It was so unfair, and Charlee cursed Danny that even after all this time thoughts of him could almost ruin what should be one of the best days of her life. She hated that Hector’s playfulness was gone and he was now staring at her with that same intensity she’d seen in him before. It wasn’t that she had anything to hide from him. It was just so humiliating. Not even Drew brought it up much because she knew that Charlee had been so mortified by the whole thing that she hated talking about it.
She took a deep breath, trying to come up with a short and sweet version of the truth. “I’ve never had a boyfriend, nor have I ever been in a relationship where I was seeing someone. But like you, I thought I’d started seeing someone last year. That’s what he made it feel like anyway, and it turned out I wasn’t even close.” She smiled, leaning in and kissing him in the hopes that they’d drop it.
“That’s it?” He asked, not looking the least bit satisfied.
Trying to appear as happy as she’d been moments before the thought of Danny had come barreling into her wonderful day, she nodded. “In a nutshell.”
To her surprise, the corner of his lip went up, but he lifted a brow, taking the lightheartedness out of what might’ve been a playful smile. “Do you realize you blink really fast when you’re lying?”
She pulled back, but with his arms around her waist, she didn’t get very far. “I’m not lying.” She was very aware that her eyes blinked like crazy when she lied. Drew had pointed that out years ago. She was just surprised Hector had picked up on it so quickly.
The half-smile was gone, and he stared at her hard now. “You’re doing it again. Why are you lying, Charlee?”
“How do you know—” she caught herself and rephrased that. “Why do you think I’m lying?”
“Because the only time I’ve ever seen you do that was the night I asked you to pretend what happened between us never did. You said you already had and that,” his jaw clenched for a second, “that you’d had an exhausting weekend, and I know now that it was all a lie. So why are you lying now? Just give it to me straight. I can take it. You’ve had boyfriends before, so what?”
“I haven’t.” He was so focused on her eyes now it completely unnerved her.
“Okay, that’s the truth,” he said smugly. She tried pulling away from him now, annoyed that he really thought he had her pegged so quickly, but he held her tight. Staring at her more concerned now, he asked, “What’s wrong with you? What’s upsetting you this much?”
“I’d had a crush on him for years, okay? Then suddenly last year, he pretended to really be into me. I fell for it completely. Even Drew, who claims to have a sixth sense about these things, thought he genuinely liked me, and it turned out he did it all for some kind of stupid football team dare.” She couldn’t even look at Hector anymore. “It’s incredibly embarrassing to talk about, so can we not anymore, please?”
That hardened look was back, but she knew it wasn’t because of or directed at her. He was thinking about what she’d just told him. He pulled her closer, and she leaned her face against his chest. It felt so perfect to be held by him like this that she never wanted to let go, and she took a deep satisfied breath.
“What an asshole,” was the only thing Hector said and the only thing either of them said for a long while. When he spoke again, his tone had changed. There was a strangeness in his voice. “I won’t ask you anything more about what he did, but I do need to know something.”
She lifted her head away from his chest and looked at him. He searched her eyes immediately. “You said you had a crush on him for years. This happened a year ago?” She nodded. “And it still upsets you this much? You are over him, right?”
“Yes,” she said without hesitation. Gawd, he must think her the most pathetic thing on the planet. “I was over him the moment I found out the truth.” That wasn’t exactly true, but she was over him now and had been for quite a while. “It’s just the thought of telling anyone about it,” she lowered her voice, “especially you, is so . . . embarrassing.”
“Don’t be embarrassed, Charlee.” He rubbed her back. “Only idiots actually give into stupid peer pressure like that. I remember hearing about that kind of dumb shit in school all the time. It was always the assholes who went along with it. And what was so daring about pretending to like a sweet, pretty girl like you anyway? What a schmuck.”
What she’d told him was mortifying enough. She didn’t have to tell him everything. It was just ironic that of all words he could’ve chosen he chose schmuck in this instance. She concentrated on not going into a blinking spasm and shrugged. “So you know now. Can we talk about something else?”
He leaned in, kissing her softly, and then slowly his tongue became more ravenous. She held both hands to his face, kissing him back equally insatiably until she tingled everywhere, but he cut it short, breathing heavily as he pulled away. Rubbing the tops of her thighs, he smiled that breathtaking smile. “You wanna go see something? It’s close by here. I didn’t realize how close you lived to it.”
She nodded, staring at him all dreamily, and she didn’t even care. There was no hiding how she felt about him now, and she didn’t have to anymore.
He leaned in against her forehead again. “Or we can stay here if you’d prefer.” His fingers grazed the bare small of her back now. In this position, Drew’s ridiculously short hoodie had ridden halfway up her back, exposing her entire lower back. The touch of his fingers sent a tingling sensation up her spine, making her shiver against him. “I am not about to ask you to get off me.”
