Daring in the City Read online

  “Really? Because I’ve been looking and even tiny studio apartments go for about fifteen hundred.”

  “No kidding.” Val looked at Mrs. B. “I can’t think of anyone I know who pays more than five or six hundred for a two-bedroom around here, can you?”

  Mrs. B shook her head. “The rent increases have been next to nothing for the last thirty years. That’s why no one leaves.”

  April nodded, trying not to deflate completely. “Rent control?”

  “No,” Mrs. B said, frowning. “I don’t know how it works, exactly, but we’ve been here so long, we don’t ask. I think we’re all afraid if we say anything the rents will go up.”

  “Where can I sign up for that?”

  To April’s great dismay, both women chuckled. “It doesn’t work that way, sweetheart,” Mrs. Brivio said. “I’m sorry. Have you met Val De Vitis? She lives two doors down. Her husband is a stock trader on Wall Street. Her grandfather used to make violins. Beautiful, beautiful work.”

  A piercing whistle came from the street, followed by a man’s voice calling out, “Hey, April. April, over here.”

  She reluctantly turned, hoping it wasn’t Vinny.

  Luca had just gotten out of a white truck and was headed toward her, but it wasn’t Luca who had called her name. Luca turned and said something to the driver, who looked familiar...

  Wait. Was that Charlie? The guy who’d brought up Luca’s recliner? Well, whoever he was, he was laughing at Luca’s not-so-discreet hand gesture.

  Honking got the truck moving, and she waited as Luca maneuvered his way between pedestrians, heading toward her.

  “You know the Paladinos?” Val said.

  “I know Luca, lucky me.”

  “April is new to New York,” Mrs. Brivio said just as he walked up to them. “She’s got family in Positano.”

  “That’s a beautiful city.” Val turned to Luca, who had a very surprised look on his face. “Your family is from the coast, yes?”

  He nodded. “Naples.”

  “Ours, too, but if I remember correctly, not from the same neighborhood.”

  “My mother would know,” he said.

  “And how is your family? I heard your father wasn’t well.”

  April was aware that he answered but she was too busy staring at his perfect mouth to follow the conversation. And remembering exactly what he could do with that mouth was about to get her in trouble. She wondered what Luca would do if she attacked him right there, right then. This was New York, after all. No one would bat an eye.

  Sensing a sudden lull, she pulled herself out of her silly daydream to rejoin the conversation. Better yet, she should grab Luca and make a beeline to the apartment and ravage him. The thought made her smile.

  The two women smiled back.

  April cleared her throat. “I should be on my way,” she said. “Very nice to meet you, Val. I hope to see you again soon. And Mrs. Brivio, remember to—”

  “If I hear of a place for rent I’ll let you know,” she said, laughing.

  April turned to Luca then hesitated, carefully choosing her words since their living arrangement was no one’s business. “Are you headed home?”

  His smile might have given away that they were more than just friends. “Come on, I’ll walk with you.”

  They’d barely blended in with the pedestrian traffic when Luca said, “You have family in Italy?”

  “Yes. I thought I’d said.”

  “You’re kidding? Branagan? I never would have guessed.”

  “That’s because it’s my mom’s family.”

  “Huh. So do you speak any Italian?”

  “Not much, but I understand it pretty well. Nonna’s English isn’t all that great so I—What?” April laughed at his goofy grin. “Nonna means grandmother.”

  “I know what it means,” Luca said. “It just sounded strange coming from you.”

  “My middle name is Michela, after her. Do you speak Italian?”

  “Like you, I mostly understand it, but I can string a few sentences together. And curse words, I know all of them.”

  April grinned. “Me, too.”

  They’d slowed down, annoying people who were rushing to get around them. Her hip brushed Luca’s leg, and then someone cut her off and she stumbled against him.

  He put a hand on her back. “Are you okay?”

  “This is when I hate being short the most. Big crowds make me feel claustrophobic.”

  Luca frowned. “You must despise the subway,” he said, sliding his arm around her and pulling her against his body as if she belonged there.

  “I usually wait for everyone to get off ahead of me. I found out something interesting. There are apartments in this neighborhood going for less than six hundred bucks a month.”

  Luca tensed. She felt it in his arm, his whole body. “Is that what those women told you?”

  “I don’t know if it was Mrs. B. or Val, but they both knew about it. I don’t think they meant a few here and there, either. And it’s not rent control, because I asked.”

  “No, it’s not rent control,” he said with a thoughtful frown. “What did they say it was?”

  “They weren’t really sure how it worked. And they don’t want to make waves asking about it. I can’t blame them for that.”

  Two men paying no attention to where they were going bumped into them. Luca’s arm fell away and she wanted to give the rude hipster in a tight blue suit a swift kick in the pants. Although now she was able to see Luca’s face better and something was definitely bothering him.

  He barely spared the men a glance.

  “There are places where the rent is inexpensive, both business and residential units, but they’re connected to old families that have lived in Little Italy for generations. It has to do with papers the first wave of immigrants signed when they came over. Private agreements.”

