I See London 1 (24 page)

A pause filled the table.

“I think you know about my skills.” His voice was matter-of-fact, but I could hear the underlying challenge in his words. It was the same challenge that always seemed to linger between us.

Just the memory of his skills had me warm all over.

Samir chuckled at my reaction. “You’re so cute when you blush. I don’t think I’d ever kissed a girl who blushed before you.”

“Shh,” I hissed. “Do you want everyone to know we kissed?”

“I’m not embarrassed.”

“Maybe I’m embarrassed,” I countered.

Samir has
bad idea
written all over him.

He snorted. “Hardly. I’m a rich, hot Arab. I’m a catch.”

I was pretty sure only Samir could deliver a line like that with a straight face.

“You’re so full of yourself.” In a really bizarre way it was almost one of his most endearing traits.

“It’s not being full of yourself if you can back it up,” Samir shot back, a smirk on his face.

I couldn’t resist the urge to goad him. “You can’t back it up. Not at all.”

“That’s not what you were saying when you kissed me.”

I glared at him. It was beyond annoying that he’d maneuvered the conversation back to the one topic I definitely didn’t want to discuss.

Samir grinned. “You’re so easy to play. I’m pretty sure anyone in this cafeteria can figure out what we’re talking about just from the expression on your face.”

It was a colossal effort not to look around to see if he was right. Samir’s lips twitched.

Ass.

“What emotion am I wearing right now?” I asked tartly, flipping him off.

He laughed. “Don’t tease me.”

I tried to ignore the fluttering in my chest. And the desire coursing through my body.

Chapter 34

I reclined back in the passenger seat of the Ferrari, my hand linked with Hugh’s. It was our first date since Valentine’s Day. Hugh had texted with a dinner invite—and an invitation to meet his friends.

“You’ll like my friends. They’re all really nice.”

I nodded, pretending I wasn’t as nervous as I felt. I hadn’t met any of his friends yet. The fact that I was likely a decade younger than most of them hadn’t escaped my notice. With Hugh it wasn’t a huge deal since we spent most of our time together—well, not talking. But with his friends—

It wasn’t as if I could distract them by making out with one of them.

“I’m excited to meet them.”

I burrowed deeper in my jacket, trying to ward off the cold. It was late February and London still hadn’t warmed up. Hugh was a big fan of driving with the top down, which was totally fine except for the fact that it both ruined my hair and made me freeze. Tonight I’d opted for putting my hair in a high ponytail in order to avoid looking like a mess when we finally got to the restaurant. I ran a hand over the top of my hair, relieved to feel everything seemed to be in order.

“Where are we going again?”

“This place called the Tiki Room. It’s a Polynesian restaurant in the Grand Hotel. They have these giant drinks made out of carved-out coconut shells and pineapples. It’s pretty cool.”

“How many of your friends are coming?”

Hugh shifted gears, changing lanes with ease. “I think six. My best mate Mike is bringing his girlfriend, Violet. You’ll like her—she’s really sweet. Julia and her sister, Katie, will probably come for a bit. And Dan and his wife, Megan.”

“Did you all grow up together or something?” I was aware of how little I actually knew about Hugh. We had talked a bit about our childhoods, but considering how much of mine was fabricated due to my fake age, I hadn’t exactly been eager to delve into childhood experiences in any great detail.

“Well, Julia, Katie and I grew up together. Our mums are friends and we lived a few streets over. I met Mike and Dan at uni.”

He had told me before that he only went to school for one year.

“What did you study?”

I was curious to know his interests. I knew he liked movies and he liked working out. But he never really talked about books he read or subjects that interested him.

“Mostly just general subjects. Basic first-year stuff.”

“Was there anything that interested you?” I prodded gently. I didn’t want him to think I judged him for not graduating—especially since he was so obviously successful without a degree. But at the same time school was such a huge part of my life; it wasn’t easy to not talk about it.

“There wasn’t really anything that interested me. Uni was pretty boring. I spent my first year working at a bar to make some extra cash and after that I knew I wanted to own my own place.”

“You’ve done well for yourself, then.”

