by Darcy Ray
I would stay hidden in the car forever if not for all the eyes that are turning our way. Taking a deep breath, I place my hand in his and slide out of my hiding spot. With his arm draped over my hip, Jaime leads me up the paved path to the house. Nearly halfway up the walkway, I finally take my eyes off the path and look up. Relief overwhelms me as I notice that no one is focusing on me. Yeah, there are side-eyes and quick glances here and there, but that's about all I get.
We make it up the two stairs leading to the door, but as soon as we step onto the porch, someone calls out Jaime’s name. "Jaime! Jefe is that you?" A husky man who carries a Corona walks over and takes a closer look. "SI! Jaime, it's been a long time! Dónde has estado?" Reaching out, he pulls Jaime in for a hug and pats his back with enthusiasm. Clasping my hands behind my back, I stay quiet and watch their interaction.
I don't think I've ever seen Jaime have such a legit smile like he does now. It takes him a few seconds to process who it is that's talking to him, but the second it clicks, he becomes highly animated. Speaking in Spanish, I can only catch the small words; usually, it's just numbers and occasionally the word pain. Not wanting to be rude, I let my eyes roam over all the people crowding the front porch. What should only comfortably hold three to four people is now holding at least ten. Everyone's skin tone ranges from a pale caramel to a rich umber.
I take in the luscious curves the women have and the cocky attitudes most of the men exude. Their laughter fills the air, and with every passing second, my anxiety starts to ease. The sound of my name makes me return my focus back to Jaime. With a nod of his head, he motions for me to come closer. Now by his side, he wraps his arm around my waist and tucks his hand into my back pocket.
"Selene, this is Carlos, my cousin, and Carlos, this is Selene, my lady." At Jaime’s introduction, I reach my hand out to shake his, but instead, Carlos pulls me into a tight hug. Shocked by his action, it takes me a minute to return it. But as my arms wrap around his a feeling of acceptance sounds in me. Finally, after what seems like forever, but in reality was just a couple seconds, he lets me go.
Safely wrapped in Jaime’s arm, I start to pull my phone out to check the cause of the constant vibration in my pocket, but before I can even slip it out of my pocket, Carlos questions me. "So Selene, how did you meet mi amigo? Last I heard he spent all his time with the FBI."
I can't help but smirk at his question. Do I tell him the truth? That Jaime and his now-dead partner were investigating gang activity? That I’m a mafia boss, and my territory is spread throughout the surrounding cities? Naw, I'll keep the juicy details between Jaime and I. Instead I think up a generic answer. "He was in—"
I'm unable to finish giving my answer because a loud voice overpowers me. Looking over my shoulder, I see a short, plump elderly woman shuffling through the door with a sandal in her hand. "Jaime Maximiliano Mantilla! Donde tú haz estado! Nunca llamas y hace un año que no estás en casa! Ni siquiera haz ido a la iglesia. Respondeme muchacho!"
With the way she waves the sandal, I start to step to the side, but Jaime maneuvers me so that I'm standing in front of him. Scowling over my shoulder, I start to scold him, but his nervous expression makes me pause. Looking back at the lady, I nearly scream because she is almost on top of me. Taking a step back, I get a better look at her and notice the very similar features that Jaime has. Just like that, it all clicks. Fuck, this is his mom!
Chapter Nine
Why did I not think about this? I feel like a fish out of water with no way to breathe. This petite woman comes no higher than my shoulders, and yet, she is scary as hell. She looks like the kind of woman who would drag a grown man by his ear and pull him over her knee for spankings. Shit, what if she does that to Jaime? I think I might just die . . . from laughter! Her scowl accentuates all of the creases that mark her face, her box-dyed red curls bounce from shaking the flipflop at Jaime, and she is doing this weird thing where she clicks her dentures together. Without a doubt, she is pissed.
I start taking small steps back so that she doesn't notice me, but Jaime grips my hip harder and drags me back in front of him as if I'm his shield. Jabbing my elbow back, I connect with his stomach and hear him oomph in response. Looking down at the intimidating woman, I plaster a smile on my face. Her squinty eyes meet mine, and just as I think she is about to lay the smackdown on me, she flicks her attention over my shoulder to her little chickenshit behind me.
