“Somethingdidhappen. I should never have asked you to my place.”
“Is that something you do often? Ask random women to your apartment.”
He didn’t—couldn’t—answer.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” She frowned and gazed at something in the distance. “It was a mistake. I’ve never been so embarrassed in my life. I want to pretend it never happened. Got it?”
“Got it. But there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Like you said, you were drunk and were celebrating your birthday.” He offered her a small smile. “I’ve done dumber things when under the influence.”
She gave him a shy smile in return. “So, we agree to forget it ever happened?”
Forget?No fucking way. How could he forget one of the best sexual experiences of his life, well… until it all went to shit. “Sure, already forgotten.”
She bowed her head and looked at something on the ground. “And we will never talk about it again?”
“Talk about what?”
Her shoulders sagged in relief. “Thanks.”
“Let’s go see the Empire State Building.” He swung his arm and gestured for her to sit in the back seat.
“I have to say, even though it’s such a touristy thing to do, I’m excited,” she said before getting in the car.
He sat next to her, making sure he put enough distance between them. To distract himself from Chloe’s sweet, floral scent and their close proximity, Theo pointed out sights like the MOMA, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and Rockefeller Center as they drove through the busy streets.
When they arrived and entered the elevator, Theo was thankful the building was packed with tourists and there was no way of there being a repeat performance of the last time they’d been in one. It didn’t stop him from picturing what had happened, though. He flicked a glance at Chloe; her eyes were fixed on the ascending numbers, and he’d bet his left nut she was thinking about it too.
Thankfully, the ride up was quick. After a quick scan of the exhibit, they stepped out onto the observation deck. A brisk breeze hit them, and Chloe buttoned up her coat. His instinct was to pull her close to him to keep her warm, but he stopped himself just in time. What the hell was wrong with him? Ever since he’d gotten his hands on her, thoughts of touching her and getting her naked again plagued him. Damn Ethan for putting him through this torture!
Turning toward him, she asked, “Where do we start?”
“Wherever you like.”
Chloe scanned the busy deck, saw a gap in the crowd, and made her way through to the railing. Theo followed her.
With her hands holding the crisscrossed bars she gasped, “Oh, wow. This is so beautiful.”
“Yeah, it is.” Theo wasn’t talking about the view. He watched Chloe’s face light up with excitement. More beautiful than any city landscape. The wind picked up her hair, and she did that twisty thing with the locks again. The gesture drove him wild. He tore his eyes away and glanced out at the lights stretching over New York.
She pointed and bounced on her feet. “I think I can see the Statue of Liberty.”
Theo chuckled at her enthusiasm. He doubted it.
Moving around the deck, she kept stopping and staring out into the distance with a huge smile on her face. “Do you ever come up here?”
“Once. It was right after I moved here; I’d forgotten how great the view is.” He’d never bothered coming back, it was such a touristy thing to do, and after twelve years living in the city, he was a New Yorker through and through. Besides, he got a pretty spectacular view of the city from his penthouse.
Chloe stared at him like he had two heads. “I think I’d make this a regular trip. I don’t think I could get tired of looking at those lights.”
They made their way around a little more, stopping every few seconds to take in the view. They’d be here all night if they kept up this slow pace. But the sheer joy on her face was contagious. He started looking at the scenery like it was his first time too.
“I’m not sure what I’m looking at or where all the landmarks are,” she admitted after a while.
Theo shuffled closer—careful not to touch—and pointed. “That’s the Chrysler Building.” They moved around the platform, and he pointed out the Brooklyn Bridge and the Flatiron Building.
“Where’s your nightclub?” she asked.
“It’s gonna be tough to spot, all the buildings blend together. Do you see Central Park?” He pointed to the north.