Page 31 of The Heartbreaker

Even though I’d basically done that tonight—I’d just gone back to his house instead.

Did that make it any better?

Or worse?

Damn.

I finished the rest of my wine and went into the kitchen to pour myself more, talking loud enough that Leah could still hear. “For just one dance, I wouldn’t have come close to making that.” I filled my glass to the top and returned to the couch.

“Then, how did you?”

Do I really want to get into this?

Leah was such a lover. Since I’d met her, all she talked about was marriage and kids. The second I mentioned Ridge, she’d be sending me wedding dresses and love memes.

I also couldn’t lie.

So, I said, “He hired me for the whole night.”

“Whaaa? Details, girl. I have no idea what that means.”

I put my feet on the ottoman, kicking off my shoes, wiggling my bare toes. “Normally, it means dance after dance until the club closes. But Ridge didn’t want me to dance for him. He just wanted to talk … and get to know me.”

“This sounds kinda … serious?”

I hugged a pillow close to my chest. “He saw me onstage, and the second I was done, when I was walking down the steps, he approached and asked if we could get a drink.”

She inched forward, her arm going to mine. “And?”

“Well, I couldn’t get a drink with him—it’s against club rules—so he opted for the private room.”

“And?”

I didn’t know why I found it so hard to breathe. Especially since I was only recapping events that had just happened, but the more I spoke, the more constricted my throat got.

“And we went in there,” I said. “He wasn’t interested in a dance, like I told you, so we talked. He wasn’t just going through the motions, he was actually listening to me, soaking in everything I was willing to divulge. The best listener—besides you—I’ve ever come across.” My eyes closed for just the briefest of moments, a heat moving straight through my body. “He was hot, Leah. I’m talking a ten.”

“Tell me more.”

“He has a six-year-old little girl, who he spoke about nonstop. He works in the hospitality industry and is quite well off—I mean rich, not above average. And his smile”—I shook my head—“it was everything and then some.”

“I’m obsessed with every word you’re saying.” Her fingers squeezed me. “Addy, it doesn’t sound like this dude just wantedsome hot girl bouncing on top of him—I say that with love, you know I do. It sounds like he likes you. Like really likes you.”

I filled my lungs, holding in the air before I said, “Which is probably why he asked me to leave the club and join him for some ramen.”

“Stop it!” When I stayed silent, she said, “Keep going.”

I explained how Ridge was there for a bachelor party and didn’t have a car, so I drove us to the restaurant and that there was only one other table, leaving us basically alone and on a semi-date.

“So, you’re eating your favorite food with a guy who’s semi-seen you half naked?—”

“A point that really kills the vibe for me—I’m not going to lie.”

She rubbed the spot she’d been squeezing. “So, you’re eating your favorite food with a hottie who’s clearly into you,” she corrected. “What happens next?”

“He tells me he doesn’t want the night to end.”

A smile moved up her face. “Smart man.”