Lila (Boyle Heights #1)

by Elizabeth Reyes

  As soon as she was close enough, he got out of the car. “You walk to work?”

  Startled, she turned to the sound of his voice then smiled big. “Sonny? I thought you said you wouldn’t be back until tomorrow.” She rushed to him.

  Before he could ask her again, she was in his arms, and damn, it felt good. He hugged her hard, groaning into her neck. “I couldn’t stand it anymore. I needed to get back to you already, and since tomorrow I have those commitments I need to attend to, I cut my trip short just to see you tonight.”

  He didn’t let her respond to that because he needed to get his mouth on hers already. As always, she kissed him as hungrily as he kissed her. It wasn’t until he pulled away and saw the thugs down the street he remembered. “I thought you said you have a car?”

  “I do. But me and my sister share it. Her school is farther away than my job. I’m a short bus ride away, and it drops me off right at the corner.”

  Sonny tried not to frown at that, but he couldn’t help feeling concerned. Maybe he wouldn’t be able to move her out too soon. But he might be able to swing lending her a car first.

  He leaned in and kissed her again, keeping his thoughts to himself. “You hungry?” She nodded with a smile. “What do you feel like having?” They started back to the passenger side of his car. She crinkled her nose as he opened the door for her and he had to kiss her again.

  “Chinese? There’s a good mom and pop one around the corner.”

  “Okay Chinese?”

  “Yeah.” She smiled even bigger than earlier. “How did you know?”

  “I’m telling you I grew up in this area, and that place has been around forever. Okay Chinese it is.”

  Because it was one of the few that had a drive-thru, they could get their food and head back to Hollenbeck Park to eat it. By then, it’d be good and dark again, unless she wanted to come back and eat it at her place. While he’d made it clear he’d be making things official once he was home and she hadn’t protested, he wanted to come clean first about what he’d been keeping from her. He planned on doing that tomorrow. He had it all set up.

  They started off with him telling her why he’d gotten here a day early. “I would’ve been back even sooner, but my second Vegas trip plans had been made a while ago, and last night’s fight was the main reason I was there in the first place. So, I figured I should at least stay for that.”

  “Fight?” she asked then glanced away. “What kind of fight?”

  “A few up-and-coming boxers. I have a friend who follows boxing—”

  His phone ringing over the speakers interrupted them. Sonny frowned when he saw the name on the dash screen: Tatiana. Using the controls on his steering wheel, he sent the call to voicemail. “Sorry about that.” He turned onto the street where Okay Chinese was.

  Seeing Tatiana’s name threw him off his thoughts, and he couldn’t even remember what he’d been saying. “Anything particular you like from this place?”

  “The fried pepper chicken wings, hands down,” she said without a flinch. “But I also like their tangerine chicken.”

  They discussed the other menu items as they sat in the drive-thru until his phone rang again and the same name popped onto the dash screen. Once again, Sonny sent it to voicemail, but seeing Lila’s eyebrow arch forced him to give her at least a short version of who Tatiana was. “Business colleague,” he said as indifferently as he could.

  It was the truth, partially anyway. Like with many of his female business colleagues, though, Sonny did his best to keep things on a professional level. It always amazed him how easily even the most professional ones were willing to take things a little further. He always made it clear his career didn’t allow for anything more serious. Again, most were all for it, despite the stipulation. Some, like Tatiana, however, were far more persistent than others.

  “Maybe it’s important.” It was a statement that sounded more like an inquiry—in invitation to further explain what kind of business colleague.

  “Nah, she’s part of the team I’m meeting with tomorrow. Technically, everyone still thinks I’m out of town, and if it’s for pleasure, they know I usually don’t respond to business stuff. I’ll see her soon enough.”

  That seemed to satisfy her, and she didn’t ask for more, but turning his phone off might seem suspicious. So, when they reached the park after getting their food, he left his phone in the car, instead of bringing it with him to the picnic table where they sat and ate.

