Had he just asked her to go away with him? Gabe mentally slapped himself and then he slapped himself again.

He’d known Lisa for a few hours and had just asked her to go away with him. And to Florida. Not even his family were included in his “pilgrimage” and he’d mindlessly asked.

Wearing a mask of shock, scepticism, and indecision, Lisa stood in front of him, her mouth open but no words coming out.

Panic made his heart hammer against his chest as indecision zipped along his spine. “Sorry, that was inappropriate of me. I didn’t mean you should come with me but rather I meant to say you should visit Florida.” Even to his ears, his words were bumbling, a far cry from his usual ability to think and react concisely and with diplomacy.

A dubious look crossed her eyes and her stance was rigid, with arms crossed in front of her chest.

“Lisa”―he took a calming breath―“I apologise, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

A smile softened the skin around her jaw. “To be honest, I’m confused. I don’t know whether we’re friends or you’re desperate to get into my panties.” She winked before shaping her fingers in a horizontal L shape and pointing them at him before she clipped her tongue against the roof of her mouth. De de.

He feigned a look of shock. “Desperate to get into your panties?” He covered his heart with his hands. “You wound me with your insinuations.” He played along, enjoying her ribbing.

She placed her hands on her hips and exhaled her breath in a dramatic way. “You asked me to go away with you and you haven’t even kissed me.” Her finger waved in the air between them, chastising him.

“Do you want me to kiss you?” He took a step closer to her and he noted a shiver of desire swept along his skin.

She looked at him with such intensity that his belly burned with a need to kiss those plump lips of hers. In a split second they’d gone from playful banter to deep desire and longing. He’d been initially drawn to her prettiness but then later captivated by her sparkling conversation, her family values, and her sunny disposition.

Lisa was different from the other women he’d known and dated. Not because she was Australian, but she genuinely enjoyed helping others without seeking something in return.

“Do I want you to kiss me? Let me think.” She cocked her eyebrow. “I’m in New York, it’s a festive time, and I’m at the top of Empire State Building with a cute guy―”

“Cute?” He stepped back on unsteady feet, pretending to be offended.

She gave his arm a playful punch. “What do you want to be? Macho? Dapper? Show-stealing Suave? Stylish?”

His narrowed eyes took in her cheeky grin. “Did you just swallow a thesaurus?”

Her lips twitched with amusement before a serious look crossed her face. “The old Lisa, as in the one from a couple of months ago, would’ve been shocked and politely declined the offer of a kiss. However, I’m away, no one knows me here so if the kiss is still on offer, I’d love to take you up on it. I’ll chalk it up as romantic experience in New York.”

“I’m not sure whether to be offended or flattered.” His heart raced in anticipation of closing the gap between them and seeing if the skin along her jaw was as soft as it looked.

She puckered her lips together. “Well, I could’ve said no.”

“But you didn’t,” he said in a low voice.

“I didn’t.” She looked around them before directing her gaze to him. “There aren’t many people around, so, Gabe, since I love romance books, would you make my trip to the Empire State Building extra special by kissing me?”

A flush of adrenaline raced through his body. “How could I refuse such an offer?”

Her fingers came up toward her neck and she fiddled with the collar of her jacket, indicating that she was a tad nervous. Her brazen words didn’t match up to a brazen personality.

He tugged his hands from the warmth of his gloves, shoving them in his pocket, and trailed his fingers along her jaw. The skin was as smooth as he expected it to be. Taking a step forward they stood so close that their breaths mingled. He took in the apple fragrance of her hair and breathed in the enchanting scent of her. He leaned toward her and brushed his mouth across hers, enjoying the softness of her lips. Taking another tentative taste, he took a step closer and cupped her cheeks. His mouth claimed hers in a kiss that had him wanting more. When her arms came up around his neck, she leaned into him and responded to his kiss.

Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to be swept away in the magic and blissfulness of them coming together. They kissed and kissed and kissed. When her mouth opened under his, he deepened the kiss and swept his tongue in, loving the feel of hers.

His body stiffened as need pulsated through him and his hands came down, settled on her waist so he could secure her to him. Their tongues duelled and the kiss had him wanting more. The sweet scent of her and the attraction he was now fighting confirmed what he already knew, she was special. Not someone to have sex with and leave. He could easily envision something extraordinary happening between them but he couldn’t let it happen. Kisses were great but nothing more could come of them being together, despite how interested he was. A burden of guilt weighed heavily on him preventing him from wanting to find love. How could he kiss and enjoy time with someone as wonderful as Lisa when Tom was dead? Dead because he hadn’t been a good enough friend.

