He removed his hood and turned his baseball cap around so she could see his eyes better. Then he slipped his arm around her shoulders and held her close. “Joey tells me … every few steps the view changes … it’s another entirely different look at the city.”
“Mmm.” Bailey snuggled in close to him. The wind was chilly up here, and she could feel the building sway ever so slightly. “It’s absolutely beautiful.”
“On a clear day, I guess you can see almost eighty miles in any direction.”
“Which means …” She looked up at him, and she could feel her eyes shining.
He understood what she meant, and he smiled. “Which means we’ll have to come back up here again … in the daytime.”
“Exactly.” She leaned her head against his shoulder, and for a long while they stayed like that, quiet, caught up in the view of the city and what it was like being together this way — all alone, with the rest of the world far below them.
Finally he took her hand again and they walked partway around the observatory. The floor was open air, but with a roof and a safety railing system that would’ve prevented anyone from falling or jumping off. They stopped far enough away from the elevator that they were no longer in eye contact with Joey. Which was just as well … because Bailey liked the feeling — she and Brandon up here, no one else but the two of them.
“See that dark area?” He pointed toward a place in the distance where there were no lights. “I think that’s Central Park.”
“Oh, right … it must be.” Again she felt a shiver of cold. The wind was even stronger on this side of the building, and even though it was mid-May, it couldn’t have been much over forty degrees tonight.
“You’re cold.” He turned to her and again he eased his arms around her waist. “Here … let me keep you warm.”
His sweatshirt and thermal didn’t seem like much, but his body was much warmer than hers, and the nearness of him cut the chill immediately. She wore jeans almost the same color as his, a long-sleeved flowing sort of shirt, and a lightweight jacket with a high collar. It was one of her favorite outfits, and she was grateful she’d worn it. She looked into his eyes, and she was certain beyond a doubt that this was the better view. Even here on the 103rd floor. “Your eyes are so pretty … do you know that?”
“Eyes are a window to the soul.” His look warmed her even more than his body. “Right?”
“Very nice.”
“And the eyes are the lamp of the body.”
“Hmm. You’ve been reading your Bible.”
“I have.” His eyes grew more serious, but his smile remained. “I love reading the Bible. It makes sense of the whole world — even Hollywood.”
“Especially Hollywood.”
“Yes.” He chuckled and gave a single shake of his head as if to say he knew it well. “Especially there.” He paused, never once looking away. “So if the eyes are the window to the soul … then it’s no wonder you like my eyes.” He framed her face with his hands, the two of them lost in each other. “Because … Bailey, you’ve captured my soul.” He came closer, and for a few seconds she wondered if he might kiss her. But instead he brushed the side of his face against hers. He looked at her again. “When you see into my eyes, you’re seeing the reflection of yourself … the way you live inside me — whether you’re with me or not.”
His words couldn’t have been more beautiful if they were scripted. She wasn’t sure what to say, and for a long time she said nothing. Was this really happening? She and Brandon Paul at the very top of the Empire State Building? And was he really telling her that he’d moved past the crush he had on her, and that now … now he was in love with her? Her body trembled, and not because of the cold. She took a long breath and stepped back — even though she didn’t want to. Brandon was passionate about everything he did, everything he said. If he really felt this way for her, then they would both need to be careful. Even now she felt herself almost drugged by his presence.
“Come on.” She heard the desire in her voice, and she was embarrassed