in front of him.
“She’s what you ditched me for?” she screeched. “That tubby orphan Annie wannabe? You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. I am a hundred times better than that slut. That…”
Mitchell tuned Jenny out as he watched Alejandro open Francine’s car door to seat her then slide into the driver’s seat. He ignored her until the red taillights winked out of view, then came back to himself and actually heard the invectives Jenny kept hurling about Francine.
“Shut the fuck up, you anorexic slut,” he snapped. His rebuke made her recoil, but it did nothing to wipe the rage from her twisted features.
“I will not. Since when do you want that redheaded cow?”
“I don’t want her,” he answered automatically.
“Oh, please. Everyone in the club could see you watching her, staring at her like you wanted to eat her up.” Jenny sneered. “But the great part is it looks to me like she doesn’t want you.”
“You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. It’s complicated. And none of your damned business.”
She spat at him. “Fuck you, Mitchell. I can do better than you.”
Off she stalked, leaving Mitchell alone finally, and it was then he realized the answer he should have given Francine. Yes, I want you. Worse, he probably should have admitted that to her, and himself, years ago. But he’d waited too long and now the woman who tied him in knots left with another. And I’ve lost my chance.
* * * *
“Are you okay?” Alejandro’s soft question snapped her from her vacant stare out the car window.
“No. I’m now wondering if I should have said or done something different with Mitchell. But, I got so mad when instead of admitting he felt something for me, he pretended the whole asshole act was to protect me.”
“It’s not easy to admit you care about somebody.”
A bitter laugh slipped from her. “So I’m noticing. I think I’m going to forget our plan to make him jealous. It’s worked too well. The only problem is while he’s jealous, he still doesn’t want to do anything about it. Make that, he wants nothing to do with me.”
“Mitchell’s an idiot. So forget the dog. Let’s make the act reality.”
Puzzled, she turned to look at him. “What are you trying to say? You want to keep pretending we’re a couple?”
“Not all of us were faking it,” he said in a wry tone.
“I don’t understand.”
Stopped at a red light, Alejandro banged his head off the steering wheel. “God, for a smart woman, you are so freakn’ clueless sometimes. I’m saying I’m not faking it, baby. I feel things for you. Intense things.”
“You’re horny. I get that. So am I. If you want to fuck, just say so. I could use a bit of stress relief.”
A groan escaped him. “You talk about Mitchell being dense. I. Want. You. Not just your body, all of you, dammit.”
Surprise made her gape at him. “You do?”
“Why do you sound so shocked? Did you really think the whole thing was an act? Mitchell was only our audience for little bits. And I wasn’t exactly subtle.”
“I thought that was what you did with all the ladies. You know, flirting being akin to breathing for you.”
“I am a flirt. I don’t deny that. But I don’t make women dinner, or breakfast. I smile. We fuck. I leave.”
“Ooh, now that sounds fun. So once we fuck,” she repeated crudely, “you’ll leave.”
“No. I’m not going anywhere, baby. It’s not the same with you.”
“And why would I believe that?”
“Because everything about you is different.” They pulled into her driveway, and he turned to her, tugging at her hands until he held them clasped in his warm ones. “It might have started out as a ruse, but the more time we spend together, the more I want to be with you. And not just naked. I want to cook for you and hear that delightful noise you make when you eat something you like. I want you tease me mercilessly and make raunchy innuendos. Waking up beside you,
“She’s what you ditched me for?” she screeched. “That tubby orphan Annie wannabe? You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. I am a hundred times better than that slut. That…”
Mitchell tuned Jenny out as he watched Alejandro open Francine’s car door to seat her then slide into the driver’s seat. He ignored her until the red taillights winked out of view, then came back to himself and actually heard the invectives Jenny kept hurling about Francine.
“Shut the fuck up, you anorexic slut,” he snapped. His rebuke made her recoil, but it did nothing to wipe the rage from her twisted features.
“I will not. Since when do you want that redheaded cow?”
“I don’t want her,” he answered automatically.
“Oh, please. Everyone in the club could see you watching her, staring at her like you wanted to eat her up.” Jenny sneered. “But the great part is it looks to me like she doesn’t want you.”
“You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. It’s complicated. And none of your damned business.”
She spat at him. “Fuck you, Mitchell. I can do better than you.”
Off she stalked, leaving Mitchell alone finally, and it was then he realized the answer he should have given Francine. Yes, I want you. Worse, he probably should have admitted that to her, and himself, years ago. But he’d waited too long and now the woman who tied him in knots left with another. And I’ve lost my chance.
* * * *
“Are you okay?” Alejandro’s soft question snapped her from her vacant stare out the car window.
“No. I’m now wondering if I should have said or done something different with Mitchell. But, I got so mad when instead of admitting he felt something for me, he pretended the whole asshole act was to protect me.”
“It’s not easy to admit you care about somebody.”
A bitter laugh slipped from her. “So I’m noticing. I think I’m going to forget our plan to make him jealous. It’s worked too well. The only problem is while he’s jealous, he still doesn’t want to do anything about it. Make that, he wants nothing to do with me.”
“Mitchell’s an idiot. So forget the dog. Let’s make the act reality.”
Puzzled, she turned to look at him. “What are you trying to say? You want to keep pretending we’re a couple?”
“Not all of us were faking it,” he said in a wry tone.
“I don’t understand.”
Stopped at a red light, Alejandro banged his head off the steering wheel. “God, for a smart woman, you are so freakn’ clueless sometimes. I’m saying I’m not faking it, baby. I feel things for you. Intense things.”
“You’re horny. I get that. So am I. If you want to fuck, just say so. I could use a bit of stress relief.”
A groan escaped him. “You talk about Mitchell being dense. I. Want. You. Not just your body, all of you, dammit.”
Surprise made her gape at him. “You do?”
“Why do you sound so shocked? Did you really think the whole thing was an act? Mitchell was only our audience for little bits. And I wasn’t exactly subtle.”
“I thought that was what you did with all the ladies. You know, flirting being akin to breathing for you.”
“I am a flirt. I don’t deny that. But I don’t make women dinner, or breakfast. I smile. We fuck. I leave.”
“Ooh, now that sounds fun. So once we fuck,” she repeated crudely, “you’ll leave.”
“No. I’m not going anywhere, baby. It’s not the same with you.”
“And why would I believe that?”
“Because everything about you is different.” They pulled into her driveway, and he turned to her, tugging at her hands until he held them clasped in his warm ones. “It might have started out as a ruse, but the more time we spend together, the more I want to be with you. And not just naked. I want to cook for you and hear that delightful noise you make when you eat something you like. I want you tease me mercilessly and make raunchy innuendos. Waking up beside you,
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