He wanted to throw an enormous party so she was damn near guaranteed to show up so he could pounce and charm the hell out of her. It wasn’t exactly my preferred method of spending an evening. But as his friend and wingman, I owed it to Tuck to do everything I could to make sure he got laid. Even if it meant hosting a huge party when I’d rather be spending time with the woman of my dreams.
How long had she even been at the party? I was a couple of drinks in when she arrived, looking gorgeous as ever. My heart jumped when I opened the door and saw her standing there. I wanted so badly to throw my arms around her, scoop her up, and carry her toward my bedroom so the two of us could spend the rest of the night together. If the beach house hadn’t already been packed with people, I would’ve done just that. But as it was, I played it cool, not wanting to give away our relationship to anyone.
Maybe I played it too cool?
Things were chaotic since I was hosting the party. I should’ve hired bartenders and waiters to help out, but I’d sort of thrown the whole thing together at the last minute. I ended up spending the entire time running around, trying to make sure everyone was having a good time. I bet Aria thought I was avoiding her or I didn’t want her there.
The few times we ran into each other, it was because she bumped into me as I refilled drinks in the kitchen. I wanted to take her aside and tell her I just needed some time to make sure the party was firmly on its feet, then I could spend the rest of the evening with her without a second thought. But before I could even get to that stage, she left.
I looped the house a dozen times, looking for her, asking people if they’d seen her, hoping she’d perhaps ducked into the bathroom or something. I checked my phone and saw she hadn’t even bothered to text me that she was leaving.
I didn’t get it. Why would she go through all the trouble of sneaking out of her place in LA, drive up to Sand Dollar Beach, and turn up at the beach house where she didn’t know anyone but me only to leave before the two of us got a chance to talk?
Maybe she got bored. Last night, though fun, had been pretty far removed from the kind of thing she was used to back in LA. My family had a shit ton of money, but I couldn’t imagine the kind of Hollywood glamor she was accustomed to. New York real estate and Hollywood celebrities seemed like two different worlds.
I’d left for my run and had it in my head I might bump into her while I was out. But I didn’t really put much stock in it until I saw Betsy playing in the sand outside her place. I sped toward the dog, looking around for Aria, and finally, my gaze fell on her. She was wrapped in a robe and looked like an old-school movie star, waiting for her close-up.
“Hey,” I said, panting when I got close enough to talk to her. She hadn’t noticed me coming, and she lifted her head, looking surprised.
“Oh, hello.” She managed a smile even though I could tell it was a little forced. “What are you doing here?”
“I was just running,” I said, trying to play it cool.
“And hoping you’d run into me?” She raised her eyebrows playfully, and I grinned, knowing I’d been caught.
“You got me,” I admitted. “You get my text this morning?”
She nodded and said, “Yeah,” avoiding my gaze. “I was going to get back to you as soon as I got back—”
I cut her off, wanting to get in there first. “It’s okay if you’re…if you’re not interested.”
“Oh, I’m interested,” she quickly said, as though it was something she needed me to know without any equivocation. “It’s just last night wasn’t what I expected.”
“What did you expect?”
“I don’t know…” She trailed off, looking at me. “I thought you’d spend more time with me. I came all the way from LA to be here, and you spent the entire night running around after your friends.”
“I was trying to make sure everyone had a good time.” I sighed, catching her hand in mine. As soon as our fingers connected, it was like someone had stuck mine into an electrical outlet. A jolt passed from her skin to mine, and I knew for certain she felt it. “Sorry,” I said. “I won’t do that again.”
“And that’s why you ran all the way down here this morning?” She raised her eyebrows at me. “To beg forgiveness?”
“Kind of. Are you staying another night?” I asked.
She shrugged noncommittally, as though she could be convinced but had no major plans either way.
“You should,” I jumped in, feeling a little stupid as I groped about inside my head. I took a deep breath. Okay, focus on what you’re good at. Cooking. I could invite her over for dinner, just the two of us. It didn’t get much more one-on-one than that, and hopefully, it would convince her how serious I was about spending time with her while she was here.
“Why?” She grinned, and I could see the glint of excitement in her eyes.
“I’m grilling steaks on the beach tonight,” I said, imagining the scene, the sunset, the ocean breeze. Yeah, it would be totally perfect. “You should come by. Could be fun.”
“You cook?” She raised her eyebrows, amused.
“As a matter of fact, I do. Is that so hard to believe?”
She laughed, tossing her head back. Her hair was loose and flowed over her shoulders in thick, glossy waves. I wondered how it had taken me so long to realize this woman was something more than the everyday chick on the street. And yes, her celebrity came with its downsides, but I would take every single one of those a dozen times over if it meant spending time with her.
“Will all of your friends be there?” she asked cautiously.
“Nope,” I said, softening my voice and squeezing her hand lightly. “Just the two of us.”
“That sounds nice,” she admitted, and I could tell she was wavering. Finally, she managed a shrug and smiled up at me.
“Yeah, why the hell not,” she agreed, and she reached down to scoop Betsy into her arms. The dog had been running around us this entire time, not giving me her usual amount of attention and cuddles. I reached over to scratch behind her ear, and she tilted her head back to press it into my hand. Aria laughed.
“She loves you,” she remarked, and her gaze dropped to my mouth for a brief second.
I wanted to reach out and pull her close to me, to feel her lips on mine, but the best thing I could do was give her the space she needed. Besides, there’d be plenty of time for making out on the beach later tonight.
“I guess I’ll see you later?”
“Yeah, you will.” She grinned. “What time?”
“Seven?” I suggested.
“I’ll be there with wine,” she promised, turning to head back to her house.
With a smile, I started back down the beach. Okay, so maybe the night before hadn’t turned out exactly as I’d hoped, but tonight held a hell of a lot of promise.
I glanced over my shoulder to watch her walk back up into the house, her long legs practically the same color as the golden sand. I wondered how on Earth I’d managed to convince a woman like her I was worth a minute of her time.
Chapter Twelve
Aria
“You made it!” Elliott said.