by Ella Fox
“I swear to God,” I interrupted sternly, “if you finish that sentence and say I have cobwebs in my lady garden, I am going to give Elvis your entire jewelry box and let him hide things to his heart’s content.”
Elvis perked up upon hearing his name, pecking at the screen as Emery and I laughed. “Okay, okay, I won’t,” she giggled. “But—if you need to wax to get things looking less huge regency era bush and more 2017 groomed, go see my girl in Westwood. She’s so amazing—it doesn’t even hurt!”
I laughed so hard I almost peed my pants. Elvis, wanting to be part of the fun times, started pecking at my side, which only made me laugh harder. “I’ll have you know that I take good care of my lady garden! I totally do not have a giant untended bush,” I squeaked through my laughter. “In fact, I’d go as far as to say it’s possibly the most beautiful and polished lady land of all time. I keep myself in good working order—ship shape, so to speak. No cobwebs here.”
The sound of someone clearing their throat behind me stopped me dead in my tracks. I’m pretty sure my eyes bugged out like a Looney Tunes character as I turned around and confirmed that the one person I wouldn’t have wanted to hear what I’d just said had just stepped up onto the deck.
14
Kaya
“Oh my God. Please let me be dreaming or dead,” I whispered.
“Holy shit, is that him?” Emery screeched.
I leaned forward in my chair and face palmed in shame. “This is really happening, isn’t it?”
Alejandro’s husky chuckle as he sat down on the outdoor sofa next to me caused goosebumps to break out on my arms.
“Jesus, he’s gorgeous,” Emery blurted.
I kept right on hiding behind my hands knowing full well that my face was the color of a ripe plum.
Alejandro’s closeness had my heart beating even faster than my mortification did.
“Did you forget I told you I would come over after I came back from the store, Belleza?”
Still behind my hands, I nodded my head. “Mm hmm.”
“Belleza, huh?” Emery asked. “That’s interesting.”
I came out from behind my hands and looked at the screen in interest. “You know what it means?”
“Um, yeah. You don’t?”
“Duh,” I said, careful not to look at Alejandro since I was eighty-eight shades of scarlet due to my embarrassment. “You know I don’t speak Spanish.”
“Yet somehow you can sing Despacito and every Enrique Iglesias song flawlessly,” she pointed out. “Anyway—Belleza means beauty, dork. He’s literally calling you beauty. That’s the hottest thing ever.”
I forgot about my embarrassment as I turned to Alejandro in surprise. “You think I’m beautiful?”
“Sí Belleza, eso es lo que pienso.”
I had no clue what he’d just said but whatever it was went right to my heart, which immediately started pounding harder in my chest.
“I… think you’re beautiful too,” I blurted.
“Cristo! No sabes lo que eso significa para mí.”
I didn’t understand a word yet somehow it was the most sensual thing I’d ever heard. I leaned toward him at the same time he came toward me, and I shivered when I felt the soft heat of his breath against my lips. My eyelids fluttered shut as I waited for him to kiss me. This was it.
“Oh my God,” Emery squeaked. I’d completely forgotten about her—had, in fact, forgotten that other people aside from Alejandro existed. “I want to watch and be nosy so damn badly,” she griped, “but the best friend pledge we took when we were younger means I can’t be an asshole. I’m disconnecting now but trust that next week I want a full update about whatever goes on next. Bye, Elvis! Mommy loves you more than lollipops, chocolate cupcakes and strawberry yogurt. Try to be a good boy! No more stealing. Nice to not actually meet you, Alejandro! I expect I’ll be seeing more of you though. Be good to my bestie or prepare to be ball-less when I get back to America. Even if you tried to hide, I’d find you! Bye!”
I groaned as the screen showed that the session had ended. “I’m so sorry about what she just—”
Alejandro stopped me by placing one finger over my mouth. When I turned my head to face him, the expression on his face made my breath catch in my throat.
“Do not apologize, Belleza. If I ever hurt you, I would deserve no less.”