Everyone surrounding us is either whispering or silently watching the scene unfold. Hell, I know if I weren't in the middle of it, I would probably be doing the same thing. Instead, I'm being used as a human shield to hide a massive man from his mama. This time when I step to the side, I quickly step out of Jaime's reach, which leaves him wide open. His mom doesn't hesitate and quickly pops him on his chiseled chest. The pop from the sandal hitting him echoes on the porch, causing multiple people, including myself, to groan in sympathy. The words flying out of her mouth are so fast that I can't even pick up the slightest bit of them. All I know is she is pissed, and Jaime just keeps his head bowed. Almost as if he was a child who broke an expensive vase.
The second she pauses, Jaime raises his hands in surrender and says, "Mama, I'm sorry. I should have called. Work has been busy, and when I'm not working, I'm with my girlfriend. Please calm down; you know your heart can’t handle it." Aw, I've never been called anyone's girlfriend before. Not even by one of the other guys. I don't know why, but it makes me like Jaime a little more than I already do.
At his words, the vicious woman turns her glare toward me. This time, instead of squinting at me, she openly takes in my appearance. Under her scrutiny, I start to fiddle my fingers. She makes me nervous in ways I have never been before. The silence almost breaks me, but just before it does, she finally speaks. "Jaime, ella es hermosa!" Heat flames on my cheeks at her words. I know what they mean. She thinks I'm beautiful.
"Mamá, ella no habla español. Por favor habla en inglés." He looks to me in apology, but I just shrug my shoulders. I haven't mentioned that I know a little Spanish, so his apology isn't really needed. However, I am glad he asked for English. Carrying on a long conversation in Spanish would stump me.
Rolling her eyes, she waves Jaime off and continues to focus on me. Her little feet shuffle forward until she is now standing right against me. As much as I don't want to, I have to look down to her in order to maintain our eye contact. Her arm shoots up, startling me, but to my surprise, she gently lays her palm against my cheek. "You are beautiful. Thank you for taking care of my boy." The love pouring from her is more than I can handle, so I melt into the warmth of her hand.
The onlookers must have taken her gesture as a sign of peace, because their chatter picks up again, along with the music and laughter. Dropping her hand, she grabs mine and starts to tug me along behind her as she walks back into the house. Not wanting to get on her bad side, I follow along, but not without glancing back to ensure Jaime is following too. As we walk past the front door, the music becomes muffled, but the number of people increases. I'm not sure how we are even going to try to walk through without being trampled.
To my surprise, everyone parts like the Red Sea, which allows us to maneuver our way to an empty kitchen table. Releasing my hand, she pulls out her chair at the head oval table and motions for me to sit beside her. With my ass firmly planted in the seat, I tuck my hands under the table, reach over to Jaime's thigh, and grip. Bastard might be cute, but he dragged me out here without letting me prepare first.
Waving her hand, Jaime's mom gets the attention of one of the passing guys, holds up three fingers and nods to the guy when he said something. I didn't hear what he said over all the other talking but with the gleam on the exiting man’s face, I know they are up to no good. With her attention back on me again, she looks me over and says, "What's your name, girl?"
"Selene, Selene Romanov. And what might yours be? Since Jaime is being a bad son by not introducing us." The second my last name left my lips, recognition flash
ed across her face.
"Romanov, ay? Tell Dominik that Luciana said hello."
"As much as I would love to, I'm not able to pass your message on."
"And why is that nina? Is he even too busy for you? The street rat he turned into a princessa?"
Clicking my tongue, I roll my eyes are her sarcastic response and stomp down the smart-ass response that I'm fighting to let out. Instead, I plaster a smile and practically snarl. "No. He was murdered so unless you know how to summon spirits, he won't be replying back to you." As much as I tried to keep my anger at bay, I couldn't stop it from leaking out. Luciana's eyes are nearly as large as saucers. Thankfully, that random guy returns carrying three shot glasses of clear liquor and a bowl containing salt and lemons. Not waiting for anyone else, I reach out and snag a shot. Before I can even take another breath, the cool liquid flows down my throat.