“Oh.” She sat up, realizing she had to move off him in order for him to stand. Okay, maybe she would have to try a little harder to not get so mesmerized by him. It was a little embarrassing.
She scooted back and pulled her legs off his big thighs. Feeling her face warm a little, she wondered what he’d think of her fantasies in which she’d sat on him that very same way many times minus their clothes. The heat moved down from her face to her neck and warmed every part of her body as the reality began to set in. If this were really happening, if she weren’t really going to wake up from this soon and find out all this was just another fantasy of hers, the possibility of her fantasies happening now was very real.
They got in his truck and set out to the mystery place Hector said he’d rather just show her than tell her about.
His truck was an old classic one, something he said his brother had passed down to him. As soon as she got in, he made sure the seatbelt in the middle seat was accessible to her, and Charlee chewed her bottom lip, loving the fact that he wanted her sitting right next to him.
“He’s got a badass Gran Torino now,” Hector said as he continued to explain about the old cars he and his brother drove. “He’s always been into classics, and,” he shrugged, “so have I.”
Charlee smiled, pondering whether or not she should mention she already knew that. She wondered if he’d think her creepy for knowing so much about him, his brother, and his friends already. For the time being, she decided she’d just let him talk and keep that tidbit to herself.
“If you’re not familiar with Gran Torinos,” he continued, “it’s the car they used in Starsky and Hutch. Maybe you saw the movie with Ben Stiller. That’s a lot more current than the TV show. Anyway, now Abel’s looking into getting a fifty-eight Chevy Impala.” She loved watching how excited he got when he spoke about his brother, like the night of his fight when he talked about Abel going for the title. “We’re gonna restore it together.”
“So it’s just you and your brother, no other siblings?” She already knew the answer to this as well, but it seemed like something she should ask.
“Yep, just me, him, and my mom.” He turned to her with a questioning expression. “I’ve never done this, but I get the feeling this isn’t typical.”
“What is?”
“You and me. I don’t know a whole lot about you yet. All I know is that you do something to my heart I don’t quite understand, and ever since I kissed you . . .” He paused and seemed to think about that for a moment. “No, I’m thinking now it started way before that. I haven’t been able to think about much else but you. And even though I don’t know much about you, here we are—officially together. Normally, there’s a courting process to get to know each other before things become official, right?”
She hadn’t even looked at it that way. Now she really debated on whether she should just admit she knew so much about him, like how, according to the Roni’s blog, even though he was the youngest of the four partners who owned 5thStreet, he handled the books. Roni called him a mathematics genius—another thing he and Charlee had in common. Math had always been her strongest subject. But then most chess enthusiasts were good at math, so that wasn’t too surprising.
Another big thing she knew about him was that it was his idea to start the Children’s Burn Foundation in honor of Jack, the late 5th Street founder who’d passed the gym down to him and his friends. Hector had been a victim himself and suffered some minor burns in the fire there at 5th Street. Being a minor himself at the time, he’d been in the children’s burn ward of the hospital and saw firsthand what those kids have to go through, so that’s when he came up with the idea.
Feeling guilty now that he didn’t know much about her and yet she’d already fallen in love with everything she’d read about him, she decided to fess up. “Actually, I know a little more about you than you think.”
They came to a stop light, and he turned to look at her confused. “You do?”
She nodded, hoping he wouldn’t think her too weird. “I came across something called ‘The 5th Street Journey’ online.” Immediately she saw the discernment come over him, and thankfully he didn’t seem bothered by it at all. “It’s really interesting,” she added as he slipped his big hand in hers. “But there is a lot about you, and, well, I couldn’t help reading most of it.”
She leaned her head against his shoulder. It amazed her how comfortable she felt with him now that she knew she didn’t have to fear the inevitable heartache. He initiated this. She would’ve never even considered suggesting it. There was no way what he was saying could be insincere like with Danny. He wouldn’t have done all this for nothing. In fact, he’d been thoroughly disgusted when she told him about Danny.
“So it looks like I have a lot of catching up to do then,” he said, turning onto a street with huge homes on it. “Let’s start off with the most important.” He glanced at her lifting his brow. “You’re out here, but your home is on the other side of the country. You’re not planning on moving back there anytime soon, are you?”
“No,” Charlee said, looking out the window at the massive homes they were passing. “But I was actually contemplating it a few weeks ago.”
Hector turned to look at her but didn’t say anything for a moment. “Really? A few weeks ago?”
She nodded, a little embarrassed to admit it, but Hector had such an easy going demeanor—when he was in a good mood as he was now—telling him the truth felt like the most natural thing to do. “The day after that keg party, I had myself a little pity party. I thought I needed to get away for a few days, maybe weeks, but I happened to mention it to Drew, and she begged me not to.”
