“I mean, yes, but—”

“So why would he stop now?”

“I don’t know, but—”

“And have you seen pictures of his exes?” I asked, in full negotiation mode now.

She chuckled. “Yeah, I have.”

“Brandi, you’re the prettiest girl he’s ever dated, and you put up with his childish, spoiled ass even better than I do, and I’ve known him for years.”

“I suspect that’s because I can suck his dick to get him to do anything that I want, but you’re right.”

“Whoa-ho-ho! Ma’am!” Jared exclaimed, snatching the phone out of my hand and taking it off speaker. “Why are you airing our business out like that?”

Laughing, I grabbed my carry-on and my suitcase and rolled it into the nearest bedroom. Darcy wasn’t kidding when she had the apartment remodeled. When I stayed here, it was wall-to-wall carpet, cheap tile in the kitchenette and bathroom, and a fiberglass tub and shower insert. Now, hardwood floors graced the common areas. The bedrooms were carpeted with a higher-end product, and the big Jack and Jill bathroom that connected the bedrooms was now tiled from floor to ceiling with grey subway tile and had a big glass shower enclosure. It was nice when I lived here, but now it would be easy to rent out if she ever needed to do that. That made me wonder if she’d remodeled it with that purpose in mind. She was a widow. Was money an issue now?

That is none of your business, Tomás.

But it was hard not to worry about her now. Darcy was a broker with her own agency, so I was sure she wasn’t destitute now that Shannon was gone. But there was Jolene to worry about. I’d heard horror stories about spiteful mistresses tying up their lover’s estate in probate court. Was Jolene the spiteful sort? Had Shannon convinced her that Darcy was some horrible, cold fish of a wife who deserved to be cheated on? From what I could remember, he certainly had no problem talking about his wife as if she were a burden and not the love of his life.

Damn.

It was strange that I remembered all of that now and saw it from a different perspective. It made my heart ache for Darcy. Who was taking care of her and her needs now?

I want to be the one taking care of her needs. All of them.

I palmed my dick and eyed the door to the Jack and Jill bathroom. Had I spent too much time contemplating Darcy’s mental and emotional well-being, or did I still have time to take the edge off (again)?

Standing in the open doorway, I listened to see if Jared was still in the apartment. Damn it, he was, but he was still on the phone with Brandi, so maybe I had enough time to handle my business.