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“Knows what?”
“How seriously I take this.”
“Apparently I’m the last to know,” I say, pacing in front of him. I’m sputtering, angrier than I’ve ever been and he’s watching me without apology.
His low admission cuts through my racing thoughts. “This is how it will be if we go further, Mila.”
“I’m humiliated and irrational right now, this isn’t a good time to discuss this.”
He observes me carefully. “It’s the perfect time.”
A couple joins us on the terrace, and Lucas stops them, asking them to give us a moment before shutting one of the doors. They eye me over his shoulder and smile before disappearing back into the party.
“I won’t be typecast, Mila. I was trying to make a point. It was just a gag.”
“On me.”
“I warned you.”
“What if I don’t like it?”
“This is what I do, and if we go further, it’s going to affect you too.”
I jerk my thumb over my shoulder. “And that’s the way you decide to introduce me?”
“It’s the only way,” he says, with something like an apology in his eyes. “I want this, us, to work. It’s a large part of who I am. It won’t always be that intense, but sometimes it will be, and for extended periods of time, months, and I need you to be okay with that.”
“You just hurt me back there!” I whisper-yell, “embarrassed me. Used private things about me and twisted them for your fucking amusement.”
“It shouldn’t hurt you if you know what I’m doing.”
“How can you say that? How do I know that wasn’t what you’re really thinking?”
“Maybe I’m jealous of the way you grew up.”
That gives me pause. “Are you?”
He takes a drink of champagne and slides a hand in his slacks. “Maybe, a little.”
I shake my head. “I’m sorry for that. I really am, but in there, the way you demeaned my dreams, that hurt.”
“I draw from life. It’s a regular practice. Comedians do it too.”
“You’re not a comedian,” I huffed.
“I could be tomorrow,” he whispers, cornering me where I stand on the balcony. “You’ll get better at ignoring it.”
Shaking my head, I think about Laura’s reaction.
“You were cruel to her.”
“To Laura?” He shrugs. “She’s a dear friend, we love each other. She understands.”
“Not a great thing to hear since you’ve fucked her.”
“We did for a while, until we got bored. There’s nothing left there.”
“So, this is Hollywood? I can see why my mother kept me away.”
