by Leigh, Ember
“My son!” His mom took a last drag at her cigarette and snubbed it in the ashtray on the table. She leaned back, crossing her arms over her chest. “You look like a model who got into a street fight. What’s with this black eye? I can’t believe you came out of me.”
He smirked, heading for the fridge though he didn’t want a damn thing in there. Amara’s gaze sizzled on him. “Mom, I look like this all the time.”
“Doesn’t mean I get sick of looking atcha.” She laughed, then coughed, then laughed again. Turning to Amara, she leaned in and said, “All the other mamas wish they’d had a boy like mine! You shoulda seen it when he was growing up. Had to beat back Hollywood with a stick! Isn’t that right, Travvy?”
Travis rolled his eyes, though neither lady could see. He grabbed a beer from the fridge and cracked it open. Leaning against the counter, he ran a hand through his hair. “You remember it this way, not me.”
His mom laughed again, eyes sparkling as she looked at him. Amara had been oddly quiet, which made him worry that their tiff the other day might have left her feeling awkward around him. God knows he felt awkward around her—only because he was so desperate to pin her to a wall and have his way with her. Her being in his mom’s house was like logs on the fire. His mind clouded and went dark, like a disappearing broadcast.
“Amara here came to visit me,” his mom continued, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder. “We’ve been having such a good talk.”
“I’m so happy you took the time to meet with me,” Amara said, her sweet voice making his heart hurt. “It was so lovely to finally meet you.”
After a long swill at his beer, he reached between his mom and Amara to completely snub out his mom’s cigarette, which had been still smoking on the table.
“You need to quit smoking.” He took the ashtray and emptied it. The only downside of visiting his mom was the horrible stench, the way it stained his clothes and stung his nostrils for too long afterward.
“I will, I will.” She waved him off. “Someday. Let an old lady have her vice. After all I put up with from your father, I deserve it.”
Travis sighed, leaning against the wall, beer in hand. “Okay, Ma.”
Amara smiled at his mom, her plump lips snagging his attention. She looked different after only a few days apart—maybe because he’d erected a wall between them. One he was desperate to break down again. “Well, I better get going. Thank you for taking the time to share so much with me.”
His mom pulled Amara in for a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. “You are such a good girl. The best there is. I wish my Trav could find someone like you.”
His heart wrenched again; an awkward heaviness appeared. Bittersweet, since he had found her and wanted her, the one forbidden fruit.
Amara laughed nervously and stood, reaching for a folder and her purse.
“I’ll walk you out,” he said, setting his beer on the counter. Their eyes met for the first time, and it was like an electric shock. She yanked her gaze away and headed into the hallway toward the front door.
“I can find my way out.” She shrugged, grabbing her coat off the couch. The front door was right there. “But thanks.”
“No, I want to.” His heart pounded, and he met her gaze hesitantly. Every minute since their encounter in the gym the other night had weighed on him, urging him toward calling her or reconciling somehow, anything that might simply bring them together. But deeper than that, he wondered how much longer he could realistically deny these urges. They weren’t going away, lessening, or getting easier. As she blinked up at him, he realized the time had come.
She pulled open the door and stepped into the hallway. Once he shut his mom’s door behind him, he kept pace beside her as they walked toward the stairwell in silence. Every passing second made the tension grow thicker, shriller. They descended the first story without saying a word. He swallowed a knot in his throat. After rounding the corner, Travis raised his arm, propping his hand against the wall and blocking her path.
“Wait.”
She gnawed at the inside of her lip, avoiding his gaze. “Don’t block me, Travis. I’m embarrassed, and I’m really confused, okay?”
“What are you confused about?”
She hesitated. “I heard your mom’s story. All of it. And I don’t understand how you could grow up with all of that…violence, and you’re not doing more to combat it now that you have your own gym.”
Her words hung in the air, sharp like a weapon. But instead of angering him, they made him sad. You’re right. “We’re bringing back the free self-defense classes. I told you.”
