“What?”
“Is that what you’ve been doing during the day while I’ve been at meetings? Sleeping with Jonathan Statham behind my back?” He sounded more angry than hurt. “Do you know how what you just did makes me look? Did you even think about that?”
“Damien, I’m sorry you had to find out this way but...I’m in love with Jonathan and I have been for a while now...I’m sorry for agreeing to date you when I wasn’t over him. I really do mean—”
“This is why I only date younger women. I should’ve known that someone like you with all your baggage—”
“Excuse me?” Jonathan wrapped his arm around my waist. “Is there a problem here, Damien?”
“No...” Damien seemed to wither a bit.
“Are you sure?” Jonathan’s tone was threatening. I’d never heard him this heated before. “Is there something you and I need to discuss outside? It can be arranged...”
“Fuck you, Jonathan.” Damien narrowed his eyes at me. “And f**k you too, Claire.” He said something else under his breath as he walked away.
“See? I wasn’t lying to you.” Jonathan said. “He wasn’t right for you at all...” He kissed my hair and led me off the stage and out of the ballroom. As we walked towards the elevators, he kept looking down and smiling at me.
I wanted to ask what he was smiling about, but I was happy simply seeing him smile again—for whatever reason it was.
We rode up to his floor in silence, staring at one another while we held hands, communicating with our eyes.
I wanted him to touch me again, to kiss me again, but it seemed like he was content simply holding back.
“Mr. Statham, Miss Gracen,” the bellman said once we arrived. “Have a great evening.”
“Thank you,” we said in unison.
I followed him to his suite and he pulled me inside, pushing me against the wall as soon as the door shut. “I can’t believe you did that...That was quite shocking...” He pulled a clip out of my hair and kissed my neck.
“And why is that?” I moaned as he grazed my skin with his teeth.
“The Claire Gracen I know would never run on stage and kiss me like that, especially not with everyone watching...”
“The Jonathan Statham I know wouldn’t be analyzing anything that Claire Gracen does.”
“That kiss doesn’t excuse you leaving me for three months.” He removed another clip. “I’m still very angry with you...”
“I love you too.”
He grinned as he looked into my eyes. “Say it again.”
“I don’t feel like it right now. I need to take off my dress first, and then I’ll need to think about repeating it.”
“Are you being difficult with me on purpose, Claire?” He reached behind me and brushed his fingers against the zipper of my dress. “Say. It. Again.”
“After I take my dress off.”
“Your dress isn’t coming off.” He unbuckled his pants and pressed his erection against my thigh.
“Why not?”
He reached underneath my dress and felt around for my panties, smiling when he didn’t find any. “Because I’m going to make love to you while you’re wearing it, and I’m not going to stop until it falls off.” He traced my jawline with his fingertips. “And because it always takes you half an hour to get undressed, and I’ve waited long enough.” He picked me up and carried me into the bedroom, gently laying me on the bed.
He slid his shirt over his head and stepped out of his pants. Then he slowly moved on top of me. “Now, you know how I feel about repeating myself. That hasn’t changed since you left me, so I’m going to give you one last chance to—”
“I love you, Jonathan.”
He smiled as he bent down and gently traced my lips with his tongue. “I love you too, Claire.”
I opened my eyes and smiled at Jonathan. I was curled up against him in a huge Jacuzzi, relaxing as his hands lathered shampoo into my hair.
I was sure we’d broken the world record for the number of times we’d had sex tonight, and if we hadn’t, I was sure that we would break it tomorrow.
I sighed as he poured a wooden ladle over my head to rinse out my hair. He was careful not to let the suds fall anywhere near my eyes, scooping just enough water that the soap fell down my back.
“I need you to promise me something, Claire.” He kissed the back of my neck.
“What is it?”
“That you’ll never leave me again. Once was more than enough.”
“I promise.”
“Good...” He set the ladle on the ledge. “Because if you go back on your word and even attempt to leave me again, I guarantee I won’t let you stay away for three f**king months. You’ll be lucky if you get away for three minutes.”
“Have I ever told you how romantic you are?”
“It’s part of my appeal.”
I smiled. “Can I ask you something?”
“Always.”
“Are you and your mother okay now?”
He stilled. “We haven’t been with each other in forever and you care about the person who pulled us apart?”