“You’re a good kisser,” she said, breaking his thoughts.

“So are you,” he replied. Blood whizzed through his veins and all he wanted was to kiss her again, senselessly. Instead he reluctantly kissed her nose, trying to dissipate the sizzle between them. “Would you like to have dinner with me?”

“I’d love that,” she said in a hoarse voice, her eyes filled with desire and want. It matched his yearning.

Taking her hand in his, he said, “Come on, one of my favourite delis is nearby.”

* * *

On unsteady legs, Lisa walked with Gabe to the elevators and leaned against the wall until they got to the street. What had started off as banter had led to an amazing kiss that had her wanting more. She could still hardly believe that she’d had the confidence to ask Gabe to kiss her. Gabe with his dark hair, angled cheek bones, and deliciously tall build had played along and they’d shared a kiss that had left her with legs as stable as wet paper-mâché and her lips tingling for another round. Reluctantly, she’d allowed him to break the kiss but she’d desperately wanted to tug his head closer and have another taste of him.

Soon enough they were seated at a kosher café across from each other. Taking a long sip of water to cool her insides, she stole another look at Gabe and wondered why some lucky gal hadn’t snagged him already. With his good looks, charisma, intelligence, and ability to reduce her belly to molten lava with his kisses, he certainly was a catch.

They ordered large bowls of soup before he turned to her. “You still haven’t told me why you came to New York? What happened? Did you make someone a bad coffee?”

She spluttered in her glass of water. “No. Worse.”

“You used half and half instead of full fat milk?”

She rolled her eyes. “I wish it was that simple.”

He reached across the table, taking her hand in his. “I told you my horror story.”

“But mine is worse.” She gave him a dramatic sigh.

After picking up his phone he then started to dial a number.

The skin between her eyebrows came together. “Am I boring you that you need to ring a friend?”

“Not at all, I’m calling Nonna. You can tell her.”

She gasped with shock and outrage, before she stretched her arm across the table in an attempt to grab the phone. “Give it to me or hang up.”

His chuckling, in response to her demand, made her lips press together in indignation.

“If you don’t tell me, I’ll kiss it out of you,” he said before moving the device out of her reach.

Narrowing her eyes she said, “You play hard, Olivari. First your grandmother and then lethal kisses. I’m just an ordinary Australian girl―”

“You’re more than ordinary, Lisa,” he said in a hoarse voice. “You’re beautiful, fun to be with, and know how to kiss.” He paused, fiddling with his glass of water. “I wish I could be the guy to make you smile. You’re worth more than a one-night stand.”

“I hope that’s a compliment.” She blew him a kiss.

He nodded before expelling a long breath from his lips, his eyes clouded with emotion. “I’ve wanted to find someone special but, but, I just can’t…I just can’t.” He looked up at her and she could see real pain in his eyes; the skin across his cheeks was ashen and tightly drawn.

Taking his hand in hers, she said, “I’m sorry. Loss is hard.”

He nodded but didn’t say anything and instead placed his hand over hers.

They looked at each other for moments that could’ve been minutes until the waitress interrupted them with large bowls of steaming soup.

“Chicken soup at a deli in New York, what a cliché,” she said. “And such large serves.”

He lifted his spoon and pointed to the soup. “Eat up and then tell me.”

“You are so bad, Gabe,” she replied.

“Just because I’m a man doesn’t mean I can’t dish out Jewish mother guilt.”

She spluttered into her soup. “Not the response I was expecting when I was talking about you being bad.”

His reply was a bone-melting grin.

“You’ve got a smile that’s as wide as the Brooklyn Bridge. Care to share?”

Taking a couple sips of soup, Lisa pretended not to have heard him.

“Don’t ignore me with your soup, you’re going to tell me. Remember, it’s either kisses or Nonna. Take your pick.”

Looking at him through narrowed eyes she said, “I’m going to get you, Olivari.”

“I’m going to get you first. Besides, you owe me since I kissed you.”

The soup in her tummy hardened and she lowered her spoon. “You did me a favour?” The thought that he’d only kissed her because she asked made her want to cry. Surely it hadn’t only been her that felt the spark and sharp pull of allure between them.

He stilled. “I may have played along with you but I enjoyed our kiss, a lot.”

After placing her spoon on the side of her plate, she looked at him. “So what you’re saying is, because you kissed me, when I asked, I have to bare my soul and expose the pain I’ve got inside of me.”

“Basically, yes.” He took a sip of soup. “And if you do, I’ll take you somewhere that your romantic self will like.”

