Chapter 10
It was Saturday. They had an entire day to spend in New York untethered before they had to be back home. And Sarah intended to take advantage of every moment of it. She ripped off a still warm piece of bagel, popped it into her mouth, and stared over the café’s table at her brother. His green-gray tinged face was resting in his upturned palms; his bagel was untouched.
She smirked, “Regretting last night?”
“Nope, it was worth it.”
She cocked her head, intrigued by the subtle cheer in his voice, “Really?”
“Yep.”
“Is that all the information I’m going to get?”
A flicker of a smile came in response. “For now.”
“Come on, don’t leave me hanging.”
He laughed then hissed through clenched teeth. “Ow.”
“Ooh, sorry.”
He waved her concern away and covered his eyes with one hand. In the silence that followed, she lifted her cappuccino from the table and took a few sips. The warm, rich liquid slithered down her throat, giving her the zap of energy she knew she was going to need for the day she had planned.
There was a Sex and the City tour she wanted to catch first, followed by a Statue of Liberty ferry ride, a late picnic lunch in Central Park, some shopping at Macy’s, and a visit to pay her respects at Ground Zero. Maybe she could catch a show on Broadway later that night if she could convince her brother to go with her by then?
She lowered her mug back to its place and focused on her brother, “I can do all this by myself if you don’t feel up to it?”
He peeked through the gaps between his fingers, “You sure?”
“Of course. Go back to the hotel, have a rest . . . and drink some water.”
He reached over and squeezed one of her hands, “Thanks, sis. Have fun.”
She grinned, “I plan on it.”
His chair scraped across the cement sidewalk under their feet as he stood. At her side, he bent to kiss her on the cheek.
As she watched him leave, something snagged her vision from the side. She turned her head and caught Charles Morgan staring at her with an intensity that made her breath catch.
He flicked his gaze down. She could breathe normally again. She watched him sip whatever was in the mug he held between his hands. An image of her face being cupped by his hands and his lips meeting hers filled her mind. A shiver drew a slow line down her spine.
Shoot.
The reactions he was causing in her body were bordering on dangerous. If she wasn’t careful, she could fall for him . . .
She’d already decided that couldn’t happen. He was wrong for her. She would not make the same mistake. The urge to get away overwhelmed her. She pushed her uneaten food aside, left a tip, and raced away to start her busy day. If the universe was kind, she wouldn’t have to see Charles Morgan ever again.
***
His stare followed her as she hurried from the table. He peered down at her legs, visible due to the black, mid-thigh length dress she wore.
Charles cursed under his breath, “Shit.”
This was about gathering information on her character, not her attractiveness. The latter was easy to see; her character, not so much. His mind sorted through what he’d learned by observing her so far.
The style in which she wrote showed him she was intelligent. She knew the craft well.
Their brief interaction last night had hinted at a woman who was concerned about others. Both the apology, and asking if he was okay, had seemed sincere.
There was the news report of her arrival to consider as well. It had been genuine shock on her features. She hadn’t taken advantage of the situation and had kept her word about not speaking about her win before the awards night. That showed a modicum of honesty and integrity.
What about the nerves he’d noted during her speech? They’d seemed as real as his had been. Which meant she wasn’t comfortable in the spotlight. Another thing they had in common.
His brain replayed the way she’d blushed, and rushed away, upon seeing him half naked. He felt one side of his lip nudge up. That was kind of . . . sexy . . . knowing he could have that influence on her.
Not to mention the way she’d ripped off pieces of bagel and slipped them into her mouth in a way he knew wasn’t supposed to be seductive, but was.
The lower parts of his body warmed.
Get it together.
He needed to focus on his task: assessing Sarah’s character. He took a gulp of his hot coffee and immediately regretted it. Making his body feel warmer was precisely what he didn’t need right now. He frowned and lowered the coffee back to the table.
Okay. From what he’d garnered so far, Sarah Woodward was intelligent, caring, honest, not an obvious fame-seeker . . .
“And sexy.” He frowned, adding, “That’s irrelevant.”
No wonder she’s married.
A subtle gripe in his stomach refreshed his memory of the same reaction he’d had upon seeing her husband kiss her on the cheek earlier. He pressed his lips together and made the memory go away.
You are not getting involved with a woman right now.
No matter how much he liked the way she ate bagels.
Especially since she was married, and before he was one hundred percent convinced she was trustworthy, or what her intentions were with regards to the mentorship and his mother . . . and definitely not before he’d figured out what risk she posed to the secret.