Armando Returns (Barboza Brothers)

by Reeni Austin

Chapter 13

  Exactly twenty-five minutes later, with a smile on his face and a spring in his step, Armando bounded up the stairwell to Katie’s apartment. His heart raced with more feelings than he could possibly decipher. His thoughts were chaotic, knowing full well the issue of her parents still hanging over their heads. But that problem was the least of his concerns right now.

  Armando knocked on the door.

  In an instant, the lovely Katie—still wearing her clothes from work—opened it, waving him inside.

  As Armando stepped through the doorway, he looked into her eyes and said, “I feel like I’ve waited a thousand lifetimes for this.” Then he put his hands on her waist. In one move, he leaned down to kiss her and kicked the door closed behind him. Suddenly his hands were everywhere, roaming her back. Grabbing her hair. His body pushing hers backward in the direction of the sofa as his kiss strengthened.

  When the backs of her calves touched the couch, Katie pulled away, blinking up at him. “Don’t you wanna know what happened with me and Mitch?”

  In a flat tone, Armando’s quick reply was, “No. I don’t give a fuck about Mitch.” Then his mouth covered hers again.

  She wiggled away, breaking the kiss. “We’re not officially broken up yet. He thinks we just had a fight. He could even show up here this evening.”

  “Well, you wanna make it official, then? Give him a call. I suppose I can wait.” He leaned down to nibble on her ear, whispering, “I’ll give you exactly one minute to take care of that little issue before I rip your clothes off. Remember, sweetheart: you were mine first.” He made Katie shriek with pleasure as he gave her neck a hard massage with his tongue, then went back to her ear. “This ain’t cheating. I don’t care what anybody thinks or says or sees. I don’t care if he opens that door and gets an eyewitness account of everything I’m about to do to you. You were always supposed to be with me.”

  Katie let her head fall back as he kissed her neck again, then he reached for the top of her blouse to unbutton it.

  As he reached the last button, Armando let out a light chuckle. “So I guess you didn’t need that minute I was gonna give you?”

  Katie shook her head as she reached up to his shoulders to take his jacket off. “No.”

  “Good. ‘Cause I couldn’t wait that long.” Armando shrugged out of his jacket and let it fall off, then reached behind Katie, rubbing her ass until he found her skirt to unzip it. It quickly fell to the floor.

  As she stood there in only her bra and panties, she reached out to unbuckle his belt and said, “I swear I didn’t think we’d rush into this when I invited you over.”

  “Me neither, baby.” He unzipped his pants as he crooked an eyebrow at her. “But you gotta remember, I was promised a honeymoon and I never got it.”

  Katie blushed, making no effort to hide her smile. “Yeah. Me too.”

  Armando pushed his pants and underwear to the floor then began unbuttoning his shirt. “Shit, I remember calling half the state of New Mexico looking for a honeymoon suite. No credit card. Too young. One guy told me I sounded like a drug dealer and he didn’t trust me.”

  Katie frowned. “I know. I’m sorry. You have no idea how devastated I was. When all the…” She bit the side of her lip as her eyes darted nervously about the room. “Bad stuff started, I was sitting there in the car fantasizing about getting you alone. No one around to stop us.” She stood still, her eyes a little misty. “I’ll never forget it.”

  Armando tossed his long-sleeved shirt to the floor, then pulled his undershirt off over his head and tossed it to the side. Naked, and fully aroused, he took her gently by her shoulders. “Sweet, sweet Katie. What happened was truly horrifying. Traumatic. But right now all I can think about is loving you again. The rest of it barely registers as a thought.”

  When he cradled her cheek with his palm, she grabbed his wrist, holding it there against her face. She said, “I get it. I just can’t believe you’re here right now. Like this, in my apartment.” She sighed. “But I want you, too. Maybe we just need closure.” She nodded, affirming that statement to herself. “Yeah. That’s why it’s okay if Mitch doesn’t know. I’m not a bad person. I can make it official later. Right now, this is about a fresh start. And closure for all that stuff in the past.”

  Armando smiled and weaved his fingers through her hair to the back of her head, then quickly changed course and moved both hands to the small of her back, pulling her close enough for his erection to press against her stomach. “There you go. Overthinking everything.” He kissed her forehead, remember how he always found that quality of hers very endearing. “And you can call it whatever you want, as long as you know that ‘closure’ doesn’t mean we’re finished.”

