“Yes,” she said in a rushed whisper. “Yes, I want to sneak around. I know that sounds stupid, but I just got here, and I’m already fighting an uphill battle.”
He ran his finger along her collarbone.
“Okay,” he said, looking into her eyes. “Sneaking around it is, but just for the record, I hate it already. It’s been so long since I’ve felt enthusiastic about anything other than work, and Riley”—he lifted her chin so their eyes met—“you stir all sorts of excitement within me.”
When Josh had offered Riley the job back in Weston, he’d planned on showing her around New York, getting to know her a little better, and figuring out if what he felt in Weston had been real. He no longer needed clarification. His body ached for Riley. He wanted her. He needed her. From the sultry look in her eyes, he thought she felt the same, but he also didn’t want to rush her.
RILEY HEARD HIS words, but her heart had leapt into her throat and stolen her voice when he’d said, You stir all sorts of excitement within me.
“Riley?” Josh touched her arm. “Do you want to take a walk?”
My pulse is racing. I could jog if you wanted to.
He closed in on her again, pressing her back against the wall, and he settled his cheek beside hers. Riley breathed in his rich, distinctive scent, which seeped right into her body, and drew her hands to his waist.
“God, you smell good.” Shit. Did I say that out loud? She closed her eyes.
“It’s Clive Christian,” he whispered in a deep, seductive voice. “They say that for four thousand years it’s been used to draw soulmates together.”
She swallowed a whimper of desire.
He slid his mouth toward her ear, exposing his neck too close to Riley’s lips. She could practically taste his skin. She bit her lip to stop herself from doing just that.
Josh kissed the edge of her ear. “Are you sure you want to sneak?” His breath was hot against her skin. “Because there’s nothing I’d rather do than hold your hand when we walk down the street.”
How could she tell the man she’d dreamed of for years that she didn’t want to hold his hand, when she really wanted to do so much more?
He drew back. His eyes said, I want you. His hands on her waist choreographed, I need you, and Riley wondered if he could read her desires just as easily. But her mind struggled with a thought she tried to push away.
He’s my boss.
Damn it to hell. She swallowed hard, reaching for her voice, which was buried beneath a thick stream of lust. “I’m…sorry. Yes,” she managed.
He kissed her on the cheek. “I respect your decision.”
Josh took a step back, and Riley swore she felt her heart trying to claw its way through her chest to join him.
“Shall we?” He motioned toward the sidewalk. I want you lingered in his eyes.
Riley tried to ignore the battling voices in her head. Sneak around? Are you stupid? You don’t tell someone like Josh you want to sneak around. You don’t even want to! I have to. Claudia will make my life hell. You’re insane. Point taken. I’m talking to myself. Stopitstopitstopit.
They walked along Times Square. Josh pointed out shops and talked about the different districts in the city, and as he spoke, Riley’s mind wandered. The combination of high-rise buildings, neon lights, and the rush of cars should have held her transfixed. New York was everything Weston was not, but she was so taken with everything about Josh that the streets, which surely breathed life into the air, were muted by the bubble of romance that had formed around them. The memory of her hand in his was so strong that when she made a fist, it was his palm she felt on her fingertips. She licked her lips and tasted Josh’s sweetness. The smell of his cologne was pungent, and with every shift of the evening air, it reminded her of how close their bodies had been only moments earlier. When she concentrated really hard, she could recall the faint scratch of his five-o’clock shadow as it grazed her cheek.
A cab blew its horn, startling Riley.
“You okay?” Josh asked.
“Yeah.” She shook her head to try to escape the dreamy state she’d fallen into. Times Square came back into focus. “This is beautiful. Does it go on all night? The people, the lights, the cars?”
“Pretty much.” He reached for her hand as they crossed the street and then quickly pulled it back. “Sorry.”
