Late that night, we lay in bed, facing each other, not quite touching. My body ached, as it should after the number of times we’d made love since picking up her clothes and phone charger after her rehearsal, but my hamstring wasn’t one of those spots. As expected, Preslee’s fingers worked their magic.
Brenna hadn’t been at the condo, which relieved me and saddened Preslee. I hated the distance in her relationship with her friend, but Preslee told me Brenna was the one who’d pushed her into the bar last weekend. I’d never understand how women’s minds worked.
“What time is your game on Sunday?”
“Four-thirty.”
“So, tomorrow’s free?”
“Mostly. Why?”
“I’m going to a barbecue. Want to come with me?”
I grinned. “Sure.”
“It’s at my half sister’s.”
“I didn’t realize you had siblings other than Noah.”
“Many. You know Noah and you’ve heard me talk about his twin Nate. They’re about a year younger than me. I also have two older half sisters. And Lia’s daughter, Abbi, is a few of years younger than my brothers.”
“Quite the group. As I mentioned before, I’m an only child.”
“Probably benefits to that. My oldest sister and my mom don’t get along.” She sighed as she rolled onto her back, her arm over her eyes. “That’s my fault.”
“I doubt you intentionally derailed their relationship.”
“My mom left their dad to follow my dad to Seattle. She was pregnant with me when she abandoned Lia and Briar.”
“That’s nothing for you to feel guilty about, Pres. You can’t fix a relationship that isn’t yours.”
“I hate that I’m the reason for the trouble between them. Lia’s anger’s justified, but my mom dismisses her feelings. If anything, I feel bad for Lia and Briar. And it taught me that every action has consequences. I mean, sure, it’s nice for my mom to say she loved my father. But she left her daughters and husband for my dad and started another family.”
This sharing showed her growing trust, which made that ache in my chest expand. I wanted this, but I didn’t. It was too much intimacy. I wanted to stick to what felt good—right. The connection of our bodies. So, I slid in tight next to her, cupping her cheek. I kissed her again, and she answered with slow, lazy swipes of her tongue against mine.
“You do that well,” she whispered when she pulled back. She pillowed her arm under her head and continue to gaze at me with an awestruck expression.
“Mmm, I can say the same for you.”
She smiled. I settled my arm around her waist, pulling her closer, content to cuddle her naked body. These moments were just as special as our lovemaking—soft, quiet lulls between the bright flares of passion. I’d never lain quietly with anyone before, but now that Pres and I built these moments, these memories, I craved more of them even as I feared them.
Maybe I could find a solid, loving relationship. Maybe I didn’t have to end up like my father. Uncomfortable with those thoughts, I refocused on Preslee.
“Tell me more about your family.”
“Nate’s a firefighter. He and Noah are close, mostly with each other, but they’re protective of all their big sisters and even Abbi.” She smiled. “They’ve been able to relax their constant watching now that Lia, Briar, and Abbi all have wonderful men in their lives.”
“So, they focus on you?”
She rolled her eyes. “They smother me.”
“You mean they love you. I want to meet Nate.”
“You will. Soon if he has his way. We’re going to Lia and Asher’s today.”
“You played the viola for Asher Smith in his last song.”
“He’s the sneaky one.” But she smiled. “Lia’s daughter, Abbi, my niece, is dating Clay Rippey.”
“Rippey? His band just released its first album, and it’s getting lots of airplay. He’s a big deal.”
She nodded, her mouth flipped up. “You’re up to speed with the music scene.”
I shrugged. “Hard not to know what’s going on. The people you’ve mentioned are all over the radio, blogs, everywhere, really.”
“It’s intimidating,” Preslee said. “Asher’s going to try to talk me into doing a gig with him in a few weeks. He’s playing at The Showbox with Simon Dorsey, whose older brother was Lia’s first husband.”
A thick, oozy feeling drifted out from my stomach, probably because I worried about this issue with Preslee. She didn’t understand how wealthy I was, and I didn’t want to tell her. “Did Lia divorce him for Asher?”
