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14
The subway wasquiet as they made their way back to her apartment, most of the workday commuters long since arrivedhome.
They’d lingered over dinner, Liam allowing Nina to steer the conversation to him after the intimacy of her confessions. It was a relief to enjoy her food — which had been delicious, though not as exotic as the grilled squid with serrano peppers and fresh tomatoes ordered by Liam — while he told her about his most recent trip to Jordan, part of a magazine project to record crumbling historical sites around theworld.
It was a glimpse into another life, one where everything you needed fit into a backpack, where office buildings and traffic reports and picking up your dry cleaning fell away in the face of the blazing sun, logistics required to get from point A to point B, and food often provided by generous locals who were happy to trade for stories about the world beyond theirdoor.
He was a wonderful storyteller, and she’d been entranced as he brought his life alive for her. She’d felt like she was there with him, traveling in a rickety caravan of old vehicles to the city of Petra, carved into the hard rock in Jordan 11,000 yearsearlier.
Now she was full and comfortable, a little sleepy as the subway rocked on the tracks. Liam’s body was solid next to her, his thigh leaning lightly against hers. He was a fascinating man, a man interested in everything and everyone. He had a peaceful energy, and she’d found herself settling into their time together, laughing at his stories, forgetting the self-consciousness that had plagued her at the beginning of theirdate.
Maybe it was a product of his profession and the necessity of disappearing into the background so the subject could be front and center, but if she hadn’t nearly run into him — twice — she wondered if she would have noticed him in spite of his goodlooks.
She had a feeling you only saw Liam if he wanted you to seehim.
He was as at home on the subway as he’d been at the after-party for Vincent Reynolds’s book, and she relaxed a little more, let herself be soothed by the motion of the train and the wall of Liam’s body next toher.
The next thing she knew, she was bolting upright with the feeling that she’d missedsomething.
“It’s okay,” Liam said next to her. “Our stop isnext.”
The train pulled out of the Grand Street station and she looked guiltily at Liam’s shoulder. “I was asleep, wasn’tI?”
He smiled and held his thumb and index finger close together. “Just for aminute.”
She laughed and leaned back. “I’m so sorry. It’s been a longday.”
“You’d make a good traveler,” he said. “Not everyone can sleep sitting up, and sometimes it’s that ornothing.”
“Let’s just file that information under Things We Don’t Need to Know About Nina,” shesaid.
He looked down at her. “You never know. Maybe you’ll come with mesometime.”
The train slowed down and he stood, waiting for her to follow suit before turning toward the subway doors. They waited for the train to stop and walked onto the concreteplatform.
Nina was surprised to find that it felt a little like home. All those trips to the grocery store three stops away, the journeys into the city for dinner with Karen or drinks or brunch with her and Robin and Amy, had served to make the Montrose Street station familiar. She even knew which exit to take to get her closest to herapartment.
“Are you sure you want to walk with me?” Nina asked as they started for the stairs. “It’s notnecessary.”
He held a hand to his chest as if deeply offended. “I would never abandon a lady to find her own way home aftersunset.”
“I appreciate it, but I’m afraid I’ve been loose in the city after sunsetalready.”
He draped an arm loosely around her shoulders. “And I’m sure the city has never been thesame.”
She laughed, resisting the urge to lean into him, into his warmth and the musky scent of his cologne and the solidity of his body. A moment later, he withdrew his hands and stuffed them into the pockets of his navypeacoat.
“I’m a regular anarchist,” she said. “Getting groceries, buying coffee and sometimes even fresh flowers for myapartment.”
He sighed. “I knew you were trouble from thestart.”
The sidewalk was mostly empty, street lights casting white orbs onto the pavement. The temperature had dropped at least five degrees while they’d been at dinner, and Nina ducked her chin a little farther into her coat and forced herself not to shiver. She should have worn ascarf.
“It’s going to snow,” Liam said as theywalked.
“I don’t thinkso.”
“It is,” he said. “You’llsee.”
