“Listen, I’m sorry that I threw myself at you, and you felt like you needed to give me a pity orgasm.”
I hop off the counter and hurry past him toward the living room.
“You don’t have to stay—”
“Stop.”
I don’t turn around. He’s standing behind me, and his voice is hard, but I can’t turn around and look him in the eyes because I’m so fucking embarrassed.
“Look at me.”
“I’d rather not.”
“Shit.” He hurries around me and takes my hands in his, kissing them both. “Look at me, Starla.”
I finally look up, and he has remorse written all over his handsome face.
“If you weren’t into it, you should have said so,” I say at last, not willing to back down from this.
“Not into it?” He scowls and pulls my hand down to his crotch, pressing my palm against the hard-on he’s sporting behind his jeans. “If I was any more into it, I’d be busting out of my pants for God’s sake.”
“Then why?”
He blows out a breath. “Okay, I’m going to be brutally honest here.”
He hated the sex. He never wants to have sex with me again. I’m an idiot.
“I want nothing more than to be buried so deep inside of you right now that I don’t know where I end and you begin.”
“Awesome.”
“But, I also want to go slow. I’m not trying to hurt you here, Starla, but you have this incredible, unexpected power over me, and I have to be careful around you. You did hurt me before. And I know you’ve apologized. I’m not holding that over your head.”
“It feels like it,” I admit.
“I’m sorry.” He kisses my forehead. “I’m trying to be a gentleman here, damn it.”
I smile. “Well, that’s nice of you.”
“I’m a nice guy.” His voice is light as if he’s teasing, but it’s the truth. He is a nice guy. “So, we’re going to date for a while before we go back to the sex part.”
“I can’t,” I say. “I can’t date like a normal person, Levi.”
“Why the hell not?”
“Hello. Look at me.” I wave my hand over my face and stomp away in frustration.
“You’re gorgeous.”
“I’m Starla.”
“Yes, you are.”
“You’re being difficult.” I scratch my hands through my hair in frustration.
“I’m not trying to be. Obviously, I’m missing something here.”
“I’m too famous to date, and that’s not me trying to be a diva. It’s just the truth. I have to wear a disguise when I leave the house because, otherwise, I’ll be mobbed.”
“Look, I’m not here because you’re Starla. I don’t care.”
“If I thought otherwise, you wouldn’t be standing in my living room with my come on your hands.”
He narrows his eyes. “Watch yourself.”
I narrow my eyes back at him and walk closer. “Or what?”
“I may not be willing to fuck you right now, but I’ll spank that gorgeous ass of yours. Where have you always wanted to go in Seattle that you can’t?”
I stop short, halted by both the question and the ass-spanking comment.
I honestly wouldn’t mind if he spanked me.
“Focus,” he says with a smirk.
“The Pop Culture Museum,” I reply immediately. “I’ve heard the Nirvana and Kurt Cobain exhibit is amazing, but there’s no way I can go in there.”
“Because you’re Starla.”
“They’ve asked to use some of my memorabilia in the museum, Levi. If I walk in there during business hours, I’d have a mob on my hands.”
He nods and retrieves his phone from his back pocket.
“Go get dressed.”
“Where are we going?”
He sighs and stares at me in frustration. “Can’t a man surprise you just a little? I’m sweeping you off your feet here. Go get dressed.”
I grin, suddenly excited to see what he’s got up his sleeve. Before I rush upstairs to get dressed, I leap into his arms and plant my lips against his, kissing him fast and furiously before jumping down and hurrying to change my clothes.
“I’ll be down in ten minutes!”
“I’ll be here.”“It’s closed,” I say when we walk up to the Pop Culture Museum doors. It’s near the base of the Space Needle, in the heart of downtown. The sun has long been down, but people are bustling about, enjoying the warm summer evening.
At least with the sun down, the likelihood of being recognized is lessened.
“Don’t worry,” he says, smiling down at me and squeezing my hand.
A man appears at the door and unlocks it for us, then locks us in.
“Hey, Levi,” he says, holding his hand out to shake.
“Luke,” Levi says with a nod.
“Hey, Starla,” Luke says with a smile, and I immediately walk into his arms for a warm hug.
“I didn’t know you’d be meeting us here.” I step back and smile up at the ridiculously handsome man. He’s married to Natalie, the woman who owns the house I’m staying in, and he’s one of Hollywood’s hottest movie producers.
Not to mention, back in the day, he was one of the most famous movie stars there was.