Love in Bloom (De La Fuente Family #3)

by Lexi Buchanan

  She nodded. “Yes it does.”

  “Then let’s not dwell on the past, okay. I don’t blame you. I blame the assholes in Dallas. There’s no reason why we can’t be friends while you’re here. Plus, I’m hoping for an invite to your graduation.”

  Tears gathered on her lashes as she turned her head and met his soft gaze. “You mean that? You’ll come to my graduation?” She didn’t think he knew how much that meant to her.

  “Diego and Emelia’s graduation was the last one I attended, nearly six years ago. So yeah, I’d love to watch you graduate.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  He hoped he wasn’t digging himself deeper into Erin’s life with the talk about her graduation. The tears on her lashes made his heart thump in his chest, or it could be her closeness. But either way, he would be there no matter what.

  Erin, with her subtle fresh scent that tickled his senses, was beautiful. The fact was that he’d enjoyed spending the afternoon at the park with her and but for his butt having gone numb, he’d keep her to himself that much longer.

  She really was different and as much as he wanted to keep her at arm’s length, he found it difficult. Her age was a problem but his wayward cock had no problem being close to her.

  He’d gone rock hard when she’d moaned while eating the cake and seeing the pleasure on her face had sent his mind to the gutter.

  Her innocence was a huge turn-on, but would he be able to touch her and walk away afterwards. She’d want forever, where he still felt too young to actually settle down with one woman—too many beautiful ones out there to be sampled.

  On that last thought, he felt her grow heavy in his arms as sleep was obviously about to claim her.

  The fact that she felt right against him caused his hand to shake as he brushed the long locks away from her face. She opened sleepy eyes and offered him the sexiest smile ever. His heart jumped in his chest and it took his willpower not to lean that few inches closer and capture it on his lips.

  Instead he cleared his throat and tried to force down the lust that was trapped inside. “We should leave.”

  “Mmm. Okay.” Erin scrambled away but as she got to her feet, he just caught her before she face planted the floor. “God, I’m sorry. I must have gotten up too quickly.” Her hand went to her forehead.

  “Are you okay now?”

  “I think so.” She smiled.

  He turned away so she wasn’t in his sight. Something had to give because he couldn’t be this tied in knots for the whole time she was at his family home. It was as though a switch had been flipped and now he couldn’t get enough.

  Perhaps he should encourage Kasey to spend time with her. He was a couple of years younger than Mateo was. And after what Aiden had said, his younger brother was interested.

  So why didn’t he like that idea?

  “You ready to go?”

  “Yeah.” He grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers together when she looked so fucking lost standing there.

  Erin glanced at their joined hands before he gently tugged and got her moving. With the gentle breeze, her hair curled around his arm and felt silky soft. Her scent drifted toward him and he inhaled. He could get dizzy on her, in fact, he already was.

  “Mateo?”

  At the sound of his name, he realized that he knew the voice and with surprise, he quickly let go of Erin’s hand before he met the gaze of his old high school girlfriend.

  “Allie.” His eyes swept over the woman who he’d lost his virginity too all those years before. She looked sleeker and more polished than the last time he’d bumped into her, which was also the last time they’d had sex—a few years ago. “What are you doing here?”

  “Visiting my brother.” She looked between him and Erin, which brought him out of the surprise.

  “Where are my manners?” He placed his arm around Erin and brought her against him because he felt that she would bolt like a filly if given the chance. “This is Erin. Erin, Allie, a friend from high school.” Once he’d introduced them, he sensed Allie was about to let Erin know exactly how they knew each other. The gleam in her eye and the smile on her face said it all; she hadn’t been happy with the high school comment.

  Erin stayed silent, but Allie really looked Erin over before she said, “But high school isn’t the last time we saw each other naked, now is it, Mateo? I mean we fucked like bunnies in school…and we still do.”

  Fuck!

  She had to open her mouth.

