But now, it had been a week, and I felt like a fool. Did she think this was funny? Was I a f**king joke to her? Did I misread the signals? Maybe she wasn't coming at all.
Declan James wasn't some pu**y who waited around for a woman. Women waited around for me, and it was time I got back in the game. This addiction or infatuation I had would cure itself over time. Screw this. I was done waiting.
After giving myself a pep talk that even I didn't believe, I made about fifty laps around my room trying to get my head in the game. Then, I threw on my leather jacket and stalked over to the front door, setting my sights for the hotel bar. It was an upscale hotel, and single women were always mingling around, hoping to score a lonely rich man on a business trip. Feeling much less excited than I should be, considering I was headed downstairs to pick up an easy lay, I opened the door and nearly ran headfirst into a stunned Leah, who had her fist raised in the air like she was about to knock.
"Holy shit! You just about killed me!" she yelled.
I steadied us both in the doorway. "What are you doing here?" I asked.
The look on her face abruptly changed from stunned to pissed, and I realized my question sounded more than a little rude.
"Sorry. I meant to say, how did you get up here, alone?"
I had left instructions with the front desk not to let anyone up without calling me first. I was booked under an alias. It sounds crazy, but there were all kinds of new requirements in the shitty life I'd acquired.
Leah grinned widely as we walked into the room.
"Men," she answered. "I can pretty much talk them into doing anything. And it just so happened that men were working the front desk, and they were very accommodating when I told them I wanted to surprise my boyfriend with an impromptu striptease, but I didn't want to ruin the surprise with a call."
"That's bullshit. That seriously didn't work," I countered.
"Oh, but it did. All I had to do was say the word striptease, and I had them eating out of my hand."
Much like I had done at her house, she settled herself on the sofa, making herself comfortable without asking permission. She had her spunk back tonight. Dressed in a low-cut black sweater, a short pink skirt, and heels, she looked fierce and very tempting. The flustered girl I'd walked in on last week was gone, and Leah, the firecracker I'd met in bed all those months ago, was back. Having met both sides of her now, I couldn't decide which I liked better.
"So, when exactly do I get my striptease?" I asked.
"Well, that's up to you, Hotshot."
"Hotshot?"
"Yep. Cocky attitude, arrogant disposition, and sexy as f**k —it's a good nickname."
"All right, so what are your terms, Leah?"
I fought back the urge to touch her. Stuffing my hands into my pockets, I paced the room in a vain attempt at keeping myself from just saying, Fuck it, and pinning her against the wall before she could lay down any terms or requirements. Because whatever she was about to say, I was going to agree. She didn't know it, but she had my balls in her perfect little hands, and I was at her f**king mercy. I both hated and wanted her at the same time. She made me feel out of control and weak with need. I couldn't stop the pursuit, and I couldn't walk away.
"I will not be an easy f**k whenever you get too lazy to find a new bimbo for the evening. I will not allow you in my bed, wondering where you've been and what kind of sloppy seconds I'm getting," she declared.
Then, she said the one thing I never wanted to hear.
"I want to be exclusive with you —for however long we decide to do this. I don't care about labels or dates. You don't have to take me out to dinner, bring me flowers, or buy me anniversary presents. The only thing I ask is that, for the time we are together, you are mine."
"Yes," I answered immediately, surprising us both.
"Yes? That's it? No counteroffer? No freak-out or temper tantrum, Declan?"
"No, Leah, no temper tantrum. Just one request,"
I joined her on the sofa. My thigh brushed hers, and I heard her breath falter.
"And what's that, Hotshot?"
"Make it two," I amended. "First, the same rules apply to you. While we're together, for however long, you're mine, Leah," I purred against her ear.
Her eyes widened, and her breath became ragged, giving me a quick sense of satisfaction because I'd broken through her calm and collected exterior.
"And second?" she asked timidly.
"Don't f**king call me Hotshot."
She visibly relaxed and snorted out a laugh before saying, "So not happening, Hotshot."
~Leah~
He stood and circled the room like a predator stalking prey. I was the gazelle, and he was the hungry lion. I could still remember the feel of his lips from last week when they'd moved against my neck, so soft and warm. It had been six months, but every detail had been memorialized in my memory —every touch, every moan, every earth-shattering second.
My hands trembled in anticipation, knowing those memories would finally become reality again. When you knew what you were missing, it was almost worse than anticipating something you'd never had. I was like a drug addict standing in front of a dealer, eagerly anticipating her next hit.
"I believe I was promised a striptease," Declan said, breaking the heavy silence that had filled the room. He sat down in a plush beige chair, kicking his legs up on the nearby desk. He placed his hands behind his gorgeous head and leaned back, like he was waiting for the show to begin.
"I don't recall promising you one," I fired back.
I was a little breathless at my new view. Seeing Declan sprawled out in front of me did dirty things to my mind. I wanted nothing more than to knock those legs off that desk and sink into his lap, so I could relive all the fantasies I'd been living off of for so long. But I was stubborn as a mule, and I refused to give in so easily. This was a game we were playing, and I definitely wanted to play with him.
"Mmm...well, seems you told the desk clerks you were here to give your boyfriend a striptease. We wouldn't want to disappoint the poor boys, would we, Leah?" he asked with a crooked grin.
"You're not my boyfriend."
"No, but you did just agree to be mine, didn't you? I think we'll start with the top. Lose it." His voice deepened, becoming darker, sensual, and sexy as hell.
My muscles tightened in response, and I instantly flushed. I felt like a raging inferno had erupted inside my body, melting me from within. Complying with his command, I rose from the sofa and slowly lifted my sweater up and over my head, letting it fall to the floor in a billowing heap. His hazel eyes darkened, becoming greener, as he took me in.