Capture Me: Alpha Billionaire Romance (Hollywood Dreams) (4 page)

Liam stood so that he had several inches on me, instead of the other way around. In an instant, he was back in control. “What did you have in mind?” His husky voice prickled my skin.

Dammit. I really should have thought this one through. “Out. Let’s go somewhere.”
God, Tessa, since when did you ever come into any situation this unprepared?

Liam ran his thumb over his bottom lip and I wondered if he did already have plans. Instead of fixating on that, my eyes locked on the movement of his hand and I felt his mysterious gaze on me.

The heat between us grew so fast that I wanted to take those lips with mine. Rub my tongue across where his thumb—

“Be ready at eight. My car service will pick you up,” he said. “I have a table at Péché Mignon.”

I wondered if he’d already had the table reserved or if he was so loaded he could get a seat anywhere. Probably a bit of both. “Your guilty pleasure?” I asked.

Excitement flashed in his eyes. “Oh, I hope so.”

CHAPTER 6

Liam

“Your table, sir.” The greeter gestured to prime seating, right in the middle of the restaurant. The place to see and to be seen.

I didn’t sit.

The waiter stepped to the table. “Your usual to start?”

His words struck me. I didn’t want anything about tonight to be usual. Tessa didn’t feel like every other girl I’d dated, and it’d been a long time since I took a first date to a place like this.

Was I screwing myself over by bringing Tessa here? Going all out on day one made it practically impossible to know what a girl was really looking for.

But then, Tessa was Sadie’s friend. Perhaps I needed to make tonight something to remember.

“Do you have anything a little more private?”

The waiter’s hesitation told me what I wanted would cost. I usually preferred the choice location, but tonight, privacy was my poison. The entire place had a sleek vibe, but only the back row allowed for intimacy, exactly what I had in mind for a night with Tessa.

I nodded at the waiter and slipped him a bill once I’d been seated. “Thanks. I’m going to wait on my date.”

I let my gaze roam the dance floor. Normally, I’d show up fashionably late, but I wanted to see this girl walk in. The look on her face as she took in the grandeur would tell me just how far I could take her.

I rolled my silverware from my napkin and thought about Paisley. We’d gone out a couple times and I knew she’d like this place when I’d originally made this reservation for her. I should feel bad about canceling those plans at the last minute, but after meeting Tessa, and the connection I knew we both felt, I didn’t want to go out with anyone else.

“Looking for someone?” Tessa grinned beside me.

Did she know how much she made me want to bite that bottom lip every time she smiled? I wanted to get a better look at her but that would have to wait, as she scooted into the booth. The waiter handed us wine books that were likely heavier than the food menus.

I leaned over to Tessa when she didn’t bother to open it. “Have an idea what you’d like to drink?”

She handed the menu back to the server and smiled. “I’ll have whatever he’s having.”

I was tempted to go for a moderately priced bottle, then thought twice about her request. I could have gone with tap water. She didn’t know.

But that was the thing—she didn’t know and didn’t go for the most expensive option.

“We’ll start with your best Merlot.”

His eyebrows rose, and I nodded, confirming I knew what I’d asked for.

Tessa seemed to pick up on the exchange and laid her hand on my arm. Her touch sent a shiver up my shoulder and down my back. “You don’t have to do that.” Her voice was soft. “I’m enjoying your company.”

I placed my hand over hers and leaned in. “Let me do this for you.”

Minutes later, I swirled the wine and studied Tessa through the glass. I could stare at that smile all night. It made her face light up. She was gorgeous.

After taking a sip, I realized I’d completely forgotten my routine of watching the legs form along the inside of the glass. Tessa seemed to make me want to break every pattern I had with women. It made me want to get to know her even more.

My thoughts circled back to the visa. From the moment I opened the letter, welcomed or not, it had been on my mind. I’d sent an extension request and an appeal to ICE but it was hard to know which way they’d go at this point.

I looked into Tessa’s curious eyes and realized she wondered more about me than just this place. My leg brushed up against her knee and I left it there. The pressure of our bodies made my heart race. I wanted to feel more, wanted to feel all of her, wanted to see how far she’d let me take her.

What if there was another option with the visa than muddling my way through piles of bureaucratic bullshit? I had a hunch that my connections—and money—would be enough to make this all go away. But on the off chance that it wasn’t straightened out, I might need a backup plan.

Settling down wasn’t something I’d thought about much before, but I surprised myself at every turn with this girl. The more we talked, the more I wanted to know. Her voice was like classical music and it both excited and relaxed me.

“Dance with me?”

Her question took me by surprise. I hadn’t danced since my parents’ last Christmas party nearly four years ago. Tessa had a mischievous look in her eyes so I let her finish her request.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get the DJ to play something slower for us.”

More curious about what she had in mind, I stopped myself from giving her money to pass on. “Okay, you get them to play what you want before the night is over without paying them off, and you have me for a song.”

“I’ll get them to play my request next, and you can make it two songs.” Her eyes never wavered.

I tried to keep from smiling, but this girl kept things interesting. “Deal.”

Win or not, watching her leave the table, I got the better end of this bet.

Something about her wearing a skirt that barely covered her upper thighs surprised me, then I remembered her talking with Sadie yesterday. Did this girl own anything other than suits?

Tessa stood back at the table before the waiter had the chance to pour another glass. “Might want to hold off on that.” She quirked a smile and the music changed.

“How—”

“I enjoy having a mysterious side.” She held out her hand and I was more than happy to take it.

Several couples danced across the floor and I happily joined them with Tessa. Her dress was peach, like her lips, and if I bent forward, just a little, I could kiss them. Her eyes met mine and I realized we were thinking the same thing.

