Not long after, Sophie caught the waiter’s attention and asked for the bill—apparently, a multipurpose word.

Piers narrowed his eyes. Luckily, he hadn’t let her call him that. It was almost as bad as Bob.

CHAPTER 4

“It’s just a small detour,” Sophie insisted, linking her arm through Piers’s and tugging him in the direction of Rockefeller Center.

Man, this guy was stubborn. When he set his mind to something, he was like a donkey with a carrot. Only way hotter. He smelled good now, too. Too good. She kept trying to sniff him, and she wasn’t usually a sniffer. Was anyone? She’d have to read up on pheromones. There was definitely something like that at work here. She’d seen a book back home in the window of her local bookshop: Alchemy and Opposite Sexes, The Mystery of Attraction. That was what she needed—information. Maybe it would explain why she couldn’t stop staring.

“Don’t you think we have more important things to do?” Piers grumbled.

Yes, in fact, she did. But she’d been on the run for days, scared out of her mind, and totally alone. Right now, she had company, felt almost safe for the first time since Aaron’s package turned her life upside down, and was actually starting to believe there might even be a way out of this mess that didn’t involve someone from Novalight Enterprises prying the Shard of Olympus from her cold, dead hand. Sophie needed a break, so she was taking one.

“You’ll love it. I swear.” Who didn’t like a little holiday sparkle? “Christmas is in two days. You’ve gotta see the tree all lit up.”

“Fine. Shiny tree. Then the ice shard.” Piers gave in, letting Sophie drag him beyond their hotel. He glanced back at the revolving door as if he wanted to give it a whirl. Earlier, he’d gone through one at a department store just for the hell of it. She’d tried really hard not to laugh, especially when he did the whole circle a second time to get a better look at the cheery window displays. That was when she knew they had to do the most touristy thing in New York City in December.

“Good. You won’t regret it. I’m not letting you get sucked back to wherever you came from without seeing Rockefeller Center at Christmas.” A stab of apprehension tried to dim Sophie’s smile. She didn’t like the idea of Piers suddenly getting plucked from her life by some unknown force. In half a day, she’d come to rely on him for safety, appreciate his insight, and crave his company. Talk about quick work. Her rational mind had whiplash.