Page 20 of The Fake Dating Plan

Everything else blurred until my focus was on him and his words. If he thought I was a toy, he had another thing coming. Heat built up inside me at such lightning speed and all I could do to show him how I felt about his callous and stupid act was to slap him right in the face.

Fuck him.

6

Imarched back to the box, and I slumped down into my chair with no thought of how ungraceful it would seem. I might have huffed. He had no right to give me the best kiss I had ever had and then tell me it was some sort of experiment. I wasn’t his doll, much as he liked to think so. And what did he mean by I wanted to know if I still liked him? He saw nothing. It was just a kiss. The only reason I was putty in his hands was that I hadn’t been kissed in a long time. None of his ‘I want to fuck him’ bullshit. There were much better, caring and kind men who could kiss just as he did, if not better. All I had to do was find one. If I have the time.

“What got you so deep in your head?” I turned to see Santiago, hand on his chin, eyes shrewd, glaring at me like I was some sort of specimen.

“I’m watching the race.”

“Of course you’re. Was it my brother? You two disappeared for a while.”

I glanced at the door I came through to see if he was still there. He wasn’t. But when I did so, Santiago’s gaze followed mine, giving me away.

“So that’s where you two had gone.”

“We went nowhere.”

“Yeah, I believe you,” he said in a mocking tone.

Who cares what he thought? Tiago knew his brother a little too well and convincing him otherwise would be futile. I ignored him and I went back to watching the race, thinking the discussion was over. The winner was in the final lap. A Mercedes car. Another win for Ax as well, it seems.

“Thing is,” Santiago continued, “I was sure you two weren’t dating. I mean, you had a nasty breakup back in the day.”

“We aren’t. Why? Do you want to date me?”

He laughed. “And have Ax personally cut off my head. No thanks. I enjoy being one whole person.”

“Trust me, he doesn’t care about me at all. I doubt he would even notice.”

He frowned. “You really do not know, do you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Oh, you don’t know.” He chuckled. “This is too good. I won’t tell you, anyway. So, you can tell those enormous eyes to stop begging.”

“Now I want to know.”

He looked up as if he was mulling it over, then leaned over to me and said, “Not until you tell me what led to you two breaking up.”

“I’m surprised he didn’t tell you.” He was close with his brother, and I was sure Santiago knew. I turned back to the racetrack. “I thought you were watching the race.”

He waved it off. “Nah. I’ve already lost, anyway.”

“Fine.” I took a deep breath and wondered if I should tell him or not. We used to be friends, back when Ax and I were dating, but that’s because he was his brother. After we broke up, we never kept up the connection. But I still saw him as a good friend.

“Ax and I broke up after he found me in bed with another man.”

His eyes widened. He wasn’t expecting this, huh? “You? No way. Tell me the truth.”

“I’m not lying.” My mind went back to the day it all crumbled when he walked in and saw me lying in bed, naked and with another man. It was funny the way it happened. Ax had been away on a trip. We were still in college, but he and Caiden were already working for KMVH and would occasionally be sent out of town. I threw a party, or rather one of my friends convinced me to throw a party. We got drunk. I passed out. I woke up to the sound of Ax bursting into my bedroom and saw me lying there with a guy.

And not just some guy. It was Chad Heron, Silvester Heron’s son. Trying to explain the whole thing to Ax was like hitting a brick wall. He wanted none of it.

When I called Chad, my bedroom beau, he too sounded like he had no idea how he ended there and assured me nothing had happened between the two of us. Not that Ax would listen to reason when I tried to convince him of it. What made matters worse was that we had fought before he went away.

After I told Santiago the entire story, he sat back, stunned. “I’m sure he told you all of this.”

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