I opened the door and was reminded how stunning Krystal was. I knew that she realized that she was a pretty girl, but I wasn’t sure that she knew just how exceptionally gorgeous she was.
“Hello,” I said as I stepped back to let her enter. “And wow.”
Krystal seemed a little off. She looked fantastic, a fitted purple shirt unbuttoned just enough to show a decent amount of cleavage that made my mouth water. She wore fitted black jeans and boots with big metal buckles and stacked heels that added at least a couple of inches to her height. Her dark hair was perfectly messy, and I was pleased to see that she didn’t have a bunch of lipstick on. Those lips were begging to be kissed. But Krystal was acting a little odd, like she was nervous, or like something was bothering her.
“You okay?” I asked as she walked inside my room.
Krystal looked at me like my question had surprised her. “Not really, to tell you the truth. I’ve had a crazy day, and I could really use a drink.”
“What a coincidence,” I said, as I waved her over to the love seat, which had a great view of the city and mountains. “Do you like champagne?”
“I do like champagne,” she answered, bending over to sit down and revealing another tantalizing glimpse of her lower back tattoo. “But I’d probably drink anything right now.”
“Want to talk about it?” I asked, as I opened the bottle.
She sat for a moment before she answered, and it looked like she was blinking back tears. “Not right now. Maybe in a little while. Is that okay?”
I handed her a flute of champagne and set the bowl of chilled strawberries on the table in front of the love seat. “Absolutely, that’s okay. You take all the time you need, and if you don’t want to talk about it at all, that’s your business. Just let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”
She gave me a sad little half-smile and held up her glass. “Cheers,” she said as I clinked her glass with my own.
I took a sip and watched as Krystal downed more than half the glass. I stood up and went to get the bottle to top her off.
“Thanks,” she said. “Not very classy, I know, but if I get a drink in me, I’ll chill out a little. Right now, I feel a little scattered.”
“No problem,” I said, trying unsuccessfully not to think about whether or not my chances with Krystal might be better if she had a couple of drinks. Hell, my chances of being able to muster the courage to make a move might be better if I had a few drinks!
“This is delicious,” she said, looking at the tiny bubbles in her glass. “What’s the name of it?”
“I didn’t even look,” I said, picking up the bottle. “Wow, that’s a lot of French,” I said, as I tried to figure out how to pronounce everything on the label without looking like an idiot. “Pommery Cuvee Louise,” I finally announced, fairly certain that I’d said it somewhere close to right.
“I haven’t had a lot of champagne, but this one’s my favorite,” Krystal said with a flirtatious smile.
I leaned forward and tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. “Maybe it’s the company.”
“No,” she answered, wicked smile on her face. “I’m pretty sure it’s the champagne. Or maybe the view.”
She leaned back against the cushion at the end of the loveseat, and her shirt stretched open a little between the buttons over her breasts. I caught a glimpse of black lace over the curve of her breast, and I realized that Krystal was watching me watch her.
She sat up and leaned closer to me. “Thanks for the drink. I’ve actually been looking forward to this evening all week.”
All I could see were her lips, full and tempting. I made myself look away.
“Me, too.” I tried to discreetly adjust myself inside my jeans, and I was glad that my untucked shirt hid the fact that I was completely erect. She was intoxicating, and I wanted her. I realized that I might even want her badly enough to make a move even though she belonged to someone else, at least partially.
“Have you spent any more time with Sable and Joker?”
Goddammit, I’d missed another chance.
I polished off my glass of champagne and refilled it. “Actually, I’ve spent a lot of time with them.”
“Going well?”
“Surprisingly well. Sable is a little more reserved than Joker, but he’s acting like we’re best buddies who’ve known each other for years.”
Krystal smiled. “That sounds like Sable and Joker. She always takes her time — evaluates everything, and Joker just dives in headfirst. They’re so completely different that I can’t imagine how they’ve stayed married for as long as they have.”