And not in a good way.Tension bounced between us on the drive back to the hotel, and when we arrived, he all but carried me into the elevator that would take us up to our suite. Still, he didn’t say a word, but the ticking in his jaw told me just how pissed off he was.I kicked off my shoes inside the suite and chucked my purse onto one of the sofas. No words left him as I walked into the bathroom and stripped off my clothes.Who the fuck does he think he is? Coming in there and dragging me away like that? What gives him the right to do that?Oh, that’s right. He owns me because he spends his endless amounts of cash on my time. I forgot about the part where I’m supposed to appreciate that gesture.I scrubbed my hair and body under the hot spray of the shower, and once I was clean, I got out, still angry. I was so angry I could barely f

“I don’t care what you say,” he whispered in a shaky voice. “To me, you’re still my Gina. You’re still my Bambi.”I held him tighter and squeezed my eyes shut.I’m afraid of love and I always will be.****** *********George rubbed his thumb in lazy circles over the inside of my wrist. There had barely been a moment where he hadn’t been touching me this morning. Even through the night, he was there whenever I woke—his arm draped over my stomach, his legs tangled in mine, his chest gently rising and falling beneath my head.Last night had affected him. I could see it in his eyes and felt it in the way he touched me. Since we woke, limbs entangled, he had treated me like I’d break if his gaze was too sharp or his touch too heavy.Like if he did a single thing wrong, I’ll pick up my c

He stopped, and both he and Joe turned to me. I knew what they were going to say before they opened their mouths, and I shook my head. “No. Oh, no. I’m not a model.” I walked backward. “You have dark hair and an incredible body. You could stand in for her.” George cupped my face. “Please, sweetheart. If we have to cancel this shoot, Marline might never use us again. She doesn’t do fuck-ups.” “I’m not a model.” I swallowed. “I don’t do pictures, George. I do…you know.” “And you are amazing at it, but now you need to put that gorgeous body to use in a different way,” he pleaded quietly. “Please.” I glanced over his shoulder to Derrick. “And you’re happy for Mr. Baby Daddy over there to rub his body against mine?” “Not at fuck

If. If, if, if, if. Fucking if.My life had been one big goddamn ‘if’ since George Stone walked back into it. Everything I planned and everything I thought I knew would happen had been ripped away and torn into a thousand pieces. The certainty I prided myself on had been worn down, stripped back, destroyed. Now everything about me was uncertain.How I’ll feel tonight, tomorrow, next week. What I’ll do when we get to Paris. What I’ll do when this trip is over. How I’ll feel. What I’ll want. Where I’ll go.I knew none of it and I couldn’t even begin to contemplate it. I never thought I’d see George again, and when I did, pulling away that certainty, he made me his client. I let go of the freedom and ignored my gut. Then he didn’t want to be my client anymore, and in one traitorous beat of my heart, I agreed.I agreed

I left the store with a small smile, despite being caught. I’ll let him have that simply because I had no other choice, but he was not getting away with it that easily.'You’re sneaky, Mr. Stone. Nice move.'I tucked my cell back into my pocket and entered the Museum. And holy crap! Was there a place in this city not completely shrouded in beauty? The glass ceiling stretched high above me, and I was surrounded by the elite shops, old and at home in this Spanish city.Prada loomed before me, and there was something magical about knowing I was standing in front of the very first store. Chanel might be my preference of label, if only because of the country in which it started, but Prada was a close second.My feet pulled me towards the store like a moth flies toward a light. There was no hesitation… Wait, can I fit anything else in my closet? Or my suitcases? Neve