“You should be more careful.” He lets go of my arm, and I swear I nearly whimper at the loss of his bruising grip. He lifts Betty from the floor and straightens her up, and she doesn’t squeak when he moves her. Traitor!
“I will,” I whisper, my cheeks burning hotter with each passing second.
He moves Betty closer, holding her handlebars and indicating I should take them from him. His tattooed fingers brush mine, and my legs almost buckle as hot sparks of electricity shoot up my hands and skitter through my entire body. I hold onto my bike for dear life, knuckles turning white as I struggle to remain upright. Our eyes meet again, and the intensity of his stare makes it even harder to stay on my feet. “And you really shouldn’t go around talking to your bike.” One corner of his deliciously full lips lifts, hinting at a smirk.
Wow. I wonder what it would take to get a full-on smile from him. Not that I plan to find out. It would probably render me immobile.
He leans closer, and I forget how to breathe. “People will think you’re crazy.” His breath dusts across my forehead and goosebumps break out all over my body. Then he walks away, leaving me wanting. I spin around and watch him head for the stairwell. Even the way he walks is hot. Shoulders rolled back and huge arms swinging at his sides. So sure of where he’s headed. Like our little interaction didn’t affect him at all. Not one iota.
I wheel Betty toward the exit. The sooner I get out of this building, the better.
Wrapping my wet hair in a towel, I wander into the kitchen and rifle through the stack of takeout menus clipped to the fridge. Dim sum sounds amazing. It will eat into my budget for the weekend, but … my imagination conjures the taste of steamed pork dumplings, pan fried noodles, and deep-fried eggplant, and my stomach rumbles loudly, voicing its opinion. Dim sum it is then.
The front door slams closed. “Lily!” Jen calls.
“Right here,” I say.
She rushes toward me, breathless like she sprinted up the stairs, her cornflower-blue eyes wide with excitement. “You are going to freaking love me,” she squeals.
“I already do,” I remind her.
She tilts her head and runs her tongue over her perfect white teeth. “True. But you’re going to love me even more when I tell you what I managed to score for tonight.”
“No.” I hold out my hands and shake my head. “No more edibles. Last time I thought I was the king of the fairy underworld. Kevin from down the hall still looks at me funny whenever he sees me.”
My beautiful best friend howls with laughter at the memory and wraps me in a hug. It takes her at least two minutes to regain the ability to speak. “No more edibles. This is even better.” Reaching into her back pocket, she brandishes what looks like two tickets and squeals. “I got us passes for Marché de Viande!”
My shoulders slump, and I let out a loud groan.
“Lily!” she admonishes. “It’s literally the hottest club in New York.”
“It’s also the most expensive,” I remind her with a dead-eyed stare.
“These tickets are free.” She waves them in my face for emphasis.
“The drinks inside aren’t though.” Despite my argument, I know I’m going to give in, and I mentally kiss my dream of eating dim sum in my pajamas goodbye. Whatever Jen wants, she gets. She’s the only person I know who can talk just about anyone into anything, even me. Plus, I do kind of owe her. I’d be homeless if it wasn’t for her willingness to share her one-bedroom apartment. Unfortunately for me, delivering documents and packages doesn’t pay enough to afford a place to live in New York City.
She gives me her best puppy dog eyes. “We’ll just have a few sodas.”
I let out an exasperated sigh. “You do know the name literally means meat market in French, right?”
Her whole face lights up, and I have to bite my lip to hold back a laugh. “Really? That’s so hot.”
I shake my head. I should have known that wouldn’t deter her. “It’s really not.”
She fixes me with a stare like she’s trying to peer into my soul. She can’t. Nobody can. “Hell yeah it is! When’s the last time you got any action that wasn’t of the battery-operated variety?”
“I’ll have you know that my womanizer is rechargeable. Plug it in for thirty minutes, and I’m good to go for hours. No batteries required.” Grinning triumphantly, I wink.
She snorts a laugh but quickly turns serious. “Lily. You need to get out there and have yourself some fun. You’re twenty-four and you currently live the life of a nun.”