It’s a bad idea, and I knew it the moment I saw Dominic’s face. And for some reason, like an idiot, I kept pressing the idea until it was crystal clear that he does not want to be out on some spur-of-the-moment date with me during business hours. I can’t stop thinking about it, a week later.

It’s a strange position to be in, because last week was a real breakthrough for me—for both of us. It’s not conventional, what we have, and I know that it isn’t. It’s not conventional on many levels, beginning with the fact that he’s my boss and ending with the fact that I’m not really his employee, and sooner or later it’s a house of cards that’s going to come crashing down.

But in his arms last night, I felt none of that—and maybe it was a mistake to let it go.

Maybe it was a mistake to think I could separate the two things, keep a wall between them that would let me do my job while also letting me fall in love.

Because I have fallen in love. I’ve spoken the words out loud. I can’t even think of Dominic without thinking of how he makes me feel, how secure, how steady.

Except today.

Today, the look on his face makes me feel like I’m on a ship but I haven’t gotten my sea legs and I might never get them at all. There’s a strange energy between us.

I haven’t slept well lately. Maybe that’s what it is.

When he climbs into the Town Car next to me, I do my best to pretend that everything is fine, and Dominic grins at me. I’m careful not to notice the strain in his eyes—for a moment. But when Craig pulls the car away from the curb, I can’t help myself.

“Dominic, are you all right?”

He looks into my eyes, taking my hand in his. “I’m fine. A long day, that’s all.”

“You know—” It seems disingenuous to say this to him when I can’t breathe a word of what’s causing me stress. “You can talk to me, if something is going on. I won’t say anything at work, if you’re worried that—”

He raises my hand to his lips and kisses my knuckles. “I’m not worried about you spilling company secrets.”

My heart leaps into my throat. It’s such a random choice of words.

The blood is draining from my face, and it’s going to be a disaster if I can’t get myself under control right this second.

I force a laugh, and it sounds genuine enough. “I’m not digging around for secrets, Mr. Wilder. I meant that I wouldn’t reveal how you feel to anyone at the office.”

He gazes into my eyes, the corners of his own crinkled. “What if how I feel is the most valuable company secret?”

I nod solemnly. “I’ll never tell.”

He kisses my cheek, then wraps one arm around me, pulling me in close as Craig steers us through the traffic. “Why don’t you tell me where we’re going? I’m assuming you’ve conspired with my driver on this.”

“Only a little. But I’m not telling.”

He teases me, and I tease him back, and the words fall like raindrops around me, barely making an impression. Can he feel my heart beating hard against my rib cage? Can he sense the way my throat keeps going tight when I remember his words?

Does Dominic know?

No. I tell it to myself over and over again, like a silent prayer. Dominic doesn’t know. He made a joke about corporate secrets, and that’s all that was.

Craig pulls into Central Park, and Dominic straightens up. “You’ve never been to Central Park before?” He looks at me skeptically, and this time, my laugh is a real one.

“I’ve been to Central Park. There’s someplace inside it I’ve never been to.”

“What kind of place?”

“You’ll see.”

We step out of the car into the blinding summer heat, and I frown. Dominic takes a big breath and strips off his coat, tossing it back into the car. He leans in. “Be ready for us, Craig.” Craig nods and pulls away, probably to park somewhere in the shade.

Dominic rolls up his sleeves, and I raise a hand to my eyes to shade them from the harsh sun. “Where are we going?”

“It’s not far. You can hear it from here.”

There’s carnival music wafting through the air toward us, faint at first, and getting stronger while we walk through the park, every step on the sidewalk taking us closer to the skating rink. My hands feel shaky—this is seeming like a bigger and bigger risk with every moment that goes by—and I glance up at Dominic. His forehead is wrinkled, but he’s clearly trying his best not to look confused.

When the rink comes into view, his face cracks into a smile. “An amusement park?”

“I read—” I swallow down my nervousness. I don’t know what the hell I was thinking, planning this little outing. I wanted a little more normalcy squeezed into my day, a little less of the prickling anxiety that’s filling more of my hours every day that I can’t make headway on this investigation. “I read online that they turn the skating rink into an amusement park in the summer so that they can use the space all year round instead of leaving it empty.”

Dominic is grinning at me.

“I thought we could enjoy ourselves for an hour or two and—what?”

“You know, there are other ways to enjoy ourselves that don’t involve dying of heat stroke.”

We’re nearing the booth at the entrance of the little amusement park—Victoria Gardens—and I slip a bill out of my purse, ready to pay the attendant. “They have ice cream inside. I’ll even buy you a soda, if you want.”

I pay the woman sitting on a tall stool behind the bench and pull Dominic forward. He laughs, shaking his head. A billionaire and an undercover FBI agent, visiting an amusement park full of ridiculous attractions and rides, vendors selling pink and blue puffs of cotton candy and balloons, all of it soaked in the late afternoon heat.

“I’m going to take you up on that,” he promises, squeezing my hand, and my heart resumes its regular rhythm.

Everything is okay, I tell myself firmly.

And I almost believe it.

At the last moment, I look across at Dominic one more time. He’s looking at me, eyes serious and hard, like he’s trying to make a decision. I smile, and the expression is gone in a flash, but I see it.

“Do you know what?” I break the silence. I have to. The cold anxiety glides down the back of my neck.

“What, Vivienne Davis?”

“I love cotton candy. Let’s get some.”

The sweetness doesn’t cover my fear.