“You cheat,” she muttered.

Looking at his watch he said, “It’s getting late and I have work to―”

“It’s only seven thirty,” she interrupted before a burning blush seared her cheeks. Caught!

Ignoring her red face, he carried on drinking his soup.

“Fine, I’ll tell you. But you owe me after.” She wagged her finger at him. “Even when you think I’m a total loser and never want to see me again, you still have to take me out.”

“Fine.” He extended his hand.

“A gentleman’s agreement?” Her brow creased with surprise.

“I’d like to say that my parents raised me well.”

Well, they certainly did. Not only exceptional manners but gorgeous to boot. Sucking in a reassuring breath, she said, “I’d been dating this bloke, Lachlan―”

“Jewish?” He lifted his left eyebrow.

She rolled her eyes and added dramatically, “You’re as bad as my mother.”

“Touché.”

“We’d been together only a few months but I hadn’t found Mr Right yet. Lachlan was fun to be with and I was tired of being single. So many of my friends are married or engaged. I liked not being the only single one.”

“Your parents didn’t approve?”

“My father didn’t like him but I wouldn’t listen. I thought they were annoyed that he wasn’t Jewish.” Fiddling with her spoon, she found it hard to meet his gaze. “It wasn’t that. They knew he wasn’t a good guy.”

“And?” His voice trailed, encouraging her to tell him more.

Nausea made her belly roll. Suck it up, princess, and just tell him. In a split second she decided to just tell and not mull on her humiliation, and so she blurted out, “I found him in bed with another woman. Turns out it wasn’t his first time.”

“Yikes.”

“Indeed.” She sighed. “The worst bit is, she’s pregnant, and they’re getting married. Unbelievable!”

“That’s not the worst bit,” he said in a low voice.

“How do you see through me all the time?” she whispered, her heart bewildered with surprise.

“Because you can excuse his dreadful behaviour, but you work in the community and everyone knew about it, didn’t they? You work amongst seniors who know you well and would’ve been quite happy to give you their opinion, wanted or unwanted.”

Embarrassment burned her cheeks. “Exactly. You know what it’s like. Charlotte is a wonderful friend but doesn’t understand the community I live in. Not only did I have to deal with my parents’ ‘told you so’ but also everyone else’s. It was awful and degrading.”

Drinking some water to steady her nerves, she continued. “I stood at the coffee machine seeing the regulars and every day, I got advice. They were right of course, but I really didn’t need to be reminded of how stupid I’d been to fall for a cheater.”

“And because Lachlan and I had mutual friends, all I saw on Facebook was pics of him and her, pics of them with a baby scan and pics of them announcing their engagement.”

“That couldn’t have been easy,” he added in a sympathetic tone.

“No, it wasn’t,” she snapped. “At work I was reminded of my foolishness and at night when I was on social media, there was yet another reminder.”

“You came here to escape?”

“I did.”

He pointed to her soup. “Drink up before it gets cold.”

She enjoyed the soup and it soothed her soul. Or perhaps it was having Gabe listen to her woes and understand how lonely and upset she’d been. Her friends had rallied around her but yet again, she was single. Single because the first guy she’d fallen hard for was a bloke who preferred a tall blonde whose legs came up to her armpits, over her, she thought miserably.

They finished their soups in silence before Gabe ordered their sandwich, a sandwich so large they were going to share.

“Lisa.” He took her hand in his. “It’s not easy being in a small community where everyone knows each other. Especially you, with your job working with your parents.” His touch was as comforting as the chicken soup.

“I admire your determination and strength to get away from the gossip and come here, but you know, it’s all going to be waiting for you when you go back.”

“I know,” she said in a reluctant voice. “But at least here, I’m wanted and useful.”

“You’re wanted and useful in Melbourne too. I bet your parents are missing you a lot, especially with Chanukah so close.”

She nodded glumly.

“Then do something while you’re here and I don’t just mean make coffee, but sightsee. Kiss random guys in public places.”

She stifled a giggle. “You’re right, but I need to do what I can to save Helping Hand.”

“The decision on the centre has already been made. I’ll try and help but this is New York, where real estate is at a premium, business is fiercely competitive, and only the best succeed.”

Her body sagged under the weight of his admission. “I know, you’re right. This city is electric, it’s like the saying that it’s the town that doesn’t sleep. Corny but true. But it breaks my heart to see so many people in need. It’s so cold and I just want to help them.”

“You can’t save everyone.”

“I know. But I wanted to do something.”

“Do you realise that you’ve gone from one bubble to another?”

