Desperation of Love Read Free Page A

migrate toward each other, don’t we?”
    I stop breathing. I’m not sure where he’s going with this but it can’t be good. “What are you talking about?”
    “I’m talking about the fact that every time you and I are within 10 feet of each other, we tend to end up very—” He bites his lip. “Together.”
    Yeah, this isn’t going to be good. “What’s your point?”
    “My point is, now that I’m living here, I think maybe you and I should see each other.”
    Is he asking to be my boyfriend? “See each other?”
    He nods at me. “Date.”
    “Date?” I repeat, eyes wide open. “You never wanted to date me before.”
    He tightens his grasp on my hand. “I did want to date you. I was just all over the place. Helping my brother and living in the city, I had no time for a girlfriend. I didn’t want to do that to you.”
    “I don’t know what to say.” I want to say yes. I want to tell him that I’ll date him, that I’ll explore the obvious chemistry between us, but he’s just too close to home for me. He’ll always be a part of my life in one way or another, and I will only screw him over in the end.
    “Say you’ll date me.”
    “I don’t know if that’s the best idea,” I say as I pull my hand away. The connection is suddenly too intimate.
    “Oh, this ought to be good.” He tilts his head. “Come on. Give it to me.”
    I cover my face with my hands, needing a minute to think. It’s not that I’ve ever shied away from dating before. In fact, I enjoy it, but I’ve never had this type of animal attraction to anyone. He’s right. I can’t be in close proximity to him without wanting to touch him. “I don’t do well with dating. I actually like you, Alex. I like having you as a friend and I don’t want to destroy that. Trust me, if we tried to have a romantic relationship, I will destroy it.”
    “Stop being so dramatic,” he said. “We’re adults. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll go back to being friends.”
    “No,” I reply, knowing that it isn’t always that simple. Staying friends with someone you dated is a nice idea, in theory, but it never works.
    “Okay.” He concedes.
    “Okay?” I’m almost disappointed at how easily he was convinced. “That’s it?”
    “Yeah. You’re full of shit but I’ll accept your response for now.”
    “First of all, screw you. I’m not full of shit. I’m just being honest. Second, what do you mean you accept it for now ?”
    “We’ll revisit the situation at a more opportune moment.”
    “My answer is not going to change.”
    “Oh, it will change. I know it will. You want to know how I know?”
    “Sure.”
    “Because I know how you react every time I touch you, and let me tell you, princess, it’s not a friendly reaction.”
    He’s right, but I would never admit that. “You’re wrong. I can and will control myself around you. It’s a non issue,” I say. He doesn’t reply but I can tell by the look on his face that he’s not buying what I’m selling. I’m saved by the waitress returning with our breakfast. We eat as Alex tells me what his plans are for his house, and for the new recording studio. His excitement rubs off on me and I find myself getting excited too.
    “So what are you doing after this?” he asks, a sexy grin on his face.
    “Absolutely nothing.” I can tell I’m setting myself up for something, but just because I don’t want to date him doesn’t mean we can’t hang out platonically.
    “Alright, well, you’re coming with me. I want to show you something.”
    “Okay,” I say, almost too eagerly
    He pays the bill and leads me out of the restaurant. His hand on the small of my back sends a feeling of warmth throughout my body. It’s hard to deny my attraction for him but I know that anything more than friendship will only end in disaster. ”We can take my car,” he says, leading me to his black Audi Q7 SUV. I’ve always loved his car. “Can I drive?” I ask.
    “You don’t know where we’re