Read Online Billionaire Bad Boy's Fake Bride: BWWM Romance by Mia Caldwell - Free Book Online
Authors: Mia Caldwell
Tags: United States, Romance, Literature & Fiction, Women's Fiction, New Adult & College, African American, multicultural, Multicultural & Interracial
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racing in this Grand Prix, he didn’t have to participate in the pre-time trials or any of the myriad details leading up to the racing itself. Instead, they spent hours wandering the city, starting on foot before renting a scooter when Connor reluctantly admitted that his hip was bothering him.
It had taken her a couple of hours to coax him into admitting that as she watched with growing concern the way his gait became more uneven as time passed. After acquiring the scooter, they zipped around the city in a whirlwind tour. He showed her The Castle of the Three Dragons, a drive-by viewing of Camp Nou Stadium, and Palau Nacional before they made their way to the shopping district of La Rambla.
Moving down the pedestrian mall, they zig-zagged in and out of foot traffic on the scooter. She half-expected someone to stop them, but Connor seemed unconcerned by the possibility. She was still relieved when he parked the scooter, and they did more walking, this time at a slow and steady pace.
They shopped several kiosks and paused to admire the paving bricks that looked like water rippling. Ambling further on, she was surprised when he took her hand, and even more surprised by how right it felt. He tugged her over to a small fountain with a lamppost at the top, and she admired its interesting design.
“The Font de Canaletes,” he said.
She looked at the plaque on the ground. “The legend is you’ll come back to Barcelona if you drink the water of the fountain.”
He snorted. “Yeah, you’ll come back for antibiotics.”
She giggled, and they walked on, finally stopping at a tapas bar on Rambla Del Mar, where they stuffed themselves silly on olives, anchovies in vinegar, and prawns in peppercorn sauce, paired with a Cava wine from the Penedès region.
It was a relaxing day and made all the more relaxing by the fact no one was pointing at them or trying to take their picture for sensational news stories that had no substance. To be on the safe side, Angelina had applied heavier makeup than usual to hide the bruise Kevin had inadvertently left on her cheek, and she was confident it was unnoticeable other than some slight swelling.
They finished off the evening with a long dinner at the Forestier Restaurant in their hotel before retiring to their shared suite in Hotel Miramar. There was an awkward moment as they stood in the entertainment area, staring at each other as though waiting for the other to speak. For her part, she didn’t know what she expected Connor to say, or what she even wanted to say, if anything. She was drawing a blank too. The silence was growing, feeling even more awkward, so she cleared her throat and spoke at the same time he did.
“It was a lovely day.”
“I had a good time.”
They laughed together, and she was struck by how much it felt like a real date, complete with the awkward ending that she remembered well, especially from her early dates, back when she was young and inexperienced. That was how being with Connor left her feeling all over again, as though she had never been through the courtship dance before. Knowing this was all fake didn’t help remove the awkwardness from the illusion.
With a smile that hurt the corners of her mouth because she was projecting it so brightly, she gave a jaunty wave and rushed to the smaller of the two rooms of the suite. As soon as she closed the door behind her, Angelina leaned back against it and took several deep breaths to restore her calm.
When she flipped the lock on the door a second later, she wasn’t sure if it was a precaution to keep Connor out, or to remind her to stay in. It had been such a pleasant day, with Connor so charming and attentive. It had made it difficult to remember he was also a playboy racer who went through girlfriends frequently when he unleashed his charm on her and made her the focal point of his attention. It was even more difficult to remember that none of it was real when she wore his mother’s ring on her
It had taken her a couple of hours to coax him into admitting that as she watched with growing concern the way his gait became more uneven as time passed. After acquiring the scooter, they zipped around the city in a whirlwind tour. He showed her The Castle of the Three Dragons, a drive-by viewing of Camp Nou Stadium, and Palau Nacional before they made their way to the shopping district of La Rambla.
Moving down the pedestrian mall, they zig-zagged in and out of foot traffic on the scooter. She half-expected someone to stop them, but Connor seemed unconcerned by the possibility. She was still relieved when he parked the scooter, and they did more walking, this time at a slow and steady pace.
They shopped several kiosks and paused to admire the paving bricks that looked like water rippling. Ambling further on, she was surprised when he took her hand, and even more surprised by how right it felt. He tugged her over to a small fountain with a lamppost at the top, and she admired its interesting design.
“The Font de Canaletes,” he said.
She looked at the plaque on the ground. “The legend is you’ll come back to Barcelona if you drink the water of the fountain.”
He snorted. “Yeah, you’ll come back for antibiotics.”
She giggled, and they walked on, finally stopping at a tapas bar on Rambla Del Mar, where they stuffed themselves silly on olives, anchovies in vinegar, and prawns in peppercorn sauce, paired with a Cava wine from the Penedès region.
It was a relaxing day and made all the more relaxing by the fact no one was pointing at them or trying to take their picture for sensational news stories that had no substance. To be on the safe side, Angelina had applied heavier makeup than usual to hide the bruise Kevin had inadvertently left on her cheek, and she was confident it was unnoticeable other than some slight swelling.
They finished off the evening with a long dinner at the Forestier Restaurant in their hotel before retiring to their shared suite in Hotel Miramar. There was an awkward moment as they stood in the entertainment area, staring at each other as though waiting for the other to speak. For her part, she didn’t know what she expected Connor to say, or what she even wanted to say, if anything. She was drawing a blank too. The silence was growing, feeling even more awkward, so she cleared her throat and spoke at the same time he did.
“It was a lovely day.”
“I had a good time.”
They laughed together, and she was struck by how much it felt like a real date, complete with the awkward ending that she remembered well, especially from her early dates, back when she was young and inexperienced. That was how being with Connor left her feeling all over again, as though she had never been through the courtship dance before. Knowing this was all fake didn’t help remove the awkwardness from the illusion.
With a smile that hurt the corners of her mouth because she was projecting it so brightly, she gave a jaunty wave and rushed to the smaller of the two rooms of the suite. As soon as she closed the door behind her, Angelina leaned back against it and took several deep breaths to restore her calm.
When she flipped the lock on the door a second later, she wasn’t sure if it was a precaution to keep Connor out, or to remind her to stay in. It had been such a pleasant day, with Connor so charming and attentive. It had made it difficult to remember he was also a playboy racer who went through girlfriends frequently when he unleashed his charm on her and made her the focal point of his attention. It was even more difficult to remember that none of it was real when she wore his mother’s ring on her
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