by Mysti Parker
"Why? She seems really sweet."
"Sweet?" He smiled and chuckled. "The night's only just begun. Shall we?"
He gestured to the dining room and followed her inside. A couple dozen eyes honed in on the couple. Harper ducked her head, scratching an imaginary itch on her wrist. It wasn't like her to be shy or care about what others thought of her, but she could feel Gabriel's tension. She didn't want to disappoint or embarrass him. She'd never cared with any other guy. Did that mean...what exactly? Was he 'the one', or at the very least a guy she really cared for and admired?
"Who's the girl, Gabriel? Is that Rachel?" A guy with a bushy salt-and-pepper mustache asked. He was sitting at the table with a napkin tucked into his shirt. The top of his bald head reflected the light from the big chandelier that hung over the table.
Gabriel smiled at her. His hand settled onto the small of her back. "No, Uncle Federico, this is Harper Wheeler. She recently started working at the Aquarium."
Federico squinted at her, his mustache turning into an upside down V as he leaned over the table for a better look. He pulled a pair of glasses from his shirt pocket and put them on, his eyes shrinking behind the magnification of his lenses before he quickly scanned her from head to toe.
Finally he nodded and took the glasses off again, stuffing them back in his shirt pocket. "Harper, is it? Like the author, right?"
"Yes, sir," Harper answered.
Federico nodded, pulling the napkin from his shirt. He wiped his mouth with it and nodded. "Yeah, good book, that one - To Kill a Sparrow."
"No!" A younger woman beside him smacked him lightly on the arm. "Mockingbird, papa, not sparrow." She had a pretty face with a dainty nose and curly black hair, pulled back from her face with a lacy headband.
He waved both hands. "Same thing. Still a good book."
Harper smiled at Gabriel, who grinned back and shrugged. Five giggling kids of various ages ran through the dining room and into the living room where they had a 'kid table' set up for them. At least that was one thing she was familiar with. The kid table was a staple of every big holiday meal in Kentucky.
"I'm Gabe's cousin, Ella," the young woman said. She pointed around the table, going clockwise from Federico. "That's my brother Luis, my aunt Teresa, Aunt Maria, Uncle Ricardo, our cousin Alex, cousins Judith, and Jordan - they're twins. There are a few neighbors, too - Sal and Dan from next door and Ivan, is it?" She waited for the lean man with a long nose and thick gray hair who sat across from her to nod his approval. "Yes, Ivan from across the street. My husband Ricky is here somewhere, probably getting cigars. Now, you've met everyone. Eat before the food gets cold."
"Thank you," Harper said, laughing. "I hope you'll forgive me if I don't remember everyone's name. We hardly ever had family gatherings this big."
Sophia took a seat at the head of the table. Gabriel pulled out a chair for Harper next to Ella and took the empty one beside her. Two place settings awaited them.
"Mama likes to assign us seats," he whispered.
His aftershave combined with the spicy aromas drifting up from the feast made Harper's mouth water. She hoped she'd get a taste of his lips after dinner. The way his eyes lingered on hers hinted that he was thinking the same thing.
Ella touched Harper's arm. "Where are you from?"
"Lexington, Kentucky."
"Wow, it must be really different for you here."
"Yeah, it's been an adjustment, but..." She glanced at Gabriel who squeezed her knee gently before turning to speak to one of the twins. "...I've met some great people."
When the conversation picked up between everyone else, Ella leaned close and lowered her voice. "When I heard Gabe and Rachel had broken up, you know what I told him?"
Warmth crept up Harper's cheeks. "No, what?"
"I said don't waste time and find a nice girl that respects you. Looks like he listened to me for once." She spooned up a big portion of a beef dish. "Churrasco con Chimichurri?"
Harper didn't know exactly what it was, but it looked good. "Sure. I respect Gabe a lot. He's really good with the seals. Sea lions, I mean. I keep getting them mixed up."
"Seals, sea lions, same thing," Federico said and took a bite of his bread.
Harper glanced at Gabriel, who opened his mouth as though to correct his uncle, then just smiled and shook his head.
