start with your bedroom! Her stomach let out a loud growl, and she cringed. Ugh. How sexy is that?
Tarquin snickered. “We’ll order dinner after, okay?”
Her heart sank. Nooo. This evening is turning into a date. I don’t want to be rude but… just get those trousers off! She nodded. “Sure.”
Tarquin’s private elevator whisked them straight to the penthouse’s second-highest floor: the tenth-floor rotunda. The steel door slid open, and he apologized in advance for the chill—“The bloody damp sneaks through the glass up here”—then, he introduced the room as “an octagon-shaped reading nook.”
Nook? It’s bigger than my bedroom. Leia’s eyes toured the sparsely decorated, dimly lit space, home to two cobalt blue couches, a small glass table topped with neatly stacked travel and architecture books, and a well-loved drum kit. Several large framed black and white photographs of old buildings adorned the walls, but apart from the rotunda’s floor-sweeping curtains and the steel ladder leading up to the domed-roof gallery, that was it. No floor lamps, no pillows, no cat…not even a whisker. Leia kept a chuckle to herself. Nice mood lighting. Is this part of his seduction routine?
“You’re gonna love the 360-degree view…it’s pretty unrivalled.” Tarquin left his glass on the table and traded Leia for one of the curtains, the soaring glass windows guaranteed to show London in all its glory.
“Wow, 360, eh?” Leia glanced down at her drink. I bet it’s incredible, but that’s not why I’m here. Damn. Should I make the first move?
He grasped the weighty indigo curtain and pulled it back, revealing the distant glow of the financial district.
“Oh! It’s”—Leia’s eyes fell to something much closer—“ah-mazing.” She sucked in a breath, staring at his ass as Tarquin fussed with the curtain’s tieback. Where have YOU been hiding? Under suit jackets and long coats, that’s where!
“You’ve got your pick of terraces—one north, the other south.” He peered beyond the glass. “Ah, bugger, it’s raining”—he tossed a glance over his shoulder—“but come see anyway. It’s definitely worth a look.”
Yeah, a closer one… preferably naked. Her heart thumped wildly, desperate to tear away his dark jeans and his confident persona to uncover what he was really made of. She set down her St. Clements beside his raspberry drink and joined him, the outside chill creeping through the windows, raising goose bumps on her skin.
“I’ll never grow tired of London.” Tarquin soaked up the multi-million-dollar view, his fingers restless, curling under the hem of his sweater.
Hmm. But I’ll definitely grow tired of waiting. He hasn’t even tried to kiss me since the rink. Leia furrowed her brow and looked out at a cluster of skyscrapers she didn’t recognize across the river, twinkling like priceless jewels in the drizzly night. If he plays the field like his friends say, why’s he acting like he’s sat on the sidelines? Round and round, she spun the delicate rose gold chain around her left wrist. Is he waiting for me to make a move? Or having second thoughts? Why even bring me here if… She let go of her bracelet and pursed her lips. Well, if he’s not willing, I’ll find someone else. I don’t have time to dance around whatever this is. There are LOTS of hot guys in London.
Staring ahead, Tarquin sighed. “Leia, I have to be honest about something.”
Oh! Here we go—‘I’m still in love with Alex.’ Yep, got it. Jutting out her chin, she braced for his excuses to fly. No harm, no foul. If I leave soon, I can grab late dinner with Saz. She tugged the hair tie on her wrist and focused on the Tower of London glowering across the Thames.
Tarquin shook his head. “I can’t stop thinking about you.”
But… Leia’s hair tie snapped against her skin.
He briefly closed his eyes then swung around, his gaze unguarded, breaths ragged. “You’re smart and inspiring…and I fancy the pants off you something rotten.”
The weight of his stare blazed heat through her core. So, he does want me. She swallowed heavily and brushed the skirt of her dress, unsure what to do with her hands. All the playful banter, the flirting, the near-kisses—it wasn’t a time-wasting game at all—unless a but was still coming.
She angled closer, mesmerized by his soft lips gently parting, begging to be teased and explored. Tarquin, I’ll kiss you so hard you won’t remember your own name. Watching him slide his silver ring up and down his left thumb, a primal need ached between her thighs. No feelings, just hot, uninhibited sex.
Leia was ready