“No.” She allowed impulse to override her common sense. She wasn’t ready to return to her lab with her head hung in defeat. She didn’t want to slip back into her boring clothes. And she certainly did not wish to be whisked away from the man who kissed her as if he never wanted to let her go.
I like him, she thought. And then: I’m falling for him.
No, she couldn’t tumble into his life. When the sun rose, she needed to go back to her world and her work—hopefully with the additional funding. But until then…
Across the street, Central Park stretched out in front of her.
Our next adventure…
“I can’t walk on the pavement barefoot, but the grass would feel good.” She gathered fistfuls of tulle and lifted the gown from the sidewalk. Then she gingerly walked to the curb and waited for the light to change. “Plus, there’s one more place I want to show you before you make your final decision.”
He shook his head “Ivy—”
“It’s my favorite place in New York.” She glanced over her shoulder. “One more adventure before you go back to your spreadsheets. Just one more.”
He joined her at the curb. “And if I’m tempted to show you my favorite place next?”
We have until dawn, she thought. But what if he planned to end their impromptu adventure before the sun rose? Maybe Carter Burke liked to be in bed before midnight, or at his computer, focused on his precious budget sheets.
“Once you see mine, you’ll realize there is no way your favorite place can top it,” she said playfully, as she thrust the lingering questions to the corners of her mind.
The light changed and the white WALK sign illuminated. She moved forward, but a firm hand on her arm prevented her from taking another step.
“I can’t let you walk across the street barefoot,” he said. An arm slipped under her knees and lifted her off her feet, as another hand supported her back.
“Carter,” she gasped.
“Don’t worry.” Cradling her in his arms, he marched across the wide city street. “New Yorkers see stranger things than a man carrying a beautiful, barefoot woman into the park.”
“I’m not concerned about that,” she murmured.
Not about questioning looks from New York cabbies.
But the way her body melted against him? The temptation to rest her head against his powerful chest? The desire to stay in his arms?
She had a long list of reasons to worry. But by the time they reached the park entrance and he lowered her bare feet to the grass, she’d buried her concerns and turned her attention to their next adventure—a visit to the princess’s lair.
New York City’s very own castle.
Chapter 14
Racing across grass fields and familiar footpaths, Ivy headed toward the distant globes of light. She rounded the final corner—ignoring Carter’s repeated and playful inquiries about their destination—and stopped.
The building fit for royalty glowed in the distance. Sporting a striking stone façade and a tall, flag-topped turret, the hundred-fifty-year-old structure belonged in a world of make believe, not a fast-paced city dotted with skyscrapers. Or at least that’s what she’d thought when she’d come here as a child.
“Belvedere Castle,” Carter murmured. “I should have known.”
“The castle’s locked for the night or I’d take you inside and show you the microscopes in the nature observatory.”
“More science.” He shook his head and grinned. “And here I thought you were leading me to a secluded, romantic destination.”
“The terrace overlooking Turtle Pond is open until the park closes.” She nodded toward the set of stone steps. Streetlamps illuminated the pathway leading up through a pavilion to the castle. “If you’re interested, we can take a closer look at the castle’s reflection in the water.”
“Lead the way.” Carter gestured to the stairs.
She raised her gown and mounted the steps. Under the lamps’ warm glow, her bare feet glided over the smooth stones, moving through the pavilion, past the lower terrace, and up to the top level. She walked to the gray granite wall and released the fistfuls of tulle. The pond’s smooth surface glowed beneath them, reflecting the Gothic-style building.
“Incredible.” Carter moved to her side. He rested his hands on the wall’s ledge and peered out into the darkness. “I’ve never been here at night. It feels like a different world.”