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gaze was on her face. He was running his index finger around and around the rim of his coffee mug in a slow, languid motion that made her feel dizzy with desire. “My ideal woman has to be tough. She’s got to be hardy enough to brave winters in Alaska.”
    “What about beauty?”
    “Beauty’s good, but not really important. I mean, there’s got to be sexual chemistry between us, but I’m not looking for perfection. On the contrary, I think a little sass, a little attitude spices things up.”
    “Really?”
    “And even though I’m ready to settle down, I’m not willing to settle. When I get married, it’ll be forever. Until then—” he grinned “—I’m up for whatever adventures come my way.”
    “Oh.” At this, Kay took heart. Perhaps he might provide that illicit affair she was yearning for, after all.
    “So what do you look for in a man, Kay Freemont?”
    She shrugged. “I don’t know.”
    “You don’t know? Then how do you know if Mr. Practically Engaged is the right one for you?”
    She winced. “Please, I—”
    “Oh, right, no personal questions.”
    “How long are you in town?” She changed the subject and wondered what she was going to do with the information. Wondered why her heart was pounding.
    “I fly out at seven-thirty on Wednesday morning. Tomorrow I’ve got an all-day thing with my friend from Adventure Gear. I’m thinking of switching over to their climbing harnesses, and he’s taking me on a climb upstate.”
    “Ah.” Her hopes plummeted. No time for a wild fling.
    He reached across the table and lightly grazed her hand with the tips of his fingers. It shouldn’t have been an erotic gesture, but it was.
    “You could come to Alaska,” he said, reading her thoughts as clearly as if they’d been etched on her face. His habit of expressing exactly what was on her mind was uncanny and, frankly, a little disturbing. “Write that article for your editor. We could have a lot of fun together, you and I. Why not consider it?”
    Astounded by the sensations that surged through her at his touch, she slipped her hand away. She never did answer his question.
    After lunch he wanted to see the Empire State Building, so off they went. Quinn moved through the crowd like a redwood among matchsticks. On more than one occasion, she noticed women’s heads turn as they shot him appreciative glances. She felt oddly jealous.
    And strangely aroused.
    More aroused, in fact, than she’d ever been.
    While Quinn admired the view from the top of the Empire State Building, Kay admired Quinn.
    She couldn’t seem to draw her gaze from the ripple of muscle in his forearm where he’d rolled back the sleeves of his mackinaw. It was as if he knew how much she loved sexy forearms and was simply taunting her with a view of his.
    She studied his strong profile, raked her gaze down his shoulders to his back before stopping to blatantly admire his delectable fanny so prominently displayed in snug-fitting blue jeans.
    Raising a hand to her throat, she inhaled deeply, hauling in an unsteady breath. Quinn turned from the railing, a wide, boyish grin on his face. Kay smiled back.
    “Wow. So many people. So many buildings. So many yellow-checkered cabs.”
    She nodded.
    The wind gusted. Shivering, Kay used a pillar as a windbreak. She crossed her arms over her chest and danced from foot to foot.
    “You’re cold,” he said, and she found it touching that he’d noticed. He stripped off his mackinaw.
    “I can’t take your jacket. It’s freezing up here.”
    “Honey,” he said, and she did not take offense at his easy endearment; rather, she found it kind of charming. “Where I’m from this would be considered a heat wave.”
    He stepped closer and settled his mackinaw around her shoulders, wrapping her as tenderly as a mother swaddles her baby.
    “Thank you.” Her voice emerged as a breathless whisper, and she realized they were the only people still on the observation deck. The cold had forced