Faking It: A Small Town College Bad Boy Romance

by Hunter Rose

  Trace steps out, and I swallow the lump that has formed in my throat. My hands shake as I walk over to him.

  “Hi,” I say.

  “Hi,” he says, handing me the roses.

  Leaning my nose to a bud, I smell their sweet scent.

  “Thank you. I knew you were a lover of eighties chick flicks.” I look up at him through my lashes.

  As Maxine shuts the door, I turn to smile at her.

  “Yeah, I want to explain everything. I was an idiot,” he whispers.

  “Well, this is a pretty grand gesture to get my attention.” I smile.

  “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything. Yes, Tony did bet me to date you, but I am glad he did. I wouldn’t change that for anything.” As he looks at me, the sun shines off his onyx eyes.

  I take the flowers and lift them to my nose again.

  “Really?”

  “Yes. I said I’d lost my mind at that hand of poker, but really, I lost my heart. Vanessa, I’m so glad I met you. You have made me see things in a whole new light.”

  “Oh, yeah? Which light is that?” I ask, gripping the roses tighter in my hand. My heart beats wildly in my chest.

  “Which light?” He laughs. “Every light. Before I met you, I was walking around in the dark, and now it’s as if you have flipped on the lights.”

  “Oh.” No words come into my mind as I watch him struggle to speak. He stares at me with such intensity, I can’t think straight.

  “Please, will you give me another chance? I can’t get you out of my head.”

  “I don’t know, Trace. What about your father? He had Mr. Roberts check me out because he didn’t think I would be good enough for you.”

  “Don’t worry about my father. Since Mr. Roberts kidnapped you, my father has really changed. He realized he was pushing me too hard. He even gave me the summer off. He actually wants me to be happy, and he felt that I would be happy with you.” He blurts everything out in one quick breath.

  “Is that so?” I ask, looking into his eyes for reassurance.

  He steps closer and wraps one arm around my waist. “Please, Vanessa, let me in. Let me get to know you. Be my girlfriend?”

  My mind flashes back to when Trace and I were dating and how much I had liked him, like him, even now; even still. I really, really like this boy.

  “Umm,” I say, thinking about what to say.

  “Listen, I’ll make you a bet.”

  “Okay, what’s the bet?” My lips curve into a slow smile. His eyes pierce through me, and I can’t look away.

  “If I can impress you with my awesome poetry, then you have to go on a date with me tonight.”

  “Poetry? You wrote me a poem?” I ask, smiling even wider.

  “I sure did. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to resort to my awful verse, but you are leaving me no choice.” He grabs a crumpled piece of paper out of his suit pocket, then opens the folded note and looks at me with a small smile.

  Holding the paper with shaky fingers as he reads, “‘Roses are red, violets are blue. The best bet of my life, was meeting you.’”

  He crumples the note and stuffs it in his pocket as he looks at me for my answer.

  “A ‘roses are red’ poem?” I laugh at him as I wrap my arms around his neck. Kissing his cheek, I whisper in his ear, “That is the greatest poem I have ever heard.”

  “Yeah, right! But I’ll take it.” He crashes his lips to mine, and I know everything is going to be okay.

  More by Hunter Rose

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  Jackson is so much better than he was years ago.

  As my older brother’s best friend, he turned me down.

  And, I vowed to never feel anything for him after that. But now he’s thrust back into my life…

  I won’t let my old feelings for him resurface.

  My resolve weakens when someone starts stalking me, and Jackson makes it his mission to protect me.

  And when things get more and more dangerous, I find myself falling for Jackson even harder.

  Will I be able to survive the danger looming and my feeling for Jackson?

  Click here to read Protecting Lucy for Free!

  Coming Soon

  About the Author

  Hunter Rose is a Contemporary Romance author who found his love for literature at an early age. Reading everything from Edgar Allen Poe to Nora Roberts, Hunter’s love for reading quickly turned into a passion for writing. After writing in a few genres, Hunter became intrigued by Contemporary Romance being the hopeless romantic that he is.

  When he is not writing, Hunter finds inspiration through travelling across the world and meeting new people. Although he enjoys spending time with others, Hunter also appreciates some alone time displaying his creativity in his carpentry workshop with a glass of aged Whisky on the rocks.

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