“No. Lia’s not like that. Partly because of my mother, I’m sure. Doug, Lia’s first husband, died. He had a neurological disease. Lia was a wreck for years.” She paused, brows pulling that porcelain skin into tight ridges of consternation. Her eyes clouded with what I guessed was a pained memory. Before I could ask, she cleared her throat. “She met Asher at a concert a little over a year ago. They connected.” Her little sigh told me how romantic she found the story.
“Your relatives have great taste in men.”
She shook her head, her eyes sparkling. “Correction. The men have great taste in women. Briar’s married to Hayden Crewe.”
I whistled. “I’m intimidated. That’s quite a talented list. Do they get together and jam on the weekends?”
“Sometimes. It’s funny because they’re all so super talented, but Hayden and Asher don’t do well with letting the other be in charge. Clay and Simon just laugh at them and do whatever they want.”
“Do you sing with them?”
“I’ve helped Asher and Hayden with harmonies. But I never wanted to be on their albums. I’m still upset with Asher for going against my wishes with the viola.”
“Will you sing for me sometime?”
Her eyes met mine. “Sure. I love singing. It’s what I always wanted to do.” She smiled a little sadly. “Or be a professional soccer player. But I gave up that dream when I lost my scholarship. So, I’ll live that one vicariously through you.”
“That must’ve been hard for you, losing your dream. But you created another, right?” I ran my hand from her ankle, up over her hip to the dip at her waist. Touching Preslee made me burn for more. “So much talent hidden inside your body.”
She smiled a little, but her eyes muddied with another memory. “You’re pretty talented yourself,” she murmured as she rubbed her soft, warm breasts against my chest. I tightened my arms around her, willing to let her drop the topic. For now.
“Mm, so are you. I better bring my A-game.”
She rested her head against my chest as I wrapped my arm around her narrow waist. She felt so right snuggled into my side, sharing my heat.
“They’ll like you because I like you.”
I dropped a kiss on her temple, her bangs clinging to my lips as I pulled back. “Bet I still get the third degree.”
“That’s what families do. My half sisters and Abbi want to make sure I’m safe and happy. So do my brothers. Which is why Nate will call me on the drive back from Lia’s place, all angry he didn’t come out to grill you himself. Doesn’t matter that Noah knows you.”
“I guess it’s good I’m taking your family in doses.”
“Nate and Noah are a lot to take in. Thankfully, Nate’s in Uruguay this week. Vacation,” she added at my look. “But you passed Noah’s bar, which is high.”
Again, I fell silent, wrestling with emotions I wasn’t sure how to handle, much less control. Preslee gazed down at me, her concern more evident with each passing moment.
I kissed her again, softly. I rolled over, my weight on my elbows and my hands holding her face still. I stared into her eyes, which were bright with desire. She pressed up into my aching body with a soft moan.
I could understand why my father focused on sex—it was an escape, both mental and physical, from the demands of his day-to-day life. I stilled, not liking the direction of my thoughts. But Preslee slid her hand into my hair, fingers
tugging me down to her lips.
“I want…” Preslee began, hips shifting with restlessness.
“You got it,” I growled.
After a long shower, I collected my keys, wallet, and phone from the dresser. Then, because I couldn’t resist, I tilted her face so our lips met, tongues tangling in a lazy dance of promises of more, later. I swiped my thumbs along her cheekbones before stepping back. Preslee sighed—a sound full of longing—as she grabbed her tote and slid her sunglasses onto her head.
She remained nervous throughout the drive north, which surprised me. She asked me to stop so she could pick up some wine.
“Lia likes red,” she said as she stared at the bottles lining the wine shop.
“I know just the bottle. We’ll take a few. Do the guys prefer beer?”
Preslee nodded. I grabbed a cart and she followed me.
“What about Briar and Abbi?”
“They follow Lia’s lead. She knows more about wine than the rest of us.”