  He felt Erin stiffen against him and he couldn’t decide whether to use it as an excuse to push her away from him or to be honest about Allie to her. Because after the last time they’d been together, he’d told Allie no more.

  Back in high school he’d been obsessed with her, but figured later that it had been his teenage hormones running rampant. Allie wasn’t a nice person and he didn’t want Erin anywhere near her because Allie had a possessive streak a mile long.

  Before he could even excuse them, Erin said, “If you’ll excuse me. You two obviously have some catching up to do.” She untangled herself from his arm and headed toward where he’d parked his truck.

  He sighed heavily and faced Allie not feeling friendly at all because he wanted to head after Erin. “Nice Allie. Always one to be classy,” he sniped, shaking his head. “That was uncalled for and a damn lie. I haven’t fucked you in years.”

  “Eighteen months…and I only wanted her to know about us.” She grinned.

  Mateo ground his teeth and fought the urge to shake the woman so his words would sink in. “There’s nothing between us and hasn’t been for a long time, Allie…and Erin is my fiancée, so leave her alone.”

  “What happened to Caprice?” She narrowed her eyes.

  Fuck!

  He’d forgotten when he’d introduced them.

  “It’s complicated.” He ran his hands through his hair and glanced at his truck.

  “Then un-complicate it.” Allie grazed his chest with one of her sharp nails while she moved into his space.

  That was so not happening.

  “If I wanted to do that, I’d have done it already. I’ll see you around Allie. I need to go and check on my fiancée.”

  Without a backward glance, he headed for Erin because there was a need inside him to make sure she was okay. He hated the thought that she’d been upset by Allie’s careless words.

  He smiled because if Erin was upset at what Allie had said, then that meant he was more than a job to her. He’d really known that already, at least since she arrived yesterday, but it was nice to have it confirmed. However it brought him up short. He shouldn’t like the idea that she was jealous, but he did.

  There must be something wrong with him because she’d only stepped off the plane twenty-four hours ago and now he found that he looked for her when she wasn’t with him. He liked looking at her. When she’d played the role of Caprice, he’d only watched her to keep an eye on what she was up to.

  He’d noticed her physical attributes before, but the woman she’d portrayed had given him a stomachache instead of an erection.

  She was too young.

  His subconscious was a pain in his ass, but as he rounded his truck and saw her, age difference didn’t matter.

  No one had ever made his breath catch at the back of his throat before. He’d never had the urge to just wrap a woman up in his arms and hold her close either.

  When Erin noticed him, her smile seemed strained and for some reason, that hurt. He never explained himself unless he had to and right now it was a case of wanting to.

  “What she said—”

  “It doesn’t matter.” She shrugged. “Can you unlock your truck, please?”

  He closed his eyes and inhaled when she turned her back to him.

  He’d open her door, but not until he’d explained what had been going on because he didn’t want her thinking anything else.

  Erin wouldn’t look at him as he moved closer. When he was mere inches behind her, he leaned in and whis
pered, “She’s not the one that I want, Erin.”

  “Let’s just go back.”

  He moved in closer and slipped his arm around her stomach to keep her against him. “We had a thing in high school, and we kind of became fuck buddies after that,” he winced, “but it all stopped when I became engaged…to you. Allie has the personality of a snake.”

  A chuckle burst from her lips as she turned in his arms, her beautiful eyes searched his face for the truth.

  He’d never been so tempted to kiss anyone before, but the way she looked at him had his gut clenched into a tight knot of arousal.

  “Let’s get back.” Mateo opened the truck and ignored the disappointment he could see on her beautiful face.

  He wanted to stay alone with her that much longer as well.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Erin sat in bed with the covers pulled up to her waist while reading on her kindle. It wouldn’t be long before Mateo came out of the bathroom to join her and the nerves in her belly wouldn’t quit jumping.