She gasped with indignation. “That’s rude.”

He shrugged with indifference but there was genuine care in his gaze when he looked at her. “In Melbourne, you looked after people and here in New York, you’re doing it again.”

Looking around, she said, “Where’s our sandwich?”

“Forget the sandwich.” He snapped his fingers in front of her. “I said this to you before and I’m going to say it again, you need to do something for yourself and not others. You need to have fun and get out of the Helping Hand.” He raised his hand in anticipation of her rebuttal. “I’m not saying not to go there, but just ease up on the number of shifts you do.”

“You’re going to make me?”

“You’re an adult, I can’t make you but you deserve happiness. There’s so much to see here, don’t go home and regret that all you did was make coffee.”

The muscles around her ribs tightened in response to his well-intended advice. He was right. Returning to Melbourne after spending months working would be mortifying. Her parents would be disappointed for her and she’d have to admit to her friends that the only good thing that happened to her in three months was a magical kiss when she asked a friend to kiss her. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

With determination, she sat straighter in the booth seat and looked across at Gabe. “As much as I hate to admit it, you’re right.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll make sure I sightsee while I’m here,” she said in a determined voice.

He wagged his finger at her. “Don’t forget the Tenement Museum.”

She saluted him. “I won’t. I will book it this week.”

“And at night, I will take you out,” he said in a low voice.

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Can you take me ice-skating?”

“Of course, we’ll have fun together.”

“Thanks, Gabe.” She stood and leaned across the table before brushing her lips across his. She ignored the sizzle and pretended it was a friendly kiss. “Thank you.”

* * *

Leaning back in her seat, Lisa patted her tummy. “I’m so full. That sandwich was the best and thanks for sharing with me, I couldn’t have eaten a whole one.”

“It’s my pleasure.”

“We’ve talked about me all night and hardly about you.”

“You’re more interesting.”

“I’d take that as a compliment but I have a feeling you just don’t want to talk about yourself.”

He shrugged. “Perhaps?” He paused and asked, “Where’s your family from?”

“My grandparents came from Egypt, but my parents and I were born in Australia. Why?”

“There’s a Sephardi Synagogue for Egyptians in Brooklyn,” he said.

“Seriously?” She drew in a sharp breath, surprised.

“Yes. One of my friends goes there.” He reached for his mobile phone then typed away. “I’m asking him about what they’re doing for Chanukah. Perhaps, you can go there one night?”

“You sure you’re not Superman underneath that Clark Kent exterior?” He seemed to be coming to the rescue of her all afternoon and night. Her wayward heart was teetering on a knife’s edge that she could fall, as in really fall, for him. She’d never met a man who was so good looking, interesting, and even better, whose kisses made her toes curl in her runners.

“I haven’t saved you.” His lips puckered into a wry smile.

“Yes, you have. And now you’re doing it again.” She placed her hand on his. “Thanks, I really appreciate it, it’s really nice of you.”

He waved away her concerns. “It’s nothing, really. We’re very similar with our families, I’m sure you’d do the same for me.”

His mobile phone rang, breaking their moment of shared intimacy, and his eyes narrowed seeing the Caller ID. “Sorry, Lisa, I need to take this.” He answered in Italian and walked outside speaking rapidly to the caller.

The waitress cleared the table and Lisa reflected on the evening but especially on what he’d said. The old Lisa would’ve ignored his suggestions but the new Lisa noted that he was actually right. Besides, the new Lisa had kissed him and look how good that had been.

Gabe returned to the table, his face ashen and his lips were trembling. “That was Nonna. She’s fallen and I need to get to her. I’m sorry to cut our date short but I have to go.”

Her tummy tumbled with alarm. “Is she okay?”

“I don’t know. Let me get you in a taxi.” He pulled a number of notes and threw them haphazardly on the table and she could see his hands shaking.

She stood and walked over to him, pointing to the door. “You go, she needs you. I’ll be fine.”

His forehead creased in indecision. “I should take you home.”

Shaking her head, she said, “It’s still early and I’ll walk around for a while. You go and look after your grandmother.”

After brushing his lips against hers, he said, “I’ll call you,” before leaving the deli.

Her lips tingled with the touch of his kiss and her fingers traced the outline of her lips. “I’ll call you.” Famous last words. She wondered if he really would but it didn’t matter. She’d had the best time with him tonight and as of tomorrow, the new Lisa was going to enjoy New York and have a festive and memorable Chanukah, with or without Gabe.

She’d rather be with him. Besides, he knew how to find her.