I found the bottles I wanted and then went to the refrigerated section. “Any style of beer?”
“Um, Asher likes ales. Hayden and Clay like darker kinds. Stouts, I think.”
I pulled out a couple of six packs and added them to the cart. “Need anything else?”
“No. Lia likes to cook. She’ll make way too much. She always does.”
“I like your sister already.” Preslee’s eyes widened when the cashier announced the total, but I just winked and offered my credit card.
“Th-that was very sweet of you.” Preslee twisted the sleeves of her light-weight sweater over her hands.
“One of the benefits of dating a rich man.”
She stopped outside the store doors, her porcelain skin paler than usual. I couldn’t see her eyes behind her big, fashionable glasses. “Please don’t say that again.”
My heart thudded out a harsh rhythm behind my ribs. “I’m just pointing out that having money helps.”
“I’m not with you for your money, Teo.”
“You’re with me for my body.”
“More so than your money.” She let out a small laugh, softening at my joke. She helped me load the wine into the back of the car. When I closed the trunk, she turned back toward me and lifted her sunglasses, her eyes focused, serious again. “Oren’s family called me a gold-digger. I-I can’t do that again.”
I pulled her into my arms. “I never thought you wanted me for anything less than me.”
“Thank you for saying that. And to clarify, I’m with you for your personality and insanely gorgeous—”
“Ass?”
She snorted. “Eyelashes. You have swoon-worthy eyelashes.”
“I think you just insulted my manliness.”
“Your legs are pretty good, too.” She winked. “Do you run or something?”
I swatted her culo—the one I thought about too much—as I opened the door. “I like your playful side, Pres. A lot.”
She waited until I settled in the car before she turned to me. “You dropped hundreds of dollars on a case of wine, Teo. I just…it’s a lot to take in. I mean, I do well enough to own my condo, but—”
I pressed a kiss to her twisted lips. “Relax. I’m happy to do it, and I can afford to. Plus, I own the winery so I get some of it back.”
“Oh.” She looked out the window. “One of your dad’s businesses?”
“No, it’s mine. I’m not interested in plastic widgets and sugar prices. When I was home, playing for the national team, I needed a break so I took a drive. I ended up on this derelict winery in the Mendoza Valley, and I met this older guy out tending these grapes. Most of them wilted because of the drought, but he refused to give up. He told me how the land passed down through his family since Argentina was settled. But without the wine, his passion, he wouldn’t be able to keep the acreage. I could tell he loved the land, so I offered to pony up the money for half the business. We used it to upgrade the irrigation system. It’s very cool. High tech. With the grapes ensured enough water, we’ve increased yields. We’ve both done well.”
“I play dead people’s songs for a salary. Don’t you see how this is so different from my world?” She settled her sunglasses back onto her nose.
“No, not really. Because you also create your music. I’ve heard it, and it’s fantastic.”
She smiled, but tension returned to ring her mouth.
“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, Pres. Consider it a suck-up gift.”
She shook her head, her sunglasses making it hard for me to read her expression. I needed to tell Preslee my net worth. Just not yet. If the millions her family banked made her uncomfortable, then my personal accounts—let alone my father’s vast wealth—was sure to cause another round of insecurity.
I never once considered my money a detriment, even when my mother used it as a weapon against my relationship with Vivi. Now, however, relief swept through me, making me even more grateful for meeting Preslee the way I had. She knew me as a soccer player, one with some well-paying endorsements. She thought I lived comfortably, brought in extra cash by posing in my underwear. Which I’d only done after I ascertained I could give my endorsement money to Vivi’s practice in Buenos Aires.
Because of the way our relationship developed, I knew Preslee’s feelings for me were genuine, not heightened by what I could give her as my father had suggested. Which was pretty much anything and everything she’d ever wanted. And then some.
Preslee gripped her fingers, twisting her hands in her lap. “I don’t like the idea of us being on unequal footing. I wonder what I bring to this.... Because you already have great style.”