Ella dumped the churrasco on Harper's plate and then presented her with a bread basket full of thick slices of a crusty loaf. Harper picked one up and added it to her plate. On second thought, she picked it up again and took a bite. It was warm, crispy on the outside and tender in the middle.
"They're not the same thing, papa," Ella said, rolling her eyes before she turned her attention back to Harper. "At least you care to learn the difference. So, what do you do at the Aquarium?"
"I'm a tour guide - school groups mostly."
"Do you work with Rachel?" She winced at that question, as though she already knew the answer.
"Yes, in the office."
"I feel bad for you. She won't like you and Gabe together."
Harper nodded and gave a sarcastic laugh. "Yeah, I picked up on that."
"Just watch your back, okay? I don't think she'd pick a fight or anything, but she could make things difficult for you. Don't give in to it. She can smell weakness like a shark smells blood in the water."
"Okay." Harper tasted the beef dish and tried to focus on the myriad of other dishes, but couldn't help wondering how Rachel might retaliate. It wasn't like Harper had stolen Gabriel away from her. They had already broken up. But a guy like him, she could understand why Rachel would have a hard time letting go.
Throughout the dinner, she watched Sofia. Gabriel's mother didn't eat much, but she observed all her dinner guests with a small, yet satisfied smile as they enjoyed the meal. Sadness weighed heavily in her eyes. How hard it must be to lose a husband after so many years together. Harper hoped she'd never have to experience that pain, but on the other hand, they had probably enjoyed a happy life together to have been married for so long. That in itself would be worth the risk of losing a spouse.
Stuffed to the gills, Harper helped clear the table and offered to help wash the dishes, but Ella shooed her out of the kitchen. "No, no, you're our special guest tonight. If you come back, though, we'll put you to work."
"Deal."
"And I hope you come back," Ella said with a wink.
Smiling, Harper wandered into the entryway while she waited for Gabriel, who'd gone to the washroom. A large frame with a collage of photos hung on the wall. She had a closer look. In the very center was a round, slightly faded photo of a much younger Sofia and Raphael on their wedding day. She wore a simple white dress, and he wore a suit and tie. They were holding each other's hands and gazing into each other's eyes, smiling as though they'd found their happy ever after. Around their wedding picture were pictures of many different people. She recognized Federico and a teenage Gabriel. She smiled. Gabe had shaggy hair, glasses, a tiny mustache and pimples back then. Totally adorable. Another picture featured Sofia, Raphael, and a toddler version of Gabriel. Sofia also held a baby in her arms. Gabriel had never mentioned having a sibling, and she didn't recall one being there at dinner, just a bunch of aunts, uncles, cousins and neighbors.
Sofia came up beside her, looking at the same picture. "That's Marisa, our daughter. Gabriel was crazy about her. He doted on her so much."
"He never mentioned having a sister."
"Si, ella està con dios." When she met Harper's gaze, she added, "She is with God. And Raphael now, too."
"Oh, I'm so sorry." Harper laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. She was tempted to hug her and ask her how Marisa died, but Sofia didn't seem that comfortable with her yet. "I have an older brother. Jaxon was like that with me, too. But we fought like cats and dogs growing up."
"It was the same with me and my seven brothers and sisters. We fought, but we always had a very strong bond." She inhaled deeply and turned to face Harper, leadin
g her away from the photos. "My son seems to like you. How do you feel about him?"
"I...he's..." She went mute. How was she supposed to tell Sofia how she felt about Gabriel when she didn't know if Sofia was okay with their relationship?
"Mama," Gabriel called as he came out of the washroom. "Tell Uncle Ricardo he's left his inhaler in the bathroom again. He'll get home and remember he forgot it."
Sofia shook her head with a chuckle. “Brothers.” Her dark eyes flicked between Harper and Gabriel. “You must be hungry. I’ll prepare you both a plate to take home so you have plenty to eat tonight,” she said and returned to the dining room.
“Oh my goodness,” Harper whispered. “I’m so full already.”
“You don’t have to take any food home,” Gabriel said.
“I don’t want to hurt her feelings.”
“You won’t, but let's go ahead and take some. I'll add it to my overflowing refrigerator.” Gabriel took Harper's hand. "I just hope she didn't scare you away."
