You can’t pretend to be a gentleman now, Leo. Not with what we did this morning.
Shall we say you’ve seen both my sides? And I still want to take you to dinner.
Coffee. Sunday morning?
What was it about mornings? We hadn’t got to the general chitchat about jobs and life yet, so she didn’t know I worked half the night. And I had no idea what she did or liked.
It’s a start. Where and what time?
I’ll text you. And Leo, thank you for today. I had a really good time x
It felt like the world and their friend wanted to get into Companion that night. The line didn’t seem to end, and I was not in the fucking mood for some of the guys trying their luck. At midnight I was dead on my feet and the resentment that I had another few hours still of my shift tonight, let alone the next couple of nights, gnawed in my gut. My mind wouldn’t stop picturing lazy mornings in bed with Astrid, enjoying nothing but time together, with me studying her tattoo and learning every line inked into her skin as she still slept.
That was never going to happen unless she liked lazy evenings instead. And then there was the whole staying over thing. Her place? Because I wasn’t sure I was ready to bring anyone back to Uncle Eric’s. And all of that fantasy was assuming things continued the way they had started.
I hadn’t missed home since I arrived in London. Not really. There wasn’t anything to miss except the regrets and loss that ate away inside of me. But living here and relying on my uncle cut off my independence and added to the feeling of worthlessness that had hit me after losing that fight.
Giving up fighting wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be—hell, I’d always said I wouldn’t get into a position that I needed it, but I missed the life it afforded me. I don’t need expensive cars or shit like that. But having my own belongings, my own things around me in the way I wanted them to be, was a luxury I didn’t know I’d miss. And it made me long to go back and just have my life back. Exactly how it was.
A group of girls—and I say girls because they all needed checking, they looked so young—reached the front of the line. The blonde fluttered her eyes at me, in some attempt to win favour, I guess.
I turned to Matthew and raised my brows in an exaggerated ‘really?’ question before turning back to the excited bubble of teens. “ID, girls.” My voice came out as bored as I felt.
“Sure, sure.” The girl jumped up and down like she was an animated cartoon character and dug in her spangled purse. She passed me a plastic card, which looked about as authentic as my good mood.
“Not tonight, girls. Come back in a couple of years.”
Her eyes dropped, and the bounce from her step halted. The crestfallen look lasted for a couple of seconds before she bared her teeth.
“Look. You let us in here, you jumped-up bodyguard, and I won’t tell my dad about this.”
I took a deep breath and counted to five in my head. “No ID, no entry. And besides, it’s my job to okay who comes in, and you just crossed a line. So, like I said, try again in a couple of years.”
Her pale complexion heated to a nice shade of red. All she needed was the actual steam venting from her ears for the scene to be complete. Of course, she didn’t get the message. She stormed up to me as if she could barge right through me.
“Uh uh, I don’t think so.” I spanned my arms, careful not to physically touch her, but to prevent her passing. All her other groupies were hanging back, so I ushered her over to the side so Matthew could still keep the legit patrons coming in.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of recognition as a woman breezed past the line and towards Matthew. A whisper of “Hey, Sawyer,” reached my ear.
I resisted the distraction, needing to get the girl in front of me to leave before I could go after Sawyer.
“You are such a jerk!” The teenybopper in front of me spat, but she made no more attempts to run me down. The fire in her first attempt seemed to be settling, and one of her more-enlightened friends pulled her away. I watched as they stomped off down the road before I turned back to the door.
Matthew was laughing to himself.
“Hey, man. What’s the deal?”
“I can’t believe you’ve not come across them before? They try it every few weeks. Make a big show. You’d have thought they’d have got their IDs fixed, but no. They just keep on coming.”
“So you knew they’d try something?” My frustration simmered. Turning customers away because they weren’t dressed right, or they were already pissed, or whatever else excuse we came up with to ensure the clientele was going to drop the money on the bar was one thing, but keeping the place clear of teenage wannabes?
“Relax. I’ll deal with them next time.”
“Did I see Sawyer?”
“The ice-bitch, yeah. Marched right through like she owned the place.
“You got this?” I motioned to the group of late twenty-something guys waiting. Not a chance they’d make it in tonight.
“Sure.”
I took off inside and got sucked into the din of the noise and crowd. I headed to the bar, but there’s no sign of Sawyer. Of course, she could easily blend in. Half the women in here fitted her stuck up, I-own-the-world, vibe. While I was inside, I took a lap of the floor, checking that everyone was having a good time and that there wasn’t any trouble. Not the job for me tonight, but it would give me a chance to keep an eye out. I didn’t really want to see Sawyer, but she was Astrid’s friend, and I wanted to find out why she was here. Alone.
Saturday night was another busy one. It seemed that since arriving here, the lines had got longer, which meant my shifts did, too. It was gone four before I dragged myself home. The apartment was quiet, and a side lamp had been left on for me. Uncle Eric left a jumble of books and papers on the dining table and a stack of dishes in the kitchen, but I was too knackered to be pissed off. Plus, I wanted to get a few hours of sleep before meeting Astrid. I’d explain that the morning meetings needed to fit in with my shifts unless she enjoyed dating a zombie. Of course, that was assuming a huge amount, but hey, a guy could dream.
