I See London 1 (18 page)

“We should probably go eat,” I whispered, my body a haze of emotions. We had just gone from zero to sixty in no time at all and as always, I was playing catch-up.

Hugh got out of the car, opening the car door for me. The move was so smooth, so graceful, it took my breath away.

He led me into the restaurant, my body pressed against his side, his hand on the small of my back, guiding me forward through the crowd. I reveled in the feel of him behind me, the knowledge that he was there, that I was on his arm, bolstered my confidence. Tonight I felt beautiful.

The restaurant was everything Hugh promised and more. It wasn’t as fancy as some of the places I’d been. Rather, the decor was clean and modern, everything sleek while still being comfortable. It was perfect.

I normally would have been too embarrassed to eat pizza in front of a guy, but the food was too good to not be fully enjoyed. We ordered a bacon-and-avocado pizza to share. It was an unlikely yet delicious combo that we topped off with a bottle of champagne. When we finished, Hugh guided me out of the restaurant, his arm wrapped around my shoulders.

“What time is your flight tomorrow?” he asked, his lips grazing my ear.

I had no idea. With him this close, the musky smell of his cologne filling my nostrils, I was pretty sure I could barely remember my own name, much less my travel arrangements. “Early. Morning, I think,” I murmured, wrapping my arms around his neck.

“Want to come back to my place for a bit?”

I hesitated. I wasn’t drunk enough for that question to not give me pause. Did I want to go back to his place? Yes…and no. I definitely wasn’t ready to have sex with him; I doubted a guy like Hugh was going to be satisfied by just making out. And I had no idea how to explain the emotions raging through me.

It wasn’t that I was even saving myself for marriage. I’d never planned on waiting that long. But I was saving myself for love. For something more. And as hot as Hugh was, and as much as I wanted to see what he looked like under that purple velvet jacket, I couldn’t throw away that one last hope that my first time would be with someone I loved.

“Why don’t we go meet up with some of my friends?” I suggested instead.

Fleur had mentioned a bunch of people were celebrating the end of semester at a new club that had just opened in Soho. The club became infamous overnight for failing to admit a pop star who showed up in tennis shoes—trainers, as the Brits called them. Now it was the hottest spot in London. Fleur had offered to put me and Hugh on the list just in case we decided to stop by. Considering the kiss in his car, the club seemed like the safest bet.

Something that might have been disappointment flickered across Hugh’s face before it was replaced by his characteristic charm. “You’re going to make me chase you, aren’t you?”

Somehow that seemed to be the easiest explanation I could offer. And if it kept him interested, I wasn’t going to correct him. “Maybe.”

He considered this for a moment, his gaze raking me over from head to toe. He winked at me, and my heart turned over in my chest.

“Could be fun.”

Chapter 25

We pulled up in front of Orion, the line in front of the club already around the block. Whatever concerns I might have had about Fleur failing to get us on the VIP list were dissolved by the way the bouncers drooled over Hugh’s car.

He grinned at me, his expression unbelievably boyish. “It has its perks.”

No kidding.

As Hugh opened my car door, I spotted Fleur, Samir, Michael and some other kids from school heading toward the club on foot. Samir had his arm around a pretty blonde. She whispered something in his ear and Samir threw his head back, laughter spilling out. Suddenly his head turned, his gaze sharpening on the car first before traveling to me. For a moment our gazes locked. He didn’t look happy to see me.

I jerked my head away.

Guilt filled me. A few weeks ago I’d been straddling Samir in the back of a car. Now I was with Hugh. I tried to tell myself Samir didn’t care, that none of it mattered. It was hard to do when I read the accusation in his eyes.

I ignored the pang that landed somewhere in the vicinity of my heart.

“Maggie!” Fleur walked over, giving me a quick hug. “I’m glad you made it.” She exchanged hellos with Hugh, her gaze drifting to the Ferrari behind him.

“I’m going to go park the car, babe. I’ll meet you inside.”

I turned away from him, walking toward the entrance, linking arms with Fleur. I wasn’t exactly dressed for a club tonight with my long sleeves, but I figured it was enough to get me in. And if I couldn’t get past the bouncers, then linking arms with Fleur was definitely the trick. She looked amazing tonight.

