“What is it?” Josh asked.
Riley groaned. “Oh, nothing about tonight. I’m just a little afraid to take the subway, and I’m realizing that I really need to.”
He squeezed her hand, an idea taking hold. “We’ll see if we can take care of that.”
“How?” she asked.
“We’ll see.”
Riley turned back toward the window. “Look, there’s Tiffany’s.” She whipped her head around. “Oh my gosh. I sound like such a tourist. I’m so sorry.”
She was too damn cute. “Don’t be. I love it.”
As they neared the theater, his nerves became addled again. Paparazzi were known for stalking theaters and restaurants. Luckily, Jay was adept at evasion. He’d worked for Josh for five years, and in that time, had never let him down. He drove two blocks past the stone-faced theater and turned down a dark street.
Josh told Jay they’d walk home and opened Riley’s door for her.
“Didn’t we just pass the theater?” Riley asked as she stepped from the car.
“We’re just avoiding the media hounds. I don’t think you want to deal with Claudia seeing us on the front page of the newspaper tomorrow, do you?”
Her eyes grew wide. “Goodness, no.”
He couldn’t fight the urge any longer. He leaned in and kissed her quickly on the lips, wanting to do so much more. As he pulled away, she leaned in and deepened the kiss, telling him everything he needed to know.
“Come on,” he said, taking her hand in his. They hurried around the corner.
“Mr. Braden, what a pleasure to see you.” The older gentleman who greeted them inside the back entrance had thinning gray hair and wore a white dress shirt and gray slacks. “Ms. Banks, we hope you enjoy the show.”
Riley squeezed Josh’s hand. “Thank you,” she said.
When Josh made the arrangements for the tickets, he’d also prepared Frank Rimmel for their entrance. He could see by the light in Riley’s eyes that she felt as special as he had hoped she would. “Frank has run the doors here for twenty years. Thank you, Frank,” Josh said, and followed the concrete hallway through a maze that grew more magnificent with each step. They wound their way down a heavily traveled red carpet to center-stage seats.
Riley let go of Josh’s hand as she took her seat, and Josh felt the emptiness like a missing friend. How could that happen so fast?
“This is so exciting. How did you get tickets so quickly?” Riley asked with wide eyes. She scanned the stage, the audience, and finally Josh. “Thank you for taking me here.”
“The show is called First Date. I thought it was appropriate, so I made a few phone calls,” Josh answered. He slid his hand into hers.
She looked at him with warmth in her eyes, and as she leaned toward him, he thought she might initiate a kiss. She whispered, “First Date? Really? You’re so thoughtful. This is incredible. It’s so majestic but so intimate at the same time. I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore, Toto,” she joked.
In the flash of her words, Josh was thrown back to the concert once again: comfortable and happy and full of wonder about the woman who had reentered his life without warning.
The musical comedy began, and Josh watched Riley more than he watched the show. Her laugh was loud and hearty and anything but feminine. She threw her head back with her mouth open and roared; tears of joy streamed from her eyes. Her enjoyment was infectious, and Josh found himself not curtailing his own laugh for the first time in years. He was so used to making sure he was projecting an appropriate image for a man of his status that he hadn’t realized how much of his life had been impacted by his career. Or perhaps limited was a better word.
By the time the show ended, Riley’s tears of laughter had washed away most of her makeup, revealing the natural beauty that lay beneath. Her high cheekbones shone pink, and her thick lashes set off the glow of yellows and greens in her hazel eyes. Josh felt a tug in his heart, the speed of which threw him for a loop.
As they headed for the front exit, Riley slowed her pace. “Shouldn’t we go out the back?”
He’d been so caught up in her that he’d almost forgotten. “The back will be swarming with people trying to get autographs. We’re better off going out the front with a bit of cover." The last thing he wanted was to let go of her hand, but if he had any hope of shielding her from the media, they had to exit separately. Chances were strong that there wouldn’t be any media out front. Photographers usually stalked the back entrance after the shows to take pictures of the actors.
