Big City Crush, page 1
Big City Crush
Alexa Riley
Contents
Big City Crush
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Epilogue
Coming Soon…
Read Me Romance
Stalk the Author
Copyright © 2021 by Author Alexa Riley LLC. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, email to riley_alexa@aol.com
http://alexariley.com/
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
Edited by Aquila Editing
Big City Crush
by Alexa Riley
Luca Cross invests in land and sells when the price is hot. His days are filled with one city after another while trying to live his best life in between. Going to his sister’s wedding was supposed to be one of those fun times – a well-earned break between business deals. What actually happened changed everything.
Selma Starnes was killing herself for a job she hated until she finally said enough. After seeing her brother Bastian give it all up for the woman he loved, she knew her life needed to change. Their wedding was supposed to be the perfect day…but fate had other plans.
Warning: Did they eat wedding cake and fall madly in love? That’s the only logical explanation! Grab Book 3 in the Pink Springs Series and find out just how hard this playboy falls!
To big dreams, and even bigger love stories.
Don’t be afraid to go after both!
1
Selma
“What’s your poison?” the bartender at the wedding reception asks with a smirk. He’s got a nice smile with full lips and perfectly straight teeth. Everything about him is put together, and I bet he gets laid all the damn time at these weddings. It must be like fish in a barrel for him.
“Can you make a good old-fashioned?” That charming smile of his only grows bigger, and it’s irritating me.
“I do everything good, sweetheart.” He winks before he starts to make my drink, and I have to bite the inside of my cheek so I don’t tell him I’m not his sweetheart.
I turn around so he doesn’t see me roll my eyes as I lean up against the bar. He did enough staring down the front of my dress for one night. I love my new sister-in-law Lux, so that's why I’m keeping my mouth shut about this bridesmaid dress. Strapless is damn hard when you have a chest as big as mine. I’ve always worn clothes to hide my boobs, especially when working with a bunch of old men with grabby hands and lingering eyes. I only recently convinced Lux that I like her, because I know I can be a bit standoffish. So when it came to the style of the dress, I kept my mouth sealed, knowing I could handle it for one night.
No matter how many times I tell myself to think before I speak I don’t. I’m honestly not trying to make sure people stay out of arm's reach, it just happens that way. I should give myself a pat on the back for not snapping at the pretty-boy bartender.
For so long I didn’t really have to worry about being harsh or off-putting. I had Bastian, and we’ve always worked as a team. He’s the nice relatable one that can talk to anyone in a room. I prefer to keep my head down and work while he handles the people. I make sure everything is always on track—well, at least I used to.
Bastian has always been a good man, but Lux made him something more. He and I both got lost in our jobs after we lost our mom. It was easier to keep busy than to have to face the grief. But the problem is, I’m no longer busy, and he’s got Lux.
Bastian went off and quit, which was the right thing to do, after finally realizing he was working himself into an early grave for a company that didn’t give a shit about him. Now the place is going to crumble without him, and neither of us has crazy work hours anymore. All his time is being spent with his new wife, and family means everything to the both of them. We all have that in common, but now I’m stuck in this weird limbo of not having anything to do.
The plan is to open up our own office since we already have clients banging down the door. Along with the wedding, we’re supposed to be taking a much-needed break before we jump back into that. The problem is I don’t need a break. I need something to do before I go out of my mind sitting inside my condo alone with Thor. He’s enjoying all my extra time at home because it means more belly rubs for him.
“Here you go.” I turn back around as the bartender places my drink in front of me. “Anything else I can get you, sweetheart?”
“Selma,” I correct him. Damn it, why did I tell him my name?
“Selma?” he repeats. “You don’t look like a Selma.” Is he really trying to flirt with me?
“And what does a Selma look like?” I pick up my drink and take a sip. He’s right, he does make a good old-fashioned, but I’m not about to tell him.
“Gray-haired and in sequins. You’re far from that, sweetheart.” I open my mouth, but before I can get a word out, an arm touches my elbow.
“Are you being good?” Bastian lifts an eyebrow, and at the sight of my brother, the bartender makes himself busy.
“I think so.” I shrug and take another sip of my drink. “I’m not going to hurt anyone.” I give him my sweetest smile, and Bastian lets out a deep chuckle.
“Go be with your bride,” I tell him.
“We have a dance later,” he reminds me.
“Wouldn’t miss it for anything.”
He drops a kiss on the top of my head before he goes right back to Lux’s side. In all my life I’ve never seen a love as deep and sweet as theirs. For the first time in my life I found myself longing for a connection like theirs.
