I don’t recognize the building we stop at, nor do I have any real sense of where we are as Teo leads me through the back door and into an elevator.
“If I didn’t know any better,” I mock-whisper as we watch the levels on the monitor get higher and higher, “I’d guess you were kidnapping me again.”
“Would that be so bad?”
“I’m not sure our daughter would ever forgive us.”
It still feels weird to say it. Every time it leaves my mouth, it sounds like some kind of miracle. It makes my heart clench that Teo and I could even make something so beautiful.
He throws an arm over my shoulder, and I’m enveloped in that all-too-familiar scent of vanilla and sandalwood. “I’m sure she wouldn’t mind for a couple of hours. It’s not like she’ll remember it.”
I scoff. “Are you kidding? The moment she’s old enough to retain memories, I’m telling her about all the times you stole me away.”
“You can’t indoctrinate our daughter.”
“I need to do everything in my power to protect her from ending up with a man like you!” I tease.
He pulls me around so that he can lay a possessive hand around my waist. Facing him, it’s far harder to tease him. The intensity of those endless eyes melts my playfulness into desire.
“And how did that work out for you?” he says with a smug expression on his lips as he catches me glancing at them.
“Horribly,” I reply instantly. Breathlessly.
His hand reaches to tilt my head up to his. “Seems like it.”
I can’t help it; I stretch onto my toes. But he denies me my kiss and pulls away, just as the elevator pings open.
It’s a warm evening, a fact that makes stepping out onto the rooftop an instant relief. A cool breeze brushes across my sweltering skin as I look over the skyline.
Brooklyn, in all its glory. The beach to one side, the river further down. Then there, in the distance, Manhattan has begun to sparkle in the growing twilight. It’s a perfect vantage point of the entire city.
“It will all be ours soon,” Teo murmurs at my side, following my gaze out toward the urban sprawl.
I bite the corner of my mouth. “I thought you didn’t want to talk about work.”
“I don’t.”
I sigh contentedly at his side. The rooftop also houses an extensively stocked bar and luxurious outdoor seating area. It’s a prime location for a Friday evening, but the entire place is empty.
Even the servers and bartenders fade quietly into the background.
I turn to look at Teo. “Did you hire this place out?”
He just shrugs. “I had a busy week. Didn’t really feel like dealing with anyone else.”
I hit him playfully before heading toward the bar. “In that case, I’m making the most of it. I haven’t been drunk since I got pregnant.”
His eyes flash wickedly. “In that case, let’s get the most expensive thing on the menu.”
This turns out to be a champagne that even I barely knew how to pronounce. But it has a truly tantalizing taste, and I sip at it happily as we take a seat by a modern fire pit. I watch the flames dance across the surface of the stone in fascination.
“I can’t remember the last time we had a minute to ourselves,” I confess.
Teo chuckles in agreement. “I think we deserve a night off.”
“In that case…” I kick off my heels and pull my feet up onto the outdoor couch, tucking them neatly beneath me.
His arm automatically drapes over my shoulder, allowing me to snuggle more deeply into his side. My sigh of contentedness matches his as we sip at our drinks and watch as night begins to fall across the city.
