“AH, THERE IS NOTHING like rooftop cycling!” Afton yelled, pumping her fist into the air.
Sweat poured down my back as I peddled my stationary bike faster. Afton’s personal trainer, Mandy, was kicking our butts today.
“Come on, ladies, gimme that extra little push right here,” Mandy challenged. “Visualize that goal, focus on your breathing.”
Pushing myself hard the last two miles, I relished the burn in my legs. I focused on my breathing while I watched the sailboats rock back and forth on the water. The cinematic view of The Harbour from the rooftop of the Buchanan Building made the pain substantially less.
“And done. Good job, ladies!”
“Whoop! Thanks, Mandy!” Afton shouted.
I slowed my pace on the bike, cooling my legs from the workout. “Shit, that was intense.”
She hopped off her bike and grabbed a mineral water from the bar. “I know all I want is a big cheeseburger and some fries now.”
I huffed out a laugh. “Was that what you were visualizing?”
Afton picked up her phone and a huge smile spread across her face.
“What are you so smiley about?” My legs shook as I climbed off the bike. “Is that a guy?”
“What guy?”
I toweled off my neck and chest. “Play it that way if you want, but I think you’ve got yourself a guy.”
Ignoring my comment, she tucked her phone into her bag. “Let’s go to Rum Bar, we totally deserve it.”
“Okay, and if I get enough booze in you, perhaps you’ll tell me about this mystery guy.”
“You’re not going to drop this are you, Lo?”
“Not a chance.”
Apparently, everyone else had the same idea because the bar was packed. I needed another drink, and our server had disappeared. Walking towards the bar, I glanced back at our table where Afton and Nicholas were engrossed in a deep discussion.
“Could I get another beer?” I asked, sagging against the railing of the bar.
As I waited for my drink, I stared at the sky-blue accents that popped against the all-white walls. My eyes closed and I allowed myself a quick daydream that included Grady and an afternoon on the water. Instead of lusting after Grady, I should be focusing on launching my website. I couldn’t push it off too much longer. Haven, my publicist, had been sending me multiple emails each week urging me to settle on a new launch date.
“One blonde ale,” the bartender said with a full smile.
“Thanks, put it on our tab.”
“So far, the Zika virus outbreak is considerably narrow,” Nicholas mentioned, as I passed by the table on my way to the patio. Afton was obsessed with the latest Zika virus news. You’d think she was preparing for the end of days with the amount of bug spray she’s stocked up on.
Feeling sober-ish, I leaned against the pale-yellow, wooden railing watching two boats crawl across the water. Sipping my beer, I lost myself in my earlier daydream. My thoughts focused on Grady’s scruffy jaw, and tousled hair blowing in the breeze. I wanted to run my fingers through his hair and feel his mouth on mine. I wondered if he’d seen the tabloid headlines from Pour Fest.
“Twice in one weekend, is this fate or what?” Grady rasped in my ear.
I glanced over my shoulder for confirmation that he was really here and that the slight effects from the beer and the smell of salt water weren’t toying with my senses.
“Possibly,” I said. “What brings you out for drinks on a Sunday afternoon?” I turned around to face him, biting my lip to stifle a moan at the sight of him in a pair of grey shorts and a dark blue t-shirt. His baby blues were hidden behind a pair of aviators and his dark hair was mussed and swept over his brow.
“Would you believe that I happened to be in the neighborhood and wanted to see what the party was all about?”
“I might believe that,” I said before taking a sip of my beer.
“Actually, I am glad that I bumped into you.” He pried the glass from my hand, and then took a drink. My eyes dropped to his lips, and then to his Adam’s apple as he swallowed.
“Oh, and why is that?”
Inching closer, he passed the beer back to me. “It seems that you and I are being talked about online.”
I smiled. “It seems that you sent tongues wagging. I’m just the mystery woman.”
“Mystery woman,” he repeated, tossing his head back slightly. “I met with my agent and Haven this morning, it seems they are very interested in knowing about this mystery woman.”
“Well, it won’t take long for Haven to figure out that it’s me in the photo. She will probably want to spin it to the press that we’re dating when I launch my website.”
“What website?” he asked, flashing me a charming smile.
“What? Didn’t you know that I’m a ‘global influencer’?” I pretended to feign shock. “Cocktails and couture dot com. It’s a fashion, beauty and lifestyle website where I’m sharing my style secrets and my favorite cocktail recipes.”
“Congratulations, that’s very cool. See you are full of mystery, I guess the press was right.”
I tried desperately not to blush. Words escaped me at the moment. Harry had been my biggest supporter when I’d told him about the website. I wasn’t totally sold on the idea, but it was Harry who convinced me to go for it.
His gaze shifted to my cleavage and then his finger was trailing over my clavicle. My nipples, the jealous attention whores they were, decided this was the moment to show up to the party. With a subtle movement, my hands gripped the Kimono style cardigan I was wearing closing it over my chest.
“What’s this all about?” he asked, sliding his finger under the chain of my necklace.
Electricity raced through my blood. My eyes dropped to where he was touching my skin. Rays of afternoon sun glinted off the tiny gold pineapple charm.
“It’s a pineapple.”
“I can see that,” he mused, his eyes trained on the delicate piece of metal fruit.
His finger skimmed over the rise of my breast and a rush of tingles skittered down my spine. “I like pineapples.”
Grady’s attention turned to my lips. “That’s the entire story?”
I twirled the charm between my fingers. “I hadn’t realized that we were playing twenty questions.”
He pinned me against the railing with his hips. “Oh, I can go all night.”
Swallowing harshly, I couldn’t seem to find my words. All I could manage was a nod. The strands of lights above us flickered and the bartender rang the bell. “Blue light special! You know what that means!”
The announcement jolted me and he stepped back. Grady’s blue eyes remained fixed on me. There was no mistaking the heat between us. After spending a vast majority of my days dreaming about him, I had solid evidence that he wanted me as much as I wanted him. The fact that his erection connected with my stomach told me everything I needed to know.
“Hey, Harlow,” Afton called out. “Oh, hey, Grady.”
“Hi, Afton, Harlow was filling me in on the details of her new website.”
“It is very exciting, I see big things happening this summer for Harlow,” she replied, before pinning her brown eyes on me. “I paid the tab, and Nicholas needs to get to the airport.”
“Okay, I’ll be right there.” I looked at Grady, a wry smile playing on his lips. “I guess I need to be going.”
“Me too,” he said, dragging a hand through his hair. “I have an early practice tomorrow, there’s a match coming up soon.”
The breeze kicked up, whipping my hair across my face. “Oh, are you playing in the Stars and Stripes match? I heard that was a big deal around here.”
“I am. Would you like to be my guest?” he asked, tucking my hair behind my ear.
“Maybe.”