Make Me Yours(52)

She clinks my glass and takes a sip. “Mm… that’s delicious.”

Our seatbelts are fastened, and we’re in the air in less than fifteen minutes. Grace comes through and tells us it’s safe to move around. We only take off our seatbelts, and I rotate in my chair to face my companion.

Ruby’s like a kid in a candy store, looking around, touching everything. It’s hits me like a renewed thrill. I remember a time when all this was new to me, too.

“Why do they always give you champagne on private jets?”

“I thought you’d never been on one.”

Her nose wrinkles as she takes another sip. “I’ve seen it in the movies. Is it to celebrate being so rich?”

Shrugging, I sip my own sparkling beverage. “More likely to celebrate not having to stand for hours in the TSA line then be forced to sit in a cramped seat next to a potentially annoying neighbor.”

She nods. “I can get onboard with that. What’s our schedule like in New York?”

“We arrive in Manhattan after noon then we’ll take a car to the hotel. The gala is tomorrow night at eight.”

“What do we do between now and then?”

“I’m meeting one of my investment advisers tonight for drinks. His name is Stephen Hastings. I’d really like it if you’d join me, but you don’t have to… if you have something else in mind you’d prefer.”

“I’ll join you.” She scoots closer, biting her lip. “I’ve never been to New York.”

“You haven’t?” That changes things. Reaching out, I tug her lip free from her teeth with my thumb, thinking about kissing her. Based on the look she gives me, she seems to be thinking the same thing. “Then I think we should spend a little time being tourists.”

A huge smile splits her cheeks, and it’s like I’ve won the fucking lottery. “You’ll do that for me?”

“I’d love to do that with you. What do you want to see?”

“Oh man, I want to see everything.” She leans back in her chair, taking another sip of champagne. “The Statue of Liberty, the Empire State building, Central Park, Wall Street, Time’s Square, Broadway, the Guggenheim museum, the Met, the Brooklyn bridge, Soho, the Village…”

I start to laugh. “We can’t do all of that, but we can make a plan and see how much we can fit in.”

Reaching down, I clasp her hand in mine, threading our fingers. I’m gratified when she doesn’t pull away. In fact, she seems very comfortable holding my hand up here, thousands of feet above the world.

Her face is turned toward the window, and she seems far off in thought.

“What are you thinking?” I lift her hand, studying her fingers entwined with mine.

She shakes her head, dark hair sliding around her shoulders. “It’s silly.”

I give her hand a tug. “Tell me.”

Turning to me, her eyes hold so much emotion. “I’ll never forget this.”

In that moment, I never want to let her go. Placing my lips against her fingers, I speak softly. “I’m glad I’m here to share it with you.”



The limo drops us at the Four Seasons, and I tip the driver as the bellhop collects our bags to send up to our rooms. As requested, Ruby is on the fifty-first floor, while I’m in the penthouse, one floor up.

Standing on my balcony, I grab the house phone and call her room. “Come up and see my view of Central Park.”

“You’re just showing off.” Her voice is sassy, and I don’t like us being apart.

“You might recall my original plan was to share this with you. Bring a few things in case you decide to stay.”

“How many times do I have to tell you—”

“Sorry, bad connection.”

“It’s a landline.”

“Hurry up, I’m hungry.” Thirsty, is more like it.

I grin, hanging up and thinking about the next forty-eight hours. I put her name on the guest list for this room and gave her a key so she wouldn’t have any trouble accessing my suite. Five minutes later, she’s walking through my door.

“This is amazing.” She flops on the leather divan beside the sofa facing the balcony where I stand. “It’s like a whole house up here.”

“It’s half the top floor. The other half is a separate suite.” Inspecting her hands, I frown. “You didn’t bring a bag.”

“I’m not staying in your room, Remi.”

We’ll see about that. “Are you hungry? I’ve been craving a cheeseburger all week.”

She laughs loudly. “A cheeseburger? What would Eleanor say?”

“I don’t give a fuck.”

Out on the street, we fall into the speed race of Manhattan foot traffic.

I grab her hand and keep her close. “We’re in a pretty touristy part of the city, right in Midtown.”

“Near Rockefeller Center!”

“Right.” We meander through the crowd, dodging sightseers who stop in the middle of the sidewalk. “We can head down toward the Village and see Soho after we eat. That’ll take two things off your list.”

She does a little excited skip. “Can we go to Magnolia Bakery and get cupcakes?”

“We can do as much as we have time to do.”