“Uh-huh.”You fucked me over behind my back and now want money? I don’t think so. “But why didn’t you call?”
“Well, I was gonna. But some assholes from Singapore said they were interested in putting up some money. I even flew out to meet them.” He strips down to his boxers.
“How’d that go?”
“Ah, they weren’t serious. Just jerked me around. Dicks.”
Good for them. “Well, if you want me to take a look at your business plan, just contact my assistant for an appointment.”
“We can’t just have lunch or something?” Heath’s tone says,Come on.
“Dude, I would, but I’mreallybusy. I don’t even know what my days are like. Aspen handles my calendar.”
He tilts his head, giving me a curious look.
It’s an effort to smile, but I manage. “Aspen Hughes. Remember?”
“Yeah, of course.” He shakes his head. “Can’t believe it, is all. That girl hasnopride.”
My smile broadens as I fantasize about shoving his tennis racket up his ass. “I pay her well.”
“Yeah, but…” He laughs. “Man, you should thank me.”
“Yeah? What did you do?” I need to know every drop of poison he poured on Aspen. After I get it out of him…he’ll learn what happens to people who fuck me over.
“Okay, so she saw me and Will streaking, right?”
Fuck. I knew it. I picked a time when she had a class, but she might’ve left early. Or Heath and Will could’ve started late enough that she caught them.
I hide my sinking feeling, though. I want Heath talking freely. “Uh-huh.”
“And she ran into me.”
“She did?” I feel sick.
“Yup. I mean, like, literallyran intome. And, you know Aspen, she was acting all superior and shit, as usual.” He rolls his eyes, sticks his head through the neck of a pale gray shirt and pulls it down. “So I had to knock her down a peg or two, you know, show her where she belonged. I told her she was nothing—just a bet. Isn’t it ridiculous that she thought she meant something because you happened to screw her?” He snorts and elbows me lightly.
“Didn’t I ask you keep the bet secret?” I cling desperately to control. Breaking his face would be satisfying, but it won’t give me all the answers.
“Did you? I can’t remember.” He shrugs. “But sometimes you just have to show bitches like her. She doesn’t think she’s so special anymore, does she?”
“No,” I say flatly. And she should’ve thought she was special because she was everything to me. Jesus. I still want her enough that I wanted to pretend nothing happened. Except…
Fuck me. I told herI’dforgiveher. And acted like she should behappyabout it. No wonder she looked at me like I’d stuck a knife between her ribs.
My stomach churns. I feel sick as the full impact of what I did unfolds in my mind. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions after Marketta’s call. I should’ve driven to L.A. and forced a conversation with Aspen. Then we wouldn’t have wasted so much time.
And then maybe she wouldn’t have stayed away from Napa Aquinas College. Although she can be bold and brave, she’s also careful not to make herself too vulnerable. She doesn’t have a lot of friends, but the ones she lets in are loyal to her. And of all the people she’s known, I’m the one who got to be the closest, to touch her and have her. I should’ve been the one to protect her.
It makes me sick to think that we could have had more than a decade together, and just…lost it. How arrogant I’ve been to think I was able to hide the bet from her. All because I was too embarrassed to face the truth—that I was a selfish, careless asshole until I met her. I never wanted her to find out what a shallow dick I could be. I didn’t want to disappoint her or have her regret being with me.
“You okay?” Heath says.
“What?” I jerk my head up and realize he’s fully dressed for the game.
“You’re sweating.”
I run a hand across my forehead and feel the cold, clammy sweat beading along my hairline. “It’s from earlier. I did a little riding before you came in.”
