Indigo Nights (Nights #3)(46)

“And anyway, I want to take you to this gala. This is our first date, and I’m not meeting you there. I just pulled up to the hotel. I’ll see you in a few.”

I raced up to the twelfth floor and used the key Beth had given me. As the door sprang open, my breath caught in my throat as I came face-to-face with the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. She stood looking out of the window, her back bare and red velvet flaring out from her tiny waist. I’d never seen her hair up—it felt so good trailing against my skin that I couldn’t ever have imagined wanting to see it up—but now, it gave me a better view of her perfect skin and that delicious neck. “You’re a goddess.”

She smiled at me over her shoulder. “And you have perfect timing. Can you help me with this necklace?”

I wasn’t sure if, once I started, I’d be able to stop touching her.

I let the door slam closed as I strode toward her, my cock tightening with every step. Sliding my hands around her waist and dipping my head into her neck, I took a deep breath. “You smell like cinnamon.”

She laughed. “That’s your imagination.”

I took her necklace and fastened the clasp, my hands smoothing down her neck to her waist, then pulled her back against me.

“We don’t need to be there by six thirty. In fact, we don’t need to go at all.”

She tilted her head so it rested against my chest. “We do need to be there by six thirty, but we don’t have stay too late. How about that?” She pushed her perfect ass against my now rock-hard cock and I groaned.

“Are you sure I can’t convince you to ditch the whole thing?”

“I’m sure. I think a man as successful as you can control his penis for a couple of hours. I Googled you today. Apparently, you’re quite the eligible bachelor about town.”

I chuckled. “You Googled me? You didn’t think about doing that before we had sex the first time?”

She slid her hands over mine. “Apparently I liked your tight ass too much to be bothered by what Google had to say.”

“My tight ass likes you back.” I kissed her neck. “Right, if you insist on going to this dumb gala, I’m going to grab a shower.”

She swiveled around in my arms. “Do me a favor?”

“Anything.” I traced the swell of her breasts with my thumb, desperate to taste her. I wasn’t going to be able to keep my hands to myself this evening.

“Keep this,” she said, scratching her nails over my five o’clock shadow. “I like it against my skin.”

I groaned. “You’re killing me.”

“But it’s such delicious torture.” She grinned.

Less than an hour later, we were pulling up outside the Drake Hotel. I ignored the flashes of the cameras as I stepped out of the car and rounded the trunk to open the door for Beth.

She looked confused at the attention, but I held out a hand. “Why are there photographers here?”

“Publicity for the charity,” I explained.

I put an arm around her waist and pulled her toward me.

“Mr. James, who’s your date tonight?” one of the photographers yelled. Beth looked up at me and I grinned at her, leaning toward her and placing a small kiss on her pouting mouth. The flashes of the cameras intensified.

“This is Beth Harrison. Baking goddess and my girlfriend,” I replied to the photographer.

“Can we get inside?” she whispered through her smile.

I chuckled.

“As in Baking with Beth on A Chicago Saturday?” another photographer asked. “The trailers have just started to air.”

“Apparently, it should be me Googling you.” I squeezed her again and led her inside.

“My show hasn’t even gone out and frankly, given the disastrous day yesterday, it probably never will.”

“My sweet, it wasn’t disastrous. It was television.” Now was a perfect moment to confess that Raf and I owned Raine Media and WCIL TV, but I didn’t want to complicate anything. Our ownership didn’t and wouldn’t impact her in any way. We didn’t get involved with commissioning the programming in any detail. We just approved policy and strategy decisions. I didn’t have time or the inclination to explain that all to her. I’d do it before she left to go back to London.

As we entered the hotel, we were immediately offered champagne. Out of habit, I reached to accept a glass on Beth’s behalf before realizing what I was doing, and I set the glass back down.

“You can drink, Dylan. It doesn’t bother me.”

“No, sorry, I never drink on occasions like this. I was getting a glass for you but then—”

“If you don’t drink at events like this then there’s something wrong with you. I imagine it would be much more fun.” She scanned the lobby, her head tilted toward the candelabra. “I wonder if I could make a cake that pretty.”

“I think you could do whatever you set your mind to.” I dipped my head and kissed her on the cheek.

I spotted Raf coming toward us. He glanced to my left and his eyes widened. I saw the word f*ck form on his lips. I grinned. Yeah, she had that effect on me, too.

“How did you get so lucky?” He shook my hand and slapped me on the back before taking a step back and raising Beth’s hand to his lips.