"Of course I did. I'm a doctor for Christ's sake," he scoffs incredulously.
"Oh, how fucking nice of you! I'm glad your brain is useful for something!"
Kyle gives me a bored look. I really don't think he understands that what he did was wrong.
“This is over Kyle,” I say softly. “I can’t be with someone who’s been sleeping with other women while he’s engaged to me."
Kyle jumps up and comes around the table to kneel on one knee next to me. “Baby, no! Don’t do this. I won’t be with anyone else from this moment on, I promise. Just don’t leave me. I love you, I want to marry you,” he pleads.
I give him a hard look. “If you actually loved me, you never would have cheated on me in the first place.”
“Arianna, I didn’t do it because I don’t love you. I did it so that I won't cheat on you after we get married. I did this for you,” he says, trying to be convincing but completely falling short.
I laugh, but it’s a bitter, humorless laugh. “That’s the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard! I’m done listening to you because you’re talking out of your ass. I’m going to pack up all of my stuff and be out of here by tonight.”
“Where are you going to go? You gave up your apartment six months ago,” he says.
“It's none of your goddamn business where I’m going to go! Anywhere but here will work just fine for me,” I sneer and shove out of my chair, making him have to stand back up. "I can't even fucking be near you right now."
“Arianna, please, I’m begging you,” he whispers and takes my hand. “Just give me one more chance. I swear I can change. I love you.”
My heart is breaking and I would love to give him one more chance. But I know the drill. I’m not stupid. Once a cheater, always a cheater. I snatch my hand out of his and let my anger take over.
“Go fuck yourself, Kyle. I can’t trust you anymore. So, no, I won’t give you another chance. We are done. The wedding is off and I’m leaving.”
~ Duke ~
The bell on the door chimes as I walk into the shop. It’s been about a week and a half since revealing to Arianna that Kyle was cheating on her and I can’t seem to stop thinking about her. I want to know how she’s doing. And I desperately want to know if she’s dumped his sorry ass.
The young girl, Jules, lifts her head from playing on her cell phone when she hears the door chime. Her eyes immediately widen when she sees me. I smile and take note of all of the Christmas decorations all over the place. There are a lot of Christmas and winter-themed cupcakes, too. I stop in front of the case and glance around at all of the sugary goodness.
“Hey, Jules, can I get one of these Olaf ones?” I ask, pointing to the Olaf cupcake in the case.
How do I know who Olaf is, you ask? Shit, who doesn’t know who Olaf is? And I might have watched the movie with my nieces when I was home for Thanksgiving. Don’t judge me.
Jules takes one out of the case. “Do you want it in a container?” she asks.
“Nope, I’m going to eat it now,” I say, taking the cupcake from her and handing her the money for the cupcake. “Is Arianna here?”
“She’s in the kitchen,” Jules answers and points.
“Think she’ll mind if I pop in?” I ask, eyebrow raised.
Jules shakes her head. “Not at all.”
“Great, thanks.” I smirk and send her a wink that makes her blush.
I make my way into the kitchen and find Arianna with her back to me decorating some cupcakes. Music is playing and she’s shaking her little tush. I quietly step up behind her then stick my cupcake in her face while singing, “Do you wanna build a snowman?”
Arianna yelps and totally messes up the cupcake she was decorating. She turns to glare at me. I just give her a shit-eating grin and take a big bite out of Olaf.
“I’ll eat that one, too,” I say around a mouth full of cupcake.
She makes a disgusted face. “Gross, Duke.”
She turns back around while shaking her head. She slides the messed up one in my direction and I chuckle.
“What are you doing here?” she asks dryly, going back to decorating the non-messed up cupcakes.
I lean my butt against the counter and cross my ankles. “I just wanted to see how you were doing, you know, because I'm a nice guy like that,” I say after swallowing the cupcake in my mouth.
She gives me a dry look. “I’m fine,” she mutters.
“Now, that, Beautiful, is a bunch of bull,” I murmur before shoving the rest of Olaf into my mouth.
