by Nana Malone
“For what?”
I shrugged. I should have known she’d make it hard. “I realized I probably shouldn’t have crashed your date last night.”
“Probably shouldn’t have? Where’s the part where you get to apologizing?”
I gritted my teeth. “Okay, I shouldn’t have done that. It was wrong. Please accept this coffee as an apology.”
She took the coffee, sipped it and moaned. God, that sound. I would never be able to get it out of my mind.
Her tongue flicked out to lap up a drop of latte, and my gaze pinned on it. Oh Jesus. This is a problem, because I wanted to be the one to lick that drop off her lip. I tore my gaze away and poised myself to smile at her. She wasn’t even looking at me. She was just merely enjoying the simple pleasures of her coffee. “I take it that’s better than the coffee you have?”
She nodded. “Mine was just instant. But I need the fortification if I’m going to find an apartment today.”
My brows snapped down. “What?”
“Yeah, I mean, this is temporary. I can’t just stay in your place free of rent. You need your space back.”
“Yeah, of course. I just—" What the hell was I going to say? That I don’t want her to go? We’d been snapping at each other for days. The last three weeks had been this delicate game of cat-and-mouse torture. She had a point. We probably needed some space, and also, that would help me not sleep with her, because I had the propensity to be a dick. “Yeah, I guess I just didn’t really think about it.”
“How can you not? My shit is everywhere. Don’t you want your place back?”
I hadn’t even thought about it. This penthouse I’d been given by my brother was at least ten times bigger than most of the places I’d ever lived in. It was nice to live with someone else. Being on my own with all the luxury made me feel like a fraud. It only seemed to remind me of the guy I’d been before. Even the closets had been stacked.
The suits, the ties, the need to play the part, play a role. I liked to be just plain old Lucas. That way, when the shit hit the fan, I could run. It was easy to run when you didn’t have much to carry.
I shook that thought off and focused on her. She’d worn her hair off to the side in some kind of messy-braid situation. Several strands had escaped, curling around her face. She was adorable standing there in her pink T-shirt and white scarf thingy.
She looked young. Carefree. Innocent. I couldn’t very well let her go apartment hunting looking like that. Some lecherous landlord would take full advantage of her. Assholes.
Or you just want to spend time with her.
No, that wasn’t it. I was just doing my job. Like a good prince. Like those commercials. I could almost hear the jingle, ‘Like a good prince, Lucas is there.’
“Let me come with you. Some of these places could be shady. They see a young girl looking for an apartment or studio, and they can get weird. I’ll help you find something.”
What was wrong with me? I was the boogeyman I was warning her against. I had done cons upon cons since I was seven. Saying things like, ‘Yes sir, of course I’ve been hit by that car.’
The early cons we’d started with were personal injury. It worked a lot in stores. When we tapped out of a market, we moved on quickly. I was an expert at packing up in the middle of the night. The older I got, the less I carried, or rather, the less I gave a shit about anything.
As it was now, all I mostly carried around was my passport. Well, my two new passports, thanks to Sebastian and Blake Security. Lucas Newsome had a brand spanking new passport. And it was clean. I could go anywhere at any time. I had dual citizenship to the US and the Winston Isles. For the Winston Isles, I also had diplomatic status, so I could pretty much do whatever the fuck I wanted, get away with it, and leave the country. Not that I would, because I’m a good guy now.
Bryna’s voice brought me back from my reverie. “Anyway, you don’t have to come with me. I got this. I know exactly what I am looking for. I got a whole bunch of places to look at that seem cozy and really cute. Maybe kind of a commute, but I can afford them, so that’s what matters.”
I shook my head. “No, anything that says cozy means it’s tiny. If it’s cute, they’re showing you the wrong apartment. And a bit of a commute, that means you’re going to be living in Long Island. Come on, I’ll walk you through it.”
She eyed me warily. With a hand on her hip, she crossed her legs and cocked her hip. “What’s going on?”
I sighed. “Like I said, I was a dick last night. I know it, and you know it. Neither one of us has to talk about it.” And then because I couldn’t help myself, I added, “Unless you want to talk about when you went to your room last night. Were you thinking about me?”
She just rolled her eyes. No flush. No embarrassment. No nothing. Completely immune to me. What the hell?
“No, I don’t want to talk about it. Are you sure you want to come with me?”
“Yeah, this will be fun. I’ll show you the city. Like I was supposed to in the first place.”
“Don’t you have anything better to do today?”
“I have a paper, but it’s mostly done. It’s not due for another week. We have our project. I figure we can discuss some of it on our little jaunt. Most of my work is just reading. It’s my last semester. I took it easy with the load.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize that.” She frowned. “Do you have a job yet?”
“I—" How the hell should I say this? Lie. “I’m still looking. My majors were international relations, political science, and economics. So, I’ve got a couple of feelers out, contacts I’m working. You know how it is. All it takes is one thing, and then everything falls into place.”
She nodded and chewed her bottom lip. “Wow three majors. I don’t know how you do it. I’d be a disaster. I like planning. I like to know that things are all settled. Which is why all of this has been such… well, you know how it’s been going.”
