"You're only in this for my body?" I tease.
Her laugh breaks up all the tension in her expression. Her shoulders soften. A smile spreads over her cheeks. Those brown eyes of hers look so good filled with any kind of pleasure.
Her blush deepens. "I've never had sex like that before."
Despite everything, pride bursts through my chest. Memories of Bella groaning my name and sinking her nails into my back threaten to consume all my attention.
I force myself to focus on my coffee.
"I think… we should get on the same page. I… I like you, Joel." She presses her lips together. Her eyes meet mine. She stares at me like she's studying me. I must not be hiding my frustration well, because she's looking at me with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry, Joel. But I don't think I can really stay married to someone I met last night."
She's staring at me, waiting for a response.
I clear my throat. "Let me call my lawyer."
The word makes her cringe.
Huh.
Dealing with lawyers is never fun, but the way she's cringing is a lot more than I hate paperwork.
I grab my cell. "Give me a minute."
"Sure." She offers a weak smile then goes back to staring at her tea.
I push up from the table and move into the other room.
This isn't the biggest suite, but it has a killer view of Las Vegas Boulevard. The Strip isn't nearly as ostentatious this time of day. Sunlight drowns out the flashing neon.
I pull out my cell and call my lawyer.
The receptionist picks up. "Lux and Lawrence, this is Riley speaking."
"Hey. It's Joel—"
"Mr. Young, it's so nice to hear from you! I saw your story on TMZ. Oh my God, that tattoo of her name—so sweet."
Shit. I almost forgot about that.
"Mr. Lux would kill me if he knew I was saying this, but tell me you aren't calling about ending your marriage."
I clear my throat. "I won't tell you."
She sighs. "That's a shame. You two looked adorable. And here I thought I could believe in fairy-tales again."
I give her a minute to opine on the tragedy of my marriage ending. It's kind of nice someone else feels like it's a marriage worth saving.
Bella was on board last night. She was the one insisting. But now…
She doesn't want to stay married.
I do.
This isn't one of those times where we can compromise—divorce is either/or. Either we stay married or we get divorced. There's no half and half.
She wanted this last night.
Demanded it.