Fantasy Boyfriend #2 (A Tattooed Bad Boy Romance) by Vanessa Stone Read Free Book Online

a bit
wary.
    Perhaps it was the results of my last
"official" date, but I couldn't help it. I didn't know what was going
to happen tonight, but I could tell you what was not. I wasn't going to let
Greg take advantage of me, or even give him any indication that I would be easy
to take advantage of. No way would I be caught being so vulnerable again, not
after the lesson I had learned from Luke the hard way.
    “Don’t forget, after your date with Greg, come by the
hall and help us decorate, okay?” Becky reminded Jessica. “We’ll be there with
our dates, with bells on our toes.”
    I shook my head. “I don’t even know what that means,
and I don’t care,” I said. “And I’ll try.”
    “Look, Jessica,” Selena said. “We’ll understand if you
don’t feel like it. And who knows? Your date with Greg might be great and you
guys will go do something after dinner…” she gave her friend a look. “Just give
him a chance, okay? He seems like a really sweet guy.”
    I looked at her and the others and then nodded. “I
will.”
    It wasn't long before the doorbell rang downstairs,
and one of the girls who lived on the first floor answered it and then called
upstairs.
    "Jessica! There's a guy named Greg down here for
you!"
    I bid the girls goodbye, and their voices floated down
the stairs as I made my way to the first floor, my heart thumping nervously. It
wasn't like I had the hots for Greg, and in fact I even wondered why I was going
out with him at all. I wasn't really interested. Nothing against Greg, but with
going out at all. Wouldn't I be safer to staying at home, lying in bed, and
reading one of my books? Probably, but then again, nobody had ever pegged me
for a coward.
    Greg stood just inside the door, glancing around the
interior of the old Victorian, paying special attention to the molding around
the doorways. When he heard me coming downstairs, he glanced up, did a
double-take, and then smiled broadly. It made me feel good to know that he
noticed me and appreciated how I looked. He met me at the bottom of the stairs,
holding out his arm. I have to admit that got me. It was such an old-fashioned
gesture, but one that I appreciated. I wrapped my hand around his forearm, feeling
its solid strength underneath my fingers. His forearm was so big around, I
wouldn’t be able to even wrap my fingers around it if I had tried.
    "This is a beautiful house," he commented.
"You're lucky to live in a place with such history."
    "You like history?" I asked as he opened the
door and gestured for me to precede him.
    "Very much so," he said, closing the door
softly behind him.
    He retrieved my arm and guided me toward his truck, a
relatively new Ford 150. Thank goodness I didn't have to go careening through
Boston on the back end of a motorcycle, although that thought brought me right
back to Luke and his sexy charisma. Greg opened the door of the truck and then
helped me inside. It was a rather steep step up, but he made sure I was settled
inside before he closed the door and walked around the front and entered on his
side. The truck interior was well maintained, but didn't have that unique smell
that most new trucks did, so I knew it must have been at least a few months old
if not more.
    "I hope you're hungry," he said, grinning.
    I glanced down, thinking that the creamy ivory silk
blouse I wore wasn't exactly the best choice for a rib place. He read my
thoughts.
    "Don't worry, they provide paper bibs!"
    He laughed and I joined in. As we drove through the
streets of Boston, he made small talk, nothing important really, just asking
how long I had lived here, how long I had gone to Boston U and things like
that. I literally forced Luke out of my thoughts. He drove carefully, paid
attention to the speed limit and traffic signs, which was nice, and I gradually
began to feel more comfortable in his presence. He was nonthreatening, despite
his size, and I had a feeling that this was his natural persona. Then again, I
didn't really