  She shook her head rapidly, her eyes wide and scared. “No, no, no. I said it’s about a fresh start, but closure first. Begin a new chapter.”

  He laughed, thinking back to their frequent long discussions when they were teenagers. Katie always had philosophies and ideas to discuss. Other guys may have found her annoying, but Armando always paid attention. He loved to hear her thoughts.

  But right now, his greatest desire was to show his love another way. “Baby, you can call it a fresh start. Closure. Whatever you want.” He bent his head down to kiss her, slowly brushing his tongue across her bottom lip until she moaned into his mouth. Then he pulled away, whispering, “I’ll give you closure. I’ll give it to you here on the couch.” His eyes flashed around the room. “On that table over there. In your bed. In the shower.” He gave her a brief kiss then pulled away, his lips going to her earlobe where he nibbled for a second. Then he whispered, “I’ll give you all the closure you can handle.”

  Katie heaved out a breathless moan and melted in his arms. The time for thinking was over. She closed her eyes and savored the feel of his lips and tongue against her ear, then her neck, as his hands went to her to her back, unfastening her bra.

  He tugged the thin straps off her shoulders and she let the bra fall to her wrists, then dangle to the floor. And now, standing there in just her panties, Armando embraced her, pulling her bare chest tight to his as he gave her a deep kiss. His tongue slipped between her lips, moving slowly at first. But when he felt her arms around him and her fingernails raking against his back, his kiss grew harder and more insistent. Her mouth met his with every movement, telling him she wanted more.

  Armando’s hands smoothed a straight line down her sides until he felt the elastic waistband of her panties. His finger gently dug against her soft skin to get under the cotton fabric. He bent his knees as he crouched down to pull them all the way to her feet, and she stepped out of them.

  He trailed wet, warm kisses up her body...her knee, her thigh...she let out a deep moan when she felt his lips against the soft skin of her inner thighs.

  When he heard her reaction, he stayed there kissing her, mere inches away from her most sacred area. It had been too long since he heard those breathy moans from her; he wanted to enjoy them before things got more intense, but he knew he couldn’t wait long. He could smell her sweet arousal.

  Then suddenly she squealed and almost fell forward, losing her balance.

  “Oh no!” Armando stood up, steadying her in his arms. “Are you okay?”

  Katie panted heavily, her mouth hanging wide open. A quick line of words spilled from her mouth. “Oh my God I can’t believe we’re together in my living room.”

  “Are you okay? Maybe I shouldn’t have been so forward. I’ve dreamed of being with you again for so long. Do you need me to stop?”

  Katie’s eyes instantly widened. “No.” Rapidly, she shook her head. “No. No, don’t stop.”

  Their eyes met, and Armando knew she was experiencing the same kind of ethereal sensory overload as he was. He licked his lips, then leaned down for a fiery kiss, his hands going down to the small of her back, then sliding under her thighs, lifting her to his waist.

  She wrapped her arms and legs around him at once, and they stayed there kissing,
his erection pressing near her entrance.

  Armando moved his lips away from hers, as he readjusted her body in his arms. “I assume that’s your bedroom door.” He nodded behind her.

  “Yes,” she said with a purr.

  “Good.” He began a slow walk with her in his arms, stopping every few steps to give her a kiss.

  The bedroom door was ajar, so he pushed his way through and soon placed Katie on the side of her queen-sized bed, her legs dangling off the sides, her pretty face beaming up at him.

  Memories and promises of what might have been mingled in Armando’s thoughts. He spent a moment letting his eyes wash over her, enjoying the breathtaking sight before him.

  Then he dropped down to the bed, hovering over her, his hands on either side of her shoulders. His bare thighs between hers. He leaned down to kiss her lips, then his mouth moved to her neck where he bathed her skin with his hot tongue. His hand covered her breast, holding and squeezing it.

  “Yes...yes...I love that…” Katie moaned in his ear. Her hands slid up and down his back, finally settling on his butt to give it a firm squeeze with both hands as she pulled him closer.

  Armando kissed her neck for a bit longer then whispered in her ear with a grin, “Don’t you want me to take my time?”

