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the cocky grin on his face finished his promise. She was curiously relieved that he didn’t plan to run away until later. Now she could pretend he was hers for just a little longer. That thought nearly made her feel as cocky as he looked.
    His smile widened. “I’ve got more overused lines, but I can see by the laugh you’re trying to stifle that you get my point.” He bent to kiss her, but his phone rang, and he hesitated.
    “You can get that,” she offered.
    “I don’t know if I want to,” he said. “That’s my dad’s ringtone, and he’s pissed at Sophia.”
    Alaina didn’t ask why. Daniel stayed with his lips millimeters from hers. At last, the ringing stopped, and he kissed her.
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    Michele Zurlo
    When they were both breathless, he released her. “I’d rather check voice mail and call back. I could give a shit whether or not Sophia and Drew make everyone in their wedding dress up like fairies.” That took Alaina by surprise. Sophia didn’t strike her as the fairies and unicorns type of person. “Fairies? Is she making your father wear wings and a gossamer shirt?” That would be in direct opposition to the elder DiMarco’s rigid definition of masculinity, a definition he had passed to his only son.
    Daniel laughed. “I have no freaking idea. They’ve hired a wedding planner and a fancy costume designer. They’ve got this Shakespeare thing going on between them. Whatever they do, I’ll be wearing a tux.”
    Alaina raised a brow at that. “Are you not in the wedding?” She wasn’t under the impression anyone in a wedding got to choose their clothes unless they were the bride. Goodwill now had some really ugly dresses that fit Alaina and had been used for just the one occasion.
    “I am,” he said. “Sophie’s usually reasonable. I can’t see the value in making a big deal out of this. My dad, on the other hand, is fit to be tied. He liked Drew until he found out the Midsummer Night’s Dream theme was his idea. Now he thinks Drew needs to grow a pair.” She didn’t comment on that. Alaina’s father had used such macho terms her entire life to explain why men got to do things that women did not or to emasculate men who didn’t fit his preferred stereotype. It was a dichotomy Alaina hated, and one she encountered too often in her line of work.
    “I’m going to start dinner,” she said, extricating herself from Daniel’s arms.
    He frowned, but he did nothing to stop her. “Okay. I’ll be down in a few.”
    Alaina set a pot of water to boiling and broke the long noodles in half. Grabbing another pot from her cupboard, she placed it on another burner and poured sauce from a jar into it. If Daniel wanted Time to Pretend
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    gourmet cooking, then he was going to have to do it himself or hope to catch her on a good day. Though Alaina was a decent cook, she hated doing it. She didn’t mind making sandwiches, salads, grilled cheese, spaghetti, or mac and cheese.
    Given the way Daniel had been raised, she should count herself lucky if he could make toast. That wouldn’t stop him from being critical of her cooking, however. Well, she could tell him exactly where to shove his criticism.
    She was stirring the sauce when he came into the kitchen and stuck his face in her neck. Warmth from his body penetrated the thin cotton separating her back from his chest. “Smells good,” he said.
    Whether he meant her neck or the sauce was unclear.
    Pressing a kiss to the same spot, he said, “Looks good, too.” His arms came around her waist. “I need to get into your attic.” Alaina continued stirring the sauce, but that one brought a frown to her face. “If that’s a sexual term, it’s one I’ve never heard.” He laughed. “No, that was literal. It’s the reason I came over in the first place, to check out your roof. I need to see the attic.” She sighed and pushed him away. “The insurance adjuster was up there this morning, Daniel.” Her short temper brought out her sharp tone. “The