by Reeni Austin
After a little while, he shrugged away from them and said, "Stop! Damn it, guys. Enough of that shit." He wiped his eyes and stared at the floor.
Armando said, "No, pendejo, I won't stop. In fact, I think I'm offended."
Victor nodded. "Yeah. Me too." He glared at Ramon. "After all we've been through together, did you really think you could get rid of us?"
Ramon muttered, "No. I figured you guys were the ones who wanted to get rid of me." As they opened their mouths in protest, Ramon interrupted them in an urgent tone. "I never fit in with you! Never. I mean, look at you." He gestured vaguely at each of them. "All classy and shit. Went to college. Traveled the world. Made these big names for yourselves." He sighed, gazing off at the wall. "And right here's my life. It's all I know." He gave each brother a momentary glimpse then looked down at the floor. "I got nothin' in common with you. I don't understand why you still talk to me. Or why you'd stop everything to stay here with me for so long." He sniffled. "Family obligation, maybe? I know damn well I'm a burden and you feel sorry for me. I was never as smart as you guys. Never wanted all the shit you guys had."
Victor let out a single, uneasy chuckle and gave Armando a dumbfounded look. Dazed, Victor said to Ramon, "I don't even know where to start. Are you saying you think we've been waiting to write you out of our lives? That'll never happen."
Armando rolled his eyes. "And how the hell are you a burden when you've never let us help you? Maybe you don't know what burden means. Shit, I wish you'd take our money. I'd sleep better at night."
Ramon took a deep breath, trying to steady the emotions building inside him.
"Yeah." Victor nodded. "And what's this bullshit about not being as smart as us?" His mouth hung open, glaring at Ramon. "You've always been the smartest one. We all know that!"
Ramon gave Victor a blank look and a shrug. "No…"
Armando grunted. "Pendejo! You were valedictorian of your senior class!"
Ramon felt a sudden burst of anger as his thoughts changed course. "That's only 'cause I graduated with a bunch of fuckin' morons."
Victor chuckled. "I know. I remember your valedictorian speech." He looked at Armando. "Remember how angry the principal was because he gave a different speech at graduation practice?"
In defense, Ramon said, "Well, I told 'em not to make me give a damn speech in the first place. Serves 'em right."
Armando and Victor looked at each other and instantly erupted in laughter.
Ramon rolled his eyes in the midst of his brothers' hysteria. He never understood why they found his high school graduation so amusing. He blurted out a cynical, "Go ahead, laugh it up."
Ramon had no idea if he wanted to sob, laugh, or scream until his throat was raw. His heart threatened to explode as he processed a new surge of emotions he couldn't identify. Whatever they were, they were laced with relief. Maybe his brothers were telling the truth. Maybe they hadn't been waiting his entire life to figure out a way to unload him.
When Victor finally calmed down, he said, "Ramon, a lot of families have some kinda fucked-up drama in their history. It's not that uncommon. And I do plan on getting this whole mess sorted out." He took a step closer to Ramon, tilting his head down to try to look up in his eyes. "But even if we never know the truth, who the hell cares? We've always been brothers, and we're always gonna be."
"Yeah." Armando sidled up next to Ramon, draping an arm around his back. "And you're not a burden. That's the last thing I'd ever say about you."
Victor smiled and came up to Ramon's other side, stretching his arm across his back beneath Armando's. "Yeah. I'm here because I want to be here. With you. There's no obligation." He let out a chuckle. "You're a jerk sometimes but you're still one of my favorite people in the entire world."
Unprepared for their heartfelt sentiments, Ramon's chest tightened. He gazed down at his boots and took shallow breaths to remain calm.
Armando laughed, then his voice took on a hint of silliness as he pulled Ramon closer. "You're our baby brother. We love you."
Victor patted Ramon's back, chuckling. In an oddly gentle voice, he said, "That's right, baby brother. You can't get rid of us." Victor's voice broke at the end of his sentence, tears drifting down his cheeks.