“Yeah. Pretty shitty of your parents to shut off your accounts. That’s stupid. But you have a place to stay as long as you need it. There’s no rush for you to find a place, but I get it. More privacy.”
She nodded. “I want to give you yours back too. Never overstay your welcome. It’s one of my grandmother’s rules. She has many, many rules.”
“I’m not sure I’d like your grandmother very much.”
She laughed. “Actually, you’d probably love her. While she had rules, the old lady knows how to cut loose. Although, she never really stands up for me. She always just says, ‘You’ll find your way.’”
“I believe you.”
“You’re serious?”
“Sure am. Come on, let’s go.”
As I followed her to the first apartment, I wondered if I was making a huge mistake. That much time with Bryna, in close proximity, that couldn’t be good for me.
I pulled out my phone and sent a quick text to Roone and Marcus. Marcus was already waiting for me downstairs. Roone had gone to get the car, but now there was a slight change of plan. I wouldn’t be headed to the Young Artists Association meeting like planned. I’d be apartment hunting with Bryna in the city. They were going to kill me, but somehow in my head, it all made sense.
#worthit
20
Bryna
I hated this. Lucas was right. Cozy, for all intents and purposes, meant miniscule. We saw a place that was smaller than the bedroom Lucas had given me. It had a murphy bed, which was a bonus I suppose. But the kitchenette, which consisted of a sink and a hot plate, was meager. And there was only room in the place for a chair.
But hey, at least that place had been clean. Place number two on my list was a decent size. I didn’t need much in terms of space. But the landlord neglected to mention that it was legitimately in the back of a warehouse. It was a storage room or something. It had a bathroom with the most disgusting sink I’d ever seen in my life.
The moment we walked in apartment number three, Lucas took my hand and dragged me back out. And for once
, I didn’t fight him. I had no intention of spending any amount of time in there. The place had zero natural light, one skylight, and one very small egress window that would actually qualify for an apartment. I didn’t even see the bathroom. And hell, I didn’t want to.
The landlord had seemed insulted that we hadn’t wanted to walk in his dingy little hellhole. It was dank and dark, and there was no way I could walk back from class at night in that neighborhood.
We went to Alphabet City next. That one was much better. There was a room for rent in a two-bedroom apartment. The apartment was bright and airy and decorated nicely. Unfortunately, the girl renting the room made it very clear that everything in the common area was hers and hers alone. The only space I was getting was the very tiny, cramped bedroom, which was formerly a closet. I had no access to the living area, and I was expected to buy my own meals elsewhere.
We were walking back to the subway, and out of the corner of my eye I could have sworn I saw someone familiar. “Hey, is that—" I didn’t get to finish because Lucas dragged me into the car just in the nick of time before the door closed.
“Everything okay?”
He nodded. “Yeah, just wanted to catch the train.”
I leaned my head on his shoulder because, damn it, I was exhausted. My feet hurt. Actually, they full-on throbbed. And part of me wanted to cry. I hated my parents, actually hated them. I hated my stupid old roommate Dana. I hated all of this.
“Buck up. You didn’t think you’d go on one apartment hunt in New York City and find the perfect cozy place to accommodate you, did you? I mean honestly, you haven’t even seen any roaches yet. How will you ever complete your New York City apartment hunting experience?”
“No, please. I can’t. After everything today, please do not show me roaches.”
He chuckled softly. I could feel his shoulders moving as I sat with him. The gentle rocking of the train made me sleepy. “Hey, these are the places you picked out. I would have picked out completely different places.”
“I mean my set priorities were clear. I wanted a female roommate, a clean bathroom, and a kitchen. Not even a big kitchen. Just, you know, an actual full stove and a sink. How hard is that?”
“Well, in apartment number three, apparently the guy didn’t know you wanted a female roommate. So his thoughts of locking you in his tiny little dungeon and keeping you as a sex slave were completely dashed. Did you see the look on his face when he saw me come in with you?”
I shuddered. He legitimately looked upset. And then he looked pissed-off. When he’d said, ‘I thought you were coming alone,’ it was the biggest clue to get the hell out.
“Oh my God, this is so hard.”
“Yeah, it is. People will do all kinds of things for a decent apartment in the city. I once had this great rent-controlled place, not far from where I live now.”
“How in the world did you ever get that?”
“Long story.”
I wasn’t even sure if he noticed, but he started to frown when I asked him questions that were too personal, as if remembering something he didn’t want to remember. But every time that shadow crossed his gaze, he looked like he was, I don’t know, hurting maybe? But then it was gone all of a sudden. “Why did you do that?”
He blinked and glanced down at me. “Do what?”
“Sometimes it’s like you’ve gone somewhere, remembering something.”
He shrugged. “No, I’m right here.”
“You looked sad. What could you have to be sad about?”
He licked his lower lip and shook his head. “You’re right. Nothing. I’ve lived a charmed life. Much like you.”
There was no malice when he said, “Come on. Let’s go find your dream palace.”
The train stopped, and he stood and extended his hand to mine. I took it, letting my hand slide into the warmth of his. He made me feel safe and protected. Who the hell was Lucas Newsome, really? Because that persona he put on for the rest of the world, that wasn’t really him. I’d seen it today in flashes. Bits and pieces. The Lucas I saw on a daily basis, the one that was too charming for his own good, that wasn’t the real one.
