Page 93 of Manhattan Kiss

“Good,” he says.

“So get engaged or stop whatever it is you’re doing.”

I chuckle, thinking he’s joking.

The look on his face tells me he’s not.

Engaged? He can’t be serious.

“You need a drink. And so do I,” I say.

An older woman I’ve never met before interrupts us, whispers something in his ear, and Ryder excuses himself. I turn and grab a drink from a passing waiter. I take a glug, trying to process what Ryder said and whether or not it makes any sense.

Am I in danger in messing Aurora around? This wasn’t the easiest conversation to have, but Ryder’s right that Aurora’s heart should be treated like glass. Am I doing something that puts her heart at risk?

Aurora and I started from a place of having chemistry and incredible sex. Both those things are still true, but there’s something more there too. For both of us. But what does that mean? I haven’t given any thought to how this might play out. I’ve just been trying to spend as much time with her as possible. I’ve been enjoying her. I don’t want to mess anyone around. We both know she’s due to go home in a few weeks.

And that’s it, right?

The thought gnaws at my insides. I don’t want that to be it. I’m not ready to give her up, and I’ll probably want her to leave even less by the time she goes.

But I can’t ask her to stay. Can I? And even if I did, her entire life is in the UK.

And why would Ryder talk about getting engaged? We’ve only known each other a few weeks. We have a connection that I’ve never experienced before, she’s one of the most special people I’ve ever met and all I want to do is spend time with her, but I haven’t thought about what happens next.

What’s made me successful in business is not always getting things right, but that I don’t make the same mistake twice. When my relationship with Gabby broke down, I was clear that I wouldn’t ever put Willow through that again. I wouldn’t have her enduring the breakdown of her parents’ second marriage. And now with Gabby getting engaged, I have to be the steady ship. I have to be the parent that shows her that in the choppiest of waters, I’m her safe harbor.

Guilt floods my gut as I think about introducing Aurora to Willow. What had I been thinking? I was starting something I couldn’t possibly finish. I was just caught up in wanting to see Aurora.

Willow hasn’t formed any kind of connection to her, and I need to make sure she doesn’t. Aurora’s going to leave. I need to protect Willow from that, not expose her to it.

“Hey.” Aurora’s hand on my back pulls me from my own thoughts.

Instantly, I feel better now she’s close.

“Hi.” The collar of my shirt starts to itch.

“You okay?” she asks, tilting her head to one side, in that empathetic, caring way she has.

“Yeah,” I say. “I just have a lot on my mind.”

“Dance with me,” she says, her green eyes sparkling, her face lit up by the city lights in the plate glass windows behind her.

“Dance?”

She takes my glass and puts it on the table behind us, then scoops up my hand and leads me to the dance floor. Right now, I’ll follow Aurora anywhere she’s going and I can’t imagine ever feeling any different.

THIRTY

Aurora

“We don’t really need to dance,” I say. “But it’s an excuse to touch you in public and for you to touch me.”

He chuckles, circling his large, heavy hands around my waist. “How very devious of you.”

I laugh, and I notice him watching me as if I fascinate him. Instead of making me self-conscious, I just feel lucky that I get this man’s undivided attention, and my heart lifts as if joy and contentment are their own brand of helium.

“Devious.” I laugh again. “Can you imagine?”