Touch Me Not(14)
“You really don’t care how your actions affect the women you sleep with, do you?” Lily asked, appalled.
“First, there’s no sleeping involved,” he grinned wolfishly at her, “and second, no, I don’t care. We both get mutual pleasure out of the deal. Why should I care about anything else?”
Lily opened her mouth, but he interrupted her. “Look, we could argue about this forever and we’d never agree, so let’s drop it, okay? We’re here, and I actually want to eat. I didn’t get lunch either.”
He’d brought her to Joe’s because he thought it would be the one place he wouldn’t run into many people she knew. Joe’s was a little hole-in-the-wall that specialized in Cuban cuisine, and most of the BU students specialized in pizza, burgers, and beer. Nikoli had been surprised Lily knew it. She kept surprising him the longer he was around her.
“Nik!” Joe boomed when they walked in the door. He found himself tucked into a huge bear hug. Joe owned the place and treated the regulars like family. Nikoli loved it here. He’d sat here for hours programming a new game before, and Joe supplied him with food and beer for as long as necessary. Most people did coffee shops; Nikoli did Joe’s.
“Hey, man.” Nikoli grinned when he got loose. “Got a free table?”
“Always for you, my friend.” Joe smiled, and then looked past Nikoli to where Lily stood watching, amused. “And who is this?”
“Joe, this is Lily Holmes.”
Joe frowned, and then he brightened. “Original Reuben?”#p#分页标题#e#
Lily smiled and nodded, causing Nikoli to frown.
“I do a lot of takeout from here,” she explained. “Mikey and I found the place last year, and I fell in love with the food. Mikey eats here too.”
“It is good to put a face to the name.” Joe smiled at Lily. “A beautiful face for a beautiful name.”
Lily blushed and Nikoli laughed. Leave it to Joe to try to schmooze his date. “Down, Casanova, she’s here with me.”
“You’ve never brought a girl in before.” Joe winked at him. “She must be very special.”
Lily laughed, but refrained from saying anything, much to Nikoli’s astonishment. He assumed she’d make some wisecrack about their date, but she didn’t. Much to his chagrin, he was glad she didn’t. He sighed and ushered her into the dining room.
“We’re starving, Joe,” Nikoli said. “Where’s the table?”
Joe led them to the back of the small eatery where an empty booth sat. Lily slid in, and Nikoli debated about sitting down beside her. Remembering her earlier reaction, he opted for sitting in the opposite seat. As much as he would have really liked to trap her, he would give her some space for now. The small sigh of relief she let out told him he made the right decision.
“The usual for you both?” Joe asked, and hurried off when they both agreed.
“Pigtails?” Nikoli smirked. “Going for the cute schoolgirl look?”
“Nope,” she said. “I was going for comfortable. Your jeans and t-shirt make me glad I didn’t go all out for a dress and heels.”
“I figured you’d pull something like this,” Nikoli admitted. “I came prepared for war.”
“War?” She laughed. “It’s just a fast dinner so we can go our separate ways and not have to think about each other again.”
Nikoli frowned. Fast was not going to cut it. He needed to get her talking again. “So, your dad was Martin Holmes?”
She nodded, her expression sad. She must miss him a lot.
“What was that like, growing up on the racetrack?”
“Awesome. There is nothing like being in the pit on race day. My dad had a special headset made for me so the noise wouldn’t hurt my ears. I lived for those days. We’d always get there early and talk to some of the other drivers. Dad liked to go over his car himself before the start of the race, and we’d run through the checklist together. Then I’d get to watch the race from the pit. Seeing them fly by lap after lap, it’s the most amazing rush.”
“You were allowed in the pit?” Nikoli quirked an eyebrow. He and Luther had tried to sneak into the pit at one of the smaller tracks once, and security had escorted them right back to the stands.
“My dad was Martin Holmes. What do you think? I lived in that pit thanks to my dad’s crew. They always snuck me in. Being there, feeling the rumble of the ground beneath my feet as the cars sped by, the rush of the trail of wind they left behind them…there is no other feeling in the world like it.”