“You and your brother don’t need me and my kid in your… What’s it called…”
“Bachelor pad?”
“Yes, that’s it. I heard Livia call it that.”
“In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been actively trying to change my status from ‘bachelor’ to ‘in a relationship.’”
“You could find someone less complicated than I am.”
“Maybe so, but I’ve never found anyone who I wanted to be with the way I want to be with you. I look at you, and I just want you. It’s been that way since the first time I saw you at the restaurant and I asked my uncle who you were. He told me you were our new waitress, Sofia, and that I’d better watch myself with you because Nona and Abuela had appointed themselves your guardians and would kneecap me if I stepped out of line with you.”
“He did not say that!”
“He did, and they’d do it, too, which is yet another reason why you have nothing to fear from me. I’m terrified of them.”
That makes her giggle, which utterly transforms her and makes me realize how serious and anxious she is most of the time. I vow right then and there to make her laugh as often as I possibly can. I told myself I’d keep my distance tonight, knowing she’s upset, but damn if I can be this close to her and not want to kiss and touch her.
I move in slowly, giving her time to say no. She doesn’t say no. Instead, she runs her fingers through my hair and sends a jolt of need straight down my spine. As my lips connect with hers, I feel light-headed as all the blood in my body seems to gather in one central location. I try to pull back a bit so she won’t feel what she does to me, but she wraps her arms and legs around me, nearly making me whimper from the surge of desire.
Christ have mercy, she’s so hot and sexy and sweet and everything I’ll ever want or need. I know that without a shadow of a doubt only twenty-four hours after we kissed for the first time. She just does it for me, and as my hands slide over soft, wet skin, I’m completely lost to her. We end up reclined on the stairs, her under me, her arms and legs keeping me trapped in the sweetest web ever.
My hard cock presses against the heat between her legs as I slide a hand up to cover her breast. I’m starting to wonder if we’re going to get busy right here in the pool when my phone rings with the tone I assigned to Angelo. Groaning, I withdraw from the kiss with the greatest reluctance of my life. “I’ve got to take that. It’s work.”
She looks as shell-shocked as I feel as we disentangle, and I stumble out of the pool to find the phone I left on a table.
“What’s up?”
“Dude… Someone just hit one of our cars when it was stopped at a light and then took off.”
My heart sinks at this news. How can it not be related to what happened earlier? “Anyone hurt?”
“The passenger complained of neck pain, so Rudy called 911. They took her to the hospital to get checked out.”
“And Rudy is okay?”
“Yeah, just pissed. He said the other car came racing up behind him, smashed into the car and was gone before he could react. Happened fast.”
“How bad is the damage to the car?”
“The whole back end is smashed in.”
“Did he get a description of the car that hit him?”
“He did, and the police have the info.”
“Thanks, Angelo. I’ll be in tomorrow. Appreciate you covering me this weekend.”
“No problem, boss.”
I put down the phone, my heart heavy with the realization that this shit is only going to intensify if I’m with Sofia. I’m undeterred. They can come for me any way they want, and I’ll deal with it as long as she and Mateo are safe.
Sofia gets out of the pool and takes the towel I hand her. “What happened?”
SOFIA
I’m sick to my stomach after hearing about the hit-and-run with one of Nico’s cars. Knowing how hard he’s working to build his business, the certainty that the “accident” is related to me is devastating. For a minute there in the pool, I was able to forget the chaos swirling around us.
Even as my entire body continues to hum with desire so intense it took my breath away, I’m fully aware that I can’t do this to him.