Lucas met me halfway and pulled me into his arms, giving me a soft kiss on the lips. I shuddered a little at his smoldering look.
“Ready?”
“Ready for what? You never told me where we were going.” I was relieved I didn’t under or overdress judging by what he had on, but I would have felt a lot better if I knew what I was in for.
“Look up.” We were right in front of the Empire State Building. “Ever been to the top?”
“Once, on an eighth-grade school trip.” It was awful how I never went to any of the famous spots New York City was known for, like most New Yorkers.
“Well, after tonight, you can say you’ve been there twice. C’mon.” He took my hand and led me into the lobby. We stepped onto the elevator and traveled up to the Observation Deck on the eighty-sixth floor. Even all those years ago, I could still remember being a little nervous going so high. Lucas must’ve realized I was tense and squeezed my hand.
I stepped out onto the deck and understood why movies likeSleepless in SeattleandAn Affair to Rememberused the Empire State Building as the ultimate romantic meeting place. I got a kick out of looking through the binoculars and looking down on the city I’d spent my entire life living and working in. It was beautiful from this high up, and the twilight made the views more spectacular.
It was so windy, my hair kept wrapping around my face as I was trying to look out of the bars. I glanced over at Lucas, and he was staring at me with a weird expression. Like he was in some kind of trance.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing, it’s … you’re beautiful.”
I strode over to where he stood and ran my fingers along the trimmed stubble on his jaw. He caught my hand and smiled.
“You aren’t so bad, either.” Lucas smiled and tried to smooth my hair off my face, but the wind was too strong.
Lucas whispered in my ear, “Ever been kissed on top of the Empire State Building?”
“I came here with my eighth-grade class—with nuns and class mothers chaperoning us. So that’s a no.”
Lucas pulled me toward him and kissed me, wrapping his arms around my waist. He even dipped me a little like they did in the movies. He pulled me back up and gave me a sexy smile.
“Good date so far?”
“I’d say so.”
I couldn’t wait to see what else Lucas would show me that would be like I was seeing it for the first time.
* * *
We strolledto a small tavern for dinner. I was surprised when Lucas slid in next to me instead of across from me in our booth. He put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close as he looked at the menu. I glanced up at him and giggled.
“What’s so funny?”
“I expected you to sit across from me. You’re cute when you’re clingy.” I kissed his cheek and snuggled into his side as our waitress brought us our drinks.
“I’m making up for lost time. Do you know how many lunches and coffee dates I wanted to do this?” Lucas kissed my cheek and inched his lips down my neck. “Or this.” I jumped when he licked then bit my earlobe. A moan escaped me, and he chuckled.
“Sorry. I know you want to take this slow. Now that I can kiss you, it’s hard to stop. I’ll try to keep myself in check. Promise.” He took his arm off my shoulder and held the menu with both hands.
I took Lucas’s face in my hands and gave him a soft kiss, nibbling his bottom lip as I pulled away.
“I know what you mean. I don’t want to stop kissing you, either.”
Lucas handed me a menu and looked away. He got serious and moved a little farther away from me. I made him uncomfortable but wasn’t sure how. I put my hand on top of his, and he looked back at me.
“Did I say something wrong?”
Lucas smirked and shook his head. “I need to not touch you or kiss you for a little while. I’m afraid I’ll shove you into the bathroom in the back or the alley outside, which would be the complete opposite of slow.”
I noticed the single-person bathroom and alley outside too—and had the same fleeting thought. Taking it slow was proving to be much harder than I thought it would be.
