The suite is quiet, the only light in the darkening room coming from the lamp next to the couch. “Drew?” I call out. No answer. And no noise coming from his bedroom. Did he forget? Get tied up with work? My heart sinks at both possibilities.
A knock on the door startles me.
Grateful for the distraction, I quickly answer it and find my date looking just as handsome as he did when he left this morning, with a bouquet of sunflowers in his hand. “Hi,” he says.
“Hi. What are you doing out there?” I ask.
“Picking you up for our date. These are for you.” He hands me the flowers. “I didn’t know what your favorite was, but these made me think of you.”
My cheeks heat at his sweet words and formality. “Thank you. Do I have time to put them in water?”
“Sure.” He waits at the door while I move to the kitchen.
“Drew. Please come in,” I say over my shoulder.
“You look beautiful,” he says stepping behind me and reaching over my head to pull a pilsner-type glass off the top shelf of the cupboard and handing it to me. There’s no vase that I can see.
“Thanks. You do, too. I mean…you know what I mean.”
“Don’t be nervous,” he whispers in my ear, his warm breath heating up the side of my neck. I am so nervous.
I place the flowers in water, taking a moment to arrange them while I compose myself. “Ranunculus,” I say.
“Ra-what?”
“Ranunculus. They’re my favorite flower. But I love these, too.”
“Good to know. You ready to go?”
I nod and he leads me to the elevator, his hand on the small of my back.
We reach the parking garage and he opens the passenger-side door of his car for me. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch him looking at my legs as I tuck myself into the comfortable leather seat. His notice puts flutters in the pit of my stomach. I’m really glad I decided to go with a dress.
“Where are we going?” I ask once we’ve pulled onto the road.
“It’s a surprise.”
Twenty-five minutes later we pull up to a building in downtown Los Angeles with a blue neon sign that reads Library Bar.
Turns out it’s a scholastically themed hangout that is so cool I can’t stop smiling. “Drew, this is fantastic.”
The vibe is upscale with shuttered windows, wood-paneled floors and ceilings, and exposed brick walls. One entire wall is lined with vintage books!
“I thought for a girl who loves to read, this was a place you should see.” He takes my hand and leads me through the main room, past a striking marble bar, to a smaller lounge-like area. We sit side by side on a leather couch next to a candle-filled fireplace and the wall filled with the weathered tomes that remind me of what an English library might have looked like in the past.
“I love it,” I say as I look around. We’re the only ones seated in this area. The rest of the place is standing room only, so I’m guessing Drew arranged for a bit of privacy for the two of us.
A man greets Drew with familiarity before handing us menus. “Enjoy your evening,” he says.
I give the man a smile then look at the menu. The super fun and unique menu. “I think I need to take this home with me,” I say excitedly as I pore over every word. At the top of the page it reads “The Hunger Games” then small plates are listed under “Prologue” and larger plates are listed under “Novels.” At the bottom are three different kinds of french fries listed under “Excerpts.” “That would be okay, right?”
Drew nods with a wide smile. “I’m happy I can already count tonight as a win.” He leans back against the couch, not bothering with the menu. Instead his eyes are on me.
I beam at him. “Absolutely.”
Drew
God, she’s gorgeous. Candlelight from the fireplace bathes her in an amber glow. Her dark hair falls in loose waves down her back. Her bare legs are crossed at the ankles and I want to put my hand on her thigh and move my palm smoothly under the skirt of her dress more than I want my next breath, but I won’t. Whatever happens between us has got to be initiated by her.
Not that I don’t plan to help influence her decision-making. I’m the man here with her right now, and while I’ve got her to myself, I’m going to do everything I can to make her happy. To make her see the connection we have is worth committing to. Since she told me about her ex, I feel like I’m competing with someone who can’t defend himself, but then I remind myself he got seven years with her. Seven years of memories and experiences and nights in bed, and I don’t care that he’s on the other side of the world. His loss is my gain. I only hope Alejandra isn’t still hung up on him. I mean, if she was, she wouldn’t be here with me, would she?
“What looks good?” I ask. “My friend reserved us this prime spot to sit, but I need to walk over to the bar to order our food and drinks.”
“We definitely need some fries,” she says, looking over the menu with rapt attention. “I don’t mind which kind, they all look good. Do you want to share things or get our own?”
“How about we share?” I can tell she’d like that.
“Okay! The shrimp and bacon skewers look yummy. And I’d love to try the crispy calamari. The grilled cheese looks good, too. Oh, and the charred brussels sprouts.” She turns to look at me. “Is that too much? I forgot to eat lunch today.”
“It’s not too much.” I love that she has a healthy appetite and whatever we don’t finish we can take to go. “Can I get you a drink?”
“Sure. Surprise me.” I also love that she’s not picky and trusts me to choose.
“Anything you don’t like?”
“Whiskey.”
“Be right back.” While I wait at the bar to place our order, a woman in a dark blouse and pencil skirt sidles up beside me.
“Hi,” she says.
“Hi.”
“I’m Tamar.”
“Drew.”
“Can I buy you a drink, Drew?”
“Thanks, but I’m here with someone.”