"I'm still here, aren't I?"
"Yeah, but she's gotten so obsessed with these big meals. I'm worried she may work herself to death cooking so much. I think I'll take her to a counselor."
Harper peered into the dining room where Sofia busied herself with passing out churros for dessert. "I think she's handling things very well."
"But she seems to be forgetting that people have already eaten. How is this a good thing?"
She settled her hands on his waist. "It's her therapy. She needs to be surrounded by family and friends. It's her way of coping. Grief takes all kinds of forms. My dad ran off when we were kids, but we still grieved from that loss. Mom started smoking and collecting knickknacks and going to Tuesday night bingo. She tried to kill herself once with a bottle of sleeping pills. But if we'd had a big supportive group of family and friends like Sofia does, I think she would have handled it much better. It's when one feels alone that the grief really takes hold."
Gabriel searched her eyes a moment. "You're too good for me, Miss Wheeler."
"Nah, if anything I'd say I'm dating up. By the way, I'm sorry about your sister."
Gabriel nodded and glanced at his baby sister's image, his smile fading. "Yeah, she died in her sleep. SIDS, I suppose. I don't remember her well, but it's probably why Mama fusses over me so much."
"I'm sure it is."
He smiled again and took her hand. "Would you like to see my room?"
"Ooo, what have you got planned, Mr. Castillo?"
"Not that...yet."
His wide smile flaunted his dimples and wobbled her knees. She followed him upstairs and into what looked like a typical boy's room. Posters of athletes and rock bands lined the paneled walls. Brown shag carpet shifted beneath her shoes. She bent and took them off.
"I take it that your room hasn't changed much since nineteen ninety something."
"You'd be correct in that assumption."
She sat on the Jurassic Park bedspread that covered a sagging mattress. He pulled something out of his pocket. Two somethings.
"Cigar?" he asked, offering her one.
"Yeah, I think I'll pass."
"It's a Maduro. One of the best."
"I didn't know you smoked."
"I don't. Just the occasional Maduro. Do you mind?"
"Not at all." He pulled a lighter from his pocket and lit the end of his. Once the end was burning well, he took a few puffs and sat down beside her, expelling the smoke away from her. Then he offered his cigar to her. "Try it once."
"Talk about peer pressure," she said with a laugh. "My brother Jaxon and I used to sneak Mom's cigarettes when we were teenagers. We don't smoke now, but it's all the same, right?"
He held it to her mouth as she took a long draw. His eyes grew wide. "Harper, don't-"
She turned her head away and blew out the smoke, trying to hide the rolling, tumbling feeling in her stomach.
"Are you okay?" he asked with a chuckle.
"Sure," she said, her voice raspy. She coughed and hit her chest a few times with her fist. "I'm just dandy."
"You only draw the smoke in your mouth with a cigar. You don't inhale."
"Now you tell me." She coughed again, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"Sorry. I thought country girls were tough." He bumped her playfully with his shoulder.
"We are tough," she rasped. "But we're more Marlboro than Maduro tough."
When she could finally breathe without coughing, she raised her eyes to his. He stared back with an intensity that went deeper than any Maduro smoke. It lit something in her core that she'd never felt before - the desire to be his, body and soul. As if he read her mind, he set the cigar in an empty cup and took her face in his hands. Then he kissed her. His lips devoured hers. She flicked her tongue across his, warm and wet and hungry for more. Gabriel found the hem of her shirt and slipped a hand inside. His fingers brushed her skin, drawing goosepimples across her flesh. He cupped her breast beneath her bra and squeezed. Then he froze and broke from the kiss.
"Are you - I mean, I should have asked..." he stammered.
"No, I want you to touch me." She kissed him again while she unbuttoned the top half of his shirt. Her hands slid across the contours of his muscular chest and the fine curled hairs that covered his hot skin. Pulling away from his lips, she added, "Touch me anywhere you want."
He lifted her bra and fisted both breasts in his hands. A low groan rumbled from his chest. His thumbs flicked across her nipples.
Then someone knocked on the door, followed by Sofia's voice. "I have more churros fresh from the oven if you want some."