I hid beneath my lashes as I looked down and bit back the response that waited just behind my lips. No matter what happened between us from that moment onward I knew that being hurt was inevitable because I already liked him far too much. I pushed those thoughts away, locking them up tight to dwell on later. I’d told Emery I would follow my heart and make different decisions. Alejandro was a choice I wanted to make—and dammit, I was doing it.
“What’re you thinking?” he asked huskily.
I shook my head and groaned. “That I’m embarrassed that you just heard any of that.”
“Don’t be.”
I scrunched up my nose nervously. “That’s easy for you to say since you aren’t the one who got busted talking about… you know.” I flushed all over again when I recalled exactly what he’d heard. To say I was mortified was an understatement.
“I mean it’s kind of ridiculous, right? Everyone does it. Or at least they should. No one wants an untended, uh, downtown. It’s just a fact of life. Unless we’re talking about grandmothers who obviously don’t know or care about, uh, current lady garden fashion, it’s just done everywhere. I’m sure even Princess Kate trims. Also, cobwebs aren’t a real thing, just so that you know. I’m extremely cobweb free.”
His grin was wicked as he leaned forward and cupped my head between his hands. The gesture was sensual but also proprietary. There was reverence in the way he stared at me as he leaned closer.
“You babble when you’re nervous.”
His lips were so close to mine that they were only the tiniest fraction away from making contact. I forgot what I was talking about for a second when I looked up into his blue eyes and immediately got lost. When I saw the amusement in his look, I let out an idiotic sounding giggle.
“I do,” I agreed. “I babble. I have no idea what I just said.”
“Having you this close to me means I don’t remember either,” he assured me.
And then without another word, he covered my mouth with his own.
There was no discomfort, nor was there any of the awkwardness I’d experienced in every other first kiss I’d ever had. Not that there were a lot of those, mind you. But as a twenty-one-year-old woman, I’d kissed a few frogs. From the first touch of his lips to mine I knew that Alejandro Cruz was in a class all of his own.
When he gently traced the seam of my lips with his tongue, I gasped. He slid his tongue inside, and I moaned when our tongues connected for the first time. I was a puddle of melted lust as he deepened the kiss. Nothing had ever felt so right—like my lips had been waiting to meet his forever and, finally, things were unfolding the way they were meant to. Within a minute or two sweet gave way to wild and the kiss grew into something larger than life—like a hurricane that had been waiting off shore, gathering strength. I felt out of control and feverish, desperate for more, for things I couldn’t even put a name to.
Without full awareness of what I was doing, I climbed onto Alejandro’s lap and straddled him, desperate to be closer. The small sundress I was wearing was rucked up around my waist, which allowed me to feel him beneath me in a carnal way. More, my body demanded. I’d never had that single-minded need before. Had I been thinking straight, I might’ve been scared. We didn’t break contact, but he seemed to understand exactly what my body was crying out for, which was more connection. That was all I cared about. He slid his hands up my back to hold me tight, bringing me in so that we were as close together as two clothed people could be without melting into each other. I felt raw and exposed, like my senses were on fire. He tasted so good and held me so tight that I never, ever wanted it to end.
What felt l
ike a lifetime later he took his hands from my back and slid them into my hair to cup my head. I moaned into his mouth as I rocked against him, thrilling at the feeling of the warmth of his hands. I liked the way he held me in place and took control of the kiss. The pleasure I got from grinding against his rigid length was damn near perfect. Over and over again I rocked against it, the feeling of his erection through the fabric of his jeans and my silky bikini panties so good I felt like I was on fire. I groaned when he broke the kiss but then smiled when I noticed how dilated his pupils were and the way his breath came in wild gusts.
“God, Kaya,” he groaned. He hugged me to him with one arm while pushing my hair aside with his free hand before he buried his face against my neck. I let out a needy sound as I allowed my head to rest atop his.
“I was maybe four more seconds from coming in my jeans,” he rasped.