She laughed a little. “And? You have a high position, and you have power. You have reach. You should use it.”
“Maybe I’m learning how to. You’re teaching me.”
She didn’t look convinced. “We’re not allowed to be in the same room together, remember?”
“I’m sorry about the other night.”
She knitted her brow. “But shouldn’t I apologize? I feel like the creep here, trust me.”
He squeezed his eyes shut. A million thoughts clanked together, and he couldn’t recall any of the previous objections to kissing her like he’d been dying to from the beginning. “I didn’t say something important that night.”
“What was that?”
He bit his bottom lip, moving nearer to her. He searched her face for some truth, some sign that he should go down this path, consequences be damned. His gaze wandered down her cheeks, over her jawline, along the contour of her neck.
With his free hand, he cupped the side of her face. She drew in a breath, and he swooped in to kiss her. Their lips met tentatively but hungrily; the first, hesitant kiss turned into a confident second one, which melted into a passionate and desperate third. She made a small noise, going weak beneath him.
And then it was game over—fervent, hungry kisses, one melting into another. He steadied her at the hips, bringing down his hand from the wall, fingertips searching out the sweet curve from hip to ass.
When they parted, she rested her forehead against his, drawing ragged breaths. “Holy shit.”
“Yeah.” He dragged his thumb over her lips, mind dizzy and desperate for more. He’d avoided this rabbit hole for a reason. Now he was finding out how right he was.
She hooked her arms around his waist, bringing his body closer to hers. His eyes fluttered shut, resting his lips against her hairline. “What changed?”
He drank in the scent of her, his throat tightening. “It was time to say yes to you. Like I’ve wanted to since you came home.”
“Why do you feel so good?” Her voice came out a low murmur, so low he almost didn’t catch it. “It’s not fair.”
“You’re right about that.” He brushed his lips over her cheeks. “Your brother will kill me. Before, it was a maybe. Now it’s definite.”
“He doesn’t have to know.” Her gaze met his, and she was dead serious—earnest and innocent. Fear spread through him, but he squashed it.
“I don’t know if I can do that.”
“I can.”
He sighed, both perplexed by the suggestion and insanely aroused by all the different points where their bodies touched. Maybe she could feel his cock already. “I shouldn’t have come out here.”
“Don’t say that.” Her brow furrowed, and she looked like she might cry. “This needed to happen. It was overdue.”
He laughed a little. “And this will be it, right? Just a couple more kisses and nothing else.”
She looked at him with a gaze so sexy he could burst. “You’re crazy.”
Their lips met again, desperate and needy. He pushed his tongue into her mouth, and she met him there, sloppy and uninhibited and wild. She moaned through the kiss, and he pressed her harder against the wall, sealing their bodies, his cock jutting into her hip.
“You are so crazy,” she whispered through kisses, “if you think you can kiss me like this and that’s it.”
Her vanilla scent wafted
up to him, and heat flooded him. Desire made primal steps through his chest, and he hooked his hands behind her thighs, hoisting her against the wall. She inhaled sharply, fingernails digging into the back of his neck as their gazes locked at eye-level.
“Now you’ve done it,” she said, voice throaty. They kissed again, and again; each kiss reminded him of how stupid he’d be to think he could ever let this go unexplored.
“It felt natural,” he murmured, kisses dotting her jawline and down her neck. “Do you like it?”
Her eyes fluttered shut, and she nodded. “More than I can even explain.”
He rocked against her once, pleasure shooting through him so hard, he thought he might collapse. Her grip around his neck tightened, her breasts smashed against his chest. I could have you here, and a million more times, and still want more.
“Travvy?” His mom’s voice echoed through the hallway. “Are you down there?”
He stilled, breathing heavily as he pinched his eyes shut. “I’m here, Ma.”
“Are you coming back up or what?”
“One second.”
