It’s what makes hanging out with Christian so convenient. His invites are a guarantee.
I take another sip of my drink, a bigger one this time, to quell my fear, and then casually turn to glance toward the front of the bar.
The entire world slams into slow motion.
It sounds cliché as hell, like some bullshit out of the movies, but that’s exactly what happens when I see him, moving confidently through the crowd, the smile on his face self-assured and sexy. The plain t-shirt he wears is tight on his muscular form, but not too tight—this is a man who knows how to dress himself, and the cut of his jeans does him all kinds of favors.
It’s him.
Holy fuck, he’s hot. The picture didn’t do him justice. The picture didn’t tell me how the sharp line of his jaw would look in the multicolored lights bouncing around the bar, the darker shadows emphasizing the chiseled lines of his face. The picture didn’t tell me that he would move like a jaguar, power barely contained in the frame of his body, each movement somehow sensual and strong at the same time.
He’s coming right toward me.
I resist the urge to look behind me, because this man—sex on two legs, an angel ripped from the pages of GQ but without the high fashion—cannot possibly want to spend time with me. Next to him, I might as well be dressed in sweats, my hair tossed up into a messy bun, half-asleep.
Heads turn toward him as he approaches, but he never stops.
I can feel my pulse pounding loudly in my ears.
Then he’s closing the final gap between us, and I suck in a breath.
“Hey,” he says, looking down at me, his green eyes lit from within by excitement. “You’re Jessica0607?”
“Yeah,” I say hoarsely, and at the sound of his voice—smooth, deep, fucking gorgeous—my panties are even damper than they were a moment ago when I first laid eyes on him. “It’s not the most creative name, but it works for the Internet.” I swallow hard. “You’re AlecToday?”
He laughs, a beautiful sound, his eyes locked on mine. Women are still eyeing him from all around the bar, but he doesn’t turn his attention away from me.
I’m not a flighty woman. Yeah, I might pick up and move more often than the average person, but I’m not the kind of girly-girl who has to fan herself whenever a hottie walks by.
Or at least I wasn’t.
“That’s me. But you can call me Alec.”
“Jessica,” I answer.
I can’t tear my eyes away from him. All of me feels ablaze, and he hasn’t even touched me yet. He just looks into my eyes, then runs his fingers through his hair. The next moment, his face breaks into a half-smile that sends pure lust rocketing down my spine, landing in the space between my legs.
Whoa, Jess, I tell myself sternly. Don’t even think about breaking the rule for this guy. You don’t even know him!
My irritating inner voice is drowned out by Alec’s deep, smooth voice.
“Well, Jessica,” he says, and for the first time I register his British accent. “Can I start by buying you a drink?”
The suggestion in his voice sweeps me away. This is where it starts…but not where it ends.
Chapter Six
Alec
Even from across the bar, she’s incredible.
The black skinny jeans hugging the curve of her ass, the kitten heels giving her just a little extra height, the lacy black halter top that gives me a goddamn amazing view of the curve of her shoulders and arc to her collarbone—the ensemble works for her like you wouldn’t believe.
Her body is perfection, lithe with delicate curves, and her face knocks me out: big expressive blue eyes that track my every motion as I navigate the crowd, full lips that part slightly when she notices me watching her as closely as she’s watching me.
But what I see is nothing compared to what I feel standing a foot and a half away from her, leaning in close to be heard over the din of the bar.
Assured confidence radiates off of her, but there’s a hint of uncertainty there, too, that I find absolutely irresistible.
The only thing that saves me from turning into a quivering mess of nerves in front of her is the years and years of practice I’ve had in the public eye. I silently thank my asshole father for insisting that we get lots of experience in front of crowds, because my heart is racing a million miles an hour just looking at her, but I don’t let my anxiety show on my face.
“Hey,” I say, looking down into her wide eyes. Standing this close, I can see that they’re a startling shade of blue, a rich blue that reminds me of deep water. “You’re Jessica0607?” Her username on the dating app was startlingly innocuous for the most gorgeous woman on the planet.