Page 128 of Manhattan State of Mind

I grab my keys and head to Central Park to meet Priya, feeling like I might spontaneously combust if I don’t unload onto someone soon.

“OK,” I say as we meander through the park. “I have a confession, but you have to swear on your life not to breathe a word of this to Libby.”

She looks curious. “Spit it out.”

I tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear, stalling. “I may have started seeing someone.”

“What?” Priya exclaims loudly, clapping a hand over her mouth as a jogger shoots us a look. She grabs my arm. “Who?”

I lean in close like we’re making some sketchy back-alley deal and whisper, “JP Wolfe.”

She stares at me. The look on her face is hilarious and insulting all at once.

“JP fuckingWolfe?!” she yells. “Are you kidding me?”

“It just happened, in Bear Mountain. Don’t lecture me, I know how stupid it is.”

“Well damn.” Priya holds up her hotdog in defense. “No judgment, just… damn.”

“And please, Libby can’t know because her vulture of a magazine will totally include it. I can just see the headline: Wolfe Slumming It With Regular Chick.”

“So have you…?”

“Yes.” I blush, unusually embarrassed. “And it’s pretty hot.”

Priya smirks, eyebrows raised. “Pretty hot?”

“Mind-blowing. Life-changing. Ruined me for other men. That better?”

Priya grins, clearly enjoying my discomfort. “I never thought you had it in you. A secret fling with JP Wolfe, this is the juiciest gossip I’ve heard in ages.”

“And there’s the problem.” I sigh, fiddling with the sleeve of my coat. “I think I’m actually falling for the bastard. He even cooked me dinner last weekend.”

“Wait, the guy cooked for you?” She blinks in surprise.

“Last Saturday night. I fibbed; I didn’t go see the newSpiderman. I was with JP, having the night of my life.”

The smile slips from Priya’s face and she’s quiet for a moment. “Please, be cautious around Wolfe.”

I sigh, poking at the remains of my hot dog bun. “I get it.”

Priya shakes her head, her dark eyes serious. “No, you really don’t. There’s… potentially some legal stuff going on with Wolfe right now. He’s trying to keep it out of the press.”

My stomach lurches. “Can you tell me what it is?”

“I can’t. And you can’t ask him either.” Priya gives me a pointed look. “I’m telling you this because I love you and don’t want you to get hurt. Just remember that there’s always more beneath the surface with men like Wolfe.”

Men like Wolfe. A brooding man with dark eyes and a short fuse who, by his own admittance, has made lots of mistakes.

I sink my teeth into the soft bun, the sweet tang of the ketchup mixing with the sharp onions and smoky hot dog. Stress eating.

Priya’s right. My gut feeling was always there. But sometimes the heart wants what it wants, logic be damned.

I swallow my mouthful. “He asked me to go to a comic convention with him in Boston next week.”

Priya stares at me for a beat before bursting into laughter. “A comic convention? The man must really like you to subject himself to that.”

The absurd thought that has been pestering me ever since JP suggested the comic convention crawls to the surface, refusing to stay buried. “You’re going to think I’ve lost it but what if JP is actually… Daredevil?”