  They didn’t sit on opposite sides of the table either. The time since he’d last seen her in person had felt like an eternity. No way was Sonny wasting a minute of having his hands on her. Even as they ate, his hand caressed her back, and he kissed her nonstop between eating and drinking their sodas.

  He felt like a hormonally-charged and lovesick teen, not an almost thirty-year-old grown-ass man, but he didn’t even care. Something about Lila made him nervous. His lifestyle was so different from hers. Already he knew enough to be certain she wouldn’t have the patience for some of the things in it, like all the Tatianas she’d have to hear about among other things. Regardless, nervous or not, he was doing this tomorrow, for sure.

  But before that, he wanted her to know how genuine his feelings were. Albeit it was crazy that he’d feel this much so soon, he needed her to know that what he was feeling was absolutely true, not just how much his cock ached for her as she’d seen for herself. He needed her to know how much more she meant to him now. So, letting her see his lovesick-teen side might actually be a good thing.

  “You work tomorrow?”

  She shook her head. “No, but I do have to go in for one quick thing. I shouldn’t be there for more than an hour.”

  “In the morning or afternoon?”

  “Mid-day,” she said as she lifted her finger to his forehead and fixed a strand of his hair with a smile.

  Sonny took her hand and kissed it then kissed her. Jesus, how could he have it this bad after just a little over a month? Okay, maybe showing his lovesick side might be a good idea for some reasons, but he had to tone it down a little, before he crept her out.

  Clearing his throat, he picked up a chicken wing, hoping it’d keep his hands and lips busy for at least a little bit. “That’s perfect,” he said, taking a bite then wiping his mouth after swallowing. “My meeting’s around that time, so we should both be free around the same time. We can drive out to Los Feliz where I live, and I’ll show you around, since you said you’ve never been.”

  She nodded, smiling brightly, and that relieved him. His plan was to talk her into going back to his place, not just so he could officially claim her, but because once there, she’d inevitably know the truth about his life—see who he was—and what that entailed. There was evidence of it all over his house. It was crazy that all these years he’d worried about women being into him solely based on what he did. He’d never know for sure if they were genuinely into him or if they just liked the idea of being with someone like him. Now, here he was worried about Lila being put off by it.

  But it was exactly what had drawn him to her to begin with—the fact that she didn’t seem the least bit interested in how he’d made so much money. She hadn’t even asked much about his cars. This entire time he’d known her, she’d been more interested in much simpler things about him. But they were the kinds of things that ultimately had him falling for her. She asked about the things that count, such as his likes and dislikes and his relationship with his siblings. They discussed goals, aspirations, even silly dreams. To his surprise, she admitted to possibly being interested in fitness modeling, something Sonny thought would be perfect for her, given what he’d seen and felt of her body so far. It was obviously a subject she was still not completely comfortable discussing. And since Sonny himself was still holding back on some major things about his life, he didn’t want to be a hypocrite and push for more.

  Compared to all the high-profile and high-maintenance women he’d been dating for years, Lila was such an exhilaratin
g breath of fresh air. And her not knowing about him made more sense now that he knew she wasn’t much for social media. She said she only had a Facebook profile and even that she logged onto so infrequently she was always having to reset her password. Because of the low budget she and her sister and roommate were on, they didn’t even have cable. As crazy as that sounded, she said she and her sister were fine watching stuff on Netflix and YouTube.

  Sonny only hoped now that, after tomorrow, things wouldn’t change. That she wouldn’t see or think him any different from the lovesick guy who, after just a little over a month of knowing her, was already cutting his own trips short just to get back to her.

  They ate, talked, giggled, and did a whole lot more kissing and cuddling until they headed back to the car because she said she was getting chilly. He was in no hurry to get home, and while Sonny wouldn’t mind just hanging out with her, he was dying to do a lot more of what they’d done during his quick visits. He suggested they might head up to Griffith Park, a place he knew well and had plenty of beautiful scenic spots they could park and get cozy.

  “Marcelo used to take me up there a lot,” she said softly, gazing out the window.

  That said, Sonny made a hasty right turn in the opposite direction of Griffith Park. “Mulholland Drive has even better views,” he said simply as he got on the freeway.

