“Aidan, as usual, knows far too much without me saying anything,” he confessed. “But I haven’t kept us a secret. I just… I don’t have much to say.”
“Then why are you calling? You need to say something on the phone otherwise there isn’t much of a conversation.”
“I have plenty to say to you,” James replied.
“Yeah? What like?” Despite herself, she was curious.
She hadn’t expected to hold his interest long enough for him to want to sleep with her. She was pretty, sure. But in a billionaire’s life, there were beauties he could, and had tossed aside with barely a blink.
What interest could she hold for him? Aside from the forbidden, that is.
She’d figured that once he’d tasted the forbidden fruit, he’d move on.
But he hadn’t. He’d carried on calling, and she, unable to deal with him, had ignored him.
Fair?
No.
Trouble was, she couldn’t find it in herself to feel guilty because what with her parents, on top of finishing up some case files for her previous employees while coming to the conclusion she enjoyed her work but wanted more autonomy, all while handling Mark… yeah, throwing a guy like James Arias into the mix was like asking for more trouble.
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.
Hannah 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, Hannah. 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 assumptions about me, Hannah. 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.”
Chapter 11
Hannah 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.