“Hey, she came on to me. I didn’t do a thing,” Tom insisted, lifting the bottle to his lips and taking a swig.
“No, you didn’t do a thing,” Addy stood up, sounding disgusted by him. “You just acted like the asshole you’ve always been.” With a shake of her head, she stomped out of the bus.
Tom heard her slam the door and tried to tell himself he didn’t care. It was not like he had done anything wrong. He warned her, didn’t he? And the last time she had made the smallest indication of stopping, he had stopped. Even though that had been the hardest thing he had ever had to do in his entire life. But yesterday, there were no stops. She was just as eager as he was, begged for it even. She knew the score, knew who he was before she allowed him to put his hands on her body.
Why then, he wondered, did he feel like absolute crap? The sex had been brain numbingly good. No one had ever responded like Elena had done under his touch. It was like she didn’t know how to hold back, save a part of her soul from him like all his previous sexual partners had learned to do. So she gave him her everything, opening herself to him in every way possible. And in doing so, gave him the greatest pleasure he had ever experienced.
Then he woke up to see her snoring gently on her side, her arms laying gently against his skin and his only thought was that this was how he wanted to wake up for the rest of his life. With Elena in his arms. That revelation had been enough to wake him up. He didn’t do relationships, never had and wasn’t planning on getting in one anytime soon. So he did what he needed to do, to make sure she remembered who he was. Or maybe it was to make sure she stayed away from him because he knew that if she gave him half a chance, he was going to grab it with both hands and be grateful to get that much from him.
The note he had dropped on her nightstand was no different from dozens of others he had written over the years. Only difference this time was the well of guilt that plagued his heart as he wrote it.
No, not guilt. He was happy he was rid of her. Besides, his playboy status was one of the hallmarks of his career. His shows were packed with screaming ladies from wall to wall. He was right in what he did, Tom told himself. Noble even, because he had sacrificed what they could have for the sake of their careers. Only as he took another sip of the contents of the bottle in his hand, the mind numbing sensation the bottle promised still unable to quiet the thoughts in his mind, Tom wondered if the result had been worth the sacrifice.
Chapter 14
February thirteenth. Elena struggled with the shopping bags in her hands, managing to dump them in the backseat of her car. The smile on her face was wide and carefree, ensuring that the pictures being taken by a group of paparazzi behind her would show her happy. The moment she slammed the door shut, the mask fell off and her lips dropped down. One thing she had learned in the last twenty four hours was that if she ever failed at music, then she would have a wonderful career in acting. One television show and one radio interview, and no one had been able to guess the true emotions in her heart. Not even when they had brought up the rumors about her and Tom again. She had thought her cheeks would crack from how hard it was to lift her lips up then. But she had done it. Had gotten through the interviews without giving anything away.
Her album dropped at midnight, exactly on the stroke of ushering in Valentine’s Day. An album where she had talked about love and all the beautiful things that came with it. Kind of ironic that she had to promote that album now with a broken heart. But Tom had broken her heart, she was not going to let him destroy her career too. All around her, the color red proclaimed the season. Flowers seemed to bloom everywhere and even more telling was the fact that people seemed to want to physically proclaim their love now. Lots of hand holding and kissing. She had seen a couple of men alone in the lingerie shop she had stopped at. Picking up gifts for their partners, no doubt. She hated to hear herself sound cynical, one more thing she was blaming Tom for.
Well, she bought herself a bottle of wine and a box of chocolate. She was going to have herself a party and cry, then tomorrow, when her album dropped she would finally have something to take her mind off him.
Chapter 15
Elena heard a knock on her door and ran to it. Samantha was finally here and Elena couldn’t be happier to see her. Barely twelve noon and her album sales were already picking up steam. At this rate, she would soon outsell her two previous albums. She had been following the sales online, enduring the constant reminder of the occasion that popped out at her. At least the album launch had worked to help get her mind off Tom.
“Sam…” she started to say, then stopped when she saw who was at the door. The pain that lanced through her heart was the catalyst of the anger that followed on the heels. She hated the fact that he could cause her so much pain, hated it so much that she hated him. “What the hell are you doing here?” she demanded, then gasped as he pushed past her and entered her apartment. He was wearing a baseball cap and Elena faintly noticed that his eyes were red.
He looked at her, and if he was any other person, Elena would have rushed to ask him what was wrong. But it was Tom, and her voice was just as steely as the first time when she asked again. “What the hell are you doing here?”
When he still refused to answer, just looked at her with a gaze that seemed to peer into her very soul, she held the door open. “You know what, I don’t want to know. Just get out!!”
He seemed to consider the door, then looked back at her before opening his mouth to start talking. “I’d leave Elena, but you already got something of mine and I don’t think I want it back.”
She stared at him, confused, then shook her head. “I’m not in the mood for this shit Tom, so leave now.” Then in a quieter voice, “Please leave, I’m just starting to forget about you.” Her voice broke at that, and she squeezed her eyes shut to hold back tears.
