It was a perfect moment.
She had no idea what happened next and right now she didn’t care.
She had this moment and she was going to make the most of it. Knowing that it was fleeting simply made it all the more precious.
She gave a whoop of delight and felt Jake’s answering laugh.
The bike swooped through the streets of Brooklyn, past silent parks and along darkened streets and finally drew up outside the brownstone Paige shared with her friends and her brother.
Home.
Like Cinderella after the ball.
She slid off the bike and stood on the sidewalk, breathing in the smell of summer, her stomach twisted into knots. She dragged the helmet off her head, laughter bubbling up like champagne from a freshly opened bottle.
“That was truly amazing.”
“We’ll make a bad girl of you yet.” He took the helmet from her, his fingers lingering on hers, and she swallowed, because this was it and she had no idea how to end an evening like the one they’d shared.
Goodbye didn’t feel right.
“I’ll give you the jacket when I see you.”
He gave a brief nod. “Thank you for tonight.”
For a moment she thought he was thanking her for sex, then realized he was talking about the event.
It seemed like a lifetime ago.
The adrenaline and the thrill of it was still there somewhere, but right now it had been surpassed by the excitement of being with Jake.
“I’m glad it worked well. Eva, Frankie and I will have a meeting tomorrow and we’ll send you through a report.”
It was hard to act and sound professional when her body ached from the deep, intimate invasion of his.
His gaze met hers and she knew he was thinking the same thing.
It seemed impossible that this was it.
She wanted him to say something. Something personal. But he didn’t.
Fighting disappointment, she was about to turn away when he slid his hand behind her head and drew her mouth to his.
His kiss was fire and heat, a brief afterburn of what they’d shared earlier, and it shocked her because, had her friends or her brother chosen that moment to look out of the window, there would have been no secret to keep.
Slowly, he lifted his mouth from hers. And smiled.
That smile connected with every single part of her, melting her bones to liquid.
She kept her hand on his arm, dizzy, steadying herself. “Why did you do that?”
“Because I wanted to.” He ran his fingers across her cheek in a lingering stroke. “Paige Walker, I predict that from tomorrow your phone will be ringing nonstop. You’re going to be busy.”
“I hope so.”
Forcing herself to move, she took the steps to the front door. As she opened it she heard the throaty rumble of the engine as Jake roared away and she stood for a moment on the steps, watching and listening as the sound faded into the distance.
Happiness, she thought, felt like this. Exactly like this.