Page 21 of Love Affair in London (Once Again #12)
For a moment, she stared at him, as if she couldn’t believe he’d kissed her. Then a smile bloomed on her lips, and her eyes sparkled. “You’re right. Sometimes I just go on and on.”
Finally, it was their turn. “I’d like a champagne cocktail.” Piper looked at Jared.
“Whatever you’ve got on draft. But I’ll pay for my own.”
“Don’t be silly. This makes it easier.” Piper turned back to the bartender. “Just whatever you have on draft, please.” Then she ordered for their benefactors, and Jared was sure she’d gotten every one right.
They waited off to the side for the drinks. Piper didn’t even balk at the cost.
With two trays in hand, they carried them over to the group’s table. The lady said, “Thank you so much. We are very grateful.”
Piper smiled. “I’m the one who’s grateful. We wouldn’t have been able to get up here without you.”
She waved as they walked away, then turned to Jared. “Do you want to go out on the viewing platform?”
“We can’t come all the way up here and not at least step outside.”
Outside was relative. They were still encased in glass, but the windows must have been coated with low-emissivity film, as it wasn’t hot despite the early evening sun beating on the glass.
The view was magnificent. The Thames sprawled below, glinting in the fading light, the Shard across the river, the sun sparkling on its windows.
“The Tower of London looks like a toy down there.” Piper set her drink on the ledge to take a picture. Tower Bridge sat just beyond it.
They walked the length of the platform, where they could see the London Eye and the city’s skyscrapers. Back inside, they took in the full view of the atrium. It really was a garden, with greenery climbing the terraces and wide staircases on either side.
“That’s a restaurant in the center.” Piper pointed to a glass-enclosed space, and Jared could make out diners inside.
He put a hand to her elbow. “Shall we walk up the stairs?”
“Absolutely.”
The staircase felt like a pathway through a jungle, with exotic flowering plants lining the way—Birds of Paradise and others Jared couldn’t name.
On each landing sat an alcove with tables and chairs, most of them full at this hour. At the top, another atrium opened up, with a second bar that was less crowded. Instead of a viewing platform, this level featured a curved banquette that followed the glass wall.
The view was just as incredible, though minus the river and Tower Bridge.
Setting her champagne glass on the sill and kneeling on the cushioned seat, Piper raised her phone to take a picture. “Look, it’s the penis building!” She slapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide as she mumbled through her fingers. “Oops. I shouldn’t have said that.”
Jared wanted to kiss her. “That’s what we call it too.”
“I don’t even know what it’s really called.” She giggled like a naughty child. “But it is rather phallic.”
He shook his head, grinning. “Thankfully, you didn’t say any of that loudly.”
She looked around the upper atrium, her cheeks pink. “Oh my God, you’re right. I didn’t even think.”
Christ, she was sweet. Uninhibited. Saying exactly what she thought. He enjoyed her openness.
She took a picture of the building, then typed into her phone.
“I need to know what that place is actually called.” A laugh bubbled up as she read her search results.
“You won’t believe this. I typed in ‘What’s the penis-shaped building in London,’ and it came up with the answer! It’s actually called the Gherkin.”
Jared leaned in beside her. “I’m not sure that’s any better than the penis building.”
“Or the penis- shaped building,” she said, laughing so hard she barely got the words out.
He couldn’t help but laugh along with her. Erica would have been mortified, but Piper was utterly unselfconscious after her initial mistake.
She took pictures of the Gherkin and the other buildings along the skyline, including one below them with a lush rooftop garden. Then she turned to Jared. “Let’s sit in one of those alcoves we passed earlier. Maybe one has opened now.”
They descended the opposite staircase, checking each alcove along the way. Couples occupied the first two, but the next was empty. They settled into the cozy space, sitting close on the cushioned wicker sofa, surrounded by the exotic and sweet-smelling blooms.
“Thank you for coming up here with me.” Her soft voice seemed to caress his skin.
“I wouldn’t have missed it.” He wouldn’t have missed the day, the evening, or the night.
The sun finally set, treating them to a glorious light show across the sky, pinks and oranges stretching through the clouds. They watched until the sun dipped below the horizon, and twilight bathed the world in soft, dusky hues.
Jared finally broke the quiet, driven more by curiosity than a need for small talk. “So, the friend who canceled on you—a girlfriend? Or a male friend?” He didn’t ask if the companion had been a lover, but his implication was clear.
She kept her gaze on the sky as the colors faded, absently twirling the stem of her champagne flute between her fingers. At last, she chuckled softly, with little humor. “Actually, it was my fiancé.”