I stare at him. "You're taking me on a date?"

Roman laughs. "You say that like you're surprised."

"I just... I didn't know how..." I gesture between the two of us, unsure of how to voice it without sounding insecure. "I didn't know where we stood."

His hazel eyes search mine, and there's a tenderness there that he hasn't let me see before. He reaches out and touches my cheek.

"From our very first meeting, you intrigued me," he says. "You ...