  Fuck that. He wouldn’t be taking her somewhere where she’d be thinking of her ex while Sonny’s tongue and lips made the most of his time with her. Halfway up their drive, as she cheerfully told him about her sister’s journalist sleuthing and how close she was to uncovering who the on-campus drug dealer might be at her college, his phone rang again. It’d already rung once with a different girl’s name popping up, which he hadn’t explained and she hadn’t asked about. Now it was Tatiana again, and Sonny felt like banging the damn steering wheel, but he refused to answer, not with the call coming through the speakers. Tatiana was an insatiable flirt, and there’d be no way Lila wouldn’t pick up on it. The last thing he wanted when he was so close to coming clean was to piss off Lila.

  “Are you sure she’s just a business associate?” The sweet expression of Lila wore earlier was gone now. “Three times she’s called on a Saturday night.”

  “We have this meeting tomorrow,” Sonny explained, picking his phone up from the center console, pissed that he hadn’t just turned the fucking thing off earlier. “She probably wants to compare notes, but I’m not interrupting my time with you for business.”

  That last part he’d nearly said through his teeth. He’d since heard the rest of the story behind her breakup with her ex. Not only had he enlisted in the Army without even telling her, just up and left, he’d cheated on her, and he’d knocked someone up after Lila had forgiven him for leaving. Apparently, Lila didn’t approve of all the illegal shit he was doing, so before she could dump his ass, he'd left on a whim, to prove he was willing to go to such lengths to change for her. Then he went and fucking cheated on her.

  Sonny and Lila may not have been an official couple yet, but he’d meant it when he claimed her as his, even if, at the time, he’d been sort of playful about it. He’d definitely consider it cheating if she saw anyone else, so he knew she had every right to be pissed about this.

  Shutting his phone off, he put it down then reached for Lila’s hand. Their eyes met for a moment as he came to a stop sign, but she didn’t say anything, except she wasn’t gazing at him in that whimsical way she’d done all night.

  “I turned it off because I don’t want to keep getting interrupted all night. I looked forward to tonight all week. I don’t want anything spoiling this.”

  “Who’s Frances?”

  If their eyes weren’t locked, he might’ve been able to squeeze them shut like he wished he could do. Frances was the other girl whose name had popped up on his screen earlier. “Frances is someone I went out with in the past.” Lila started loosening her hand from his, but he held it firmly. “But I haven’t seen her in months. Just kept in touch on the phone. Only I’ll be letting her know even that’s gonna stop now.”

  They drove silently the rest of the way to a spot that overlooked the Hollywood Bowl. The view was awesome. In Sonny’s opinion, it was one of the best in the entire Los Angeles area, only now Sonny wasn’t feeling it.

  As soon as they parked and he killed the engine, he turned to Lila. “Look. Before I met you, I was a single guy, and while I didn’t have time for any real relationships, I did date. There are girls who have my number, and I haven’t even had a chance to let them know my situation has changed now.” She started to say something, but he went on because he had a feeling what her response to this might be. “As fast as things have moved, I know you originally said you wanted to take this slow. Despite everything we’ve already done, I’m still more than willing to take this slowly. But based on how tense things got there for a moment, I’m assuming, regardless of how slow we’re taking this, you feel the same way I do. Seeing anyone else while we’re doing this, no matter how slow, isn’t gonna fly, right?”

  She stared at him, and now that hardened expression appeared a little vulnerable—nervous. “I hadn’t really thought of it”—her expression hardened a little— “not until all the phone calls you sent to voicemail tonight, but no, it’s not gonna fly.”

  Relieved, Sonny exhaled. “Good.” He leaned in and kissed her. “Then agreed, we’re both off the market, and anyone who thinks otherwise will be informed accordingly.”

  Finally, he got a smile out of her, and then he was kissing her again, long, deep, and devouring her mouth after waiting for what felt like an eternity to do again. After a few more marathon kisses, they got out of the car. He’d parked near a grassy knoll that overlooked the view. Sonny had come prepared with a blanket they could sit on and a small ice chest. He pulled them out of his trunk. Lila came around just before he could close the trunk. “A sweatshirt, perfect! It’s even chillier up here.”

