Read Online I See London 1 by Chanel Cleeton - Free Book Online

of heat through my body.
    “Do you want a drink?” He waved over a waiter.
    I nodded, leaning back as he ordered drinks for both of us. I had no idea what to talk about. Ask him about himself, Fleur had suggested. It couldn’t hurt to give it a shot.
    “How long have you owned the club?” I leaned forward, closing the space between us. I wasn’t completely unaware of the fact that the move gave him an excellent shot of my cleavage.
    Hugh’s gaze dipped for an instant before returning to my face. He grinned, taking hold of my hand once again, lacing my fingers with his. A thrill ran down my spine. His fingers stroked back and forth. I couldn’t help but wonder if what they said was true, big hands…
    “About a year.”
    I would never get tired of hearing that accent. I struggled to concentrate on the conversation. “What did you do before that?”
    “Traveled, mostly.”
    I grinned. “I’m jealous.”
    When I was a kid I’d been obsessed with the idea of traveling. I’d had a globe in my room and I used to place pins in all the places my dad had been—the ones he could talk about at least.
    Hugh’s fingers moved up my arm, tracing small circles on the inside of my wrist. “I spent some time in Asia and Europe. Backpacked around, mostly. I got bored with that after a while and I ended up coming back.” His fingers traveled farther up my arm. “Besides, my girlfriend wanted to settle down back home.”
    I froze. Girlfriend?
    Hugh smiled ruefully. “We broke up a year later. She wanted to get married. I didn’t. And then I opened the bar.”
    I didn’t even know what to say to that. He’d almost been engaged? I hadn’t ever even had a boyfriend. “How old are you?” The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them.
    “Twenty-seven.”
    Shit. Eight years.
    “How about you?” His voice was low, a strand of my hair wrapped around his finger.
    I couldn’t tell him I was nineteen. “I’m twenty-three,” I lied, the number appearing out of thin air.
    “You’re a baby.”
    He had no idea.
    “I’m not that innocent,” I teased, the words slipping out, adding to the weight of my lies.
    Hugh’s eyes widened, a grin spreading across his face. His fingers traveled higher, stroking the sensitive hollow of my neck. “Oh, really?” His lips whispered over my ear, moving up to press a swift kiss against my temple. “I’m beginning to wish I didn’t have to work tonight. I’m tempted to test that statement.”
    His lips brushed against mine.
    Holy shit.
    “That is a shame.” The words tumbled out of my mouth with the same seductive tone I’d slipped into since we sat down at the table. It was like someone had taken over my brain. “I’m tempted to let you.”
    I was flirting. I was actually flirting.
    All these years Jo told me it would be easy if I could just let go a bit. She was right. Now that I’d let go, I didn’t want to go back to the old Maggie. I liked this version—liked the flutter in my chest when Hugh looked at me like he wanted me.
    He grinned at me. “I’m really glad I met you, Maggie.”
    My own smile echoed his. “Me, too.”
    Hugh glanced down at his watch. “I have to get back to work. You around later?”
    I thought about saying yes. Part of me wanted to. I liked the way I felt around him—shinier, more glamorous, simply more. But somehow Fleur’s voice appeared in my head. Play hard to get. Make him work for it. “Sorry, I have plans.”
    Hugh nodded, the gorgeous grin still on his face. “I’m glad you stopped by.” His lips wandered downward, grazing the corner of my mouth. “See you around, Maggie. I can’t wait for next time.”

Chapter 9
    “What the hell happened? He didn’t even ask for my number.”
    Mya leaned back in her chair, an oversize pair of sunglasses covering her eyes, a coffee cup clutched in one hand. Last night after we left Cobalt, we’d made plans to meet at our neighborhood Starbucks for coffee. I hadn’t bothered