Page 7 of Spotlight
“Come have a drink with me.” He tips his head toward his room.
“I don’t think so.”
“Why not?”
“Maybe I don’t want to.”
“Nah.” He grins and shakes his head. “That can’t be it.”
A small huff of surprise leaves my lips. The balls on this guy.
“Invite your sister too, if you want. I promise to be a perfect gentleman.”
Biting the corner of my lip, I glance inside. Ruby is probably sleeping by now, but I don’t want him to know that. I also don’t really want her to come. Which is how I realizeIwant to go. I want to spend more time talking to this guy and I don’t want to dissect it too much. And really, what could it hurt? I’m never going to see him again and it’s my last night in New York. Gigi would be proud. I can tell her I had a flirty conversation with a stranger, and she’ll stop harassing me to go out more, at least for a week or two.
“Fine. One drink.”
His grin widens and makes my stomach flip nervously. I hope I don’t regret this.
2
FLYNN
I wake up to my phone vibrating in my pocket and a warm, soft body pressed against me. My eyes flutter open and a smile curves my lips at the sight of the woman in front of me. Her hair smells like coconut. The memory from last night plays like a movie in my head.
“You smell good,” I tell her. “And I can’t get over how beautiful you are.”
She blushes. “Well, you’re hideous.”
I bark out a laugh and her lip curves into a shy smile. She’s fucking with me. That’s fine. I don’t need her to say she’s attracted to me. I feel it.
We talked all night.Justtalked. I can’t remember the last time I did that. It was… nice. More than nice. It was one of the best nights of my life. I still don’t know her name, or anything about her really, but I might know her better than any other woman I’ve met.
I shift ever so carefully. My entire body hurts. Between the tryout yesterday and falling asleep on the small hotel couch with one arm underneath her, I feel at least ten years older. Worth it.
My phone vibrates again. I move slowly, careful not to wake the mystery woman. My throat hurts from talking and my eyes burn from lack of sleep. Worth it. So fucking worth it.
I pull my phone from my pocket and grimace when I see my agent’s name on the screen. Everly is calling to give me some rousing pep talk about not giving up and saying something like, “we’ll find the right team for you.” I’m not ready for that kind of optimism just yet.
As I slip my phone back into my pocket, there’s a knock at the door. I still, wondering if I imagined it. The knock comes again, louder this time.
I manage to get up without waking the woman in front of me and pad to the door. Everly stands on the other side.
“I need you to get downstairs immediately.” The urgency in her tone has my body going alert.
“Good morning to you too.”
“Here.” She shoves mouthwash at me. She has a brush in her other hand. “Do you have a shirt that’s less wrinkled? Never mind. You’ll do.”
I glance down at my shirt. It is wrinkled. Almost like I slept in it. “What’s going on?”
“I’ll explain in the elevator. We have to gonow.”
“One sec. I—” I glance back to the couch. She’s curled up to make herself more comfortable. Blonde hair falls over part of her face, but a hint of a smile peeks out.
“Fine, I’m attracted to you,” she admits with a coy smile.
“I knew it.” I did, but hearing it lights me up.
