Sleepless in Manhattan (From Manhattan with Love 1)

“I THINK YOU might have killed me. If I’d known it was going to be that good I would have thrown ethics and willpower out of the window a long time ago.” Jake’s eyes were closed and Paige was relieved he’d spoken first because she really didn’t know what to say after what had just happened.

How had she thought it would be just sex?

It was so much more than that. The closeness between them had returned, and not just because of the new physical intimacy. Intimacy wasn’t sex, she realized. It was knowing someone. And Jake knew her.

He opened his eyes and turned his head to look at her, no doubt wondering about her silence.

She was probably supposed to make some light comment in return. “We should have done it years ago. I blame you for the fact that we didn’t.” It was the best she could manage, but it seemed to be acceptable because he gave that lopsided smile that turned her legs to jelly every time.

“Sleep with the teenage virgin sister of my best friend? Honey, there’s risk, and then there’s suicide.”

“I lost my virginity when I was—”

“I don’t want to know. I might have to kill the guy.” He closed his eyes again. “If I’d slept with you then I wouldn’t have lived to do it now and think what we would have both missed.”

She shifted slightly so that she could look at the view. The whole of Manhattan was spread before them.

Despite the years they’d known each other, she hardly ever visited his apartment. The first time had been with Matt, and her memory of that visit was of hovering by the door while he and Jake had discussed plans for converting the outdoor area.

Originally a textile warehouse, the space had been transformed into several vast, light-drenched lofts. Jake’s was on the top floor, with views across downtown and the Brooklyn Bridge. It was as beautiful at night as it was breathtaking in the day.

Tonight, it felt close to perfect.

Or maybe she was seeing things differently. Lying here in the safe circle of Jake’s arms, the world felt like a softer, gentler place.

“We wasted a lot of time. I might have to kill you anyway.”

“As long as you do it slowly and pick a method that involves sex, that’s fine by me. Do anything. Have your evil way. Chain me up. Torture me, but if you could use your incredible mouth as your lethal weapon, that would be great.” He slid his hand behind her neck and pulled her head close to his. “My new favorite hobby might be kissing off your lipstick.”

His mouth was so close to hers they were breathing the same air, and that suited her fine.

“Lipstick is my addiction.”

“Kissing it off could become mine.” He barely moved, but his mouth took hers in a slow deliberate kiss that sent waves of desire shimmering across her skin.

She’d dreamed of this for so long she’d assumed she’d inflated it way beyond reality, and yet in the end it turned out that her imagination had produced a sparse, insipid version of the real thing.

Dreams were made of this, spun from hope.

She always said that she wanted to live in the moment, and if she could have picked one moment it would have been this one.

Eventually, when he’d turned her insides to an unstable version of the original, he rolled onto his back, taking her with him.

She snuggled close. “The view from your apartment is amazing. You could sell tickets. I don’t know how you ever persuade women to leave.”

“Easy. I don’t bring them here.”

Surprised, she shifted to look at him. “Never?” She savored the perfect lines of his profile, admiring the slant of his cheekbones and the straight blade of his nose.

“You’re the first woman I’ve brought here.”

The rush of euphoric pleasure made her giddy. “You didn’t bring me here. I showed up on your doorstep and forced my way in.” She slid her arm over him, feeling the roughness of chest hair brush against the sensitive skin of her inner arm. “Why don’t you bring them?”

“Because I’m like you—I like to be the one in control. I like to be able to walk away when it suits me.”

“Are you saying I’m controlling?” In a swift, smooth movement she straddled him, and he gave a smile and closed his hands over her hips, steadying her.

“I have no problem with you being controlling when this is how it looks.”