I lean in close enough to smell the sticky sweet scent of the donut on her breath. “Where did you feel your pulse, Lola?”
Her lips part, and her chest rises higher with each heaving breath. “Between my legs,” she whispers.
I bunch my fists over the table and press them down hard to force them to stay. I can’t touch Lola. But god, I want her. I want her more than I’ve ever wanted anyone.
And for the first time, I’m considering letting go of my self-control.
Nobody would ever accuse me of being anything other than impulsive. But nobody knows I have self-control of steel—secret self-control—self-control that only Lola has ever managed to tempt.
Then I look at her across the table. Lola’s hair is a bedhead mess. Her blackGuns N’ Rosest-shirt is ripped at the collar on the left side, revealing the dip above her collarbone, and there’s a hole right under her left breast. She looks like she stepped straight out of a sixty’s punk, underbelly-of-New-York dream. Then there’s the small amount of donut glaze nestled in the corner of her lips that I want nothing more than to lick off her. She looks edible. My jaw clenches. I do not know how I’mnottouching her right now.
Fuck it. Let the fates decide.
“Deal. I’ll take the bet. We can play the game you mentioned. What was it? Lorry?”
“Lotería,” she says, her face lighting up. “You mean it?”
I nod. Whether or not I lose the bet, I get what I want—more time with her.
* * *
Lola goes hometo freshen up, run some errands, and get the game that will decide if we have sex or not.
I take that time to jerk off. I don’t want to lose all self-control when she’s offering herself up on a platter. Fuck. Why does she have to be so hot? I jump in the shower and stroke myself as I play back our conversation in my mind. She felt her pulse between her legs when I touched her. My blow erupts from me in less than three minutes. I lather up with soap, and before I’m done showering, I’m hard again.
I have to force myself to come two more times before I can get out of the shower. And even then, I’m semi-hard as I get dressed. I have no idea how I’m supposed to stop myself from touching her tonight. Why did I have to agree to the stupid bet?
10
LOLA
When I get home, Ileana is gone, and I remember she was taking Isael on a playdate with Addy at Sofia’s house.
I rush to the shower and shave . . . everything. I’ve never gone completely bare, and the task takes me longer than I’d like, but if I’m having sex tonight, I don’t want Karl—the hottest man alive—to find me lacking more than he already will with my inexperience.
After I pick out an outfit that hopefully doesn’t scream ‘trying too hard,’ I go on a hunt for our game, trying to remember where we put it away the last time we played it.
In the middle of this search, I get a video call notification and pull out my phone. Only one person ever calls, and I smile immediately.
“Tía!” I squeal. It’s been a few days since I’ve seen her. We keep our conversation in Spanish—mine is getting so much better since I started talking to her regularly. “How are you?”
“Good,mija. Just wanted to check in—”
“That’s not true!” I hear a voice in the background that I recognize as Fernanda’s, my aunt’s favorite waitress.
“Hi, Fer,” I yell into the phone and Fernanda comes into view.
“She wants to know when you’re coming down. The holidays are a high season around here, and if you won’t be here by then, we need to hire another person.”
I watch astíaElena swats at Fernanda’s arm to get her out of the frame. I laugh.
Then the laugh dies inside me. I’ve already pushed my move date twice, trying to avoid the inevitable. And my aunt has been more than understanding of my cold feet, but I sense her getting impatient to have me home. Since she couldn’t be at the funeral, I think she sees me as her last connection to my mom and wants me with her. I’ve told her Sofia and Ileana are like family, but she still wants me home in Mexico—with my blood family.
I clear my throat and straighten my spine. Then I lie. I lie like the little shit that I am. “I um, had an unexpected expense, so I’ll need to work a few more months to make up the dip in my savings.
Elena sighs. “My love, you need to come home. I know it’s hard. That you love it there. But your new life is waiting for you here.”
“I know. I promise I’ll be there before the spring-break high season. Deal?”