“What?” she says innocent enough, but I’m not sure I buy it. This kind of teasing is right up her alley. “You are an accomplished guitar player and it’s a shame you don’t play anymore.”
That she knows of. Sometimes late at night when sleep eludes me…
“I’m sure if you asked him to play something for you, he would,” Alejandra offers.
She’s not exactly wrong, but put an idea in my grandmother’s head and she’s relentless, and I stopped playing for a reason. One my family doesn’t know about.
“Alejandra, you are a genius. It just so happens I have a birthday party coming up and I would love for my grandson to show off his musical talents at the event.”
I know Alejandra didn’t mean any harm, and that she knows nothing about my past, but being reminded of the last night I played and what my ex-girlfriend Miranda did, brings up bad memories. So, while I know it’s wrong, I feel the urge to retaliate. To take the focus off me and put it on Alejandra.
And that’s when a brilliant idea hits me.
“It’s funny you should mention your party. I hadn’t had a chance to tell you, but…” I step next to Alejandra and put my arm around her. We’ve been friendly enough that I don’t think she’ll mind the cozy position. “Alejandra is my date.” So much for lying not being my style.
She stiffens in my hold. Her jaw drops. Before she can contradict me, I add, “She’s something special and running into each other this morning was just the opportunity I was looking for to introduce you two.”
“That’s not true,” Alejandra says, clearly puzzled by my announcement.
“You two are dating?” Grandmother asks, disregarding Alejandra’s confusion with—dare I think—approval in her voice. She sees something in Alejandra, too.
“No,” Alejandra says at the same time I say, “yes.”
I curve my hand tighter around her waist and give a squeeze. Please go with me on this and I promise to make it good for you, the action implies. We turn to look at each other, mere inches separating our faces. I lose my train of thought for a second as I fall into her fathomless brown eyes. We both blink, and it’s then that I know I’ve got her. She may have voiced her objection, but in those beautiful depths lies desire. Interest.
“What we mean is we’ve been off and on, but we’re definitely back on now.”
“We are, are we?” Alejandra challenges, and not necessarily in a playful way. Shit. I’m making things worse, which is the last thing I want to do. Not that I expected her to react with lovesick eyes and gratitude, but a little more willingness would be nice.
“That makes me so happy,” Grandmother says, freeing me from Alejandra’s glare.
“It does?” Alejandra asks, her expression morphing into surprise as she meets my grandma’s sparkling eyes.
I hate to tell her it could probably be any woman—or man for that matter—standing beside me earning my grandmother’s approval.
Damn. This doesn’t feel as good as I thought it would. The truth is, I’d love to date Alejandra. For real. She knows that, right?
“Yes,” Grandmother says. “I’ve done some matchmaking for Drew the past few months, and now I know why he’s been so resistant.”
Alejandra darts a quick side glance at me.
I give her my winningest smile. It has minimal effect, but then she wiggles her nose like she’s trying to keep her expression neutral, and I suspect she’s more affected than she’s letting on.
“It will be lovely having you at the party. Let’s make this Insta official, why don’t we?” Grandmother pulls her phone out of her purse and squeezes in between Alejandra and me. “Drew, your arm is the longest; you take the picture please.”
“Um…” Alejandra starts.
I take the phone to do as I’m told.
“Say cheese!” Grandmother says, putting one arm around Alejandra and the other around me. She takes the phone back after I snap the photo, inspecting it before her thumbs move quickly across the screen.
“Wow,” Alejandra says. “You’re great on your phone for—” She stops abruptly, catching herself.
“Someone my age?”
“Yes,” Alejandra answers honestly, which makes her even more appealing. Most people would have tried to backtrack or come up with a white lie. “And you’re on Instagram?” She watches over Grandmother’s shoulder. “That’s impressive.”
“It’s my favorite social site.” Grandmother stops typing and looks up in thought for a moment before returning to her post. “Hashtag glad grandmother.”
Alejandra smiles. “Do you post often?”
