for you. Have you considered that?” Salazar gave him a pitying look. “You think dating Hilary is going to prove…what? That you aren’t what people say you are? That you can be in a relationship for more than three months? That you’re so much better than me because you can
change
?”
His words hit like a physical blow, and Mark listened, his spine rigid.
“Don’t be a judgmental idiot. Whatever you’re doing with Hilary will end in three months or less. Then you’ll be back to dating your young big-chested blondes because that’s who you are, what you like.” Salazar stood, his motion fluid and elegant. “Do you think your mother’s a blameless saint in all this? I know about her lovers. But I’m willing to look the other way for the sake of the family. I hope you’re old enough to understand.” He adjusted his cuff links and walked away, leaving Mark stunned.
How could Salazar know about the men? Mark knew…but only because he’d inadvertently walked in on one of them when he’d been nine. His mother hadn’t realized and neither had her lover, but Mark had figured out that she was doing what Dad was doing to her.
And unlike Salazar, Ceinlys hadn’t done it to kill time. She’d done it to seek comfort and solace because she couldn’t get either from her husband.
Not when giving him five children hadn’t been enough to change him.
Slowly, Mark made his way to the house. Hilary stood in the foyer, hugging herself. She was pale, and her eyes were red like she was on the verge of breaking down.
This was what he’d done to her by kissing her.
He wanted to show everyone they were wrong about him. He wasn’t an asshole who didn’t deserve the love of a good woman because he couldn’t stay put for more than three months. But he couldn’t use Hilary as his guinea pig. If his father was right about him and he couldn’t change, he’d only end up hurting her.
A woman who wasn’t loved the way she deserved to be loved would warp and harden and become bitter. He’d seen it happen with his mother. The slow poisoning of a life.
Hilary deserved better.
“Hey—” she began at the same time he said, “I—”
Mark cleared his throat. “Go ahead.”
“Yeah. Well. I should get going now. I have a ton of work to do,” she said lamely.
“Okay.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and fisted them tightly.
“I’m probably going to be very busy in the next several days. You know how it is.”
“Sure.”
“I’ll have the clothes, shoes and everything messengered to you as soon as possible.”
“It’s okay. I’ll send somebody to pick them up.”
“No, really. I don’t mind.”
Damn it. This was what their conversation had been reduced to? This horrible awkward stiffness? “Okay. I’ll drop you off at Jo’s so you can get your car.”
“That’d be great. Thanks.”
“Yeah. No problem.” He managed a smile even though what he really wanted to do was punch the stone wall of the house until his hands bled.
But even that pain wouldn’t be enough to blot out the bitter misery in his heart.
Chapter Twelve
Over the next few days there was no word from Mark. Hilary told herself this was exactly what she wanted until the Pryce family party on the Fourth. Still, every time she walked into her office and saw an empty desk, she felt a twinge of disappointment.
How stupid.
The more affectionate and sweet he was, the worse it would be for her. Given his reputation, people were already calling her a Quarterly Girl. Did she want to make it harder by actually feeling something for him?
Except she was afraid it might be too late. He made her feel so alive and special just by being near her and looking at her in that way that said she was the center of his universe. She knew she wasn’t—he’d probably done that with every one of his Quarterly Girls—but her heart didn’t care.
Thankfully, the picnic hadn’t been a total disaster. She hadn’t let the kiss go too far. She
change
?”
His words hit like a physical blow, and Mark listened, his spine rigid.
“Don’t be a judgmental idiot. Whatever you’re doing with Hilary will end in three months or less. Then you’ll be back to dating your young big-chested blondes because that’s who you are, what you like.” Salazar stood, his motion fluid and elegant. “Do you think your mother’s a blameless saint in all this? I know about her lovers. But I’m willing to look the other way for the sake of the family. I hope you’re old enough to understand.” He adjusted his cuff links and walked away, leaving Mark stunned.
How could Salazar know about the men? Mark knew…but only because he’d inadvertently walked in on one of them when he’d been nine. His mother hadn’t realized and neither had her lover, but Mark had figured out that she was doing what Dad was doing to her.
And unlike Salazar, Ceinlys hadn’t done it to kill time. She’d done it to seek comfort and solace because she couldn’t get either from her husband.
Not when giving him five children hadn’t been enough to change him.
Slowly, Mark made his way to the house. Hilary stood in the foyer, hugging herself. She was pale, and her eyes were red like she was on the verge of breaking down.
This was what he’d done to her by kissing her.
He wanted to show everyone they were wrong about him. He wasn’t an asshole who didn’t deserve the love of a good woman because he couldn’t stay put for more than three months. But he couldn’t use Hilary as his guinea pig. If his father was right about him and he couldn’t change, he’d only end up hurting her.
A woman who wasn’t loved the way she deserved to be loved would warp and harden and become bitter. He’d seen it happen with his mother. The slow poisoning of a life.
Hilary deserved better.
“Hey—” she began at the same time he said, “I—”
Mark cleared his throat. “Go ahead.”
“Yeah. Well. I should get going now. I have a ton of work to do,” she said lamely.
“Okay.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and fisted them tightly.
“I’m probably going to be very busy in the next several days. You know how it is.”
“Sure.”
“I’ll have the clothes, shoes and everything messengered to you as soon as possible.”
“It’s okay. I’ll send somebody to pick them up.”
“No, really. I don’t mind.”
Damn it. This was what their conversation had been reduced to? This horrible awkward stiffness? “Okay. I’ll drop you off at Jo’s so you can get your car.”
“That’d be great. Thanks.”
“Yeah. No problem.” He managed a smile even though what he really wanted to do was punch the stone wall of the house until his hands bled.
But even that pain wouldn’t be enough to blot out the bitter misery in his heart.
Chapter Twelve
Over the next few days there was no word from Mark. Hilary told herself this was exactly what she wanted until the Pryce family party on the Fourth. Still, every time she walked into her office and saw an empty desk, she felt a twinge of disappointment.
How stupid.
The more affectionate and sweet he was, the worse it would be for her. Given his reputation, people were already calling her a Quarterly Girl. Did she want to make it harder by actually feeling something for him?
Except she was afraid it might be too late. He made her feel so alive and special just by being near her and looking at her in that way that said she was the center of his universe. She knew she wasn’t—he’d probably done that with every one of his Quarterly Girls—but her heart didn’t care.
Thankfully, the picnic hadn’t been a total disaster. She hadn’t let the kiss go too far. She
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