His words sparked a moment of clarity in my clouded head, enough to gather my wits. I placed my palms flat against his chest, and the way his muscles rippled beneath my hands almost caused me to lose my mind again.

"Like I want you to get the fuck off me?" I gave him a gentle shove, and Teddy's dark eyes darted down to my hands in amusement.

"Something like that," he said, smiling and stepping back.

Turning to the door, he pressed his finger against the scanner again and I took a deep breath, trying to calm my thumping heart.

He was a good-looking guy. Of course I found him attractive. Who wouldn't? But I couldn't let that interfere with the plan. Gabby might have suggested that flirting was the way forwards, but putting distance between us seemed to be the safest option right now.

This time when the scanner turned green, Teddy pushed open the door, and I lost my mind once more.

James Bond indeed.

Glass walls exposed the city of London beneath our feet. Our only companions in the clouds were the tall skyscrapers around us. Glancing around the room, I tried to work out if it was a hotel suite or a full-on penthouse apartment. It had a bedroom, an office, a kitchen, and a living area with a huge TV against the wall, everything laid out in an open-plan style.

"Do you live here?" I asked.

"Mostly. I have other places too, but this is my preferred London base."

"Hence the security."

"Hence the security. But call me James Bond if you want. I feel you'd be more interested in a spy than a singer."

"007, Licence to kill. Wasn't far off with my serial killer fears."

Teddy rolled his eyes, apparently not appreciating that I hadn't taken the bait. "I can sort you out with a set of cards and codes, then get your fingerprint registered. If we're serious about this friendship"—he emphasised the word with air quotes—"then I will do you the courtesy of giving you access to my home."

I folded my arms. "I joked about you being a serial killer, but maybe I'm the psycho and you're giving me keys to your secret den—"

"Secret den sounds a bit creepy—"

"—Your men would not be happy."

"Mark's cool with it. He's had you checked out."

That stumped me. What did having me checked out involve? Fuck, what did he know about me? Had he seen my medical history?

"You've had me checked out?"

"Chill, it's nothing intrusive. We just had to make sure you didn't have a criminal record and weren't a stalker or crazy fan."

"You seem very keen on me not being a crazy fan. Maybe that should concern me, and I should get you checked out."

Teddy winked. "Just Google me."

Did he know that Google was useless? He was about to find out, and I hoped it burst his smug little bubble.

"I already Googled you, actually. I only found gossip about you with other women. Nothing else of any interest."

"Nothing else of any interest. So me with other women interests you, does it?"

"As your friend, I'm trying to take an interest in your life. That was the point of today, wasn't it?"

Teddy's lips quirked. "Anyway, I was serious about letting you come here. If you're a freelance writer, I imagine it's hard to motivate yourself at home sometimes. Lots of distractions, noise..."

Averting my gaze towards the glass, I wondered if a change of scenery might help when I found myself in a rut. Teddy Stone could serve as a ticket out of that rut, all while progressing the plan organically.

"I appreciate that," I said, realising he was waiting on an answer. "I have a very annoying neighbour who plays loud music at all hours, so I may take you up on the offer."

He smiled, this time a genuine one rather than teasing or amused. "Great. No pressure. It's here if you want it, but you have to use the side door to get into the service lift. It's the only one that comes directly up here. We do own other rooms in the main hotel, but it's a bit of a labyrinth and easy to get lost."

I nodded and strolled closer to the windows, a strange sensation of peace washing over me as I observed London from above. Views like this put worries into perspective, making them seem smaller in the grand scheme of things.

"Not scared of heights, then?"

I shook my head. "No. Love them."

"Me, too. Give me a rooftop bar over a ground-level one any day of the week."

"I bet you've seen a fair few of those."

I didn't mean anything by the comment—it was just a reference to him being well-travelled—but Teddy sighed, prompting me to turn back to face him.

"Nah. Security threat. The team doesn't like me being so high up with so many people. Difficult to leave quickly if anything kicks off."

It wasn't clear whether he was talking about a threat to him personally or just on a general level, but I didn't pry.

"You can see my favourite restaurant from here." Teddy joined me by the window and pointed towards a cluster of buildings with older architectural features, nestled in among the modern towers.

His swift change of subject suggested I'd made the right call by not prying further.

"All-time favourite or just London?"

"Wow, that's a loaded question." He grinned and leaned to rest his shoulder against the glass, body angled towards me and arms folded. "All-time. There's no place like home, right?"

With the late-afternoon sun shining through the glass, it cast a beautiful glow across his face. Even with such a casual stance, the guy looked powerful, like he dripped with confidence and had the world at his feet. That wasn't too far from the truth. When so many people loved you, maybe it was inevitable that you'd believe you were special.

He looked like a work of art, and even though I knew the sculpted physique didn't come without hours of effort, I couldn't help but appreciate it and wonder how it would feel beneath my hands, against my mouth, above my body... Yet every time my mind crept into that dangerous territory, Becca stopped it in its tracks.

I had no need to feel guilty: millions of girls and guys found him attractive, so I was hardly an anomaly. Those millions didn't know how he'd treat them if they were ever lucky enough to act on their attraction, though. And those millions didn't owe their best friend their utmost loyalty to the extent that I did.

"Do you consider London home even though you grew up outside it?" I asked.

Thinking about Becca had realigned my thoughts. I had a job to do.

"I do. Such a complicated question, though, isn't it? Where are you from? Is it the place you were born? Where you grew up? Where you live now?"

"True." I smiled at the accuracy of his statement, the concept being the very essence of my blog posts. "Very true."

"So how about we go for dinner at my favourite restaurant, then?"

Smooth. The guy had game, I'd give him that.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but if it's your all-time favourite restaurant, then I doubt I'd be able to afford it."

"And don't take this the wrong way, but I'd be paying." The corner of his mouth tipped up and his eyes danced with suggestiveness.

Fuck. Be cool. Flirt, but set boundaries.

"That sounds a lot like a date, and you seem to have forgotten that I've been friend-zoning you." I cast an amused smile at him, which he returned with a grin.

"We can expense it. The label will pay. If that makes you feel better."

Bullshit. Teddy Stone could afford his own meals, so what justification would he have for expensing it?

"Thought you were on a break? You can't claim expenses if you're not working."

"Only a break from touring," he said. "I'm off to Europe in a few weeks to do a load of interviews. That is definitely work."

The guy had an answer for everything.

"Do you honestly expense your meals, Teddy?"

"Only if it helps me to get friend dates."

Knew it. He was bullshitting me so I'd agree to go. This was what I wanted, though. Keeping him interested without leading him on.

"Will you be recognised?" I asked.

Even upmarket restaurants had nosy clientele who might sell a story. People like me, only they already had money.

"No. They have a private room. It'll be very romantic—in a friendly way." He winked and pushed himself off the window, strolling back through the living area and then sinking into one of the sofas.

"Fine," I said. "You've won me over. On one condition."

"Anything."

"Give me one more fact about Teddy Stone that I won't find on the internet."

I sat down opposite him, crossing one leg over the other and leaning back into the plush cushions. Although his face remained neutral, I watched his gaze travel over the length of my body, lingering on my legs.

"I can give you twenty," he said.

"Don't spoil me. You wouldn't want me losing interest once I know everything there is to know."

"You're interested, then?"

"Still here, aren't I?"

Teddy's lips twitched, and he bent to rest his forearms on his knees, eyes boring into mine.

"Teddy is a stage name. My friends, my family, my team—everyone who's close to me—they call me by my real name."

"Which is?"

"Ed."

***

Thank you for reading :) xx