“Whose house is this?” Charlee asked curiously as she admired the kind of house she’d only ever seen on television or magazines.
“My mom’s soon and where I’ll be moving to as soon as the sale is final,” Hector said, opening the door. “Abel bought it for her. We’re just waiting for escrow to close. C’mon out. I’ll show you around.”
Charlee got out and walked around the truck, meeting Hector by the walkway that went from the driveway to the front door. He reached his hand out, and she took it, gasping when he pulled her to him then wrapped his arms around her waist. She brought her own arms up around his shoulders, fully expecting to be kissed again, but he didn’t. Instead he buried his face in her neck, and she let her head fall to the side, giving him better access. He squeezed her tight, taking a deep breath followed by a sated groan then made her gasp again and laugh when he lifted her off the ground. “God, I’m gonna get used to this so fast.”
His lips were suddenly on her neck, raining soft, gentle kisses across it, making her entire body quiver until he pulled away to look at her. Those expressive eyes that penetrated deeply into hers nearly choked her now. He eased her down slowly, never breaking the eye contact. “What are you thinking of right now?” he asked in one of the most gentle tones she’d heard from him.
“What?” her mind was in such a daze she could barely put any thoughts together.
“That,” he said, his brows coming together in what appeared to be bewilderment or intensely piqued curiosity, “I saw that same glimmer in your eyes way back on the night of the tournament. I didn’t know what to make of it, and it’s haunted me ever since. It’s what’s crawled into my mind, and since then, I haven’t been able think straight. What is it? What are you thinking?”
Charlee shook her head, not sure if she should tell him exactly what she was thinking. He might think her crazy—too soon. She could very well chase him off and make him change his mind about this whole thing. There was no way she could’ve been feeling the same way back on the night of the tournament. She barely knew anything about him then, except that he’d already made one of the most unforgettable first impressions on her, he was incredible to look at, and she actually had something in common with him. Maybe she had been thinking the same thing she was thinking now.
Running a finger across his imperfect brow, she smiled. Now that he was promising she would be the only one for him, this was the only thing imperfect about him, and somehow what he’d said about learning from your scars made him even more perfect. “How easily I could fall in love with you.”
Staring at her for a moment with that same profoundness that had her holding her breath, he said nothing for a moment. Then the corner of his lips twitched into a smile. “And you were thinking that back then too?”
“I don’t remember exactly. All I know is I’d been impressed with you from the moment I first laid eyes on you.” She tilted her head and smiled, feeling more relaxed now that he tightened his hold on her instead of letting go and running for the hills like she was afraid he might. “Knocking a guy out cold at my feet was a hell of a first impression, and then everything you’ve done after that only added to my growing admiration of you.”
Hector smiled then suddenly laughed. “I’m not laughing at you,” he said quickly. “I’m laughing because I’m an idiot. I would’ve never guessed that’s what you were thinking, not even close. I thought you were completely unimpressed by me. And then you went and beat my ass in chess in front of the whole team—”
“Oh God! Please don’t remind me about that,” she covered her eyes with her hand then moved it aside to look at him again, “because if we’re being honest here, that was actually my way of trying to impress you. Talk about being an idiot. It completely backfired on me.”
He shook his head. “That’s the thing, Charlee. That was pure genius. I was even more intrigued after that. And maybe it was that I saw something else in your eyes. I kept flip-flopping from thinking you hated me to maybe you were feeling something. I just couldn’t figure it out. As confused as I was about how I felt about you, I know now looking back after that day I was hooked.”
His smile was so sweet she didn’t even bother hiding the deep breath she needed to take because of it. “You’re obviously better at this than I am,” he said as he continued running his finger gently down the side of her face. For as big, rugged, and tough-as-nails a fighter as he was, it amazed her how very gentle his touch was. “But I promise I’ll work on it. Just promise me this much, because clearly I’m not very good at picking up on subtle stuff: if there is ever any doubt about anything on my part from here on, I can guarantee I will not be holding back about it. I want you to do the same. I may not be an expert on relationships, but it’s pretty universally known that trust and communication are key. Let’s try to get this right.”
How easily she’d begun to get used to the way he looked at her now—too easily. It was almost frightening. Already she could feel herself becoming addicted to it.
“Okay,” she whispered simply. She’d be crazy not to agree to that. What more could she ask for?
Kissing her nose, he slipped his hand in hers. “Let me show you the house.”
She walked alongside him now, trying very hard to not feel so awestruck. He was, after all, her boyfriend now. The very thought made her gasp.