Page 6 of Celebrity

“Are you still mad at me?” I asked without turning.

I gripped the railing tight and stared out at the waves rippling behind a passing boat.

“No.”

“If you’re here for another act to our unending fight, I just don’t have the energy or the time for it today.” I couldn’t hide the tremble in my voice.

Dammit, Samina. You’re not supposed to let him see how much it hurts.

His presence was throwing me as it was, and an argument was only going to cause me to say something I’d regret later.

“No, that’s not why I wanted to see you.”

“Then why are you here? Aren’t you afraid one of the paps will photograph you? You might end up on the cover of a tabloid magazine if you’re not careful.”

He stepped closer to me, making me stiffen. I could almost feel his body heat behind me.

“No. I took the private walkway from the neighbor’s property. I’m the one who hired your security, so they let me pass.”

“The closest neighbor is half a mile away.”

“Was that a question?”

Irritation prickled my temper, and I inhaled deep to stay calm. “I guess you are here to pick a fight, and as I said moments ago, I’m not in the mood. You can leave the way you came.”

I continued to gaze at the deep blue depths flowing in front of me. Maybe if I ignored him, he’d go away. Combined with everything that had happened in court today and the constant reminders of my failed relationship, there wasn’t any energy left to deal with my ex.

I was barely coping as it was.

“I’m here for only one purpose.”

“And what is that?” I turned to face him, and my heart skipped a beat as I took in the man standing before me.

He was breathtaking. A light sheen of sweat from his hike covered his dark brows. He’d thrown his suit jacket over his shoulder and his shirtsleeves were rolled up. His normally impeccable sandy-brown hair was windblown, giving me an urge to run my fingers through it as I’d done countless times.

“I’m here for you. It’s been weeks since I touched you. I miss you. I need you.”

He stepped forward, making me press against the railing.

“Go away. What happened at the courthouse today doesn’t change anything.”

His face grew angry. “All I wanted. All I ever wanted was for you to pick me first. To make me the priority and not the media darling you’ve become. You did that today.”

“No.” I shook my head. “I picked you first, years ago. You never saw it. You were so wrapped up in making partner and then the federal magistrate appointment to notice. I told my father to go fuck himself when he made me choose between my inheritance and you. I haven’t spoken to him in over five years. Do you have any idea what it’s like not to have your mother at your wedding? I picked you, but you never saw it.

“When I made my career a priority, you couldn’t take it. I never wanted to hide our relationship, you did. What happened today was for me. I’m making myself a priority for the first time in my life.”

He moved in front of me and whispered, “Sami.”

I grimaced. He was the only one who called me that.

I wanted so badly to touch him, to feel his hands and mouth on me. If I took the step, everything we’d been through over the past year was meaningless. Nothing would change.

Well, sex was the one thing I wouldn’t change. He was the only man whose touch I’d ever known and would always crave. He knew what I wanted and needed before I did. He was the perfect lover.

Too bad the way he was in the bedroom wasn’t anything like the man outside it.

He represented conservative values, albeit with a few modern beliefs. He had no tolerance for sensationalism or excess, everything my clients usually projected.

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