The cab ride seemed to take forever. There was a nagging headache lingering in her temples that was asserting itself again. Rosa attributed it to the effects of far more alcohol than she’d ever drank, the late night and the, well, she grinned, the busy night. A long nap right now sounded like the best thing in the world.

When she arrived, the doorman held the lobby door, dashing ahead to call the elevator for her. Sophie was in the kitchen when Rosa let herself into the apartment. The small woman turned, greeting her as she walked into the kitchen. Sophie’s accent always made Rosa think of someone’s babushka, images from her Russian Lit classes popping into her head. But Sophie had long outgrown her Russian roots; she was as much a New Yorker now as Rosa was. Except for the trace of a Russian accent that still lingered.

“Are my parents home, Sophie?”

“No, Miss Rosa. Your father called. His flight was delayed; he may not be home till much later today. And your mother is still out.” Sophie gave her a pat on the shoulder and a slight smile. “You look tired, Miss. Why don’t you lay down? I’ll bring you some tea?”

Sophie knew her better than her own parents did sometimes. Or at least she saw more of Rosa some days. Most days, probably.

“I think I will lay down. And no, thank you, Sophie. No tea right now.” Rosa sighed, climbing the stairs to her room. She knew her parents loved her, if in a somewhat detached way. But once in a while, she still felt abandoned by them. Her mother had her charity work, something Rosa was always confused over. There seemed endless days when her mother was out, continually at some function or fundraiser or at some vague location early each morning. And yet, she never invited Rosa to attend any of the things her mother was apparently organizing, and she never talked about the charities themselves, or what they were for.

Her father was a different story. If Rosa wanted it and it could be bought, her father would find a way for her to have it. There were days when she was certain he had a column on a spreadsheet that totaled how much love he’d bought for her. There were also days when she longed to tell him that all she really wanted was him, for a day, just to be with him, doing something together. Or to just spend the time talking.

She remembered a day from her childhood; she’d been maybe four or five. Her dad had taken her to the Central Park Zoo, on a weekday, taking a day away from work to spend with her. She’d been obsessed with the monkeys and he’d patiently sat with her for hours as she watched their antics. He’d bought her every gooey sticky treat she could have possibly wanted, every toy or souvenir she’d shown any interest it. For years, Rosa was convinced he’d even tried to buy her a monkey.

But what she remembered most was just him being there with her as they walked from exhibit to exhibit, his big hand holding hers. When she’d grown tired, he’d carried her to the car, her head resting on his shoulder.

Rosa pulled the drapes shut, blocking out the view of Central Park. She stripped out of her clothes, dropping them to the floor, and then pulled back the comforter and sheet on her bed. As she slid beneath the crisp linen, she thought about Aedan, the worn sheets on his obviously ancient bed. She wondered again about this strange man she’d found, or who had found her. There were so many things she wanted to know, but didn’t know how to ask.

The scars for one thing.

Rosa shuddered, remembering the deep gash on Aedan’s chest, the thin white scars on his back. They didn’t look like scars from fighting, but she didn’t know enough to be sure. There were bruises too, but those looked fresh; she assumed they were from the gym. Or fights. Or something.

Her head began throbbing again. She wished she’d taken Sophie’s offer of tea. Pulling a pillow to her chest, she rolled over, burrowing into the sheets. The scent of the shampoo from Aedan’s shower was in her hair and she turned her face against her pillow, closing her eyes, inhaling the scent. It brought an instant image of Aedan to her mind, of his body in the shower, what he’d done to her.

A shiver ran through Rosa as she played it back, his body pressing her against the tiles, the sheer strength of his hands. She clutched the pillow, a thump of arousal hitting her low in her belly, a smile playing about her lips.

As she drifted off, she thought about Aedan, the startling contrasts contained in that one person: the tough guy who beat up thugs in the street, the guy Laura called a punk. But a guy with the charming smile. The guy she’d thought was arrogant, who scared her at first with his aggression but ended up being so tender, seemingly so very vulnerable in her arms. The man who was generous enough to spend his money on her, when it was obvious he didn’t have any.