Lucas
Was it bad that there was a part of me that was secretly happy she hadn’t found anything decent? It was probably worse that I didn’t mention that my former place was currently sublet, and I was looking for a new renter. That place had hardly been palatial, but, anything clean, nice, rent controlled, and probably a lot closer to her budget than a couple of places we had seen would be awesome. But I wasn’t offering the information just yet. What she didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her. Besides, I liked having her around. She gave me someone to fight with. That was entertaining as hell.
“Yeah, easy for you to say. You live in a penthouse. How the hell do you live in a penthouse again?”
I shrugged. Let her imagine all the possibilities. “Let’s just go with a generous benefactor.”
She slanted me a look. “How come you’re never serious?”
“Okay, but if I tell you, you won’t believe me.”
“Try me.”
“Bitcoin.”
She frowned. “Are you serious?”
I laughed. “No. I have a job as Director of Charitable Contributions.” That was true. She didn’t need to know when I got the job. She also didn’t need to know about the money I’d stolen and used as seed money before Sebastian had popped into my life. “It’s a non-profit, but it pays decent.”
“I’m curious. I know nothing about you. How is that? You’ve been my roommate for weeks. All I know is that you annoy me and you have a tendency to walk around shirtless.“
I winked at her to annoy her. “Oh, so you noticed.”
She rolled her eyes. “You think you’re charming, but you’re not. You act like you think you’re God’s gift, but really, while you have a certain appeal, you’d probably do better if you were just yourself.”
“Ouch.”
“It’s like this guy I see is just a shell, like you’re putting on a show. There is this part of you sometimes that seems sad.”
My heart hammered against my chest. Why did she see so much?
I laughed then. “What about me says I’m sad? I’ve got it good, and I know it. Women dig me, present company excluded. But hey, the odds are in my favor. I’m good looking as hell. Smart. I make money, and I’m fun.”
She slanted me another glance that said she didn’t agree. I continued, “Okay, fine. Most people think I’m funny. You are the only person who doesn’t. So why would I be sad?”
As we walked down through Little Havana, she took another tiny bite of her gelato. Her sandals shuffled on the concrete. The cacophony of vendors shouting, taxis beeping, and cars driving surrounded us as she seemed to ponder the question. “Like I said, there’s something about your eyes. Every now and then you go somewhere far away, and it seems to make you really sad.”
“As if I’d share my secrets with you. What about you, Bryna Tressel? Why did I find you jumping out of a window at a ball? That’s the real question.”
“My parents had me engaged to my boyfriend on my twentieth birthday. Instead of presents, they got me a ring I didn’t want.” I sighed. “Later, I caught him cheating with Charity and dumped him. I might have also played their sex tape at the engagement party.”
He whistled low. “Wow.”
“Yeah, they acted like I was being ungrateful. He cheated, and they wanted me to marry him still. Anyway, fast forward two years, and they orchestrated a sit-down at the wedding to resolve our differences and see if things could start again.”
“You’re kidding.”
“I wish I was.”
She shook her head then. Most of her hair had escaped the braid by now and was a wild mess of curls. “Let’s just say I don’t have the best of luck in dating. Actually, I’ve never really dated on my own.”
I frowned. “What the hell does that mean?”
“Well, I’ve had two boyfriends. Both of them
were sort of arranged by my parents. You know how the last one worked out.”
I blinked down at her. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“You heard me. Both times, I ended up dating people that my parents just kind of shoved me toward. And you know, it’s like proximity. Like, oh okay, you’ve been around them. You know the same people. Your parents are friends. There’s always a dinner, or a function or something. You’re always sitting with that person. You’re basically dating them. And so then, you just sort of start really dating them. Next thing you know, they’re walking you home or you’re getting into some chauffeured car together, and someone kisses you good night.” She shrugged. “That’s how it worked in my case. I have zero idea how to do things the normal way.”
I stared at her. “You seem so blasé about it.”
“Not really. I wanted a chance at normal, you know? I stayed in the islands for university, but with my father’s influence and everything else, it’s hard to be me. You can’t be normal if your presence is demanded at balls. You can’t be normal and get asked out by normal people if your father is chummy with the king. So you see, I endured seeing the same kind of people over and over again. And that was not living the kind of life I wanted. So yes, my methods of escape were slightly unconventional, and I feel like I owe that gardenia bush an apology, but I had to leave. I was suffocating. My parents showed no signs of letting up, and I was at my breaking point, you know?” I chuckled.
“I still can’t believe it. You’re telling me you’ve never met a guy at a bar and had him take you home and had random sex that you regretted in the morning?”
She shook her head. “Nope. I feel like I haven’t even lived at all. I’ve been stuck living everyone else’s life according to their plans for me, so I started to live a little.”
“I feel obligated to fix this.”
She shook her head. “I don’t need your help. I’ve got it under control. You already helped me. Because of you, I got a job. Not my first, but my first normal-person job. And I will have you know, I have learned how to give blow jobs now.”