“Oh, my god, you did not tell me about the car,” she hissed as soon as Hugh drove away.

I grinned. “Pretty amazing, right?”

“That car is seriously hot. Have you driven it?”

“Are you crazy? His car is probably worth more than my life.”

“I’m sure you guys can come up with some kind of a reasonable trade.” She winked at me, a knowing grin spreading across her face.

“Ha, ha.”

“You look good, by the way. Especially your hair.”

“Okay, are you guys not going to fill me in on who the fine guy in the Ferrari is?”

We both turned at the sound of Michael’s voice.

“Of course we’re going to fill you in,” I answered, looping my other arm through his. We followed the group into the club while I shared all of the details of my date with Hugh.

“Who do you think made that jacket?” Michael asked. “Gucci? It looks like it’s Gucci.”

I giggled. “I have no clue. He’s pretty much perfect, though, isn’t he?”

“Yes, he is.” Fleur pulled a face. “If you weren’t such a good friend, I could hate you, you know…” Her eyes narrowed as her voice trailed off. “What the fuck is he doing?”

I followed her gaze. Samir had completely taken over the VIP table with his posse of girls. Three of his Arab friends sat there, Omar among them, but the rest of the chairs were occupied by girls, most of whom were wearing what definitely looked more like lingerie rather than actual clothing meant to be worn in public.

“Classy.” I didn’t bother keeping the bite out of my voice.

Fleur rolled her eyes. “He’s been a pain in the ass lately. I don’t know what his fucking problem is, but it’s getting old fast.”

The girl whispered something to Samir and he threw his head back, laughing.

I was definitely going to need another drink.

I grabbed one of the shots the waitress was passing around, tossing it back in one motion. The tequila hit my throat with a burn. I coughed.

Fleur’s eyes widened. “You okay?”

“Fabulous.”

Samir stopped talking to the girl and stared at me. He opened his mouth like he was going to say something but then he closed it. Annoyance flashed through me like a lightning storm.

“Something you wanted to say?” My voice had a bite, my smile bordering on feral.

“Be careful.”

I glared at him. “I’m fine. I don’t need a babysitter.”

To prove my point I grabbed another shot of tequila. This time I was ready for the burn, the liquid going down in a smooth gulp.

Something flashed in his eyes. Anger, frustration, judgment—who knew and I didn’t care. The girl on his arm whispered something but he ignored her. “How much have you had to drink tonight?”

Half a bottle of champagne at dinner. Two shots of tequila. I wasn’t drunk—just squishy.

My eyes narrowed, my gaze lingering on the flavor of the month. The petty part of me hated that she was my polar opposite. If Samir had a type, it definitely wasn’t me.

“None of your business. But thanks for your concern, mom.”

I knew I was being a bitch, at least I could recognize that. I just couldn’t turn it off.

Samir shook his head, hiding those beautiful brown eyes, saying something under his breath before turning his attention back to his
date.
In one move he’d completely dismissed me.

To hell with that.

“Hey, gorgeous.”

I jumped at the sound of Hugh’s voice. He wrapped his arm around my waist, pressing a swift kiss to my neck.

“Do you guys have a table?” he asked.

“We did,” Fleur commented darkly. “Excuse me.”

Maybe this hadn’t been the best idea. There was a weird vibe in the air tonight. I hadn’t expected Samir to be here; he’d mentioned something earlier about staying in and watching a football match. The last thing I needed was for Hugh to find out about our occasional hookups. It was bad enough that Samir had seen me with Hugh. Bad enough that I had to watch Samir all over someone else.

Definitely time for another drink.

“Do you want to head to the bar?”

Hugh grinned, his hand reaching out to stroke my arm. “That isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. But yeah, a drink could be good.”

I blushed, grateful that the club’s darkness hid the stain marring my cheeks. “I’m sure there are dark corners we can check out,” I whispered playfully.

Hugh groaned, pressing his lips against my hair. “You’re driving me crazy.”

We headed over to the bar. Hugh ordered for both of us, exchanging small talk with the bartender.

“Did you know him?”

“Yeah, he applied for a job at Cobalt a few months ago. We had already filled the position, though. He’s a good guy.”

