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arched upwards as if he couldn't believe it. And then, he did what so many men did: he assessed me, inch by inch, just like I'd done to him a couple of minutes ago. I was glad I'd worn this black Tadashi dress. The spandex told anyone who was looking that I was all woman.
    “ You're getting married? ” he finally asked.
    “ You say that like you can't believe someone would marry me. ”
    He chuckled. “ No, sweetheart, that's not it at all. ” He took a final swig of his drink before he said, “ I know there would be plenty of men who'd want to marry you. I just can't believe that one of them actually caught you. ” He slid his glass across the bar then stepped closer to me.
    My mouth became instantly dry.
    There were just a few inches between us when Roman said, “ So, Miss … I'm Getting Married. Were you caught? Were you caught, for real? ”
    In forty-eight hours, I'm getting married. I'm getting married, in forty-eight hours.
    My plan was to say that over and over. But the problem was when my eyes focused in on Mr. Chocolate's plump bottom lip, I couldn't get those words to make any kind of sense in my mind.
    “ So, what do you say? ” His voice sounded a little like he had gravel in his mouth. “ Are you really gonna get married? ”
    Then, the tip of his tongue traveled slowly, slowly, slowly across that juicy lip of his.
    I was completely done .

     
     
     
    Chapter 2
     
    We were at my favorite restaurant -- Crustacean's -- me and Mr. Chocolate. But we were only there for a few moments before I heard the sound of water, and now the two of us were walking shoulder-to-shoulder, hand-in-hand on the edge of the Pacific. It didn't make a lot of sense, but that was okay with me because I understood where I was: in the nonsensical realm of a d ream. And I wasn't about to rush toward consciousness. No, I was too busy enjoying the presence of the man who had been here in my constant state of fantasy for the last ten hours.
    Roman had been on and in my mind since I'd left the club last night. At first, my attraction to him had been all about the physical: those green eyes against the palette of his dark skin, and those plump lips that looked like they had been ripened purposely to mate with mine. Usually, that was all that I needed -- the fine body of a man. But then Roman and I had talked. And that was when he truly made his way to my … let's just say, my heart.
    It was weird the way it happened. The way the two of us stood at that bar together, as if no one else existed. And it was even stranger the way everyone left us alone; the women who'd come to my bachelorette party had forgotten all about me. Their focus was on the other twelve men who had entertained us.
    Like I said, that was weird because Roman was the only one who was worth spending any time with, but as was always the case, I had more sense than most females. So I kept Roman to myself and for the minutes that we were together, I fantasized that he was truly all mine. And, then I came home and took that fantasy straight into my dreams. Over and over, I dreamt about our time together at the bar and the perfect way my bachelorette party had ended .
    “ So, are you going to answer my question? ” Roman had said.
    “ What? ” I understood what he was asking me, but I needed to give myself time to come up with the right answer.
    He smiled as if he knew that I was stalling and then he stepped even closer to me as if he wanted me to know that he was willing to play my game. “ You heard me. Were you caught? Are you trying to tell me that some man truly caught you and now you're his? ”
    I tried to think about Kenny, I really did. But it was hard to get my mind to focus on my fiancé when all of this fine chocolate was all up in my space! And then, when he leaned back a bit and looked me up and down, like I was a piece … of chocolate, I compromised: I didn't say a thing. Just smiled wide enough to show him that the dimple in my left cheek was as cute