[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Their morning passed quickly as they strolled through the city and entered Times Square. Rafe
couldn't take his eyes from Ari s face as she looked all around her at the thousands upon thousands of
people pushing past them on the wide sidewalks.
I ve seen this place in movies, but I can t believe how many people are out here. It feels like if I
blink, I ll be lost forever. How does anyone ever find their way around this city?
Very carefully. You can usually tell the difference between the tourists and the locals by the way
they move. Tourists are slower and look in every direction at once, while the locals keep their eyes
on target and move swiftly in between people on the street. There s a lot of business in this town and
if a person doesn t want to get left behind, he or she had better learn how to adapt.
I wouldn t want to live here. It s just too fast for me. I do, however, want to try some of the local
pizza. I ve heard it doesn t get better than here.
Pizza was hardly Rafe s first choice for lunch, but once again he found himself unable to say no, so he
found himself at John s Pizzeria. Seeing Ari s eyes light up at her first gooey bite made the extra
grease he was ingesting well worth it.
I don t know how you are so slim with the amount of terrible food you eat, he laughed as he
grabbed another napkin to absorb the oil coating his fingers.
Probably because I don t usually get to eat this well. I survive on a lot of ramen noodles and canned
soup. My mom is an excellent cook, but before her accident I was living in a dorm and religiously ate
meals that were cooked in a microwave. Ari winked. Though my mother has always taken great
care of me, money was still a concern, and on campus I needed to be careful. It s a real treat having
these fancy meals, she said and took a bite, then swirled a long piece of cheese around her finger.
I wouldn t call pizza fancy, he said, unable to take his eyes from her mouth as she sucked the gooey
cheese from her finger.
That s because you re a snob. The twinkle in her eye let him know she was teasing him, but still, he
couldn t let her get away with a comment like that without at least a little retaliation.
No more pizza for you. It s caviar for dinner. She glared at him as she took another bite and
chomped extra hard on her thin-crusted treat.
I don t know why the egg of a fish is so special. Seriously! That s so disgusting.
It s an acquired taste, he said with a laugh.
Yeah, well, I prefer cheese to salty fish eggs. I promise never to call you a snob again if you won t
take me to another snooty restaurant that has foods I can t even pronounce, she pleaded.
The utter look of horror on her face had Rafe laughing. The comment was even funnier because of her
utter seriousness. Not one of his other mistresses had preferred pizza or hot dogs to Beluga caviar and
oysters. Who really had the right idea? Rafe found himself asking.
As they finished their lunch, and once again stepped onto the busy sidewalks of New York, Rafe took
Ari s hand and led her on a tour of some of the city s amazing architecture.
New York is known for its old architecture mixed among the sleek new skyscrapers. There are many
hidden treasures in the city and numerous landmarks on almost any block you turn onto. When you add
the creativity of the many people looking to break into show business or the art world, this is almost
like one giant playground. I can t possibly show you everything in only a couple of days, or even a
couple of months, but I can at least give you a small taste of why the locals are so loyal to their
home.
How do you know so much about the area if you grew up in Italy and California?
My dad traveled a lot for business and we spent at least a couple of weeks each year in New York.
I ve spent a lot of time in Chicago, Seattle and Philadelphia, too. By the time I was eighteen, I was a
frequent flier, he answered.
I can t imagine how wonderful that would be. I d never even left California until this trip. I think
you ve created a monster, though, because I am enjoying myself tremendously, even if my feet are
killing me.
Do you want to go back to our room?
Not a chance. We haven t even visited the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State building, she
replied with horror.
Rafe laughed as he hailed a cab and took her on a concentrated tour of the city. He wanted their night
to end on top of the Empire State Building, though he called himself a fool for his romantic gesture.
Nah; get real he was doing it only because looking out at the lights of the city at night was an
experience everyone should have, not because he wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her above
all the twinkling lights. It wasn t as if he d become some slobbering love-struck fool who spouted off
poetry in one of the many cafés catering to such a crowd.
For all his happily cynical thoughts, Rafe still took her into his arms as they stood at the top of the
Empire State Building. His head moved downward involuntarily and he captured her mouth with his.
His lips were tender as he caressed hers, coaxing her mouth to open to him so he could taste her on
his tongue. His arms wrapped tightly around her waist, and he got lost in her sweetness.
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]