Page 28 of Duty Became Desire

Right?

Yeah, this had all become far too dangerous.

Chapter seventeen

Alec

Isat at my kitchen table, papers spread out in front of me, but my focus wasn’t on the papers that needed to be graded. All I could seem to keep thinking about was the great time Skylar and I had sitting in my living room, working on decorations for a wedding that seemed to now just be weeks away.

Where the hell did time go?

I swear, it hadn’t felt like that long, but I guess it was. And though there were bad moments with Skylar, there were also good ones. And that Saturday, just a few days ago, was a great afternoon.

After we were done, I ordered pizza, we watched a movie, and we picked on each other for hours on end. It was a perfect day.

What would have been the cherry on top, though?

Having her go up the stairs with me, change, and curl up in bed.

Instead, she got in her car and drove off, leaving me feeling a loss like I haven’t before.

I jumped as my phone dinged, glad we had an extra day off this week as it seems I wasn’t doing my job like I needed to. I read the text, grinning as it came from her, asking about meeting up for dinner and I quickly agreed.

I wasn’t going to overanalyze why I was so quick to say yes, or what it meant that my heart was pounding just a little faster as I rushed up the stairs to shower and change.

Not right now.

That could come later.

“You look amazing,” I told Skylar as I gave her a kiss on the cheek. And she did. The red dress highlighted the flush on her cheeks and the sparkle in her eye. But it also drew the eye to every God given, amazing curve.

And let me tell you, it put all kinds of thoughts in my mind that it shouldn’t have.

“Thanks. You look good yourself,” she told me, her hand brushing over my black button up shirt.

“Dressed to impress. Shall we?” I settled my hand on her lower back and followed her to a table the hostess showed us. And as I held out her chair, I glanced around, seeing many pairs of eyes flashing her way. I couldn’t blame them, but I also had the sudden urge to grab the knife beside me and start slicing my eyes.

Where the hell did that come from?

“So, why did you ask me out to dinner? Was Demi busy?”

“Well, no,” she started. She glanced down at the tablecloth, took a breath, and then finally looked at me. “I had a lot of fun the other day with you. And I have to head back to Laughlin andprobably won’t be back for a good few weeks. And I just thought a nice dinner with you would be the perfect time.”

“Why, Skylar, are you saying you like me?”

“No,” she chuckled, taking a sip of the wine, the waitress poured. “I am saying though, you might not be such an asshole all the time. And the many sides I’ve come to see about you, I like. You’re far different than what I thought you were. I think we could be friends.”

Ouch.

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting to hear, but that wasn’t it. I mean, okay, we were still back and forth on this divorce thing, but I thought we were heading towards staying together. But maybe that was just me.

“Well, that’s good to know. I mean, I didn’t think I was an asshole to begin with.”

She spit out her wine and stared at me, her jaw dropping.

“You don’t think you were?”

“No. So, I made a statement. But it got your attention.”

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