War Wounded (The War Trilogy #2.5) by Andria Large Read Free Book Online Page B

out.”
    “Yes!” I exclaim. “Friday, I’ll pick you up from here, sound good?”
    “Yes,” she replies with an affirmative nod.
    “Great!” I quick lean in and give her a kiss on the cheek. “Sneak attack!” I say quickly and practically run for the door.
    I hear her laughing, but I am out the door before she can say anything in return.
     
     
    ~ Arianna ~
     
    Duke walks through the shop’s door at exactly 7:00 pm, which is closing time. He looks dashing in his nice dark jeans, gray pea coat, and bright blue scarf. I’m not sure what kind of shirt he has on yet since it’s covered up by his coat. His face is a little scruffy and his short hair is spiked up on top. A nervous flutter in my stomach has me taking a couple of deep breaths. This isn’t a date. We’re just friends. I’m not looking for anything and neither is he.
    He smiles wide when he sees me. “Hey, Beautiful. Ready to go?”
    “Yep,” I reply. “I just have to grab my coat and purse from my office.”
    “Okay.” Duke nods and shoves his hands into his coat pockets.
    I race back to my office to grab my stuff. I stop in the bathroom on the way back to check my hair and makeup. It may not be a date, but I still want to look nice. I slip on my coat as I walk back into the shop and put on my knit cap. It’s freaking cold out. Duke gives me a warm smile.
    “I like the hat, it’s cute,” he says.
    I blush at the compliment. “Thanks.”
    “Come on, friend , I have some things planned.” He grins and holds out his hand.
    I take it and follow him to the door, locking it behind us. Duke then leads me to his car and opens the door for me. He’s such a gentleman. We take a short ten-minute drive over to Central Park. He finds a spot and parks. We get out and he takes my hand as we walk down the street to where all of the horse-drawn carriages are.
    “A carriage ride? Isn’t that a little date-like?” I ask warily.
    “Definitely not. There is nothing remotely date-like about two friends snuggling up under a blanket together and going for a carriage ride through Central Park,” he says deadpan.
    I bite back a smile and shake my head.
    We settle into a carriage and under the heavy blanket that is provided. Duke puts his arm around my shoulders and tucks me up against his side. He’s giving off a lot of heat so I let him. As the carriage jerks forward, Duke starts up a conversation.
    “So tell me why you decided to open up a cupcake shop?”
    I tell him about my love of baking, and how I’ve always wanted to be my own boss. Then we move onto why he went into the Marines. He said that he was always fascinated with the Marines. He loved watching shows about them, seeing them in their uniforms in parades, etc. So when he was old enough to join, he did, even though his parents didn't want him to. He was young and had something to prove. He wanted to be the best. He believed - still does - in fighting for this country.
    After that, the conversation turns into favorite movies, books, TV shows, and music. We actually have a decent amount of stuff in common. I laugh when Duke tells me that he’s into country music.
    “I never would have pegged you for a country music fan.” I snicker.
    He sighs contently. “I don’t know what it is about it. I just really enjoy listening to it.”
    “That’s not a bad thing.” I smile up at him.
    He gives me a little lopsided grin that has my heart jumping up into my throat. “Yeah, I know.”
    The carriage comes to a stop and the driver announces that we’ve arrived. Arrived? Where? I look around to see that we’re at the Wollman Rink. Duke hops down from the carriage then turns and holds his arms out for me. I put my hands on his shoulders while he takes my hips and helps me down from the carriage. Duke pays the driver before taking my hand and leading me toward the ice skating rink.
    “Duke, I haven’t ice skated since I was 15!”
    “Me neither!” He laughs. “I hear it’s like riding a