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Regretfully, I lift her off me and get out, pulling her through the lobby of the hotel she’s staying at. It’s not a grand hotel, but it’s not a dump, and I’m glad she has a safe place to stay with her grandmother. It’ll have to do for our purposes now. Tossing my black card at the clerk, I book a suite and, moments later, we’re in the elevator. She crosses her arms over her chest and stares at the floor. Am I losing her?
In the room, I slam the door behind us and pull her close. She grips handfuls of my shirt and presses her forehead against my shoulder. Her body is tense as I run my palms down her back, but when I cup her taut ass cheeks, she wraps her arms around my waist and tips her head back for my kisses. I’m just as eager to give them as she is, but even as she clings to me, and sighs against my mouth, something’s different. It’s as if she’s fighting with herself.
I know she wants me. There was no artifice in her eager scramble to get on my lap in the car. I drop my arms to my side and stand stock still. Sloane makes a small, confused squeak as she pulls on my shirt, then runs her fingers through my hair. There’s pure desperation on her face, but not the kind I want to see.
“Why are you holding back?” I demand.
“I-I’m not,” she stammers, her fingers digging into my arms.
“How many times have I had this body of yours, little girl?” I ask, continuing to hold myself as still as a stone. Only my cock throbs against my pants as she presses against me. “I know you’re fighting. Why?”
She pushes away, her eyes flashing. “You’d better do what you brought me here to do, Easton.”
God, I love her demanding tone, and I want more than anything to pick her up and carry her to the bed and show her ten new ways I can make her scream. But there’s sadness in her eyes behind the fire, and it douses my lust, even as she continues to grab at me.
I step back, keeping my arms locked at my sides, my hands closed tight so my fingers don’t betray me and trail along her silky skin.
“Go,” I say. “Unless you can tell me what you really want. What I haven’t already offered you.”
Her own hands clench into fists and she stumbles back, looking as if I’ve slapped her. The sadness that was lurking has turned to pure anger and she bites her lip.
“Stop holding back,” I command. “Tell me.”
We stare at each other for an endless moment, each of us wanting more. I’m ready to give her anything, but she won’t accept any of it. And I won’t have her again unless she is truly mine, both body and soul.
With a shake of her head, she turns and storms out.
I shout after her before she can slam the door. “I’ll be waiting right here when you’re ready, Sloane.”
Chapter 9
Sloane
I can’t go back to our room because I can’t cry in front of my grandmother when I’ve already worked so hard to assure her everything’s fine. Of course, nothing’s fine. Numbness washes over me as the elevator spills me out into the lobby when I suddenly remember Gran’s pastries.
Wandering down sidewalks, I stumble blindly to our old neighborhood, trying not to let the tears fall. I can’t cry over Easton, I can’t. My heart isn’t breaking; I’m just confused. If only my body wasn’t still craving his touch, but he’s awakened something in me I’m not sure I can resist for long.
I don’t understand his sudden rejection, but what hurts almost worse than that is his continued pity. Offering me a job in Paris? Why does he feel so responsible for me? Am I truly that pathetic? I have pride, and I’ll fix things without accepting his charity.
At the bakery, it’s nice not to have to scrimp for once. Instead of being a miser and only getting one of Gran’s favorite chocolate croissants for each of us, I order a half dozen. I also order two of the fancy sandwiches that were always out of our reach. On the way home, I pick up some fresh fruit and giant coffees topped with whipped cream and caramel.
Going through the hotel lobby, I wonder if Easton is still up in his suite. It kills me to think he might be so close, and I almost hit the button for his floor instead of mine. But I’m loaded down with food, and poor Gran has already been waiting for so long. I laugh at myself, thinking he’s actually waiting around for me, and press the button for my floor.
“Goodness, what’s all this?” Gran says, getting up from her bed where she’d dozed off.
I set up the feast on the tiny round table by the window and we dig into the extravagant meal. I’m ravenous and wolf down three of the croissants one after the other, making Gran shake her head at me.
“You’ll be racking up the medical bills next,” she teases.
“We can afford it,” I say, stuffing in the last bite of my turkey and bacon sandwich.
We both share a laugh and I realize I’m exhausted now that my stomach is full. If only my heart didn’t feel so empty. Gran gets under her covers with a book, the soft glow of her reading lamp not disturbing me at all. Since I didn’t get much sleep during my fantastic night with Easton, I can barely keep my eyes open long enough to slide into my bed and snuggle down under the covers.
“I’ll start looking for a new apartment for us first thing tomorrow,” I say, but I’m asleep before I hear Gran’s answer.
The next morning, I push all my confused feelings to the background and tell Gran we can order breakfast in our room. As we eat, I look through apartment listings online and then turn to job listings, determined to get a fresh start for both of us as quickly as possible.
Even though we could live off the auction money for years, I want to put it behind me. I enjoy working, and need to be distracted from my heart being torn to shreds by the whole sordid experience.