“Someone special?” she asks, like she might have a shot with me if not.
“Yes,” I say without hesitation then turn to the bartender who’s ready with pen and paper.
“Lucky girl,” Tamar says before she walks away.
Let’s hope Alejandra feels that way. If not tonight, then tomorrow. Next week. Hell, just as long as she feels something for me before her ex gets back.
Our food will be delivered to our table, but I wait for our drinks. Glasses in hand, I return to the most captivating girl in the room. “For you,” I say, handing her a cocktail as I sit.
“Thank you. What is it?”
“A Tequila Mockingbird.”
“The drinks have fun names?” She takes a sip. “Mmm. It’s really good. What are you having?”
“Adventures of Blackberry Finn.”
“Two of my favorite books when I was young.”
“Is there any book you didn’t like?” I ask, fairly certain she’s a lover of all fiction.
She thinks about it. “One or two required readings in high school, but I don’t like to talk ill about anything someone has written.” She takes another sip of her drink.
I smile at her. I’d bet my hotel she doesn’t talk with disrespect ever. “I wrote a book once.”
“Really?” She raises her eyebrows in suspicion.
“It was called The Two Poopheads. I was six and I bet you can guess who the book was about.”
She laughs. Aaand my dick twitches. The sound of her laughter is so damn sexy and easy on the ears that certain parts of me especially appreciate it. “What did your brothers think?”
“Ethan read it and said it was shit, which at the time got him in big trouble, but now is pretty funny. He hadn’t meant to make a pun. And Finn wasn’t bothered by it. He was too busy playing outside.”
“Did this book have illustrations as well?”
“Pfft. Of course.”
“Does you mom still have it som
ewhere?”
“I think so. She’s got boxes of stuff from when we were kids. Schoolwork, trophies, that sort of thing.”
“My brother pretty much kept his distance from Gabby and me. He called us ‘double the trouble,’ and being five years older, he didn’t have a lot of patience for us. We’re a lot closer now that we’re adults.”
“Even though you don’t look alike, got any funny twin stories?”
She gets a devilish look on her face that catches me completely off guard. “Well, there was this time when Gabby decided she’d had enough of me and only wanted to hang out with her friends. One night she had two girls sleep over and they were being mean to me and excluding me. It was right before Halloween and Diego had this creepy mask and rubber monster hands, so when they were raiding the kitchen for a late night snack, I put them on and hid under Gabby’s bed.”
“No way,” I say, pleasantly surprised to find out there isn’t always an angel on her shoulder. I mean, sometimes it’s fun to be bad.
She shrugs, like she did this sort of thing all the time, but I highly doubt it. “I waited until they were all back in the room and relaxed, and then I jumped out and scared the crap out of them. Gabby spewed her soda all over one of her friends. It was hysterical.”
“Did your sister try and retaliate? Me and my brothers didn’t let anything go without some kind of retribution, although they took it a little easier on me since I’m the youngest.”
“She was really mad for the rest of the night, but the next day after her friends left she said it was funny. Then later she put the mask and hands on while Diego was getting ready for bed and scared him. He was pissed and banned us from his room. Which was just as well since it smelled like sweaty boy all the time.” A look of nostalgia sweetens her delicate features. “More often than not, we did get along.”
Our food arrives, and we dig in. The conversation continues to flow when our mouths aren’t full, and by the time we’ve finished eating, I’m in deep.
Alejandra is smart, funny, kind—she gives me all the best bites of food—and so beautiful, I ache to be closer to her.
At the end of the night, though, as we stand just inside the suite and she gazes up at me with hesitancy, my heart takes a beating.
Will we ever be on the same page?
Chapter Nine
Tlc
Drew
“She got a better offer,” I say.
Alejandra gathers her long, dark hair over one shoulder and not for the first time, I wonder if it feels as soft as it looks. She’s sitting on the balcony, curled up with a book and a blanket. It’s early Sunday morning, not even eight. Fog cloaks the coastline. “I’m guessing you mean your grandma,” she says in her sexy barely awake voice.
I sit next to her on the sturdy, but comfortable outdoor couch. “Take a look.” I show her my phone and the photo of my grandmother sitting in the passenger seat of an open-air Hummer, thumbs-up. The matriarch of our family is apparently ready for some off-road fun. “She’s living it up on Catalina Island for a few days.”
“Early birthday present?” Alejandra asks, smiling at the photo.
“I guess. She’s definitely determined to live life to the fullest.”
“I admire her.” Alejandra’s gentle tone fills the terrace with longing that tugs at my heart.
For my entire life, I’ve never been denied anything. And by that I mean if I worked for something, or saved for something, or expressed an interest in a place or object or activity, I’ve had the financial means and family support to make it happen. It’s a luxury I’m beyond grateful for and I never lose sight of what really matters.
Despite having more money than we could ever spend, my mom has always kept us grounded, her humble beginnings never far from her mind. She taught me and my brothers to value the little things, she didn’t spoil us, and she made sure we always had each other’s backs.
Alejandra has two siblings, but damn if I don’t want to keep her safe, too. Take the yearning she carries inside her and make her wishes come true. Not that she can’t make her dreams a reality without me. She absolutely can. I’m simply dealing with primal masculine instincts I’ve never felt this strongly before.