“Every chance I get.” She tucks her phone away and turns to me. “I’ll let you and Alejandra get back to your conversation. Thank you for breakfast.”
“My pleasure. Anytime.”
“Alejandra, I look forward to seeing you again soon.”
For a few painful seconds, I think Alejandra is going to set the record straight, her silence hanging in the air like an ax about to come down and split my story into two unforgiving pieces. But then the strangest thing happens: palpable affection for my grandmother soothes her tense demeanor, and with thoughtful consideration she says, “I look forward to seeing you, too.”
Whatever the hell just happened, I owe Alejandra big time.
I kiss Grandmother’s cheek goodbye. She’s almost out the front door of the hotel when she does a one-eighty. Sudden skepticism materializes across her nimble expression. “Breakfast next Sunday. The three of us.” With that, she spins back around and leaves.
There is no pulling the wool over her eyes. She’s as sharp as they come and knows every damn time one of her grandsons stretches the truth. It’s hilarious when it happens to my brothers. Me? Not so much. I open my mouth to smooth things over with Alejandra and thank her for playing along, but I don’t get the chance.
“What were you thinking? No puedo creer que hayas hecho eso! This is not okay. You lied to your grandma. Esa dulce mujer cree que estamos saliendo!” Alejandra talks so fast that her words blend into one long sentence, most of which I don’t understand. “How dare you—”
I press two fingers to her mouth to quiet her. “I’m sorry.” The sincere apology earns me a slow blink. I drop my arm, fairly sure she’ll let me continue without interruption. “I acted without thinking and apologize for dragging you into something you didn’t agree to beforehand.”
She crosses her arms over her chest and regards me with uncertainty. I can’t say I blame her. What I did was very underhanded, but I’d do it again in a heartbeat. I saw an opportunity for more time with her, so I took it. I’m always a straight shooter rather than sneaky, but this beautiful girl, who smells like sunshine and carries herself with grace and warmth, has me acting out of character, my stomach in knots.
“Do I want to know what you said in Spanish?” I ask with my most pleasant tone, hoping to lighten the mood.
“I said ‘I can’t believe you did that. That sweet woman thinks we’re dating.’”
“Would that be so awful?”
She narrows her eyes. “How do you know I don’t have a boyfriend?”
“Do you?”
She lets out an exasperated breath. “I… No, but it’s complicated and I’m uncomfortable with what you just did.”
“Why did you go along with me, then?”
“Because…” Alejandra rolls her bottom lip between her teeth. “Because I didn’t want to disappoint your grandma.”
“I sincerely appreciate that. And again, I’m sorry. For what it’s worth, I would very much like to ask you out on a date.”
“Drew—”
“Fate brought us back together, don’t you think? It would be a shame to ignore it.”
“I don’t believe in fate,” she says to the floor. Then raising her head she adds, “Besides, I don’t even know you. You could be a serial killer who chops his victims into tiny pieces and then goes fishing and uses the body parts as bait.”
I get it. On top
of being upset, she’s unsure of me. Rightfully so. And I don’t like that I’ve made her feel this way. “You’re right. Not about the serial killer part,” I rush to say, tongue-in-cheek. “So let’s remedy that. What do you want to know about me?”
“How about—”
“Oh my God, you’re Drew Auprince, aren’t you?” the woman who I suspect is Alejandra’s sister asks as she comes to stand beside us. She openly runs her eyes up and down my body. Normally, a woman’s attention doesn’t bother me, but standing next to Alejandra, I’m uneasy with the appraisal.
“I am. And you are?”
“Gabriela. Alejandra’s sister.”
“Nice to meet you.” I shake her hand.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you knew him,” Gabriela says to Alejandra.
“I don’t really.” When Gabriela frowns at Alejandra, Alejandra adds, “It’s a long story. How do you know him?”
“He’s from one of the most prominent families in the country. I’ve seen his picture like a hundred times. He owns this hotel.”
Alejandra’s jaw drops. “You own this hotel?” She looks everywhere at once—me, the vases, her sister, the restaurant, the vases, back to me.