"Yes, Mama, we'll be down in a moment." Gabriel retracted his hands from beneath her shirt, as Harper did the same, reluctantly leaving that heavenly chest of his. He buttoned up his shirt as she readjusted her bra. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let it go that far. I should know better. Papa raised me better than that. I need to make him proud. I should take you home."
Harper cupped his cheek in her hand. "He is proud of you. I know he is and your mama too. We can take our time, okay? Besides, you didn't go that far. We went that far together. No one has made me feel like you do, Gabriel. I don't want that to end."
One corner of his mouth curved into a smile. He hugged her tight. His warm breath caressed her ear. "Neither do I."
Chapter Eleven
No matter what she had said, Gabriel was too much a gentleman to go all the way with Harper, even if he was pretty sure they both wanted to. Not in his mother’s apartment, certainly. He drove her home, made plans with her to go out the following night. They sat in the car together in front of her apartment, with aromas from his mother’s leftovers recirculating through the A/C.
“You want to come up?” Harper asked.
“I do. I will, but not tonight.”
“Gabriel, I’m a grownup. If I say you can, you can.”
“I know that. But if I wasn’t a gentleman, you might not like me so much.”
She gave him a weak smile. “I don’t think that’s possible, sweetie. Sailor isn’t home yet, and even if she gets home, she won’t bother us. She definitely wants us to hook up.”
“My mother,” he said. “I have to talk to her.”
Harper snickered at that. “You need her permission before you can spend the night with me?”
“No. No, of course I don’t. I don’t think she and my dad asked anyone’s permission. What I mean is, she’s so messed up in the head. I just want to talk to her, try to talk her down a little, maybe stay with her tonight. Because the truth is, if we hook up, that will be all I think about, and all I want to do. I have a responsibility, Harper. I have to take care of that, and then I’ll give you all of me. I promise I will.”
Harper took his hand, squeezed it. Her expression was a tense smile. Worry lines appeared on her forehead. “This can’t be goodbye. It can’t be, right? You’re not ending us here, are you?”
“No way! I want a lot more. But I’m a responsible man. My mother rais
ed me that way. I’ll only feel better giving you everything if I make one last try to get through to Mama first.”
“Gabe, do what you feel you have to, but I’m just going to say again what I said before. She’s fine. She’s great. You should be proud of her. Now, before I go in, open your zipper.”
He blinked at her for a moment, then opened his zipper soundlessly as though she'd cast a spell on him. And maybe she had. But he didn't want to fight it, even though he knew he should.
She scooted across the seat to him, planted her lips on his, and reached through the zipper and the fly in his underwear to find his dick. He was already hard, now almost unbearably so. She moved her fingers along him gently, following its slight forward curvature, giving little pinches at the perfect time. Her other hand flowed through his hair. He reached for her, but she said, “No, hun. This one’s my gift to you.”
She continued to caress his shaft and plant kisses on him, on his lips, on the tip of his nose, on his neck, while her hand did its magic. She knew when to slow and when to speed up – he had never had such an incredible hand job before. He felt his legs weakening, and he exhaled fiercely as he came onto his trousers.
Harper fell back into her seat. “I guess you liked that.”
“I guess I did.”
“It’s my turn next time.”
“Got you,” he said.
"Here's your appointment reminder." She reached under the back of her shirt and unhooked her bra. Then she took both his hands and guided them to her breasts. His breath hitched. Leaning closer, she kissed him deeply, flicked her tongue against his and made the sexiest little noise he'd ever heard when he gently pinched both her nipples.
Harper unbuttoned her slacks, took one of his hands and slid it beneath her silky panties. His fingers skated across her hot, smooth skin until his fingertips sampled her slick wetness.
Already, his dick was stirring again, but she pulled back, refastened her bra and slacks.
"Don't forget," she said.
They had a long kiss goodnight. After zipping up, he walked her to the door, made sure she was inside, and returned to his car in a daze. Beneath her sweet exterior was a tiger he never wanted to tame. He could already imagine building a life with her, not just because of the potential for great sex, but because she was filling places in his heart that had been empty for too long.
