A Week in New York (The Empire State Series Book 1) (4 page)

I really hadn’t thought this through. Was I going to go over and speak to
her? Ask her out? Fuck.

I shrugged but didn’t look.

“Seriously, I think it is. Take a look,” he pushed.

I glanced over my shoulder and my eyes locked with hers. I couldn’t help
but grin. She looked shocked and blushed but didn’t look away. I knew how far
that blush dipped beneath her shirt.

“Excuse me a minute,” I said.

“Careful. You might have to marry her if you speak to her after you’ve
fucked her.”

There was something in her eyes that hadn’t been there the night before.
She looked … relaxed.

“Nice to see you again, girls,” I said as I arrived at the table. Except
I was looking only at Anna, who was smiling at me. That was a good sign.

“Wow, this is a small town,” Leah said. “Some things are just meant to
happen, I guess.”

I pulled my eyes away from Anna and looked at Leah, who was looking very
happy. That was another good sign. Anna couldn’t be pissed that I hadn’t been
there when she woke up, given Leah’s welcome.

“Nice to see you again. Are you two enjoying your day?” My eyes went back
to Anna. She looked great. None of the makeup from last night, and it suited
her.

“Join us,” Leah said. I caught Anna shoot her a warning look.

“I’m sure Ethan has better things to do than join us for lunch,” Anna clipped.

“I don’t, actually.” I gestured at Andrew to come over. “We’re joining
this table,” I said to a passing waiter. I moved to Anna’s side of the booth
and she scurried along the bench. I rested a hand on her thigh and she stopped
moving away from me. She might not want me here. She might have wanted me to disappear
after last night, but now I was here and I could change her mind.

Andrew came over, clearly a little confused. I hope he played along and
didn’t say anything that made me want to punch him. Unlikely.

“So, do you two work together?” Leah asked.

Anna’s leg began bobbing up and down. She was nervous. Cute.

I moved my hand, stroking her and pushing her skirt slightly farther up
her thighs. She tensed and I grinned as she gave me an imploring look.

Andrew was chatting away to Leah, telling her about his job.

“You’d left when I came back from my run,” I said so only she could hear.
“I was hoping to give you a morning workout.”

She blushed again but didn’t reply.

“I’d like to see you again.” The words came out before I realized what I was
saying. Why else was I here? I wanted a bit more of her. Just another night and
I’d quench this thirst I had for her.

“Ethan.”

“Dinner tonight?” I asked, ignoring the warning in her voice.

“That wasn’t the deal.”

“I don’t remember making a deal,” I said as my fingers dipped under the
hem of her skirt.

“I have
rules
,” she whispered.

“Give me your phone.”

Her hand covered the phone on the table and my hand moved up her thigh.

“Ethan,” she whispered.

I grazed the seam of her underwear. “Give me your phone and I’ll stop.”

She looked me directly in the eye and dropped the phone into her purse.

Fuck. She wanted this. I slid my fingers under her underwear and found
her beautifully wet for me. My heart raced as I dragged my fingers along her
sex. She moved forward and put her elbows on the table, joining the
conversation between Andrew and Leah. My fingers found her clit and I started
circling. She agreed with Leah on something she was saying about their morning.
I couldn’t hear. I wasn’t listening. She was a great actress. It was like she
wasn’t fazed by the fact I had my fingers all over her. I found myself watching
the three of them as if I weren’t there. All I could concentrate on was the
sweet pussy coating my fingers, like honey dripping from her. I could feel
myself hardening. Could I maneuver us to the restrooms? I wanted to be inside
her.

The waiters appeared with our food. Without looking at me, Anna reached
into her bag and handed me her phone. I wasn’t sure if I was pleased or
disappointed. I withdrew my hand from her underwear and wiped my fingers on my
napkin.

I typed my number into her phone and then pressed Call. I felt the
familiar vibration against my chest. I saved my number on her phone and tried
to think about something—anything—that would stand my dick down. Andrew was
talking about proposing to Mandy. That would do it.
Thanks, dude
.

“So you’re living the fairytale?” Leah asked.

“No,” Anna said. “You’re living the fairytale. Daniel was the last
handsome Prince out there. The rest of them…” she shook her head as she trailed
off. Someone had clearly done a number on her. Idiot.

“So what are you up to this afternoon?” I asked. I didn’t like to see
that sadness in her.

“Well, Anna needs to rest. She didn’t get much sleep last night.” Leah
winked at me and Anna rolled her eyes. I laughed. She’d rolled her eyes at me
last night. I didn’t often have that effect on women.

“We’re just going to go back to the apartment and lay like broccoli, be
still like vegetables, and watch movies,” Anna said.

“Well, I have a lot of construction to do so we better make a move.”

“Construction?” Andrew asked.

“Come on. Let’s leave these ladies to their afternoon of
Pretty Woman
.
Nice to see you again, Leah.” I turned to Anna. “And you.” I cupped her jaw.
“I’ll call you about dinner.” And I kissed her square on the lips, for just a
second longer than was appropriate.

“Dude,” Andrew said to me as we walked out the restaurant.

“Don’t say a fucking word,” I warned.

Anna

“He likes you, Anna,” Leah said. “Anna?”

“I heard you. I don’t want to talk about it. There’s nothing to say.”

“But don’t you think it’s amazing how you bumped into each other, like,
just hours after you left him? It’s like fate bringing you together or
something.”

It
was
weird how we bumped into each other. And there was none of
that post-casual sex awkwardness. I supposed he had had lots of practice.

“Leah, I’m going to have to kill you or throw up on you unless you stop
talking.”

Ethan and Andrew had just left.