  “Well, does that mean no one ever moves? A kid could go off to college and a room could become available, no?”

  His frown deepened. There was the telltale crinkle over his nose. Did he not want her to live too close to him? The thought hurt.

  “I wouldn’t cramp your style, you know.”

  “No,” he said, reaching for her hand. “It’s not that. I just don’t want you to get your hopes up. It hardly ever happens. These families hold on to those rentals like they’re pure gold. If I knew different, of course I would’ve told you.”

  “I know,” she said, squeezing his hand. She was disappointed, although it made sense there had to be a special reason for anyone in New York to live that cheaply. “Anyway, I’m going to be meeting up with Grace, a friend I made at that silent auction, and there’s a good chance her roommate is moving to California. So that’s my best bet at the moment.”

  “Where’s the apartment?”

  “Perth Amboy. It’s in New—”

  “I know exactly where that is,” he said, giving her a long look. “It’s far.”

  “Yep.” She shrugged. “C’est la vie.”

  He seemed puzzled, though she doubted he thought their having sex had changed anything. She still needed to find her own place, prove she could make it on her own. In fact, she was all the more determined to move out as soon as possible. It was already hard to imagine not waking up with Luca and seeing him every evening. And it was bound to get worse because her feelings for him were starting to shift. But if there was going to be more between them than no-strings sex, it couldn’t happen unless they had separate lives. Their relationship needed room to grow. Or wither away. She needed to be prepared for both outcomes.

  Brave thoughts. When he pulled her closer and put his arm around her shoulders again, she wanted to weep with relief.

  “I want to hear about this mentor you found at your meeting.
And why you didn’t wake me last night like you were supposed to.” He leaned in close, so his mouth brushed her ear. “But first, I’ve got a surprise for you.”

  “What?”

  “Patience,” he said as they stopped at the corner for traffic. “See that drugstore?” He pointed out what looked like a store that had been around for a long time. “There used to be a candy counter in the front, near the door. When I was nine I stole a piece of candy. It wasn’t like a chocolate bar or anything, it was just a sour ball.”

  “Naughty.”

  “Yeah, well, my life of crime was short-lived. Even though the owner, who was a nice old man named Giuseppe, didn’t see me, someone else from the neighborhood did. Now, my parents’ house isn’t all that close. They live on the other side of old Little Italy. But by the time I got home, my mother knew all about my petty thievery, my father was called from his office to come deal with me and I was marched back to the store, a bunch of neighbors trailing after us.”

  “Oh, you poor thing.”

  “It was mortifying. I had to apologize then work off the price of the candy, which was two days’ worth of helping Giuseppe clean the front window and dusting every shelf in the store, a far greater penalty than the crime warranted.”

  “But I bet you never stole anything again.”

  “I did not,” he said, slowing his step in front of Giuseppe’s 5 & Dime, a fondness in his smile. “His granddaughter runs the place now.”

  “You know what?” April said as they moved on, turning left instead of right. She loved the feeling of his arm around her shoulders, and if it wasn’t for the promise of what came next, she’d have liked to walk all over Little Italy just like this.

  “What?”

  “Even if I don’t get to live here, I’m still glad I know the neighborhood a little. It reminds me of home, believe it or not. Even though it’s part of big, bad New York City, it has a small-town flavor I like a lot.”

  “There’s a lot to like. Although, it has its drawbacks, too. The gossip and rumors that fly around here... Hell, me with my arm around your shoulders? That’ll be all over every church within five miles by Sunday.”

  “I wondered about that,” she said. “If you cared about what Mrs. B. or Val or anyone else thought about, well, you know...you, me. Whatever...”

  “Obviously I don’t. You okay with this?”

  “Totally okay.”

  He picked up the pace until they got to an old building. There was a garage at street level with a heavy-duty lock securing the wide pull-down door. Luca pulled out a key and a moment later they stepped inside. He flipped three light switches and the whole place came to life.

  The first thing she saw was his motorcycle. Spit-polish shiny, sparkling chrome and pristine leather. “Wow. Nice.”

  “You’re the only person I’ve ever brought here.”

  “Really? What about your brothers?”

  “Dom and my folks know I have a bike but I’ve never told them where I keep it. Only Tony knows I have a workshop, but he hasn’t seen it.”

  “I’m very honored.” She moved close enough to the bike to run her hand across the seat as she looked around the huge space. The bike rested on a big mat, but the rest of the floor was Plexiglas tile. Three quarters of the space was taken up by a workshop that made her father’s setup look like child’s play. Behind her, Luca pulled down the door then came up next to her.

  “Come on,” he said, taking her hand. “I’ll show you around.”

  He walked her to the nearest wall and started pointing from the middle out. “Main workbench, table saw and dust collector, router table, band saw—”

  She already knew what most of the equipment was, although his was certainly top-notch. Her real interest was Luca himself, the change in him as he talked.

