“Not mybusiness?” I bark out a laugh that sounds more like a growl. “I’m just wondering what the plan is. Drinks first? Then what?” I nod toward his hand still covering the card. “Elevator ride? Room service upstairs?”
Camille groans, covering her face. “Oh my God, Nate.”
Daniel laughs softly, maddeningly calm. “Wow. You really come in hot.”
“Oh, I’ve got more,” I shoot back. “How long have you known Eden, Danny? Where’d you meet? You always take dates to hotel bars, or just the ones you’re planning to?—”
“Nate!” Eden snaps, her voice knifing through the bar noise.
Daniel holds up a hand, still finding this entertaining. “Look, man, I get it. Jealous ex, very protective, and all that. But let’s not make this awkward for the ladies.”
Camille grabs her bag. “Too late for that. I’m leaving.” She storms off, heels clicking behind her, then turns around and hisses at me. “Don’t bother calling to apologize.”
Daniel followsCamille’s exit with his gaze and shakes his head, half laughing. “Look, I was called here to do a job. I’m not here to fight some guy over a woman who clearly doesn’t want him anymore.”
My head snaps toward him. “What the hell does that mean, ’called here to do a job?’”
Eden’s face drains of color. “Daniel, don’t?—”
But he only shrugs, revealing the hotel key card completely. “Relax, man. I’m an escort. She booked me for my time. What happens during that time is between consenting adults—and totally legal.”
The words are a bucket of ice water over my head. The bar noise fades to a dull roar. Daniel’s gaze cuts to mine, amused. “You want to keep glaring at me, or should I give you two a minute?”
“Yourtime’sup tonight,” I snarl, voice low and deadly.
He smirks, sliding a business card onto the table next to the key. “That so? Guess I’ll wait for the client to confirm.” He looks at her for a beat, and when Eden stays silent, he nods. “Call me to reschedule, beautiful.”
And then he’s gone, leaving me sitting there with fists clenched. She spins on me the second Daniel disappears, cheeks flushed with fury.
“What the hell iswrongwith you?” she hisses. “Do you get off on embarrassing people?”
I’m still buzzing—jealous, unhinged, adrenaline screaming in my veins. I hate myself for the caveman act, but there’s no turning back now.
“You were with a fucking prostitute, Eden. Were you planning to let him?—”
“And that’s your business because...?” Her arms snap across her chest, chin tilted, eyes alight, a fierce cobalt blaze.
“Because—” My voice cracks with frustration. “Becausewhat the hell are you doing? You just hire someone to show you a good time?”
She laughs, bitter and humorless. “And what if I do? Maybe I want the professional experience—someone who knows what he’s doing and doesn’t come with a truckload of drama.” She leans in, words slicing the air. “You do it all the time. You were planning the exact same thing with yourfriendCamille. The only difference is I have the decency to pay the man for his time.”
My jaw locks so hard it hurts. “Camille’s a sponsor liaison.”
“She looked ready to clock overtime.” Her glare dares me to keep pushing. “And I don’t buy this for a second. It’s exactly the same. You’re here to blow off steam. I’m here to—” She stops herself, teeth sinking into her lip.
“To what?” I growl, sliding into the booth beside her. The move pins her in, my arm draped along the backrest, my body crowding hers.
Her chin lifts, defiance flashing in her eyes. “I pay him, Nate. Which means I get to ask for what I want. No judgment. No strings. No messy aftermath. End of story.”
I lean closer, my words low and rough. “And what is it that you want, Eden? With no messy aftermath?”
She freezes, the tiniest flicker in her gaze betraying a raw, secret edge. Then her jaw tightens, and she looks away. “That’s none of your business.”
She’s vibrating with annoyance, every muscle strung tight, blazing. It’s intoxicating—the rage, the heat rolling off her in waves. Beneath that rage is a wilder, darker pull, and it calls to me like a fucking siren. I lean in, then say hoarsely, “Say it, Trouble. Say what you came here for.”
She shakes her head, angry tears glinting under thelights. “You don’t get to question my motives. You don’t get to crash my date, humiliate me, and act like I’m yours.”
The words slice me open. Because that’s exactly what I want. For Eden to be mine. It’s what I’ve wanted for years. “I’m not—” The lie catches in my throat.