With my glass empty, I can only eyeball the other two shots remaining. Sensing my inner turmoil, Jaime pushes his shot over to me and softly says, "Here hermosa, have mine. I'm the driver tonight. What kind of agent would I be if I drink and drive."
Snorting, I lift his shot glass to my lips and mutter a snarky response. "Like that's the worst thing you've ever done!" Sliding his now empty glass back toward him, I turn my attention back to Luciana and laugh at her bemused expression.
Nodding her head to the last shot, she gives me permission to finish them off. Grabbing the last shot glass, I don't question her nor do I care. I don't even care that I'm using the liquor to cover up the pain of Dominik being brought up. With all the glasses now empty, I casually start to scope the area and all the people surrounding us.
"So Selene, how did you meet my boy? Are you the reason he hasn't been home in nearly a year?" The low blow to Jaime doesn't get missed by me and by the look on Jaime's face, it didn't get past him either.
With three shots weighing heavily on my empty stomach, I throw caution to the wind and answer her bluntly. ”As much as I would love to take all the blame for his absence, we’ve only known each other for a couple of months now. So the rest of the time is on him to explain.”
Letting out a hmph, Luciana clicks her tongue and points her acrylic nail at Jaime. "You better have an excuse, boy. I didn't carry you around for nine months and then wipe your ass for all those years just for you to forget about your madre."
"Lo siento mamá, te lo compensaré! My next day off I'll come get you and spend the day with you. Si?"
"That next day off better not be next year or else I'll find you and drag you out by your ear." As hard as she tried to stay serious, she can’t fight the smirk that is pushing its way through. Rising from her seat, she walks over to Jaime and wraps her arms around his head which smothers his face in her over-abundant bosom. With a kiss to the top of his head, she lets him go. "Now shoo, y'all go enjoy yourselves."
Jaime is quickly out of his chair and motions for me to hurry. Raising a brow, I make sure to take my time to stand from the chair, but once I’m upright, he has his hand in mine, and he starts to tug me along. As we start to walk into the living room, his mom calls out for me. Looking back to her, I see her hands clasped over her heart. "Take care of mi hijo."
Shaking my hand out of Jaime’s, I walk back over to his mom and wrap her in my arms. "I will do all I can in my power to keep him safe. I promise you." Little does she know, my power reaches far and wide. So as long as he stays loyal to the cause, keeping him safe will be a breeze. Pulling back, I kiss her cheek and then make my way back over to Jaime. With our fingers once again intertwined, I start to walk only to feel resistance. Looking back in confusion, I take in Jaime staring at me. Not just any normal stare, no, he has that look. If we were living in a cartoon world, I'm sure cupid would be flying nearby with his bow minus an arrow.
Closing the distance between us, I wrap my arms around his waist and raise to my tiptoes. "What’s that look for?" Shaking his head, he doesn't answer me; instead, he bends down and claims my lips. Our kiss may be quick, but it doesn’t lack the passion that his eyes were screaming. Pulling away from him, I go to his side and take a few subtle deep breaths. The amount of . . . love coming from Jaime is overwhelming, and I honestly don't know how to handle it. I haven't gotten there with him yet and to know he is waiting for me to meet him at that line is kinda scary.
Lost in thought, I blindly follow him through the house. Every now and then he stops and greets family and friends—making sure to introduce me to them in the process. By the third person, I finally have that L word pressed to the back of my mind. Spotting a minibar, I lead us over to it and start to pour myself a mixed drink of Dr. Pepper and Fireball. With a full solo cup in hand, we head out the back door to where it looks like the life of the party is.
The music is thumping back here, and it reminds me of Sub Rosa. Since Dominik’s death, I haven't been able to enjoy the club like I used to. Humming in approval, I start to sway to the beat and playfully dance around Jaime. Without needing further encouragement, he leads me onto the grass where a mass of bodies are grinding and swaying to the tempo to the music. We easily make our way to the center of the crowd and join the wave of bodies. Turning my back toward Jaime, I dance against him and let the warmth of his body soak into me. His hands roam all over me, and when they reach my hands, he spins me in circles.
