“I don’t think I’ve heard the phrase ‘make-out session’ since high school,” he teased.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been on a date.” Her fingers toyed with the curls at the nape of his neck. “I guess they changed the language.”
He allowed his hands to roam over her waist, mapping a path to her lower back. “Don’t tell me it’s been since high school?”
“No, but my last serious relationship ended two years ago. Not long after I started at the Burke Initiative. Too much work and too little time for him.”
“Two years is a long time.” Carter stopped and looked down at her. “Let me make it up to you tonight. Come with me to my favorite place in New York City.”
She ran her hand over his broad shoulders. “Which is?”
“My home.”
Chapter 15
The famous lights of Times Square flashed outside the car window. Billboards mounted on skyscrapers ran commercials for TV series and must-have products. A car dangled off the side of a building as if it had been abandoned mid-adventure. On second glance, she realized it was yet another advertisement for a new mini-series.
The black luxury sedan sped past the ads, one after another.
Am I kissing our adventure good-bye? If I truly want to win my funding back, shouldn’t I keep him out, show him one more way in which scientific research helps people around the world?
But she didn’t know where to take him next. Her lab? A hospital? They couldn’t exactly walk into one of New York’s leading hospitals and ask to see a patient suffering from a terminal, rare disease.
The car slowed, and then drew to a halt. She turned her attention to the road. Despite the late hour and the fact that the Broadway shows had ended for the night, they’d hit traffic. She rubbed her bare feet together and wondered if she should get out now.
Before I fall so hard for my partner in crime that I forget what I came for.
And she couldn’t have both—the man and his financial support. Even if she did win Carter over and gain additional funding, she would still be losing the man himself. The way he looked at her, the way he kissed her, and the way he made her feel. Before she could ponder about the implications further, Carter interrupted her thoughts.
“Nervous?” he asked.
She shook her head.
“Your feet are practically dancing,” he pointed out.
“I’ll have to add driving through Times Square barefoot to my list of things I’ve never done before,” she murmured as the car crawled forward and then stopped at a red light.
“I think we can find other ways to add to your list.” He grinned and one of his perfect curls fell over his forehead. In the rush from one adventure to the next, she hadn’t forgotten that this man belonged on the billboards mounted in New York’s top tourist destination, not riding below them with her.
But then his expression turned serious. “Ivy, does anyone know where you are?”
“My assistant.” Her feet froze and looked at him. “Why? Is this the point in our adventure where you tell me you’re a serial killer who uses the pretense of makeovers and charity galas to find his victims?”
She waited for a laugh. Instead, he withdrew his cell from his pants pocket and held it out to her. “Try someone who doesn’t work for me. Like your sister.”
How does he know about Kate?
Because she’d mentioned her big sister at the castle. Briefly. In passing. And yet…
“You really were paying attention, weren’t you?” She accepted the phone.
“Always.” He nodded to the cell. “Call her and tell her where you are. Explain that this is my number.”
“She won’t believe me. She knew I was coming to see you, but she’ll think I’m joking when I tell her I’m still with you.” But she punched in the numbers.
“I don’t care. Just explain that you’ll check in later tonight and again in the morning if necessary, so she doesn’t worry.”
Her pulse quickened at the words if necessary. Despite the fact that she might return to her lab a failure, she still wanted a reason to call her sister again in the morning.