“I’m happy. Cobalt is a good business. We do a good profit and I get along really well with my partners. I can’t really complain. There are definitely worse jobs I could have.”

He pulled up in front of a fancy hotel on the fringe of Mayfair. Hugh maneuvered the Ferrari into a parking spot before getting out and opening the door for me. I loved how much of a gentleman he always was. Guys my age never opened doors.

He took my hand in his, leading me in through the hotel’s separate entrance. Pride filled me. He wore an olive-green military-style jacket that fit his broad shoulders perfectly. Dark jeans tapered down to a pair of brown leather boots that had to be Italian. I didn’t blame everyone for noticing him. He was the kind of guy you couldn’t miss.

Hugh looked down at me, a smile on his lips. “What?”

“Has anyone ever told you you’re too perfect?” I teased.

He laughed. “Definitely not. But I’m not going to complain if you want to tell me.” He pressed a kiss to the top of my head.

I wrapped my arm through his, the feel of his strong forearm under my hand sending pleasure through my body. He was gorgeous. And I was on his arm tonight.

“Well, you are. Perfect, I mean.”

Hugh winked. “You’re looking pretty hot yourself.”

One of my Christmas shopping finds was a tailored black leather jacket I was obsessed with. I paired it with my best jeans and these amazing black leather boots that were a TJ Maxx find. It felt good to know I had his approval. When he told me I was beautiful, I felt it in every pore of my body.

I followed him through the restaurant, unable to resist gawking at my surroundings. The restaurant was decorated in a Polynesian style, giving the appearance that we were in a huge tiki hut.

Hugh waved at a large group of people sitting at a table in the corner. I straightened my shoulders, studying the group as we approached. The girls were definitely pretty but not in an intimidating way. The guys were cute and looked to be about Hugh’s age. They all looked older, but they weren’t the model-looking friends I’d feared. I said hi to everyone, slipping into the booth next to the girl Hugh introduced as Katie.

The conversation was stilted at first, probably more from my own nerves than anything else. But little by little I relaxed. Dinner was amazing. The drinks were everything Hugh promised—mine was a carved-out coconut decorated to look like a hula girl. I didn’t talk much; instead I watched Hugh interact with his friends. It was obvious that they were close—there was plenty of teasing and joking around. I answered a lot of questions but it felt comfortable.

When the meal was done we gathered our stuff to go, saying goodbye to everyone. Hugh leaned over and pressed a kiss to my cheek.

“You were great tonight.” He flashed me a smile that had my heart tumbling in my chest. “They loved you.”

It was sad how much those three words meant to me, the hope I hung on them. We hadn’t even had
the talk
yet. There had been no discussion of exclusivity—of boyfriends and girlfriends. It wasn’t a talk I even knew how to begin. I wasn’t naive, despite what Samir might have thought. I saw Hugh exactly as he was. The odds he was seeing me alone—that I was enough to hold his attention in a city as vast and slick as London—were slim. And yet, meeting his friends left me with enough hope for the possibility of us, that I felt a sense of calm with him I hadn’t felt before.

For the first time, I could see a future.

And still, my dreams were full of Samir.

Chapter 35

“What are you doing for spring break?”

I looked up from my book. Fleur stood in front of me, a huge smile on her face. I shrugged, gesturing toward my book. “Probably studying. I need to get my grades up this semester.”

“Wrong answer.”

Sometimes I wondered if Fleur and I lived on the same planet. School for me was a desperate attempt to keep my grades up so I could keep my scholarship. School for Fleur seemed to be an endless round of parties. Still, at this point I’d learned better than to argue with her. She was tenacious when she wanted to be.

“Fine. What am I doing for spring break?”

Fleur grinned, sitting down on the edge of my bed. “Picture this. A gorgeous apartment near the George V. Paris in the springtime. A group of your favorite friends. A week of shopping, fabulous lunches in cafés, the best nightclubs.”

“Sounds too good to be true.”

“It’s happening. Mya, Samir and Michael are in. I think Samir was talking about inviting Omar, but they can keep each other company. Besides, Omar’s the best person for handling Samir when he gets into one of his moods,” she added. “It’s going to be amazing. Samir’s offering up his parents’ apartment for the trip. It’s gorgeous and there’s plenty of room for everyone.”

