breathing just the slightest bit faster than before. “I have an idea.” He ran his fingers along her hair, down her arm.
“Hmm.” For a few seconds she could hardly remember where they were, or that they didn’t have forever to be like this. “Whatever it is … I should probably say no.”
“Bailey, …” He didn’t laugh, didn’t look away. “I wouldn’t ask you to do something you wouldn’t want to do … something that would hurt both of us or … disappoint God.”
This was the boldest Brandon had been. He had a storied past, everyone knew that. But now that he was a Christian, he had changed in every possible way. Still, Bailey wasn’t sure if he had adopted God’s view on sex. Now, though, he’d made himself extremely clear. He understood that there was a line of purity, and he would neither cross it nor ask her to cross it. She put her arms loosely around his waist, curious. “What’s your idea?”
“Well …” The teasing was back. “About that love story … the one we both still want to shoot someday.”
“Yes.” She could only imagine how much fun they’d have on a movie like that. But with her working here on Broadway the odds of it ever happening were slim. At least for now. “I read the script. Or maybe I wrote it.” She giggled at the ultra-serious face he was making. “I love it.”
“Right. Me too.” He stroked his chin, his expression a mix of teasing and lighthearted flirting. “So … if we’re going to take our craft seriously, then we should rehearse a little — maybe right now. Because otherwise — since we hardly have any time together — we won’t wow the producers when it comes time to make the movie.”
She looked at him for a long while, but then a bout of laughter caught her off guard, and she took a step back, laughing hard for a few seconds. “Brandon, … it’s impossible to take you seriously.”
“Good.” He caught her by the waist and swung her in his arms. “Because guess what?” His voice was back to normal. “This night … was all the rehearsal we’ll need.”
They hugged again, for a long time. She still wished he’d kiss her, but she was grateful beyond words that he didn’t. Before they walked back to the elevator, he held her in his arms again, their faces so close that he needed only a whisper to be heard. “Bailey, … I won’t forget this night.”
“Me either.” She felt herself falling … and from this high over New York City the feeling was headier than anything she could remember. “Everything about it … every minute was perfect.”
“Good.” He eased his face alongside hers and stayed that way for a few seconds, their cheeks touching, clearly fighting the temptation they both had to be feeling. When he drew back, his eyes held a resolve she hadn’t seen there before. “I’m going to convince you, Bailey. One of these days … I will.”
“Convince me?” She knew what he meant, but she wanted to drag out the moment.
“That I love you … that I’ve fallen for you and nothing … nothing will make me give up.”
“Not distance?” She giggled, swaying gently with him.
“Not distance.”
“Not time?”
“No.” He laughed quietly. “Not time.” “Or anything else?”
“No. Especially not something so small as our jobs.” He brought his face close to hers again and slowly, like breath against her skin, he kissed her cheek. “Are you ready, Bailey? Are you ready to try?”
As quickly as he had made her laugh a minute ago, panic welled within her. She blinked twice, searching his eyes, willing the right words to come. She didn’t want to make him wait. But she had to be honest — he deserved that most of all. “More ready … than I was yesterday.”
He thought about that for a long moment, and a smile gradually lifted the corners of his mouth. “Okay … I can live with that.” He stepped back then. “Come on, pretty girl. I need to get you home.”
They made their way back to Joey and down the elevator. Along the way Joey made small talk, telling them trivial facts about the building and the famous people who had made it up to the 103rd floor. “But you … you might be the most famous in a long time.” He nodded at Brandon, and then looked at her. “You too, miss.” His cheeks reddened. “I saw your movie. It was fantastic.”