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“Shouldn’t be too cold,” Rhett said. “We picked them up a half hour ago.”
“Thanks, man,” the guy said.
Rhett continued walking, handing out the boxes until all five were gone.
We kept walking away from the car, even after we’d given out all the pizza. My heart slammed so hard in my chest. Did he seriously buy extra pizza to distribute slices to hungry people? Where were the cameras or the paparazzi? Nobody was even watching this good deed, which had the effect of warming my chest even more.
We reached the crosswalk, and Rhett took my hand again. I’d thought it was a chivalrous move because the ground was uneven and my heels were tall, but now I wondered if he just wanted to hold my hand.
I squeezed his fingers. “That was really nice.”
“It was nothing. Literally, nothing.” He shook off my compliment and led me down the sidewalk. We stopped at a large glass door, and it looked familiar. I glanced up, and the breath fled my lungs. We were at the Empire State Building.
“Wait.” I faced him quickly and stepped back to confirm it was the building I thought it was. Yep. This is exactly where I stood hours ago when it was still considered evening. “Why are we here?”
Rhett slung his hands in his pockets, making him the most deliciously casual tuxed-up man I’d ever seen. I loved this look more than any of his others, including every look I’d seen on screen.
“We’re here to see New York City,” he said. He flicked his chin up. “From the top.”
My body froze, cold anticipation slithering through my veins. “Um, they’re sold out. I offered them money, then I offered to double that money, and they wouldn’t budge because of safety regulations. They’re completely out of tickets for today.”
“Well, they’re closed now, so you couldn’t have gotten this ticket anyway.”
It is a known phenomenon that when a person is shocked, there’s a moment of time where everything freezes. Birds don’t fly, dogs don’t bark, cars don’t drive—or beep insanely loudly—and men with incredibly blue eyes and stunning charisma grow so still, you wonder if they’re still breathing.
“Do you mean we’re going in when it’sclosed? After hours? You can’t have that kind of power, Rhett. No one has that kind of power.”
“No, I don’t. But I know someone who does, and I called in a favor.”
Was this really happening?
I stepped forward and slid my hands around his waist, squeezing him tightly and savoring the beat of his heart against my cheek on his chest. I didn’t think about what he’d read into this, or if it was even appropriate. I didn’t worry about whether his bodyguard would pull me away or if Rhett would approve, I just thanked him in the universal language that I knew so well. A hug.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
His arms went around me, pressing my back gently before he released me.
Jax stood behind us, waiting patiently. He knocked on the door when Rhett nodded, and someone came to open it.
“We’re so pleased to welcome you to the Empire State Building, Mr. Myers.” It was the same woman I’d been speaking to at the line earlier, and when she noticed me, she did a double take.
“No more tickets, huh?” I teased.
“No occupancy laws are being broken now, ma’am,” she said smoothly.
“This is much better, anyway,” Rhett said.
“Agreed, sir. You won’t have to share the views.” She gave us her best customer-service smile and directed us to a short woman with a long ponytail, who led us through the building. She took us past the ticket counter and into a hallway that was lit with fluorescent lightbulbs and clearly not open to the public.
“This is a much faster way,” she explained.
I couldn’t believe it was happening at all. I followed her upstairs, and she let us into a museum area that had enormous pictures of construction men sitting on a beam that hung from the top of the Empire State Building and life-sized bronze statues.
The tour guide clasped her hands in front of her and explained that this room talked about the history of the building. I took it all in, taking pictures of everything, including selfies with the statues. I got a picture of Rhett sitting on a bench with a couple statue-men who were eating their lunch, before we moved on to a room with a giant King Kong hand breaking through the window. The whole thing was incredible.
Then we took the elevators up, skipping the 86th floor, which held the observation deck most tourists flocked to, and going straight to the top.
When I stepped outside and the wind hit my face, I gasped. New York was lit as far as I could see with blinking lights and moving cars. The water in the harbor shimmered, and the sheer magnitude of New York City was stunning.
