Tempting the Crown (The Crown 1)

It was a big city. Other than a phone number I didn’t know where he lived or where he worked. I could go the rest of my life and never see him again.

But he called.

I walked to the bedroom to assess the damage the crying had done to my makeup.

I splashed water on my face and started reapplying concealer and mascara. I stepped out of my suit and changed into a tank top and a pair of yoga pants. I didn’t bother with a bra. I returned to the deck with my glass of wine and sat to wait.

***

I left the sliding door open. When I heard Vaughn’s knock I paused for a minute. This was a man I had deemed a red flag. But I felt the rush of jitters in my stomach. I walked slowly, unlatched the lock, and opened the door.

“Hi.” He smiled.

“Hi.” I stepped back for him to walk inside. “Glass of wine?” I offered.

“Sounds good.”

He followed me to the deck.

I handed him a glass and he stepped to the edge of the roof, gazing down to the street. “I still can’t get over the fact that you two have this apartment.”

I nodded, guzzling the glass.

Vaughn on the roof did something to me. It was a big open space, but he captivated me in a way that should be a sin. I could think of nothing else than his lips or his strong hands. The way his shirt fitted the contours of his shoulders. I thought I had remembered those details, but something had happened in the past week. I had forgotten how gorgeous he was in person.

“Greer found it. Not me.”

He turned to face me. “The roommate who is never here?”

“That’s her.”

He nodded. “Seems like that would be a good thing. You have the place to yourself most of the time.”

“It can be quiet.” I didn’t want to open up to him about all the things I felt today. How the loneliness almost choked me when I walked into the empty apartment.

He rubbed the back of his neck. “I realize it’s probably a surprise I called or showed up after disappearing for a week.”

I stopped him before he embarrassed me. “You didn’t make any promises or break any plans. You don’t need to apologize.”

He moved closer and I felt the tingles zing through me.

“Actually, I do.”

I didn’t know if I had the energy for this now. It was one more layer of emotion and confusion on top of a heart-wrenching day.

“I was called out of town for work, and I thought I’d be back and be able to call, but it didn’t turn out that way. I was in meetings. The time zone change didn’t help and when I could call I knew you were asleep.”

“Time zone? Where were you?”

“Germany. It was supposed to be a two-day thing but it turned into a full week. I would have emailed, but we never exchanged that. I’m sorry. I feel like an ass for not telling you ahead of time. I’m not good with spur of the moment planning.”

I looked into his eyes. “You were in Germany all week?”

He nodded. “Yeah, dick move on my part. After that night at the memorial, I had every intention of asking you out for the weekend. Dinner. A movie. Something. But I was on a plane the next morning at six.”

I crossed my arms, daring myself to accept his excuse.

“When I heard your voice on the phone I thought I just better come over. You didn’t sound like yourself.”