Lace (Just This Once 4)

He approaches the street, taking one large step off the curb.

That act alone earns him bravery points in my book. Only a born and raised New Yorker would risk life and limb to get that close to the approaching traffic.

His gaze darts from the cars stopped at the light down the street to where I’m standing a few feet away, safely on the sidewalk.

“You’re headed uptown?” he calls to me.

I nod and jerk a thumb in that direction.

He opens his mouth as if he’s about to ask another question but his attention is pulled back to the traffic as the light turns green and an onslaught of vehicles approach.

He takes another measured step toward the traffic, his arm flying into the air.

A taxi slows as it approaches. Alexander turns to me with a broad smile on his face. “Your chariot awaits.”

I can’t hold back a small grin as I move toward him. He’s already opened the back door of the car for me.

I stop before I slide in. “Thank you again.”

“It’s my pleasure. When you’re not in a rush, you’ll share a drink with me.”

“Maybe.” My gaze stays locked on his face.

“You will.” He flashes me a cocky grin.

I want to wipe that arrogant smirk off his mouth…with my lips.

“You in or out?” A thick Brooklyn accent asks.

I pop my head into the cab. “I’m in.”

“Where are we headed?” The driver asks.

“Broadway and Eighty-first,” I reply instantly.

“Get home safely, Olivia.” Alexander takes a step back as I move to get into the car.

I look into his blue eyes. They’re the color of the ocean or the sky on a clear summer day. They’re as beautiful as the rest of him.

I chase away my sudden infatuation with his eyes with a heavy intake of breath. “You too, Alexander.”

Once I’m in the cab, he closes the door and taps the roof.

The driver effortlessly steers the car into the traffic as I resist the urge to turn back to see if Alexander is watching me drive away.

Chapter 15

Olivia

“You scared the hell out of me, Kate,” I say tightly, trying to keep my voice from cracking.

I reach to pick up my keys from the floor. They landed there after Kate opened her apartment door just as I was sliding the key into the lock of mine.

Screaming my name in excitement, she grabbed my shoulders from behind.

That sent both of my hands into the air, and my keys and phone crashing to the floor.

My phone was my first concern, but luckily the heavy-duty case that I was talked into buying by the smartphone salesman saved my screen.