“There you are,” Lex said when I found her in the main hall. She looked ready to bubble over. “Kirsten just introduced me to the director at Cosmo UK! Great, right? I tried to find you, but—”

“That’s amazing, Lex, really. And no worries, I was looking at the art.” Which was true, even if it wasn’t the art that had made my pulse racing.

“Nice. I think we’ve maxed out this evening. Want to get a drink somewhere where the average age is under sixty?”

“Ohgodyesplease.”

I was making a beeline for the coat check when I heard my name. Turning, I saw a tall guy with dirty-blond hair excuse himself from a conversation a few feet away. He looked at me, eyes warming. “Josh, remember?”

Oh, I remember. I let my eyes run over him, his navy suit impeccably tailored.

“I’m going to grab our coats,” Lex said to me. I handed over my ticket and she shot me a look that said Details later before turning to get in the line.

“So is this a typical Friday night for you?” I asked teasingly.

He leaned toward me and I could smell his cologne, warm and a little spicy. “Not really,” he confided in a low voice. “I’m here to cut holes in rich people’s pockets. See what falls out.” Josh flashed a self-deprecating smile.

It was refreshing to hear someone say it.

“Want to make a run for it?” I offered.

“I wish I could, but I’m representing the firm. Rich septuagenarians are our favorite variety.”

“I get it. You need to pay for all your nice law firm wood.” I was thinking of John’s offices.

Josh barked out a laugh. “What about my nice firm wood?”

“Because law offices always have this—” I finally realized how it’d sounded. “Never mind.”

“Hey, you’re the one who brought up my wood.”

I groaned at his bad joke. “I’m not even going to touch that.”

That made it worse. “This is just a downward spiral.” We looked at one another for a moment before grinning at the same time. “Hey. Can I ask you something crazy?” he asked.

“I invented crazy.”

“What are you doing tomorrow?”

“Well, I have to work, but after that … What are we doing tomorrow?”

His face lit up. I was glad to be part of something good for a change.

Who knows, I wondered as I caught up with Lex, shooting a look over my shoulder. Maybe Josh is just what I need.

And it was about damned time, because the way my libido fired whenever I got near a suit lately?

I really, really needed to get some.

* * *

I tried three outfits for my date the next day before deciding on a white sundress with daisy earrings. Josh picked me up in a cab and took me to the fifth-floor rooftop garden at the Met. The garden was lush and green, with a killer view of the skyline and Central Park. Gorgeous sculptures and an expanse of green lawn greeted us, and a range of people were out to enjoy their summery Saturday afternoon. I relaxed instantly.

“Come here often?” I asked as he ordered drinks from a waiter he knew by name. We took our glasses and went to find seats on the lawn.

“Yeah, I do. Sometimes you just need to get away from it all.” Josh was wearing a green button-down over designer jeans that showed off his bright eyes, broad shoulders, and long legs. “Speaking of, how is our fair city treating you?”

“There’s definitely more nudity than I expected.”

“Flashers?” He nodded sympathetically. “I hear you. When I moved here—”

“You’re not a native?” Somehow Josh seemed as New York as pizza and the Staten Island Ferry.

He shook his head. “Portland, born and raised. Came here for articling last year. One of the great things about this city is it has enough quirks that everyone can find something to love about it.”

“Well, New York’s where I need to be right now, for Travesty.” I told him about our label. “I always imagined living in a bunch of different cities. New York, Paris, London, Tokyo, Moscow, Barcelona, LA, Sydney …” There were more, but I couldn’t remember. “It sounds cheesy, but they all have the things I love: fashion and adventure.”

He watched me with a smile. “It sounds like you’ve made a good start. And give New York time. It’ll grow on you. Now I have a job I love and great friends.”

“Like Nate?” The words popped out of my mouth. He hadn’t been on my mind exactly, but the more I listened to Josh, the less I got why they hung out. Josh was just … nice. Normal. Nate was harder to get a read on. Too much conflicting information.

“Actually, we went to Yale together. It was a coincidence we ended up at the same firm. I only hope we both get to stay there.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s Townsend Price policy. Only three first-year associates get to stay on for another year.”

A group of girls a few years younger had been eyeing Josh. One tapped him on the shoulder to take a picture of them. He amiably complied, and one of the girls shot a look behind Josh’s back to see my reaction.

Jealousy wasn’t really my thing. I watched, entertained, as Josh went along with it, making them pose in silly ways. The girls giggled.

Josh dropped back onto the ground beside me a minute later, picking up our conversation right where we’d left off. “Here’s the thing about Nate. He’s had the right opportunities but he’s also worked really hard. He’s forced into the spotlight a lot, but he’s actually private. I mean, it’s no wonder, given who his dad is.”

“Nathan Townsend, resident it-guy,” I joked.

Josh watched me for a minute. “You know, when I first saw you together, I wondered if there was something going on. The guy hasn’t dated in forever, so I would’ve been glad for him. But when Nate said there was nothing, it was like I’d just caught the world’s biggest break.”

He really used the word “nothing”?

Of course I wouldn’t have wanted him to tell his friend we’d hooked up. What had I expected him to say?

I pushed it out of my mind.

Josh and I talked for nearly four hours about everything under the sun. He told me he came from a blue-collar family. Fell in love with law through television.

“It was all Jerry Orbach. He had me with those serious eyebrows. Could get a perp to confess just by looking at him.” I laughed at his Law & Order reference.

Josh was the one who eventually said he had go to prep for court Monday. When he dropped me off, he walked me to the door of my building. I looked up at him, his eyes warm on mine, his body strong and close.

“I had a great time with you, Ava.”

“Me too.”

Josh bent down to kiss me and I let him.

He’d clearly kissed a girl or two in his time, and I sank into the feel of his warm lips moving over mine. Smooth, sexy. I felt the heat roll down my spine. Not out of control. But … welcome. Luxurious.

I refused to compare it to kissing Nate.

Josh didn’t push his luck but let go of me with a smile, promising to call. I wanted him to.