“Because I know you.” Except that it turned out he didn’t know her anywhere near as well as he’d thought he did, or wanted to. And he was planning on doing something about that.
He looked at her and found her looking at him.
He stopped walking and so did she.
The air stood still. There wasn’t a breath of wind, and all sound vanished.
A single strand of her hair curved around her cheek toward her mouth, as if saying this way. He wanted to follow those shining strands with the tips of his fingers and explore the line of her jaw with his lips. He wanted to get close enough to count the freckles that dusted her nose. He wanted to pull her in and kiss her, right there among the trees and flowers, laughing children and barking dogs.
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It was the last two that stopped him hauling her into his arms. When he finally kissed her, he wanted it to be in private.
He stepped away from her and glanced up toward the sky, trying to act normally. Trying to act as if his blood wasn’t racing and his heart wasn’t pounding. “Did you know you can do bat walks here in the summer?”
There was a brief pause. “Bat walks?” Her husky tone suggested she was suffering in the same way he was.
“I only found out recently. If I’d known, I would have taken my sister years ago.”
A laugh escaped her. “Paige would hate it.”
“It’s a brother’s duty to scare his sister senseless.”
He chose a route that took them along meandering woodland paths, and they strolled through dappled sunlight, enjoying the outdoor space.
For his own sake he steered the conversation onto safe topics.
He asked her about Urban Genie and she told him about some of their more recent business wins.
“We’re working long hours, but somehow those hours don’t seem so long when you’re working with your friends. Sometimes we’re laughing so much it feels more like one of our nights off.” She related a couple of stories that made him smile, and then she asked him about his business and he found himself telling her about his current dilemma.
His business was growing so fast he’d reached a point where he had to make a decision on whether to expand or turn down work. What he really wanted to do was find a way to sponsor Roxy for training but then they’d be another person short.
“She shows a real aptitude and she’s keen, but that’s not enough. She needs to learn the scientific fundamentals of plant care so she can take on maintenance programs for the clients.”
“She could do classes evenings and on weekends?”
“But she needs to be there for Mia.”
“When I was training there was a woman who took six years to get her certificate. They’re very flexible about allowing you to do whatever fits with your schedule.”
He was surprised to discover how helpful it was to talk it through with her, because usually he made all his decisions alone. It was the way he operated.
They reached Bow Bridge as the sun set and stood gazing at the views of Central Park West and Fifth Avenue, watching as the tops of the trees glowed red in the fading light.
“Sunset in Central Park,” she murmured. “It doesn’t get any more perfect.”
They were standing side by side, close but not quite touching.
He wondered if she was as aware of him as he was of her.
And then she turned her head to look at him and he saw the heat of his own desire reflected in her eyes.
Her mouth was a soft, inviting curve. All he had to do was lower his head, but he didn’t. He’d made up his mind that by the time he kissed her she was going to want it so badly she wasn’t going to be thinking about her performance.
Instead, he stepped back and held out his hand. “Our table is booked for eight fifteen.”
She hesitated and then took his hand and they walked along the path to the famous Bethesda terrace.