Moving to my right, he hovered his lips over the sensitive shell of my ear. “What’s your most cherished memory?”
Surprisingly, I didn’t have to think.
In one second flat, the answer came to me.
“La cena familia,” I half whispered, half moaned.
I felt him smile at my response.
Fingers tingling with the desire to touch him and abolish the pain nipping at my gut, I wanted to press my lips to his and taste his essence—one that I’d quickly become addicted to—for the first time that night.
But before I could, he slid his free hand into my hair, halting any move I might try to make. “You miss family dinners?”
“I do,” I replied, throat tightening as a sharp pain pierced my heart, once more creating an invisible wound that would scar. “Very much.”
Thumb stroking my temple in soft movements, he moved his face closer, bringing his lips within an inch of mine. He was so close I could almost taste him. It drove me crazy.
“I can’t give you back all of your familia,” he said, eyes reflecting pain that mirrored my own. “But I can help you remember.”
I didn’t understand, and I got no chance to ask for clarification, either.
After pressing a quick, searing kiss to my lips, my guy released his hold on me and backed away, leaving me wanting to scream in frustration.
I wanted more than a simple peck.
If I’m being honest, I wanted a lot more.
Whiskey-colored eyes never leaving mine, he quickly shut the truck door, caging me inside the vehicle and leaving me wanting before rounding the front end in haste. Slipping into the driver’s seat next to me, he started the engine without saying a single word shifted into drive.
A thick silence stretched between us as we took off, and though I didn’t have the slightest clue or inkling where we were headed, I’d soon find out. And when I did, my last wall would shatter, allowing our two fractured hearts to further meld.
For good.
I was going to cry.
So help me Cristo, I was.
Heart strumming, I stood in front of a small oceanside restaurant with the name Mi Terra sprawled across the front of the yellow, blue, and red painted building with tears wetting my cheeks.
Bottom lip quivering, I looked up at James, who stood beside me, a sly smile on his ruggedly handsome face. “You drove us an hour outside of Toluca just to bring me here?”
Though endearing in such a way I could never explain, it was a risky move to make even if James didn’t realize it. Half terrified, and a whole lot worried, I prayed El Diablo didn’t find out someone had done something so grand for me. Especially when that someone was a man who swore I was something more than just a drug-addicted whore.
If he did, he’d kill us both.
Push the fear away…
Don’t let it steal this from you.
As if on cue, the sound of cumbia music floated through the outdoor speakers affixed to the front of the restaurant. Pulling me from my fears, it made me feel as though I were back home in Colombia with mi familia, dancing around the small living room as one of Papa’s vinyl records played his and Mama’s favorite songs.
It both broke and healed me.
I wish I could go back…
If only for a moment.
“You said you missed family dinners,” James said, tearing my attention from the pain that had risen. “I want to fix that. Just as I want to help you remember something good.”
He had no idea what that meant to me. Inhaling, I wiped away my tears. “Are you planning to play the part of my family?”
His lips tipped in a smile that stole the very breath I’d just taken. “Tonight I am.” He winked down at me. “Especially since this may be my only shot to do it alone.” Before I could ask him what he meant, he continued, answering the unspoken question perched atop the tip of my tongue. “Because the next time we come here, it’ll be with everyone in tow.” He paused. “And by everyone, I mean our entire family.”
Our?
My heart soared at the single word.
“And who would our family include?”
Eyes narrowing, he shot me a ‘who are you kidding’ look. “You’re going to make me work for it tonight, aren’t you?”
A giggle was my only reply.
Not that James minded.
“Alright, sweetheart, you want a list of people, then I’ll give you one. I’ve got no problem with that.” I said nothing as I waited for him to keep speaking. “It’ll be us, your chicas, Hendrix, Maddie, Shelby, that’s if she doesn’t kill me first, Lucca, Faye, her kid, and the Crazy Old Biddy since she’s like herpes. Once she’s in your system, you can’t get rid of her.”
I couldn’t help it, I laughed. Boisterously. I needed to meet this Crazy Old Biddy he often spoke of. She sounded as if she were quite the character. “What about Tuck? I only saw him for a second, but I like him,” I said between bouts of audible amusement. “Wait, is that his actual name?”
I suspected it wasn’t.
Dropping his head back, James groaned. “Hell, here we go.” Looking back down at me, his smile returned. “His name is Kyle. Tuck is short for Tucker, his last name.”
That made sense.
“And as I’ve said before, he’s a giant pain in my ass, especially when he and Hendrix team up. The crazy part is, you’re one of about five people that I’ve ever seen him speak to outside of the guys at the station.”
Interesting…
Very interesting.
“All the more reason to bring him then, si?”
He smirked. “I think you’re just trying to drive me crazy.”
I shrugged. “Maybe so. After all, turnabout is fair play.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, he lifted his chin in the air. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Biting my lower lip, I took a small, barely noticeable step toward the restaurant. “It means that it’s only fair I drive you loco since you’ve been doing the same to my poor heart ever since I stole your wallet right out of your