He was like no man she’d ever met.

* * *

THE CHIRP OF HER CELL phone woke her up. She was groggy, stumbling out of bed, searching through the pile of clothes on the floor for her purse.

“Hello?” Her voice was raspy with sleep.

“Rosa? Oh, shit. I woke you up, didn’t I?”

She was instantly alert. “Oh, Aedan. Yes...no, I mean. It’s okay. I’m glad you called.” She crawled back in bed, sitting up against the headboard. There were noises in the background, yells and shouts, the unmistakable sounds of someone being punched. Aedan’s voice was almost lost in the din. “Where are you?”

“At the gym.”

She laughed. “That explains the noises. I thought for a minute you were in another fight.”

In the background, she heard someone yelling Aedan’s name.

“Listen, I gotta go in a minute. But I want to see you, soon.”

“Tonight?” Her heart did a little flip.

“I have something else to do tonight...tomorrow?”

“Oh...” A date? Did he have a girlfriend? She’d never thought to ask.

“Sorry. If I could, I’d change it, but it’s work.”

So no girlfriend then? “Oh. Okay. I’ll let you get away with that. Tomorrow then.”

There was a low laugh on the other end of the line. “Yeah...tomorrow. I’ll take you some place nice for dinner.”

The yelling in the background grew louder, someone near the phone shouting Aedan’s name. There was a muffled conversation and then Aedan was back. “I’m up next. Look, I’ll call you tomorrow with the time and place, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Rosa...” There was a pause. The noises on the other ended faded away for a moment. Aedan’s voice was startlingly clear. “I’m really looking forward to seeing you... I had a really great time last night.”

She could almost see Aedan’s lips curving into that seductive grin, even though at the moment he sounded like a shy teenager thanking her for going to the movies.

“I had a...wonderful time too, Aedan.” She cringed. ‘Wonderful’ didn’t quite describe how it had been.

The noises in the background started up again. She could barely hear Aedan.

“I’ve got to go.”

And then the line went dead.

Rosa lay back against the pillows, the phone in her hand. She thought about Aedan, the contradictions in him. And she remembered the scars on his back, across his chest. She wondered if she’d ever know how he got them, if he’d ever confide in her.

She shook her head. You’re getting ahead of yourself here. Let’s have an actual date first.

An excited little shiver ran up her back. A date with Aedan. She smiled. Laura would cringe, give her a lecture. And Sophia...she wasn’t sure what Sophia would say.

Impulsively she dialed Sophia’s number. The answer was almost immediate.

“You! You went home with him! How could you?”

Apparently, Sophia wasn’t going to be happy to hear that Rosa had accepted an actual date with Aedan.

“Well...it just sorta happened.” That’s close enough to the truth.

There was a sigh on the other end of the line. “So...did you make out? Did you spend the night?”

“Make out? How old are you, Sophia? Twelve? And yes...” Rosa hesitated. “I spent the night.”

She wasn’t sure how much detail she wanted to give Sophia. Part of her wanted to go over every look, every word said, every move made, like she’d done with every other boyfriend. But part of her wanted to keep this private, to keep this...whatever it was...between her and Aedan. He seemed like such a private person. The last thing she thought he’d want was her telling Sophia about their night together. Or anything else about him, at this point.

“And? Details, please. You know it’s been a long time for me.”

Rosa could almost picture Sophia, her eyes bright, waiting to hear every last thing that was said, every kiss. Everything else.

“Sophia, I don’t think so. Not this time.”

“Is he really that terrible in bed?”

“No...I mean, that’s not it.”

There was a beat of silence. “Are you ready to admit it was just a one-night stand and you made a mistake? That slumming with some Bronx punk who beat up some other guys really wasn’t all that you thought it would be?”

Rosa frowned at the phone. Sophia wasn’t usually so catty. “Um, no. I meant, it’s private. Why are you so upset over this?”

