the constant sound of car horns and the wail of sirens echoing from streets away or the number of people or—
Her breath catching when she saw him.
He was standing in the midst of all the people milling around in front of the Empire State Building and it was just plain daft that in that moment he was the only thing Kerry could see. It was simply that he was the only familiar face, was all. And, as much as she’d told herself she was fine with making such a large trip alone, the truth was some of the joy of her first night in New York had been tempered by the fact she had no one with her to turn to and share it with. Like the excitement of the first moment she saw the Manhattan skyline laid out in front of her, and it finally hit her that she was in New York!
She continued staring at Ronan, reasoning again that no one could really blame her—he was incredibly easy on the eyes. Standing with his feet spread, as if claiming the small piece of sidewalk underneath him, he had his hands on his lean hips while he slowly turned a circle, searching the crowd with a frown of concentration on his face. The bright sunlight made his short, spiking hair look lighter—a milk chocolate as opposed to the dark she’d thought it was on the plane—and he just looked so, so, well, he did.
Kerry raised a hand and waved it above her head.
But Ronan continued circling, so, feeling a little silly for waving like an idiot, she walked forwards, swiping her hands down her sides again as she got closer. ‘Hi there—do you by any chance know how to get to the Empire State Building?’
The lazy smile that slid onto his mouth brought an immediate answering smile to her lips. How pathetic was it she was glad to see him? And it didn’t bode too well for her conviction she could take her trip alone and still enjoy it just as much, did it?
‘You’re close, if it helps any.’
Stopping a foot away from him, she watched as his gaze travelled down her body all the way to her feet before rising faster than it had lowered. And she was surprised by how the simple glance suddenly made her feel warmer than she already was, every nerve ending tingling with awareness.
‘So are we starting the grand tour here?’
Ronan casually pushed his large hands into his jeans pockets, adopting the pose of a man extremely comfortable in his own skin. ‘Is there a queue all the way round the block?’
Kerry turned on her heel and surveyed the long line of people, sometimes three or four deep, stretching from the entrance until they disappeared around the corner; the thought of joining the end of a line that length in the sweltering heat was enough to draw a small groan from her lips.
‘Yes.’
‘Then no.’ He shot a glance at the bag resting on her hip, the strap slung diagonally across her body between her breasts. ‘I suppose you have the obligatory camera in there for pictures of all the sights?’
Kerry patted it with one hand, her chin rising with confidence. ‘And sun cream and a mini-fan and a bottle of water and a map and energy bars and a mobile phone and—’
Ronan smiled wryly, long fingers wrapping around her elbow to turn her before he started walking into the crowd. ‘Well at least if we get stranded in the desert we’ll survive.’
‘Are you making fun of the fact I like to be prepared for every eventuality, Mr O’Keefe?’
‘Possibly. But if I achieve nothing else today it’s my aim to sway you towards the merits of travelling light—I saw how much luggage you took off that carousel yesterday. And unless I’m very much mistaken, this is supposed to be a fun experience for you—not an endurance test.’
Kerry felt the skin on her elbow tingling beneath his hand, warmth travelling like an electric current up her arm, over her shoulder and downwards towards her breasts, disconcerting enough for her to feel the need to gently twist free of his touch before it worked its way anywhere else. Then she felt the need to lessen the small rejection with a sidewards glance and a pout of her lower lip.
‘I need all those clothes. It’s a trip through two seasons and half a dozen countries—and that involves a varied wardrobe. And anyway, I only have the absolute necessities with me.’
Ronan sounded unconvinced. ‘Your idea of bare necessities and mine aren’t the same, I’d guess.’
‘That’s because you’re a man and I’m a woman.’
‘No—it’s because I’m a seasoned traveller and you’re a virgin.’
Kerry couldn’t help making a small derisive snort.
And it was enough to make Ronan turn his head to look down at her face, his voice threaded with the cheek of the devil. ‘In travelling terms anyway. Because obviously by your age and looking the way you do…’
Her jaw dropped.
But he merely chuckled and reclaimed her elbow to steer her closer to the kerb. ‘Okay, Kerry, Kerry Doyle, I’m prepared to give a little on the traditional tourist stuff for the first hour or so to give you some quick photo op’s seeing you’re on a tight schedule—plus this is an easy way to get your bearings, so—’
‘What is?’
He quirked his brows at her in barely disguised amusement, then jerked a thumb over his shoulder and added the words slowly as if he were talking to a complete idiot. ‘That is.’
Kerry was a tad bemused, folding her arms across her breasts and blinking up at him before she asked, ‘Mr Great Adventurer is putting me on an open-top bus with the rest of the tourists? My, my, aren’t you the daring one? I’m so glad I have travel insurance.’
‘We can take the subway and boil to death if you prefer. You won’t see as much, mind you…’
Hard as it was to believe that anywhere barring the face of the sun could be any hotter than where she already was, and with him looking at her the way he was, Kerry wasn’t prepared to find out. But she was a little disappointed—she could have found one of the many bus tours on her own. Somehow she’d expected more from Ronan. Had maybe secretly hoped for more? And that some of that sense of adventure might rub off on her?
He stepped closer and bent his knees until he was looking her directly in the eye, his proximity doing things to her pulse rate and breathing that she hadn’t experienced since, well, since the plane, actually…
‘Trust me.’ His voice dropped seductively, the vibration of the deep tone reaching out to interrupt the usual rhythm of her heart. ‘I promise you won’t forget today.’
Kerry swallowed. She believed him—but somehow she knew, deep to the pit of her soul, it wouldn’t just be the sightseeing she’d remember. And that was a strangely scary thought. Especially when she’d spent so long waiting for a time in her life when she finally had her independence; she’d fought long and hard, worked more hours than she cared to think about, had constantly put the needs of others first. Not that she wanted to change that—but the last thing she needed was to get even temporarily attached to someone who was probably as reliable as an Irish summer.
‘Can I ask you a question?’
He stood tall