Even Lux and her best friend Juno are super close to each other. They have a bond I’ve never formed with anyone before, and I wonder if I’m broken. I should be dating, and I should have a best friend. I’ve never had a girls’ night out or been to a slumber party. Do they have dating apps for friends? Then again, every man I’ve met though the Love Connection app has been a major bust.
When I finish off my drink, I set my glass down on the bar to go people watch. Every time my eyes drift around the reception they always land on one person.
Luca Cross.
He’s my new sister-in-law's older brother. Lux has Luca, and the oldest is Cooper. Cooper’s a straight-laced, no-nonsense cop. Luca is the polar opposite even now with how he has people all around him laughing. They hang on to his every word while Cooper looks like he’s been chewing gravel all night. It could be the dress Juno has on, but that’s just a guess from the way he’s glaring at it.
Luca is laid back without a care in the freaking world. So much so he almost missed his sister's wedding. Why do the men I find attractive always end up being self-centered assholes? It really is a curse.
I brush another one of my unruly curls from out of my face. As annoyed as I am at him, I can’t stop watching him. He reminds me of some kind of superhero with a big body all over, with muscled arms and legs. He’s casual even in his expensive tux, and I’m annoyed by the loose tie around his neck. His jacket is long gone, and his sleeves are unbuttoned and rolled up. The veins in his arms stand out, and I hate how hot it is seeing the lines along his tanned skin. I really need to get it together.
Suddenly his head turns, and he’s looking straight at me. I feel his eyes on me as I quickly turn around and walk in the opposite direction. We haven't even been introduced yet since he arrived seconds before the wedding began. We were both in the wedding party, but he hadn't given me a second look. Why the hell does that bother me?
I peek over my shoulder to see if he’s still watching me, and he is. He says something to the beautiful blonde that’s been laughing at everything Luca says and pawing at his shoulder all night. Not that I was watching.
As he starts to follow me, I can’t help but wonder how the hell I’m going to get away.
Short answer? I don’t.
2
Luca
“Hey, where are you headed in such a hurry?” Cooper puts his hand on my chest and I stop my pursuit of Selma.
“Just getting another drink.” I hold up my empty glass and shake the ice at him, but his eyes narrow. He looks over his shoulder to where Selma has already disappeared and then back at me.
“Glad you could make the wedding.” His comment makes me want to roll my eyes, but I hold back.
“I told you I’d be cutting it close but that I wouldn’t miss our baby sister’s big day.” I glance over to Lux and her husband on the dance floor holding each other close and swaying slowly, even as the dance music blasts and everyone around them is moving like they’re in a club.
“All right, I’ll lighten up.”
“Liar.” I smirk at my older brother, and he shrugs like he’s not about to apologize.
“So where were you this time?”
I glance back to the empty space Selma occupied and realize I might have missed my chance. Maybe if I can get rid of Cooper, I can still catch up with her.
“I had a deal close in Miami, and then I went to the Keys to look at a building. I’m still not sure if I’m going to buy it, but I’ve got to be in Houston tomorrow to close a listing I’ve been working on for over a year.”
“You really surprised us all with your knack for selling land.”
“They're not making any more of it,” I agree and clap my hand on his shoulder. As if he can sense I’m trying to leave, he grabs my wrist.
“When are you going to stow those wings and put down some roots?”
I give him my biggest smile and lean in close. “I think you and Lux have the family all taken care of with weddings and babies.” I wink at him as I walk away, and he calls out my name.
I turn around one last time to see him put his arm around Juno. “You can’t fight it forever.”
Without a response, I give him a little salute and go in search of the woman I can’t stop watching.
My life might look like an adventure to everyone on the outside. Yes, I travel a ton, and I get to go to really cool cities, but most of the time I’m either in meetings or alone in a hotel. Truth be told, I hate flying, but it’s the quickest way to get somewhere. Whenever I’m home in Pink Springs, I love my time with my family, but I always know it’s going to be short-lived before I’m on to the next business deal.
I sort of stumbled into selling property and traveling for it. I had a friend that needed some help selling a distant family member's piece of land after they died, and it kind of snowballed after that. People always seem to like dealing with me, because I’m laid back and make them feel comfortable. I’m really good at what I do, and most of the time every party walks away happy, and I get to add another zero to my bank account.
Hell, sometimes I wonder what the fuck I’m going to do with all the money I have saved. Even with as many properties as I’ve bought and sold over the years, I still technically live at home with my brother and his wife. I’ve got a room there, and although I’m hardly ever in it, I don’t have another place to call mine.
