Page 68 of Pink

The bartender’s gaze drifted to Lev’s right, widening like his gaping mouth as he tried to form words. All it took was Lev pointing a single finger and muttering, “Whiskey sour, thanks.”

“Right … right, I’ll get right on it.”

“Great.”

Without missing a beat, Lev spun around to step off the stool and greet Gigi by reaching for her with both hands. She replied in kind, her soft fingers curling around his wrists and then dancing up his arms before he pulled her in for a hug. She still had that note of vanilla in her perfume, but now the floral undertones felt more suited to this woman she embodied. And yes, when he had her curves flush against his harder lines, he absolutely knew just how much of a woman she was.

He took a small step back to once again admire the very sight of her while not letting her go, so that he could keep her close. The mesh and buckled top with the leather side panels showcased her plump breasts but was tight enough to keep any accidental flashes from happening. There wasn’t another soul on the earth who could pull that top off, but Gigi looked amazing in it.

“Nobody. Pink is nobody,” he told Gigi, his palm skimming the bare skin of her mid-back where her shirt and skirt didn’t quite meet. God, what he would give to have his hands under her fucking clothes. “That’s not important, you are. You look … shit, you didn’t have to get this done up for me, Gigi.”

“Didn’t I? You like the top? One of a kind.”

“You know, I would have guessed that.”

Her smile widened before she pulled him in for another tight hug. Their laughter melted into the rest of the bar and for a second it really did feel like two friends just catching up. In his ear, she whispered, “And look, no paps.”

Lev laughed and as he began to pull away, he couldn’t help but drop a quick kiss to Gigi’s cheek before he let her go from his hold. Mostly. The urge to keep touching her was a little too much when she was this close and so, he kept one hand lingering on her wrist, but she didn’t seem to mind.

“Managed it, did you?” he asked.

She shrugged, her smile as much of a tease as her outfit. Everything about this woman was a goddamn tease to his senses. “Wasn’t easy—even had to get my assistant in on it because I’m not supposed to be outside of the hotel without security nearby.”

That statement had Lev glancing over her shoulder to the front windows of the bar that overlooked the busy, but dark city street just beyond the sidewalk. It wasn’t like he expected to see men in black suits with comms in their ears standing there, but … well, she certainly made it sound that way.

“Nobody followed me,” she promised, clearly noticing his stare. “No security, no paparazzi … hopefully no fans, but sometimes that happens so if it does, just let me say hi, do my thing, and don’t answer anybody’s questions because they will try to get literally anything they can out of you. Fair warning.”

Lev’s attention went back to her in an instant. “Oh, no worries on that. I wouldn’t mind if you did need to bring somebody, by the way. It’s probably a normal thing for you, right?”

“Regular … not something I’d call normal.”

“Point taken. Wanna sit down?”

Her brilliant, gorgeous smile was back just like that. “Yeah, let’s sit. Nice place. Not my usual style, but … it serves the purpose for keeping me out of sight, right?”

Lev’s laughter came out dark and husky as he reclaimed his stool, and she took the one on his right. “Sorry, would you have preferred a club?”

She peered his way, and her dark lashes fanned wide with black mascara distracted him from the bartender’s approach with the whiskey sour he’d ordered for Gigi. “I preferred to catch up with you, Lev. I didn’t care where we did it.”

Right.

He would keep that in mind.

“And you remembered, too.”

“What’s that?” he asked.

Gigi winked and pointed at the glass the bartender set on top of a white, monogrammed napkin in front of her. “Whiskey sour. My drink of choice.”

A pointed look from Lev sent the bartender spinning around to head for someone else down the bar when the man opened his mouth like he was going to say something to the woman next to him. Gigi’s light laugh might have embarrassed him for being so possessive over her time and presence but fuck it … he wasn’t going to apologize for it.

“I think he knows who you are,” Lev said, palming the beer on the bar that he’d been nursing long before Gigi arrived. “And I didn’t forget anything about you, Gigi. Not a single damn thing.”

Chancing a look at the woman on his right, Lev found her nibbling on her bottom lip while her striking green eyes lowered to appreciate the tailored fit of his white button-down and how he’d rolled the sleeves up his forearms.

Painted a dusty rose color, her plush mouth threw him back in time without any warning. He could still remember the way her lips felt against his skin. How she kissed him hungrily. All the sounds that mouth of hers could make for him.

Not a date, he told himself. This isn’t a date, Lev.