DECEIT (B723) by Hazel Grace (ebook reader for surface pro .TXT) 📕

He gives a crap about food consumption and how many hours I’ve slept. If I drove with my seatbelt on after he’s heard the annoying beeping of my Jeep that rats me out when I don’t.

He checks up on me and I’ve never had that before.

Cutting into my steak, Alexander goes back to eating, watching me from the corner of his eye once in a while as he does and we sit in comfortable silence.

I don’t know anyone besides the boys that I can do this with. Wade and I would watch TV that would fill in said silence, but with Alexander, it’s just a realm of calm.

“Actually, Emmy,” he suddenly chimes in a few minutes later. “I lied.”

“Lied?”

“I need to attend my sister’s wedding and I wanted you to come with me.” My body stills, fork in mid-air as he drops the meeting-his-family bomb on me. “And, if you don’t want to, I won’t mention that we’re dating or anything. I’ll explain that you’re slow with making decisions and—“

“I’m married,” I retort sourly, disgusted not at his suggestion to take me but at myself. His tone wasn’t malice but kind and teasing. However, I can’t accept it because I don’t deserve it.

“Separated,” he counters back gently. “Unless you need to break something to me.”

I shake my head. “No, it’s just…I don’t want you to have to lie for me.”

“Emmy, I won’t be giving out your life story or your dating history. You don’t have to go, but—” He shrugs and pops a piece of steak in his mouth. “—I’ll just go stag.”

“Stag?” My face twists at the thought of him just going alone. “Why would you do that?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” His tone and face remain placid and normal, as though this conversation isn’t ridiculous.

“Because you’re a handsome man that shouldn’t be going alone.”

His lips quirk. “Finally, you admit it.”

“Don’t you have a secretary that you could go with?” Alexander almost chokes on a laugh and takes another sip of wine to get his food down.

“You’re joking, right?”

“I mean…”

“I’m not one for flaunting females that don’t mean anything to me around my immediate family.” He places his elbows on the table and grounds me with a stern look. “And whether it takes five years for you to finally call me your boyfriend, I’ll wait.”

“Mhm. You don’t want to do that, trust me.”

“Emmy Lou, you are the most attractive and secretive woman I know, and I’m beyond fascinated by you.” His eyes sparkle with mirthfulness, and I can’t believe this man—this really hot man—wants to waste his time with me.

“You need more excitement in your life then.” I pick at my food, making a mess out of it to match my muddled head.

But I mean it, Alexander needs to get it together as much as I do.

“I have all I need. Trying to figure you out is exciting enough. I told you I was never normal.”

“But you never said how. Do you round up toenail clippings, Pokemon cards?” I lift a brow. “You collect troll dolls, don’t you?”

“What’s wrong with Pokemon cards?” He narrows his eyes playfully at me, but in them, he’s interested to really know.

I grin and wag my fork at him. “So you are an attractive, down-low weirdo. I knew something had to be off with you.”

“My pickup lines didn’t hint on that?”

“I must’ve been blinded by your looks.”

“Don’t compliment me twice in one night. I might show up with a boombox outside your window next.”

I rest my chin in the palm of my hand. “I liked the one where you asked me if I ate raisins and how would I feel about a date, that was classic.”

He hides his smile behind his wine glass. “What can I say? You bring the cheesy out of me.”

I scoop up a mountain of mashed potatoes, suddenly hungry from them staring me in the face for over five minutes. “Do you have a book or something with dumb pickup lines?”

“Would you buy me one? I don’t want to run out.”

“It’s called Google,” I retort, attempting to lay off on the wry grinds.

When I think of him, all I recall most is how much he makes my cheeks hurt by the end of the night. How indeed, his goofy charm is legendary in its own right.

But the man can get away with anything. He’s a walking billboard of every woman’s fantasy of a hot guy who isn’t a complete dickhead.

“Reading a book is better,” he says as he chews. “Holding it and flipping through the pages.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“Very good.” He goes back to his plate, cutting another slice off his filet mignon and taking his time with eating it. We’re at his favorite steakhouse, and everyone knows him here. He gets the same spot and dinner, except sometimes he says he likes to go out of the box and try something new.

However, he doesn’t want to feel like he’s missing out on his steak and bleu cheese sauce. He insists that it’s like cheating.

A waitress walks by with a steaming plate and Alexander flicks his attention to it. I notice his frown then remember him debating between marinated sea bass and the steak currently residing in front of him.

The poor man had a hell of a civil war playing out in his head over what course he wanted to eat.

“Alexander,” I coo, immediately gaining his regard. “You wanna get wild tonight?”

His chewing slows as he flicks his focus back to me. “Sweetheart, I’d do anything with you.”

I bite down on the inside of my lips and wave over our waitress. Luckily, she shows up in my line of sight, and when she arrives at our table, I give her a sweet smile because she might hate me after this.

It’s late, and she probably wishes to be done with her shift already.

“Can I help you, Miss?”

“Please, my boyfriend wants to try the miso-marinated sea bass, and can you bring me the lobster mac ’n cheese? I promise I’ll tip you well for a second dinner and