Chapter 1
Ava
“Comeon!Youagreedto a girl's night,” Jessica shouted over the music, shaking her hips in rhythm with the hip-hop song.
I took a sip of my cocktail, looking at the dance floor that was overcrowded with sweating bodies. Accepting to come out with the girls from the office had definitely been a mistake.
“Come on girl!” She shook her hips even more.
I shook my head, showing her my own cocktail.
She looked behind my shoulder and leaned down. “Is it because of Hottie McHottie?”
I turned around and got ensnared in a pair of eyes that made my stomach flip.
He raised his glass toward me with a wicked smile as his eyes trailed down my body, making me shiver.
Jessica nudged me with her hips. “Go and have a drink.”
I shook my head but still took a step toward the less crowded side of the bar.
I’d promised Ethan to have a little fun and to live a little.
Jessica pushed me again, a bit more forcefully. “Go!”
I walked slowly toward the man, clutching my bag against my stomach, doubt increasing with every step I took.
Having a drink with a stranger in a bar was probably the best way to be the main star of some True Crime show.
The closer I got, the more I noticed things about him. His expensive designer suit, his black hair, his hazel eyes, his thick lips, his straight nose… his air of authority.
That man didn't belong in Starlight, that was for sure.
I stopped a couple of steps away from him, with only two stools separating us. “Do I know you?” I asked him. I don’t think I’d ever been watched with such intensity.
“Not yet, but I’d love to.” His voice was deep and smooth like fine, expensive liquor, and the American accent made it even more irresistible.
“May I buy you a drink?”
I suddenly felt very self-conscious. What was I doing? What was the point in riding this wave of adrenaline? He was a grown man, possibly a rich businessman, and clearly much older than me—did he think I was just a cheap English girl like the ones Americans liked to talk about?
We were not like that, and it was just a stupid stereotype, but still.
“It’s just a drink, Ms…?” He gave me an expectant look.
“Mary. My name’s Mary.”No, it’s not!Why did I say that? My palms started to sweat and I wanted to run away and tell Ethan it was all a bucket of crap. I could not be that girl. I could not just enjoy the moment, and live in the now. That wasn’t me!
He tipped his head down. “I’m Colton.” He smiled and the Lord had no mercy, he was even more stunning when he did that. His perfect straight white teeth almost glowed under the neon light and the dimples that were visible, despite the ambiance lightning. How fair was that?
“See, we’re not strangers anymore. Nice to meet you, Mary.” He pulled out the stool beside him. “Come on, I've stayed here for over an hour, despite the crowd and the god-awful music, just because I wanted to talk to you.”
That intrigued me—nobody would do that for me or even admit it. Wow, my threshold was low. Ethan was right, my dating history was a shit show.
I took the seat beside him, doing my best to stop my short, tight red mini dress from riding even further up my thighs.
He gestured to the barman to approach us.
“I’ll have another Scotch.” He turned toward me.