“Show me. Show me the New York you love.”
For one night in his life he was going to spend time with someone who didn’t know who he was.
That in itself was a miracle.
CHAPTER FOUR
SHE WAS IN Times Square with what felt like a million tourists and the hottest guy on the planet. She needed to remember every moment of how this felt so she could use it in a book, but right now she was enjoying the reality. She couldn’t believe that an evening that had begun so badly could have turned out so well. If nothing else, she would come away with a new adventure for Lara.
And Alex was so easy to talk to. Usually she felt uncomfortable with strangers, but something about him encouraged her to part with secrets. Maybe it was because he’d expressed distaste over the champagne accident. His response was both unexpected and impressive. It was a shame he couldn’t have put in a good word with Cynthia.
The crowd thickened, and she was pushed closer to him. “Oops. Sorry.”
“It’s crowded.”
“It always is.” Times Square was a blur of noise and color, flashing lights and giant electronic billboards. New York at its showiest, most boastful best.
“What do you do when you walk?”
“I watch people. I observe.” Understanding people, what made them behave the way they did, was essential to her.
“And that’s interesting?”
“Of course. I’m a writer. I need inspiration for my characters. People are endlessly fascinating, don’t you think? What makes one person behave the way they do when someone else would do something entirely different?” She was jostled again and this time she stumbled slightly.
He steadied her, his grip firm on her arm. “Go on.”
She wondered how something as simple as his hand on her arm could make her breathless. “Nature versus nurture. It’s a question I’ve often considered.”
The crowd was so dense that for a moment it was impossible to move. And then someone shoved her hard and she landed against Alex.
Instead of pushing her away, he curved his arm round her. She was pressed against the hard, muscular length of him, and all thoughts of nature versus nurture and any other rational argument vanished from her head.
Embarrassed, she tried to ease away, but there was no room to move. “Sorry.”
“No problem.” He gave a throaty laugh. “I had no idea a visit to Times Square could be so intimate.”
She was probably supposed to laugh, too, but no sound would leave her mouth and she stood for a moment, disorientated, aware of nothing but him. Who would have thought she could feel this way? This, Matilda thought with a shiver of excitement, was real sexual attraction, and she’d never experienced anything as powerful.
She tried to find the words to describe the sensation, but in the end she could do nothing but feel. Her eyes were close to his throat and she saw bronzed skin and a hint of dark hair at the open neck of his shirt. She wanted to press her mouth to that skin and taste it. She wanted to—
“Lara?” His mouth was close to her ear and she closed her eyes as she felt the warmth of his breath brush against her cheek.
She was pressed hard against him, so close she could feel the hard planes of his body and the dip and curve of male muscle. Close enough to know that he felt the same way she did. She felt the hard ridge of his arousal and the throbbing pressure of his body sent a delicious thrill through her. They were in a crowd, but it was as if there was just the two of them. She could feel the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed; feel the warmth of his breath brushing her hair and her skin. Lara would have leaned forward and pressed her mouth to that tantalizing male flesh exposed by the gap in his shirt. She would have explored him with her tongue …
And then she remembered that tonight she was Lara, which meant she could do all those things—
“Lara?” His voice was deep and sexy, intensifying her already erotic daydreams.
“Mmm?” Dizzy with desire, she looked up at him and met his gaze.
For a moment he said nothing, and then he gave a wry smile.
“There are too many people. Let’s get out of here.”
This time there was a roughness to his tone, and its origin was unmistakable.
He wanted her.