“You’re being an ass.”
Yeah, he really liked her spirit.
“Glad you noticed,” he said before sticking up his free hand, and whistling through his teeth. He had to admit, he was content to hang onto her. She felt nice. When a cab pulled to the curb, he guided her inside.
Once he closed the door, and settled himself on the seat next to her, he told the cab driver where to take them.
“Downtown?” Caroline asked.
“Yeah, my favorite restaurant is near my apartment.”
“Convenient.” She folded her arms and looked out the window. “You can drop me home. I mean, there’s no one around, so you don’t have to keep playing this game.”
Josh heard the change in her voice. It was small and soft now, unsure. Nothing like the badass who’d told him where to go when they were standing on the street a few minutes ago. It would be easier to take her home, and then he’d be free to carry on with his regularly scheduled Friday debauchery, but he didn’t feel like leaving Caroline’s company just yet. And he had a feeling their dinner could go a long way toward helping him separate himself from the way his parents treated people.
The Rossi girls thought he was Satan’s first cousin because he maintained a relationship with his parents, and on an intellectual level he understood their reservations. Will and Alicia Campbell couldn’t be trusted, and he was guilty by association, but they were family and that meant something to him. So, while Josh was working on winning over Meg, he could tell already Caroline was going to be more of a challenge.
“I know I don’t have to have dinner with you, but I want to.”
Caroline turned her gaze in his direction and once again, Josh liked what he saw. Her bones were fine and she was genuinely pretty, but seemed a lot more low-maintenance than the women he was used to. Why hadn’t he noticed this before?
But he couldn’t read her and he guessed this was the engineer coming out. The smart, cool, methodical engineer. Everything about Caroline was neat and practical. Except for those damned doe eyes. Those eyes that made her look sexy and innocent at the same time.
Whoa.
Josh had to shake that off fast. This was a friendly dinner. He was doing something nice with an old friend.
“You know, in spite of what you think, I’m not a bad guy.”
“Aren’t you?” Her tongue darted out of her mouth for a split second, moistening her lips before she pressed them tight. Man, did she have beautiful lips.
He leaned close and enjoyed the slight whiff of scent that tickled his nose. Vanilla. Cinnamon. Sweet and spicy.
“Not completely, but I guess you’ll have to find that out for yourself.”
Chapter 2
Caroline was shocked to find out that obscenely wealthy Josh’s favorite restaurant wasn’t some snobby, upscale Tribeca eatery, but a pizza place called Nonna’s that had been in the neighborhood for generations. A man named Vinnie owned the shop now, apparently having learned the business from his father, who learned the business from his father. While they waited for the pizza and salad Josh ordered, he and Vinnie joked with each other about which of their favorite baseball teams had the most potential this year.
Sitting on a scrolled iron bench at the front of the shop, Caroline took in the scene around her. The interior of the building was paneled with thick oak boards, giving it a warm and comfortable feel, and the walls were covered with photos of people who must have been patrons here throughout the years. There were a few tables to the side, with the classic red and white tablecloths, for those who decided to eat in. Pushing her glasses up on her nose, Caroline turned her attention to Josh, who was loosening his tie and laughing and looking more handsome than should be legal. He also seemed nice. Genuinely nice.
Where was Mr. Arrogant and Aloof?
When he looked in her direction and flashed a smile, she felt like her insides were turning into jelly. Great—now she was a cliché. A pathetic cliché who was still infatuated with a childhood crush. Josh waved her over and reluctantly she stood, straightened her sweater, and tugged her skirt into place.
He watched her as she closed the distance. Caroline had never been more nervous or conscious of her every move. What did he want?
“Josh, you finally found yourself a real girl.” Vinnie stuck his hand over the top of the glass display case that was filled with delicious looking stuffed breads and pizza slices. “Vinnie Brancato. What’s a nice girl like you doing with a loser like him?”
Caroline didn’t know what to think when Josh rolled his eyes. “Don’t hit on her, Vinnie,” Josh said. “Her brain is bigger than both of ours put together.”
Well, that sucked. She should have been flattered that Josh didn’t want anyone hitting on her, but she was mortified that her brains supposedly put her off-limits. She knew people described her as a nerd, or a geek. Normally, it didn’t bother her, but even though she was proud of her intelligence, it wasn’t always the first thing you wanted a guy to notice about you.
But she also couldn’t let the moment pass.
Channeling the type of girls she imagined Josh usually brought to dinner, she took off her glasses, tilted her head to the side and batted her eyelashes at Josh. “Is this better? If I look vacant, will you be more comfortable?”
His eyes narrowed, but Caroline was happy to see it was in amusement and not in anger. Vinnie, on the other hand, let out a deep, booming belly laugh that warmed Caroline from the inside out. He was good people.
“Buddy,” he said. “This one has your number.”
