “Mick’s doesn’t ever really close. Between Mick working the night shift, and
    his wife Carly covering the day shift, they’re pretty much always open.”
    “I wouldn’t have expected that in such a small community. I thought most
    small towns didn’t even allow alcohol sales on Sundays.”
    “We don’t. That’s the one day off Mick and Carly get, but only because the
    town council president is still Reverend Grimes.” Roman explained. He glanced
    her way and then his eyes narrowed on her. “Did you have anything to eat?”
    Waving his question off she shook her head, “No, but I’m fine. Who would
    actually be at the bar this early?”
    “Don’t know, but that’s where we’re going to start. If we can’t get anything
    out of the bar, we’l go see Amelia at the convenience store. She’s the town gossip,
    so if there’s something to know she’ll probably know it.” He reached into his shirt
    pocket and tugged out a small orange, tossing it into her lap. “Eat.”
    Surprised at the gesture, she lifted the sweet smelling fruit and stared at it.
    “It’s just an orange. I promise it’s not poisoned. I snagged it off the counter
    before we left.”
    “Thank you,” she murmured, sinking her fingernail into the thick skin until
    she reached the meat. The sweet citrus orange smell filled the truck, and she
    smiled as she slipped a piece into her mouth. “It’s delicious. I didn’t realize I was
    hungry until we’d already left.”
    “Well I didn’t exactly plan on having a partner in crime today, but plans
    change. Take another bite.” He nodded at the fruit, and she tipped her head
    curiously.
    “Why?”
    “Because when you bite into it you make the sweetest moaning sound.
    Makes me wonder what you sound like when—”
    “Whoa, cowboy! We’re just pretending to be a couple, remember?” She
    fidgeted in her seat again. Knowing that she knew his mind was in the gutter too,
    made it all the harder to stay on task.
    “You know we’ll have to be fairly authentic in this supposed relationship.
    These folks have known me for years, and they won’t buy it if you’re acting all
    awkward.”
    He was right, but that didn’t make the circumstances any easier. “How
    authentic?”
    “Well you certainly can’t pull away from me if I reach for your hand,” he
    threw one arm across the back of the bench seat, and stroked his finger-tips over
    her shoulder. Goose bumps rose on her skin and her stomach knotted. “And we
    should at least know the basics about each other.”
    “Okay, what do you want to know?” she tried to keep from pulling away
    from his gentle touch, but just that little connection had her body spazzing out on
    her. How would she manage not to react if he touched her more intimately?
    “Tell me about yourself. What do you do for a living?”
    She hesitated, and he squeezed her shoulder encouragingly. “I’m a glorified
    accountant. I do the books and the payroll for a couple of small businesses in my
    neighborhood.”
    Roman’s eyes narrowed, “And? The way you say that makes me think there’s
    more.”
    “Marilyn ratted me out didn’t she?” she said, feeling her lips quirk up in a
    grin.
    He smiled sheepishly, “She might have shared a few tidbits of information
    with me, but she truly meant no harm.”
    “I do some Internet work on the DL, but it’s all on the up-and-up...mostly.”
    She tipped her head back against the back of the seat only to feel his fingers
    brush along the base of her skul . “I’ve never been arrested for anything, but I’ve
    been questioned a time or two.”
    It hung in the air for a moment, and Franki wondered if Roman had
    changed his mind about her knowing that she wasn’t always on the right side of
    the law. It’d happened before, but not recently. Years had passed since she’d dated
    anyone seriously enough to spill her secrets.
    “What kind of hacking do you do?” he asked. There was no