  Last night, she’d teased him and he’d gone to sleep even though his body had betrayed him when she’d woken. Tonight, she had to keep telling herself that nothing was about to happen. Mateo was attracted to her just like she was him but she knew that he had a problem with her age.

  He’d promised her that there would be no reason for her to worry about the sleeping arrangements but she was. He made her tingle in places that only he’d ever done and her heart always beat to an irregular rhythm when he was close.

  Sleeping all night in a bed with him, without being allowed to touch him, would be frustrating. The only in depth sexual knowledge she had was from the novels she read. They left little to the imagination and got her hot and bothered.

  Just like the one she read now—Sizzle.

  It certainly made her blood sizzle and the scene she’d just started to read would make her blush like a schoolgirl if Mateo came out and caught her.

  Before she could flip to the next page, the door opened and she caught her breath at the sight. Mateo stood in sweatpants that hung very low on his hips while his heated gaze caressed over her skin like a piece of fine silk.

  Her nipples beaded beneath the tight fitting tank top like homing beacons. Mateo couldn’t take his eyes from her and as much as he tried to look elsewhere, his gaze went back to her chest.

  Because she’d been doing some admiring of her own, she noticed the twitch in his sweats, which had him turning away from her while he moved around the room.

  She hid her smirk at his reaction to her behind the kindle, but as he settled into bed she felt his gaze.

  “You planning on ignoring me all night?” he grouched.

  “I thought you wanted to go to sleep. I mean, there isn’t much to do in bed.” The moment the words left her mouth she felt the blush creep all over her face. “I mean—”

  “I know what you mean,” Mateo interrupted and cleared his throat. “So, what are you reading? Same book as last night?”

  Her blush deepened.

  “Um…a book,” she answered meekly, knowing it was a stupid answer but she really wanted to avoid talking about her current reading material.

  “Funny.” He grabbed the kindle from her hands and smiled to himself. “I’ll read it to you.” He grinned.

  “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.” Her heart flipped and she prayed for darkness because there was no way her whole body wouldn’t turn bright red if Mateo read the book aloud.

  “I like a good challenge.” He tapped the screen. “Sizzle, huh?”

  She could hide under the covers.

  “Settle back, babe, and enjoy.” He winked while she tried to hide her mortification.

  “Okay…” He settled himself against a pillow and started to read.

  “So fucking wet.”

  Mateo paused, glanced at her from the corner of his eyes, cleared his throat and carried on reading…

  Groaning, I pulled his mouth back down to mine while he continued scissoring his fingers in and out of my sex.

  He broke away, growled as he lifted me up and placed me on the table in the room. “Lift up.”

  I did and he yanked my jeans down my legs, removing my cowgirl boots as well.

  Being bare ass naked with Phoenix standing between my open thighs, looking straight between my legs while he breathed heavily was such a turn-on.

  “I know how to use my mouth, right, Thalia?”

  “Oh God.”

  He dropped to his knees and didn’t give me time to get used to him; his tongue and mouth assaulted me with a thunderbolt of pleasure. I thought I was going to shake apart.

  “So fucking responsive. Have you got any idea what it did to me to hear you telling Callie about me?” He stood up and looked down at me. “I’ll show you.”

  He winced as he unzipped his jeans, shoving them down his hips, letting his hugely swollen cock spring free. He made me squirm.

  For the first time in front of anyone, I brought my feet up on the desk, and then, spreading my legs, ran a finger over my pussy lips and dipped it into my sex. In and out, slowly, moaning as I arched up from the table.

  “Holy fuck,” Phoenix choked out. “That’s fucking hot. I can see how wet your cunt is.” He groaned.

  Mateo stopped reading and silence descended on the room. She chanced a glance at him and saw his hands gripped her kindle as he bent the leg closest to her.

  Was he hiding something? She had a good idea what and smiled. “I’m dying to know what happens next,” she teased.

  He groaned and cleared his throat again.

