Already chuckling, Sonny thought back to when Lila had told him about Ali teasing her about thinking the tatted-up bad boys were sexy. Ali being attracted to this guy wouldn’t be unheard of.
“Yes, for sure. I won’t be home too late tonight, so if you’re still up, I wanna know everything.”
Once she was off the phone, she turned to Sonny with a smirk. “Well, he wasn’t insinuating her booty shakes like jelly,” she explained, putting down her phone, and started back to the bathroom.
Sonny laughed as he took in her sculpted abs. “Yeah, ex-con or not, I didn’t think he’d be that stupid.”
Lila told her about her sister having mentioned one of those guys looking at her funny when she was there before. “I guess she was eating a donut that day, and she’d forgotten how utterly consumed she’d been with devouring the thing. She said it was a jelly donut and that’s what he was talking about. Like you and Gio, he was just surprised she was the same girl as the one he saw that first time because she looked so different. But she sounded a little too giddy about his remembering her. Though she claims it’s not excitement; she was just surprised. I swear that girl better not be getting any ideas. I haven’t spent my whole life, trying to keep her safe, only for her to end up with the likes of someone like him.”
That made Sonny laugh again, and he reached out and hugged her as soon as she was close enough. “Relax. She just interviewed the guy. Let’s not go marrying her off just yet.”
Lila pulled back and looked up at him. “You laugh, but I told you she’s already admitted that she thinks all those tats on a bad boy like that guy are sexy.”
“Okay,” Sonny said, kissing her nose to mollify her a little. “Maybe she thinks he’s sexy, but he’s way too old for someone Ali’s age, and just like I didn’t think him stupid enough to mean anything bad by ‘jelly,’ I doubt he’s stupid enough to mess with Ali. I’m sure Gio explained to him whose sister she is. The guy’s gotta know he’d be playing with fire if he even thought about so much as flirting with her.”
Finally, Lila’s expression eased up a bit. “He better know.” She smirked then leaned her face against Sonny’s chest, taking a deep breath and exhaling.
Sonny held her for a moment, keeping to himself what his first thoughts were when Lila mentioned Ali and the donut. It’d been a while since Lila mentioned Ali going into 5th Street the first time. Only way this guy would remember something like that was if watching her devour her donut had been that distracting it stayed on his mind all this time. And what would be more distracting than watching a girl suck the jelly out of a donut then lick her lips clean. If that was the case, his referring to her as jelly first thing when he saw her again, in a subtle way, had already been a form of flirting.
But he wasn’t opening that can of worms, not when something more important was still gnawing at him. Bringing his hands up from her back, he cradled her face, and now that he had her undivided attention, he went for it. “Did you hear what I said to you earlier?”
Her brows pinched. “When?”
“Just before you got in my car tonight.”
She thought about it but didn’t seem to remember, and that made him smile. He’d worried for nothing. “I think you were too worked up still.” He swallowed hard before going on. “I didn’t even realize it until it slipped today that I love my feisty girl.”
Her brows lifted as if she remembered now. Her expression changed when understanding set in. She seemed surprised—a bit stunned. But Sonny nodded. “I know now it’s why I felt compelled to call my mom the other day and tell her about you. For the first time in my life, I’m in love, and it feels damn good. I love you, Lila.”
He kissed her softly and was surprised to see how emotional she’d gotten so quickly when he pulled away. “I love you too, Sonny,” she whispered back.
