Caught Up In You (Indigo Royal Resort Book 2)

by Claire Hastings

  He looked over at Josef again. He’d never actually asked the kid how old he was, he’d just assumed he was around eleven. Could he actually be younger? And his natural ability with the ball, where had that come from? He hadn’t mentioned anyone else in his family being an athlete. Cullen’s chest started to tighten as his breathing picked up speed. How could he have not seen it earlier? Josef looks so much like her—the blond hair, the blue eyes. But I used a condom—a condom that I found in the bottom of my suitcase. Who the fuck knows how long it’d been there…

  He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t let his mind spin out of control like this. He needed an answer. He needed to know if she had lied to him all these years. Could this be why she hated him so much? He’d been skipping out on responsibilities he didn’t even know existed?

  Marching over to where Leona was helping Josef load his stuff in the trunk, he had to remind himself to breathe. Losing his shit in front of Josef wasn’t a good idea. He reached the car before they were done loading and planted himself right next to it. When Leona slammed the trunk shut, she let out a little gasp, startled to see him standing there, arms crossed against his chest, staring her down.

  “Menina…”

  Leona froze in her steps, her blood starting to boil. He did not just call her that in front of her brother. It was taking everything she had not to give him a piece of her mind every time he called her that, but she held it together one more time, not only for her own selfish interest of keeping her job, but so that she could be a good example for Josef. However, with Cruz standing here, disrespecting her this way, she had half a mind to tell him to pound sand.

  As if he hadn’t heard what Cruz had called her, Josef started to bounce up and down with excitement. “Lena! Lena! Lena! This is Mr. Cruz! He’s like, the greatest player ever in the whole, wide world! And he’s the one teaching me this week!” he squealed.

  “Wow, Jo-bro, that’s super exciting!” she answered, turning her attention to her brother. “Mr. Cruz and I have actually met. He’s staying at the resort.”

  “Really?” Josef exclaimed, turning back to Cruz. “Mr. Cruz, they have the best pool at Lena’s work! You have to go swimming while you're there. I get to go swimming there sometimes when they allow family to come visit.”

  “I will make sure that I get to the pool then, since it comes so highly recommended,” Cruz said, looking at Josef. “But do you mind if Lena and I talk for a moment?”

  Leona didn’t like the sound of that, and she really didn’t like him using Josef’s nickname for her. She had nothing to say to him, and anything he wanted to say to her he should be able to say in front of Josef. Unless he had some complaint about his room and felt the need to chastise her right here. If that was the case, then she was absolutely going to give him a piece of her mind.

  “Here,” she said, handing Josef her phone. “Hop in the car, and you can play Candy Crush while Mr. Cruz and I chat, cool?”

  There was zero hesitation from the kid in grabbing the phone from her and running around the car to the passenger-side door. Leona couldn’t help but laugh to herself at his excitement over something as simple as five minutes of play time on the phone. Even though most of his peers at school already had phones, it just wasn’t in the budget for Josef to have his own, so he had to borrow either hers or the one their parents shared if he wanted to play something. Not that he ever complained. He was such a good kid like that, which was all the more reason Leona didn’t want him anywhere near Cullen Cruz.

  “What do you want?” she asked, only slightly masking her annoyance. “We’re not on site, so if something is wrong with La Isla Bonita it will have to wait until I get back later this evening. Right now I am here on family business.”

  He took a couple of steps toward her, closing the gap. Now only about five feet apart, Leona could feel her pulse spike a bit being this close to him. She could smell him, all spice and sweat, and despite her better judgment, she inhaled his scent deeply.

  “So, he is yours?” he asked quietly, jaw clenched.

  “Of course he’s mine. I don’t show up to parks to pick up random children,” she bit back.

  “Is he mine?”

  “Excuse you?!” Leona saw red. He is not asking what I think he’s asking…

  “You heard me,” he scolded, his accent making it sound even harsher. “You said he’s yours, so I’m asking if he’s also mine. Does he belong to both of us?” he said slowly.

  Leona balled her fists at her side and drew in some long slow breaths. She told herself that she would not lose it here in public, no matter how much she wanted to. Josef was in the car and all he had to do was look up to witness everything. She tried to uncurl her hands, but it was as if they had a mind of their own, and they wouldn't budge.

  “Fuck you. No, seriously, Cullen. Fuck. You,” she responded.

  “You’ve been there, you’ve done that, Menina,” he growled, stepping closer to her. “And now I’m asking if a souvenir is sitting in your front seat.”

  Red flashed in her vision again, as her pulse picked up even more. She squeezed her already balled-up fists, trying to channel some of the anger flowing through her. She’d never wanted to hit anyone so badly in her life. It was taking every ounce of her being not to smack that look right off his face. Then again, she’d been there and done that too.

  “When I said he’s mine, I meant he’s my family. He’s my little brother.”

  “It’s a legit question. He’s the right age and—” he started to reply.

  “Are you seriously that stupid? He’s thirteen! He was born shortly after my fourteenth birthday. We didn’t sleep together until I was seventeen. He was already three years old at that point.”

  “I didn’t realize you had a brother,” he sputtered out.