Did she have his number? No. Game aside, Josh was way out of her league. But when she looked at him again, he smiled a genuine smile and Caroline had to grin back. Thank goodness he wasn’t attracted to her like that; she wouldn’t stand a chance.
Vinnie passed a pizza box with a bag balanced on top to Josh, who drew in the aroma of the pizza. It smelled good and Caroline was looking forward to eating. More than anything, she was looking forward to eating with Josh.
His surprising openness was proving to be more entertaining than she ever imagined, and Caroline found she was really enjoying his company. He wasn’t acting like the man who usually sat across the dinner table from her at Meg and Jason’s. So, who was he exactly? Meg had a very strong opinion about him, mostly because Josh was close to his parents and they’d caused nothing but trouble. But Caroline always had a different impression of him. It was something deep in her gut that told her he wasn’t like them and she wanted to find out what made him tick. Caroline figured as long as she kept her guard up, fantasy wouldn’t overtake reality.
Josh said goodbye to Vinnie, promising that they’d go to a baseball game when the weather warmed up, and Caroline followed him out of the shop onto Chambers Street. He was going to hang out at a ball game with the guy from the pizzeria?
“How long have you known Vinnie?” she asked.
“A couple of years. Since I moved into the neighborhood.”
“Really?” Caroline couldn’t quite wrap her head around the familiarity between Josh, a millionaire investor, and the pizza guy. There was a real closeness. But she had started to realize that Josh was full of surprises.
“Why do you look shocked? I have friends.”
She looked shocked because she was shocked. She knew he had friends, but assumed they’d be men like him. Rich, good looking, intimidating. “I didn’t think you would be friends with the pizza guy, that’s all. Is he some Wall Street dropout? Did he come back to the family business to save his sanity?”
Josh stopped walking and turned to face her. “What?” The word came out with a laugh, but it wasn’t a funny “ha ha” laugh but one of those “Are you crazy?” laughs. Great.
“Never mind,” Caroline said. Once again her mouth ran faster than her brain. “I do that sometimes. I say things without thinking.”
“You had to be thinking something.”
Caroline considered the man. “I just . . . I mean . . .” Looking at her shoes, she said what had been running through her head since they walked into Nonna’s. “I guess it surprises me that your favorite restaurant is a little pizza joint. That you’re friends with, you know, a regular guy. You’re an Ivy League– educated millionaire who grew up in a mansion. I guess I thought you’d be more, I don’t know, more about
that
kind of life.” He continued to stare at her and a grin teased the corner of his mouth. “I’m sorry. That’s incredibly rude.”
He adjusted the box in his arms and then the smile bloomed. “I guess it’s no different than what you have to deal with. People probably think you’re a geek.”
“Well, much as I try to avoid the obvious, I am a geek,” she said. “I’m a geotechnical engineer. You don’t get much geekier than me.”
Shaking his head, Josh resumed the walk toward his apartment. “But there’s more to you than that. I’m not just about money. Sure, I live the life I want and I’ve had advantages. But I tend to keep it simple. I’m not my brother.”
There was a lot of truth in that. Jason and Meg did live a pretty spectacular life, though they claimed to be “normal” people. They were on the A-list for every party and benefit in New York, and she guessed they were as normal as any couple who had a private jet at their disposal. But that didn’t explain Josh.
“You always seemed so distant, so . . .” She stopped talking before she really insulted him.
“What? Detached? Arrogant? Ruthless, maybe?”
“I wasn’t going to say
ruthless
.”
Crap.
There was that insult, but Josh just kept grinning and shaking his head.
“You don’t have a filter, do you?” he asked.
“No. It’s a problem.”
“Nah, it’s great.”
Caroline found keeping up with him was difficult; his legs were long and his stride was naturally deep, producing one step for every two of hers. He had a point about the preconceived notions. She was more than her job; at least she wanted to be. And as proud as she was about the work she was doing, she just couldn’t muster a lot of enthusiasm for engineering. Caroline fought against two things. First was her natural reserve. She wasn’t exactly shy, but she wasn’t outgoing and bold like her siblings. The other worry had to do with her natural proclivity to say the most awkward things ever. Josh’s comment about a lack of filter was pretty accurate. If she wasn’t struck mute, she would more than likely say something completely ridiculous. Social situations were, at best, difficult. At worst, curling up in a ball and falling into a deep hole was sometimes a good alternative.
Tonight was different, though. She wasn’t making a complete fool of herself and she’d only said a couple of really silly things, which was amazing considering that just being in Josh’s presence still made her insides quiver. But the Josh she was walking with was very different from the Josh she saw at family functions. The one she grew up adoring.
He possessed the same Nordic-god good looks, and his confidence was palpable, but there was something real about this Josh, something normal. He’d let his guard down tonight, and whether or not Caroline would ever see it again, she was going to enjoy him now.
***
Josh shortened his stride when he noticed Caroline had to run to keep up. God, she was tiny. Both she and her sister were short, but Caroline’s petite frame made Meg seem like an Amazon. When he made the turn toward his building, she kept walking. Okay, where the hell was she going?