“You don’t have to say it just because—”
“No.” She shook her head vehemently. “I’ve been thinking it ever since the day I saw Marcelo after all these years. How maybe I’d mistaken ever being in love with him, because I felt nothing for him that day but annoyance. I’d always thought, if I ever saw him again, I might feel something. He was my first everything. Then I got to thinking that same night . . .” She paused for a moment as her face tinged with color. “After what I did to you and then us making love, I don’t think I’d ever felt the profound happiness I feel from just one of your kisses. The deep emotion I feel in my heart when we make love.” She glanced around as if searching for something. “Happiness is not a strong enough word. It’s kind of scary what I’m feeling. For years, Ali’s been the most important thing in my life, the only person who had my heart no matter what. But you’re there now too. Only I know I’ve never felt something this all-consuming when it comes to anyone.” She placed her hand over Sonny’s against her face and smiled sweetly. “I’ve completely fallen in love with you, Santino. It’s the one thing I’m certain of. I’d been feeling it for some time now. I just wasn’t brave enough to admit it out loud. Hearing you say it just gave me the courage.”
Feeling more than an enormous relief that he wasn’t alone in this madness he’d been feeling for weeks now, he kissed her again. “I’m completely, utterly, and madly in love with you, Lila.”
Sonny was done talking. He pulled her sports bra over her head and kissed her ravenously, surprised when she pulled away. “No way are you doing anything until I’ve at least rinsed.” She moved over to the steaming shower door. “I feel icky.”
With a tug to her spandex pants, she was naked in an instant, and Sonny raced to remove his clothes. Lila had gotten into the shower a few moments before he did. By the time he got in with her, she was thoroughly soaked. “Good enough,” he said, lifting her up against the wall, laughing when she yelped.
In the next second, he was inside her with a grunt, and she wrapped those firm legs around his waist. “Fuck, I love you!” he said, burying himself deep in her.
Chapter 20
Lila
Even though it had crossed Lila’s mind that the subject might come up eventually, she was still surprised when Sonny brought it up this soon. They were just a few exits away from her place when he brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it.
“I hate having to take you home,” he said, staring straight ahead. “I know it’s soon, but you’re going to have to start thinking about getting another place soon anyway. You’d be surprised how fast you’ll get well-known these days. With the Internet now, it’s fucking overnight, and there are way too many weirdos out there that get easily fixated on celebrities. Doesn’t matter what field and how small. You heard what happened to that young girl from The Voice, right? And she wasn’t even the winner. Just a runner up.”
He shook his head with a frown. “Fucking tragic. It’s why I have so much security at my place. You never can be too cautious. I’ve had my share of weirdos I’ve had to get restraining orders on.” He turned to her as they came to a stop in traffic. “So, I was thinking . . .” He smiled, kissing her hand again. “Now that you both have cars, why don’t you and Ali move in with me? It’s not that far a commute from 5th Street or her school, and I have plenty of room.”
Admittedly, the thought that he might suggest something like that had crossed Lila’s mind already. But it was such a scary one. Things had been as close to perfect as they could get, but this was so soon. What if things weren’t always so perfect? Things could sour. Then what? She’d be scrambling to find her and Ali a new place to stay. She thought back to the day she’d found out about who Sonny really was. How livid she’d been and how horrible it would’ve been to not have anywhere to go but back to his place.
This time she kissed his hand and decided to stay positive. “That’s sweet of you to offer, Sonny. And I’m in full agreement; now that I’ve made some money from the endorsement deal, and will be making more soon, thoughts of moving somewhere safer have been on my mind. But doing so and especially taking such a leap as to move me and my sister
in with my boyfriend should be well thought out and a decision I can’t make alone.”
“So, just give it some thought. While I had hoped it would be, the move wouldn’t even have to be a permanent one. I know your independence means a lot to you. But I’m telling you, once those commercials start airing and now that you’ve signed to fight for the title, it’s just a matter of time before you can’t walk out your front door without being mobbed. You may have to move sooner than you think. Just know that the invitation to move in with me, even if only temporarily, until you can figure something out, is there.”
They reached her apartment, and Lila promised to seriously give it some thought and run it by Ali to see what she thought. Their kiss good-bye was longer—sweeter—and felt more heartfelt somehow than before.
“I love you, baby,” Sonny whispered before Lila could pull away. “Miss you already.”
