Page 138 of Mr. Aster
“Darcy, dipshit,” I said with a smile. “The funny part is that I wound up being the one who’s hurt.”
“How so? You seem to be the same bastard I’ve always known,” he taunted.
“I thought that since I fell for the woman so quickly, it would fade just as fast. I figured I could easily get over her, but every damn day I haven’t been in her presence or seen her name pop up on my phone has been fucking painful.”
“They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder,” Titus answered.
“I used to call bullshit on that, but perhaps it’s true?”
“You’re lovesick, my good man,” he answered, “and too much of a coward to find out if she’ll answer the phone when you call her after all this time.”
“Before Darcy, I was never afraid to contact a woman I was interested in. Darcy is the only woman who has made me fear rejection.”
Titus set down his fork and knife, and his eyes studied mine. “You’re in love with her,” he said. “That’s easy to see, and that’s also why you fear her rejection. You were never in love with the others.”
“I’d have to be in love with her if I’m willing to havethisconversation with you,” I chuckled.
“True because I don’t imagine I’ve ever seen you so weak and distraught,” he smiled. “And I know exactly why you’ve fallen for her.”
“You do?” I said, curious.
“Indeed,” he raised an eyebrow at me. “I invited her for a nice date two weeks ago when everyone believed you’d thrown her out permanently like the other ones you grew bored of before you settled down with Melissa.”
I felt my heart hammering in my chest. Jealousy was fueling rage, an emotional response I didn’t think I had inside of me until this very moment when I wanted to knock Titus Hawk completely out.
“Go on,” I encouraged dryly.
The dumbass went on.
“She insisted we eat tacos on the beach,” he allowed his eyes to wander, which prompted my imagination to wander.
“I trust you saw a different side to her?”
“As I said, I understand why you fell in love with her,” he answered nonchalantly. “I can also say I’m happy you’re unwilling to work to keep her. Not like you’re willing to land the Lathrop deal, anyway.”
“What the hell do you mean by that?” I snapped.
“You’ll stop at nothing until that family has been charmed and fully persuaded to trust that working with you is the bestthing for them; however, when it comes to Darcy, you’ll let the first man who comes along sweep her off her feet and ride her off into the sunset so that you can continue to wallow in pity.”
“Oh, fuck off,” I snarled at his truth. “You’re a fucking prick.”
“I’ve been called worse, and even then, it didn’t hurt my feelings,” he taunted.
“Is she interested in you?” I had to ask because this asshole had spun a web and caught me with his bullshit. Now, I had to know if I even had a chance at getting Darcy back.
“She seemed rather taken by my eyes,” he smirked.
I rolled my eyes, “Every woman on the planet has beentakenby your eyes.”
“Well, you know Darcy,” he said, folding his hands in his lap and leaning back in his chair. “What do you think?”
“I know Darcy well enough to know she wouldn’t let you fuck her because of your eye color,” I said, my irritation running the show. “I also know that if she made you eat tacos on the beach, she was testing to see how much of a stuck-up bastard you are and seeing how far you’d stoop to her level just to get a piece of ass.”
“Is that what she did with you?”
“No, that wasnotthe case with me. She wanted nothing to do with me. In fact, I think she was just trying to teach my pompous ass a lesson about how to be happy because I was such a miserable fuck.”
“In reality,” Titus said, his cocky tone changing to a more serious one, “I have no idea what Darcy’s game was. I tried to date her, but she wouldn’t have it. She’s a firecracker, that one. Regardless, you know me, and I’m unwilling to settle down anytime soon. I don’t see myself going in that direction for averylong time. Perhaps she saw that in me and knew I was a complete waste of her time, or perhaps you have hurt her deeply,and in the midst of your martyrdom bullshit, you haven’t even considered that.”
