“They don’t carry blindfolds,” she said simply. “Now, if you’re ready for the next part of your adventure—”
“I’m in.” He reached for her cheek and ran his thumb over the soft, smooth skin. And I’m yours, he thought. If this is a fantasy, a spell designed to keep me at your mercy, funding your work for eternity, I’m not fighting it.
I’m staying with you.
“Turn around and let me blindfold you.”
“My pleasure.” He turned and scanned the crowd of curious onlookers. “Typical New York,” he said as she covered his eyes. “They’re not even watching.”
“They’re here for the fossils, not the blindfolded billionaire,” she said as her fingers teased his hair. Then she pulled and the fabric drew tight against his eyes. Her hands ran over his shoulders and down his back. “But I’m here for you, Carter.”
With his world plunged into darkness behind the tie, he couldn’t read her expression. “Ivy, say that again,” he demanded.
“I’m here for you, Carter Burke. Not your company or your funding,” she said. “I want you.”
He grinned. He probably looked like a fool, smiling beneath the T. rex with a ridiculous, dinosaur-printed piece of silk covering his eyes. But he didn’t give a damn right now. “You’re my wildest adventure, Ivy Grant. I knew it the moment you walked into my office.”
“And you’re mine.” Her fingers entwined with his. “Come with me. I think you’ll love our next destination.”
I love you, Ivy Grant.
But the words could wait until they were alone. No tourists. No dinosaurs. And when he told her, he wanted to study her face. He had to see for himself if she’d fallen for him, too.
Chapter 29
“Before I take off the blindfold, you should know I don’t have a plan for what comes next.” Ivy guided him through the door, allowing it to close behind them. Skyscrapers surrounded them and a bridge loomed in the distance.
“The wild adventure ends here?” he asked, turning his head as if he could somehow sense their location.
“I hope not.” She stepped in front of him and slipped her hands underneath his suit jacket. Running her fingers up beneath the fabric, she guided the jacket off his shoulders.
He shrugged it off and tossed it aside. Then he cocked his head. “No alarms this time.”
“Not here.” She reached for the buttons on his dress shirt. “Thank you for what you did this morning. I know it wasn’t easy to stand up there and ask for help. If I was in your shoes, I’m not sure I could have done it.” She released the first button and moved to the second.
“You marched into my office Friday and demanded my attention,” he said.
“I was ready to fight for my cause.” She freed two more buttons. Her fingers brushed his bare chest as she worked her way lower, revealing his perfect abdomen.
“So was I,” he said softly.
Her hands stilled. “Carter—”
“I thought we were saving the thank yous for regular business hours.” He took over where she’d left off. Four buttons later, his dress shirt hung open.
“We are.” She ran her fingertips over his chest, down his abs to his belt buckle. “I’m just here for your muscles.”
He shook his head. “I fall for a smart, beautiful woman and she only wants me for my body.”
“No.” She loosened his belt. “It’s not just your abs.”
“You’re damn right it’s not.”
He stepped closer, but she released her hold on his pants and slipped out of his reach.
“I’m taking off the blindfold now.” She moved behind him and loosened the knot. The silk tie fell to his neck and hung like a multi-colored piece of jewelry.
He turned in a slow circle, blinking as he absorbed their location. “We’re on my terrace.”