Chase Me (Broke and Beautiful #1)(25)

“My evil plan is working.” His hold on her tightened. “So, which restaurant? If you leave it up to me, I’m just going to pick whichever one is busiest so there’s a chance you’ll have to sit on my lap.”

“Ah, there’s the catch. You made a reservation for one person, didn’t you?”

“No.” His head fell forward onto her shoulder with a groan. “I didn’t think of that. See? I’m not the date mastermind you thought I was. Disappointed?”

She moved free of his grasp, even though he didn’t make it easy. Keep your head, girl. He’s way better at this than the guys you’re used to, but he’s not different. He can’t be. “I’ll only be disappointed if we don’t check out the brewery on the roof. Come on.”

“That’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard.”

They took the stairs to Birreria, a glass-enclosed restaurant on Eataly’s rooftop. Their table—for two—overlooked the skyline, which had just started to light up with the oncoming darkness. Every table in the place was filled with couples and groups of friends, laughing and tossing back drinks. Waiters moved gracefully through the rows of seated customers, dropping off pints of beer and plated meals. She took a moment to marvel over the way everything moved like clockwork, just like the rest of the city, predictable in its unpredictability. It was nice to have a reminder of how much she loved this city, when lately her experience here had her forgetting why she came in the first place.

She felt Louis watching her, his gaze moving like a rough palm over her skin. In this lighting, his dark eyes were even more shadowed, the scruff on his face more pronounced. Throw in the panty-melting way he perused her and she felt the sudden need to dump ice water over her head.

“I know what you’re thinking about,” she said.

“You might know the what, but you don’t know the how.”

Good God. The more time she spent with him, the more she did want to know. Badly. “Hmm. Why were you in Queens yesterday eating Greek food?”

His hand went to his stomach, a pained look claiming his expression. “A client of mine . . . he and his wife decided to feed me for a whole year in one sitting. She thinks people are like camels, storing food in their humps until they need it.”

“Does she want to adopt me? I earn my keep.”

“I’ll put in a good word.” A waiter approached, and they gave him their drink orders. Roxy returned her attention to Louis to find him considering her. “Where are your parents, Rox?”

She thought the question had come out of the blue until she remembered her remark about being adopted. The last thing she wanted to talk about was her parents, but she supposed she better clear up his misconception that she was an orphan. “New Jersey.” And then change the subject as quickly as possible. “What about yours?”

He looked as though he wanted to press for more details, but he relented with a sigh. “Dad is in Manhattan, Mom is living in France with their divorce attorney.”

“Whoa.”

“Yeah.”

They both sipped their recently arrived beers. “What about your sisters, the twin terrors? Are they in the city, too?”

“Oh yes, they’re here. I’m surprised you can’t feel their gravitational pull of mayhem.”

“Is that what I’m feeling? I thought the beer had already gone to my head.” His low laugh traveled across the table and settled over her, making her feel as though they were the only people in the room. “Tell me a story about them. The worst one.”

He leaned in closer. “I’ll tell you a story, but then I get three questions and you have to answer them. No more redirecting.”

“You won’t impress me with your fancy lawyer talk.” When he only waited, she nodded reluctantly. It didn’t feel right deflecting his questions anymore. Not when she knew so much more about him, his family. Not when she kind of wanted him to know something about her. What would it hurt? “Fair enough. You can have your three questions.”

The pleased look on his face made her skin feel hot beneath her dress. He looked like . . . he wanted to reward her for making the concession. Now. In a very specific way. She almost gave in and asked him to describe the thoughts in his head, but the waiter appeared at the table and broke the spell. Not even having looked at the menu, she decided quickly on the fish entrée and handed the menu to the waiter.

“Okay, I’m ready. Horrify me.”

Louis propped both elbows on the table and swiped a hand through his hair. His storytelling pose? “Lena was born three minutes before Celeste. It’s always been kind of a sore spot, and that’s putting it mildly.” He picked up his beer and put it back down. “When they were both six years old, Lena hit a growth spurt first and was one inch taller for a single year. One inch. The nanny found Lena tied up in her room. Celeste was standing over her, holding a saw. She’d stolen it from the super’s supply closet. She was getting ready to saw off the extra inch.”

Roxy clapped a hand over her mouth to prevent her sip of beer from escaping. “No way. That didn’t happen.”

“Fine. It didn’t happen.” He dodged the napkin she threw at him. “You ready for the real story?”

“It’s going to be a letdown after that.”