She let out a small sigh and focused at the task. She was not going to let good dick stop her feelings. “Fuck you.”
“I hope you will.” He closed the door behind him and walked further into the room. He stood in front of his ex and opened his breakfast plate. “Delicious.” He closed it again and stared down at her. “Hungry?”
Aaliyah got a whiff of Ocean’s scent close to her and hoped her legs didn’t magically open. “No.” She stood her ground.
“Are you pissed?” He smiled.
“Very.” She replied and ignored his gorgeous smile. Ocean was a truly beautiful man and he knew it as well. “What you did wasn’t cool, O. Not cool at all.”
Ocean sat across the table from Aaliyah and felt the intense sexual heat radiating from her. She could claim she hated him all she wanted but her body spoke differently. “But you expected it, yes?”
“From some random paparazzo, yes.” She pointed out. “Not from someone who’s still playing games with me like I’m a PS4.”
“So, if some random paparazzo took those photos, you would be okay with it, knowing the outcome would still be the same?” He questioned. “But I’m the asshole because I beat the paparazzi at their own game?”
Aaliyah didn’t think of it in that manner. Maybe Ocean was doing her a favor in his own twisted way. She still didn’t appreciate it. “I woke up to the press hounding me. They still won’t leave me alone.”
“How did you manage to get here?” He asked.
“No one is expecting me to look like this,” Aaliyah removed the scarf and wig. She peeled off her coat and revealed a white tank top and blue jeans. “I have a friend who called me and let me know you were staying here, that’s how I knew where you were.”
Ocean felt his heart stutter when he saw Aaliyah’s hardened nipples through her shirt. She went braless and his dick immediately sprung to action. “I could’ve told you if you called me?” His blue eyes danced.
“This is a conversation we needed to have face-to-face.” Aaliyah pressed. “We’re not dating.”
“You’ve made that very clear.”
“I’m not your girlfriend.” She curtly replied.
“Yet.” He smiled.
“We’re not lovers.” Aaliyah hardened her eyes, though she could silently admit her body rejected that notion of never feeling Ocean again.
“I’m trying to give you this dick but you’re playing.” He licked his top lip. “So here we are.”
Aaliyah swallowed her sexual frustration and continued. Ocean’s blue eyes were scorching hot and glazed over her body. “O, I’m trying to be serious here.”
“So am I.” He reached out to grab her hand. She let him hold it. “Liyah, you know I don’t play games.”
“But you are,” she rubbed her thumb over his knuckles. His hands were soft with a touch of roughness. “This is all one big game to you.”
“If it’s a game, please let me know what I’m going to win since the biggest prize I want just told me she doesn’t want me to win at all.” His eyes sharpened at her. “You said you were willing to give up everything to be with me. Here it is. This is your life now. You will be followed until there’s no longer a story. People who knew you from way back when are going to come out of the woodworks and talk about you, good or bad. There will be articles on the type of fruit you like to eat and why everyone should try it. You will be antagonized on things I do that will have nothing to do with your business or show.
“If you want us to be together, Liyah, this is my life now. This will be my life until I retire or quit from public office. I’m two years into a six-year term and if you really want me to leave you alone, it stops here right now.” He held her hand within his. “I don’t want that but I’ll respect your wishes.”
Aaliyah heavily sighed. Ocean was sincere but he also couldn’t just come back into her life as if the last several years never took place. “You want me to give up my life to become your plaything just like that.” She snapped her fingers. “That’s the real insult.”
“When I have ever said I wanted you as my plaything?” He quietly countered. “I always said I wanted you as my wife.”
Memories of buying numerous wedding magazines and window-shopping at various bridal boutiques made Aaliyah’s heart angry. “You couldn’t even dump me in person.”
Ocean slowly blinked and watched the anger in Aaliyah’s voice overcome her beautiful facial features. He gripped her hand tighter and she didn’t let go. “I did fight for you. I wanted to quit.”
“But you didn’t.” She let out a soft laugh to keep the tears at bay. “You didn’t because you didn’t want to. Your hunger for success was more important than our relationship.”
“That’s not true,” he argued, “that was never true.”
“I’m sitting here in your hotel room to hide from the paparazzi who is determined to make me a news story regardless if I want it.” She cocked her head to the side. “How is that you protecting me? Protecting us?”