  There’d been glimpses of this side of him at the apartment. No wonder this was his happy place. His love for his work and his tools was written in the smile lines by his eyes, the way he squeezed her hand. This place was the spark that lit Luca’s inner fire.

  “Does this have anything to do with your job?”

  “I do quite a bit of finish work for the company, but nope, this is for me.”

  When she saw the king-size carved headboard against the far wall, she gasped. The piece was exquisite. Dark cherrywood with simple square designs, it had Luca’s stamp all over it. How easily she could imagine him here, at the bench, working with his hands on each tiny detail until it was exactly the way he wanted it. “I sure hope you’re keeping that gorgeous headboard for yourself.”

  He nodded and gestured to the corner. “I’ve started on a dresser out of the same wood, but first, I have to finish a coffee table for a client.”

  She glanced at the other partially finished pieces he had lying about. “I don’t even know what to say. Everything is so—God, Luca, I can really picture you here. Creating. Designing each unique piece. Not bending over a set of blueprints—” She stopped, immediately regretting her words. How dare she judge his chosen profession.

  Luca looked into her eyes as if she’d surprised him, but he didn’t seem the least bit angry.

  “I’m so glad you brought me here,” she said, slipping her hand from his hold, but only so she could cup his nape and bring him into a kiss.

  Once she’d touched his lips with her own, things got urgent fast. She ran one hand through his hair while skimming the other down his back, loving the feel of his muscles bunching beneath her palm.

  * * *

  BY THE TIME he’d slipped her jacket off her shoulders and pulled her blouse out from her skirt, April had undone his belt and started wrestling his shirt up with both hands. He’d thought briefly about taking her back to the apartment, but there was no way he wasn’t going to have her in this room. Right now.

  Kissing her again eased a part of him that he hadn’t realized was tense. Her eager response was making him harder by the second. The way things were going, he’d probably lose it before he figured out just how he was going to manage all he wanted to do with her.

  He slipped a condom out of his wallet while he still had his wits about him and she grinned up at him. After handing the packet to her, he lifted her straight up into his arms and she slipped her legs around his waist as if they’d rehearsed the move a dozen times. He somehow got them pointed in the right direction, still kissing and panting as if they’d run up four flights of stairs.

  April briefly looked up. “Where are we going?”

  “Wall.”

  “Brilliant.” She kissed him as if the brief interruption had never happened. He shifted her body in his arms, boosting her a little higher so he could get a firmer grip. She wasn’t heavy but his fingers were digging too hard into her sweet behind.

  After rushing the last few steps, he got her braced against the wall between the workshop and where he parked his bike. She nearly took them both down with her constant squirming, determined to find the perfect angle for their mouths. He tightened his hold until she was satisfied.

  “You should’ve woken me up last night,” he said before leaning in again to take her mouth, making absolutely sure she understood there was nothing in the world that he wanted more than her at this moment.

  The way she moaned nearly threw him off balance, but he managed to stay on his feet as he used one hand to undo the buttons on the front of her dressy blouse.

  She returned the favor by pulling down his zipper and pushing his pants and his boxer briefs down as far as she could reach. He did the rest.

  “You’re going too slow,” she said, squeezing him hard with her legs, and damn if she didn’t maneuver her skirt up around her waist. Relaxing those incredible thigh muscles, her hand went around his cock. “You’re going to have to do something about my panties.”

  “I always want to do something abo
ut your panties.”

  She laughed and circled her thumb over the head of his very erect cock.

  “Slow down, woman. You’re going to end this before we’ve begun.”

  “That’s okay,” she said, pumping him slowly as he unfastened the front clasp of her bra. “It’s early. We can go again back at your place.”

  He thrust his tongue between her lips and slipped the crotch of her panties to the side. She pinched his nipple, almost making him come before he was ready. “That was a nice little squeak there, big guy,” she said, her lips inches from his.

  “You’re playing with fire. You know that, right?”

  “I know exactly what I’m doing,” she whispered before her lips brushed his.

  Up for the challenge, he swiped her bottom lip with his tongue, then in one smooth move, raised her whole body up until he had her nipple between his teeth.

  Talk about squeaking. He grinned, not letting her go, pointed his tongue and began flicking just the tip of her beautiful beaded nipple.

  The squeak turned into a groan, and his arms started shaking so hard he had to lower her. She firmly locked her legs behind his back. Miraculously, she still had the condom packet in her left hand, and she ripped it open before unfurling it down his hard length.

  He moaned as if she was killing him, but then there was nothing stopping him from his main objective. Trembling, he got her into the perfect position and thrust inside her.

  They both groaned, and her forehead dropped to his shoulder while he bit his lower lip so he wouldn’t lose it right that second. About a dozen rapid heartbeats later, he started to move.

  And she started squeezing his cock.

  It wasn’t elegant at all. But it was scorching hot. Especially when he got his right hand between them, his thumb on her clit, his movements creating just the right amount of friction. She actually climaxed seconds before him, which was everything he could have wanted.

  By the time he let her down, his legs were wobbly, his breathing labored, and he figured a heart attack wasn’t completely out of the question.