My head hit the pillow, and the next thing I heard was the shrill of my alarm. I couldn’t have been out for more than a couple of minutes, at least that’s what my stuffed head felt like.
Shower, change, tea—lots of tea.
No sign of Uncle Eric again, and I started to wonder if he’d gone back to the Mrs, as he’d been gone a few nights.
Astrid had left me hanging all week and only texted me on Saturday afternoon with the details of where to meet. It was some trendy coffee house not far from where we first met that night on the tube. Of course, she said nine in the morning. It was a fucking Sunday. I hoped like hell she wasn’t a morning person, and not for the first time.
I jumped back on the tube. Wrestling with hoards of people was never a highlight of the day. The air was always hot and stuffy, and no matter how empty it was, I always came off in a worse mood. I pitied the people who had to fight the sardine run during the rush hour, day in day out.
The little coffee place was exactly that. Tiny. A few wooden benches lined up on the wooden floor, with a wooden counter at one end. It was going for some natural, rustic feel, I guess. But right now, all I wanted was a strong cup of caffeine. I took a seat in the corner near the window and waited for Astrid.
She breezed past the window before I’d even had a chance to pick up the menu. Not that I need it, tea came in one way for me, but that didn’t stop the multiple pages of options. How many different ways could you serve coffee, anyway?
“Hey,” she greeted me from the door and unwrapped a thick, knitted scarf from her neck and motioned for the counter. “What’s your poison?”
“Just a regular tea.” I grinned at her, the action instant from seeing her.
She headed to the counter, and I swivelled in my seat to keep her in my sights. She leaned forward on the counter and waited for the boy behind the coffee machine to notice her. It was comical t
he way his eyes bugged out as he clocked her. I know the feeling, man.
She placed the order before heading back to me.
“Hey,” she greeted again.
“Morning.”
The colour in her hair was lighter, faded today, with more of her natural blonde coming through. Her eyes were as bright as ever though, and I looked away before she wondered why I was staring again.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but you look…”
“Tired,” I finished for her. “Yeah. Mornings aren’t my thing.”
“Oh?” Her voice picked up in interest. The young guy brought our drinks over, and I couldn’t help the snort of laughter at her concoction. In a tall glass that looked like it should be filled with ice-cream, not a hot drink, was a liquid the colour of honey, with a pile of cream and syrup on top.
“That is not a coffee?”
“It is for me. Now, not a morning person?” She pulled her cup towards her and dug in with the long spoon, scooping up some of the whipped cream on top. I couldn’t tell if she was doing it to tease, but I followed that spoon to her full lips and watched as the pink tip of her tongue came to lick it off the spoon.
Fuck, I was hard from that little show alone.
“Um, yeah. Mornings. Not so good for me. I work nights, so if I had my way, I’d be asleep until after noon.”
I kept watch of Astrid’s reactions, averting my gaze from her lips to her eyes, and I thought there was a softening of her gaze.
“Yet, you still dragged yourself up to meet me? I feel honoured.”
“Well, you wouldn’t grant me dinner. I haven’t given up on that yet, mind you.”
“We’ll get to dinner. But right now, I don’t know you.”
“You know plenty.” I smiled at her. “But if information will grant me that date, then ask away.”
She dropped her eyes down to her caffeine-lacking coffee.
“Where’s the fun in that? I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to play twenty questions to get to know you.”
I mentally held in the sigh at her comment. “What do you suggest?”
“A date. Kew Gardens. We can spend the morning together. Let the conversation flow, and take the natural route.”
“Another morning?” I inwardly groaned. “And I didn’t think you agreed to dates? My dinner invitation is still on the table.”
“You might not have noticed, but I don’t like to do things the usual way. Dinner with awkward silences and stilted questions isn’t my style. The gardens are stunning. Besides, if we’re going to get to know each other, I want to be free to talk, not be occupied with food. And I promise, tomorrow will be the last morning meeting. I don’t know if you’re working tonight?”
I let her question pass. “Tomorrow at Kew, then. Have to say, I’ve never been there.”
“Perfect. I can be your personal guide.” Her eyes danced, and the fact that she was happy made the lack of sleep all worthwhile. Plus, her being my personal anything was all right with me.
I took a gulp of my tea and hoped that the caffeine would get to work. And fast. I needed to be on my game with Astrid. This girl was special. I could feel it. “Okay, so to even things up, you seem to be a morning person. True?” I asked.
“I like to get up and get on with the day.”
“And what does your day look like?” I didn’t care if she thought this was a clichéd, twenty questions, question, I wanted to know a bit more about this girl and didn’t want to wait.
“It’s varied. Some days I work from home, some days I’m out and about. Like tomorrow—it can be a date, but I have an ulterior motive as I need to do a spot of research work there, too.”
“Okay, I’m intrigued.” I swivelled the cup on its saucer before taking another sip.
“Good.” She gave me a wicked smile that only got me harder, and I dropped my head.
This girl was going to kill me.
