Chapter 5

The air on the rooftop terrace was thick, heavy with the scent of ozone, expensive champagne, and the salty tang of the city sweat. Below us, the city of New York sprawled out like a circuit board of gold and white lights, but up here, in the secluded corner behind the high, wrought-iron fence, the world had narrowed down to just the two of us. The distant boom of the first early fireworks muffled the sound of my own ragged breathing. I clung to his lapels, my fingers digging into the crisp white cotton of his dress shirt, desperate for purchase as the heat between us spiked, threatening to ignite the dry, electric air. He pulled back just enough to look at me, his eyes dark and predatory, swallowing me whole. The kiss wasn’t gentle anymore; it was a claiming. His tongue swept into my mouth, dominant and thorough, tasting of mint and whiskey, and I melted against him, my legs turning to jelly. He guided me backward, his large hand sliding down my spine, pressing firmly against the curve of my lower back, until my back hit the cool stone of the terrace wall. The sudden temperature change made