“Caroline?”
She stopped and looked around, almost in a daze. “What? Oh.” She turned and scooted back and Josh wondered what had caught her attention. So far she seemed more distracted than he’d ever seen her. “I guess I was daydreaming.”
“Anything good?” he asked.
“I love this area. The structures. All the conversions are such a tribute to people who wanted to preserve the old buildings.”
“I feel that way about my apartment. There’s nothing cookie-cutter about it, that’s for sure.”
“I usually come down here when the weather’s warm and just walk around.”
“Yeah? I’ve never seen you.”
“Really? With ten thousand people per square mile you never noticed?” Caroline rolled her eyes and smiled a sweet little smile. It was nice to see her like this, without the overpowering presence of her siblings. This girl had spirit and he liked it.
He was having a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that he’d known Caroline Rossi for years, but that was probably rooted in the fact that he knew so little about her. And he supposed that was his own fault. Before her family moved off the estate, she was the quiet, skinny kid who looked at him like he was from another planet. At Meg and Jason’s wedding, Caroline stood up for her sister and if he hadn’t been told who she was, he wouldn’t have guessed. The girl she was and the woman she’d become were definitely at odds. There was a vibe about her, a soft, sexy side, that didn’t really mesh with the tongue-tied nerd he used to know. She was still quiet, and reserved, but she’d blossomed into a really serious beauty.
Since then he’d seen her once a month, and this was the first time he’d gotten a read on her personality.
Josh felt himself grin. “It’s not just that you lack a filter; you’re a smart-ass.”
He pressed the code allowing him access to the building and Caroline looked straight up, her eyes like a kid’s at a candy store. It was fun to watch. “You must bring out the best in me,” she said.
“I guess so.” Josh held the door for her and behaved the way his late grandmother would have expected. “Where’s your apartment?”
“West 25th Street.”
He pressed the elevator button as Caroline looked around the spacious lobby. “Nice area. I like Chelsea.”
“Me too.” She glanced up at him. “So, we’re both West Siders? Very hip.”
Josh shook his head. “Tragically hip. We should be wearing black.”
Caroline examined her gray skirt and black sweater and looked back at him, her eyes filled with amusement. “One of us is in uniform.”
Josh laughed. It started low and he felt it rise and bring that great lightness to his head. Who knew Caroline Rossi would be able to make him laugh . . . especially after the day he’d had dealing with his father.
***
Caroline had to remind herself to breathe as she walked around Josh’s loft. The space was incredible. Sprawling, with many clues to the industrial past of the building, it was also masculine and elegant. She wandered from room to room, not even thinking to ask him if she could tour the place. It consumed her the minute they walked through the door. Forget the sprawling house in the suburbs that her sister had. This loft, this amazing neighborhood, was where Caroline would want to live.
She was in his home office, a cozy space with dark gray walls and floor-to-ceiling glass that had a door leading out to a patio. The fading daylight gave the room a very Zen feel and it took a minute to realize that Josh was standing behind her.
“In the summer, the terrace is the best place to spend an evening,” he said. “There’s a breeze off the river and even with all the city noise, it’s pretty peaceful.”
“I’m sorry I just wandered around. I should have asked, but I couldn’t help myself. This apartment is stunning.”
“I was lucky to find it. It was a wreck when I bought it. The building had been in foreclosure and the interior was a mess.”
“You restored the apartment?”
“The building, actually. It was our first real estate project. We partnered with a contractor and an architect, and we’ve all gotten a nice return on the investment. I bought this unit for myself.”
“I should have gone into restoration. I like the artistic side of it, but there was such a demand for my specialty I couldn’t turn down the opportunity. So, now I work with dirt.” Ugh. What was she saying? Dirt? Was she really talking about dirt?
Josh stuffed his hands into his pockets. He’d shed his suit jacket and tie, and had rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt, revealing forearms banded with muscle. Good God.
Ah,
there was thirteen-year-old Caroline, again.
But thirteen-year-old Caroline sounded the warning bell, and it was a good thing, too. What the hell was she doing here? She was in Josh Campbell’s apartment. Alone with more than two hundred pounds of walking testosterone. A man who could make her act stupid. It felt like every one of her nerve endings lit up as she looked at him looking at her, and she damn near giggled.
Oh, please don’t giggle.
“Let me grab a bottle of wine and we can eat.”
“Oh, right. We’re eating.”
Josh shook his head again and took her elbow, leading her to the gourmet kitchen.
It was long and narrow, but it wasn’t a traditional galley kitchen. There was a strip of an island down the middle and high-end appliances nestled into exposed brick walls. The cabinets were stainless steel and provided a modern contrast to the rough brick. At the far end were more floor-to-ceiling windows and a French door led out to the terrace she saw from Josh’s office. Everything was organized and open and perfect.