No Strings Attached (The Escort #1) (7 page)

Now I could see his face. He was drenched with sweat and I knew he couldn’t keep up this pace much longer. He fell forward, his thrusts beginning to slow, and I pulled him down to my face by his wet hair.

“You’re beautiful,” I breathed against his lips. I tried to catch them in a kiss, but instead he bit down hard on his bottom lip. His cock swelled inside of me, his balls hitching up toward his body, and I grabbed his shoulder. Jagger’s eyes flew open. “Let me,” I whispered.

He nodded and rolled off of me. Tremors rolled through my whole body as I crawled over him, taking his cock in my shaking hand. I pulled off the condom and licked the tip, lowering my mouth down as slowly as he’d begun to tease me. Jagger groaned, laying on his side, cupping my head and guiding me as I sucked harder, bringing him to the brink. His body went limp as he came in my mouth. I rode the wave until he had absolutely nothing else to give. I collapsed beside him, both of our stomachs heaving with the breath we were trying so hard to capture.

Jagger’s hand was still tangled in my hair. “Fuck.” The word wasn’t much more than an exhale.

Chapter Ten

Jagger

Fuck. Leah Was Absolutely Perfect.

She’d been so apprehensive about coming to the reunion that two things could’ve happened. I’d honestly expected her to retreat. But she surprised me. Instead, she blossomed.

Leah needed to show everyone that she was a strong, confident, and successful woman who’d moved light years away from the place she was at the last time she’d seen them. Not high school. The divorce. She didn’t leave anyone with any questions, especially not me.

We lay together in the knots of the comforter, too exhausted to speak. Her eyes kept fluttering closed as she ran her fingers lightly over my body. I did the same to hers. She pulled the comforter up to our hips, tangling her legs between mine and snuggling against my chest.

“What’s this?” I ran my fingers lightly over a tattoo on the inside of her wrist. I didn’t expect her to have any ink. She didn’t seem like the type. I traced the simple script that read
live for me
.

She pressed her eyes closed. Not because she was fighting sleep, but because she was fighting tears. “It’s for my sister, Lisa,” she murmured. “Those were the last words she said to me.”

I pulled her in tighter, and her breath stuttered against my chest. “Did she pass?” I asked. Leah nodded, her hot tears dripping on my skin. “I’m so sorry.”

Leah needed to cry. I held her against my chest until it all came crashing out. She pulled away and I dried her cheeks with my thumb. She still had a hard time catching her breath.

“She had breast cancer.” Emotion threatened to drown the volume of her words. “She was two years younger than me, and she was everything I wanted to be. She was so fearless, I didn’t think there was anything that she couldn’t conquer. Until she got sick.”

I rubbed her bare back. “Tell me about her.”

“She loved to run.” Leah’s face brightened at some memory, her eyes far away. “She’d been all over the country, running in all the major marathons. I asked her, why running? I mean, I only run if I’m being chased. Lisa told me that she had to run, it was a part of her. She loved the way her body felt when she moved, the way the air burned her lungs. It totally cleared her mind and brought her to a different place. She’d worked for a nonprofit that went into disaster zones in third world countries and made sure people got food and water after earthquakes, tsunamis, and even war zones. Even if all she could do was hold their hands when they’d lost absolutely everything. Lisa was my hero.”

“I can see why.”

“You have no idea. I always had this feeling of zen when I was around her. Have you ever met anyone like that?” I nodded because I was listening to that person tell me an incredible story right now. “And if anything wasn’t going right, I could always ask her what she thought, or just spend time with her, and somehow she made everything right. God, I miss her so much.” Leah stopped and took a deep breath, and I thought he was going to lose herself in the emotion again, but she didn’t.

“She’s still with you.”

“She knew, Jagger. I wasn’t happy with what I’d done with myself. She put everyone else before herself, just like I had, but she’d chosen the right people and that’s why it made her happy. Even as the poison had overtaken her body and she was physically weak, she was still so strong. I was going through the divorce, and--”

“Wait a minute.” I cut her off. “You were going through your divorce when your sister was dying?”

Leah nodded, swallowing hard. “Yeah. Rich said that’s what drove him to Shelley. That all my energy was going to Lisa and he needed more than I could give him.”

She laughed, but rage boiled against my skin. I punched the floor. Leah’s eyes widened, but she didn’t say anything. I hated this guy. He had no idea how good he’d had it and he’d thrown everything away. This was how priceless works of art wound up selling for pennies at yard sales. Because people didn’t take the time to open their fucking eyes and see the beauty in their hands.

I pulled her in closer to me. “I think you’ve done her proud.”

“Everything I’ve done since she’s been gone, every decision I’ve made, I’ve thought would Lisa do the same thing? What would she say? Sometimes I concentrate really hard and hope that I’ll be able to hear her voice. Sometimes, I do.” I thought I was going to lose her again. But she continued. “Before I got divorced, I worked part time at a furniture store. I went through all the motions of being a good wife, but I was dying inside. Now I’m the person she always knew I could be.” Another deep breath, but this time she managed a wobbly smile. “What about you? Are you close to your family?”