8
Astrid
Kew Garden’s was one of my favourite places to visit. It was beautiful, whatever time of year you visited, and in winter, on a frosty morning like today, it was filled with a magical wonder that enriched a part of my soul.
This was a place for me to find inspiration, and it seemed like an interesting plan to invite Leo along. So far, the coffee shop was the closest we’d come to a long conversation, but that had still been cut short. Sitting down to talk to a stranger over coffee seemed strained and false, and not my idea of fun. How were you meant to get to know somebody if you followed all of the rules? Although Leo had been pushing for a date, he wasn’t the most forthcoming when we did get to the detail. He didn’t volunteer what he did for a living, only that he worked at night. Of course, that could be all sorts of things, but I had him down as a protector of sorts. At least, that’s how he made me feel the night we met. Protected.
And I couldn’t deny the connection between us. I’d joked that I wanted fun, and that seemed to happen naturally between us, at least it’s how I felt. He made me smile and had me questioning my pre-defined expectations of men.
As I approached the end of the car park to the Elizabeth Gate entrance, I saw him standing, facing the river. Before I reached him, I took a moment to consider what I was doing with this boy. The sex in the shower cubicle had been as hot as sin. But… and that was the problem. I could see myself getting attached to this guy. Good looking, charming in his own way, and above all of that, a magnetic pull to him that made me want to come and take him around the gardens. I’d not felt that in a long time, hell, if I was honest, very few people had made me feel anything other than a warm attraction. Leo made me cautious simply because I reacted to him so strongly.
“Hi.”
He didn’t say anything back but leaned in to kiss my cheek, and his touch sent a shiver of goosebumps across my skin that had nothing to do with the chill in the air.
“Hi,” he whispered in my ear as he lingered after his kiss. He smelt fresh and warm, and I fought not to melt on the spot.
I stared into his eyes and reminded myself that we were here to help me with a piece for the magazine, as well as take the time to find out more about each other.
“Shall we go?” I gestured to the entrance and led the way. Leo stepped forward as we reached the ticket kiosk.
“Two, please.”
“Actually, I’m a member, so just one.” I showed my pass.
After we entered, I headed towards the restaurant where we could grab a coffee before setting off around the grounds. Leo was fit—god, you could tell that even without being up close and personal. To see all of Kew’s expanse of nature would take the full day and a lot of walking that I had no doubt, he’d be up to. But I had something specific in mind. The Japanese area and pagoda were what I needed, and they were in the bottom half of the gardens. The feature in my magazine needed… something. And this was my go-to place to unblock my thoughts and find inspiration.
Armed with a coffee and a tea, we ambled along one of the paths that crossed the grounds towards my destination.
“I wouldn’t have pegged you as a garden type,” he said as we walked the grass.
“No? What type would you have me pegged as?” I wanted to know what he thought of me based on our first encounters.
“More of a music type, I guess. Less peaceful beauty, more, in-your-face splendour.”
“Looks can be very deceiving, Leo.” My comment seemed to stop his chain of thought, and we went back to our quiet walk.
“You must come here a lot if you’re a member?”
“Um-huh. Couple of times a month.”
“Wow.”
“The roses on my arm didn’t give you a clue?” I jested.
“Honestly, no. I guess that should have said something to me.”
“Perhaps. What about you? What do you do for interests outside of work?” I purposely didn’t ask specifics about his job. He’d either tell me, or he wouldn’t, and that was almost as interesting as what his answers might be.
“The gym, I guess. I like to keep fit.” That was obvious, and something I already knew.
“Is that it? A night worker who likes the gym, and likes to fight, given what I’ve seen already.”
“I might be able to defend myself, but that’s a long way from liking to fight.”
Seemed I’d touched on a sensitive subject. And the plot thickens.
I avoided the key attractions and headed straight to the pagoda. It wouldn’t be open this time of year, but that didn’t matter. I wanted to look at the patternation and colour.
“Remind me again, why we are here? There aren’t a lot of flowers out at this time of year.”
I stop and stand in front of him. “It’s not just about conventional beauty here. It might not be in bloom or brightly coloured, but that doesn’t mean it’s not beautiful. Some people might look at my tattoos or my coloured hair and make an assumption, not looking at what’s beneath the obvious. And some people might look at your freckles and just see a boy.”
“What do you see, Astrid?” The sultry tone of his voice skyrocketed the intensity between us. My heartbeat picked up as if he’d asked to hear my deepest desires.
I swallowed the heat and got back to our conversation. “Behind your golden eyes and the boyish freckles? I see someone keeping secrets. I can’t decide if they are yours or someone else’s?” I took a gamble at the last bit. Leo was dangerous to me in a way I hadn’t felt before. As if he had an invisible thread pulling my thoughts from my mind. I wanted to share myself with him. The tether to him was instant and scary, and I needed space to figure out which way I wanted to go with him.
He stepped a little closer towards me, his frame dwarfing mine. The air heated around us, and everything faded into the background. That undeniable pull anchored me to him.
“We don’t know each other yet. I think it’s a little early to start talking secrets.” His eyes stared right through me as if he was searching for some of my secrets.
Blush: A Strangers-to-Lovers Romance Page 6