by Ashley Munoz
“But you didn’t text me back.” Her brown eyes went wide as she considered what I had implied.
I gave her a half-smile. “I’ve been busy with family stuff.”
She seemed to understand what that meant with a small bob of her head and a downcast look. Thank fuck.
“Okay…well I guess we better get going. Just call me if you want.” She braided her fingers together, looking down while her friends leaned in to whisper to one another.
I rubbed the back of my neck. “Okay…yeah.”
I wasn’t sure what else to say; it felt awkward. I didn’t want to cause a scene, but I also didn’t want to encourage her, especially in front of Taylor.
Once Angela was walking out the glass doors, I headed toward the flavors. Once I had grabbed my cup, I paid and walked toward the blonde in the middle of the café.
Dragging back the metal chair, I flipped it around and straddled it.
“Why are you here?” I took a bite of my dessert, my eyes flicking to hers.
She wasn’t wearing any makeup, and honestly it was how I preferred her. Little strands of hair falling in her face, her blue eyes alert and aware, the small number of freckles she had proudly splattered across her nose on display.
She grabbed the spoon from my carton, pulling up a decent amount before gently pressing the bite of cake-batter-flavored yogurt into her mouth. My dick twitched, watching her pink lips work around the spoon, those blue eyes not giving a single fuck that it was my dessert or that my mouth had already been on it.
“I’m studying,” she finally said, flipping another page of her book.
Sure enough, she had a large history book in front of her, but it didn’t look like a textbook.
“It’s ten at night.” I grabbed my spoon back, taking another bite.
Her eyes scanned the page while her elbows rested on either side of the open book. I took another bite then left the spoon, hoping she’d steal it again.
“Why do you care?”
I tilted my head, watching her intently. Why was she always so fucking difficult?
“Who says I care?” I waited to see if she’d take another bite. For whatever reason, her using my spoon was the equivalent of her agreeing to hold my hand—which I didn’t want, not really. I just wanted to see if she’d do it.
Finally, her hand darted out, grabbing my spoon. She scooped a huge bite before bringing it to her lips then slowly licked the spoon clean. If this was the only foreplay I’d ever get with this woman, I’d fucking take it, but I’d never talk about it with anyone.
Once she cleared the spoon, she set it back in my cup before scooting her chair back. The metal grated along the floor.
“Where are you going?” I stood with her, watching as she slid her book into her bag and grabbed her cell.
She canted her head toward the door. “To bed…it’s late.”
Right—it is late, so why is she out here? She’s never done this before.
I walked over to the garbage can, tossed my cup inside, and opened the door for her.
I had no idea where she’d ended up living, but I’d have been lying if I said I didn’t want to know.
She walked ahead of me while pushing her bag up her shoulder.
“You don’t do this often, right?” Just as I asked it, a gunmetal grey car rolled by us, going slow. The windows were heavily tinted. I lifted my hand to wave, hoping they’d see the tattoos on the upper side of my arm and keep driving. Their red brake lights lit up for only a second before tires screeched and they gunned it down the street.
Taylor shrugged, completely oblivious to what had just happened. She could have been abducted, raped…fucking list was endless, and she had no idea.
“Can you do me a favor and not come out here, this late at night alone, please?” I walked next to her, seeing her car parked up ahead.
The streetlight accentuated her bare shoulder, the leather strap of her bag, and the small wisps of hair that kept falling out of her bun. “Sure. I’ll make sure I bring someone next time.”
This girl pissed me off a thousand fucking different ways. I gritted my teeth while she unlocked her car.
“Whatever, just don’t be out here alone.”
She signed off with two fingers to her forehead, then she ducked inside her car and started it up.
As she pulled away from the curb, I watched her taillights for longer than I probably should have. Taylor was a dead end. We were too volatile, and she was pure venom. If I ever surrendered to her, she’d dice me up, and any hope at having her at all would be ruined.
So instead of spending another second thinking of her, I turned toward my car and headed home.
“This house is insane, man.”
Hector walked through, keeping his eyes up along the ceiling. There was an entire mural painted on it, like the house was a cathedral or some shit.
“It’s a little over the top,” I said, dicing up an avocado and throwing it in the salad I’d prepped.
“Like your cooking—have you heard of Hungry Man meals?” My cousin held his hand toward my salad, shaking his head. He was right, but I loved cooking. It came naturally to me and actually helped me to work out any extra stress I was carrying. I could get lost in a recipe and not think about the fact that I hadn’t seen Taylor for a week or heard from her in any capacity. I could have texted her, but I hated being the one to reach out to her. It made me seem desperate. It wasn’t like I needed to insert myself into her life again…we’d gone months without talking, and we didn’t need to start back up.
I moved on to a yellow bell pepper, mulling over why she hadn’t been around and where she had ended up living.
“So…there’s this chick who keeps coming around the restaurant, looking for you.” Hector grabbed a piece of avocado and tossed it in his mouth.