Leah frowned when my body stiffened beneath her. After the way she’d just told me about the most raw and painful time of her life, there was no way I could brush off the question. “We don’t talk.”

“Why not?” She picked her head up from my chest to scan my face. God, she looked so gorgeous, still completely bare and unraveled. “Oh…right.”

“My dad’s a doctor. He does some pretty specialized intestinal surgery. People fly in from all over the world to see him.” I’d never had to tell anyone this before. No one else cared enough to ask why. “So it was expected that I would follow in his footsteps. He’s from Greece, and even though my mom is American, he’s a lot older than her and what he says, goes. Very old world traditional. No questions asked. I tried really hard to do it because I thought it would make him happy, but it was impossible. All of it. For a long time, I thought I was stupid. Until I realized I actually just hated it.”

“You’re not stupid.” Leah’s top lip curled back in a sneer. “Different people are good at different things. Hand your dad a camera. I’m sure he’d cut everyone’s heads off in every picture.”

I didn’t think anyone could ever get me to laugh about my dad. “I failed out of college because I’d discovered photography and the whole world that had never been shown to me. All these people creating things that weren’t necessarily beautiful, but they were fearless. I couldn’t get enough.”

“There are a lot of really successful artists.” Leah was still on my side.

“And I’m not one of them.” I shook my head when she started to protest. “Money wise, but that’s not what I’m in it for. I have to take pictures or my whole life doesn’t make sense. I’d already been asked to not come back to the University of Miami before I started working in the movies. I was able to hide that and the escorting from my parents for a long time. But when they came to visit and saw that I had a condo on the beach, a decent car, and a Harley, that tripped some warning signs. I was tired of hiding who I was. So I came clean.”

“And they turned their backs on you.” Leah finished the story because I couldn’t. I took a deep breath, and she pressed me against her soft body. Exactly what I needed. “I can’t think of anything that Raven could ever tell me that would make walk away from her.”

“Not even tentacle porn?” If I didn’t make her laugh, I was going to lose my shit. It wasn’t time for that. Tonight was too good to ruin.

It worked. “Nope. Not even that.” Her head rested on my chest again and my fingers tangled in her curls. Another laugh as she helped me get them out. I loved the sound. “I had a really good time tonight.”

“I did too.”

“Thanks for doing this with me.” She ran her hand from my hip to my ribcage and back down. Goosebumps broke out under her touch.

“It’s been my pleasure.” She’d hired me, so even though it was true, she knew I’d never tell her otherwise. But she seemed to believe it; a little sigh escaped from her lips as she continued stroking my side. My cock twitched, but I knew she was too exhausted for more. “I…”

Shit. I had one more day with her. I couldn’t ruin it by saying something stupid.

Leah picked her head up. “What?”

“You should go back down to your room.” She crumbled in my arms. Shit. “All your stuff’s there.” Still stupid. Fuck. This woman had me turned inside out.

She sat up, tossing her crazy hair back and stretched. I could look at her like that for the rest of time. There was no way she wouldn’t notice my erection under the comforter. “I’m not going anywhere without you tonight.”

Chapter Eleven

Leah

It Had Been Too Long Since I’d Woken Up In Someone Else’s Arms.
I’d forgotten how good it felt, or maybe I’d just blocked out how lonely I’d really become. Jagger followed me to my room last night. I’d expected to pick up where we’d left off, and we had, just not with the sex. We’d fallen to each other’s arms, exhausted, talking if we wanted to, but we didn’t have to. We could just be.

I had just this weekend with him and I was going to take advantage of every second of it. I told Kari I hired Jagger because I wanted the fantasy and for forty-eight hours, I had it. So far, he had yet to disappoint.

If I could afford to stop time, I’d do it. I was at peace with him. Our time together was straightforward and there was no need to play games. We knew the rules. With Jagger, I felt free.

Every muscle screamed at me when I moved and my phone wouldn’t stop making noise. If I wasn’t permanently worried about Raven I would’ve shut it off. She was a great kid, but shit happened. The rest of the world could wait until Monday.

God, Monday. I never wanted it to come. Tomorrow morning at this time I’d be saying goodbye to Jagger. Forever.

It was Kari wanting us to come to brunch. I didn’t answer her. Time was too precious today to waste on scrambled eggs. Jagger was awake, staring at the ceiling. I almost asked him what he was thinking about, but then I realized I didn’t want to know.

I’d also thought seriously about asking him to check out of his hotel room and stay with me, but I talked myself out of it. I was getting myself in over my head and even if I didn’t want space, I probably needed it.

“Morning, gorgeous.” He kissed the top of my head. “Sleep well?”

“Yeah.” I ran my hand along his stomach under the sheet, low enough my fingers bumped against his stiff cock. He moaned softly, his hips bucking underneath my touch. “I had a really good time last night. I know I already told you that, but I mean it. Thank you, Jagger.”

“Me too.” He rolled over so he was looking down at me. He propped himself on his elbow. “I thought the reunion was going to be awful, and it wasn’t that bad.”