Ramon let out a snort to keep himself from crying. He hated being called "baby brother," and they knew it. Victor and Armando learned that phrase shortly after they moved to Texas and started speaking English all the time. At first, they taunted him with it because they knew it got under his skin. But as the years went by, they used it occasionally, usually when they wanted to annoy him.
But today, Ramon knew it was a term of endearment. A phrase that conjured up shared memories, taking them back to a time when they were three wide-eyed, carefree boys who had just moved to a nice house on a vast cattle ranch. The years Ramon spent there with his brothers were the happiest years of his life, and he secretly hoped they would move back here with him someday. His hopes were dashed the day he found those pictures, thinking they would use them as a reason to get rid of him.
But now, he felt like an idiot for thinking that. For the first time in his life, Ramon felt like his brothers loved him for him, whether he was really their brother or not.
Ramon broke free of their arms and mumbled, "I gotta go," as he slid his arm across his face against a river of tears. He was about to shatter into a million pieces and he didn't want them to see it. He ducked his head down and raced out the door to the hall, intent on hiding in his bedroom for the rest of the night. He was almost there when the bathroom door suddenly opened…
And there she was. Oblivious to her own power. Innocently blinking up at him with her pretty, doe eyes. Gently asking, "Are you all right?" as she reached up, curling her fingers around his arm so tenderly… so perfectly…
He was too weak to resist. There was no fight left in him.
His lips captured hers. His fingers coiled in her hair. Tears fell from his eyes and drifted down her cheeks, and she kissed him harder, standing on her toes, pushing her face up to his.
Ramon slid his hands all the way down to the backs of her thighs, hoisting her up to his waist. And then, like steel to a magnet, he pushed his way into her bedroom and kicked the door closed behind him.
His tension disappeared as he melted into her. His confusion. His sadness. The emotions he'd bottled up for months somehow faded into bliss at the feel of her body.
There was nothing outside that bedroom. No party downstairs. No painful memories. No reason to be ashamed anymore. There was only him and this amazing creature who had sneaked her way into his heart.
There was only Marcy.
CHAPTER 24
Marcy had no idea why he was crying or why he swept her into the bedroom and she didn't stop to think about it. She simply went limp in his arms, kissing him back as fiercely as possible.
Gasping when she unexpectedly landed on the bed.
Ramon hovered over her, taking her wrists and joining them together over her head. Kissing her harder than he had ever kissed her before.
Without the use of her arms, she thrust her hips up to his and wrapped her legs around his waist.
He moaned into her mouth and lowered his body, letting his weight rest on hers as their mouths locked.
Then suddenly he tossed his head back and yelled, "Shit!"
She instinctively relaxed her legs and released him. He hopped off the bed, racing to the door to lock it.
When he came back, his eyes swept over her for a split second as he licked his lips. Then he bent forward and grabbed the bottom of her shirt, yanking it up over her head with such force, she heard the fabric rip. But she didn't complain. Instead, she remained still, waiting for his next move.
Without a word, Ramon's hands went to her zipper. A moment later she felt her shorts and panties yanked down her legs in one violent motion.
Maybe she should've been scared by his aggression, but she wasn't. The excitement she felt in this moment was brand new to her. F
or days she wanted him to want her again, and now—for reasons she may never know—he seemed to want her more than ever.
But maybe it wasn't a want. It felt more like a need. Whatever it was, she was willing.
It only took seconds for Ramon to peel out of his clothes.
When he did, he jumped into bed, and she parted her thighs. Again he took each of her hands and slammed them down against the pillow in the space between her head and the headboard.
His kiss was hungrier this time, like he'd been waiting forever for this moment. And to Marcy, that's exactly how it felt. Her entire body was on edge with want as she fully realized how much she missed him.
Then a sudden, nagging message infiltrated her thoughts. No matter what feelings she had, he was still a guy she had just met. She should hold back. She shouldn't want him like this. It shouldn't feel so familiar and so right… the way his hot thighs skimmed hers… the way their lips molded together and their tongues slipped past each other in perfect rhythm. Something had to be wrong here. It was all too new and too perfect.
