“It’s not. I was practically teasing you.” She glanced at the glass entrance behind them to the Museum of Modern Art, then back at Red. He was almost bursting with excitement. The cold had turned the tip of his nose and his high cheekbones pale pink. His green eyes were bright, like a spark of midsummer in the middle of winter. He was so, so divine. She didn’t know how he could be real. “I know you’re dying to go in. Shall we?”

“Oh, yeah. But first …” He brought his hand to her cheek, and she didn’t even mind that his glove was cold and a little wet from the softly falling snow. “Let me see if I can find anything to kiss under all these layers.”

Maybe she’d gone slightly overboard with the scarves—two—and the hats—again, two—but it was cold.

“You want to kiss me now?” she squawked as he nudged aside the wool protecting her skin from the harsh wind. “At this very minute?”

“I want to kiss you every minute of the day,” he murmured, his eyes suddenly serious. “And I want to kiss you in every city on earth.” Then, as her heart overflowed with sickening amounts of love, his lips brushed hers. Quick, light, and still so wonderful that her knees felt the tiniest bit weak.

He pulled back and took his time nudging her scarves in place, even though they wouldn’t be out here for much longer. Biting back a smile, she said, “Now, shall we go in?”

“Are you feeling okay? You’re not tired from the walk, are you?”

“Not yet.” Well, only a little bit.

He was practically vibrating with his eagerness to go inside, but still, he held off to check on her. “Buprenorphine still going strong?”

“I am high as a kite, my love.” She tried not to use her opioid patches all the time, but a trip to New York definitely required them.

“Good,” he said, clearly pleased to know his girlfriend was appropriately drugged. And then, after a long exhale, he grinned. “In we go, then.”

“Full speed ahead. Try not to wet yourself with excitement, you big nerd.”

He shot her a quelling look as they stepped into the museum. “Chloe. Please. This is a classy establishment.”

“Sorry. I can’t be tamed.”

With a wry smile, he said seriously, “I know.”