Love in Bloom (De La Fuente Family #3)

by Lexi Buchanan

  Silence followed the truth about the whole thing until Mateo started laughing.

  He stood and stalked to the window before he faced her. “Seeing you like that, you suit Erin.”

  “Thank you…I think.” She offered him a wry smile and sat up to face him. It felt odd having the conversation while she was still sprawled on the bed and Mateo stood.

  “They wanted to punish me for all the shit I’d caused them up to gaining a fiancée. Didn’t they?”

  “I guess. No one ever told me why. I just needed the money. It was my last chance of employment before I had to drop out of college. I would have pretty much said yes to anything so I could finish college.”

  “How did you work around the events and visiting with my family? I never even asked if you were free. I just presumed.”

  “Most of it was over college vacation and the other I caught up. The professor over the department knew of my situation and I guess he was more lenient with me because of it. He knew I was determined to finish the program.”

  “Erin.” He rolled her name around on his tongue a few times while he met her gaze.

  “I don’t now what to tell my family,” he admitted. “I’ve never lied to them. Well, maybe once or twice as a kid. If they’ve asked me something outright then I’m always truthful even if it makes me cringe. I love and respect them…Fuck! This is all screwed up.”

  The tormented look on his face caused her to move over to him where she took his hand into hers. “Why don’t we go back downstairs, right now, and tell them everything. You can start by admitting that you’d been a drunken idiot and I’ll explain. I, at least, owe you that much.”

  What was she doing?

  If they told his family everything, then she’d have no excuse to stay and be with Mateo. It would hurt her to leave the handsome man who looked so torn about what to do. But it was the right thing to do. It had gone on for too long and there was no need to continue anymore.

  He intertwined their fingers together as though he needed the comfort she offered as he admitted, “They told me I couldn’t talk to anyone about the arrangement. But instead of listening to them, I should have swallowed what little pride I had left and admitted the truth from day one.” He ran his fingers through his hair while he kept hold of her hand. “They’re my family, Erin. All I have. I’d trust each of them with my life. Why the fuck didn’t I tell them the truth?”

  “I honestly don’t know. I just knew that coming here for your brother’s wedding had to be the end. I couldn’t do it anymore. I haven’t been paid since your accident, which is fine. But it needed to end and after how I’ve behaved in front of everyone you love, I thought they deserved an ending as well.” She tried to pull her hand free except he wouldn’t let go. He held it against his chest and watched her. It was as though he searched her eyes trying to find something.

  “It hurt you being that other person. Didn’t it?”

  She nodded and whispered, “So much. I’ve never hurt or been rude to anyone before in my life, and then, all of a sudden, I had to. I really hated it. All I’ve ever wanted was to be part of a large family, and even if it had been for a little while, I’d have loved to have them like me. For them to have made me feel welcome.”

  “The PR team didn’t just screw up my life, did they? They screwed up yours as well?”

  “Yeah, they did.”

  “How about we give you the week here, and then break things off like we planned? We’ll hang out and hopefully, my family will see how much you’ve changed and come around. Emelia might be a problem but the others will be okay.”

  “Why? Why would you do that? I caused an accident.” She couldn’t go on with the memory of that.

  “You didn’t. It was an accident. You just reacted and Kasey lost control of his truck. We need to put all that behind us because all I know is that your life has changed because of me. What the PR team asked of you was wrong, but it always returns to me in the end. I owe you.”

  She met his gaze and finally managed to step away from the heat of his large body. “You don’t owe me, but I’d like to be here for the wedding.” She offered him a shy smile. “I did buy a nice dress to wear, which is me.”

  “Then you’ll stay.”

  “I still don’t feel right not admitting the truth to your family.”

  “I’ll tell them after you’ve gone.” He sat in the chair by the window. “But, maybe your time here would be easier if I admitted to my own stupidity beforehand…fuck, there’s no more beds.” He met her gaze.

  She wanted to jump up and down with joy, but instead she turned her back to him so he wouldn’t see the grin she was unable to hide.

  “I’ll tell them, but we’re adults and sharing the room won’t be a problem,” Mateo said.

  “Are you sure about that?” She glanced at the bathroom and then Mateo.

  His eyes widened as a blush coated his cheekbones. He stood and prowled toward her like a sleek cat. “You heard me, huh?” He grinned, all signs of his embarrassment gone. “That’s what eighteen months of going without does to a guy the first time he has a woman’s touch.” His eyes hardened and he looked annoyed. “I would have reacted to any woman’s touch the way I did yours with how fucking horny I was, so don’t worry about a repeat…I’m going to talk to my family.”

  Chapter Nine

  What the fuck possessed him to tell her that? Any woman would do. What a fucking lie. The fact was that it had been her small hands on his flesh and the innocence that surrounded her now that she was being herself.

  Okay, he had no idea what she’d been on about at the time, but no matter what he thought she’d looked so fucking sweet and innocent that he hadn’t had a hope in hell of keeping his libido in check. If only she hadn’t been on her knees in front of him, he might have stood a chance. But the image of her smooth breasts combined with her being eye level with his dick had set him on fire.

