After his meteoric rise to superstardom, Jim O'Brien is no longer a small-town boy who plays in bars and dreams of success. His handsome face is plastered on the covers of celebrity gossip magazines, and his voice alone is enough to make girls swoon...
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I felt self-conscious when I woke up the following morning. Feeling Jim's warmth beside me had been the most pleasant feeling ever, but what if it was going too fast?
Jim and I were drawn to each other in a weird, inexplicable way. He was different from the guys I knew. Jim had a strong personality and knew what he wanted. Yesterday, he wanted me to sleep in his bed, and I agreed, probably too fast and quite unlike me.
Opening my eyes, I scanned the room. The city behind the enormous windows was slowly waking up. I couldn't hear any noises, but I saw the grayish morning sky and the equally gray high-rises.
Jim was clad in gray clothes, too. He stood in the doorway with a smile on his lips and his arms shoved into the pockets of his sweats.
"Good morning, Ava. In case you have no recollection of last night's events, I behaved. I'm sorry for leaving you alone in bed. I had to run to the bakery to get something for breakfast."
I smiled. "It's okay. What time is it?"
Jim wiggled his brows. "Nine o'clock. Sharp. Come to the kitchen when you're ready."
Jim walked out of the room, and I rushed to take a quick shower and put on my clothes.
When I entered Jim's spacious kitchen, our breakfast— coffee and croissants — was on the table. I barely made a step toward Jim when he pulled me into his arms and planted a kiss on my cheek. "Hey," he said, smiling. "I wanted to thank you for staying with me. I hadn't gotten such good sleep in ages."
"I slept well, too. Do you have insomnia?"
Jim shook his head. "I've been stressed out lately. It was hard to stop thinking about stuff."
"I'm glad you rested well. I did, too."
We sat to eat. "Here you are." Jim handed me my coffee and a still-warm croissant. A few minutes into our breakfast, he stopped eating and fixed his green eyes on my face. "I wanted to ask you something."
"Sure. What is it?"
"Are you free tonight?"
I smiled into my coffee mug. "I have to write, but I can find the time. I don't think I can stay at your place again, though."
Jim chuckled. "I didn't think you would. I was thinking about a date. I want to show you one of my favorite spots in the city. What do you say?"
Smiling, I shrugged. "Why not?"
Jim winked at me before taking a sip of his coffee. "I'll pick you up at eight sharp."
***
I didn't let Jim take me home. The need for some calm and clarity propelled me to insist on taking the subway instead. Jim wasn't thrilled, but being almost late for a meeting made him give up.
