Falling for Nate was a bad idea.
Erin silently reminded herself of that as she stole another sideways glance at him. No matter how gorgeous he was, how much fun he could be when he set his mind to it, how much easier it had gotten to talk to him or how many million times a day she thought about kissing him again—she could not fall in love with him.
There was no modern-day equivalent of a happily-ever-after up for grabs, not with him. She would never fit into his world. He had to know that as well as she did. The Van Rothstein’s were Manhattan royalty. And Erin Giordano? She could cater quirky cupcakes for glittering parties where his kind sipped champagne and looked down on the rest of the imperfect world from their penthouses. But she was a passing fancy, nothing more.
Predictably he looked sideways at her and smiled a slow, knowing smile. He knew he was getting to her, didn’t he? The fact that he hadn’t pushed when it came to physical contact hadn’t gone unnoticed, frustrating and relieving her in equal measure—or so she told herself. He was allowing her space, and she lo—
She appreciated that.
Even if it did make her excruciatingly aware of every movement he made, every breath of air he took and every single moment his gaze rested on her. She couldn’t remember ever being physically aware of a man on a cellular level. But it had been like that with him from the get-go, hadn’t it? Like they’d danced hundreds of times before…
“So you’re coming to Sunday dinner I hear.”
“I can’t help it if your mother loves me.”
Erin rolled her eyes.
“And I’m playing basketball with Morgan, Evan and Quinn in the morning,” he said, nodded firmly. “Your friends love me, too.”
It was quite the vacation he was taking from the world he lived in. Not content with charming her family, he’d invited himself to the weekly dinner tradition she had with her friends and won them over in less than an hour. Everyone loved Nate.
“You’re obviously irresistible.” She sighed.
“Begs the question of how you’re able to keep your hands off me…”
Turning her gaze toward the river, her feet impulsively made the turn onto the boardwalk. “Finding the answer to that keeps me awake at night.”
It wasn’t a lie. Erin was finding it more difficult to resist him by the day. But she knew instinctively he could break her heart in a way it had never been broken before. Erin had hoped one day she would find a man she could love with all her heart. Someone she could stand beside through good days and bad. A partner, a best friend, a lover—all wrapped up into one. It was the way it was supposed to be. She believed that with every fiber of her being. If she couldn’t have that then she was happier to stay single for the rest of her days with her heart intact than she was to live her whole life aching for someone she could never have. And her heart was already aching….
When they reached the railing, Manhattan spectacularly sparkled against the night sky and reflected in the flowing river below. It was magical. She was looking at his world from hers. On the outside looking in. The way it would always be.
Nate turned, leaned against the railing and studied her with hooded eyes. “So what’s the problem?”
“You have an ego the size of a small county?” She stifled a sad smile.
“You’re attracted to me.”
“I was wrong, it’s a large country.”
“I’ve been patient, Erin.”
“I know you have.” Her answer was soft, even though she didn’t know why he had. It went against everything she’d assumed about him and the statement he’d made about finishing what they’d started. She just didn’t get him at all.
Then he did what she’d been aching for him to do for a long time and she watched, hypnotized, as he reached out a large hand. She held her breath and waited, her heart a tight fist in her chest until impossibly gentle fingers smoothed her hair back from her cheek, whispering over her skin as she exhaled.
When he stepped closer, her eyelids grew heavy. The need to surrender was overwhelming. She could feel heat radiating from him, could see the intense warmth in the dark pools of his eyes. Maybe, just for a moment, she could give in to temptation. Again. Another memory to hold on to when he got bored and went back to his life.
Her gaze dropped to the wickedly sensual curve of his mouth.
His fingers moved to tilt her chin up.
Looking into his eyes, Erin was completely and utterly mesmerized. It had been her downfall last time, too. But this time she wavered, knowledge that she hadn’t had before making her fearful of the repercussions. Until Nate spoke in a husky rumble, his voice filled with frustration.
“I’m done being patient.”
As her lips parted, he leaned in and pressed his mouth to hers, a contented moan leaving her lips as he took control. Firm, warm, practiced lips became insistent for response. So she kissed him back. She had to. It was a biological imperative.
When she reached up and set her palm on his cheek, Nate snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her close. When she moved her thumb against his smooth skin, long fingers threaded into her hair to angle her head so he could deepen the kiss. Erin had never been so utterly consumed. Her imagination hadn’t elevated their first kiss disproportionately—if anything it hadn’t done it justice. No wonder she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it. But this time it tapped into a hidden, ravenously hungry part of her that made her moan louder and shift her body restlessly against his.
“We need to stop,” Nate said in a rough mumble against her swollen lips.
As their ragged breathing sounded in her ears, Erin knew he was right. It was neither the time nor place. Not that her body seemed to agree…
“We do,” Erin mumbled back while continuing to kiss him before her subconscious added a whispered, “I can’t fall for you.”
Nate’s head lifted. A roving gaze studied her face. Then he smiled a purely sexual smile that flipped her heart over in her chest.
“Yes, you can.”
No. She couldn’t. She shouldn’t. But she moved her hand to the back of his neck and lifted her chin, her mouth seeking his again. Then she let go, and kissed him with the full ferocity of her pent-up emotions. It was already too late, wasn’t it? They’d been dancing since the first time he held out his hand.
And now she had to wait for the music to end.
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