  Sonny’s heart pounded a little because it was one of his new baseball sweatshirts, and it was personalized with his last name. He pulled it out and handed it to her. “One of my favorites actually. My mom had it personalized for me not too long ago.”

  She read the last name on the back—something he’d already been honest about, and she still hadn’t had a clue—and smiled. “This is cool. So, I take it you’re a big fan?”

  “Yeah, I am.” He smiled as she pulled it over her head.

  It was huge on her, but she looked adorable in it. The thought of smelling her in it the next time he wore it was one that had him smiling like a crazy person again. He kissed her, throwing the blanket over his shoulder, as he closed the trunk. He took the cooler in one hand and her hand in the other. He set up the blanket, explaining he’d brought a bottle of wine but also brought some Mocktails he’d seen down at the store where he picked up the bottle of wine, since she didn’t like drinking. He pulled one out of the cooler. “Piña colada, non-alcoholic.”

  “It’s not that I don’t like alcohol,” she explained, glancing down at the bottle of wine. “I’ve been told a glass of red wine here and there is good for your heart. Drinking just makes me nervous because, as bad as I am controlling my emotions . . .” She frowned as if even talking about it made her uncomfortable. ‘I’m afraid of what kind of reaction I might have. I already had a pretty bad one once when my ex convinced me to take some shots of Jack Daniels way back.”

  That irritated Sonny as much as it almost made him chuckle. “Yeah, wine and Jack are way different. I know people who are used to drinking who still stay the hell away from Jack because that shit can really light you up and not in a good way. Wine is more mellowing than anything. I mean I guess, if you drink a whole lot of it, you might get a little crazy, but a glass or two should be fine. If anything, it might put you to sleep. But unlike your ex, I’m in no way insisting you drink any. I just thought a glass of wine up here would be perfect. But I’ll pour you your piña colada, and it’ll be just as romantic.”r />
  She peered at him curiously. “Is it bitter?” she asked. “I heard the white ones are.”

  “They can be. Oddly enough, White Zinfandel,” he said, pulling the bottle out, “is not white. It’s pink and it’s light and sweet, but not too sweet like pink moscato. Anything too sweet can give you a headache the next day. You can have a sip of mine if you wanna try it.”

  Lila nodded, smiling a bit nervously, so Sonny leaned over and kissed her, lifting her chin. “You’ll be fine,” he whispered, smiling when he got a sweet smile out of her.

  He opened the bottle and poured himself a little in one of the plastic cups he brought then handed it to her. Lila took a sip, licking her lips, pondering for a moment, then tilted her head with a smirk. “Not bad.”

  “You can keep that cup for yourself if you want. I can pour me another.”

  She nodded, so he took the other cup out of the cooler and poured himself some wine. They sat looking out at the beautiful view and made small talk about the weather. He told her a little more about his trip, keeping what he was out there doing a little vague.

  Once done with his glass of wine, he set it down in the cooler and kissed her a little deeper than he had most of the night. She set her cup down then lay back on the blanket, allowing Sonny to lie over her, and their kissing got even heavier. Sonny did the impossible again just as he had the times he’d stopped by and surprised her. He refrained from getting too carried away. Only he couldn’t keep his hands off her entirely. He brought his hand over her belly. The undeniable six pack she had going on underneath her clothes that he’d seen several times now was a fucking turn on. He sucked her tongue until she moaned.

  Lila caressed his arms and back as his hand went lower onto her legs. Despite their FaceTime sex, his heart nearly stopped when she let her leg fall open ever so slightly. He did not want to push, but it felt like an invitation, so he caressed her inner thigh over her spandex pants. His hand moved up a bit, feeling the heat that radiated from in between her legs, but he didn’t go there. Then her hand was on his, and at first, he thought she was going to stop him, until she moved it between her legs, and this time he moaned.