“Sorry. The more I think about it, the more interesting I find the situation. So, are we still on? If you’re not up for it, I’ll understand.”
“No. I am up for it.” It would keep her occupied. “That leaves me plenty of time to get ready. How should I dress?”
“It’s black-tie. Is that doable for you?”
“Dewable…?” She tightened her fingers around her phone. Alekzander’s look was growing darker by the second. He’d always been possessive of her. Then again, maybe he was that way with all his women.
“Do you have a formal dress?” Justin elaborated with a smile in his voice.
“Oh, yes. Of course. I suppose black-tie is ‘doable’.”
“I was hoping you’d say that. I’m heading to a lunch meeting right now, but I’ll see you in a few hours. I’ll tell you what Peggy said about your case tonight, okay?”
“Okay,” she said weakly. She didn’t want to have a case. “See you then.”
As she hung up and pushed her phone back into the pocket of her jacket, she raised her eyes just in time to see a vicious expression drop from Alekzander’s face.
“Sheppard?”
With her stomach rolling with nerves, she nodded. “Yes.”
“What is he to you, Sacha?”
Not expecting him to be so forthright, she scrambled. How badly did she want to throw Justin in his face. She wished she could gush and brag about how in love she was with her lawyer boyfriend. Tell Alekzander all the many ways Justin made her happy. But more than that, she wished Alekzander was still in love with her. If she knew for sure, she could invite him over one evening and have him walk in on her and Justin having sex. Eye-for-an-eye. He would understand that concept.
Too bad Justin was more likely to want Alekzander than her, and she was too much of a lady to have sex with someone she didn’t love.
If she could have, would she then feel vindicated?
Or would she just feel like a whore?
“Are you going to answer me?”
She rubbed her palm across the tip of her nose when it began to sting from the urge she felt to bawl her head off.
“Sacha?”
She turned at the sound of her name coming from behind and saw Olivia’s father step onto the curb. Confused, she looked at her watch.
“You’re good,” Pastor David said with the wide smile that distracted many of the women in his church during his Sunday service. He looked carefully between Sacha and her unwanted guest. “It’s me who’s early. Patrice sent me off when I started getting on her nerves.” He winked as he teased about his high-strung wife. “I told her I didn’t mind leaving her to come and spend some quality time with my beautiful girl.”
A low chuff of air came from Alekzander as the pastor approached. He bypassed Sacha with a touch to her shoulder and moved on to unbuckle and lift his daughter into his arms.
Sensing an opportunity, Sacha took it.
“Well, it was nice seeing you again, Alekzander,” she lied. “But I must be going.” He was watching the father and daughter. Sacha’s heart wrenched in her chest. Was that longing in his eyes? “Enjoy your day,” she croaked as she motioned Pastor David forward so Alekzander would have no choice but to step aside. “If you would come inside, I will get Olivia’s bag.”
She pushed the stroller into motion and couldn’t help but glance up from under her lashes, her body tingling in awareness as she came within inches of Alekzander’s solid frame.
“Opportunistic little thing,” he murmured as she passed by. The husky note in his voice slid down her spine to tickle her tailbone.
Feeling triumphant, and excited in a way she hadn’t experienced in a long time, she couldn’t stop herself from tipping her head and squinting her eyes in a taunting, childish manner. She didn’t think for a moment he was going to just go away. Not yet. That wasn’t who he was.
And, God help her, as dangerous as that was, and as stupid as it made her, Sacha was happy for that.
NINE
As Alek’s eyes narrowed on his skittish angel, he smiled. He’d had her there for a minute. As he’d talked about the boys, her interest hadn’t been forced or merely polite. She’d been engaged. She’d reached out and touched him without thought. Her eyes had danced with genuine happiness when he’d told her about Vincente.
And had grown wide in shock when she’d misunderstood about Gabriel. He’d been about to tell her Renee and Evan were gone but hadn’t wanted to do so out in the open.
His satisfaction melted away when he acknowledged that she may have responded to general conversation, but the minute it became personal the shutters had come down hard. Which was expected.