The thought of anyone but Claudia seeing them holding hands didn’t bother Josh, but Claudia could make Riley’s life hell. “Riley, we should walk out like we’re not together. I’m really sorry, but just in case. It’s probably for the best. You can leave first, and I’ll follow. Go to your left and I’ll meet you around the corner.”
“Oh, good idea. You’re so sneaky.” Riley laughed. She let go of his hand and whispered, “I feel like I’m sneaking around in high school or something.”
“Me too, but you’re the last person I want to sneak with,” he said honestly.
She frowned, and he realized she thought he meant something other than what he’d intended.
“I mean I’d rather walk out holding your hand, but I don’t want to give Claudia a reason to treat you any differently.”
“Why do you let her be that way?” Riley asked.
“I don’t let her. Claudia is who she is. There’s no changing her personality, but she’s the best damned design assistant anyone could have, and…she’s Peter’s niece.”
Riley flushed and looked down.
“What?” Josh asked.
“I thought you two were, you know…”
Josh shook his head. “What on earth would make you think that?” If Claudia had planted that seed in Riley’s mind, he’d speak to her first thing in the morning. That was going too far.
Riley shrugged. “Something about the way she was around you the day we met.”
“She’s a master at manipulation and creating false impressions. I’m aware of her tricks, but I didn’t think you’d really buy into them.” Or I’d have cleared it up right then. Josh would straighten that situation out tomorrow as well. No more of her invasions of his personal space. It was high time he stepped up and gave Claudia a few rules.
Riley shrugged. “It was hard not to.”
“Wait, you don’t think that I…No, no, no. I have never and have no interest. Riley, really?” How could she think he’d ever fall prey to Claudia’s games? Do I come across as that much of a player? Josh hadn’t realized that the image he projected of himself could be so clearly misconstrued by those who knew him. Then again, he’d only begun to get to really know Riley. Growing up together in a small town where family feuds ruled out friendships and crushes grew from afar didn’t exactly offer a chance to develop a well-rounded view of a person.
“Sorry. I know better now, but then…”
Josh let it drop. At the exit, he watched her walk alone down the busy street. Every second made him feel more like a heel. Fuck this. He hurried down the sidewalk and clasped Riley’s hand before she turned the corner.
She started. “Wait. They might—”
He kissed her—hard—and when her body relaxed in to him, he kissed her longer, deeper. When they drew apart, she was breathless again. He was beginning to enjoy the haze of desire in her eyes each time their lips met.
“I’m not hiding, Riley. I’ll deal with Claudia and make sure you have nothing to worry about, but I’m not going to let one woman rob us of these moments.” Josh breathed fast and hard, bowled over by his own desire to go public about their relationship. Even if it appeared to be in the beginning stages, it had been silently incubating for years, testing his willpower when he was younger and waiting at bay ever since. He wanted to tell everyone—his family, his employees, his colleagues.
Riley blinked at him in silence.
His gut wrenched. “Shit. Did I misunderstand? Are you not interested in seeing each other?” He held his breath.
“No.” Her eyes grew wide. “I mean, I didn’t realize how much I wanted this. I do. I want this.”
He let out a relieved breath.
“But, Josh, I’ll be a laughingstock. A cliché. Girl sleeps her way to the top. I’ll be tomorrow’s water cooler chat, and I don’t want that.”
She was right. The problem was, Josh wasn’t willing to let her go before they even got started. He respected her, and he didn’t want her to be uncomfortable, but he also wanted to be with her.
“Does that mean you want to sneak around?” Josh asked. Before she answered, he guided her around the corner of the building, beneath a blown-out light and out of eyesight of any passersby. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lowered his lips to hers again, pressing his hips against hers—and, God, did she feel good. The fullness of her breasts against his chest brought a rise beneath his pants. He ran his hands along the curves of her hips, memorizing the feel of them for those moments when he wouldn’t be able to reach out and touch her. He kissed her neck, her shoulder.