Roman untied the bouquet for flowers and placed them in the vase Abigail had set on the table. Taking her suggestion, he sat down in one of the chairs and leaned back as he watched her finish setting up for dinner. It had been quite a while since the last time he had been to a woman’s apartment, let alone served a home cooked meal. Even though it was just one step along the way to his end goal, he would have been lying if he said he wasn’t enjoying the unusual date so far.

“It all sounds great to me,” he said after listening to her description of the food she had made for them. “Besides, anything is better than Chinese takeout, which is about all I’ve had recently. I’m starting to feel convinced it’s the national food of the American bachelor.”

He had to hide his surprise when Abigail listed the drinks she had to offer. [i]No alcohol?[/i] his upper lip twitched subtly as he forced himself not to show his disappointment. [i]Looks like I’m gonna have to get through this date sober.[/i] He was just about to answer her question, when she went on to say something else that sent his mind reeling.

[i]She’s never been on a date before... ever?[/i] Roman blinked in surprise. The girl wasn’t just innocent; she was completely new to the dating scene. He groaned inwardly. [i]This is just my luck. The hottest girl I’ve met all year is also the most naïve.[/i] It was beginning to sound like he was going to have to put in a lot more work than he was expecting for this one.

“Water is fine for me,” he finally answered her with a polite smile. “As for our two dates being your only ones, I’m honored you’re giving me a chance. I hope I’ve been able to keep up with whatever expectations you’ve had for going out with a guy so far.” He rested his elbow on the table and propped his chin in his hand. “Well, I don’t know much about you other than the fact that you’re a total knockout in the looks department.” He winked at her flirtatiously. “Tell me more about yourself, Abby. Your school, your parents, I want to know it all.”