But why, then, did she love being at his mercy?
She dismissed the nagging thought and opened her mouth to give his glorious tongue more room. She spread her thighs as far she could, with one foot dangling from the side of the bed. She was his stolen possession, there for the taking. And she craved him everywhere.
The heat of his body pressing down on hers made her sex ache with need. He shifted between her legs and she felt his hard member right there, exactly where she wanted him. But he waited, plying her with passionate kisses. Trapping her beneath his rugged, hard-lined form as he clutched her hands over her head.
Marcy couldn't take it anymore. With her whole body, she attempted to buck against him but she couldn't move a muscle.
Ramon continued on, kissing her. Holding her captive with his body until she emitted a loud, furious sound from the back of her throat.
And then, as if he could read her mind, his pelvis lifted and he slammed into her so hard, the headboard rattled the wall.
She moaned deep into his mouth, and he finally broke the kiss. His body still, his lips went to her ear where he whispered, "Is that what you wanted?"
"Yes," she breathed.
Ramon's tongue made her tremble as it moved in a slow circle, his searing breath filling her ear.
She inhaled, quivering. In an urgent whisper, she said, "Please," then moaned as he pressed deeper inside.
His soft lips planted wet kisses on her ear, then her temple.
Abruptly, he moved her hands straight out to her sides as his body raised above hers.
Her heart stopped when she looked up in his intense brown eyes. It was all right there—his pain. His desire. His vulnerability. And she wanted desperately to soothe him. Like a reflex, she whispered, "I'm sorry."
Then his eyes flashed with anger and stayed on hers as he gritted his teeth and slammed into her again.
"Fuck!" she shrieked. Her eyes remained open and fixed on his as her body jolted from his brute force.
Gritting his teeth, he slammed her again.
Marcy inhaled a high-pitched gasp, unable to speak.
He repeated the motion, going faster each time in response to her sounds.
And suddenly, Ramon's face softened. He released her hands and lowered his body.
She threw her arms and legs around him. They kissed as his hips fell into a steady rhythm.
When he felt her nails scratching his back, Ramon released her mouth and lifted up slightly, moving faster than before.
Marcy shifted underneath him, moaning as he hit all the right spots… repeatedly…
Sounds of the party occasionally floated into the room but they were quickly drowned out and forgotten. As Ramon's pace quickened, Marcy felt her climax building. Usually she tried to stay quiet for the sake of everyone else in that house but not tonight. Instead, she let herself go, her sounds blending in to the bustling chaos of the party.
As she recovered, Ramon kept going. And he finally cracked a trace of a smile, knowing he had fulfilled her.
Several minutes later, he moaned her name as he finished. Then he collapsed beside her, panting and drenched in sweat.
Between breaths, Ramon whispered, "Got carried… away… forgot… to use…"
Marcy's heart thudded erratically as she finished his sentence. "A condom. I know." Somewhere deep in the back of her mind she knew, but she hadn't fully realized it until now. She quickly thought about her cycle and said, "It should be okay, just this once."
He took a few more breaths then turned to face her, his cheek resting on the pillow. His eyes narrowed. In a voice that was weak, but serious, he said, "Promise you'll never lie to me about something like that."
She gulped. Then she turned on her side, looking deep in his eyes. "I'd do anything to make you trust me again. I wish I could take it all back. I'm so sorry. I—"
"Shh." Ramon's hand went to her temple, massaging it as he curled his fingers in her hair. Softly, he said, "Promise you won't lie to me if I get you pregnant."
"No." Marcy sat up on her elbows and shook her head rapidly. "I'd never do that."
"You promise?"
"Yes, I promise."
Ramon's gaze flickered away from her. He rolled to his back and stared up at the ceiling, his chest rising and falling as he caught the last fragments of his wind.
The weight of his doubt hung heavy like a dark cloud poised to explode overhead.
Marcy's stomach went weak. She rolled to her side. In a shaky voice, she asked, "Is there any hope of you ever trusting me again?"