I’ve been looking at property and thinking more long term, but I can’t decide if my place is in the city and close to all the places I need to be, or if it’s in the country with my family, learning to slow down a little.
I meant what I said when I told Cooper that he and Lux have it all taken care of with weddings and kids, but what if one day I change my mind? Where do I want those kids and family to be, and is it time I start taking steps towards that? It’s part of my life I never considered before and didn’t really have a desire to. Is being at this wedding making me rethink my path? Or is it the curly-haired brunette that’s got me asking questions?
And just as I picture her in my mind, there she is in a crowd of people by the cake. She looks like she’s trying to blend in, but I doubt she’s ever managed to do that a day in her life.
Without thinking about exactly what I’m doing, I grab a plate and a fork from the table nearby and walk over next to her. She stiffens as I lean in close and whisper in her ear.
“What if it’s carrot cake? And if so, do you think there’s still time for an annulment?” I see the corner of her lips twitch, but she doesn’t allow herself to smile. “I think the wedding cake says a lot about a couple.”
“Like what?” She turns, and it puts her face close to mine as the crowd moves around us.
“Like whether or not their love will stand the test of time.” I let my lazy smile stretch slowly as I place my free hand on the small of her back.
“And what flavor would accomplish that?”
“Number one, buttercream.” My fingers brush slightly over the swell of her hip, and I feel her body lean ever so slightly into mine.
“I can’t argue with you on that.”
Is it just my imagination or is Selma a little out of breath? A few people in the crowd move around us to step forward and get their cake.
“Number two, chocolate, and strawberry, but not together.”
“You’ve given this a lot of thought.” They way her eyes roam over my face and then to my neck has my cock swelling.
“When it comes to sweets…” I lick my lips, and she doesn’t miss the slide of my tongue. “The only thing I can think about is getting a taste.”
“Cake?” an older lady nearby barks at us and interrupts the moment.
Selma clears her throat and takes a step away from me, and my hand falls from her hip. Instantly I miss the warmth of her curves so close, and although I want to close the space between us, she’s moving forward in line.
I hand the lady serving the dessert my plate, and she gives me a huge slice. Then she winks at me, and I realize she’s hooked me up.
“Thank you,” I tell her and then grab Selma’s hand before she can get her own. “We’ll share.”
“What?” Selma says in confusion as I pull her away from the crowd and onto the patio outside.
It’s lit up with candles, and the music from the band is trickling out here.
“She put both of ours on one.” I shrug like it’s not a big deal, but as I sit down on the bench and pull her down next to me, I realize it’s a very big deal.
“I need to get back inside. I have to dance with my brother.” Selma points to the door and tries to get up, but I shake my head.
“There’s always time for cake.” I place my hand on top of her thigh, and she stills.
“Okay, I guess we need to inspect it.” The corner of her lips tugs again, but once more she doesn’t give me a smile. What would it take to make her laugh?
“Here.” I take the fork and scoop up a bite, then hold it out for her to take. “Tell me what it is.”
She hesitates for only a second before she wraps her full lips around the soft, fluffy cake and then closes her eyes. I picture her on her back with me on top of her. What would she look like with her mouth full of me?
“Fuck,” I whisper to myself so quietly she doesn’t hear it.
“Oh, it’s something completely different,” she says as her eyes pop open in surprise. “Try it.”
She takes the fork from me and without thinking feeds me a bite because she’s so excited for me to taste it. Why am I so hung up on everything about this woman whom I know nothing about? How has she captivated every inch of me with just her presence?
I take a bite and realize she’s right. “Wow, it’s passion fruit and something else. Is that pineapple?”
“So, what does this mean? Are they in trouble?” Before I can answer, she’s cutting off another bite for herself and eating it.
“I don’t know, most of the time I’m full of shit.”
She has to cover her mouth to keep from spitting cake on me as she laughs. The sight of her genuine pleasure makes me so damn happy that I start to laugh.
“So you’re Selma,” I finally say and then take a bite of cake.
“And you’re Luca, the brother who almost missed his sister's wedding.” She raises a brow at me, and I have a feeling she does that a lot.
“And yet I made it right on time.”
“I hear you travel a lot.”
“I do, but I’d never miss this. It’s Lux’s big day, and I’d never miss out on cake.”
“She said you were the fun one.”
“Have you met Cooper? It’s not really hard to outshine that surly bear.”
She laughs, and this time I get to see her smile. Fuck, she’s gorgeous.
“Hey Selma, they’re ready for you,” Juno says from the doorway, interrupting our moment.
“Be right there,” Selma says and then turns to look at me as she stands up. “Thanks for the cake.”