“Guilty.”
“I have to go,” she says nervously.
“Wait.” I put a hand on her arm. “Can I please talk to you for another minute?”
She considers my request, rolling her bottom lip between her teeth again. I can’t stop staring at her mouth. Her lower lip is plumper than the top, and I want to tug on it, too.
“I’ll meet you back at the table,” Gabriela says. “No rush. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay.”
“It is, thanks. I’ll be right behind you.”
As soon as Gabriela is out of earshot I say, “Have dinner with me tonight. You can ask me all the questions you want.”
“I don’t know.”
“Come on. What’s the worst that can happen?”
“You say nice things and I want a second date.”
“That is definitely going to happen so prepare yourself,” I say with a heartfelt smile. I have never in my life had to work so hard to get a girl to like me. I should probably cut my losses and tell my grandmother things didn’t work out. I’m a grown man and can show up to her birthday party without a date if I want to. The problem is I like a challenge and I haven’t had one in a very long time.
More than that, though, I’ve never been more attracted to a woman. Alejandra has a gentle, yet sensuous way about her that calls to me like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.
“You’ve put me in a terrible position,” she says.
I think she’s referring to my grandmother. That she’s concerned about her adds another checkmark to her growing list of qualities. She’s family-oriented, and my family means the world to me. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for them.
“I promise to put you in much better positions in the future.” A few of those being in bed. Against the wall. Bending over my favorite chair. I’m getting ahead of myself.
“You…” She shakes her head, as if to clear her mind of dirty thoughts. Good to know we’re on the same wavelength. I may not be her favorite person at the moment, considering how I pretty much roped her into a date, but she’s not immune to me. “Wait. What am I thinking?” she says. “I have to work tonight.”
“Tomorrow night then.”
“I can’t.” I wait for her to elaborate. “I’m working every night this week,” she says with a mix of disappointment and relief. “Looks like you need to find another date for your grandma’s party.”
No so fast, beautiful.
“Can I ask you a question?” I nod to Luna as she walks by with a clipboard in her hands. I’ve had a discreet eye on everything going on in the lobby while talking with Alejandra.
Alejandra twists a strand of hair at the nape of her neck around her finger. “Okay.” There’s a small slice of reluctance in that four-letter word—almost enough to get me to change my mind about us. Almost.
“Take my grandmother out of the equation. If we’d run into each other again and talked for a few minutes and I’d asked you out on a date, would you have said yes?”
She looks somewhere over my shoulder, waging some internal battle, I’m guessing. Delicate lines crease her forehead before she resumes eye contact. I don’t believe there is a lying bone in her body so I hold my breath while I wait for her answer.
“Yes,” she relents.
“I’m happy to hear that because that night in the bar wasn’t enough, Alejandra.”
Chapter Four
Sexy Surprise
Alejandra
I blow a stray hair off my forehead and hurry around the dining table at the senior center. All afternoon I’ve been off, my mind replaying my encounter with Drew over and over again until I’m practically dizzy. I shiver every time I think about his catching me touching that vase and then striding toward me like he was starved for my company, not pushing for an explanation for my unusual behavior. I can’t believe we were face-to-face again. I can’t believe after nine months he still makes my heart flutter. I stumble in my flip-flops, stubbing my big toe. “Sonofabiscuit.”
“I heard that.”
I know. That’s why I said ‘biscuit.’ Ignoring the stab of pain in my foot, I lift my head and smile at Rhoda. I’d noticed her walk into the room when I placed the last bowl and spoon on the table. “Hi, there!”
“You okay?” she asks.
“I’m fine. How are you tonight?”
“Wearing sensible shoes.” Rhoda is my no-nonsense senior. She takes her usual spot around the pinewood table, places her handbag at her feet, and puts her copy of A Summer in Europe by Marilyn Brant in front of her.
