—
Rafe’s brown eyes are warm and dancing with amusement as he sets his empty drink glass down on the counter. “He fake killed him?”
I nod my head, stirring my virgin daiquiri. “Fake killed him real good. Mia was a wreck. So, yeah, that’s why she got in the car with him in the first place.”
“And she forgave Mateo for torturing her?”
“Oh yeah, she forgives him for everything. It’s their foreplay, I think. He gives her brain a thorough fuck, then sweeps in and saves her from the fake reality he created for her, and she rewards him with wide-eyed adoration and thank-you sex.”
Rafe takes a drink, the corners of his mouth curving upward in a sexy little smirk. “Sounds like a real fairytale.”
“He’s done horrible things to her.” I look down at the slushy pink drink as I stir it. “That girl is mentally incapable of holding a grudge, though.”
“I don’t know,” he says, shaking his head. “She was really pushing Vince. He was ready to strangle her little ass. I think she’s going to hold onto that grudge.”
I nod knowingly. “And yet when Mateo tries to send someone to murder Vince tomorrow, guess who’s going to stop him?”
Rafe shakes his head. “Vince is gone. I gave him a head start. Even if Mateo sent guys as soon as I called, Vince was already out of there.”
“He’ll find him,” I assure Rafe. “He’ll want to kill him for taking Mia. She’ll beg him not to. He probably will anyway, but he’ll make sure Mia doesn’t know. Even after Vince kidnapped her, she won’t want it. Mia is irrationally nice; she’s made of love and forgiveness. The only thing Mia won’t forgive is disloyalty to Mateo.”
“His perfect match,” he remarks lightly.
I nod, a little less lightly, and take a sip of my drink. “Yep.”
Apparently realizing my role as Mateo’s recent ex, he glances over at me with a grimace. “Sorry, probably shouldn’t have said that.”
I wave him off. “No, it’s true. Besides, if you want a happy future, you don’t focus on what’s not there anymore, you focus on building something new. Breaking up with someone else’s soul mate is far from the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“What is the worst thing that’s ever happened to you?”
I wrinkle my nose up at him and light up my phone. “I’ve known you for a few hours. You don’t get to that level in a few hours; sorry, bub.” Raising my gaze to search for the bartender, I add, “And we need to get going if we want to make the show.”
“We could skip the show,” he suggests. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not ready to leave.”
“Well, you can drink,” I say, lightly.
The corners of his mouth tick up. “Not enjoying my company without alcohol? I’ll have to step it up a notch.”
Instead of tossing back a light, snappy comeback, I sink into a little pocket of feelings. I’m done having babies after this one, I swear to God. I can’t deal with emotional Meg. I was fully prepared to use Mateo’s sexy cousin tonight. Mateo has left me wanting for a while, so I figured a pseudo-date would be fun. A handsome man to accompany me out on the town—and a nice, safe pick, since this guy lives far, far away. I’ll probably never see him again after tonight.
“I’m enjoying your company just fine,” I tell him. “But we already have tickets.”
He rolls his eyes like he’s never heard a more ridiculous excuse. “I’ll pay you back for the tickets.”
“I paid with Mateo’s credit card; I don’t need reimbursement.”
“There you go, fuck it. Let’s blow it off and stay here.”
“Why?” I ask, frowning at him.
Shrugging casually, he says, “Why not? If we’re having a good time where we’re at, why change venues?”
Laughing lightly, I tell him, “You’re definitely not Mateo.”
“Correct.”
I consider him for another moment, then I ask, “What’s your type?”
“Of woman?”
I nod.
As if he can already tell this is going to be a dealbreaker, Rafe eases back off the bar top. “Do I have to have a type?”
“You don’t have to, but you do. And it’s not me, right?”
“I don’t know,” he says, lightly amused. “As much fun as this has been, you’ve regaled me with carefully chosen tales that reveal nothing personal. You don’t want to tell me anything about yourself.”
I do not take the bait. “It’s Mia, right?”
His easy smile slips.
“I mean, not like you’re going to get hung up on her specifically, but she’s your type. All delicate and adoring. Submissive,” I add, raising my eyebrows pointedly. “You don’t go for the kind of woman who takes charge and plans your evening; you like a compliant little Rebecca who can be pulled back and forth between Rafes and Mateos. You lose your control over her and she loses your interest. I understand the five years of my life I spent with Mateo might lead you to believe otherwise, but I am nothing like that. There’s a reason Mia is the one he’s in bed with right now. I’m not submissive. You can’t control me, and I will never lose sleep wondering if I still have a man’s interest. Mateo was a stretch for me, and frankly I’m not interested in a repeat, not even for one night.”