For an unwelcome second, my ex, Miranda, floats through my mind. I hate when she creeps into my thoughts, and I blink away that miserable night.
“I admire her, too,” I say. “She’s been a great role model. She was CFO of Auprince Holdings back in the day.”
“Really?”
“Uh-huh. She met my grandfather in an accounting class at Stanford. She didn’t like him very much at the start, but for him, it was love at first sight. He made a bet with her. If he got a better grade in the class, she had to go out with him. And if she got a better grade in the class, he had to go out with her.”
I watch the corners of her mouth slowly lift as she fully comprehends what I said. “That’s one of the cutest things I’ve ever heard. Who won?”
“My grandmother got an A and my grandfather an A minus. By that point he’d almost won her over with his charm and constant compliments. She took him to dinner, he tried to pay, and she told him she could damn well buy him a burger and fries. They were inseparable after that and married right after graduation.”
“So she’s always been a force to be reckoned with.”
“Oh, yeah.” I lean back, look out over the railing toward the sea. My grandfather was taken from us too soon, but the life he had with my grandmother was an extraordinary one until the day he passed unexpectedly. And not because they had wealth. But because they genuinely adored each other. They laughed all the time. Didn’t hide their affection for each other. Enjoyed simple things like walks outside and watching their grandsons swim in the swimming pool. I peek at Alejandra out of the corner of my eye. I can picture those things with her.
“Since breakfast was canceled, I think I’ll go for a run,” Alejandra says, interrupting my thoughts.
“Sounds good. I’ll join you.” Normally, I’m a treadmill guy but I’m all for mixing it up, especially with her.
She closes her book and gives me a slightly exasperated look. It’s damn cute. “I didn’t invite you.”
“Is running with you off-limits?”
“It’s on my list, remember?”
“This is training for your half marathon?”
“Yes.”
“You know running with a partner is a great way to stay on track and keep up motivation,” I say matter-of-factly.
“But when you run alone, you can better concentrate on your form and breathing. Plus, run at your own pace,” she argues in return.
“True, but running with someone can also improve your performance. I bet you’d have a faster running time with me by your side.”
“How do you know you wouldn’t have a faster time running beside me?” she fires back.
I grin at her. “How about we find out?”
“O—wait a minute.” She shakes her head. “You almost had me, but no.”
I’d like to have her in more ways than one. “Fine, Miss Marathoner. Want to grab something to eat afterward?”
“Thanks, but I need to stop by the senior center.”
“We can do that, too.”
She still doesn’t appear sold so I add, “And then go shopping? I could really use your help picking out a birthday gift for my grandmother.” Truth right there. What do you buy someone who has everything? Plus, I’ve learned Alejandra has a soft spot for grandparents and I’m not above using Rosemary to score more time with her. She’s been a little distant since our date. Since we said a simple good night and walked to our own rooms.
“Okay,” she says, and I give myself a mental high five. Then she stands, the blanket falling around her ankles, and I almost swallow my tongue.
Her light blue tank top is thin. Her cotton sleep shorts are tiny. I can see the outline of her pert, round breasts, the curve of her waist, the contours of her hips. There’s a lot of exposed skin—her arms, her
thighs, a tiny strip of her stomach—that I want to touch and taste before stripping her out of her pajamas and exploring every inch of her.
“Drew? Did you hear what I said?”
I stop ogling her and snap my gaze up to hers. If she noticed my once-over, she keeps it to herself, her features neutral as she stares down at me. I hope she doesn’t notice the rise in my pajama bottoms. Or maybe I hope she does.
“Sorry. What?”
“I said give me about two hours.”
“Sure. No problem.”
“And if I’m not back in an hour from my run, send a search party.” She says this jokingly, but there’s also a serious glint in her eyes. She wants to do this on her own, but she’s still a novice runner.
“Will do. But make sure you take your phone with you.”
“Are you always this bossy?”
“You brought up the search party.”
She makes a face and turns to go.
I watch her walk away, leaning to the side so I can follow her movements inside the suite. I almost fall over in my attempt to keep my eyes glued to her fantastic ass. I’m acting like a perv and I don’t care. I’m helpless around her. When she’s out of sight, I get to my feet, walk directly to my room, strip, and get in the shower to rub one out. With one hand on the tile wall in front of me, and the other wrapped around my dick, I let the warm water rain down my body. I work my fist up and down my length, imagining it’s Alejandra’s lips on me. Her lush mouth sucking me deep, making me harder than I’ve ever been before. I close my eyes tighter. Move my hand faster. God, Alejandra, what you do to me. She’s a goddess, and one more image of me pumping into her warm, wet mouth and I blow like a teenager getting head for the first time.
*
I learned on my tour of the senior center last weekend that one center can be vastly different from the next. The Davis Senior Center has five main programs: meal and nutrition, fitness and wellness, education, arts, and social and recreational. Alejandra oversees all of these. She plans them, coordinates them, reaches out to teachers and professionals in the community who can help with them.
Hot Shot (American Royalty Book 3) Page 9