Of their own volition, my thighs tightened as I rocked back again.
“Belleza,” he growled, “don’t do that unless you want me to slide my zipper down and free my cock so that I can push your panties to the side and take you the way I’ve been dying to.”
I shivered and clenched tighter as the visual his words provided worked its way through me.
“Not yet, Belleza. Soon. And when it happens for the first time it will not be in the backyard. That is fine for later—but the first time I take you, I want you fully naked. We aren’t there yet, but we will be soon.”
I’d never been as aroused as I was right then. I was tempted to beg, but the rational part of me knew that he was right. We’d just kissed for the first time – having sex needed to wait.
15
Kaya
I wasn’t able to keep the goofy grin off of my face as I showered and got dressed for our dinner that night. Doing my makeup had never been easier. I’d applied a touch of eyeliner before coating my eyelashes with waterproof black mascara. I hadn’t needed to use blush since my color was high—likely because I was on fire inside—and since my lips were still kiss-swollen, I chose not to use lipstick, instead applying my very favorite cotton candy flavored lip balm.
I used my barrel curling iron to style my hair in loose waves and then braided six small portions of the front of my hair—three on each side—pulling the sections back and securing them loosely at the back of my head. I finished the look with a nice pair of medium sized gold hoops. The biggest difficulty I had came when I was trying to narrow down an outfit. I stood in front of the closet for countless minutes as I shifted on my feet and debated my options. In the end, I chose a black tee shirt dress with a wrap front detail at the side. I went back and forth on the shoes before settling on a pair of strappy teal colored wedges that gave me another four inches of height.
I’d just finished taking the obligatory mirror selfie and sending it to Emery in a Facebook message when I got a text from Alejandro telling me that he would be over to get me in five minutes. I hurried downstairs and grabbed the container of blueberries I’d washed earlier along with a piece of carefully cut up soft wheat bread before I headed outside to give Elvis his last snack of the day. I found him perched in his normal spot atop the wall fountain that ran along the back of the pool. Lifting the fruit and bread, I called his name as I stepped into the yard. He half flew, half hopped over to me, anxious to get to his nighttime snack. Nothing made Elvis happier than food, and the expression in his eyes as he looked at me was a lot like worship.
I set the food down in his normal spot and ran my finger across his back with a laugh. “You eat all this and then go to bed,” I instructed. He looked up and gave me a look that made me burst out laughing. The look said I’m an angel who will sit here and await your return with baited breath. I won’t even think of jumping the wall to sit with Rafe. Not at all.
I rolled my eyes. “If the opportunity comes up you’re totally going over there, aren’t you?”
The way he blinked up at me was my answer. We both know that’s happening his look said. Well, I thought, at least he was honest. Once I knew that he was safe over there—and that he didn’t have the desire to go anywhere else—I’d calmed down. Short of getting him a leash—something that would never happen—there was no keeping him away from his new human BFF. Scolding him wasn’t going to keep him away from going over the wall, and since Rafe had an affinity for Elvis, I let it go.
“Just remember that you sleep here,” I said dryly. “I like knowing you’re up there in your sycamore keeping an eye on things, little buddy.”
I swear he nodded. He knew his job, and he took it seriously. You might think a peacock security system sounds crazy but I’m here to tell you that people are seriously thrown off when they see one coming toward them. The police officer leaving Alejandro’s before Elvis could get too close was the perfect example of that.
Knowing that Alejandro would be arriving momentarily, I waved at Elvis and scurried into the house, locking the sliding door behind me. I had just enough time to stop in the kitchen, wash my hands and grab my purse before I heard Alejandro knock on the front door.
My pulse raced as I fluffed my hair and then smoothed my hands over my dress before I swung the door open. My eyes widened, and I wet my lips nervously as I looked him over. He was wearing dark blue jeans and a white button down with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His light brown belt matched his shoes, which for some reason I found ridiculously sexy.
“Wow,” he said—at the exact moment, I said the very same thing.