  “Maybe later.” Katie closed her eyes, feeling his tip between her legs as he writhed on top of her. Wondering if he would take her at any second.

  He sucked on her earlobe then kissed his way to her mouth, staying there until he felt her hips shift beneath him. He pulled away, panting, and said, “For the love of God, tell me there’s a condom nearby.”

  Katie tossed her head back, giggling. “Uh-huh. Nightstand. Top drawer. Left side. You can probably reach one from here.”

  Armando narrowed his eyes at her in a mock display of aggravation as he stretched his arm to the nearby nightstand and opened the drawer. “Bad girl. Felt like you wanted to get me in there without a condom for a second.”

  Katie bit her lip. “No. I just wanted you. Remember? We used to do it without one all the time.”

  “Yeah.” He produced a condom and immediately tore it open. His eyes widened at her. “We were pretty damn stupid at times. Thank God for a little maturity.”

  She propped up on her elbows as she watched him stand and unroll it down his shaft. “We weren’t stupid, honey.” She smiled, both at those sweet memories, and the intoxicating sight of his firm body. “We were in love. Young and wild and—”

  “Dumb.” he said, flatly. Then his face perked up as she spread her legs a bit wider. He put his arms under her thighs and lifted her to meet him. As he entered her, he watched her head fall back against the bedspread in ecstasy. He remained still, memorizing the moment, unable to contain his gigantic smile.

  Katie was his again. Armando had reclaimed her.

  He would surely remember this as one of the happiest moments of his life.

  Armando started moving when she met his gaze. “I’ve never stopped loving you, Katie.”

  Her heart swelled. “Me neither, Armando. I love you.” She paused for a moan as he worked deeper inside her. “I can’t imagine not loving you.”

  There was so much more he wanted to say, but it was time to simply show her how he felt. He kept his fixed eyes on hers and rocked into her. After a while he took one of her legs and held it straight up in the air, kissing the top of her foot, then her ankle.

  Katie’s moans soon became shouts as he skillfully penetrated her. She watched his mouth hang open, hungry.

  Armando went faster and faster, unable to hold back. With other women, that’s what he would’ve done. But it wasn’t possible right now. He had locked eyes with the love of his life, and he couldn’t contain his passion.

  Soon he was ramming into her with all his might as she screamed his name. Oh, the sound of her voice...the way her body writhed under him...the feel of her soft skin with every thrust…

  “I love you!” Armando shouted just before he finished.

  “I love you too!” Katie’s entire body shook as she climaxed along with him.

  * * * * *

  A few minutes later, after Armando had disposed of the condom, Katie curled up against him in bed on top of the sheets, uncovered. The bedspread lay on the floor.

  Armando’s hard bicep cradled Katie’s head. His other arm went around her, bringing her body against his as he planted gentle kisses on her forehead, nose, cheeks...finally settling on her mouth.

  Katie’s hand slid up and down his back, which was a tiny bit sweaty from making love to her. She reveled in his arms and the subtle fragrance of his cologne as she felt the hard lines of the muscles in his back.

  She moved her hand to his side, then to his stomach.

  He shivered and let out a tiny chuckle, breaking their kiss.

  “Sorry.” Katie winced. “You’re ticklish. I forgot.”

  Armando’s brows furrowed. “I’m not that ticklish anymore.”

  Katie pulled away a little, scanning his chest and abs as she contemplated how she hoped to get to learn everything about him all over again. Her eyes settled on a mark several inches above his hip. “Ooh, I remember that scar.”

  Armando sighed and rolled away a little, looking down at his body. “Yeah. At least the one on my chin went away. Mostly.”

  Katie’s eyes went to his chin. It bore a scar that was now so tiny, you had to know it was there to see it. “I’ll never forget how worried I was when I heard about your accident. You came to school with all these bandages like you were dying.”

  “I know. It could’ve been a lot worse.”

  A tiny rush of excitement passed through Katie as she thought back to their junior year, when they were mere friends with unspoken crushes on each other. Armando and Ramon had wrecked an old pick-up truck on the ranch. The truck was totaled, but luckily neither boy was seriously injured aside from a lot of soreness and a few wounds requiring stitches. When Armando came back to school a couple of days later, several girls who had been vying for his attention used his injuries as an excuse to vie even harder. Laurie Haskell made him cookies. Tiffany Hunt offered to carry his books to every class for him. Armando was flattered by their actions, but unaffected. By the way it appeared to Katie, she thought she had no chance with him, with so many other girls around. It would be several months before he confessed he had only liked her all along.