I picked up her hand and kissed her knuckles, trying to cover my smile.
“I can’t play the viola. Or sing. And your timing for headers is better than mine.”
She snorted but clasped my fingers tighter.
“You give in so many ways, Preslee. Noah told me about your work with domestic abuse victims at the shelter. Then there are the soccer kids. I’m really proud of you.”
“Thanks.”
My comments made her uncomfortable. She didn’t like to discuss anything even remotely related to Oren, and I understood, sort of. But I wished she could see herself as I saw her.
“So, you’d freak out if I told you I have more money than Asher and Hayden put together?” I asked, trying to get a bead on her feelings. Plus, I couldn’t let this go on too long—she’d think I misled her, and Preslee didn’t trust easily.
Her lashes slid down to cover her eyes. “I know your parents are wealthy.”
“They are. But so am I, independent from them. My endorsements bring in way more than my soccer salary, and playing in Europe, being from Argentina, makes me a global brand.” I shrugged, but I felt anything but nonchalance. “I own the winery in Mendoza, and I’ve been thinking about buying one here.” I hadn’t, not until the words were out of my mouth. Being near my vineyard, taking Preslee there to sip wine and wander the paths…a fantasy I’d make a reality. “I like learning about viticulture.”
“Turn here. It’s faster.”
I turned, even though the GPS wanted me to continue for another few miles. Preslee kept holding my hand as she leaned forward and canceled the route.
“Do you really make more than Asher and Hayden?”
“Yes.”
She blew out a breath. “I’m going to need to process that.”
“Because of what Oren’s family did to you?”
“In part. But because money means responsibility. I hadn’t realized that until I started spending more time with my family.”
“But it also means security and power.”
She was back to knotting her hands in her lap.
She told me where to turn next and within a few more minutes, we were pulling up in front of a large house. I smiled at the place; it felt homey, not too showy though the neighborhood and lake beyond proved its steep price tag.
“What has you so concerned?�
� I asked.
“That power part.”
“Because Oren’s family used theirs to hurt you.”
She nodded.
Mierda. Preslee was right to worry. My parents were more ruthless than Oren’s family and twice as likely to wield their influence.
18
Preslee
“Holy shit, Pres! You’re dating Matteo Romero de Cruz! He owns like half of Argentina and tons of stuff here, too. He’s not just rich and obviously sexy as hell, he’s a major player.”
Lia narrowed her eyes. “What kind of player?”
“Not like that.” Briar waved her arm. “I meant power player. As in lots of money. But he’s also a soccer phenom.”
Abbi’s phone rang and she stepped away to take the call.
“I know. I don’t like that part. It makes me uncomfortable.”
My stomach churned. I set down my glass of wine, still untouched. I rubbed my temples with my hands. Everything I learned about Teo made me wonder why he’d want to spend time with me.
“Stop it,” Lia said, her voice gentle. “He cares about you, and you’re more than good enough for him.”
I blinked at her, shocked.
She sighed. “You are. You’re smart, talented, and kind.”
“Don’t forget gorgeous.” Briar toasted me with her glass. “You always look so put together. Even in jeans. I mean, look at you today. It’s all comfy but sexy—and that scarf. Good thing we’re related, otherwise I’d hate you.”
“The most beautiful of us. Don’t you dare tell Abbi I said that.”
“Tell me what?” Abbi said from behind us.
“That Preslee’s the prettiest woman in the family,” Briar said.
Lia smacked her arm, spilling Briar’s wine, causing Briar to yell, “Hey!”
“No wine for you,” Lia hissed.
“You’re right. Preslee is the prettiest. But that isn’t why Teo likes her. Let me try a sip, please. I promise to give it back.”
Abbi picked up my glass. “Mmm, that’s lovely.”
“Give it back.” Lia held out her hand.
Abbi rolled her eyes at her mom before turning back to me. “He’s hot, Pres.”
Striker's Waltz (Seattle Sound Series Book 6) Page 13
