She’d pushed him aside because he could hurt her. His attempts to call her didn’t mean anything. Not really. Down the line, she could fall for him deeper than she already had, and he could just leave.
Hailey knew the balance of power was firmly in his favor, and she didn’t like that. It was like asking for heartache.
It was only then that she realized he’d fallen quiet on the other end of the line. He was still there. She could hear the soft soughing breaths in her ear, and guiltily thought back to those moments when his face had been half-pressed against her throat and half into her pillow. His weight had been solid. It had kept her firmly in place on the bed. His cock had filled her perfectly, and she could still feel him inside… at night, when need overcame her.
A need only he could scratch, she thought back to those moments when she’d been his, and though she’d climaxed to the memories of their passing moments together, it was a reminder.
Transient.
It was her go-to word at the moment.
“James?” she asked softly, peppering him into action.
“I-I need to talk to you, Hailey. Face to face. When can I see you? I can’t do this over the phone.”
She frowned. “What is there to say, James? We had a great night together but…” She hesitated. “I can’t do it again. If I do, I’ll fall for you and you’ll hurt me. I’m not made to be some rich man’s girlfriend. You can’t fob me off with pretty baubles. I want something you can’t give.”
A long hiss sounded down the line. “I’m getting pretty pissed off with you making so many goddamn assumptions about me, Hailey. How the fuck do you know what I want? How can you when I’ve only just figured it out myself, dammit.”
Her eyes narrowed. “And what exactly do you want?” Her heart stuttered in her chest as she waited for him to speak, and when he did, she never imagined in her wildest dreams that he’d say...
“You.”
11
Hailey wore the black dress.
And, as per Mark’s second text, had come to his hotel.
It was only fair, she figured. Mark seemed to believe his continued presence here was keeping them in a relationship and it was about time she corrected that. There was no way in hell she was getting back with him. It didn’t matter if this thing with James went down in flames, she wanted this part of her life with Mark to be over.
Stat.
And that couldn’t happen if the idiot didn’t realize there was no relationship to save anymore.
The end wasn’t tied to James' call. They both needed closure, and that was why she was here. Even though it irked her to comply with his text, she’d come to his hotel because he genuinely thought he was ‘taking her out’ for the evening, and she was about to bring a brutal end to that belief. Letting this carry on was only going to make things more painful in the long run.
She and Mark were over.
Finito.
They needed to move on, and that would only happen if they were honest with one another. That was what tonight was about. She was giving him time to realize they were totally wrong together.
Hailey knew she shouldn’t have had to resort to this. She’d already broken up with him once.
How many times would it take for him to take her seriously?
God, she was tired of the men in her life not listening to her.
After James' declaration this afternoon, she’d agreed to meet with him tomorrow, with the intention of sharing more hard truths with him. Of making him listen to her. Hailey wasn’t sure what James was going to say, and she was even less sure about his expectations or if she’d even like what he wanted to talk about, but she had to try.
Why?
Because she was a fool.
The only thing worse than a fool was a fool in love, and over these past weeks while her ex lorded it over her that he’d traveled thousands of miles just to be with her—to prove to her how much she meant to him—she’d come to realize that Mark could never be the man for her.
Because she wanted James?