Free Bidding on the Billionaire by JM Stewart Page B

lonely part of him that connected to her in the darkness of night, when the day had been long and he wasn’t in the mood to play. When their conversations took a turn for the emotional. When he spilled his heart’s desires because he couldn’t help himself, because talking to her came as easily as breathing.
    An air of somberness rose over the room, and he lifted his head from her throat. He had to give her this one. As his gaze met hers, the playfulness of the moment before evaporated. “I don’t want you sleeping with anyone else either.”
    She studied him for a long moment. He’d noted the same odd, searching gaze more than once since she’d arrived an hour ago. Her gaze would skirt over his face, something working behind her eyes he could see but not gain access to. He could read people like the back of his hand, but Hannah hid her cards well. It made him wonder. Would she ever open herself enough to trust him?
    They’d never shared personal details in their chats. He’d told her the basics once, that he was a Harley-riding lawyer from California, but kept the full truth to himself. She hadn’t wanted the details, and he hadn’t wanted her to know them. He’d played a role, same as her. They had, however, spent long hours talking, about books, about life, sharing hopes, dreams, likes and dislikes. Even a few day-to-day frustrations. The kinds of things you shared with someone you were getting to know on an intimate level. Sharing things with someone he thought he’d never see came easily, especially with her.
    It hadn’t bothered him he didn’t know her name, her family, her background. Until now. Until he sat watching her struggle with herself. Every once in a while, the façade would come down, and he’d catch a glimpse of the real Hannah, the woman. He had to admit, he yearned to know her softer side, yearned to learn what it would take to move beyond the walls she erected against him. The need scared the hell out of him.
    Deep down, in a place he ought to wall back up, he yearned to see her , all of her, for the reprieve he suspected they’d both find in being themselves, and not what somebody wanted them to be. She did feel it, the pressure to be someone other than herself, or she wouldn’t have lied about her looks. Someone had made her feel less than , and he hated it, because he knew what it was like not to meet someone’s expectations.
    Hannah dropped her gaze to his chest. A soft pink flush suffused her cheeks, and she hitched a shoulder in a halfhearted fashion. “You’re it. You’re the only man I’m seeing right now, and you have been for a while. Maybe that’s pathetic, but it’s the truth.”
    Ah, there it was, the soft heart she couldn’t hide. Or perhaps she let down a wall or two. He had to admit her words made him want to shout from the rooftops again. For these two weeks, she was his.
    She’d made the demand, but he had to admit it had merit. He’d been somebody’s plaything one time too many. It was ironic to make that sort of demand in an arrangement like theirs, but he needed it as much as she did. For two weeks, she’d be his to enjoy. He could have his fill of her and get her out of his system.
    The little devil on his shoulder laughed at him. Then why did the thought of never seeing her again, of going back to what they’d been, have his stomach dropping into his toes?
    Ignoring the feeling, he hooked a finger beneath her chin, forced her gaze back to his, and offered her a smile.
    “It’s not pathetic. It’s human, and it puts us on level playing field. Neither am I. I’d even take a guess it’s for the same reason. Like I said, I know what it feels like to be used, so I understand why you asked. For the record, though, I have no desire to be with anybody else right now. I just want you.” He released her chin and flashed a smile he didn’t feel. He liked her, more than a little, and it scared the hell out of him. “I don’t know about you, but I’m