Animalistic Galley Fin by Lizzie Lynn Lee Page A

that so? That’s so adorable. So there’s no casual high school hookups like here?”
    “I don’t know now, but it wasn’t like that in my time. Seriously, the girls drove me nuts. Other than that, the food was great. People are friendly and polite. It’s a nice place.”
    “I’m not surprised that you had a lot of female fans. I bet you dated a lot of girls in the past.”
    “No, not really. I only like a particular type of woman.”
    “Oh? And what is your type?”
    “You,” he said, deadpan, thinking there was no use in beating around the bush.
    She clearly hadn’t expected that answer. A smile blossomed at the corner of her lips. Her face blushed into an adorable shade of pink. “I’m flattered, but listen, Trent, I’m not ready—”
    “I understand,” he cut her off. “It’s too soon and you’ve just come out of a bad relationship. I’m a patient man, Arielle. I’ll wait until you’re ready.”
    She bit her lower lip, blushing. “You’re very kind.”
    “Kind?” Trent laughed, shaking his head. “No, babe. I’m a guy with an ulterior motive. If I were kind, I would have helped you without expecting something in return. But I do. And that hardly qualifies me as a nice guy.” He folded his napkin. “Ready to check out the apartment?”
    “Umm, yes.”
    “Let me pay the tab first.”
     
    ~~~
     
    Having Trent open up to her like that, well, Arielle felt like she was seeing him for the first time. It was kind of surreal having a guy like him interested in someone like her. Not that she had terribly low self-esteem. When she was in her late teens, she possessed considerable beauty. People said she looked like the younger version of Betty Page, with her naturally raven hair and pale skin. But as stress infused her daily routine, she’d let herself go. Maintaining beauty was hard work she didn’t have time for.
    Arielle was deeply aware that in the past couple of years that she and Chris had drifted apart, and her ex was sometimes embarrassed by her appearance. Chris maintained his boyish good looks by going to the gym three times a week and Arielle didn’t have time for that. Chris came from an upper-middle class family, which meant he had no student debt whatsoever and parents that still offered him monetary support when he needed it. He had an easy life. While she, on the other hand, had a crazy workload and spent nights taking care of her ill mother. Now that her mother had passed away, she still couldn’t sneak in some me-time to take care of herself. She packed on sixty pounds since she graduated from high school, but she really didn’t care. She still had her money troubles to worry about, and the myriad of other problems that followed.
    That was why Trent’s confession caught her off guard.
    She wondered what he saw in her? Trent was drop-dead gorgeous. If he had been a sickly kid with osteosarcoma, you couldn’t tell by looking at him now. He was about six-foot-four with broad shoulders, high pectorals, big biceps, and a narrow waist. His skin was dark, a trademark of an outdoorsman, but his eyes were a vivid green. They looked like sparkling emeralds. Everywhere he went, he turned heads. When he saved her. At the party. While they dined in the restaurant. Women couldn’t help but do a double take when they saw him. A few men, too. But strangely, he wasn’t flirty at all. His gaze didn’t stray. The unwelcome attention was unheeded.
    After dinner, Trent drove them to Greenwich Village in lower Manhattan to see his new apartment. The charming neighborhood was dominated by brownstones and delightful little shops. The sidewalks overflowed with pedestrians and people who lounged and enjoyed a drink in the bistro-styled cafes.
    The place he mentioned turned out to be a whole five-story building with an empty ground floor storefront that was sandwiched between a sushi restaurant and a hair salon. The building belonged to friends of the family. When the tenant’s lease was up, the