Book club is one of my favorite days of the month at the senior center. I started the club two years ago, motivated by my love of reading, and to honor my grandmother who had recently passed away. Much of my teen years were spent with my nose in a book after I discovered one of her Harlequins in her nightstand. She and I read and talked books constantly after that.
I rub at the ache in my chest. Those memories make this night a little harder than all the other nights I think about my abuela. I miss her so much.
Mrs. K. and Ethel walk in next. “Hi, guys!” I say. Mrs. K. was my third-grade teacher, hence the reason I don’t call her by her first name. I just can’t do it. It doesn’t sound right. On their heels are Gloria and Claire. The ladies talk animatedly as they get situated around the table.
The large, open-concept room includes a kitchen where we offer meal and nutrition programs and cooking classes, a dining area, and a mix of couches and upholstered chairs arranged around game tables. Now that everyone is here, I excuse myself to grab the little surprise I have for them. In addition to the gelato we’ll have after our discussion (we always tie in a special snack to the book), I bought them each a summer tote at the arts and crafts fair held at the library last weekend. The canvas bags are cute as can be in stone-washed colors and perfect for the grocery store or farmer’s market or anything else they want to use them for.
I’m halfway down the hall toward my office when I hear, “Hello, I’m looking for Alejandra.”
I freeze while a bushel of butterflies takes residence in my stomach. Drew’s here? I can’t believe he came to my place of work. My heart resumes its quick beat. When he asked me where I worked I didn’t think that meant he planned to stop by, and I’m not sure how I feel about that. On the one hand, I’m excited. I’ve thought about him a lot over the past nine months. Wondered what might have happened if I hadn’t left the bar when I did. I walked away from a sexy, charming, happy-birthday-to-me present, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t sometimes regret it.
On the other hand, he’s the only man to tempt me since Matthew left, but now with a mere month to go before Matthew and I meet up, shouldn’t I be focused on that? I don’t know what’s going to happen when we meet on the rooftop of t
he Griffith Park Observatory, and after all this time I’m not sure what I want to happen, but staying faithful a little longer is much safer than starting something with a man who likes me because I look like his celebrity crush.
I did my due diligence after leaving the hotel earlier, and googled Drew as soon as I got home. Like Gabby said, Drew Auprince is American royalty and his family is one of the wealthiest and most influential in the world with their hotel empire. He and his older brothers, Finn and Ethan, are admired by people everywhere. Since the day he was born, Drew’s been under a special spotlight.
In addition to news clippings and magazine articles about his tight-knit family, there were photos of him with beautiful women. He’s had several girlfriends, and when I’d felt an unwelcome stab of jealousy, I’d closed my laptop, done with my research.
“She’s running book club tonight. Down the hall and in the community room,” our receptionist says loud enough for me to hear.
“Thank you.”
I resume walking, mentally preparing myself for his handsome face and magnetic personality. This is my workplace. I’m a professional here and can handle Drew or anyone else who walks through our door.
He rounds the corner, our eyes meet, and I take back my previous statement. I have very little control over my thoughts and body where Drew is concerned, and instead of being levelheaded, I’m immediately drawn to him in a very unprofessional manner. Like I’m starved for sex when I’ve been perfectly fine without it since Matthew left. Drew’s dressed in olive-green dress pants and a light blue button-down with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. His hair is perfectly messy. He’s so effortlessly sexy, I suddenly don’t know what to do with myself. I end up crossing my arms.
“Hey there,” he says.
“Hi.”
“I’m here for book club.” His smile lights up the hallway. I check behind me to make sure no one’s been struck senseless. It’s all clear.
“Says the man who just found out about it,” I tease.
“Hey, I’m nothing if not adaptable.”
“Come on,” I say, for the sole purpose of leading him away from my reader posse. Introducing him to the group feels too personal too soon. Plus, he smells really good and there is no way my romance readers won’t comment on his scent. It’s their favorite hero quality. We’ve debated for hours on what exactly musk smells like. “I’ll show you to my office so we can talk and then you can go,” I add over my shoulder.
Hot Shot (American Royalty Book 3) Page 4