“Oh, that was just the warm up. Let me tell you how these people work.” I reached up and traced the outline of his tattoo. It was the head of a dragon, the body and tail snaked around to his back. “They lull you into a state of complacency where you think they’re harmless, but then once you’ve let all your defenses down, they strike.”

“If you hadn’t caught your husband cheating,” Jagger paused before continuing, trying to gauge my reaction. I had a feeling I knew where he was going as he wrestled with finishing the question, “do you think you’d still be with him?”

Still, Jagger’s question took my breath away. No one had ever had the balls to ask me that. “Yeah. I would be. But thank God I’m not. The Leah who was married to Rich doesn’t exist anymore. He got her in the divorce agreement.”

“Then why are you still so angry about it?” he asked. I gasped, but he didn’t back down. Just the mention of Rich made anger roil my stomach, which was foolish because he so wasn’t worth it. Jagger’s eyes were locked with mine and I had to answer him.

“Because.” I took a deep breath and thought about how I wanted say this. More for myself than for Jagger’s sake. I needed the answer to this question so I then maybe I could finally move on. “All those years I settled so I could make him better. I did what he wanted and that was time away from me. Saying that out loud makes me sound like a selfish bitch, and maybe I am. I didn’t grow because he didn’t grow. Maybe that life was enough for him, but I think he made himself feel better by keeping me down.”

“You intimidated him,” Jagger said, no judgment in his words. “And I think you like that.”

“Maybe I do.” It made sense. “Does that make me a bad person? I mean, it’s not like I’ve been able to find a relationship that works since we broke up. And he did. I think that might be what the bottom line is. Maybe I was the problem all along and I don’t want to admit it.”

“You don’t need to be in a relationship all the time.” For the first time ever, Jagger looked less than comfortable. “Think of everything you’ve accomplished. That was all you. You didn’t need anyone’s help.”

“But it would be nice to have someone to share that with.” I frowned. “What about you? You must have someone you care about.”

I’d found myself wondering what it would be like to be in a relationship with Jagger since the minute I saw his picture on that website. Now that we’d been no more than inches from each other since last night, it was dominating my every thought. But how would it ever work?

Jagger could never be faithful. He got paid to have sex with women, just like I was paying him to do this weekend. He’d go home on Sunday and on to his next client. I didn’t think I could separate his business from my pleasure. Even though this was out of the ordinary for me, this is what I’d paid him to do. Maybe all of his appointments were like this. I was a fool to think otherwise.

Still, my heart pounded waiting for his answer. A little part of it threatened to break as I prepared for him to tell me about the love of his life.

“I date.” He wore the same expression as he did last night when he talked about his parents. He looked much younger and lost. “But what woman would want a relationship with a guy like me?”

He’d be surprised. “Do they try?”

“I don’t try,” he snapped, sitting up and raking his hand through his hair. I lay beside him, shell-shocked. This guy had built an alligator-infested moat around his heart. For the first time, I realized how lonely he must be.

I should’ve said something, but I didn’t know if I was any better than those other women. He looked down at me but didn’t smile. “I’m going to go to the gym,” he said.

I nodded and let him go, staring at the hotel door long after he closed it. There were a lot of things I should’ve done, but I lay in bed, unable to move. How could someone like Jagger, who’d given me one of the best nights of my life last night, not want that for himself in real life? Was this all a fantasy for him, too? I wondered who had hurt him. The more I talked to him, the easier it was to see. His walls were crumbling.

Maybe he saw escorting as the easy way out. But it was just the opposite. It had cost him everything.

In twenty-four hours it wasn’t going to be my problem anymore, but I was kidding myself if I thought I was going to stop thinking about him. I couldn’t call him again. I was already getting attached. He was kicking the dust off of feelings that hadn’t been stirred inside me for a long time and I wasn’t being fair to myself.

This sucked.

Forcing myself to get out of bed, I tried to get some work done. I wanted to throw myself into something that would make a difference. That conversation with Jagger left me too raw for company and I needed to channel this weird energy into something positive. The network had asked for a more in depth proposal on my rehab idea and I wanted to make sure it was perfect. It felt good, starting something new and unknown. It was time. I’d fallen into a routine already with the segments on the show. Everyone pretty much asked me for the same thing and even the excitement of working with high profile clients was starting to wear off. They might have a cool job, but people were people. What I did didn’t mean anything to them. They were surrounded by beautiful things all the time. Chances were it wouldn’t last a year before someone else came in and gave my makeover a makeover.

This was a chance to make a difference for people who didn’t get to see beauty every day. To take something crumbling and give it a new life.

Live for me.
My tattoo flashed in the corner of my eye as I typed. No need to hold back. I went as far as suggesting in my proposal that this could be its own show and not a segment on the morning show. It would be a huge undertaking, but bring it on. I wanted this. Once I was finished, I read everything over, and if they didn’t go for this, it wasn’t me. They didn’t want the idea.

I leaned back from the computer, raking my hands through my hair. I wanted to share this with Jagger.