She shrugs. “What do you want me to say? I broke up with Kyle and moved in with Jade and Justin while I look for a place of my own. I also cancelled everything for the wedding, losing most of the deposit money in the process. Plus, Kyle won’t leave me alone. So, it’s whatever.”
I frown. “What do you mean he won’t leave you alone?”
“He keeps calling me and showing up at Jade’s, trying to get me to change my mind. I’m sure he’ll get over it.”
Irritation flashes through me. “Want me to talk to him?” I all but snarl.
Her eyes shoot to mine. “No, please don’t.”
I grit my teeth. “Fine.”
I grab the ruined cupcake and dip my finger into the icing. I then wipe it on Arianna cheek. She gasps.
“What the hell, Duke?” She huffs.
“You got a little something on your face. Here, I’ll get it,” I say, fighting back a laugh as I set my cupcake down and grab her face. I lick the icing off her cheek. Oh, how I would love to lick icing off some other body parts…
“Duke!” she squawks, but ends up laughing as she shoves me away and rubs her sleeve over her cheek.
“Ah, there’s that smile.” I chuckle.
“You’re insane.”
“But I got you laughing. That’s all that matters.” I grin.
She rolls her eyes at me.
“Let me take you out,” I say, picking my cupcake back up.
“Duke, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she murmurs, shaking her head.
“Come on, I’m not asking you to marry me. Just let me take you out; we’ll have some fun. We can go as friends, not a date.”
She hesitates and I take that as a good sign.
“Fun with a friend,” I reiterate in a sing song-y voice.
She sighs heavily. “Alright, fine. I guess I could use a night out.”
“Yes!” I exclaim. “Friday, I’ll pick you up from here, sound good?”
“Yes,” she replies with an affirmative nod.
“Great!” I quick lean in and give her a kiss on the cheek. “Sneak attack!” I say quickly and practically run for the door.
I hear her laughing, but I am out the door before she can say anything in return.
~ Arianna ~
Duke walks through the shop’s door at exactly 7:00 pm, which is closing time. He looks dashing in his nice dark jeans, gray pea coat, and bright blue scarf. I’m not sure what kind of shirt he has on yet since it’s covered up by his coat. His face is a little scruffy and his short hair is spiked up on top. A nervous flutter in my stomach has me taking a couple of deep breaths. This isn’t a date. We’re just friends. I’m not looking for anything and neither is he.
He smiles wide when he sees me. “Hey, Beautiful. Ready to go?”
“Yep,” I reply. “I just have to grab my coat and purse from my office.”
“Okay.” Duke nods and shoves his hands into his coat pockets.
I race back to my office to grab my stuff. I stop in the bathroom on the way back to check my hair and makeup. It may not be a date, but I still want to look nice. I slip on my coat as I walk back into the shop and put on my knit cap. It’s freaking cold out. Duke gives me a warm smile.
“I like the hat, it’s cute,” he says.
I blush at the compliment. “Thanks.”
“Come on, friend, I have some things planned.” He grins and holds out his hand.
I take it and follow him to the door
, locking it behind us. Duke then leads me to his car and opens the door for me. He’s such a gentleman. We take a short ten-minute drive over to Central Park. He finds a spot and parks. We get out and he takes my hand as we walk down the street to where all of the horse-drawn carriages are.
“A carriage ride? Isn’t that a little date-like?” I ask warily.
“Definitely not. There is nothing remotely date-like about two friends snuggling up under a blanket together and going for a carriage ride through Central Park,” he says deadpan.
I bite back a smile and shake my head.
We settle into a carriage and under the heavy blanket that is provided. Duke puts his arm around my shoulders and tucks me up against his side. He’s giving off a lot of heat so I let him. As the carriage jerks forward, Duke starts up a conversation.
“So tell me why you decided to open up a cupcake shop?”