“Me too.” She smiled, feeling all warm and fuzzy. “And I love you too. I’ll call you before I go to bed tonight, just so it’s your voice I hear last.”
They exchanged a few more kisses before Lila finally got out, her body tingling in all the familiar places.
Thoughts of their talk of moving in together were quickly squashed when she walked into her apartment and was met with her sister’s big cheesy smile. Instantly, she was back to wondering just why her sister was so giddy after today’s happenings.
“Okay,” she said, putting her purse down on the sofa. “So, what else did this man say to you that has you all smiles?”
“Nothing,” Ali said but failed to wipe the smile off her face completely. “And who says I’m still smiling about that?”
“So, you admit you were smiling about that earlier?”
“Look.” Ali sat down at the table in their small eating area where her laptop was. “I know for you it’s the norm to be noticed by hot guys—”
“Now he’s hot?”
Ali gave her a challenging look. “Are you really gonna argue that he’s not? I mean, yes, he’s riddled with tattoos but that body . . . Come on? And you have to admit, despite what you may think of him, he is good-looking, just like that editor down at school. As annoying as he can be, I can admit that he’s hot too.”
Lila would give her that. That guy today wasn’t bad looking—at all. It’s what he represented that Lila didn’t like about him. Danger. “I sincerely hope you’re not even considering doing anything with this guy—”
Ali laughed before Lila could even finish. “I interviewed him about the program, and it was interesting to hear their back stories: what they were in jail for and what not. But I’d hardly say that constitutes us getting friendly. It was strictly business and I handled it just so. It was just surprising that he remembered me. You have to understand this is completely new for me. Unlike you, I’m not used to guys noticing and remembering me, much less guys like him.”
Lila rolled her eyes, taking a seat at the sofa that faced Ali. “Ex-cons, you mean? So, what did they do time for?”
“The other guy, Rodney, was in for grand theft auto. His second time, though he claims it’s his last ever. But get this. Beast did time for fighting in an underground fighting ring. It got raided, and he and a bunch of other fighters and organizers were all hauled in.”
Staring at her sister, Lila could hardly believe this excited Ali. “Underground fighting? And his name is Beast?”
“It’s what he was labeled after he really put a beat down on a few of his first opponents.”
Ali went on to explain that, on top of it all, apparently when this guy flew into a rage, he went batshit crazy, hence the nickname.
“He goes by Beast. But like you,” she added, sounding a bit cautious because Lila was already raising her brow, “he’s now going to put all that anger and energy into boxing. He’ll still be doing what he’s so good at, only he’ll be doing it in a controlled, legal environment with gloves on, not nearly beating someone to death with his bare hands. He also admitted to being involved in a lot of other shady things in his past, but now he’s looking to straighten out.”
Ali had already told Lila after her interview with Gio that they were, in fact, very stringent about who they let in the program: no sex offenders, no habitual offenders, and no one convicted of violent crimes.
So, she had to ask. “How did he get in the program when he openly admits to being a wild beast?”
“He wasn’t convicted for assault or anything. He was arrested for being part of the illegal fighting ring, which personally”—Ali huffed— “I think is as dumb as convicting people for prostitution and solicitation. If two grown-ass people want to exchange money for sex, that’s on them. If two grown-ass people wanna fight for the sake of entertainment and have other adults bet on them, then so be it. These laws are all about the government wetting its beak. Think about it. What he was doing, aside from the nearly killing someone, is no different from what you’ll be doing soon. Only with you, the government gets to dig its claws into any earnings made from your fights. So, chicken shit.”
Lila stood up, eyeing Ali as she walked into the kitchen. Ali was being entirely too defensive of this guy. “But you’re done with this now, right? I mean you got your interview with Gio and now these two guys. You’ve got your story, and there’s no need for you to keep in touch with this Beast guy, right?”
Continuing to type away on her laptop, Ali lifted a brow with an evil little smirk and stared straight into her screen. “Perhaps.”
