Page 12 of A Man After Midnight

Chapter Six

The elevator had to stop at every floor to allow people on, so when she finally found herself on the ground floor, Caroline hurried to find Wren. As she turned the corner from the elevators, she spotted him talking with a stunningly beautiful woman, and the body language between the two suggested a deeper intimacy. The woman was almost as tall as he with four-inch stilettos making her legs look impossibly long. Long red hair, the kind that came from an expensive dye job, tumbled in waves down her back. The white dress she wore made her hair seem like fire.

As Caroline watched, the redhead twined her hands around Wren’s arm, molding her curvaceous body into his. Wren’s back faced her, so she could only see the redhead’s face, and her expression spoke a thousand words. Something existed between these two people, and it wasn’t hard to imagine what. Caroline’s stomach churned, forcing her to turn away from the sight.

She didn’t think the redhead was his wife. In fact, he’d answered no to her question of being married in the taxi. Besides, no ring encircled the woman’s finger. Diamonds adorned the woman’s neck and ears, so there wasn’t a high possibility that she’d not display a large diamond engagement right or wedding band if she were married. But it could mean that Wren had a significant other, and the thought had Caroline reevaluating her pros and cons list that she’d made earlier. Did she ignore what she just witnessed? And if she did, what did that tell her about her own convictions?

Caroline took the long way back to Wren’s side, walking around the large lobby to give him a few moments with the redhead. When she finally saw him again he stood alone, looking at his watch. A patch of light turned his dark hair blue-black. He wore jeans and a button down shirt tucked in at the waist, looking scrumptious. Caroline wasn’t sure if he looked better in business attire or street clothes, but in either ensemble, he took her breath away.

Caroline plastered a smile on her face and walked up to him with a confidence she was far from actually feeling. Compared to the elegant redhead, she felt very frumpy.

“Sorry I’m late, but the elevator had multiple stops,” she said.

“I just got here myself,” he replied, smiling.

She saw his eyes stray to the deep V of her shirt, at the pale globes that rose from the push-up bra she wore. She was glad she went with her instinct to wear the tight button-up.

He leaned down and kissed her mouth, lingering for a long moment. Caroline’s heart raced as arousal surged through her blood. Now that she knew just how magical it was between them, she was looking forward to the next round of bedroom shenanigans with him. Just when she was ready to shuck the whole tourist thing, he pulled back and clasped her hand firmly in his.

“Ready to pound the pavement?” he asked.

Caroline took a deep breath and pushed down the urge to drag him into the elevator. She nodded and the next second, they were out the door. Their hotel rested centrally in Times Square, so they headed south, traveling down Broadway as it traversed through lower Manhattan. From her taxi window she watched people walk with purpose, a distinctive stride that was unique to city living. Even the tourists were able to adapt to it after an hour mingling with the natives. Just watching the frenetic energy the city moved with made her tired. She liked big cities, but New York was more than an ordinary metropolis. It was a whole solar system unto itself.

“Do you live here in New York?” she asked him as they walked hand in hand through Central Park.

“I did,” he said. “I’m in Paris right now, overseeing that branch. But I miss New York. I was born and raised here in Manhattan.”

“I’m slightly glad to be back in Louisiana, though I really resented moving back at the time.”

“Why?”

“I felt as if it were a step backward.” She shrugged. “I wanted to see the world, and that’s not how my life evolved.”

“My grandmother started Troublemaker, so I always knew where my future was heading.”

“Let me guess, the company is named after you.”

His eyes widened in mock amazement. “How did you know?”

“Lucky guess,” she said with a wink.

Walking through the park, enjoying the sunshine, and laughing with the handsomest man she’d ever been in the presence of, enchanted her. For a moment, a very brief moment, Caroline’s world felt peaceful and right.

At lunchtime, Wren walked her to a restaurant that sat in a small grotto off 4th Street and Greenwich Village. Tall, potted trees lined the walkway and string lights hung from the canopy. The cramped seating and mismatched furniture added to the charming eccentricity of the outdoor seating.

Caroline finished up her salmon and endive salad while Wren topped off his turkey club with coffee. He cocked his head to study her and she wiped her mouth with her napkin before arching an eyebrow at his scrutiny.

“You’re only here a few days,” he said.

“Yes,” she replied, laying the napkin on the plate and pushing it slightly away.

“And you fly to where?”

“New Orleans.”

“You live in New Orleans?”

“No, I live in Baton Rouge. Flying through New Orleans is cheaper.”

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