Ramon's eyes flew to hers. With a blank look, he held her gaze for an excruciatingly long moment, then said, "I don't know."
She nodded and turned away, making no effort to hide the tears welling up in her eyes. "I was only trying to help you. I know that doesn't make it any better, but it's the truth." She swallowed, her throat now scratchy where a lump threatened to form. "I can't stop thinking if we only had more time…" Her voice trailed off as tears spilled down her face.
Ramon watched, captivated, as she wiped her face with the sheet. Urgently, he asked, "If we had more time, what? What were you gonna say?"
Marcy steadied herself with a calming breath and lowered the sheet. Then she met his stunned gaze. Her voice thin, she said, "I was starting to think we had something. Like, something beyond next month."
Ramon's lips parted for a moment like he was about to speak, but he stopped. He stared in her eyes, searching her. Finally, he sat up a little and put his hand under her chin, then slowly dragged his thumb across her bottom lip. He whispered, "Don't let me run you off."
Her breath caught in her throat. It was last thing she expected him to say. Her heart filled with hope, and she suppressed a smile. "You're not running me off. You're running away. That's different."
Ramon withdrew his hand and gave her a glum look. He let out a loud sigh. "I know. How 'bout tonight I stay here?"
"Here? In my bed?"
With a shy grin, he said, "Uh-huh."
She bit her lip and felt warmth rush to her cheeks as a tingling sensation washed over her from head to toe. "Okay," she said in her breeziest tone.
Ramon's grin widened to an enormous smile. "Good." Then he straightened his posture and his smile disappeared. He scratched the back of his neck and looked away. His voice was gentle, as though he was ashamed. "Let's take it day by day. I think we got a little ahead of ourselves before."
"I agree."
His eyes flashed to hers long enough for him to nod in agreement, then look away again. "I know you're only supposed to be here a few more weeks and I can't make any promises…" His voice trailed off.
"I understand. We'd have to get to know each other a little better before we start thinking long term. Right?"
He sighed in relief as he met her gaze. "Yes. So let's take it slow. If it's right, it'll happen."
"Okay." Then her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "So, what if ano
ther guy asks me out while I'm here?"
His lips instantly pursed. His tone was biting. "Why? You got your eye on someone?"
In her head, she produced a satisfied chuckle. "No. Just wondered what I'm supposed to say in that situation. Like, 'Sorry, I can't. I'm the temporary live-in maid for a guy I'm screwing. He sleeps in my bed every night. But it's not," she used air quotes, "'official' because we're taking it slow." She winked at him.
He hung his head in his hands. "Shit. You put it that way, it makes you sound like a whore."
She laughed. "Well, maybe I am."
Ramon cocked his head to the side, smirking. "You are not my whore. You're certainly a hell of a lot more than a maid, though."
They shared a silent gaze until Ramon leaned forward and kissed her, then pulled back, his hand on her cheek. "If some other guy asks you out, you say no." He looked straight in her eyes. "You understand?"
She blinked to look alert, not letting him see she had just melted at his touch. "I think so."
His lips quirked up in a smile. Then he kissed her again and kept his face close. "I don't have all the answers, baby doll. All I know is, I can't stop thinkin' about you. And if all I have with you is another couple weeks, I wanna soak you up as much as possible."
She reached out and weaved her fingers into his hair. In a sad whisper, she said, "I wish I'd never lost your trust."
He shrugged. "Maybe I shouldn't have put so much faith in someone I just met." With a groan, he added, "That's why we gotta take it slow."
The unspoken reality of their situation loomed thick in the room. Marcy was set to move back to New Jersey in a few weeks. Ramon had severe trust issues. Yet somehow, they were supposed to "take it slow" and see what happened?
As he pulled her into a deep kiss, Marcy resigned herself to her fate for the next few weeks: falling for a gorgeous, complicated man who could soon devastate her.
There was an obvious alternative: telling him "no" and banning him from her bedroom. But that was the last thing her heart wanted.
