Page 4 of A Man After Midnight

“That makes me want to find out everything about you.”

The server was back and sat both drinks down in front of them. Wren signed the receipt then once more, they were alone. He picked up his drink and took a sip.

“I noticed you immediately in the other bar,” he said. “You looked … sad.”

“Must have been a play of shadows.” She shrugged one shoulder and took a drink of her wine. It tasted too dry in her mouth so she sat it down.

He continued to study her face, so she gathered up whatever courage she had and stared right back at him. A grin crooked the corner of his mouth.

“There’s a fantastic dance hall not too far from this hotel,” he said. “Would you trust me enough to go with me?”

“There’s a dance club right down there.” She gave a nod over her shoulder.

“But that type of dancing won’t allow me to hold you,” he told her, his voice dropping a bit. “And I very much want to hold you in my arms, Caroline.”

His words, plus the honest seductive quality to his tone, turned her on. “Just dance?”

He chuckled. “I’m not making any promises. But I can assure you, I won’t be forcing anything on you that you don’t say yes to.”

Caroline took a deep breath. Did she dare? Going with a stranger to a dance hall was something she’d never done before, and had she been asked not too long ago if she ever would go out with a man she didn’t know, she would’ve said hell no. But perhaps that’s why she’d come to New York City. To chip away the armor that she’d built for herself.

“All right,” she said.

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