The door clicked shut, and he peeked through one eye at Amara, who watched him with a distant expression.
“You have to go.” She ran a hand over his shoulder and down the length of his arm, like mapping his body to remember later. “I get it.”
“I don’t want to. But I should.”
They stared at each other, neither moving to break the seal. She was divine from so close. Her scent was like a fine bath, washing over him in reassuring and titillating waves. He could spend eternity here, pressed up against her, her sweet, soft body tucked safely in his arms.
He pressed his lips to hers again, coaxed a needy kiss out of her. When they parted, he loosened his grip on her, and she slid to the floor.
“Have fun with your mom.” She touched his chest, dragging her fingertips down the T-shirt, looking forlorn. “Just…message me. Or something.”
He covered the hand on his chest with his own. “I will. Later tonight.”
She swallowed and looked up at him. “I hope so.” She went on her tiptoes and kissed him, then hurried out of the apartment building, letting in a whiff of cool air.
He stared after her for what felt like an hour, replaying the memory of her in his arms, kissing him, the feel of her skin against his. Fuck. These were dangerous flames they were playing with. And already he was getting scorched. He’d never kissed a woman like that before. Those kisses would haunt him for the rest of his life.
He trudged up the stairs, no energy to sprint or even skip steps like he normally would. His heart pounded, begging him to return to her embrace, to prolong the contact. Before he pushed back into his mom’s place, he fished his phone out from his pocket. He wouldn’t let her wonder all day what his game plan was.
I’m so happy you were here today. I’ve missed you.
Slipping the phone back into his pocket, he reentered the apartment with a smile.
No matter how much guilt this maneuver kicked up, it felt right.
And he was dying to see where it led them.
* * *
That evening Amara was on high alert. She didn’t wander farther than five feet from her phone, and she checked at random intervals to make sure that it wasn’t, miraculously, set to silent mode for any reason.
Just so she wouldn’t miss a text or a call.
Travis’s kisses that afternoon had burned her, practically left char marks on her face that made it impossible to see straight or function normally. She’d wandered back to her house like floating on a cloud, almost wrecking the SUV once. He was a drug, and she’d finally gotten the dose she’d craved.
During dinner, the text came. She and her mama had sat down to spaghetti with meatballs when the phone buzzed. She nearly choked on her garlic bread. Mama cast a quizzical look her way, and she chugged some water to smooth her throat before pulling up the new arrival.
Wanna come over?
Travis. Her pulse skyrocketed, and she twirled her fork in her spaghetti, thankful Eddie was still at work. Mama sniffed out the tension spike like a dog.
“Who is that?”
“Nobody.” She shoved the spaghetti into her mouth, chewing loudly as her mama narrowed her eyes.
“Señor Nobody, maybe. Are you doing the Tinder thing?”
She shrugged, swallowing hard. “I’m seeing what’s out there.”
“Make sure you call on the phone once in a while.” Mama sighed heavily, like the weight of today’s problems rested on the lack of phone calls. “And make sure he tells you the truth.”
“Two most important qualities. Phone calls and honesty.” She snickered, biting into her bread. “I think he satisfies both of those already.”
“Well…you let me know when it’s serious.” Mama sent her a flat look. “I might be sick, but I still want to meet him.”
Her cheeks flushed. Mama always knew when her attention was diverted by romantic interests, in a way that Eddie thankfully didn’t always pick up on. She hadn’t expected her to pick up on this so quickly. “We’ll see how it goes.”
The front door jiggled and then swung open. Eddie appeared in the door frame, a backpack slung over his shoulder, the equivalent of a briefcase.
“Mijo!” Their mother wiped at her mouth with a napkin and waved at him. Eddie flashed the peace sign and shut the door behind him, then dropped his backpack on the couch.
“Just in time!” He squeezed Mama’s shoulder as he walked toward the kitchen, making a big display of sniffing the air. “Por dios, huele rico. Amara, this was all you, right?”
