Page 47 of One Forbidden Night In Paradise (Hot Winter Escapes)

‘Is that what I am?’ She glanced up at him, her grey eyes wide and soft in the light spilling in through the window.

He thought about all the other plus ones he’d taken to similar events. In one sense, yes, and yet all of those women had been interchangeable. If one wasn’t available he simply took another. But he couldn’t imagine taking anyone other than Jemima.

As promised, they spent the day sightseeing. Jemima was sweetly excited by all the famous monuments. He watched her eyes widen as they walked towards the Empire State Building, and the decade between them seemed to be, not just about age, but experience. Grief had built an armour between him and the world, but she made him notice things that he took for granted. Like the yellow taxis and the screens in Times Square.

‘What’s this building?’ she asked as they stepped through the revolving door into another huge glass tower.

‘It’s my office,’ he said coolly. ‘Hi, Mike,’ he greeted the doorman, his heart pounding as he guided her through security to his private elevator.

‘If you have some work to do, I can—’ she began, but as the lift doors closed he pulled her against him and kissed her fiercely. ‘I don’t. I brought you here because the only way to truly see the city is from above.’ Taking her hand, he led her onto the rooftop towards the helicopter that was squatting there like a dark, metallic insect.

‘We’re going in a helicopter.’ Her voice was a squeak of disbelief.

Nodding, he pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her as a cold breeze lifted her hair. ‘Now aren’t you glad you’re not wearing a bikini?’

It really was the best way to see any city. At around a thousand feet up in the air, you got the kind of view usually reserved for postcards. As they followed the curve of the Hudson, he pointed out various landmarks. ‘That’s where we’re going tonight,’ he said, pointing down to the American Museum of Natural History. She glanced over at him, the smile that had been there a moment earlier faltering. ‘Are you sure you want me to come with you?’

‘Completely. Look, it’s just an exhibition. We don’t need to stay long. Just show our faces.’

‘Your face, you mean,’ she said quietly.

Time was supposed to fly when you were having fun so he must have been having a lot of fun, he thought later as he sat waiting in the open-plan living room for Jemima to get ready. One moment they had been gazing down at the Chrysler Building, the next he was changing into a suit and tie and texting his driver to tell him to bring the car round.

He felt rather than saw movement behind him and, turning, he forgot about the passing of time. Forgot almost to breathe. He was conscious only of the hammering of his heart.

Jemima was standing halfway down the stairs, her hair in some kind of loose chignon. She was wearing a cropped white silk shirt and a silver skirt that shimmered beneath the overhead lights. Her nude painted lips offset the smoky eyeshadow beneath her glasses.

‘You look beautiful.’

He glanced at the strip of taut stomach, then wished he hadn’t as his body tightened painfully in response. ‘What is it?’ he said as she bit into her lip.

‘I’ve been trying to get these contacts in only I’m so nervous, my hands are shaking too much.’

‘Don’t be nervous, and don’t worry about wearing contacts.’

Her eyes flicked up to his face. ‘I wouldn’t wear them either, but I honestly can’t see anything.’

He crossed the room and took the stairs two at a time until his eyes were level with hers. ‘Keep them on.’ But take everything else off, he thought, his gaze dropping to the band of smooth skin. ‘I mean it. I like that nobody else gets to see your eyes without them the way I do.’

The pulse at the base of her throat jerked forward and heat rushed through him, his body responding, growing hard, and he kissed her softly on the mouth, then drew back, groaning. ‘Okay, I think it’s time to leave, otherwise I’m going to have too many reasons to stay.’

CHAPTER NINE

HEWASGLADhe had returned for the exhibition. It wasn’t just that it was interesting, he liked watching Jemima. In fact, that was turning into a whole new distraction for him.

And he liked her company. Her laugh. Her curiosity. Her intelligence. After so many solitary years spent turning his back on anything more than sex with the occasional benefit, Jemima made him feel happy and whole in ways that he had not just forgotten but never experienced. It was both daunting and thrilling.

‘So this is something your team found.’ They were looking at a heavy gold chain that looked perfect despite having been immersed in water for nearly three hundred years.

‘We found it in a wreck off the Bahamas.’

She frowned. ‘The Bahamas?’

‘I went down to help transport food and water after Hurricane Tana hit three years ago.’ He saw that she was staring at him uncertainly, as if she wasn’t sure if he was joking or not. ‘It’s not all about the adrenaline,’ he said quietly.

‘I know that.’ Leaning forward, she touched the tiny Monmouth Rock logo on the explainer next to the glass display case. ‘Is that why you support the trust?’

She had noticed. He felt a small prickle of surprise. Not many people bothered to look at the small print, let alone details like business logos. But then Jemima looked closer than most people. Saw more. Cared more.

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