We both laughed as he stepped in closer to me and I grinned up at him when he slid his arms around me and pulled me into him.
“God you’re beautiful,” he said. A shiver ran through me as he picked up a piece of my hair and lifted it to his nose. “You smell incredible, just like always. I fall asleep thinking of this scent.” He stared into my eyes as he said it and all I could think about was how his closeness in addition to the words he’d said made me weak in the knees. I watched, fascinated, as he leaned in close and kissed me softly.
My eyelids fluttered shut as he claimed my mouth, the heat of his lips against mine the perfect start to our night. Happy for the height-adding wedges I was wearing I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck as he deepened the kiss. We were nothing but sensation, lips and teeth and tongue meeting in an age-old dance that we somehow knew the steps to without any training. I groaned when he finally lifted his head, sad that he’d stopped even though I understood why.
The expression on his face as he stared down at me made my sex throb. “I'm already addicted to the way you taste—like cotton candy and green apples," he rasped.
His eyes trailed my movements as I licked my lips and smiled. “I just finished eating a Jolly Rancher, and I just applied my favorite cotton candy lip balm.”
“It’s now my favorite, too,” he murmured.
I silently vowed to apply it liberally whenever I knew he’d be around. After another quick kiss, he let go of me and stepped back.
“Hungry?”
I nodded and laughed as we walked out the front door. “I can always eat,” I joked.
Dinner at Ocean and Vine was incredible. Midway through the meal, I realized something epic—it was my first ever honest to goodness date. My junior high boyfriends hadn’t been able to take me anywhere, and Paul and I had only ever gone to eat at real high-end places like Pizza Patty’s and Billy’s Burger Barn because even though he was rich, he didn't see the need to "waste money on dates". I’d never gotten dressed up to go out to a real sit-down dinner with a man before. Although I hadn’t put a lot of thought into wanting to do so previously, once I experienced what a real date felt like with Alejandro, I wanted a thousand more—and I wanted them all to be with him.
I’d also had no idea how sensual a dinner date could be. Instead of sitting across from me he sat directly next to me so that we were closer. When he held his fork out and fed me a piece of his braized beef short rib, I silently swooned. We shared our desserts—an order of the lemon verbena pana cotta and a p
each crostata with vanilla ice cream—and he’d fed me a fair amount of those as well. In between courses we held hands and talked quietly about a variety of things. The feeling that we were in our own little bubble continued as we got back into his Range Rover and headed back up Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu. We talked about everything and nothing at all as Bruno Mars sang in the background. We’d already agreed to watch a movie after dinner so when we pulled back onto our street, he gestured between the two houses. “Your house or mine?”
I nibbled at my lip as I considered it. The bottom line was that I wanted to make out more and I wouldn’t be comfortable doing that in his living room where Rafael could walk in at any time. “How about we do mine? You can run home and get changed, and I’ll check on Elvis. He should be asleep by now, but I never know with him these days.”
He nodded as he guided the car past his house and pulled up to the gate at Emery’s. After pushing the code in for entry, he drove in and parked the car before running around and opening my door for me. “I’ll be back in ten, Belleza. Would you like me to bring anything back? We have a wine cellar just off the kitchen, and my father already had it stocked.”
“Wine sounds good,” I said as I slid my hand into his and got out of the car.
“Any preference?”
“Something sweet but not too sweet,” I answered. “And please, no red. I have to be in the mood for it.”
He chuckled as he walked alongside me to Emery’s front door. “And you’re never in the mood for it,” he teased. “I noticed that you declined all the reds when we did the winery tour the other day.”
I wrinkled my nose and laughed as I opened the door. “I don’t like super dry or super heavy wine.”
“There are good reds,” he laughed. “We will do dinner at my house this week. I’ll make steak and introduce you to red wine from the Catalonia region of Spain. It is the best I’ve ever tasted. I’m not always a fan of red either, but there is a certain wine—Clos Mogador—that I love. I bet you would enjoy it.”