“No perhaps, Ali. I’m serious. If you’ve got everything you need for your story, then I don’t want you staying in touch with this man.”
Lila emphasized that last word because Sonny had been right. The guy was way too old for Ali to even be considering so much as a playful flirtation with. Thinking of what Sonny had said, reminded her of something else. So, before Ali could retort, she changed the subject—for now.
“Listen,” she said, leaning nervously on the bar that separated the kitchen from the small front room. “We’re probably going to have to start thinking about moving soon. Now that I’ve made some big money and will continue to, we can afford a better area. And with both of us having cars now, it doesn’t even matter if we move a little farther away from my job and your school.”
“Really?”
Nodding, Lila chewed her bottom lip before adding the next part. Ali’s expression already looked as surprised as Lila had expected. “Sonny’s offered to let us move in with him. His place is huge, so there’s plenty of room, and I’m not sure how much I’ll have to pay for rent, but knowing Sonny, he’ll likely not want me to pay anything. Only that’s not happening. Still, I’m sure it’ll be a lot less than anywhere else.” She crinkled her nose. “As nice as that sounds, Ali, I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“Why not? I thought you really liked him. And he seems to be really into you.”
Lila smiled, feeling her insides warm all over again. “I do,” she admitted. “And he is. In fact, he told me he’s in love with me just today.” Ali’s eyes brightened as if pleasantly surprised. “I’m in love with him too. This just scares the hell out of me. Everything’s happened so fast. You know I don’t handle things well when I get angry. Already I’ve come across a few things online that have pissed me off to no end: photos of him with other girls. I know they’re old, but I still can’t help feeling so disgusted when I see them. I’m bracing myself for seeing something current.”
“Well, that’s silly. Why would you go looking?” Ali asked, sounding a little exasperated. “You’ve never been the type to follow gossip articles. Why start now if it gets you so worked up?”
“But what if it doesn’t work out? I mean isn’t this a little too good to be true? And I haven’t known him that long? Suppose we have a falling out? Or even a little argument. I’d be stuck in the same house with him.”
This time Ali laughed. “It’s not too good to be true. Of course he’s in love with you. What’s not to love?”
Her sister smiled ad
oringly. But as much as Lila could appreciate the sentiment, she knew there were plenty of things about her that could be difficult to love. Her quick temper and foul mouth were just the starters. She could be difficult and Ali had to know this. Lila could already see it in her flattening smile that Ali knew what Lila was thinking.
“You need to start thinking more positively. The guy just professed his love for you, Li. Have some faith.” Her eyes went wide suddenly. “You said his house is like a mansion, right? The neighbors will probably think we’re the help when we roll in, in our cars.”
Now Lila was laughing, albeit a bit nervously. From the sound of it, Ali would be all for it. Ever since she’d been seeing Sonny almost daily, Lila had been falling harder for him each day. This made her even more nervous. Once she was living with him, she could only imagine how much more profound her feelings for him would be getting.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” she said, breathing in deeper and trying not to sound as freaked out as she was beginning to feel about this. “I am trying to think positive, but this is a huge decision, so I won’t be making any decisions just yet. I just wanted to run it past you to see if it’s even something you’d be okay with.”
When Ali’s phone buzzed on the table, Lila walked away from the counter to make herself some tea before calling it a night. Her body was more than relaxed enough, so she’d pass out good and well, but her mind was still wired with the idea of moving in with Sonny this soon. So, she’d need a little of her trusty lavender tea to help her sleep.
Hearing Ali giggle under her breath had Lila glancing back at her sister curiously. Ali was chewing the corner of her lip and looking a bit giddy as she read whatever was on her phone screen. It was an all too familiar expression Lila had seen on her sister very recently. Like when she’d walked into the apartment today.
“What are you giggling about?” Lila asked, peering at her sister.
Lila (Boyle Heights #1) Page 25
