Sarah Morgan - Christmas Ever After

A friend of Brittany’s, he was a maritime historian and his expertise and on-screen charisma had combined to give him a lucrative career that straddled academia and media. They called him the Shipwreck Hunter and he’d been credited with single-handedly making history sexy. Thanks to his adventurous exploits in front of the camera, he had droves of female admirers.

Skylar wasn’t one of them.

What was he doing here?

Yes, they occasionally socialized, but the truth was they tolerated each other for the sake of their mutual friends. He didn’t hide the fact he thought she was decorative and shallow. What had he called her back in the summer? A fairy princess.

If she’d been a dog, she would have been growling deep in her throat.

Telling herself that she didn’t care what he thought of her, she looked away.

It was one thing to try to please her parents for the sake of family harmony, but she’d be damned if she’d go out of her way to win the approval of a hardened cynic like Alec.

She knew he was a casualty of a bitter divorce and it didn’t surprise her. For her, the surprise was that someone had married him in the first place.

There was no way he would have chosen to come to her exhibition voluntarily, which meant that Brittany must have threatened or bribed him.

She stood still, making mental promises to kill her friend, and then realized that Richard was speaking directly to her.

“Skylar—” his voice carried across the room “—come up here and join me, honey. There’s something I want to say to you.”

Honey? Honey?

When did he ever call her honey?

Not wanting to make a public scene, Skylar walked forward.

Out of the corner of her eye she was conscious of Alec, his stillness setting him apart from the rest of the crowd. There was something remote and inaccessible about him. She knew that those perfect masculine features masked a sharp intellect and an equally sharp and sarcastic tongue. Most women found him insanely attractive. She found him superior and patronizing.

Leave, she thought. Go home. I don’t want you here ruining my night with your brooding scowl.

But he didn’t leave. Instead, he watched her with that intense, focused gaze that made her dress feel too tight.

Her skin prickled and heat whispered across her skin.

She nodded her head briefly in acknowledgment and then forgot about him because Richard took her hand.

Remembering Lily’s words, Sky looked into his eyes and tried to work out if her heart felt too big for her chest.

It didn’t.

As far as she could tell it was behaving as it should. Normal rhythm. Normal size.

Richard smiled. “A few weeks ago, I achieved a life goal. That achievement meant all the more to me because you were right there by my side.”

Forgetting about her heart, Skylar blinked in confusion.

This was her special night and he was talking about himself?

“Richard—”

“I promised myself that when I reached a certain point in my professional life, I’d turn my attention to my personal life. That moment has come. There’s something I want to say to you, and there is no better time than right now in front of our friends.”

Her only friends here had been Lily and Nik, and they’d left already.

The rest were acquaintances, high-profile clients and the press.

And Alec.

It niggled that he was here.

Good manners dictated that she speak with him, but what was she going to say?

Go home and stop ruining my fun.

No wonder you’re divorced …

All the options that came into her head were socially unacceptable and she knew that when the moment came she’d thank him for showing up. She’d offer him a glass of champagne and they’d make polite conversation about their friends.

Fake, fake, fake.

She wouldn’t mention the fact she knew he was here under sufferance, and no doubt he wouldn’t mention it, either. On the surface they’d be civil, even though neither of them felt remotely civil in one another’s company. She could keep up appearances. After all, she’d been trained by experts. She could talk about nothing for hours.

Richard lifted her hand to his lips. “I’ve been waiting for the right moment to ask you.”

Trying to forget Alec, Sky forced herself to pay attention. “Ask me what?”

“I want you to marry me.” He’d had voice coaching and training in public speaking and it showed in the way he addressed the room. “I want you by my side for the rest of my life. From now on, we’ll be pursuing goals together.”

Sky gaped at him, wondering if she’d misheard.

She opened her mouth. No sound emerged.

“You’re in shock.” He was confident. Sure of himself. A man dazzled by the light of his own rising star. He was an only child, the sole focus of his parents’ ambitions. Unlike her, he’d exceeded their expectations. “I didn’t buy a ring. I thought you could make your own and give me a discount.” He included the crowd in the joke and there was a ripple of appreciative laughter.

Skylar wasn’t laughing. Nor was she appreciative.

Marriage?

She thought about the conversations they’d had over the past year. Intimate exchanges where she’d revealed her dreams.

Had he not listened to a word she’d said?

Apparently not, or he’d know that marriage didn’t interest her.

Love? Now, that was a different matter. She wanted love. What she didn’t want was a flamboyant public proposal. He was paying more attention to the guests than her, to the point that she wanted to wave her arms in the air and yell, Hello, I’m over here!

Beyond Richard’s shoulder she could see Alec Hunter and discovered he wasn’t laughing, either. He was standing in the same place, the collar of his black coat brushing against the dark shadow of his jaw. She would have drawn him as a vampire or a wraith, she thought. A creature of the night. Even still and silent he had presence, a quality that had no doubt contributed to his success as a TV presenter and his large female fan base.

Had he proposed to his ex-wife in public?

No, because despite his public persona, she knew he was intensely private.

“Skylar?” Richard’s smile was a little tense around the edges. “We’re all waiting for a response.”

All? She wondered at what point a proposal had become a group activity.

Her real response was, You have to be kidding me, but she didn’t want that to feature in the press reports of her event the following day.

Grateful for the years of practice in producing fake smiles, she gave one.

“This is a surprise.” Keeping the smile in place, she turned to the guests. “I hope you’ll excuse us. Richard and I need a little time alone.” She turned and walked through the gallery and into the storeroom that was next to an office.

Her heels tapped on the wooden floor. Her knees shook.

She hoped he was going to follow her because she didn’t want to say what needed to be said in public.

There was a click as he closed the door behind them. “Sky? What the hell are you doing?”

“No, Richard, the question is what are you doing?”

“I was proposing. All you had to do was say yes and you would have had great media coverage for your little party. Instead you have to go for drama.” He shot her an exasperated look. “Always with you, it’s drama.”

“I—” She was speechless. “I honestly don’t know what to say.”

“The word you were looking for was yes , but you missed your cue.” He spoke through his teeth and then inhaled deeply and smiled the smile that had first attracted her attention. “You were in shock. This is a big night for you, I understand that.”