They were stopped at a stop sign, and there were no other cars around, but Hector didn’t move. Instead, he stared at her before finally letting out a strange, “Hmm.”
“What?”
“Nothing,” he turned his attention back on the road and started through the intersection. “Good to know what it takes to get your mind off moving back.” He smiled playfully, glancing back at her. “If I have to beg, I will—totally worth it.”
This time she squeezed his hand. Pushing her pessimistic this-is-too-good-to-be-true thoughts away, she allowed herself to accept that this was really happening.
Hector drove into the driveway of one of the huge homes in the next block, but instead of backing out and turning around, which is what she thought he might do, he drove all the way up until the truck was parked on the side of the house.
“Whose house is this?” Charlee asked curiously as she admired the kind of house she’d only ever seen on television or magazines.
“My mom’s soon and where I’ll be moving to as soon as the sale is final,” Hector said, opening the door. “Abel bought it for her. We’re just waiting for escrow to close. C’mon out. I’ll show you around.”
Charlee got out and walked around the truck, meeting Hector by the walkway that went from the driveway to the front door. He reached his hand out, and she took it, gasping when he pulled her to him then wrapped his arms around her waist. She brought her own arms up around his shoulders, fully expecting to be kissed again, but he didn’t. Instead he buried his face in her neck, and she let her head fall to the side, giving him better access. He squeezed her tight, taking a deep breath followed by a sated groan then made her gasp again and laugh when he lifted her off the ground. “God, I’m gonna get used to this so fast.”
His lips were suddenly on her neck, raining soft, gentle kisses across it, making her entire body quiver until he pulled away to look at her. Those expressive eyes that penetrated deeply into hers nearly choked her now. He eased her down slowly, never breaking the eye contact. “What are you thinking of right now?” he asked in one of the most gentle tones she’d heard from him.
“What?” her mind was in such a daze she could barely put any thoughts together.
“That,” he said, his brows coming together in what appeared to be bewilderment or intensely piqued curiosity, “I saw that same glimmer in your eyes way back on the night of the tournament. I didn’t know what to make of it, and it’s haunted me ever since. It’s what’s crawled into my mind, and since then, I haven’t been able think straight. What is it? What are you thinking?”
Charlee shook her head, not sure if she should tell him exactly what she was thinking. He might think her crazy—too soon. She could very well chase him off and make him change his mind about this whole thing. There was no way she could’ve been feeling the same way back on the night of the tournament. She barely knew anything about him then, except that he’d already made one of the most unforgettable first impressions on her, he was incredible to look at, and she actually had something in common with him. Maybe she had been thinking the same thing she was thinking now.
Running a finger across his imperfect brow, she smiled. Now that he was promising she would be the only one for him, this was the only thing imperfect about him, and somehow what he’d said about learning from your scars made him even more perfect. “How easily I could fall in love with you.”
Staring at her for a moment with that same profoundness that had her holding her breath, he said nothing for a moment. Then the corner of his lips twitched into a smile. “And you were thinking that back then too?”
“I don’t remember exactly. All I know is I’d been impressed with you from the moment I first laid eyes on you.” She tilted her head and smiled, feeling more relaxed now that he tightened his hold on her instead of letting go and running for the hills like she was afraid he might. “Knocking a guy out cold at my feet was a hell of a first impression, and then everything you’ve done after that only added to my growing admiration of you.”
Hector smiled then suddenly laughed. “I’m not laughing at you,” he said quickly. “I’m laughing because I’m an idiot. I would’ve never guessed that’s what you were thinking, not even close. I thought you were completely unimpressed by me. And then you went and beat my ass in chess in front of the whole team—”
“Oh God! Please don’t remind me about that,” she covered her eyes with her hand then moved it aside to look at him again, “because if we’re being honest here, that was actually my way of trying to impress you. Talk about being an idiot. It completely backfired on me.”
He shook his head. “That’s the thing, Charlee. That was pure genius. I was even more intrigued after that. And maybe it was that I saw something else in your eyes. I kept flip-flopping from thinking you hated me to maybe you were feeling something. I just couldn’t figure it out. As confused as I was about how I felt about you, I know now looking back after that day I was hooked.”
His smile was so sweet she didn’t even bother hiding the deep breath she needed to take because of it. “You’re obviously better at this than I am,” he said as he continued running his finger gently down the side of her face. For as big, rugged, and tough-as-nails a fighter as he was, it amazed her how very gentle his touch was. “But I promise I’ll work on it. Just promise me this much, because clearly I’m not very good at picking up on subtle stuff: if there is ever any doubt about anything on my part from here on, I can guarantee I will not be holding back about it. I want you to do the same. I may not be an expert on relationships, but it’s pretty universally known that trust and communication are key. Let’s try to get this right.”
