Page 5 of The Unwanted Love

She observes me thoughtfully. "Is that what you do? Have you learned from your mistakes?"

I’m trying to convince myself that I have. My experience tells me I should not be anywhere in the vicinity of this girl—woman. I seem to be unable to turn and leave, though. Something about her presence, something about her mix of naïveté and femininity, has me in thrall.

I’m getting to know my best buddy’s little sister. That’s all it is. Ben would want that right?

I wander over to her desk and pretend to survey the contents. There’s a laptop and a pile of schoolbooks, next to several books on baking. There’s also a book with a flowery cover on it which has been turned over as if to mark a page. "The Billionaire’s Fake Wife," I read aloud. "Sounds interesting."

She makes a noise that sounds like a squawk, then runs over and snatches the book off the table. "Uh, yeah… It’s interesting. Very interesting, actually."

She darts toward the bed, slides the book under her pillow, then sits beside it. "You were saying?" She flutters her eyelashes at me, her voice breathless.

"Are you trying to distract me?" I ask in a mild tone.

She holds up her thumb and forefinger, squinting at me through the space created by pinching them close together. "Just a little."

"Hmm." I rub my thumb under the bottom of my lip. When her gaze darts to my mouth, I freeze. Then slowly lower my hand to my side.

"Uh, maybe I need to get going." I angle my body as if to head for the doorway when she jumps up.

"No, no. I mean, stay. Just a little longer, please."

"I don’t think that’s a good idea." I glance toward the door, then back at her. "I need to catch up with Ben."

"You see enough of Ben during your missions." She pouts. "It’s been ages since I last saw you."

"Whose fault is that?" I prop an arm on my hip. "Every time I've visited, you've been away."

"Yeah… You know, baking classes, and those extra courses I signed up for in business management, have kept me busy."

"You took classes in business management?"

She dips her chin. "I, uh, want to open my own bakery one day."

"That’s wonderful," I say, and I mean it.

"A book-themed bakery, actually. So, I can combine my love for baking with my love for books."

"That’s very clever." I allow myself a small smile. "I’m almost envious of how clear you are about what you want to do."

"Haven’t you always wanted to be a Marine?" She purses her lips. "I can’t see you being anything else. Seriously, what you’re doing is so honorable, Nathan."

I hear the thread of admiration in her tone, and a jangle of alarm goes off in my head. I take another step towards the door. I definitely need to find a way to ease my way out of here.

It’s becoming clear to me that Skylar has a crush on me. Which would be flattering, but for the fact she’s so much younger than me. Not to mention, she’s Ben’s sister, and no way, would I let him down by encouraging her in any way.

"What I’m doing is a job," I remind her.

"It’s more than a job." She takes a step forward. There’s so much fervor in her voice, it gives me pause. "What you’re doing is a calling. What you do helps guard our country. You lay your life on the line every day so the rest of us can sleep peacefully in our beds."

She’s not wrong. But at the moment, the way she fixes her gaze on me with something like rapture in her eyes confirms to me, she probably has a case of hero worship. I wince. "The life of a Marine isn’t glamorous. Sure, it means I’m often on missions, but when I’m not shipping off somewhere, I’m too busy missing the adrenaline that comes with being on guard and focused on the job at hand."

"What do you mean?" She frowns.

"Tracking the enemy, being sent on the mission, the camaraderie on the helo as I fly out with the rest of the platoon? That’s what I live for." I glance out the window at the deepening shadows. "That peculiar mix of fear and excitement before we jump off… And then, once you’re in the thick of things, that complete focus, when you’re a hundred percent in the present. It’s the only time I feel completely alive."

"The only time?" She takes another step forward. "What about when you… Uh… When you’re with your girlfriend?"

"Girlfriend?" Those alarm bells in my head turn into clanging distress signals. It’s a not very subtle way of finding out if I’m in a relationship. I want to lie and tell her I am, just so it puts some barriers between us. Just so it’ll discourage her from wanting anything to do with me. But when I open my mouth, I find I can’t.

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