With each spin or rotation, I get a chance to take in my surroundings. Aside from the glow of the moon, there are four ropes of light that come from each corner of the yard and meet in the middle, giving enough brightness to help prevent us from trampling each other. The music filling our souls is coming from the two speakers that are facing each other on opposite sides of the yard—each one standing nearly as tall as me. Up against the back of the house, there is a grill lit in a full blaze, and to the left of it, there are four coolers full of drinks.
By the sixth—maybe seventh—song, I signal to Jaime that I'm done for a bit, and we make our way over to those oh-so-inviting coolers. My cup was empty early into the dancing, so I toss it in the hefty black trash bag and then search the coolers for something to takes its place. Bingo! Ice-cold water. Pulling two bottles out, I toss one to Jaime and quickly twist my top off. I'm about halfway done with my bottle when a curvy woman walks past Jaime and then stops to do a double take. I don't even have my lid back on my bottle by the time she has her arms wrapped around my man. Anger instantly flares through me, and once she turns to the side, insecurity joins the party. She is not only curvy as all fucking get out, but her belly is rounded by a growing crotch goblin.
Even with all my raging emotions, I take my time creeping closer, but what she says has all those negative emotions instantly gone. "¡Primo! ¿Cómo estás?" Cousin. Shit, that coulda been bad. Pregnant or not, I would have snatched a bitch over my man. Shaking my head, I finish walking over to Jaime and idle up beside him. Spotting me out of the corner of his eye, he wraps an arm around me and continues his conversation with her.
Not wanting to eavesdrop on their conversation, I let my focus stray to all the passing people and the sky that is a blanket of sparkling stars and darkness. But out of the corner of my eye, I notice Jaime placing his hand on his cousin’s rounded belly. "Bella, what's this?"
Bemusement and awe are evident in his voice, but upon hearing his question, I can't help but answer for her with a sarcastic-ass response. "It's a dinosaur, duh!" Finding myself hilarious, I burst out laughing and luckily Bella thinks it’s funny as well because she joins in with my rib-cracking laugh. Hell, we laugh so hard she braces herself on my arm, and we both end up wiping tears away as we finally settle down.
With her hand still on my arm, Bella looks me once over and smiles brightly. "I like you chica. Stick around for a while. Si?"
Nodding my head, I return her cheeky grin and give Jaime a hip bump. Looking up to him, I can't help but gloat. "You hear that, Suave, they like me. Me and Bella here are gonna become best friends so watch out!"
Chapter Ten
We stay at the party
until midnight rolls around and as we leave, I make sure to exchange numbers with not only Bella but Luciana as well. This time on the way home, we don't have the radio blaring; instead, we sit in each other’s company and let the quiet vibrations from the V8 overtake us.
During the ride, I can't help but take quick glances at Jaime. Bringing me to his family's house and meeting everyone brought a whole new perspective to the light. I’m so lucky that this man came knocking on my door. Hell, I’m lucky he felt such a strong connection between us to change his life for me. I mean, not only did he kill his partner for my trust—not that he didn't need it—but he also keeps Frank and the others informed about the intel coming from the FBI. Not only is his career on the line, but so is his life.
Part of me thinks he is crazy as shit for risking everything, but I mean love is a good reason, right? Lost in the vicious cycle of wanting to know, I lean my head back and roll it to the side, so I am looking at him dead on. "Jaime, what makes me worth it all?"
Scrunching his face, he quickly looks back from me and the road a couple of times and then grunts his response, "Because for the first time in my life, I met a woman who takes my breath away and at the same time, takes no shit from anyone. The first time we met, I got a good look in your eyes, and I saw the scars and dark shadows that lay in there, but I also saw your pure heart. I knew that if I could get a chance to love you, you would make it worthwhile and something I would never regret.”
"Not a single day has gone by where I regret my decision. The thought doesn't even cross my mind. Yeah, I may lose my career, but in the end, knowing that I got a chance to hold you and call you mine is worth it. I was living day by day and not giving a shit if I even made it home. There was no one waiting on me, no one to warm the space next to me in bed, and with a toxic relationship from Butkus, I was starting to hate myself. So knocking on your door was like some greater power knocking on my mind telling me to wake up and look what’s in front of me. That something . . . was you."