The nearest subway entrance was a block away and she had a supper date with a friend. No doubt, she’d arrive looking like a drowned rat.
Naturally, a crowd had taken shelter under the awning just outside the door.
Kelsey pushed the door open, the damp, hot smell of rain engulfing her.
“Excuse me,” she murmured, trying to wend her way through the group under the awning.
On the street before her, cabs hurtled past in a steady rush, all of them occupied.
“Lovely afternoon.”
Kelsey whipped around, instantly recognizing the voice so close to her ear. “Jared!”
“None other.” Standing immediately next to her beneath the crowded awning, he squinted out at the rain. “I know it’s a pain, but I happen to enjoy rain in the city.”
She didn’t try to disguise her disgust. “Anyone who can afford a limo can enjoy rain in the city.”
Jared laughed, the soft sound barely audible above the downpour. “I can afford a limo, but I don’t happen to use one often.”
“So you’re stuck here like the rest of us. How the mighty are fallen.”
“Why Ms. Layton, I can’t believe you have trouble finding a cab.” Humor glinted in his dark eyes, enhancing his smile.
“Normally, no, but wet weather shifts the supply and demand,” she said, suppressing the urge to back up. An inch or two more space was all she needed to maintain her equilibrium. He was so close, so…masculine. His smile alone could endanger a woman’s well-being.
Had she been nuts to ask him out? Surely one date would be okay. Half the time, he teased her unmercifully. They’d probably end up in an argument before dessert.
He glanced down and Kelsey felt his hot gaze on the skin exposed beneath her short skirt. “Cabbies don’t really respond to a lovely pair of legs?”
“I wouldn’t know,” Kelsey replied demurely.
“I doubt that,” Jared said, his hand at her elbow. “Come on, let’s see if we can flag one down.”
“We won’t get one,” she said, feeling breathless as he gently propelled her toward the curb.
“Think positively,” he recommended.
The traffic light at the end of the block changed and a sea of yellow cabs surged forward in their characteristic mad dash to the next stop light. Jared stepped out from under the awning, one arm raised.
His ear-splitting whistle made Kelsey jump.
The thunder of cabs whipped past as if they weren’t there.
“Told you so,” Kelsey said, smirking. “But I am impressed with the whistle. I’ve lived in New York on and off most of my life and I’ve never learned to do that.”
Jared smiled with what she knew was assumed modesty. “Natural talent. And I don’t suppose cab drivers normally ignore you.”
She couldn’t help but chuckle. “I guess I’ll have to get drenched making a dash to the subway or be late meeting my friend for dinner. If that whistle didn’t get a cab, there’s none to be gotten.”
“You underestimate me,” Jared said softly. “I don’t give up so easily.”
“Jared,” she protested as he turned back to the curb, “you’re getting soaked.”
“It’s only rain.”
The light changed again. Kelsey covered her ears against the whistle she knew was coming.
To her shock, this time a cab separated itself from the thundering herd and pulled up docilely at the curb where Jared waited.
“My gosh!”
Jared opened the back door of the cab. “Jump in before he decides to take off again.”
Kelsey dove for the opening, scooting over to allow room for Jared.
“I don’t know if we’re headed the same direction,” she said, catching her breath, “but this is such a miracle, I feel we should celebrate.”
He shook some rain droplets from his short, dark hair. “Shall we just ride around the city laughing at people stranded under awnings?”
“That would be cruel,” Kelsey chuckled. “But tempting.”
“Well, maybe I could just drop you off where you’re meeting your date," Jared offered, stretching an arm across the back of the seat.
The taxi driver waited silently, the meter ticking away.
Kelsey leaned forward and gave him her destination.
“It’s not really a date,” she said, sliding back in the seat. “I’m just meeting a girlfriend for dinner.”
“Ah.” He smiled at her, an glimmer of satisfied amusement in his eyes.
Awareness rose in Kelsey’s chest, the atmosphere in the back seat of the cab steamy from more than the afternoon's rain. Sitting here next to him, she felt a slam of attraction. He sat easily next to her, his body lithe and muscular body, his confidence sexy as hell.