  He gripped his cock in his hand and moved it back and forth a couple of times while I watched the tip leak. With his eyes still focused on the action between my legs, I begged, “Come closer. I want to touch you.”

  He shook his head. “You touch me, I won’t last.”

  My mouth had gone dry while I continued to watch him move his hand up and down the length of him. I stuck my tongue out and licked my lips. “It’s so hot watching you fist your cock.” I removed my hand from between my legs.

  As I moved into a more upright position, Phoenix grabbed my wrist and licked my fingers.

  “You taste delicious,” he said between sucks.

  He released my hand, so I reached out, rubbing my finger along the slit where he still leaked. “I want to watch you come.”

  “Fuck, yeah.”

  I quickly scrambled to get on my knees and licked his balls, sucking them into my mouth for a tongue massage. Phoenix sped up the movements with his hand, getting closer to release as his breathing picked up. I was turned on to high heaven watching him, knowing he was jerking off looking at me, because his eyes hadn’t moved from my body.

  “Get back on the table.”

  “What?”

  “Thalia, please. If I’m going to come, so are you.”

  Mateo groaned but carried on reading.

  Sitting on the table, Phoenix gently pushed me back and stood between my legs. After he took a deep breath, he started rubbing my mound, slipping his finger into my sex before playing with my clit.

  Unable to keep my groan in any longer, I let it out, nearly screaming when Phoenix started fucking me with three fingers. I watched him through hooded eyes, fisting his cock.

  “Thalia, I’m going to come,” he groaned.

  “Me too.” I slammed my head back on the table as I started coming apart on his fingers, biting my lip to stop myself from shouting out loud. My orgasm wasn’t stopping as Phoenix continued to massage the walls of my sex.

  “Fuck.”

  That was the only warning I had, when I felt warm bursts of cum, splash against my pussy, over and over again while Phoenix groaned. God, that was fucking hot.

  “Thalia . . . I don’t . . . Hell.”

  Phoenix could hardly stand up as he leaned over me, rubbing his cock in the mess he made between my legs, while he took my lips in one of the softest kisses I’d ever experienced, bringing tears to my ey
es.

  “Fucking hell…That’s enough. I’m not reading one of them again while I’m in bed with you.” Mateo placed her kindle on his night table and turned to look at her.

  Her breath caught at the back of her throat when she realized that she was in bed with one turned on man who had his whole attention on her.

  She nervously chewed on her bottom lip and felt arousal wherever Mateo caressed her with his gaze.

  “Don’t do that.” He used a finger to tug her lip free of her teeth and then caressed along the sore lip. “You do that every time I make you nervous.”

  Was it her imagination or had he moved closer? Her body throbbed with need even though it took a lot not to move away from him.

  Mateo was a handsome man and he gave off testosterone like no business. So much so that her sleep shorts were damp between her thighs from excitement.

  “I’m tired,” she blurted, reached to the side and sent the room into darkness before she settled down in the bed, facing away from Mateo.

  He chuckled. “Not so fast, honey.” He wrapped an arm around her stomach and pulled her into the curve of his body.

  She hummed when her bottom landed on his heavy arousal that settled between her buttocks. His hand flexed on her belly as he spread his fingers wide and held her.

  Her head rested on his arm and she was finally in the cocoon of his embrace when he whispered, “You did this to me, so you can suffer as well,” before he kissed the back of her head. “Whatever you do just don’t turn around.”

  “Why?” She had an idea but wanted to hear it from Mateo’s lips so that there was no misunderstanding.

  “Because,” he growled, “if you do, I’ll strip you naked and put my cock so far inside your wet pussy, you’ll have no idea where you start and I finish.”

  She felt his cock twitch against her and his chest rose and fell as though he struggled for air, which was about how she felt.

  “Go to sleep, Erin.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Mateo came awake slowly and wondered what the weight was that lay across him. He slowly peeled an eye open and was surprised to find glorious dark brown hair that looked sun kissed all over his chest.