  Katie asked, “So, how’d that accident happen, anyway? You’d never tell me.”

  Armando rolled his eyes and huffed an annoyed breath out of the side of his mouth. “It was so stupid, it’s embarrassing. Ramon thought he was a stunt driver or something.”

  “Well, I guess he thought wrong.”

  “Ain’t that the truth. He didn’t even have his driver’s license yet.”

  Katie bristled at the thought of Ramon. “He really hates me, doesn’t he?”

  Armando inhaled deeply before speaking. “I told you the other day, he’s going through something. That’s why he’s a jerk.”

  “No, it’s because he hates me. He’ll always hate me for what happened.” She frowned.

  “It doesn’t matter what my brother thinks. You let me take care of that.” Armando cupped her cheek. “How about tonight we don’t talk about any of that bullshit. Your family, my family. It’s been ten fucking years. It’s time we do what’s right for us.”

  Katie’s bottom lip slowly began to tremble. “I don’t know. It just seems like no one’s on our side. It scares me. I wish it didn’t.”

  Armando gave her a sympathetic look, his hand moving to her back. His voice was gentle. “Why? A lot’s changed since then. I’m not trying to sound arrogant but I consider myself the one with the upper hand this time. I don’t care how many powerful friends your dad has all over Texas. There’s nothing he can do to me. To us.”

  Katie shook her head as her eyes welled up with tears. “He can freeze me out. Never talk to me again. I know my dad can be an asshole sometimes. And Mom’s not much
better. But they’re the only parents I have. I wouldn’t mind moving away and only seeing them a few times a year but I don’t know if I could handle being cut out of their lives completely.”

  Armando let out a defeated sigh. “Yeah. I get it. But maybe it won’t come to that.”

  She sniffled as a few tears fell down her face. “I hope not but after the talk I had with Mom last week…” She paused to take a deep breath and wipe her cheeks with her fingers. “If you really want me, it has to be a sure thing. My entire life will change. I’m sure of it. I can’t give up my parents over an impetuous fling.”

  Armando pulled her closer, looking deep into her eyes. “This isn’t a fling for me. This is me coming home to my best friend. To the love of my life who I’ve thought about every single day since that afternoon when we were torn apart. I regret like hell that I didn’t come back sooner but I fucking hate regret. I’m not gonna live my life that way. I just wanna be happy, and you make me happy, Katie.”

  Overwhelmed, Katie laughed as thick tears rolled down her cheeks.

  He brought her close, letting her cry against the crook of his neck for several minutes until her tears lessened, and she pulled away enough to look in his eyes.

  Katie inhaled very slowly, then said, “It’s happening so fast. A few weeks ago I was engaged to someone else and now I’m here in my bed, in your arms. It feels like I’m stuck with my back against the wall, watching the room spin around me. Wondering what’ll happen when it stops.”

  Armando gently replied, “You’re dizzy.”

  Katie let out a soft chuckle. “Yeah.”

  He cradled her in his arms, one arm under her head, the other against her back, pulling her closer. “My sweet Katie. I know there’s a whole lot that doesn’t make sense right now. Hell, what happened to us back then didn’t make any sense either. But I love you. And you said you loved me, too. Right?”

  She nodded silently.

  He continued. “Well, maybe love doesn’t have to make sense. For years I’ve wondered why I couldn’t fall in love with someone else. But now I know why.” He brushed his fingertips along her jaw. “It was you. It’s always been you. No other woman stands a chance.” He paused to kiss her forehead. “Have you considered that maybe we still have these feelings for a reason? Maybe it’s a gift. A second chance. Yeah, what happened back then was traumatic. Believe me, waking up on the side of that road and not knowing how I got there was probably the lowest moment of my life. But how much good would it do me to cry about it now? To live my life in fear or anger, pissed off at the world because someone hurt me? Why can’t I just be thankful that when I was young, I fell in love with the most amazing girl in the world? And ten years later, I found her again and knew for sure I was still in love with her. That doesn’t have to be a bad thing, does it? We can just take it as a gift, because that’s what it is. To me.”