Page 17 of Unraveling the Truth About Love
“But I thought…you said just to pretend we were back home.” She clung to her purse.
“It’s not what I’d hoped for,” he admitted. “I saw how nervous you were, and I wanted you to be comfortable.”
“Not what you hoped for? You mean the flowers, the kiss—”
“I don’t ask women on dates very often, Riley. I’m out of practice, and stupid me, I thoughtyellow roses with red tips signified a growing attraction between friends.”
“They do?”
She sounded breathless. Josh felt a stirring in his groin, a constriction in his chest.
“They do.” He searched her eyes for an indication that she felt the magnetism that was drawing them together like metal to magnet. “Red alone is romantic love; yellow adds friendship, hopes, and promises.”
“Hopes,” Rileywhispered.
“Red alone,” he said. “Maybe one day. Riley…”
She licked her lips again, and this time he let his body lead them. He took her face in his palms and kissed her softly, soaking in the sweet taste of wine on her tongue and the warmth of her mouth, and finally, the release of tension as she kissed him back—tentatively at first, then harder, meeting his passion with her own, probing hismouth with her tongue. Josh could have kissed her for hours. He forced himself to pull away for fear of taking things any further in the backseat of his company car. He had to gain control of his emotions.
They stared into each other’s eyes, the air between them sexually charged. Her chest heaved with every breath. He longed to kiss her again, to touch the milky crest of her breast, which hadbeen taunting him all night. Instead, he took her hand in his and fought his desires. He might not have dated for a long time, but he knew the risks of going too fast—and even if he hated to admit it, Peter had a point about scandals. He wasn’t worried about himself in that regard, but heaven only knew what kind of torture Claudia would put Riley through if she knew how Josh’s feelings were takingflight.
“Let’s go see New York,” he managed. He couldn’t erase the smile from his face if someone paid him to do it. His heart danced with renewed energy, and as he looked out the window, even the lights of the city seemed brighter.
“Jay,” he said to the driver. “Longacre Theatre please.”
“Yes, sir,” Jay said.
A nervous smile lingered on Riley’s face, worrying him. Had he misread her? Oversteppedthe boundary of their friendship?
“Do you regret our kiss?” he asked.
“Regret?” she asked. “No, definitely not.” She smiled and squeezed his hand.
He found her nervousness endearing and breathed a sigh of relief to know she didn’t regret the kiss he adored. For the first time in months, Josh felt like he had something to look forward to besides work. A country song came on the radio, and hereached for the rear controls to change the station.
“No, please. He’s my favorite,” Riley said.
“Who is it?”
“Hunter Hayes. ‘Wanted’ is my favorite song ever.”
“Wanted.” Hunter Hayes.Josh made a mental note of her favorite artist.
“The city is so beautiful,” Riley said as she craned her neck, looking up at the illuminated signs as they passed. “This is so different from home. You know,I used to look at pictures of New York and think that I couldn’t wait to get there and experience it, and now that I’m here, I know that I never could have imagined what it would have done to me.” She turned back to Josh with a wide smile. “It’s like just being here pumps me with energy. I want to experience it all—the lights, the nights…” Her smile faded.
“What is it?” Josh asked.
Riley groaned.“Oh, nothing about tonight. I’m just a little afraid to take the subway, and I’m realizing that I really need to.”
He squeezed her hand, an idea taking hold. “We’ll see if we can take care of that.”
“How?” she asked.
“We’ll see.”
Riley turned back toward the window. “Look, there’s Tiffany’s.” She whipped her head around. “Oh my gosh. I sound like such a tourist. I’m so sorry.”
She was toocute. “Don’t be. I love it.”
