Page 69 of Secret Squirrel

“But, Dukey, you know you love my dessert,” she purred, trying to run a finger up my chest.

I snatched it in my hand, feeling sick at her touch. There was only one woman I wanted. “Carly, I need you to really hear me. Nothing more is going to happen with us. I’m sorry, but you’re not the one I want.”

She sidled up to me and I did my best to pull my door closed so she couldn’t slip inside. “Younger is better. I have more energy to keep your battery going.”

I frowned. I was pretty sure she was calling me old. But that was beside the point. It wasn’t going to happen with her.

“Carly, you don’t understand a damn thing about me. I’m not the man you think I am. I could never make you happy.”

“But, Dukey—”

“No,” I said sharply. “There is no but. And stop calling me Dukey. I’m not a dog or a baby.”

Her face fell as she stared at me. Fuck, I hated to be the bad guy, but there was no point in beating around the bush.

“It’s not going to happen anymore. You need to stop coming around. I won’t be so nice if you try again.”

She nodded, biting her lip. “It’s just…I sort of already told my friends that I was bringing you to my high school reunion.”

I sighed, staring up at the sky. “Why the fuck would you do that? You didn’t even ask me.”

“Because…because they all said I could never get a man like you, and I guess I wanted to prove them wrong.”

I could hear the quiver in her voice, the way she did her best not to crumble in front of me. For all her flighty appearances, there was a heart buried somewhere underneath it all. And I was a sucker for a hurt woman.

“When’s this reunion?”

She perked up at the question. “Friday night.”

“And you’re just asking now?”

“Oh, it’s super informal. We’re all meeting at a bar and just hanging out. You…you wouldn’t even have to dance or anything. It’s mostly just hanging around and talking.”

The excitement in her voice was hard to walk away from. As much as I didn’t like Carly, I had used her, and she knew it. I rubbed at my eyes, hating I was about to agree to this. “And it’s just a few drinks.”

She nodded hopefully at me. “And you don’t have to stay the whole time.”

“If I agree to this, you can’t keep coming around.”

“Okay.”

“And you can’t introduce me as your boyfriend. We’re just friends.”

Her face fell, but she nodded. “Yeah, okay.”

I almost agreed, but then remembered one more stipulation. “And under no circumstances will there be any inappropriate touching.”

“Sure, whatever you want!”

Her grin was bright enough to light up the sky. I felt horrible even agreeing to this after the night I had with Rae. I was pretty sure she wasn’t one of those chicks that got pissed when a guy did something like this, but it was hard to tell.

“Alright, then. I’ll take you.”

She squealed in delight, then threw herself into my arms, wrapping hers around my neck. I had to pry her from me so she didn’t attach herself like a koala.

“Carly!”

“Oh, sorry,” she grinned, stepping back from me. “Okay, I’ll see you then.”