“Liam!” My name cut though the dance floor like screeching tires. The way Tessa abruptly stopped dancing and jerked away made me groan before turning around. Everything told me this was it, that whatever Tessa was about to hear would close the book on us before we got past chapter one.

A short—compared to Tessa—woman stalked toward us, then cocked her head to the left as though punctuating whatever she was about to say with an exclamation mark. “I see you do still remember how to talk to women. I wasn’t sure if it was you or your phone that malfunctioned.”

“Uh, Megan, I—”

“It’s Maggie. I see you’re all sorts of mixed up.” She gave Tessa a long look and her lips curled up in a way that reminded me of the Grinch. When the lights from the dance floor changed for the next song, she appeared just as green. “Well, don’t let me spoil your evening.”

Tessa shrugged. “Hope you have a great one as well. It was nice to meet you, Maggie.”

Maggie stood for a moment, red dress practically on fire. She turned on her heel and disappeared into the night of the dance floor.

“So what made you want to start photography?”

I was stunned by her question; partly because she’d handled Maggie like a pro, partly because I’d expected her question to be about Maggie, and partly because I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been asked that by a date.

They always talked about themselves or who I knew in the business. So rare did anything catch me off guard that unexpected things were usually my favorite, but tonight was feeling a little more like an underground coaster ride—in the dark and totally unable to anticipate what would happen next. “I’ll tell you if you tell me how you got them to play your song so fast.”

Instead of answering, she grinned and pulled me in closer. Maybe the unexpected with Tessa would turn out even better than I thought.

“Looks like the food is here,” I said, hungry but not wanting to leave the floor. There was no way I could keep such close contact with her while we ate. I had the feeling that if we kept going we’d probably starve.

She pulled me still closer. “You owe me another dance.”

“So I do.” I chuckled as she linked her arm through mine. I led her back to the table. “How about you start a tab for me?”

“Deal.”

Two things occurred to me over dinner. One, there was something tempting to living in a different zip code from previous exes. Two, I wanted to stay in this zip code to keep seeing this girl.

When Tessa had all but licked her plate clean, I took a chance and offered her my elbow. Having her close again was exactly where I wanted her, but I wasn’t sure I would be able to keep my clothes on—never mind hers—until I had her somewhere I could do what I wanted to her once I touched her.

Outside, I nodded at my driver for washing the car before I went out for the night. The last thing I wanted was for Tessa to worry about her dress.

Circling my arm around Tessa’s waist, I pressed her against the car. She didn’t even bother looking back, because her eyes never left mine. The blues and reds of the street-side billboard threw a soft purple shadow across her features. She reminded me of a lily bud—all wound up with a hint of color—and I wanted to be there when she bloomed.

I pulled her hips against me, cupped her cheek, and took her mouth with mine. She moaned and returned with heat I wasn’t expecting.

What started out as a tender kiss quickly transformed into urgent need. She wanted me, and if we didn’t go somewhere else right now, we were about to end up fucking in the street. While it would probably be the most memorable first date I’d ever had, I wanted her in my bed, not in jail. I wanted her body against mine, without anything between us.

Tessa grabbed onto my shirt, pulling me to her, and I followed willingly. This girl had some fire to her, more than the stuffy accountant I expected when Sadie had first told me about her.

Tessa pressed her heat against me and before I completely lost it, I said, “Let’s take this somewhere else.”

“I’m enjoying you right here,” she breathed in my ear.

There was definitely more to this girl than what was on the surface, and I wanted to feel, taste, explore every bit of her.

I held her close and said, “I can see that.” If we stayed here any longer I’d burst through these pants. “We can continue in the car, in my bed.”

Instead of turning to the car door, she stepped away.

Stunned, it took me a moment to get words out. “Did I say something wrong?”

“I want to. I do.” Tessa gave me a small smile and squeezed my hand. “That was . . . a lot of fun. Tonight was a lot of fun.”

I frowned because I knew she wanted me as much as I wanted her. This girl was going to drive me crazy. Didn’t she realize?

I didn’t want her for just tonight.

No, I wanted to see her again.

A serious relationship wasn’t something I’d considered before, but if this connection was what it seemed to be, I didn’t want to let this girl go.

CHAPTER 7

Tessa

With my new Prada tote in hand, I sat back in the oversized leather chair that probably cost the same as a small car, and was about the same size. My father had six of these chairs in his waiting room—the CEO version of a mini dealership.

Between this waiting room and my father’s office, you could get nearly a 360-degree view of New York City’s skyline. If it wasn’t for the décor Betsy—Dad’s personal assistant—had carefully selected over the years with her southern, modern charm, this place would feel more like the stereotypical cold accountant’s office than the welcoming place I’d known growing up and finally started working at part-time a few years ago.

The morning sun bathed the speckled marble floors in rich light, making it all the more inviting. To the right of my father’s office door stood a twelve-foot fountain. I’d always thought that Betsy had it specially designed for her own relaxation. But hey, if that was all it took to get me relaxed, I’d buy five.

The floor-to-ceiling clock behind Betsy’s desk read 8:20. The large hands ticked their way around, thanks to some massive motor implanted inside the wall. It was the only thing that my dad personally chose to have placed in this room, with the specific purpose directed to anyone visiting so they’d know exactly how late they were.

Betsy did a double take at me when she walked into the room. “Your father . . . er . . . Mr. Douglas, won’t be in for another half-hour.” Once behind her desk, she checked her calendar with a flourish of mouse clicks. “Oh, well, what do you know? He would schedule you as a surprise to me, wouldn’t he?” She shook her head. “Then I suppose he’ll be here any moment.”