He looked down at me with a small smile on his lips and it felt like we were in a bubble alone like we had been back in my hotel room this afternoon.

‘I like you in my arms,’ Jake said softly into my ear then.

‘I like being in your arms,’ I replied.

Jake twirled me then and dipped me down, giving me a long, lingering kiss. The bubble faded as I heard people around us clapping and cheering. I smiled into Jake’s lips as I kissed him back. When he pulled away, his eyes twinkled.

I looked up at him. ‘You gave me a New York moment after all.’

Jake lifted me back upright and we both turned to smile at the crowd who had cheered us. The song ended and we joined in clapping the musicians, one of whom turned to drop us a wink having watched us too it seemed. ‘That’s all I wanted,’ Jake said, wrapping an arm around my waist. ‘Was this better than what I had originally planned?’

I didn’t exactly know his plans but I guessed a fancy restaurant and maybe a pianist or something, us drinking champagne while we looked out at another incredible view of the city. But here on the street after eating pizza and dancing in front of people to a beautiful song, I was sure I would have chosen this over whatever he had arranged. This had been spontaneous and fun and romantic, and I had enjoyed every minute. ‘Yes,’ I said, leaning in and reaching up on my tiptoes to give him a kiss. ‘The perfect New York moment. I’ll never forget it.’

Jake’s eyes lit up. ‘I won’t forget it either,’ he promised me.

I longed to ask him what would happen when we left New York but I couldn’t.

‘What do you want to do next?’ Jake asked.

I knew that if this was just a holiday thing then I would regret not going to bed with Jake at least one more time.

‘Let’s go back to our hotel,’ I suggested. We wouldn’t get much time together tomorrow with the conference ending and then having to catch an early flight. It would hurt when we said goodbye so I needed this New York moment to last as long as possible.

29

My heart beat in time with Jake’s later that night. I was curled up against his chest, his arm strong and secure around me. We had ripped each other’s clothes off when we got back to my hotel room after our date, tossing them onto the floor and collapsing on the bed together. The sex had been urgent and passionate and we were recovering in silence, breathless and slightly sweaty, small smiles on our faces.

‘Why weren’t we doing this the whole time?’ Jake murmured into my hair then.

I chuckled softly against his chest. ‘Probably because we were at loggerheads.’