Fighting For You (The Connor Family 5)

Jace nodded. “Hats off for the way you put everything together today. It was honestly one of the best-organized interviews I’ve had.”

“Thanks.”

I was exhausted when I reached my room. So of course, the second my head hit the pillow, instead of falling into a dreamless sleep, adrenaline kicked in.

I was in New York. What was I doing wasting my time sleeping? I could rest back home. So instead of having the beauty sleep I’d been fantasizing about for the past two hours, I slipped on jeans, a T-shirt, and sneakers. As I fixed the belt on my jeans, I glanced at the little black dress for tonight. I regretted now bringing that vanilla outfit. The boys wouldn’t have judged me if I showed up wearing something more edgy. Why had I been so hard on myself? On the bright side, I now had the perfect excuse for shopping. Honestly, I was glad the players had gone out without me. I needed a few hours to myself.

Once I stepped out of the hotel, I closed my eyes for a few seconds, smiling from ear to ear. Traffic and honks were part of my daily life in LA as well, but I could swear New York sounded different.

Where to go first? I was only three subway stations away from my favorite shopping area. As an intern, I’d been on a tight budget, so cabs had been out of the question. I didn’t see the need to waste money on one now either. I slurped an iced coffee and people watched in the subway until I reached my station. Then I skidded up the stairs and into shopping heaven: Macy’s.

Again, being an underpaid intern at a fashion magazine in New York had taught me a valuable skill: shopping on a budget. I had a knack for finding treasures. Three hours later, I had two bags full of clothes I didn’t need (but absolutely couldn’t resist), yet still no outfit for tonight.

I stopped at the sight of a red dress. Hmm... I already had the right shoes for it. With the right belt, it would look fantastic. Ten minutes later, I was whirling around in the changing room, admiring the dress from all angles. Jace was going to swallow his tongue when he saw me.

I couldn’t wait to see his reaction. I also bought a sexy corset to wear underneath it.

I was bursting with excitement while handing the cashier my credit card. Now I was ready for the evening.

By the time I returned to the hotel, my feet were killing me. But did I rest? No. Instead, I went on to the next level of preparation: hair and makeup. Since I was wearing a dress with personality now, I needed a matching hairdo, so I got to work.

I smiled at my reflection in the mirror before leaving the room. I’d slicked a sheer gloss on my lips, and put all my efforts into highlighting my eyes. I’d used a mascara that promised extravagantly long lashes. The product had more than fulfilled its promise, especially because I’d also used an eyelash curler. My hair was pulled back in an updo that looked naturally messy, but had taken forty minutes to get right.

The elevator was packed, as was the lobby. The bar was in the underground of the hotel, and those who hadn’t made a reservation had to line up in front of the entrance.

I glimpsed the team right away, tucked away in a corner of the lobby, and waved at them. Andrew gestured to the rest of the boys to head toward me. Jace had been typing on his phone but looked up at Andrew’s nudge. Even from this distance, I didn’t miss the appreciative once-over he gave me. As the two approached, Jace seemed to be undressing me with his gaze.

Well, hell. I was already fanning myself. How was I supposed to get through tonight?

We all headed together inside the bar. I told the hostess our name, and she walked us to our private area. Andrew took the lead. Jace and I were at the rear.

“Just a warning, I’m gonna spend the entire evening next to you,” he whispered.

“Why?” I asked, mystified.

“Because someone’s bound to hit on you if I leave you alone, and then I’m going to do something that will blow our cover.”

“Jace, no one’s going to hit on me.”

“See? You can’t even tell how beautiful you are. You definitely need me as a bodyguard. And chatting with you on work nights isn’t against the agreement.”

I glared at him, but far from backpedaling, Jace looked as if he was very close to pinning me against the nearest wall and kissing me senseless.

“Well, bodyguard. Let’s take a look around.”

I could immediately tell why the place was so coveted. The diffuse lighting cast the place in a slick and elegant glow. Everything was decorated in shades of warm brown. The space was divided in several smaller booths, with wood paneling displaying a lace pattern dividing them, stopping the sound from propagating across the room. A small dance floor was wedged between the booths. I planned to ignore it the entire evening, as I wasn’t much of a dancer.

Our booth was close to the bar, but it turned out I needn’t have nagged Ryan so much to give us one of the ultra-VIP spots, because the players were out and about the entire time, mingling with others.

I, on the other hand, planned to take full advantage of the cozy booth. It was comfortable and relatively quiet. I gulped down the complementary peanuts and almonds before the waitress even came to take my drink order. Now I was debating ordering everything there was to eat on the menu. In all my excitement to shop and get ready, I’d forgotten to eat.

I ordered grilled prawns to start with but was still lost in the menu when the couch caved next to me. I knew it was Jace before I even glanced sideways. No one else would be cocky enough to lean into me the way he did.

“Do me a favor and keep me from ordering the entire menu before they bring my order,” I said.

“Will do.”

“How do you like the bar?”