Sunset In Central Park Read Online Free Page B

did.
    Unlike her mother, she didn’t think sexual attraction was an impulse that had to be acted on. She’d rather have a long-term friendship than short-term sex any day. In fact, there were a million activities more appealing than sex, whichshe’d always found to be fraught with complications, unrealistic expectations and pressure.
    If they gave out grades for sex, you’d be a D minus, Cole, with nothing for effort.
    She frowned, wondering why that memory had come into her head now.
    The guy had been a total jerk. She wasn’t going to give a second thought to a man whose ego was so big it had needed its own zip code.
    Matt, on the other hand, was a good friend. She saw him most days, sometimes on the roof terrace where they met for drinks or movie night and sometimes at Romano’s, the local Italian restaurant owned by Jake’s mother.
    Their friendship was one of the most important relationships in her life.
    Which was one of the reasons she tolerated his cat.
    “I think you should be pleased she wandered down to my apartment. Shows she’s slowly gaining confidence. With luck she’ll eventually stop trying to scratch us all to the bone. She’s in the kitchen.” She walked through and he followed her, scanning the profusion of pots on the windowsill.
    “You’re growing herbs now?”
    “A few. Sweet basil and Italian parsley. I grow them for Eva.”
    “There’s an Italian parsley? All those trips to Italy I took in college and I never knew that.” He strolled across to the window and stared out across the small garden. “You’ve done a good job with this place. I’m lucky having you living here.”
    They talked all the time about a range of subjects but he rarely made personal comments. She hated the fact that it flustered her.
    “I’m the lucky one. If it weren’t for you I’d be living in anapartment the size of a shoe box and storing my clothes in the oven. You know how it is in New York.” Embarrassed, she stooped to stroke the cat and Claws shot under the table for protection. “Oops. Moved too fast. She’s nervous.”
    He turned. “She’s getting better. A few months ago she wouldn’t have paid you a visit.” He sat down on one of the kitchen chairs and Claws immediately crept out and jumped onto his lap. “Thanks for feeding her.”
    “You’re welcome.” Frankie watched as Claws gave a slow stretch. The cat lost her balance and shot out her claws, but Matt curved his hand over her back, holding her securely against the hard muscle on his thigh.
    Frankie stared at that hand and the slow, reassuring stroke of his fingers and felt herself grow hot.
    “Something wrong?”
    “Excuse me?” Frankie dragged her eyes from the mesmerizing movement of his fingers and met his amused gaze.
    “You’re staring at my cat.”
    Cat? Cat. “I—” she’d stopped staring at the cat a long time ago. “She’s still skinny.”
    “The vet said it will take a while for her to regain all the weight she lost when she was shut in that room.” There was a grim set to his mouth that reminded her that there were limits even to Matt’s patience. And then he smiled. “Have I seen that T-shirt before? The color suits you.”
    “What?” Unbalanced by both the smile and the comment, she stared at him.
    She didn’t think Matt would ever mock her, which could only mean—
    “Do you want something?” She looked him in the eye. “Because you can just ask straight out. You don’t have to do the whole ‘you look nice in that T-shirt’ thing to soften me up. Thanks to you I live in the best apartment in Brooklyn,and on top of that I’ve known you forever so you can pretty much ask anything and I’ll say yes.”
    “Another owner’s privilege?” He gently lifted the cat and set her down on the floor. “You probably shouldn’t have told me that. I might choose to invoke that clause in our agreement.”
    Was he flirting with her?
    Confusion jammed her thought processes.
    She always knew where she was