There were way too many mentions of Samir. The secret to not hooking up with Samir seemed to be avoiding him completely. The dream thing I couldn’t control. But the rest of it? I had Hugh now. Things were good with us. I didn’t need to confuse things by hanging out with Samir again.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

Fleur pulled a face. “What’s wrong with you? How is Paris not a good idea? Everyone’s going. You have to come.”

“I don’t want to leave now. Things are good with Hugh.”

“Hugh will still be here when you get back. If you can’t go to Paris without worrying about him, then you have bigger problems.”

She was right, of course.

I hesitated.
What the hell.
“What about Samir? Does he know I’m coming?”

Fleur shot me a weird look. “Of course Samir knows you’re coming.”

“And he’s cool with it?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Yeah. Why? Has he been a dick to you lately? ‘Cause I can totally talk to him.”

“No, please don’t talk to him. He’s been fine.” I grimaced. “Is his family going to be there?”

“They’re going to be in Lebanon or Switzerland or something. It’ll just be the staff and us. The place is huge.”

I sighed, shades of the Venice trip coming back to me. “Is it even worth it for me to bother arguing?”

“Nope.”

I desperately wanted to go. Paris was on my list of places I wanted to see before I died. And we were only like two hours away by train.

“It sounds amazing,” I admitted.

“We need this trip. Things have been crazy around here. It’s the perfect opportunity to let loose for a little bit.”

I hesitated for a moment. Fleur did have a point. School had been pretty hectic this semester and my classes were even worse than the fall. But…things were good with Hugh. The idea of leaving London for a week, of not seeing him, wasn’t exactly ideal. Neither was the idea of spending a week with Samir.

On the other hand it was Paris. And I’d never been.

How much trouble could I possibly get into?

* * *

We took the Eurostar from London to Paris. Samir went on ahead with Omar. That left me, Mya, Fleur and Michael on the train. The trip was two hours, but thanks to everyone’s insistence that we travel first class, the ride was smooth and way more elegant than I ever expected. Dressed in a trench coat and a scarf Fleur assured me was very Parisian, I felt like a character in one of the Agatha Christie novels my grandmother loved.

We posed in front of the Eurostar while Michael snapped our picture.

“You ready?” Mya called out, waving me over to one of the train doors. “It’s time to board.”

This was a moment I wanted to freeze. So that later on, when I was stuck working my summer job at TJ Maxx, I could remember I had this. That for a moment I went to Paris like something out of an Audrey Hepburn movie.

I just needed the big black glasses.

“I’m ready.”

I followed Mya up the train steps, filing down the narrow aisle, past businessmen reading copies of the
FT
and elegantly dressed women sipping glasses of champagne. I slid into a seat next to Fleur.

Once the train departed the station, I spent most of the trip with my nose pressed against the glass, watching the scenery pass us by. Mya and Fleur spent most of the time drinking in the bar car. They were both excited to be spending spring break together, but the feeling definitely wasn’t the same for them.

I was the only Paris virgin in the group.

“So how are things with your man?” Michael asked, draping his arm around the back of my headrest. He slid into Fleur’s seat as soon as she left.

“He’s good. We went out to dinner with some of his friends a week ago.”

Michael’s eyebrows rose. “Meeting the friends? That sounds important.”

“I guess. It was pretty low-key. They didn’t grill me or anything. They were really nice.”

“Does that mean he’s a boyfriend yet?”

“We haven’t talked about it. I’m not even sure if we’re exclusive.”

“How is the whole sex thing going?”

“So far it’s not. I mean we make out a lot and that’s great—”

“But you haven’t actually gotten naked in front of him?”

I laughed at Michael’s bluntness. “Basically, no.”

Truthfully, things had gone further with Samir than they had with Hugh.

“What are you waiting for?”

“I don’t know. Don’t get me wrong, I want to.” I didn’t add that I’d already gone to the student health center and gotten birth control.
That
had been an experience.

“Nervous?”

“Ridiculously so.”

“I was nervous before my first time.”