  Even now, just thinking about her in that position made him twitch. Who’d he been kidding when he’d said there wouldn’t be a repeat performance? Knowing that she really was a young girl…shit, he hadn’t asked her age. He’d bet his truck that she was younger than he’d originally been told. Without all that makeup and designer clothes, she looked younger, which was why he considered her innocent.

  Fuck!

  With an about turn, he doubled back to his room, opened the door and found her staring out of the window—the same position that he’d been in not too long ago.

  “Hey, Erin. I forgot to ask. How old are you?” He watched her and thought her shoulders shook, but he waited and said nothing more.

  “Twenty-two,” she whispered.

  He closed his eyes and left her alone.

  Twenty-two.

  Sweet and innocent.

  Fuck him.

  He rubbed his brow as he headed back to the kitchen to see if everyone was still around. Part of him wanted to carry on walking to get some fresh air and to forget about the whole fuck-up he’d made. But it had gone on too long and something needed to be said.

  He should actually pat himself on the back for how calm he’d been with Erin. He should have been angry and pissed at her for purposefully hurting his family, but he’d stopped himself. Just to look at her now, he could see the difference between Caprice and Erin.

  Sweet Erin.

  He much preferred the name Erin, than Caprice, just like he preferred the woman. Even his libido had a hard-on for Erin. That wasn’t going to happen even if they were sharing a room. Although her innocence drove him crazy, she was far too young for him.

  He’d already held a job for years and she was about to finish college and head out into the world with her degree under her belt.

  Too young.

  Too sweet.

  Too innocent.

  And he told her that they could still share a room. He could do it. He was a man who could control his reaction if he had to—plenty of cold showers.

  Once he’d told his family, he coul
d go and get laid. He had no commitment to his agent or the PR team anymore, so if something did reach the papers, then what did he care? Erin had her own life to go back to…fuck! Did she have a boyfriend?

  The last thought brought him up short, but why should it? He was going to get laid. He didn’t need to worry about Erin and sex.

  The frown on his face deepened because all he could think about was her perfect breasts and the feel of her small fingers on his skin.

  “Are you planning on standing there all day?” Emelia queried while he blocked the way from the kitchen to the rest of the house.

  He cleared his throat and hoped his erection wasn’t visible. “No.” He walked closer, running his hands through his hair. “I need to talk to you all though.”

  “Is Caprice okay?” his mom asked. “I’ve seen her looking upset before when she thought no one was watching, but I’ve never seen tears on her face.”

  “I’ve so had enough of this and it’s about time I was completely honest with everyone.”

  “Mateo, we know son.” His father held his gaze, but Mateo couldn’t work out exactly what they knew. There was no way they’d know about the fake engagement.

  “Whatever you know probably isn’t the full story,” he admitted.

  “We know about the hard partying and other things.” His father frowned, which let Mateo know that his father wasn’t happy with him.

  “Okay.” He sighed heavily. “The full story is that I let the partying get out of hand and Donny had eventually had enough with me constantly making the papers for the wrong reason. He got the PR team involved and let them have full run at straightening me out. That’s where Caprice comes into it.”

  “Now this we don’t know.” His father sighed, resigned.

  His father’s reaction made him nervous. Even at thirty-two, he still valued and needed his father’s support.

  He swallowed back his shame at the next lie he was about to admit to. “Caprice applied for a job at the stadium. I’m guessing someone there passed her info on to Donny. Anyway, she was offered enough money to complete her college studies to be engaged to me. Something isn’t right with the whole set up. I’m going to go and talk to the head of the PR team after the wedding. Basically, she was told that he’d only pay her if she made my life hell.”

  “Are you saying the whole queen bitch was an act because I find that hard to believe?” Emelia’s question dripped with disbelief.

  “That’s what I’m saying. I believe her. At least, I think I do.” He hoped like hell that she was being honest with him now. “You’ve all seen her this time around. She’s completely different. Everything’s different.” He frowned when he saw the smirk on Diego’s face.

  “I think someone likes her.” Diego grinned.

  Mateo frowned. “I do like her now. I like the fact that for once I can relax in front of her instead of constantly being on guard.” She just caused him a different kind of tension now. “Look, I want her to stay this week and be here for the wedding. She doesn’t have any family. She’s due to graduate in May with a degree in business finance. She’s a total surprise and I can’t be angry with her.”

  He ran his hands through his hair. “I’m angry about what she was asked to do, but she needed the money. I can’t blame her for that.”

  His mom laid her hand on his arm. “She can stay Mateo, but the house is still full.”

  He cringed, knowing that his brothers would have a field day with his next confession. “I’ve told her she can stay with me in my room.”

  “Um, I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” His mom frowned.

  Mateo glanced at his brothers and saw shit-eating grins on their face. Diego looked ready to burst a gasket.

  He shook his head. “Okay, you idiots. There’s no other way and I’m sure as hell not sharing a room with one of you. She’s too young for me at twenty-two. We’ll manage.”

  “So she is younger.” His mom reached for a cookie while deep in thought.

  “You really believe that other person wasn’t her?” Emelia didn’t look all that convinced as she held Dante’s hand.

