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another sensual kiss that could only be interpreted as a resounding yes.
    It took Beth a moment to regain her wits before she grasped his hand in hers and brought him to the first stop on the tour, the kitchen, which didn’t take long to show him due to its tiny size. Next, they ventured across the living room and down the hallway to the bathroom.
    Beth opened the door and gestured inside, thankful that the toilet seat was down and the shower curtain was drawn, even though she and Olivia always kept the apartment very clean.
    “This is our bathroom.” She lowered her gaze bashfully. “It’s small, but it serves its purpose.”
    Aidan nodded and surveyed the room from the doorway, his hand joined with hers in the space between them. As Beth watched him, she felt ridiculous for bringing him here. He was probably feigning interest solely for her benefit.
    “We didn’t have a chance to remodel it to our liking,” she rambled through her nervousness. “When we first moved in, we didn’t have much money, and then after we both signed at the studio, we were too busy. Now that we’re most likely moving soon, there’s no point.”
    “That makes sense.” Aidan flashed the disarming grin he seemed to reserve only for her and brought her hand to his lips for a kiss that wobbled her knees.
    With a playful smile, Beth pulled him down the hallway to the next door. “This is Olivia’s room.”
    Aidan looked inside and grimaced at the colorful, overtly feminine décor.
    Beth giggled as she pulled the door shut. “I told Liv that if we moved, I needed to have some input into the decorating process as well, even though she’s the design expert.”
    Aidan chuckled. “That’s probably for the best.”
    The rustling crinoline of Beth’s dress mingled with her increasingly hesitant footfalls as she escorted him down the hallway to the final room in the apartment. As they stopped before the closed door, anxiety struck her with the force of a race car gunning for the finish line. What on earth was she thinking giving him a tour of the apartment? At the same time, the temptation to continue was far too great to ignore.
    “And this,” her heart thumped erratically as she opened the door and turned on the light, “is my bedroom.”

 
     
     
    Beth tightened her grip on the doorknob, anxiously awaiting Aidan’s reply.
    He peered over her shoulder from the hallway. “It’s, uh, very nice.”
    Given he stood about two feet from the door, Beth knew he didn’t have a clear view of it.
    “I can, um, show you around inside if you’d like.” As soon as the words left her lips, she regretted them. If he turned her down, she’d look like a fool.
    Aidan rubbed the base of his neck. “Uh, yeah… sure.”
    Beth stepped inside her bedroom tentatively. What if he agreed just to be polite? Either way, it was too late to back out now.
    Aidan hesitated at the doorway but finally crossed the threshold . Beth was instantly excited by the reality of him in her most private dwelling.
    She gestured to her surroundings and giggled nervously. “Well, this is it. The décor is simple, but it suits me fair enough.”
    Aidan’s eyes darted around the room.
    “It’s very nice,” he repeated.
    Beth’s breathing became as ragged as her heartbeat. “Thank you.”
    A significant silence filled the room.
    She didn’t know what to say or do to diffuse the awkwardness of the situation. Perhaps it was best to leave. “How about we—”
    “Hey, you kept my letter.” Aidan walked over to her nightstand and picked up the note he’d given her in New York.
    Beth forgot to put it back in the drawer last night after she read it, which she usually did before going to sleep. She joined him beside the bed.
    “Of course I kept it. Did you not keep my rose?” She flashed a teasing smile.
    A ghost of a grin touched Aidan’s lips. “Of course I did.”
    “There’s the photograph we took next to Central Park.” Beth pointed to the framed picture on