“No, I’m sorry. I know this must seem really stupid to you, but I don’t want Claudia to have anything to hold over my head, and I know New York is a really big city and the chances of her or someone she knows seeing us is probably slim, but—”
“Not as slim as you might think. When the media is in need of gossip, I’m definitely a target,” he said with a shake of his head.
“Just so you know, that’s not very comforting.” This is going to be harder than I thought. “I really want to have a chance in the industry, and I can’t do that if I start out with a reputation of dating not just the boss, but…well…you. Famed, iconic fashion designer Josh Braden.” I sound like a fan girl.
He slowed his pace. “I don’t think it’s stupid at all. I might not like sneaking around, but that’s just me being selfish because I haven’t wanted to hold a woman’s hand or take her face in my hands and kiss her until she forgets her name—” He stopped walking and stepped toward her.
Kiss him. Just do it. Riley was lost in the thought of what he wanted to do. She couldn’t move, could barely think past what that kiss would feel like.
“In forever,” Josh said. “And you spur all of that in me.” His eyes searched hers. “When we were together back home, I felt something, but I wasn’t sure if it was real or not.”
He looked away, and Riley’s breath caught. His profile was even more striking set against the backdrop of Times Square.
“I felt it too,” she whispered. She wasn’t sure if he’d heard her, and she wasn’t brave enough to say it again.
“I understand why you want to be careful, and as I said, I respect your decision,” he explained. “That doesn’t mean it’ll be easy, and if I stand here looking at your beautiful face, I’m liable to do something that in no way resembles sneaking.” Josh put his hand on the small of her back for a step or two. “Come on. I want to show you something.” He shoved his hand in his pants pocket.
It was all Riley could do to keep breathing. She followed alongside him in silence, the sounds of the busy street fading behind them. When they crossed Fifth Avenue, they were swallowed by an enchanting hush. Unlike Times Square, there were no neon lights or open storefronts. It was as if they had walked into a secret world, and in that peaceful hush, Riley’s pulse calmed and her mind cleared, and she was finally able to think clearly.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“It’s a surprise, but we’re almost there. This is one of my favorite stretches of sidewalk. Can you feel it?” He held his hands out to his sides as they walked.
“The peaceful, magical aura?” Riley asked.
“Yes. I never really knew what to call it, but that’s definitely spot-on.” He put his hands back in his pockets, and Riley wondered if it was to temper his desire to hold her hand—or more.
They came upon busier streets and bright lights, and the serene hush vanished like a thought in the wind.
“Is that—” Riley felt her eyes grow wide.
“Grand Central Station.” A smile stretched across his lips. “I’ve lived here for so long that I almost forgot how spectacular this place really is.”
“It’s brilliant,” she said. “Are we going in there?”
“We are.” He reached for her hand again, and she put it out without thinking. Their fingers touched, their eyes met, and for a split second everything felt perfect, and then the voice came back—he’s your boss—and Riley drew her hand back to her side and looked away. Maybe I made a mistake. He is my boss. She looked back at Josh’s hand. But he’s also Josh.
“It’s okay,” he said. “Come on.”
She followed him inside the exquisite building. Her heels clicked and clacked as they crossed the station. The impossibly high, arched, green ceiling grew from golden walls with thick columns. Riley took in the magnificent structure with glorious windows that allowed the moonlight to filter in, giving the evening an even more charming feel.
She and Josh walked past an enormous newsstand and under a portal. They appeared to be walking to another exit, and just before they reached it, Josh pointed to an escalator.
“Down there? Where exactly are you taking me?” she asked.
“I’ll show you.” He motioned toward the escalator, and Riley stepped on.
She clutched the railing as they descended beneath the ground. “This is a little nerve-racking.”
“That’s why you’re doing it with me,” he said.
They landed on a concrete platform with subway lines running in both directions.
“Josh,” she said. She had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. “I’m not sure I’m ready for this.”
“Ri, look at me.”
She did, but her eyes darted back to the platform and the dark tunnel just beyond.