“I heard. Your mom actually told me Angela keeps coming by.” I chopped, then moved on to a tomato. Had Taylor ended up shacking up with Holden? I had thought I heard he was living in a fraternity house and had maybe even started with the new baseball team. After my best friend Mallory’s story hit the world, outing the strange-as-fuck secret society Devils team, they’d been investigated by police and shut down.
The school board was rearranged, and several faculty members were fired and replaced. There was now a new team operating, but they hadn’t disclosed if they’d continue on as the Devils or get a new team name.
“If she keeps it up, there are going to be some assumptions made,” my cousin hedged, walking over to the massive fridge and sticking his head inside.
I paused working on my salad and looked up. “I’m not in.”
“I know…but you’re still Manny’s son. You’re still you. They will always look to you.”
I laughed, shaking my head. This was fucking nuts. “So, what? They’re assuming she’s mine?”
“The guys are nervous to touch someone who belongs to you.” Hector pulled the tab on his soda with a loud click.
I let out a laugh, licking my finger. “I’m sure they’re not worried about backlash.”
Hector’s head tipped back as he drank.
“Well, she’s hot, so if you’re not going to make a move…”
I diced a few more pieces of tomato before looking up at him and smiling.
“Trust me. If I wanted to mark her, everyone in the fucking city would know, and not a single soul would fucking touch her.”
My cousin laughed, shaking his head along with me. We both knew how this worked. If there was a girl I didn’t want anyone to touch, I’d get a heart inked in black, positioned over my heart. It was the El Peligro way, but that wasn’t even what I was talking about. On her she’d get my name or an identical heart tattooed on her chest. That ink held other meanings as well. Sometimes it was just a bribe to get men into the gang. Something my grandfather had started as a symbol of honor had been twisted into bribery by my father.
If you didn’t get your girl marked, other men in the gang could have her
. Rape wasn’t an issue in El Peligro because any female inside knew the score, but once that ink was on your skin, your body belonged to El Peligro.
If I had a girl I didn’t want anyone to touch, I’d be there to make sure no one touched her. Simple as that. I didn’t need to ink shit into my skin for it, but if that were to happen one day, then fine…I just wasn’t counting on it, and I wasn’t getting involved with the gang my father ran. There was no place for me in it, and I would never accept it even if there was.
Chapter Seven
September was already almost over, and I’d been successfully sleeping in my car for two weeks. I had an entire routine down. At night, I’d park over by the stadium, close to the girls locker room door. It worked because first thing in the morning, I could sneak in, shower, and get completely ready without anyone knowing I was there.
Even if anyone did see me, they’d just assume I was there for a sport…though on second thought, with my baby bump, they might have a few questions. Still, didn’t matter. I had a groove going. On the weekends, I’d go home and stay at my mom’s, do all my laundry, and then repeat the whole process. I’d spend as much time as I could working in the library or at random food spots. I’d use coffee shops mostly, but every now and then I craved dessert, or something different.
I had been tempted to stay in a hotel a few times, and there were definitely a few conversations I had with myself about why I was being so stubborn, but the only credit card I had belonged to my stepdad, and while I hadn’t previously minded putting it to use, I did now. I had to learn how to care for not only myself, but my baby too. I was still looking for a place to stay, but for now, the car worked. At least until the temperature changed.
I had just shut the shower off in the private stall I’d snagged when I heard someone laughing. Freezing in place, wrapping a white towel around my body, and wringing my hair out, I waited to see if they’d moved on or stayed put. I had never had company a single time I had showered or gotten ready in the locker room, so maybe it was just someone passing through or grabbing their things.
A second later, I felt the stall shake as someone probably pushed into it a little ways down. The water came on a second later with a girl giggling and laughing. My clothes were on the bench outside of the stall, so they didn’t get wet, but that meant whoever was out there would see me. I decided to stay put until I knew they were in the shower.
I cradled my arms to my chest, waiting, and then I heard a familiar laugh.
“Why did you pull me in here?”
“Because I know what you want,” the girl responded.
My gut sank as I processed what was about to happen.
“So you saw me lifting weights and thought it would be a good idea to have me come in here with you…to do what exactly?” asked the smooth-as-velvet voice, and I could picture his lips slinging to the side in a mischievous smirk.
“I thought maybe I could help you work out. You seem stressed…” The girl sounded like the one I had seen at the yogurt shop…the same one at the wedding with him over the summer.
“How do you suggest we do that?” Juan asked.
God, I was two seconds from putting my finger down my throat. Were they really going to fuck right here in the locker room? What sort of bad luck did I have that this would happen to me?
“I don’t think this is going to go the way you think it is. I didn’t sleep with you after the wedding, and I don’t want you to get the wrong impression,” Juan said gently.
My heart leapt a little. He was shutting her down. I walked closer to the door, trying to get a peek at the couple, but I couldn’t make anything out.
“I’m not asking for anything, just like I didn’t back then. Just let me make you feel good.”
That didn’t sound good. Fuck, was this bitch about to…
“Fuck, Angela…shit.” Juan made a startled sound through the shower corridor. He sounded like she had just taken his cock into her mouth. It didn’t exactly sound like pleasure, but I’d been known to make sounds that seemed like I was being murdered when I came, so I couldn’t really tell.