I tell him about my love of baking, and how I’ve always wanted to be my own boss. Then we move onto why he went into the Marines. He said that he was always fascinated with the Marines. He loved watching shows about them, seeing them in their uniforms in parades, etc. So when he was old enough to join, he did, even though his parents didn't want him to. He was young and had something to prove. He wanted to be the best. He believed - still does - in fighting for this country.
After that, the conversation turns into favorite movies, books, TV shows, and music. We actually have a decent amount of stuff in common. I laugh when Duke tells me that he’s into country music.
“I never would have pegged you for a country music fan.” I snicker.
He sighs contently. “I don’t know what it is about it. I just really enjoy listening to it.”
“That’s not a bad thing.” I smile up at him.
He gives me a little lopsided grin that has my heart jumping up into my throat. “Yeah, I know.”
The carriage comes to a stop and the driver announces that we’ve arrived. Arrived? Where? I look around to see that we’re at the Wollman Rink. Duke hops down from the carriage then turns and holds his arms out for me. I put my hands on his shoulders while he takes my hips and helps me down from the carriage. Duke pays the driver before taking my hand and leading me toward the ice skating rink.
“Duke, I haven’t ice skated since I was 15!”
“Me neither!” He laughs. “I hear it’s like riding a bike; you never forget how to do it.”
“Oh my god, I’m going to break my ass,” I mumble, which has Duke chuckling.
We rent skates and find a bench to put them on. Once we’re ready to go, we make our way over to the entrance to the ice.
“Crazy people first,” I tell him and gesture for him go in front of me.
Duke laughs then steps out onto the ice. He’s wobbly and has to grab the side of the rink so he doesn’t fall. Oh god, this is going to be a disaster. I follow him onto the ice and try my best not to fall on my ass…or my face. After a couple of minutes, we both get the hang of it and are able to make it around the rink without holding onto the side.
Duke grabs my hand as we skate around the rink. We continue to talk and laugh and actually have a really good time. There are a couple of times where one or both of us lose our balance and start flailing around, but neither of us has fallen yet.
~ Duke ~
I glance over at Arianna to bask in all of her beauty. She looks stunning. Her dark hair is swirling around under her cute little knit hat, her cheeks are flushed from the cold, and she’s smiling so wide that I’m afraid it might be permanently frozen there. I need to be careful because I can totally see myself falling for her, hard and fast. And we all know where that leads. Yep, you got it, heartbreak. I’m never putting myself in that position ever again. This thing with Arianna needs to remain a no-strings-attached kind of thing. And tonight, I just want to get her out and show her a good time because she looked so sad when I spoke to her earlier in the week. Her smile melts away.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Arianna huffs.
My smile slips, too. “What is it?” I ask.
“Kyle is here.”
“What? Where?” I ask without glancing around.
“He’s over by the side at your three o’clock,” she murmurs.
I sneak a glance over in the direction that Arianna said. Sure enough, there he is, standing on the ice by the boards watching us.
“Is he with someone?”
“Not sure. But I know he saw me because we made eye contact,” she says.
“Alright, just ignore him. We’re having a good time; he doesn’t need to ruin it.”
She nods. “You’re right.”
A few minutes go by without incident. Then out of nowhere, someone slams into my shoulder from behind, hard enough to spin me so that I’m now facing Arianna. The momentum has me crashing into her and tangling our legs together. We both go down hard with me on my back and her on top of me. Her forehead smacks into my cheek as we go down.
I groan and cover the side of my face with my hand. She also groans and touches her hand to her forehead.
“Shit, are you okay?” I ask her.
“Yeah, that hurt. Are you okay?” she asks, using her hand to cover mine.
“I think so,” I grunt. “Who the hell was that?”
“Who do you think?” she replies in annoyance.
“Seriously? I’m going to kick his scrawny little ass,” I snap.
“Hey, are you guys okay?! That was a nasty fall!” says an older man who stops next to us.
“Yeah, we’re okay,” Arianna tells him and takes the hand that he’s offering.
He pulls her up to her feet, and then both he and Arianna help me to my feet. The guy gives me a pat on the shoulder before taking off.
