The light breeze blew a few strands of hair back from her face, and when she looked away from the camera and into the distance, his breath caught. He felt as though he was seeing her the way few others ever had. Raw and real. Comfortable in her space. Her smooth skin practically begged him to reach out and run a hand across it. If he’d been closer, he couldn’t have resisted.
He cleared his throat. “Okay, now something a little more playful. How about holding onto the spindles and looking back over your shoulder?”
“Okay, but I feel silly.”
“You look great.”
And to prove his words, she clung to the spindles and tilted her head back with a sassy toss of her hair that made his heart slam against his chest.
He gave a low chuckle. She was good at this. “You’re nailing it. These are gonna rock. Want to try another setting?”
“Yeah. Let’s try that temple with the massive steps just up the street.”
He helped her into her coat then offered her his arm.
She took hold and leaned into him, and as they walked a couple of blocks to the building, a sense of contentment stole over him. He’d never imagined being this pumped about traipsing through New York City in the cold.
When they stopped near the steps, Kat rummaged in her backpack. “Let me change the look a bit.” She added a colorful scarf then scampered up the steps. “What do you think?”
“Looks good.” Better than good. The pop of color and energy in the center of all that concrete were like a sunbeam peeking through the clouds on a gray day.
She leaned forward against a stone post and flashed a smile.
Momentarily dumbstruck, Nick almost forgot he was supposed to take pictures, not just enjoy the view. He lifted the camera and resumed his assignment, moving around Kat up and down the steps to get the best angles. The new angle allowed him to get a sliver of bright sky in the background. It almost matched the blue of her sweater—and her eyes.
Thirty minutes later, Kat couldn’t feel her feet. “I think that’s plenty,” she told Nick. “You ready to head back?”
“Sure. I think we’ve got some amazing stuff.”
She shot him a sideways glance. “Amazing might be overstating it a bit, but thanks for doing that.”
“My pleasure. Tell you what else I’ll do. I’ll take the subway now without my suitcase, but when we leave the hotel and head back this way, we get a cab. How’s that for a compromise?”
Kat shoved the camera and scarves into her backpack and smiled. This was one sensible guy. “Fair enough. I warn you, though, this’ll be a long one. Around thirty minutes.”
“Maybe we can use the time to go through the pictures.”
“That’s a great idea, if we can get a seat.” Kat saw Nick’s grimace and regretted her words. This time of day, there was a good chance they’d be standing, at least for part of the ride. They could always look at the photos over dinner. He’d taken about a thousand shots so there should be something she could use for the show. She hoped so, anyway.
Sure enough, crowds of people waited for the train when Kat and Nick made their way through the tunnel. As they moved forward to board, some jostling ahead held them back. Nick grabbed her arm as a man pushed his way in front.
“Hey, buddy, where’s the fire?” a man ahead of them asked.
The offender flashed a finger, hollered an expletive, and kept going.
Kat rolled her eyes. Great, that was sure to make Nick eager to spend time crammed into close quarters with masses of humanity. All the seats Kat could see were occupied, so she grabbed hold of a pole. Nick moved in close to her and did the same. He leaned in to whisper in her ear. “I hope I’m getting the full experience here.”
“Must be your lucky day,” she told him.
“That it is,” he agreed.
The warmth in his voice told Kat his comment held a different meaning.
“What’s the deal? Are you claustrophobic?” Kat swayed against him as the train made another stop.
Nick shook his head. “No. Just prefer a little breathing room. Some personal space.”
“Oh, sorry.” She took an exaggerated step away from him.