Either way, her mouth was on him, and I wanted to scream.
He made a strangled sound again, the echo of the water hitting tile stopped, and all that was audible was the sound of her gagging every few seconds.
Anger flared to life inside my veins like an angry virus. Juan wasn’t mine; he could never be mine, but he sure as fuck wasn’t about to be hers. Maybe one day I’d look back on what I was about to do and think better of it, but right then the only thing on my mind was making this pain in my chest stop.
I pushed my palm against the stall door, and it slammed open with an angry echo. I stalked out to where my clothes waited, not giving a single fuck that Juan’s back was up against the stall door, his gym shorts pulled down enough to allow his thick cock to be swallowed by the brunette kneeling in front of him. She had on a low-cut tank, revealing her minimal cleavage, and exercise shorts.
Juan’s eyes flew up, seeing me standing there. His hands immediately went to the girl’s head and pushed her away. Her lips let him go with a smacking sound, her pinched expression revealed she had no idea why he’d stopped.
“Oh, don’t mind me. Please continue,” I said happily while dropping my towel and grabbing for my lacy underwear. Juan’s face flushed red while he tucked himself back in, his raven hair askew. Those whiskey eyes stayed fixated on me…on my body, moving from my chest to my bump and down further.
I dressed briskly while the girl in front of Juan stood, whispering something to him, but he only shook his head, giving me one last look before he walked away.
She turned, giving me a death glare before exiting through the back doors.
Good riddance to them both. I had no idea why either of them cared. Any other guy would have pulled the girl who was sucking him off closer, not pushed her away, but Juan had done the opposite. If I were blowing Juan, there’s no way some random chick walking out of the bathroom would stop me.
Once I dressed, I walked out through the weightlifting doors and found Juan working on the squat rack with a reserved expression. I paused, taking him in, letting him see me take in his appearance, how his jaw clenched. A few other guys milled about, including the father of my baby. Smiling, I walked past Holden, waving, acting as though Juan was no one of consequence to me. In the end, he wasn’t.
I’d never tell him what it did to me to see him get taken in by someone who wasn’t me. It was a stupid crush, and he’d crushed me…so why wasn’t I over it yet? I walked through the weight room, feeling the heat of his stare, giving small smiles to the men pumping iron, save for one. I acted as though he didn’t exist.
My feet carried me straight through the space until I was in the hallway, heading toward the science building.
“Taylor,” Juan called at my back.
I smiled, thrilled that I had moved him, like a chess piece.
I didn’t stop though, because if I did then he’d say something that would hurt me, and I didn’t want to feel that sort of burn this early in the morning.
“Hey!” The sound of his shoes squeaking on the floor hit my ears, indicating that he was likely jogging over to me. His grip landed on my elbow, spinning me around. “Just wait a second…” He stared down at me with those worried eyes and smooth lips.
I ducked my head so I wouldn’t have to see those parts of him I still thought about on a regular basis.
“Why were you in the locker room this morning?”
My eyes jumped up to his.
“What?”
His jaw tensed, his hand on my elbow loosening. He wore a black tank top with black basketball shorts and black Nikes. Against his tan skin and dark hair, he looked like a fucking weightlifting model, if those existed.
“Why were you in there?”
I tilted my head, twisting my lips to the side. “You upset that I interrupted your little suck-off session?”
His eyes narrowed, his lips thinn
ing into a firm line. “Not even a little bit. You did me a favor…” His head tilted to the side, mirroring mine. “I don’t appreciate my dick being sucked by someone who can’t even properly gag without nearly passing out. She ended up just lapping at it, like a puppy.”
I couldn’t help it. I snorted, ducking my head while a laugh rolled through me.
“Tell me why you were there.”
How easy would it be for me to lean into him, to have him touch me…maybe mention that I had nowhere to go? He was an asshole, but my sister wasn’t wrong—deep down, he was a good guy, and he’d take care of me. I had no doubt of that. I also knew he could never actually help me, not without me putting him in danger. So, I bit my lip, holding back the words I wanted to say, and pulled on that same façade.
“Same as you.” I gave him a sly smile, rubbing my hand down his chest while I walked away.
“What the fuck does that mean?”
I stopped and turned. “Holden met me before you two came in…what can I say? He’s a little more talented with his tongue than your girl is.” I winked and stalked off.
He didn’t follow. My eyes burned with tears that needed to be shed, but I wouldn’t allow a single one to fall. If I did then it would be admitting that I cared, and I couldn’t afford to. My soul was damned, and no matter how badly I wanted to stay above ground with Juan Hernandez, the devil was coming for me.
Chapter Eight
It was late. I’d had two morning classes assisting professors with grading and making copies, then I had rushed over to my parents’ restaurant and worked a shift there all afternoon, and then I had come back for an evening class. Now I was finally headed home, just as soon as I picked up my car. Parking at RFU was a bitch and a half. There weren’t enough spaces to accommodate how many students were there. They offered busses and a few commuter options, but for the most part, students spent up to twenty minutes finding a space.