She sidled into the dining room and watched through the window as the remaining guests flitted from table to table. The sky lit up with orange and pink hues as the sun made its way to the horizon.
They’d done a good job. The four of them. Martina was already considered family. The moment she had met their parents she had been adopted, and ever since Carrie could remember Aleks had been one of them, an honorary Taylor. It would make sense that he was involved in the planning.
As if he knew she was thinking about him, Aleks wandered into the dining room with Rob and Martina, the flavor of the week trailing behind. Carrie could smell her cheap perfume from ten feet away.
“We did a great job, huh, Care?” Rob sauntered over and wrapped his thick arms around her. “Yes, we did, brother. Mom and Dad look really happy.”
“What about you, Aleks?” Carrie tightened at the sound of the flavor of the week speaking in a squeaky, airhead voice. She was sure her brother felt her tension. “You helped too.”
“I know, babe. We all helped.”
Carrie felt the little plate of food she had managed to get down regurgitate in her throat. A
slow burn of wrath simmered under the surface.
“Oh, Aleks, don’t be so modest.” Carrie eyed the flavor menacingly. “After all, you did do
the most work. Making sure the bartender had ice is hard work.” Her brother chuckled.
When was she going to learn not to let these floosies get under her skin? Maybe when he bringsagirlhomethat’sworthyofthefiftydollarlipsticksheneedstomakeherselfattractive.It would be especially hard now that Aleks had reeled her in and prevented her from loving anyone else ever again.
His date seemed to hold her own as Carrie eyed her angrily, but her look softened when she looked up at Carrie’s man. Not her man. Aleks was not her man.
“I don’t think she’s being very nice.” She pouted her collagen lips, her words coming out in baby talk.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Carrie screamed.
Rob grabbed Carrie by the arm and yanked her back before she had the chance to lunge at the fake blond. “Okay, Carrie. Let’s go and make sure Mom and Dad are having a good time.” Martina latched onto her other arm and helped push her out of the room.
Carrie loved the fact that the bimbo recoiled a bit at her outburst but not Aleks. He just took it in stride. No emotion. As usual. No reaction to Carrie in the least.
Before she was fully out of the room she stopped and glared at Aleks. “By the way, I knew you would be too busy socializing so I put aside a piece of carrot cake for you. It’s in the fridge.” She turned and let them usher her out, vowing that was the last time she’d go out of her way
to make Aleks Turko happy.
* * * *
Even though he knew it earlier this week, even last week, even when they were kids, Aleks had finally come to terms with the fact that he was in love with Carrie. Carrie Taylor a.k.a. his surrogate sister.
It was the tiniest thing putting aside that piece of cake. His favorite cake in the whole world. She knew that. She knew him better than he knew himself. The sexual fantasies, the lingerie, all tugged at his cock but the other stuff, from the physical and emotional reaction she had to the women he brought home to the cake, that tugged at his heart.
“Mmm, I love carrot cake.” His date purred against him. Aleks had actually forgotten she was there. Her hands snaked up his chest and wrapped around his neck. “Let’s see what naughty things we can do with some icing.”
Normally, his dick would stand at attention at a proposition like that, but she wasn’t Carrie and he wasn’t interested.
“Aleks?”
“Not tonight, babe. I’ll take you home.”
He had it bad. Aleks knew it. But what was he going to do about it? There had to be some goodness inside him. Some redeemable quality.
If Carrie loved him, like his father suggested, there had to be something about him that was worthy of her. She wouldn’t waste her time on just anyone. Years of friendship told him that she didn’t enter into anything lightly, especially not love. Carrie analyzed everything to death. She had to have spent some time analyzing her feelings for him. He just didn’t know where those feelings fit into her life.
Aleks needed to find out, but he feared he was too late. His stunt today might have already sealed his fate in the friendship category forever.
He had persuasion on his side. His ace in the hole. Maybe giving her what she wanted might persuade her to give him another chance. Then, after all was said and done, if Carrie decided that she wanted nothing to do with him, at least he would know he’d tried everything he could to get her.
Chapter 14