“But you see, Elena, I can’t let you do that.” He started to pace around the living room, eyes flickering around but seeing nothing. “The first day I met you, I knew you were trouble from the first instant I saw you. It wasn’t love, no it wasn’t. At least that is what I told myself. But it was enough to make me scared. And then I saw you again and for some reason I couldn’t figure out, you were mad at me. Which was fine by me, because it meant that I didn’t have to deal with whatever scared me about you.”
He stopped in front of her, looking into her eyes and Elena couldn’t look away if she wanted to. She couldn’t talk, just listen.
“Then I spent those days in that bus with you and all of a sudden you didn’t hate me anymore. Which meant I had to deal with it now, and it was easy when I thought it was just physical. It was easy when all I had to worry about was your mouth on mine, our bodies connecting that way. I could deal with physical.”
Elena’s heart fluttered in pain, a single tear threatening to slip down. She opened her mouth to talk and he lifted a finger to silence her.
“That morning, I woke up to see you lying next to me and it became clear what it was I was really dealing with, and it scared me because I wasn’t ready for it. I didn’t want to deal with it. So I pushed you away as best as I could.”
“Yes,” Elena finally spoke, not caring that her words came out shaky. “By showing me who you really are.”
“No, Elena, by showing you who I was.” He dropped his hand, and his head. “By showing you who I was before you stole my heart.”
Elena’s body went still with shock. She stood there speechless wondering what he was seeking to accomplish. Then her lips curled in anger. “You bastard,” she shrieked, beating against his chest. “It wasn’t enough that you hurt me then, you want to do it again. You won’t stop until you finish me. You’re taunting me because I am attracted to you? Did you enjoy the first round so much you want to have a go at me again? You know, take my body and then rip my heart to pieces for the post-op?”
“This is not about that, Elena; this is not about sex, I swear. You think I want this; I don’t!” he screamed. Then looked down at her, his ha
nds cradling her face. “Yet, I want it so bad I would beg for it. I want you so much that I would do anything if you would just give me a chance.”
Elena couldn’t believe she wanted what he was saying to be the truth, but she did. His hands on her skin were warm and she wanted to lean into them. “Why? Tell me why you want me then?”
“Because you are you, Elena Monroe. Because you make me laugh, and I make you laugh too. Because you get me in a way that no one ever has and are not afraid to call me out when I do something wrong. Because of how you make me feel inside.” He stepped closer so their bodies were touching. “Because it feels right with you. Because for the last two days you’ve been out of my life, I have been a complete mess. You make me sane, Elena. You anchor me to the reality of life,” he finished.
She stared at him, wanting so much to believe him. But yet unable to forget what trusting him had done to her the last time.
“I swear this is more than just physical, Elena, and I am ready to prove it to you. Three months, give me three months to convince you that I can be the man you want me to be. Three months with you, no strings attached.”
“What do you mean?” she whispered, desperately hanging onto that thread of hope.
“I’m saying three months of dating without sex to show you that it is you I want. And I’ll take anything you are willing to give me.”
“You think you can do that, Ollie?” she asked, staring up at him.
“If you asked me that maybe two weeks ago, I would have said no. But now, now I know that I love you. So yeah, I’ll do anything to show you that.”
“You love me?”
“With every fiber of my being, I love you, Elena Monroe,” he stated earnestly and Elena could see the honesty in his eyes.
Smiling a little, she folded her hands. “What if I don’t love you back?” she asked him, taking a step back and watching as he followed after her.
“Babe, you wear your heart on your sleeve for the world to see. It’s cute, and it also means that I know that you love me. ‘It isn’t love if it doesn’t hurt,’” he quoted a lyric to one song on her new album.
“You listened to it already?” she asked, smiling widely now.
“Already had it pre-ordered? Listened to it the whole plane ride over.” He shrugged as he followed her deeper into the apartment. “And I swear, Elena, it would never hurt again. I’ll never hurt you like that again.”
“You better not, because next time I’ll just blow your brains out and do the time.”
“Don’t worry, there won’t be a next time.” He succeeded in backing her against a wall.
“Good,” she said, smiling up at him with her hands splayed across his chest. “I love you, Tom McFadden.”
His reply was a kiss that was just as eloquent as the words he spoke earlier. When he finally let her come up for air, he found her laughing quietly.
“What’s making you so happy?” he asked.
“Nothing, three months, right?” she asked, ducking under his head and running away laughing.
“No, come on, Elena. That was just supposed to be romantic.”
“So you didn’t mean it?”
“Of course I did.”
“There should be no problem then.”
He looked at her, trying to see if she was pulling his leg. Then he gave a wicked smile in return. “Well, I didn’t say anything about saying no, if you were to let’s say, beg me.”
“And why would I beg you?” she asked, smiling as he caught her around the waist.
