Page 145 of Mr. Aster
“What are you doing here?” I questioned, trying and failing to rein in my disgust and my fury that he had the audacity—the fuckingnerve—to show up in my life again.
“I needed to talk to you,” he said, his face just as handsome—if not more—than I remembered.
He had a youthful glow of happiness I’d never seen before, and it was highly attractive, but God only knew what’d given it to him.
And who fucking cared?
“Lo siento, Maria,” I said to the woman whose mouth was agape, staring at what might well have been the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen. I couldn’t blame her for that; he really was a vision…one I wanted to kick in the nuts. “I need a minute to speak to Mr. Aster before the dive.” I turned to address Sebastian, “If you don’t mind, I’d rather go outside.”
I don’t know what possessed me to give this man five seconds of my time, let alone go outside to discuss anything with him, but here I was leading the fucking way.
“I’m looking forward to our dive excursion,” he said, and strangely enough, I caught a hint of nervousness in his voice.
“What do you want?” I asked, unsure what to say after all these months of deafening silence.
“Well, I paid for a dive?—”
“Knock it off, Sebastian,” I said. “Fine, you paid for a private dive with me. Good for you? Why are you here? Oh…” my eyes widened, realizing whymostmen booked solo dives while on vacation. “I’m sorry. It should’ve been more obvious. You’re booking a solo dive because your new bride is afraid to?—”
“I’m not married,” he said, confused.
“Then what are you doing here?”
“What do youthinkI’m doing here, Darcy?” he said, more agitated this time.
“Projecting your bullshit onto me,” I returned with just as much irritation as he’d used on me. “I don’tknowwhat you’re doing here, which is why I’ve asked the question multiple times. What Ido knowis that it took me close to four months to stop waiting for you to pop back into my life and apologize for rudely vanishing on me?—”
“Darcy, I?—”
“I’m not finished,” I said. “So, don’t interrupt me.”
“You just interrupted me, like you always?—”
“I don’t care,” I said, seeing a glint of humor in his eyes that only pissed me off more. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. You can go on a private dive with Juan. He’s got the day off, but he loves extra hours, and I’m sure you’ll tip him well. Goodbye,” I said before the stabbing sensation in my chest could hurt any more than it already did.
“Darcy.”
He called, but I didn’t turn back to him.
“Darcy, please,” he said again, but I ignored the sadness in his voice.
“Darcel Kapok Burke,” he said with the same authority my mother would speak my name when I was in trouble and stomping off like a two-year-old.
My mouth dropped open, but I clamped it shut before I turned to face him. I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction that I was planning to murder my mother for giving him my middle name, which was the only name more forbidden than my first name, both being words he should’ve never known.
“How thefuckdo you know my?—”
“I find it fascinating that you didn’t tell me your mother gave you your second name after Darcel’s sibling. So, you are named after not one buttwoorphaned monkeys?”
“Cute,” I said, folding my arms. “My middle name is a tree native to Thailand. It’s called the Tree of Life because it keeps the local ecosystem alive. Nice try, though.”
“Are you sure?” he answered. “Tina told me it was Darcel’s sister.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I shrugged. “Whether it’s a sister monkey or a damn tree, my mom was high out of her mind when she named me, much like she must’ve been when she felt the need to tellyouabout it, of all people.”
“Well, she told me back when we were still a couple,” he said, “so please don’t be upset with her. I think she believed I would propose and wanted me to use your full name.”
“That means nothing to me anymore,” I said.
