The room I’d selected to be my own, had been a longtime favorite of mine. The adjoining bathroom featured one of those walk-in showers I adored, and a tub as big as the entire living room at my old apartment. An enormous bay window opened out onto a balcony with a beautiful view of the park, and everything from the canopy bed to the high silk curtains made me feel like I was playing the part of a princess for the night.
It was also right down the hall from Nick.
This was a fact that I tried my best to keep from dwelling on as I brushed my teeth, combed out my hair, and quickly went through the rest of my nighttime routine. Although all my new clothes and toiletries wouldn’t arrive until late tomorrow, the room was already stocked with anything and everything I might need. Much nicer stuff than what I’d bought, actually.
I found a sapphire silk bathrobe in the closet, and slipped it over my shoulders as I headed out onto the balcony. The sounds of the city swirled up around me, like a comforting cloud—a home that carried with you no matter what side of the bridge you were on. But unlike my old apartment, we were high enough up that instead of coming at you from all sides, it was reduced to a pleasant background noise. A gentle hum, providing a context and meditative ambiance to your thoughts.
I closed my eyes and leaned over as far as I could, dangling down my long hair as I wrapped my hands firmly around the rail. We were so high! High enough to look out over the entire city. I could easily see how someone could get used to this. If I actually did live here full time, I think I might spend a portion of every night doing this exact same thing.
Then a sudden movement caught my eye, and I ducked behind the granite wall.
It seems I’m not the only one who needs to clear my head...
Just a stone’s throw away, Nick had wandered out onto his own balcony. It was a nicer day, about sixty four degrees. We didn’t get many nice days like these too often at this time of season. And there he was... Tall, handsome, and topless—wearing only a pair of low hanging pants. As his eyes roved out over the cityscape, he leaned forward to rest his chin on his hands—lost in thought.
A melancholy prince, alone in his castle.
For a moment, I couldn’t help but stare. He hadn’t seen me yet, and given my position behind the wall, I was completely hidden from sight. I could stare to my heart’s content, soaking in all the intoxicating details without judgement or shame.
There was a reason why Nick was one of the most desirable men in the world. There was a reason that everyone from pop stars to eastern European royalty would stop what they were doing at the drop of a hat, and fly out to meet him at a single call.
The man was beautiful. There simply wasn’t another way to put it.
He had one of those
faces you saw on the cover of books growing up as a child. The face of the hero or the adventurer. The poet or the pirate. The guy who always beat the bad guy, got the girl, and was still always looking out toward the horizon.
It was the eyes. You could see entire worlds in those eyes.
Everything else was just icing on the cake.
The glowing skin. The sculpted body. The golden hair and careless grin. Twice, he had been made a six-figure offer for the movie rights to his life. Twice, he had turned it down.
Everyone wanted him. Everyone wanted to be him.
And yet...what struck me most tonight was the look on his face.
There was a faint crease running down the center of his forehead, and a protective tension to the way he was holding his hands. Like he was trying to literally hold himself together. To self-soothe. His lips, always on the constant verge of smiling, had thinned to a thoughtful line, and as the wind danced his hair across his forehead, I could have sworn I heard him sigh.
With a stab of concern, I leaned an inch or two forward. I was on the verge of calling out to him. On the verge of running from my room to his, just to find out what was wrong.
But the next second, he straightened suddenly and walked back inside. The lights turned off in his room just a second after that, then all was quiet.
...what was that about?
Chapter 15
AN HOUR LATER, I HAD yet to fall asleep. I had gone inside not long after Nick—my pensive city mood vanished abruptly upon seeing that sad look on his face. Instead, I tossed and turned in my brand new bed. Staring up at the draping canopy. Wondering, after our seemingly perfect day, what the hell had gone wrong?
Then the sound of splashing water caught my ear.
...what the fuck?
I sat bolt upright in bed, cupping a hand over my ear as I craned my neck toward the doorway. It was soft, but I was certain. It was water alright. And from the sounds of it, it was coming from the middle of the house.
For a split second, I was completely baffled. Then I suddenly remembered my client’s latest winter purchase, and instantly understood.
I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t get to sleep...