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“I checked the weather when I was deciding what shoes to wear,” shesaid.
He looked down. “And you chose theboots.”
She laughed. “But not because of snow. Because it’s cold. There’s no snow in theforecast.”
“If you say so,” hesaid.
“How far away do you live?” she askedhim.
“Not far. Four stops away off ofBedford.”
“I think I stumbled onto it once when I was trying to find my way back to the subway from the grocery store,” she said. “If I remember it right, it’snice.”
“It is,” he said. “I need to be close to the city most of the time for my work, but it’s a little less intense on this side of theriver.”
“I know what youmean.”
They turned the corner and Nina’s building came into view. They’d just reached the stoop when the first flake fell from thesky.
Liam didn’t even look up. He justgrinned.
She shook her head as more white flakes landed on his peacoat, turning into shimmering mini-puddles as they melted on thewool.
“You’re going to say ‘I told you so,’ aren’tyou?”
“I would never.” He pretended to zip his mouth with hisfingers.
She looked up, feeing herself in a rare moment of magic: the sky black behind a flurry of white glitter, the city hushed, like it had known the snow was coming allalong.
She returned her eyes to Liam and found him studying her with an intensity that almost made her squirm. “How did youknow?”
“Just a feeling,” he said. “Probably a byproduct of being in so many different cities when it snows.” He tapped the side of his nose. “I’ve got a nose for itnow.”
“Good to know.” She looked around. The snow was falling faster, coating the street and sidewalk with a shimmery sheen. “It’s kind of magical, isn’tit?”
“Yes,” he said, his eyes on her face. “Itis.”
The way he looked at her made it hard to breathe, her heart expanding in her chest until there was no room for her lungs. There was suddenly no doubt in her mind that this was adate.
The realization sent a flurry of emotion pinwheeling through her body — excitement and fear and the strangest impulse to simply walk into hisarms.
It was paralyzing. She wasn’t ready for this, had no idea what to do, how tobehave.
He stepped closer and she held her breath, inhaling his scent mixed with the damp, cold smell of the snow falling from thesky.
She braced herself for his kiss, wondered what it would be like to kiss someone who wasn’t Peter, but he folded her into his arms instead, holding her in a closeembrace.
She relaxed into him, his coat pleasantly scratchy against her cheek. She didn’t know how long they stood there. It felt like a longtime.
It felt like it would never be longenough.
When he pulled away, he ran his index finger down the hollow of her cheekbone, briefly stopping at the corner of her mouth before letting his hand drop to hisside.
She needed to leave. Needed to get to the safety of her apartment where she could think straight, where she wasn’t intoxicated by something more dangerous than the beer they’d had withdinner.
“I had a great time,” shesaid.
“Me, too.” His gaze was still locked on herface.
“Well… goodnight.” She turned and headed for the steps leading to her building, focused on getting her keys out of her bag, forced herself not to turn around and invite himup.
She put the key in the lock and stepped into the foyer. When she turned to close the door, he was still there, seemingly oblivious to the snow falling aroundhim.
She hesitated too long, long enough to consider doing something rash, then closed the door and hurried for the stairs before she could give into theimpulse.
