“Of course you don’t, baby. I just missed you is all.” I look at Paolo now. “Couldn’t stop thinking about last night.”
Paolo’s lips part, the surprise on his face evident. He looks down at Zalea, who is crimson red, and he knows it’s true.
“I better get going,” he finally says as she and I have a stare off. “I’ll need to get some supplies for the studio before we start doing our sessions.”
She looks up at him with a grateful smile and it pisses me right the hell off.
“Sessions?” I ask, eyes narrowing.
“Si,” he looks back at me, eyes twinkling with a challenge. “Zalea has agreed to model for me in my private studio.”
“Naked,” she practically shouts, looking back at me triumphantly. “I’ll be modelling naked.”
“Careful, Red,” I growl, knowing she’s trying to piss me off.
“I’ll see you soon, Lea,” he says, leaning down as he takes her hand and plants a kiss, his eyes shifting over to mine as he does, and winking.
This fucker has a death wish and I’m not above fulfilling it. That’s the second time he’s kissed her hand in front of me, but this time he’s doing it to purposely piss me off.
He turns and walks off and we both wait for the elevator to sound and the doors to close behind him. Zalea swipes her roomkey and tries to bolt inside but I’m faster, grabbing the door before she can lock me out and sliding inside behind her.
“Get out,” she demands, folding her arms over her chest.
“Are you out of your mind?” I growl, stalking over to her window, and staring outside so I can see Paolo leave with my own eyes. “You’ve known this guy for two days and you’re making plans to model for him,naked, in a private studio?”
“Don’t you dare judge me, Gabriel,” she hisses, stomping over to me. “I don’t belong to you or to anyone. I can do what I want.”
Paolo exits the hotel and begins walking back toward the street.
“I’m not judging you,” I correct, frowning at her. “I’m just saying you don’t even know who he is, or what kind of person he is. What if he tries something on you when you’re all alone with him?”
“He won’t,” she says confidently.
“How do you know?”
There’s nothing she can say to back up why she’s so sure of it, so in true Zalea fashion she changes the topic. “Why did you tell him I was with you last night?”
I raise an annoyed brow. “Was that supposed to be a secret?”
“It makes me look like I’m sleeping around,” she says, as if it’s obvious.
“Well unless you’re sleeping with someone else that I don’t know about, I don’t know how it could possibly look like that.”
“He’s going to think you and I are a thing,” she argues, throwing her hands up.
“Aren’t we?” I ask, tilting my head and narrowing my eyes. “It seemed like we were last night, when you said you wanted me,” I remind her.
She lets out a frustrated growl as she turns away from me, walking to the bathroom. “You can’t hold anything I say in an intimate moment against me, Gabriel.”
“The hell I can,” I say, following her.
“I’m not in a sane state of mind during those moments,” she argues, turning the shower on before looking at me. “I have no idea what meaningless words are coming out of my mouth. I’m vulnerable.”
Meaningless?
I stalk after her and she backs up until she falls onto the toilet lid, lifting her head to look up at me. Resting one hand on the sink next to her and using the other to hold her chin in place, I lower my face closer to hers, holding her gaze.
“You know damn well everything you said last night came from a sane state of mind.”
