15. Gia

CHAPTER 15

I thought I could do this, but I'm not a girl that does flings. I read and promote romance books. Of course, I want the happily ever after.

The sun is not up yet, but I've lain awake for the last hour, enjoying being in Dalton's arms, listening to his steady breaths and burrowing into his warmth. Last night was amazing, and I could get used to this.

I open my eyes and look at the clock on the side table. It's three in the morning, and I know Dalton will be getting up soon. It will be a while before the boys get here, but it's better to pull myself together. I try to slide out from his arm, but he stops me, pulling me closer to him. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I should get up before the boys get here."

He kisses the top of my head as he tightens his hold on me. "It will be hours before they get home."

"But…" I start, and he doesn't let me finish.

"You'll be leaving soon, and I don't want to waste a second of it, Gia."

Ask me to stay. The thought fills my head, and I have to force myself from saying it out loud. It's ridiculous, I know. We just met, and who knows what the future holds, but it's on the tip of my tongue to tell him I want to stay.

I'm tense as he holds me, but he rubs his hands up and down my bare back, and I can't resist melting into him. "Tell me about your job."

I struggle to keep up with the change in topic, and he says, "I know you read and promote romance books. I've seen your videos, and they're good."

I've always struggled with compliments, but I whisper, "Thank you."

"So doing those videos makes you money?"

I nod against his chest. "I get paid from the social media apps, but I also get paid from authors to promote their books too. I only promote a book if I read it and loved it. I won't promote books that I don't like. I try to be upfront and honest about it all. I want people to know they can trust me."

"I read some of your comments. From reading those, I'd say you've succeeded."

I shrug, and he continues, "Some of the comments I didn't like."

I rise up to look at him. "Which ones?"

He locks his hands at the back of my waist. "The ones where men were wanting to jump into your DMs. It took me forever to figure out what that meant."

"You mean direct messages?" I answer with a laugh.

He nods. "Yeah, they wanted to chat with you. Some of them were pretty explicit with what they wanted to do with you."

I laugh, but he doesn't think it's funny. "I try not to read those."

He doesn't give it up, though. "But are you safe? Do these men know where you are?"

"I'm perfectly safe about things. I never give my location to people."

"What about the event like the one you're about to go to?"

I blow out a breath. "I usually stick with a buddy and stay in groups. There's usually security at the events. I know it's not completely ideal, but I do try and make smart decisions."

He nods, but it's obvious he's not completely happy with the whole thing. He's jealous. I don't hold back. "Are you jealous, Dalton?"

He pulls me up his body and presses his lips to mine. The kiss deepens, and when he moves back, we're both breathless.

"Let's see… the idea of men watching you on the Internet makes me crazy. The fact that men probably message you daily, wanting to get to know you, makes me see red. And the comment from the man talking about how perfect you are makes me want to find him and gut him, so yeah, on all accounts, I'm jealous."

I smack my hand on his chest. "Oh, Dalton…"

He holds my hand to him, and his heart is racing under my palm. "I'm just telling the truth. I know it's crazy. I know you're sort of stranded here and I've taken full advantage of the situation."

"I didn't resist you. I could have said no, but I didn't want to. I wanted you too, Dalton."

His hand slides down my back and cups my ass, pulling me against his hard cock. "And now? You still want me?"

I squirm against him, feeling his manhood pressed into my belly. "Yeah, I still want you."