the supply cabinet?”
“Oh.”
“Right. ‘Oh.’ Not an option anymore.”
“Then what do you propose?”
“Something exciting.” He took a deep breath, preparing for her to let loose on him.
It had stared out as a passing fancy, something that had occurred to him randomly back when he was still nursing his pride over Giselle. But the idea hadn’t gone away, no matter how ridiculous it had seemed. And really, if he wanted to start the new year with a bang, was there anywhere else to go?
“I was thinking,” he started. “How do you feel about…Times Square?”
For a painfully long time, Cassie stared at him, speechless. Finally, she shook her head. “Times Square. In New York.”
“Is there another?”
“You realize we live in North Carolina, right?”
“Yes.”
“That it’s cold in New York right now?”
“Yup.”
“That it’s December twenty-ninth and we’ll never get plane tickets or a hotel room now?”
“It’s eleven hours by car. And doesn’t your grandmother live in Queens?”
“Yes, and I’m sure she’d be delighted to have us drop in at three in the morning.”
“If we left at nine tomorrow, we could be there before Jeopardy is over. She’s still addicted to that, right?”
Again, she gaped. “You’re really serious.”
“As a heart attack.” He rushed to explain why this wasn’t quite as crazy as it sounded. “Come on. You’re off until the second, I don’t have any court dates until then either. We can take my car. You know you love the Beamer. Imagine it, getting away from everything, taking a chance, doing something unplanned for once. No Giselle, no Jane Eyre . Just the two of us…”
And just like that, her whole expression changed. She lifted her chin and set down her beer. Held out her hand. “Fine. Let’s do it.”
The remaining list of arguments he’d prepared died in his throat. “Really?”
“Sure. Why not?”
The smile that stole across his face made his cheeks hurt. God, he needed this. After everything with Giselle, after…well, just everything, really. He reached out and closed his hand around hers. It was soft. Warm.
He hid the way his breath faltered. “You won’t regret this, Cass.”
“I better not.”
He grinned and squeezed her fingers. “You won’t. I promise.”
Chapter Two
“What was that you were saying last night? Something about not regretting this?” Cassie leaned back against the siding, cupping her coffee and holding it close to her lips.
Nate’s only response was to grunt and wrench one of his hands out of the bowels of his engine to hold it up behind his back, greasy middle finger extended. Cassie chuckled into her coffee and took a long sip.
Just as planned, she’d gotten to Nate’s at nine a.m. sharp. He’d looked as gorgeous as ever as he’d opened the door for her, rumpled and barely dressed in an undershirt and jeans, his hair still wet, dark and curling behind his ears. Light olive skin and deep brown eyes.
Also, completely oblivious to the effect he had on her. Stumbling through his morning haze, he’d let her into his condo with barely a word and pointed to his coffee maker, which she’d fired up with practiced ease. By the time the first cup was ready and in her hands, he’d managed to finish getting dressed and drag out a duffle bag full of who knew what. They’d loaded everything into the back of his BMW and strapped themselves in.
Then he’d turned the ignition. And instead of a purr, they’d been greeted with a sputter. And silence.
She kicked a rock and crossed one leg over the other, shifting again. She’d been staring at Nate’s ass for almost two hours now, killing time while he tried to figure out what was wrong. While the view was nothing to complain about, her patience was wearing thin. They were supposed to be well into Virginia by now, not sitting around a half-dozen feet outside his door.
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
Bracing his arms on the sides
“Oh.”
“Right. ‘Oh.’ Not an option anymore.”
“Then what do you propose?”
“Something exciting.” He took a deep breath, preparing for her to let loose on him.
It had stared out as a passing fancy, something that had occurred to him randomly back when he was still nursing his pride over Giselle. But the idea hadn’t gone away, no matter how ridiculous it had seemed. And really, if he wanted to start the new year with a bang, was there anywhere else to go?
“I was thinking,” he started. “How do you feel about…Times Square?”
For a painfully long time, Cassie stared at him, speechless. Finally, she shook her head. “Times Square. In New York.”
“Is there another?”
“You realize we live in North Carolina, right?”
“Yes.”
“That it’s cold in New York right now?”
“Yup.”
“That it’s December twenty-ninth and we’ll never get plane tickets or a hotel room now?”
“It’s eleven hours by car. And doesn’t your grandmother live in Queens?”
“Yes, and I’m sure she’d be delighted to have us drop in at three in the morning.”
“If we left at nine tomorrow, we could be there before Jeopardy is over. She’s still addicted to that, right?”
Again, she gaped. “You’re really serious.”
“As a heart attack.” He rushed to explain why this wasn’t quite as crazy as it sounded. “Come on. You’re off until the second, I don’t have any court dates until then either. We can take my car. You know you love the Beamer. Imagine it, getting away from everything, taking a chance, doing something unplanned for once. No Giselle, no Jane Eyre . Just the two of us…”
And just like that, her whole expression changed. She lifted her chin and set down her beer. Held out her hand. “Fine. Let’s do it.”
The remaining list of arguments he’d prepared died in his throat. “Really?”
“Sure. Why not?”
The smile that stole across his face made his cheeks hurt. God, he needed this. After everything with Giselle, after…well, just everything, really. He reached out and closed his hand around hers. It was soft. Warm.
He hid the way his breath faltered. “You won’t regret this, Cass.”
“I better not.”
He grinned and squeezed her fingers. “You won’t. I promise.”
Chapter Two
“What was that you were saying last night? Something about not regretting this?” Cassie leaned back against the siding, cupping her coffee and holding it close to her lips.
Nate’s only response was to grunt and wrench one of his hands out of the bowels of his engine to hold it up behind his back, greasy middle finger extended. Cassie chuckled into her coffee and took a long sip.
Just as planned, she’d gotten to Nate’s at nine a.m. sharp. He’d looked as gorgeous as ever as he’d opened the door for her, rumpled and barely dressed in an undershirt and jeans, his hair still wet, dark and curling behind his ears. Light olive skin and deep brown eyes.
Also, completely oblivious to the effect he had on her. Stumbling through his morning haze, he’d let her into his condo with barely a word and pointed to his coffee maker, which she’d fired up with practiced ease. By the time the first cup was ready and in her hands, he’d managed to finish getting dressed and drag out a duffle bag full of who knew what. They’d loaded everything into the back of his BMW and strapped themselves in.
Then he’d turned the ignition. And instead of a purr, they’d been greeted with a sputter. And silence.
She kicked a rock and crossed one leg over the other, shifting again. She’d been staring at Nate’s ass for almost two hours now, killing time while he tried to figure out what was wrong. While the view was nothing to complain about, her patience was wearing thin. They were supposed to be well into Virginia by now, not sitting around a half-dozen feet outside his door.
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
Bracing his arms on the sides
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