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.