Page 41 of CHOICE Lover
Electra is so consumed with her thoughts that she doesn’t notice when he leads her into an empty room within the same complex of the theater. She glances around, taking in the 360-degree view of the New York City skyline. An artificial breeze lifts the lock of hair that’s fallen across his brow as he steps toward her, holding out a blanket.
“Here, let me,” he says, wrapping it around her shoulders.
She blinks, instantly recalling the scene fromSleepless in Seattle. This confirms it. He thinks they’re dating. Still, for confirmation, she asks, “Is this the Empire State Building?”
11 – A Minor Disaster
Res6
“The observatory of the Empire State Building, in fact. How’d you guess?” he asks.
Her eyes sparkle as she scans her surroundings, and the grin on her face is so wide it seems permanent. “I saw this in a movie once.”
There’s something strangely heady about being the one to give her pleasure. He does his best to appear neutral. But this has to be the best outing—not date—he’s planned thus far. That morning, he rewatched the clip from DumBot titledAsleep in Seattleand confirmed the visit to the simulated historical venue wasn’t a date. The characters had clearly just met, as they spent a small eternity staring at each other before introducing themselves. There had even been a child in the scene. Therefore, there’s no chance of her misinterpreting anything.
She shrugs, pulling the blanket tighter around herself, shielding him from the thin fabric of her dress—Zephyr, that dress. The slinky goldmaterial has been calling to him all night. The blanket is a true blessing from the non-deities. Yet, if she’s still cold, he could ask the system to raise the temperature, or if she were a manupartner, he might draw her into his chest and . . . He’s reaching for her before he can think better of it.She is not for you.His fingers stop inches from her shoulder. He lets his hand fall away. Although his strategy involves imagining she’s a manupartner, she is not. Embracing her for warmth or otherwise would be counterproductive.
There’s a fine line between acting like she’s a manupartner, who he’d normally have a certain physical proximity with, and the reality that she’s a real woman. Perhaps Tommy’s idea isn’t so sound.
Thankfully, she’s too consumed with staring out at the skyline to notice. “I always heard New York City was magical. I never got to go.”
“My brother would have liked this too.” He isn’t sure why he says it. Only, being around her makes him think of Jerme more than he has in recent memory.
She turns, raising a brow. “Would have?”
His jaw tenses. If he keeps getting caught up in the moment, he’s going to slip up, and she’ll find out about his experiment. She already hates the idea of manupartners, so it stands to reason she won’t understand about bringing Jerme back. Then she’ll really think he’s a monster. Not that he cares what she thinks. “Well, New York City isn’t really accessible anymore.”
“Right.” She nods, offering him an easy smile.
“You remind me of Jerme,” he says. “That’s his name.”
“I’m looking forward to meeting him. Does he live here in MSP?”
“He hasn’t for a while,” he answers, intentionally ambiguous. She’ll eventually learn the truth, but it will be easier to explain with Jerme here to help smooth things over.
“Oh. I guess that means you don’t get to see him often. That’s too bad. I always wanted a sibling.” She stares wistfully at the skyline.
He pauses, waiting for a painful wave of nostalgia to wash over him, but it never comes. “I think he’ll like you.”
She turns her smile on him. “You said that before. What will he like about me?”
He steps closer. “You’re very beautiful, for one.”
Her freckled cheeks tinge pink. “He’s your brother. That doesn’t count.”
“Well, let’s see.” He reaches up, brushing his fingertips over her cheek. “I think he would like these.”
She chuckles. “I gather that freckles have been selected out of the gene pool.”
“They have, but they set you apart,” he says. “Jerme liked unique things.”
“Maybe I’ll be the one to bring them back.”
He lets his hand fall away. “If anyone could do it, it would be you.”
“Well, I plan to shake things up.”
He huffs, pointedly ignoring their earlier conversation about her starting a column. Now isn’t the time to discuss it, and he doesn’t want to ruin the moment. “You’ll definitely do that.”
