coaxing me out of my fear. “Then prove it, Hallie. I know you’ve held back so much for so long. Take it out on me. Use me, have me in any way you want—any way you need. Don’t think, just act. Take what you need and don’t consider tomorrow. Live right here and now. Make a memory that you won’t regret.” Bryan watches me closely, his eyes scanning my face, looking for signs of my intentions. He’s so close to me that the draw to him tugs hard, yanking over and over again to close the distance, but I can’t move.
He has to understand, but I know he doesn’t. “I never meant to hurt you.”
“I know.”
“Not back then and not now.” He nods slowly, his eyes never leaving mine. I swallow hard waiting for him to say something, but he doesn’t. “Do you believe me?”
“The truth?” He presses his lips together and looks away. “I know you didn’t mean to, but it still ripped me apart—both times. After all these years, I hear about you from a goddamn book and see you on a fucking stage. Did I mean so little to you that you’d—” He smiles hard, fake, and shakes his head. “No, this is why I chose to do things this way. There’s no way around it. The past is the past and there’s no future for us—we both know it—so let’s stop skirting around the obvious. I want you and you want me. Your current boyfriend hasn’t satisfied you since you met. If he did, you would have written about him. So do what comes naturally, Hallie, and be my little slut one more time.” His voice becomes cold as he speaks and there’s no hint of the warm, playful man I knew.
My hand flies and slaps his cheek. The sound is deafening. My body becomes rigid and for a moment, neither of us moves.
Bryan finally steps aside and unlocks the door. “Your call. You can go back to that idiot or be my sex goddess for the night, but if you go back to him every deal you have on the table will be gone by morning.”
I step away from the door, toward him. I’m not thinking about the money or his threats, but something else. “Why didn’t you just ask me?”
“Ask you what?”
I tuck my hair behind my ear and spit it out. It’s the question that’s been bouncing around in my mind since I saw him at the hotel. “Why didn’t you just ask me to sleep with you? Why didn’t you come up to me after the awards show and invite me to relive old times? Why’d you have to do things this way?”
He laughs once, but there’s no happiness in it. “I have my reasons.”
“Chicken.” I take a step closer to him. I know I’m playing with fire. I don’t understand his sudden onset of anger or softness. His mind is a puzzle to me.
“Prude.”
I laugh. “We both know that’s not true.”
“No, we don’t. People change, and you’ve repressed every urge you ever had. I’d be amazed if you could even find my dick, never mind the rest.”
My jaw drops, but my shock dissipates and my tongue sharpens. “Asshole.”
“You used to like that too.” He grins. I shove him with my palms, half laughing, and half serious. This brings a smile to those wicked lips. “So you want it rough?” Pressing my mouth shut, I shake my head. “Then what do you want?”
“ To be someone else.” I smile grimly. “I’m supposed to be loyal and faithful, even though Neil told me to do this. I’m supposed to be someone else, anywhere else, but here I am with you.”
Bryan takes my face in his palms a nd tilts my head up. He meets my gaze and the surge of lust smashes into me like a tidal wave. He draws my thoughts from me, one at a time. “But you want to be here?” I can’t look at him. “And you want things that you shouldn’t?”
“Bryan…” I make the mistake of glancing up at him.
His eyes are so vibrant, so green and perfect. His lips are full and the softest shade of pink. I want to lean into his firm chest and press my lips to his. I want to follow the course that my body sets out for us and see where it goes, but I
He has to understand, but I know he doesn’t. “I never meant to hurt you.”
“I know.”
“Not back then and not now.” He nods slowly, his eyes never leaving mine. I swallow hard waiting for him to say something, but he doesn’t. “Do you believe me?”
“The truth?” He presses his lips together and looks away. “I know you didn’t mean to, but it still ripped me apart—both times. After all these years, I hear about you from a goddamn book and see you on a fucking stage. Did I mean so little to you that you’d—” He smiles hard, fake, and shakes his head. “No, this is why I chose to do things this way. There’s no way around it. The past is the past and there’s no future for us—we both know it—so let’s stop skirting around the obvious. I want you and you want me. Your current boyfriend hasn’t satisfied you since you met. If he did, you would have written about him. So do what comes naturally, Hallie, and be my little slut one more time.” His voice becomes cold as he speaks and there’s no hint of the warm, playful man I knew.
My hand flies and slaps his cheek. The sound is deafening. My body becomes rigid and for a moment, neither of us moves.
Bryan finally steps aside and unlocks the door. “Your call. You can go back to that idiot or be my sex goddess for the night, but if you go back to him every deal you have on the table will be gone by morning.”
I step away from the door, toward him. I’m not thinking about the money or his threats, but something else. “Why didn’t you just ask me?”
“Ask you what?”
I tuck my hair behind my ear and spit it out. It’s the question that’s been bouncing around in my mind since I saw him at the hotel. “Why didn’t you just ask me to sleep with you? Why didn’t you come up to me after the awards show and invite me to relive old times? Why’d you have to do things this way?”
He laughs once, but there’s no happiness in it. “I have my reasons.”
“Chicken.” I take a step closer to him. I know I’m playing with fire. I don’t understand his sudden onset of anger or softness. His mind is a puzzle to me.
“Prude.”
I laugh. “We both know that’s not true.”
“No, we don’t. People change, and you’ve repressed every urge you ever had. I’d be amazed if you could even find my dick, never mind the rest.”
My jaw drops, but my shock dissipates and my tongue sharpens. “Asshole.”
“You used to like that too.” He grins. I shove him with my palms, half laughing, and half serious. This brings a smile to those wicked lips. “So you want it rough?” Pressing my mouth shut, I shake my head. “Then what do you want?”
“ To be someone else.” I smile grimly. “I’m supposed to be loyal and faithful, even though Neil told me to do this. I’m supposed to be someone else, anywhere else, but here I am with you.”
Bryan takes my face in his palms a nd tilts my head up. He meets my gaze and the surge of lust smashes into me like a tidal wave. He draws my thoughts from me, one at a time. “But you want to be here?” I can’t look at him. “And you want things that you shouldn’t?”
“Bryan…” I make the mistake of glancing up at him.
His eyes are so vibrant, so green and perfect. His lips are full and the softest shade of pink. I want to lean into his firm chest and press my lips to his. I want to follow the course that my body sets out for us and see where it goes, but I
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