“Let’s get off the ice, I want to look at your face better,” Arianna says.
“Yeah and my ass really hurts,” I grunt.
We make our way off the ice and find a bench to sit down on. I hiss as I sit down on the end of it. Damn, I hit the ice hard. Arianna stands in front of me and bends down, taking my face in her hands. She tilts my face to the side so she can see my cheek that her forehead hit a little better. Then she does something I wasn’t expecting. She places a soft kiss on my bruised cheek.
“Is that better?” she asks breathily.
“Much,” I grunt. “Is your forehead okay?”
“It’s fine. You got the brunt of it.”
“Yeah, I think my tail bone is bruised.”
A devilish smirk curls her lips. “You want me to kiss that better, too?”
I bark out an unexpected laugh. “If you want to,” I tease.
“He’s watching us,” she whispers, her eyes meeting mine after looking around.
“Why not give him a show then?” I reply huskily.
I’d love to kiss her. And more than just on the lips.
Her brown eyes flash with desire before her mouth fuses to mine. I pull her down onto my lap and wrap my arms around her. A breathy sigh escapes her as she parts her lips. I take what she’s offering and kiss her deeper. Our tongues meet and I moan at how good she tastes. Her hands are still cupping my jaw and I love the feeling of her hands on my skin. If we weren’t in public, I just might’ve gotten carried away with her. But I know I can’t, so I slowly pull away, giving her a couple of lingering kisses on the lips before pulling completely away.
“I don’t think friends are supposed to kiss like that,” she breathes, her eyes still closed.
“What? Friends kiss like that all of the time on non-dates,” I joke.
She opens her eyes to give me a dry look. I give her my best shit-eating grin before planting another kiss on her lips and helping her to her feet.
“Do you see him?” I ask.
She nods and takes my hands to help pull me to my feet. “He’s looking pretty furious right now.”
“Good, and let him come say something to me so I can knock him on his ass,” I growl.
“I really don’t want you get
ting into a fight.” She sighs.
I give her a sideways glance. “He doesn’t have a chance in hell against me.”
“I’m sure. I don’t want you hurting him, is what I should have said.”
I grumble under my breath as we turn our skates in and put our shoes on. Instead of getting a carriage ride back to the car, we decide to take a walk through the park. I shove my hands into my coat pockets and hold out my elbow for Arianna. She gives me a sweet smile and slips her arm through mine.
“How old are you?” Arianna asks.
“35, you?”
“Don’t you know you’re not supposed to ask a woman how old she is?” She grins.
“I thought I wasn’t supposed to ask how much you weigh.” I laugh.
“That, too,” she chuckles. “I’m 31.”
“Really? I was thinking more like 25 or 26.”
“Aw, you’re so sweet,” she coos and bumps me with her hip.
I shrug. “I try.”
After a moment of silence, she drops the big question, “Are you really never going to get married again?”
“How long have you been dying to ask me that?” I snort.
“A while.” She shrugs.
I sigh, my breath fogging in the cold night air. “I have two failed marriages under my belt, I really don’t want a third. So, no, I don’t want to get married again. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t do a long-term relationship if I found the right woman. But marriage? Nope, never again.”
“What if you find that right woman and she wants to get married?” Arianna asks softly.
“Then she’ll be very disappointed,” I murmur.
“Not all marriages end bad, you know. My parents have been together for 40 years,” she says.
“I know. Mine have been together for just as long. It’s just not for me. I’ve tried it twice and both times it’s failed me. I don’t need it to find happiness with someone; although, I’m pretty skeptical of that, too,” I scoff.
“I can’t understand why anyone would cheat on you. You’re sweet, attentive, caring, honest, handsome, pretty much everything a girl could ever ask for in a guy.”
I can feel the heat rise up my cheeks from her amazing compliment. “Thank you. I think you’re the first person to say anything that nice about me.”
War Wounded (The War Trilogy #2.5) Page 5