“I’m not.” There was a petulant note to her voice, something Rosa recognized. She was jealous. Rosa remembered going through this with Sophia in high school. You’d think she’d have outgrown it by now. “Sophia, really? I think you’re jealous.” Rosa tried for a teasing tone to her voice, not sure it worked.

“Me? Over that guy? Please...” There was the sound of a lighter; Sophia only smoked when she was upset.

Rosa realized it was time to change the subject. “Okay. So what are you doing today?”

“Me? Well, Mark’s coming by to take me out tonight, on a real date.”

Rosa heard the smug note in her friend’s voice, thought about letting the comment pass, but couldn’t resist. “Oh, so Mark is your boyfriend now? I thought you two were ‘just friends.’ Your parents don’t like him, do they?” Mark was a nice guy, a junior something at some firm. Sophia’s parents thought he wasn’t quite what they wanted for a future son-in-law.

“At least we’re going to a place where the floor isn’t sticky with spilled beer or worse.”

“Well, as it happens, I have my own real date with Aedan tomorrow.” Rosa cringed as soon as the words left her mouth. That probably hadn’t been the best way to bring it up.

Sophia took a deep breath on the other end of the line. There was whoosh as she exhaled cigarette smoke and then a cough. Sophia wasn’t adept at smoking and talking at the same time. She was usually inhaling at the wrong moment. Rosa suspected there was a scathing reply waiting to be uttered. But she cut her off.

“Listen, someone’s looking for me here. I’ll call you later.”

Rosa flung the phone down on the bed. She’d known Sophia since primary school and she loved her dearly, most of the time. But lately, there’d been times when it was all Rosa could do to not fly into a fury with the girl. This was just the latest example.

Her stomach responded to her thoughts with a loud growl. She realized she was hungry. No one had called her for dinner and she wondered if anyone was even home.

Sophie was in the kitchen, putting away dishes.

“Sophie, is anyone here besides me?”

“Oh, Miss Rosa. You’re awake. No, your mother is out and your father called to say he was having dinner with a client. Would you like me to make you something? There’s salmon or I can make you a salad.”

Rosa made a face. “Not salmon. I’ll have salad, please.” She slid onto one of the kitchen island stools. “How long has my mother been out?”

Sophie was rummaging in the refrigerator and Rosa waited while she piled ingredients for a salad on the counter.

“I don’t know, Miss Rosa.” Sophie busied herself with the lettuce and tomatoes, not meeting Rosa’s eyes.

“Did she say when she’d be back?” Rosa reached for a slice of carrot, popping it into her mouth.

“No...You should probably ask your father. I don’t know anything else.”

Rosa frowned. Sophie was the eyes and ears of the household. “Did my father say when he’d be home?”

“He said late, probably not until after ten o’clock.”

Sophie passed the plate of salad to Rosa, setting out a glass of iced tea. Rosa picked at the greens, wondering, not for the first time, where her mother was. Something wasn’t adding up, but she couldn’t really place her finger on what it was, aside from Sophie’s sudden lack of knowledge in household comings and goings.

After she’d finished dinner, she headed back upstairs, finding the novel she’d started reading. It was long past midnight when she heard someone coming down the hall. There was a brief knock and her father stuck his head into her room.

“You’re up late, angel. Can’t sleep? Or just a good book?” He nodded at the novel she held in her hands.

“A little of both. I had a nap this afternoon, so I’m not tired. And the book’s really good.”

“Well, I’m tired enough for both of us.” He smiled, as exhausted as he sounded. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Good night, Dad. Sleep well.”

Rosa slipped a bookmark between the pages, setting the book on her nightstand. It was a romance, a Scottish highlander in love with an English woman...a terrible combination, given the time and place. But they were in love and that was all that mattered. Rosa thought about her parents, wondered if they’d ever been that much in love.

And she thought about Aedan; wild Aedan, unpredictable...maybe dangerous. But so very handsome and...well, the rest made her blush.

It was a long time before she fell asleep, images of Aedan interwoven with dashing Scotsmen filling her head.