  His sister had hated Caprice from the get go, so he expected her to be the hardest one to sell what he hoped was the truth.

  “I do, and her real name is Erin, which after seeing her now, really suits her.”

  “Erin?”

  “Yeah.”

  “No,” his mom paused, “I meant, Erin.” She stood and as Mateo followed with his eyes, he realized that Erin had appeared in the doorway.

  “Come.” She hugged her, surprise clear on Erin’s face. “Mateo’s told us everything, and we’d love for you to stay for the wedding.”

  His mom led her over to where they were sitting around the kitchen table. Mateo stood and shoved Erin down into his vacated seat. She looked like she was hovering and he hated seeing her so unsure about his family.

  “I owe everyone an apology.” Her voice wavered, so he offered support by moving in close and resting his hand on her shoulder. The move didn’t go unnoticed by his family judging from the looks on their faces.

  What the hell though, she needed support. He wasn’t a total jackass. When she’d been in Caprice mode, he’d never offered it, which didn’t sit well with him now that he knew ‘Caprice’ had been all for show. They’d all been raised to act with respect and somewhere along the way he’d lost it.

  “Go on,” he encouraged.

  “I’m sorry for everything that I’ve said and done to make you hate me.” Her voice wobbled even more as she faced his brothers. “Kasey, Emelia and Mateo, I’m so sorry about the accident at Thanksgiving. I’m not going to blame Caprice for that because it was purely me. I didn’t think and just reacted. Stupidly, I know, but I’m really sorry.” She sighed heavily, wiped a tear from her cheek and offered a wry smile. “A lot of things have played heavily on my mind, but none as much as that.”

  A few seconds ticked by before Kasey replied, “Let’s just put it behind us and start again, okay?”

  “I agree with Kasey.” His mom smiled, and then added, “For once.”

  The others chuckled, but it was Erin’s whispered, “I’d like that,” which kicked him in the gut, more so when she looked up at him as though she needed an escape.

  He cleared his throat and yanked her up from the chair. “We’re going out for a bit.”

  Before anyone could say anything, he had her outside and in his truck.

  Chapter Ten

  Erin felt shaky after being with Mateo’s family again, but she’d done the right thing by apologizing. It hadn’t been easy having so many eyes on her but Mateo’s encouragement had helped her get the words out. He’d also been in tune enough with her to realize she’d needed to escape again.

  Which was why they headed toward town in his truck. Mateo had no reason to be nice to her or supportive with his family, but he had been, and for that, she was grateful.

  Her stomach picked the right moment to let out a growl of hunger into the silent cab. She felt heat creep onto her face when Mateo laughed.

  “I guess I should have eaten on the plane, huh?” she chuckled.

  Mateo glanced at her before his eyes went back to the road. “We’ll go to the bistro in town. I have a hankering for a slice of carrot cake that Barbara makes. It melts in your mouth.”

  “I could eat cake.”

  Silence followed her admission until they’d pulled up outside the bistro.

  She was about to step out of the truck, but Mateo grabbed her arm. When she stayed put, he kept his hand on hers and rubbed back and forth over the pulse in her wrist with his thumb.

  “I just want to thank you for what you said back there. I know it must have been daunting, but I appreciated it, and so did they.”

  “It was nerve racking, but it helped having you close.” She flushed at her admission and met his gaze.

  His eyes flared with heat, and then he seemed to pull himself together and shook his head. “I’m glad.”

/>   Jumping down from his truck, he ran around and opened the door for her. He didn’t wait for her to struggle out on this occasion like he always did with Caprice but, instead, he grabbed her hips and hauled her out.

  She gasped in surprise and steadied herself by holding onto his arms. The whole thing lasted seconds before he released her but it had been enough to feel the heat of his body.

  Her young untrained one had sparkled to life at his touch and her nipples were hard tight buds that pressed against her thin T-shirt. She pulled her hair forward to try and hide the effect he had over her, but when his eyes dropped to her chest, she knew that the hair didn’t hide anything.

  He lifted his gaze to hers before his eyes dropped back to her chest.

  Embarrassed, she turned and headed up the steps toward the Bistro door that called to her. As she pulled it open, footsteps behind told her that Mateo had followed.

  She’d never had anyone stare at her like he just had. Her body had tingled from his gaze. But she hadn’t known how to handle such a situation, just like the time back in his apartment. She wasn’t shy, just unsure of Mateo and how he had looked at her. She’d managed as Caprice because she’d been playing a part. But now that she was herself, it made her feel awkward.

  Inside, the owner, Barbara, wasn’t exactly horrible to her but she wasn’t welcoming either. If it hadn’t been for Mateo beside her, she’d have turned around and left.

  “I’m sorry.” Mateo leaned close and tried to catch her gaze.

  She focused on him and softly smiled. “You have nothing to apologize for. It’s my entire fault. Everything is.” No doubt wherever she went in town, she’d get the same response. They all hated her and she had no one to blame but herself.

  “Stop that. Roger held your future over your head so you did what you had to do. We all see that. I wish things had been different for both of us, but it wasn’t and we’ll deal with it. Plus, after this week, you won’t have a reason to come back here so don’t worry about it.”