How easily she’d begun to get used to the way he looked at her now—too easily. It was almost frightening. Already she could feel herself becoming addicted to it.
“Okay,” she whispered simply. She’d be crazy not to agree to that. What more could she ask for?
Kissing her nose, he slipped his hand in hers. “Let me show you the house.”
She walked alongside him now, trying very hard to not feel so awestruck. He was, after all, her boyfriend now. The very thought made her gasp.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she said, shaking it off.
Pretending to be distracted by the huge entrance, she glanced away so that he wouldn’t see her, once again, flushing face. Get a grip! Just as they stepped onto the first steps of the grand entrance, there was a honk behind them, and they both turned.
“Well, shit,” Hector smirked.
Charlee didn’t remember exactly what the Starsky and Hutch car looked like, but the car coming up the driveway was close enough. Seeing Abel behind the wheel only confirmed it—Gran Torino. He held his hand out the window, dangling something.
Hector started down the walk, bringing Charlee with him hand in hand. “What is that?”
“The keys!” Abel yelled out. “It’s a done deal. Escrow closed today.”
Now that Abel was closer, Charlee could see he wasn’t alone. And as she and Hector walked toward the car, she could see who was with him. Even though she’d seen them all at the party a few weeks earlier, she hadn’t since, and after spending so much time reading about them on ‘The 5th Street Journey’ blog, she almost felt as if they were minor celebs.
Though she hadn’t quite got past the way Hector made her feel so captivated, and she honestly didn’t think she ever would, she had begun to feel more at ease around him. At least she could talk to him now without feeling so tongue-tied, but suddenly, as the guys all stepped out of the car, her stomach was in knots again.
“What are you doing here?” Abel asked, glancing at Charlee with a smirk.
Her face warmed, knowing what they all must be thinking, because secretly she’d begun to not only wonder but hope that maybe Hector had brought here for a little more privacy.
“I was gonna show her the place. She lives close by here.” Hector turned to her and smiled. “Charlee, this is my brother, Abel. These other two clowns are my partners, Noah and Gio.” He pointed at each respectively. “Guys, this is Charlee,” he paused with a smirk and to her surprise added, “my girlfriend.”
They all seemed momentarily stunned just as Charlee was, but then each one nodded greeting her. Abel was the only one who actually commented. “Girlfriend, huh? Well, this is news.”
“Fresh off the press,” Hector said, squeezing her hand.
Like in all his pictures and even the night of the party, Abel’s expression was deadpan now. She got that in most of his promotional pictures for his fight he had to have that hard look that fighters purposely put on to stay in their tough fighter character. But even in all the other ones he was always the most serious of the four. He started toward the house and they all followed. “Mom know about this?” Abel asked without turning back at Hector.
“Not yet,” Hector said, nudging Gio, who walked next to him and laughed.
“That’ll be interesting,” Abel said then glanced back as he walked up the stairs of the entrance. “She doesn’t know about this yet either. She thinks it’s still gonna be weeks before escrow closes.” He pushed the buttons on the keyless lock and opened the front door then stopped and turned back to face Hector. “She’s going to see abuelita in a few days. She’ll be gone for at least a week. I want to surprise her when she gets back and have everything moved in here by then.”
“I probably won’t be here for the surprise,” Hector informed Abel as they walked into the luxurious lobby of the house. “But I’ll be here to help with the move.”
“Where you gonna be?” Abel stopped walking and faced Hector.
“D.C., remember? U.S. team meeting?”
Abel nodded and continued walking. “That’s right. Don’t worry about it then. Just do what you have to do.”
Charlee tried focusing on their conversation and not obsess about Abel’s “that’ll be interesting” comment. But it was nearly impossible. Why would it be so interesting?
The house, however, did make for a good distraction. It was incredible as they all walked through the front lobby, taking in all the impressive granite fixtures and enormous chandelier. Hector leaned into Charlee, taking advantage of his friends’ distraction. “That’s over a week away,” he whispered in her ear. “Maybe we can let whoever is making the traveling arrangements know we’ll only need one room.”
She froze as he nibbled on her ear before kissing her neck just below it and sucking just hard enough to start up the tingles.
They continued to walk through the enormous house as the reality of it all sunk in even more rapidly now. She wouldn’t just be traveling all over soon with her boyfriend, Hector. He was now making it clear they’d be staying in the same room when they did. Sleeping with this incredible guy would no longer be a farfetched fantasy. It was happening soon and then on a regular basis. He’d had no qualms about introducing her to his brother and closest friends as his girlfriend, and he was obviously planning on introducing him to his mother.
This was really happening, and while a part of her wanted to squeal like a schoolgirl in delight, another part of her, the one she needed to kill and bury already, was setting off warning sirens that screamed this was just too good to be true.