“Excuse me.” I gestured to the waitress. “Please can we have the check?”

“The check has been paid, ma’am. Mr. Scott said you can order anything
you like. Can I bring you something else?”

Mr. Scott. Mr. Scott.

“Ma’am?”

“Oh. Nothing. Thanks.”

Leah was grinning at me like the cat that got the cream.

“Right, let’s go and get in bed and watch movies,” I said, ignoring her
grin.

“
And
he knew you were quoting
Pretty Woman
when you were on
about the broccoli thing.”

“Shut up, Leah.” I’d caught that, too. It was cute.

“He’s, like, your perfect match.”

“Shut up, Leah.”

“He’s very sexy.”

He was. I pushed my lips together to stop myself from smiling. “If I hear
another word out of you about it I’m going to change my flights and go home.” I
shifted out the booth and then we were in the oppressive heat.

“Let’s get a cab back to Daniel’s,” I said, holding out my arm.

“Ok, just one more thing, and then I’ll shut up.” I didn’t say anything.
“I saw you give him your phone. Did he give you his number?”

I shrugged as I moved toward the cab that had pulled in.

“Is that a yes?”

“I’ve not looked. I guess he did.”

“And did he ask you out again?”

Had he? I couldn’t remember. He’d said something. His touch had been
distracting. I could still feel him between my legs.

I shrugged again. “I can’t remember.”

“You can’t remember if someone who looks like that asked you out?” Leah
scoffed. “He’s almost as handsome as Daniel.”

“He’s way hotter.” I grinned.

“I knew you liked him!”

“I didn’t say I didn’t know he was hot. Jesus. I slept with him. I’m
clearly attracted to him. I’m just not interested in having more than one night.
With anyone.”

“Who said anything about a relationship?” Leah asked. “Just enjoy a fling
and see where it goes.”

“It’s not going anywhere. It’s not like I’m going to bump into him
again.”

“He’s going to call you.”

“Whatever.”

***

This was what vacations were all about. Wrapped up in the world’s softest
duvet, in PJs, eating chocolate and watching movies. Leah and I were arguing over
which movie to play next. Obviously, we’d started with
Pretty Woman
.
Although Leah protested about watching it for the millionth time with me, I knew
she secretly loved it.

“There’s no way I’m watching
The Vow
. It’s a bullshit film,” I said.

“You know it’s not bullshit. It’s one of your favorite films ever. But we
don’t have to watch it if it’s going to make your mood plummet farther downhill.
What about
Sweet Home Alabama
?”

“If it hasn’t got Ryan Gosling in it, I’m not interested.”

“You don’t think Josh Lucas is hot?”

“I’m not saying he’s not hot. I just think Ryan is hotter.”

“Ryan has a funny eye.”

“How can you say that? He does not!”

I heard my phone ring from somewhere in the bed and I dived below the
duvet to retrieve it. Fuck, where was it? The name “Sex God” flashed up on the
screen and I grinned. I should ignore it. But as I didn’t actually know who it
was, although of course I did, I pressed Accept.

“Are you stalking me?” I answered.

“No, I’m calling you. Calling someone after a night of incredible sex is
not normally considered stalking, as far as I’m aware. But I like the way you
see the words ‘Sex God’ and you assume it’s me calling.”

He thought the sex was incredible, too?
I’d supposed it was par
for course for Roman gods like him. I squeezed my thighs together.

“Oh.” It was all I could think to say.

“So, I’ll pick you up at 7 p.m.”

Leah was grinning at me so I sidled into the bathroom, shut the door, and
perched on the bath, chewing my finger.

“Anna?”

“Uh huh.”

“7 p.m.”

“I …”

“Tell me your address so I can pick you up.”

“I can’t leave Leah. I’m staying with Leah and Daniel. It’s rude.”

Leah popped her head around the door. “You can totally leave me and
Daniel.”

“Leah, get out. And stop listening at the door! Unbelievable.”

Ethan was laughing. “So, 7 p.m.?”

“You’re persistent.”

“Apparently I am when it comes to you.”

God, he knew just the right thing to say. “820 Fifth Avenue. The
Penthouse,” I said.

“I’ll see you at 7 p.m.”

And he hung up.

It was fifteen minutes to 7 p.m. and I was pacing up and down. I
shouldn’t be doing this. Last night was meant to be a one-off.

“I shouldn’t be doing this,” I said to Leah, who was fiddling about in
the kitchen, trying to make us cocktails.

“Got it. It tastes almost like a proper one.”

She came out the kitchen and handed me what I think was meant to be a
mojito.

“Drink it,” she ordered.

I took the drink and sniffed it.

“It’s not going to poison you.”

I needed a bit of liquid courage, so I took a sip. My eyebrows shot up. “It’s
good,” I said.

Leah nodded. “I told you. Listen: Just have a good time tonight. I don’t
know why you are so nervous. He’s hot, but so are you.”

“And that, Leah Thompson, is why I love you.”

She beamed. “Right back at you.”

I didn’t know why I was nervous. It wasn’t because I was about to have
dinner with a Roman god. Well, that wasn’t the whole reason. I guess I was just
so sick of trying to find the right guy and going through this process of
getting dressed up, flirting, touching, kissing. Sharing things and then being
hit with the inevitable realization that he wasn’t the right guy. It had just
been another waste of time. It was exhausting. I was sick of it.

Ethan definitely wasn’t the right guy. Way too smooth. Way too charming. Way
too 3,000 miles away. Way too …

The intercom buzzed and Leah answered.

“You look beautiful,” he said when I opened the door. He kissed me on the
cheek. What else could I do but let him? He was way too hot.