Page 181 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 9
"I should have already apologized. I just felt like such an ass."
"You're not an ass. That was the sweetest thing a guy has ever done for me."
Connor looked down at his coffee. "Maybe we should just talk about what you wanted to talk about, Keira. What do you want to know about Rory's ex?" He took a sip of his coffee.
I hated that I always seemed to be hurting him. I sat down on the stool next to his. "What happened between them? And what was she like? Anything you can tell me, really."
Connor looked back up at me. "She was like the exact opposite of you. I really don't even know why Rory liked her. Probably cause she was a freaking ten." I must have made a face, because Connor quickly said, "Not that you aren't, Keira. That's not what I meant at all. You know I think you're an eleven." He looked back down at his coffee cup.
"What do you mean by the complete opposite of me?"
"Super high maintenance. She was just always a bitch. And she didn't like when Rory hung out with his friends instead of her. She really hated Jackson and me. We didn't see him that much when they dated. And when we did get to hang out, he was always texting her. I'd never seen him like that. He was completely whipped. It was so bizarre."
I couldn't imagine Rory being whipped. He was always so in control. Especially in the bedroom. I could feel myself blushing. Maybe that was why. Maybe he resented her for being so bossy. Nothing Connor said so far was a concern at all. I loved Rory'sfriends. He could hang out with them whenever he wanted. And I would never try to control him. I was a complete pushover. I was barely good at making decisions for myself.
"I think he thought that she was out of his league or something. Like she was the best he could ever do. And he completely lost it when he found out she cheated on him. He crashed at my place for months and then just disappeared. He didn't even tell me he was going to Italy. When he came back, he seemed completely back to his old self. Except for his desire to fuck every girl in the city. It was like he was taking it out on every girl he met."
I winced.
"Sorry, Keira."
"No, it's fine." I ran my thumb along my coffee cup. For some reason that information was unsettling. I thought about how he was always so in control again. Did he like dominating women to somehow get back at his ex? That was really messed up. Was he actually thinking about her when we were having sex?
"Keira, I wasn't trying to upset you. Rory is a good guy."
"But he's super fucked up, right? Isn't that what you said?"
"I shouldn't have said that before."
"It doesn't make it untrue." I swallowed hard. "Do you think he still loves her?"
Connor laughed. "No. I don't think he ever loved her. He just liked the idea of her."
Because she was out of his league?I felt a pit forming in my stomach. "Do you think he's settling for me?"
"You're not the type of girl someone settles for, Keira. You're a reacher."
"A reacher?"
"Yeah. A girl that someone reaches for." He smiled at me.
I was overthinking this. Rory wanted to be my boyfriend or he wouldn't have asked. And yes, he liked being in control in bed, but I liked that about him. And last night he wasn't being dominant. He had made love to me. Twice. There was definitely a difference there. We were more than whatever it was he and his horrible ex were. And he hated her for more reasons than her just cheating on him and lying to him. He'd forgive me for the article. He had to. Besides, he and his friends definitely weren't going to sit around in a circle reading boring articles all morning. Everything was fine. I still had time to figure out the best way to tell him.
"So I'm assuming if you're asking these questions that last night went pretty well?"
"It did. Thank you for encouraging me not to run away."
"Well, that's what friends are for." He lifted up his cup.
I tapped my cup against his. "You're a really good friend, Connor."
"I still don't know how I wound up in the friend zone in this situation."
"Because you're the nice one."
"I hate being the nice one."
I laughed.
