2
Ifelt him watching me before I laid eyes on him, and somehow, without looking, I knew it was the same guy who had been there in the pool earlier while I’d been reading. I hadn’t let him catch me staring then, but I had snuck a few looks at him over the top of my book at that sculpted body, the dark hair, the strong jaw and cheekbones. He was a knockout, no question, and when I looked up from the conversation I was embroiled in with one of the potential donors I was scouting out for the library, my heart skipped in my chest.
He must have known I didn’t belong here, that I’d borrowed this dress a week earlier from a friend of mine and that all the jewelry I was wearing was pretty far cry from authentic precious metal. No matter that I was here for a damn good reason, I felt so out of place at this gala as though someone would bust me at any moment, figuring out I didn’t belong and kicking me to the curb before I could say a word. I sipped on my champagne and turned my attention back to the guy I had been talking to, but the whole time, I found it hard to focus on what he was saying. I could tell that the guy from the pool was staring at me, his gaze burning a hole right through me.
“Here’s my card.” I finally dipped into my purse and handed the guy one of the cards I’d had printed for the occasion. “We’d love it if you could swing by the library some time. Show you what we’re working with.”
“Oh, I’m pretty sure I know what you’re working with.” The guy grinned slowly, the smile spreading out over his face as his eyes traced up and down my body. I managed a stiff smile and stepped away from him. I could do without the perving for tonight. I felt out of place enough without having that creep peering down at my cleavage.
I took a deep breath and downed the rest of my champagne. I didn’t drink so much these days, and the bubbles were rushing up to my head and making me a little dizzy. Or maybe that was just the thick smell of expensive perfume hanging over this place like a veil. I had spritzed myself down in a little of the body spray I’d had since high school, and I just felt cheap by comparison.
But, as I moved around the room trying to mingle and see who else I could palm my card off on in the hopes they would donate some cash to my library, I noticed that pool guy was still looking at me. In fact, a couple of times, I swear he’d moved to follow my path around the room.
Bright blue eyes met mine confidently every time I looked up, and each time our gazes encountered each other, a flush ran up my neck and something roared to life in my lower stomach. For a while, I was sure he had to be checking out someone else, someone who actually looked like they belonged in a place like this, but as the evening drew on, it was clear I was the only thing he was interested in. And that knowledge sent a shiver running up my spine.
I did my best to pay attention to the people who stopped by to chat me up and made sure to hand out a couple of cards over the course of the evening. A place like this was dripping with money, and I’d have been crazy not to take advantage of it. But it was hard to keep focused when I could see the most improbably gorgeous guy practically stalking me around this place like I was prey and he was hungry.
He moved closer to me as the night drew on, and as the champagne buzzed through me, I found myself flirting straight back at him, flicking my gaze in his direction and even managing a couple of playful little smiles to boot. I had no idea who he was, but plenty of people were keen to stop and talk to him while his attention was squarely focused on me and me alone.
As the evening continued, my confidence began to swell a little. Sure, I had never been to anything like this before, and it still felt a little crazy being surrounded by so much glitz and glamour, but why not take advantage of it while I had the chance? That guy was eyeing me like he owned me, and it had been a long time since I had been able to blow off steam and enjoy myself like this. Life was usually so painfully stressful for me, and I didn’t see why I shouldn’t have a little fun when the opportunity arose. I had handed out a few cards, sweet-talked some people into giving the library some thought when it came time to donate again this year. It was about time I gave into a little flirtation, no?
I headed to the bathroom to fix up my makeup, checking myself in the mirror. I still didn’t entirely recognize myself, even though I’d been wearing this thing for more than an hour. I hadn’t been sure about the dress when I put it on. Sure, it was a little tight and clung a little too closely to those curves I was most self-conscious about, but at least it went a long way to enhancing my cleavage and actually giving me some real shape. I ran my fingers carefully through my hair. I had taken the time to blow-dry it up in my room, and it was the only part of this look that I loved. I flashed myself a smile in the mirror, practicing how it would look when I aimed it at him, and my heart fluttered when I thought about what I was about to do.
When I stepped out, it took me a moment to figure out where he had wandered off to, but then he emerged from the crowd, and my heart nearly stopped as I realized he was coming toward me. I half-expected someone to step in and pull me away at the last minute, that some pretty young thing would draw his attention from me before he could get too close, but nothing did. His eyes were locked on mine, even brighter and bolder than they had been before.
Before I knew it, he was in front of me, those eyes burning deep into me as he came to a halt a foot from me. I could smell his aftershave, something strong and sharp and masculine that filled my senses and sent me floating a few feet off the ground. He was a lot to handle. He was even hotter closeup, like, male-model perfect, and I was struggling to remember how in the hell I was supposed to introduce myself.
“I’ve been watching you all night,” he remarked, and the words sent a shiver down my spine. A waiter passed by us, and he plucked a couple of glasses from the tray the waiter was holding and passed one to me. I downed it in one gulp, hoping the booze would take the edge off the nerves racing through my system.
“I know,” I finally replied, and he laughed.
“Was I being that obvious?” He cocked an eyebrow, but if he was sorry, he didn’t seem it. He sipped on the champagne as I let the empty glass hang down by my side, my fingers barely holding on to the crystal. I still couldn’t believe he was talking to me, that he had spent enough time watching me to know he wanted me. I couldn’t remember the last time someone had treated me this way, with such obvious and blatant desire. And I couldn’t remember the last time I had returned it.
“A little,” I admitted, and I lowered my gaze for a moment. Should I tell him I had seen him in the pool earlier? No, I couldn’t. I didn’t want him to know I’d been thinking about him all day, since I had first laid eyes on him.
“So, what are you doing here?” he asked, letting his eyes move down my body slowly before he raised them again to meet mine. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. The booze was moving around my system, loosening my tongue a little and opening me up.
“I’m raising money for my library,” I replied honestly. “But I don’t think I’m half as fancy as most of the other people here.”
“Well, you look the part,” he assured me, and I found my eyes drawn down toward his mouth. He had slightly olive-toned skin, and the sculpted shape of his lips popped against it. I wanted to run my thumb over them, to feel the softness of them under the pad of my finger.
“So do you,” I replied, and then flushed a little as I realized how flirtatious what I’d just said sounded. He grinned, taking another sip on his champagne. He looked completely at ease as he asked me a few more questions, totally in control. I could see a few women who passed by us glancing in his direction, but he didn’t pull his gaze from mine the entire time as though I was the only person in the room he could see.
I could barely take in what he was saying. All I could focus on was that he was paying attention to me, that he was looking at me like I was interesting and attractive and everything he’d been looking for. A guy like this had a play, of course. There was no way he learned this level of charm just off the top of his head, but how long had it been since a gorgeous, mysterious stranger like him just came up and started flirting with me? Maybe it was the champagne, or maybe it was something else, but when he reached out to take my hand, I didn’t pull away.
“You know, there’s plenty more of this hotel.” He glanced around, a grin curling up the corners of his mouth. “If you want to see it.”
“You want to …?”
“I want to get out of here, with you.” He filled in the blanks for me, moving a little closer to me, so close, I could almost feel the heat of his breath against my skin. I guess he saw the softening in my eyes, the way my resolve quivered and then gave out from underneath me.
“Come on.” He tugged my hand, and we started through the crowd.
Despite the voice in my head telling me that this was fucking crazy, I followed him.
I had no idea what the rest of this night was going to bring, but I didn’t want it to end there. He made his way through the room, and I watched him, watched myself following him. Whatever was going to happen, it was only just beginning.