Tempting the Crown (The Crown 1)

me early two nights in a row.

I grabbed a bottle of wine from the fridge, a glass, and walked onto the patio. It was nice out here. Greer had hung a few strands of lights overhead. I bent to plug them in, and noticed a radio splattered with paint in the back corner. It was under a small overhang. I turned it on and smiled when I heard the song.

From what she’d told me, this apartment never officially went on the market. Greer found out from one of her analyst friends that it was available. That was how things worked in D.C. There was an unspoken real estate market where houses and apartments were traded among friends and co-workers.

I sat under the twinkle of the lights and watched the sun set over Adams Morgan while I sipped my chilled glass of wine. I kicked one ankle over the other and relaxed into the chaise lounge.

I was two sips in when my phone started to ring. I winced thinking it could be my mother again with another false emergency, or worse, my brother calling to rant about what happened today.

I didn’t recognize the number and then I realized who it was. Vaughn. I had never added his name to my contacts.

“Hello?”

“Is this the pretty girl I met last night?” The deep timbre in his voice made me smile.

“Depends on how many girls you met, I guess.”

“Oh yeah, this is the one. The smartass.” He chuckled.

I leaned into my chair. “Hey, there.”

“It’s not Friday, and I know a lot of idiots wait for that three-day calling rule, but you’ll learn quickly I don’t play by those rules.”

I sat forward in my chair. He had my full attention.

“I’m coming to pick you up,” he reported.

“You are?” I almost choked on my wine.

“Text me your address and I’ll be there in half an hour.”

“Where are we going?” I hadn’t agreed, but he hadn’t asked either.

“It’s a surprise.”

I twisted my lips together. I liked this kind of game. “What kind of surprise?”

“You’ll see.” He paused. “And wear something short. I like your legs.”

My eyes widened. Had he been checking out my legs last night? I knew I should say something about how objectified that made me feel, but it didn’t. I was turned on.

“And if I can’t find something short? You know I haven’t unpacked everything,” I taunted.

He chuckled. “I think you’ll find something. Send me the address. I’ve changed my mind—I’ll be there in twenty.”

He hung up and my screen went black.

Holy shit. I gulped the rest of the wine either as a way to convince myself to keep moving forward or so later I could tell myself I was going along with this because I was tipsy. Either way it was pumping through my veins and I hustled to my room to find a short skirt to show off my legs for a man I barely knew.

I cursed myself for not unpacking sooner. I shoved one box out of the way and then another until I found one that had my going out clothes. Nightlife in New Bern wasn’t exactly exciting, but I did go out for drinks sometimes and in the past year I’d had a few dates. The problem was most of them never lead to a second or third date. It was one more reason moving to bigger city made sense.

I pulled a black dress out of the box and quickly dashed to the bathroom to reapply my makeup.

Twenty minutes later there was a knock at the door.

I ran through the living room and the narrow kitchen, pulling the door open.

Vaughn filled the frame. His eyes sparked and immediately dropped to my thighs.