Sweet On You - By Kate Perry Page 0,18

line. For a second, she thought she'd won the argument and he was going to go away, which made her oddly disappointed. But then he said, "Don't you need another friend?"

"Friend?"

"You say that like it's a foreign concept. Didn't you just move here? You must need friends."

She had so few friends in New York that it hadn't occurred to her. She'd always been a loner, preferring comic book heroes to real people. They were flawed, but in the end they came through. You couldn't say that about real people.

"Come on, Marley. Just one lunch. If you don't have fun, you don't have to see me ever again. Your obligation to Valentine is already met."

"I—"

"Excellent!" he exclaimed. "Meet me at the corner of Sacramento and Laurel in fifteen."

Before she could say no, he hung up.

"Damn it." She turned her phone off and faced Wonder Woman. "He's determined, I'll give him that."

She played it cool, answering a couple emails and adding a few things to her calendar, before she got up and went to her bathroom, smoothing back her hair and touching up her lipstick.

Even with the little bit of color on her lips, she wondered if she looked too somber, dressed in all black. Brian had thought so last time.

Did she care?

Just a splash of color, she decided. She went in her closet and pulled out a bright scarf Daniela had given her ages ago. Wrapping it around her neck, she went to meet him.

He wasn't there when she arrived. She checked the time. She was three minutes late—he should have been here. The only person nearby was a guy on a sleek black motorcycle, wearing a leather jacket.

And red Converse shoes.

She blinked. Brian Benedict?

He took of his helmet, hanging it on the handlebars, and grinned at her. "Hey Marley."

She blinked again, stunned by how studly he looked on the motorcycle. Kind of like a young Wolverine with glasses. "This is yours?"

"It was a splurge." He patted it with his gloved hand. "But so worth it."

"That's awfully"—hot—"dangerous."

"Not if you know what you're doing." He opened a compartment on the back and took out gloves and another helmet. "Put these on."

She took a step back. "I can't get on there."

"Why not?"

"Because I—" She didn't know why, actually. Because he'd surprised her with this facet of himself, and she felt off-kilter.

"I'll drive safely. I promise." He got off and walked toward her.

Except it looked like stalking, and she took another step back. "Brian—"

"Nice scarf." He took the edges and tugged her closer. "It matches your eyes."

"It's lime green."

"It's bright, and so are your eyes when they aren't so defensive." He smiled.

She swallowed, taken aback by his nearness. It was intriguing.

"Your eyes say you want to do it," he said softly.

Kiss him? She shook her head, knowing she was in denial.

"Come on. I can tell you want a ride."

"Oh. The bike." She frowned, off-balance.

"I'll have you to lunch and back safely. I promise."

He was so close she noticed the gray-blue of his eyes behind his glasses. They looked calm and inviting, and they encouraged her to nod and say, "Okay."

"Good." He secured the scarf around her neck and then gently slid the helmet on her head, fastening the strap under her chin with care. "This is going to mess up your hair. Sorry."

"I'm not out to impress anyone."

"I like that." Grinning, he handed her the gloves and got back on. After he put his helmet on, he lifted the kickstand and motioned her on.

It was surprisingly tricky getting her leg over the seat. It took her two tries, but at least he didn't laugh at her.

He took her hands and wrapped them around him—close. She rolled her eyes, knowing this was gratuitous, but deciding not to argue for safety's sake.

He gave her a questioning thumbs up.

She nodded, and they were off.

She thought she'd be scared but she was excited from the moment he pulled out from the curb. She felt the power of the machine under her, reverberating through her, and she loved it. She leaned closer to him, bumping her helmet against his.

They arrived wherever they were going way too quickly. She slid off, already looking forward to the ride back.

Brian parked the bike and took his helmet off. "How did you like that?"

"It was amazing." She handed him her headgear and watched him secure them to his bike. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to change my mind about dating you."

"I don't even want to date you anymore, Marley."

Marley eyed him suspiciously.