“Do you know everyone in London?” I teased.

“It helps to be well connected. Especially when you own a bar.”

I couldn’t help but think there was more to it than that. I figured Hugh would be active on the London club scene even if he didn’t own the bar. He was too cool not to be. I’d never met anyone like him. He was this hot, amazing guy, but somehow he managed to look at you and make you feel as though you were amazing, too. And it wasn’t just with me. He treated everyone like that. He was genuinely a nice guy to be around.

“Makes sense.”

Hugh leaned down, pressing a soft kiss on my lips. “Come on, gorgeous.”

I allowed Hugh to maneuver me over to a corner across the room from my friends. He leaned against the wall, sipping from his martini. I stood in front of him, holding my drink, feeling the beat of the music. I couldn’t tear my gaze away from his broad shoulders, that interesting patch of skin peeking out from the unbuttoned collar of his dress shirt. I sipped from my drink, the room tilting slightly. I wanted to unbutton the rest of the snowy-white buttons dotting down the front of his shirt. I wanted to see the rest of his body, feel his muscles beneath my hands.

Fuck Samir.

“What?” Hugh asked, tilting his head to the side. A dimple teased the corner of his mouth. I wondered if he knew the direction my thoughts had taken.

I shook my head, jerking my gaze back to his face. “Nothing.” I leaned my body closer to his, closing my eyes at the feel of his hard body pressing against mine. “I was just thinking about how lucky I was to meet you,” I whispered, my lips inches from his.

He grinned wolfishly. “I’m the lucky one.” He reached out, wrapping an arm around my waist, pulling me closer.

I set my drink down on a small table, locking my arms around his neck. The height difference between us made me essentially eye level with his chest. Given how much Hugh clearly worked out, it wasn’t exactly a tragedy.

“This is much better,” Hugh whispered in my ear, setting his drink down next to mine. His hand moved under my chin, lifting my face up so that our gazes locked. His lips traveled downward, running along the curve of my jaw before moving up toward my mouth. I giggled, the gesture sending a soft tickle through my skin.

I opened to him instantly, allowing him to control the kiss, molding my lips and mouth in whatever shape he wanted. We stood there, groping each other, doing all the things in public I knew he would much rather do in private.

“I want you,” Hugh murmured against my mouth.

After making out for nearly an hour, I was all too aware of how much he wanted me. Every sense felt alive—the feel of his hard body beneath my hands, the smell of his cologne filling my nostrils, sent waves of desire through my body.

“We can get out of here, head back to my place,” Hugh suggested, his dark eyes boring into mine. “If you want to.”

Why was I fighting it? Hugh was hot and nice and he liked me. Why not go back to his place? Maybe we wouldn’t have sex and if we did… well there were worse ways to lose your virginity than a guy who looked like a model and sounded like Hugh Grant.

I grinned, allowing Hugh to wrap his arms around me, pressing my body against his. He released me and my gaze surveyed the crowd. I tried to tell myself I wasn’t looking for the one person I had no business looking for—

I found him instantly. Samir stood with his arm around the same blonde he’d been with earlier. She was saying something to him, her body pressed up against his, her hand linked with his free one.

He wasn’t looking at her. Instead, his gaze met mine across the crowded club. It wasn’t a casual stare. His dark eyes blazed with intensity. We faced off against each other, my body tucked against Hugh’s, Samir’s arm casually wrapped around the blonde. It should have felt totally normal—we were two friends, casual ones at that—out with our respective dates. No big deal.

It shouldn’t have made me feel like crying.

The girl I used to be would never have gone home with Hugh. But I didn’t want to be that girl anymore.

“Let’s go.”

Hugh grinned. He pulled me away from the wall, leading me through the club.

Nerves filled me. My legs felt a little shaky; I wobbled a bit in my heels. We passed by my friends.

I couldn’t look at Samir.

We walked out of the club, the cold London air hitting us with a blast. Hugh pressed a swift kiss to my lips. “I’ll go get the car. I’ll be right back.”

I watched him walk away, my heart pounding. Was I really going to do this? Was I really ready? I didn’t even know anymore. But it was time for a change. Time for me to reinvent myself. Time to stop fantasizing about a guy who treated me like an afterthought.