“Judging from our track record, I think you will.”
“We’ll see then, won’t we?” she said, laughing at him.
“I’ve got something for you,” he said, walking out of the apartment and then coming back with a big fluffy white teddy bear. Elena lifted a hand to her chin, then looked down guiltily at him.
“I dumped the other one in the trash as soon as we got back.”
“I figured as much,” he said, handing the toy to her as well as a box of chocolates. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Elena.” He leaned down and kissed her sweetly.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Tom.” She seemed to look down, then up again in embarrassment. “I didn’t get you anything.”
“You already gave me the only gift I ever wanted,” he replied, as he sat down on the couch, taking her with him so she fell onto his lap.
“Don’t worry, I promise you a much better present in three months’ time,” Elena said, as she sighed and leaned fully into him. Tom just smiled, realizing she finally trusted him to stay and still be with her when that time came.
Best Valentine gift ever.
Three months later
Elena opened the door, then gasped as Tom covered her lips with his own, his hands slipping into her hair.
“It’s three months, Elena,” he said, panting a bit. “And I can’t wait.”
She smiled at him. “Well, maybe for a few minutes more.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, as she locked the door and led him into the apartment and to her bedroom.
“You remember that time in the bus when you made me beg before giving me my orgasm?” she asked, smiling coyly at him.
“Yes, I do. And I swear it won’t happen again,” he promised, chest heaving with anticipation as he lifted a hand to his shirt.
Elena stopped the hand that was moving to unbutton his shirt and smiled at him. “Maybe it will, maybe it won’t. But it’s my turn now,” she said, placing her hand flat on his back and pushing him until he fell to the bed, kneeling between his legs. “And when I am done with you, you’ll probably be begging me to kill you instead.”
“Yeah right,” Tom scoffed, moments before his zipper came down and the hard length of his erection was in her hand. Three minutes later, he uttered his first please. Thirty minutes later, he was frantically begging her. Fifteen minutes after that, she had him cursing and begging at the same time. And when Elena finally let him come, Tom thought he had died and gone to heaven. The angel straddling him was his proof of that.
Chapter 16
Elena opened one eye and reached across the bed with one hand, surprised when it came back empty. Mind travelling back to one morning when she had woken up alone in bed, she jolted awake and stared around her bedroom for the man who had kissed her tenderly just a few hours back as she fell asleep. Heart dropping, she was already looking for a note when her nose went up as she remembered what had woken her up in the first place; the sound and smell of someone in her kitchen. Jumping down from bed, she ran to the bathroom to brush her teeth and splash water on her face. She was walking back into the room when Tom walked in carrying a tray in his hands.
Bare-chested and wearing just his jeans, Elena felt her breath hitch in her throat at the sight of him. God, he was a dream.
“Hey,” he said with a small smile as he dropped the tray on the nightstand. “Was hoping to surprise you with breakfast in bed."
Elena chuckled. “The fact that you thought of bringing me breakfast in bed alone is surprising enough.”
He smiled. “I’ve watched enough chick flick to know how this works. Besides, after last night I know you’ll need to replenish your strength.”
Elena rolled her eyes. “Leave it to a guy to find a way to pay himself a compliment.”
“Was actually paying you a compliment. Come on,” he urged her up as he got into bed with her. “Time to eat.”
Elena looked up at him, a goofy smile on her face when she found him staring at her. She knew he was going to kiss her and was ready for it. She wasn’t ready for her reaction to it. It was like a velvet punch, hitting her in all the right place as his lips moved slowly over hers. Elena sighed as she wrapped her hands around his neck and kiss him back, falling willingly back on the bed as his hands curved around her waist. His tongue teased at her lips and she eagerly opened to him, sucking on his tongue and offering him hers as her nipple brushed deliciously against his cheat through the thin material of the t-shirt she had on
. Elena moaned into his mouth when one hand moved up to tease at a nipple through the shirt. Then she groaned as her hips rocked into his when she felt the thick weight of his erection against her thighs. Then she moaned, this time in protest as he lifted his head and looked down at her with hooded eyes.
“Your coffee is getting cold,” he said in a gruff voice and Elena wanted to strangle him.
After she made him finish what he started first of course. “Fuck coffee,” she grunted as she tried to reach for the clasp on his jeans. “Fuck me Tom.”
“Come on Elena, I spent a lot of time and effort making you breakfast.” He urged her up until she sat up with a pout.
“Can’t believe you’re turning sex down.”
He chuckled. “Hard to believe it myself. But I know you need to eat, especially since you barely touched your dinner last night. Besides, Abby’s coming over later.”
Elena looked at him. “Sometimes I have no idea how to react when you’re being so sweet. But now, I'd like it more if you just bend me over and have your sweet way with me.” Her gaze turned flirty as she looked at him.
Tom shook his head. “Eat,” he ordered in a tone that brooked no argument.
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