“Thirty-four. I thought you were a lot younger.”
“I get that a lot. I’m little.”
“You busy for dinner tonight?”
“What?”
“I’m asking you out for dinner. You eat, right?”
“Yeah…why?”
“You’re interesting. It turns out you’re not just this side of jailbait.” His grin widened to Cheshire Cat status. “And Norm’s right—you’re a dime piece.”
She considered that and decided she liked it. “Um. Okay, I guess. But I won’t drink.”
He nodded. “I think that’s wise. I can go a night sober. Happens occasionally. I’ll pick you up around eight?”
A new, exciting thought occurred to her. “You said you ride a Ducati?”
Still grinning like he was in on some joke she didn’t get, he cocked his head. “I do. You want to ride? You’ll have to hold on to me.”
It was so weird to think that this guy knew about her thing with touch. She felt intruded upon and relieved, both at the same time, yanking her thoughts back and forth. But he knew, and he was still asking her out. That was maybe the weirdest part of all.
“I’m okay when I’m doing the touching. It’s the other way that takes some work.”
He winked. “I’ll keep that in mind. I’ll see you at eight, little bit. Wear jeans and boots.”
She nodded and headed to the driver’s side of her car. Then she turned and called to Luca’s retreating back, “Hey!”
He turned around and stopped, waiting.
“Don’t think I’m gonna fuck you just because I offered last night. I don’t know yet if I’m gonna fuck you tonight or not.”
That wide grin again. It meant something. It was cocky. Yeah—she thought it was cocky. Maybe. Was that supposed to piss her off? Then he tipped his head, like part of a bow. “Noted. I don’t know if I’m gonna fuck you yet, either. We’ll have to see how it goes.” He nodded to the back of her car. “Fascinating bumper stickers.”
And then he turned and walked away.
5
Before Luca could cut the engine on his Duc, Manny was out the front door and trotting down the steps. She looked good—jeans and those red Docs, as he’d instructed, and a sheer black top, with a red satin bra under it. She was pushing her arms into an old-style leather biker jacket, lots of zippers and buckles, as she crossed the bare lawn.
The jacket was a good idea, one he’d neglected to mention. The weather had been particularly hot this summer, and he himself wasn’t riding with leather, but he was glad to see her with it. Maybe she’d ridden before.
“Hey, little bit. Ready for a ride?”
“Hey. That’s what you’re calling me? Little bit?”
“That bug you?”
She popped her hip and cocked her head, giving him a considering look with those piercing eyes. “No. I’ve been called worse.”
He grinned and handed her his helmet. Rhode Island’s helmet law only applied to passengers, and Luca only used his when he rode in Massachusetts or other neighboring states. Or when his father might see.
“Have you ever ridden before?”
She turned the black, full-face helmet over and moved the straps out of the way. “No. But how hard can it be?”
“You can make it hard for me, if you’re too tense. Just hold on tight, and follow my lead. Don’t work against me. And keep your feet on the pegs.”
“I’m all set.”
She pulled the helmet over her head, and Luca couldn’t help it. He laughed. It was far too big for her, and she looked like a freaking bobblehead doll, that little body under his big, matte black helmet.
She pushed the faceplate up. “What’s funny?”
“If we make a habit of this, you’re gonna need your own helmet.” His own words drew him up short, and he stopped laughing.
“Who said we’d make a habit of this?”
As direct as Luca generally was, he didn’t think he’d met anyone who came back at him so quickly. This girl didn’t let anything slide. “Nobody. You ready?”
“Where’re we going?”
“Place I know. You picky about food?”
“No. I mean, I don’t eat, like, snails and shit, but that’s because those things are slimy bugs that shouldn’t be food.”
He liked her unvarnished way of showing the world through her eyes. “No snails tonight. Hop on.” He held out his arm so she could use it as leverage. She was a tiny thing. She climbed on behind him, and, like it was nothing, wrapped her arms around him.