She grinned, looking back at her brother as he fished out a plate and fork from the cabinets. She loved it when it was the three of them, with Eddie there to round it out. For all the ways he was her annoying older brother, he was the male rock of the family. He knew how to play that role, to dance that line between brother and father.
And their family needed him now more than ever. It was more than just his income; it was his attitude at home, his support, his fierce protection that carried the three of them. He could just enter the room, and both she and her mother would sigh with relief. He had that in him, for better or worse.
“It sure was.” She twirled her fork in the spaghetti again, watching as he sat down with a heaping plate. “How was your day, hermano?”
“Good. Long.” He laid his napkin over his lap and adjusted his glinting silver watch before he dug in. “Today’s event was good, though. No hiccups.”
Mama reached out to squeeze Eddie’s wrist.
“What about you two? Good day?” Eddie looked up at them.
They both nodded, and Mama talked about some aches and pains she’d noticed. In lieu of offering her own details, Amara asked a question. “Any plans for tonight?”
Eddie shrugged, getting a sly look that told Amara more than what their mama could catch. “I dunno. Might drop by Holty’s house, see how the boys are doing.”
Her stomach plummeted. Travis must not know about this if he’d invited her over. The meet-up could never happen. “Oh yeah? What boys?”
“Him and Lex. Lex has been staying there for a minute. It’s nice to have them both in one spot.” Eddie slurped at a noodle, sauce flicking up to his chin. He wiped it off with his napkin.
Amara reached for her phone, pretending to casually flip through it, wondering what her response should be now. Postponing the meet-up seemed like a sin. But she couldn’t risk a run-in with Eddie before anything had truly developed. If he ran into her at Travis’s apartment, they might as well out themselves now.
“Ma, when’s your next appointment?” Eddie nodded toward the calendar on the wall. “I think I have a gig that day…”
As her mama and brother discussed the upcoming week’s schedule, Amara quietly finished her plate of food and cleaned up the kitchen. She cleared their plates once they finished, refilling her mother’s water glass when requested, leaving the kitchen tidy when she excused h
erself to her bedroom.
“I’m going to do some work prep,” she said, flashing a smile. Her brother nodded at her, crunching on the ice left over from his Coke.
Inside her quiet bedroom, she pressed herself against the door and pulled up Travis’s text.
I don’t know if I should. Eddie just mentioned he was going to swing by your place later.
Her heart pounded as she watched the dots appear that meant he was currently responding on his end. She barely breathed as she awaited the response.
Fuck.
A minute later, he wrote: Are you coming into the gym tomorrow? Maybe that’s the only place we can meet for now.
She tapped out a quick response. Of course I’m coming in tomorrow. I’ve got all these problem areas to work on, remember? Grinning, she fidgeted as she waited for a response.
One arrived quickly. I didn’t see a problem anywhere on you. But I’ll look harder. All over. Over and over again.
She gulped, heat pooling in her core. The man would bring her to her knees if he talked like that all the time. Switching to her phone’s camera, she lined up for a selfie, wondering how she could work the problem-area angle. Something to tease him with, just the right amount…
Slipping her blouse off, she held the camera so it showcased her shoulder area, with a generous amount of round cleavage and one pouty lip. She loved these games; at the same time, they were so silly. She fired it off to him with the caption: Can you look here? I think it needs some attention.
His response was lightning fast. Definitely needs all my attention. Promise we’ll work on that tomorrow, babe. For as long as you want.
The arrival of a pet name singed through her, made her stare at her phone with wide eyes for what felt like ten minutes. Babe? Oh, hell yeah. She’d be his babe.
She clenched her thighs as she reread his words over and over. What she wouldn’t give to have him here, right now, in a secret bubble so no one could know. They’d be free to explore and kiss and suck and press deep, no worries or interruptions. She sighed, pushing herself off the door to take a seat at her desk.
