there.”
“You like it?”
She sat up, narrowing her eyes at him. “Funny thing about that birthmark. It’s not in a single one of your modeling photos.”
His eyebrows rose a bit, and his eyes widened just a tad. The minuscule bits of shock on his face gave him away. Don’t even try to deny it.
“Um.” He sat up and adjusted his underwear and jeans. “What do you mean?”
Mia stalked toward the kitchen table and came back, throwing the photos at him. “These are not you, Oliver .”
He didn’t even look at them, just inhaled and let it out.
“What the hell do you think you are doing?”
“I don’t know.” He wouldn’t even look at her.
“You’re not a model. You were never meant to interview with me. You’re just some random guy!” The words echoed in Mia’s brain. “Oh my God. You were never tested. You could be some disease-laden scum!”
He stood and finally met her fire-filled eyes. “I’m not. I swear. Let me explain.”
“There is no explanation that could possibly justify your actions.”
He put a hand to her arm. “Please.”
Mia yanked it away. “Don’t you dare touch me!”
He ran his hands through his hair. “You were so beautiful. I just had to talk to you that night.”
“Don’t try to sweet talk me.”
“I’m not. It’s the truth. I saw you there, alone. I figured you’d been stood up. So I went over. The second you thought I was your blind date, I should have stopped. But I couldn’t. I wanted to be with you.”
“Oh, yeah. No-strings sex with a stranger. Who wouldn’t want that?”
“That’s not it at all. I told you. You were so beautiful . . . so different from the women I’ve been with. Intriguing. I couldn’t tell you I wasn’t who you thought and risk you walking away from me, never to see you again. So I went along.”
“Your excuse is unacceptable. What you’ve done disgusts me. I don’t ever want to see you again. Please leave.”
“Let me—”
“Get out!”
If she’d thought he looked sad at the bar a few days earlier, multiple that by about a hundred and that’s how he now looked. But his emotions were none of her concern. He’d lied to her. And she didn’t put up with liars. Ever. End of story.
Oliver turned and obeyed, the click of the door like a bomb exploding. Good riddance.
Now Mia could get on with her life, get on with this project. Maybe she should thank him for being an ass. It sure as hell made it easy for her to walk away and never think about him again.
CHAPTER Nine
“F uck!” Oliver yelled as he sat in his car and banged his head on the steering wheel. This is what he’d feared. He should have told Mia the truth that first night, before anything had happened. But at the time, he’d just been looking for a little fun. He’d never expected to feel this way.
And exactly what way did he feel? To hell if he could figure it out.
One thing he did know, he thought of her constantly. And couldn’t give two shits what his fiancée was doing. But Mia—he wondered what she was doing, who she was with. Was she thinking of him, wanting him? He sure as hell wanted her. And it wasn’t purely the sex, though it was fantastic. He craved her effortless beauty and easygoing personality. He just liked being with her.
Aside from losing Mia, he’d obviously lost the job, too. Which actually bummed him out more than he’d thought it would. It seemed like a fun thing to do. Plus there was the added perk of potentially getting Alexiana out of his life.
How would he do that now? Being with Mia had made him realize more than ever that he could not sacrifice his happiness. But he was a man of honor, though it didn’t much seem like it at the time, and he’d been taught to see his promises through.
He’d promised to marry Alexiana and raise a child with her. One he suspected didn’t even exist. If that was the case, there had to be a way to prove she was lying.
Oliver started his car and drove away. He’d made a
“You like it?”
She sat up, narrowing her eyes at him. “Funny thing about that birthmark. It’s not in a single one of your modeling photos.”
His eyebrows rose a bit, and his eyes widened just a tad. The minuscule bits of shock on his face gave him away. Don’t even try to deny it.
“Um.” He sat up and adjusted his underwear and jeans. “What do you mean?”
Mia stalked toward the kitchen table and came back, throwing the photos at him. “These are not you, Oliver .”
He didn’t even look at them, just inhaled and let it out.
“What the hell do you think you are doing?”
“I don’t know.” He wouldn’t even look at her.
“You’re not a model. You were never meant to interview with me. You’re just some random guy!” The words echoed in Mia’s brain. “Oh my God. You were never tested. You could be some disease-laden scum!”
He stood and finally met her fire-filled eyes. “I’m not. I swear. Let me explain.”
“There is no explanation that could possibly justify your actions.”
He put a hand to her arm. “Please.”
Mia yanked it away. “Don’t you dare touch me!”
He ran his hands through his hair. “You were so beautiful. I just had to talk to you that night.”
“Don’t try to sweet talk me.”
“I’m not. It’s the truth. I saw you there, alone. I figured you’d been stood up. So I went over. The second you thought I was your blind date, I should have stopped. But I couldn’t. I wanted to be with you.”
“Oh, yeah. No-strings sex with a stranger. Who wouldn’t want that?”
“That’s not it at all. I told you. You were so beautiful . . . so different from the women I’ve been with. Intriguing. I couldn’t tell you I wasn’t who you thought and risk you walking away from me, never to see you again. So I went along.”
“Your excuse is unacceptable. What you’ve done disgusts me. I don’t ever want to see you again. Please leave.”
“Let me—”
“Get out!”
If she’d thought he looked sad at the bar a few days earlier, multiple that by about a hundred and that’s how he now looked. But his emotions were none of her concern. He’d lied to her. And she didn’t put up with liars. Ever. End of story.
Oliver turned and obeyed, the click of the door like a bomb exploding. Good riddance.
Now Mia could get on with her life, get on with this project. Maybe she should thank him for being an ass. It sure as hell made it easy for her to walk away and never think about him again.
CHAPTER Nine
“F uck!” Oliver yelled as he sat in his car and banged his head on the steering wheel. This is what he’d feared. He should have told Mia the truth that first night, before anything had happened. But at the time, he’d just been looking for a little fun. He’d never expected to feel this way.
And exactly what way did he feel? To hell if he could figure it out.
One thing he did know, he thought of her constantly. And couldn’t give two shits what his fiancée was doing. But Mia—he wondered what she was doing, who she was with. Was she thinking of him, wanting him? He sure as hell wanted her. And it wasn’t purely the sex, though it was fantastic. He craved her effortless beauty and easygoing personality. He just liked being with her.
Aside from losing Mia, he’d obviously lost the job, too. Which actually bummed him out more than he’d thought it would. It seemed like a fun thing to do. Plus there was the added perk of potentially getting Alexiana out of his life.
How would he do that now? Being with Mia had made him realize more than ever that he could not sacrifice his happiness. But he was a man of honor, though it didn’t much seem like it at the time, and he’d been taught to see his promises through.
He’d promised to marry Alexiana and raise a child with her. One he suspected didn’t even exist. If that was the case, there had to be a way to prove she was lying.
Oliver started his car and drove away. He’d made a
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