Tempting the Crown (The Crown 1)

I found myself being led through the bar with his palm on the small of my back. His hands were wide and firm, pressing his fingertips into my skin with a possessive touch. We stepped outside and I heard the noises of Georgetown filter around us. Somewhere in the distance a dog barked. A car honked as it rolled past us, setting off a chain reaction.

Vaughn whistled as one of the taxis slowed in front of the bar. I stepped toward the curb.

For the first time all day it didn’t feel sweltering outside. There was a warm breeze that wisped over my skin. The city felt different at night—there was an air of romance in the history of the buildings surrounding us. A couple walked by holding hands. I scooted closer to Vaughn.

“Thank you for the drink.” I was close enough to smell the juniper on his skin. God, he smelled incredible.

“Thank you for plowing into me.” He winked.

He opened the door to the car, but I hesitated.

“And thank you for earlier. For handling that situation.” I wanted to tell him how hot and heroic I thought it was, but he didn’t seem like the kind of guy who wanted i

t to be a big deal.

“Oh wait. You need my number.” I felt silly giving it to him, but there was no way I was riding off without a way to hear from him again.

He pulled the phone from my hands and typed his digits into my messages and hit send. His phone beeped.

“Got it.” He smiled, returning the phone to me. I dropped it into the straw bag.

“Okay. So…” I wanted to say something cute and flirty. Something memorable. Something that wouldn’t let him forget me, but before I had a chance his hands slid to the side of my face.

I stopped trying to talk or think.

His eyes locked on mine and I saw the glimpse of a smile as his mouth lowered to mine. My eyes closed as I surrendered to his kiss.

His warm lips moved over mine with tender firmness. Vaughn wasn’t hesitant or shy. He was in control as his thumb stroked my cheek. I forgot we were standing on the sidewalk in front of a cab. I forgot about the guys in the bar. I forgot about the loneliness from the day.

My body yielded to the rush of pleasure from this stranger’s lips, blistering my mouth with passion. I sighed lightly as his tongue twirled against mine. My hands cupped the back of his neck, lingering in the kiss. Losing myself in the moment.

The wind picked up the edge of my skirt and I heard a group of girls giggle as they walked by. I didn’t care. I didn’t want anything to spoil the magic of this sliver of happiness. Somehow my feet didn’t hurt anymore. I didn’t care that I didn’t know my way home. The day suddenly wasn’t so crappy anymore.

The world fell away while we stood next to the cab, breathing each other in.

Vaughn’s hands slipped from my face. He stole another kiss before breaking away completely.

I fought to catch my breath as he shuttled me into the backseat. My lips were reeling. My head. My chest. I was on fire.

“Nice to meet you, Emily.” He smiled wickedly and closed the door.

The cab pulled away from the sidewalk and I finally exhaled as I watched Vaughn fade from view.

Chapter Three

The next morning the alarm on my phone buzzed incessantly until I knocked it to the floor.

I ran my fingers over my lips and smiled. It was an epic kiss. The kiss to beat all kisses. Maybe it was the romance of the city lights, or because Vaughn had defended me when we barely knew each other. Maybe it was just because he was hot as hell and anything from his lips was going to be amazing.

I shuffled to the bathroom to start the shower.

It didn’t appear as if Greer had come home last night. I peeked my head into the living room. Preston had been right. Things must have been serious at the capitol and she ended up staying at his place.

We hadn’t come up with a system like we had in college. It wasn’t as if I had anywhere else to go, but maybe we could at least start texting each other if we weren’t going to sleep in the apartment.

I brushed my teeth before stepping into the rush of hot water. I looked at my feet as the water trickled down to the drain. There was no way I could wear a pair of heels today even if I wanted to.

I thought more about last night. I thought about meeting Vaughn. I wanted to talk to Greer. I didn’t know how I would describe him to her. Hot, cocky, mysterious, and … I tried to think of something that would explain the effect he had on me over a drink.