  “You didn’t exactly ask as you were pulling me into the bathtub. And since you apparently don’t remember, condoms were involved that night. I realize that you’ve been with so many meaningless whores that it all kind of blurs together in your brain, but I promise you, we were safe. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get my brother home for dinner.”

  She flung her car door open and threw herself into the car. The wheels caught a little bit of gravel as she hit the gas to exit the park, and they made a little squealing noise. Running the conversation over and over again in her head, she was still in utter disbelief that he really just asked her that. That he thought that Josef was his, and that Leona had been hiding it for the last decade. Just what kind of whore did he think she was?

  That was it, the final straw. Tomorrow morning she would talk to Vaughn and let him know that she would no longer be taking care of La Isla Bonita. She would assign Carmella to do it. If it involved Cullen Cruz, she would have absolutely no part in it.

  “Isn’t he cool?” Josef said, breaking through her thoughts.

  “What’s that, Jo-bro?” she asked, pretending like she had been too busy paying attention to the road.

  “Cullen Cruz! Isn’t he cool? He’s, like, literally one of the greats and I get to play with him this week! We went for a run this morning too, since Mom had to drop me off early. I mean, how cool is that?”

  “So cool!” she answered, pretending to be excited. “Just don’t get too attached, okay? He’s only here for a couple of weeks.”

  “I know, but I want to learn everything I can from him. I want to be just like him when I grow up!”

  That’s exactly what I’m afraid of, she thought.

  Chapter Six

  If Leona gripped the steering wheel any harder she might actually pull the pleather off the wheel. The spots where she usually rested her hands were already well-worn, but today could just be the day she tore through it. The dings and beeps coming from Josef playing on her phone were normally enough to drive her crazy, but in this moment they were a good enough distraction from her thoughts that she was willing to deal with it.

  Pulling into the little dirt drive of La Hacienda, she let out a long, s
low sigh. Josef hopped out of the car, still full of all kinds of teenage boy excitement from a day spent with his idol. She popped the trunk so he could grab his stuff as she got out of the car. She pulled him into a hug and squeezed tight. She might have been madder than hell at Cruz, but she couldn’t take it out on Josef.

  “Sorry I was grumpy on the way home. I’ve got a lot on my mind,” she said, still holding on to him and kissing the top of his head.

  “It’s cool. I left your phone on the seat,” he said, shrugging away. “What’s for dinner?”

  Leona shook her head, laughing. Such a boy question. She was incredibly grateful, though, that what was on his mind was food, and that he was entirely oblivious to what had transpired between her and Cruz back at the field. What would he have thought if he’d heard it? It tore her apart to even think of the answers to that. Josef was so enamored with Cruz that she worried he would have latched onto the idea and then run home and asked their parents. Now that would leave some explaining to do. How embarrassing it would have been to have to explain to her parents—and Josef—why Cruz would think that he might be Josef’s dad. She figured by thirteen he knew where babies came from, but still, having to talk to her brother about it gave her the heebie-jeebies.

  Then there was her mother. Leona could see the look on her mother’s face now, giving her that glare that even at twenty-seven could stop her in her tracks. Hell, that look could probably stop traffic. Part of why her mother had asked the Quinlans if they could find a job for Leona was so she didn’t find some boy and get knocked up. Anna had told Leona countless times how proud she was of her and her hard work, and of how she’d never put herself in a situation that might jeopardize her future. The disappointment and anger that she knew her mother would feel was soul crushing to Leona. She knew she had made a mistake in sleeping with Cruz—a very hot, intoxicatingly blissful mistake, but a mistake nonetheless. She didn’t need to be reminded by her mother that it never should have happened, even if the man was sex on a stick.

  “I’m not sure, but I’m not gonna be able to stay. I have some things I have to take care of at work. Tell Mama I’m sorry,” she answered him.

  “Sure,” he said, heading into the house. “Oh, and Carlos texted you while I was playing on your phone. Something about room 1031 needing new light bulbs. Why would he use a winky face when talking about light bulbs?”

  Leona could feel her face flush slightly, wishing that of all the texts that could have come in, it hadn’t been that one. “Oh, I’m sure he just hit the wrong emoji,” she offered. He shrugged, accepting her answer, and headed into the house.

  She rushed back to her car, even more flustered now that Josef had seen that text. There was no time for Carlos Rivera and his booty call secret code right now. As much as she needed to clear her head and let off some steam, some afternoon delight was not the answer. What she needed was her best friend.

  Looking at the clock in the car, she figured she had more than enough time to make it back to the resort before Drea had to meet her uncles for their bonfire ritual. Pulling out of the drive, her heart swelled as she thought about how excited her little brother was over getting to spend this time with Cruz. She got it—he was Cullen Cruz after all.

  She remembered what it was like the first time he’d shown up at the resort. They had all known a celebrity was coming, since Vaughn had made sure that rules had been put in place about how everything was going to be handled. Leona wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near him, but she had hoped that maybe she and Drea could catch a glimpse of him at dinner or something. When he showed up, alone, she was floored at the magnificence of him. Sure, he was a famous footballer, but seeing him up close and personal he was something else entirely. All brawn and sculpted muscle, he moved with the elegance of a large cat on the prowl. She couldn’t believe there wasn’t some hot blonde on his arm.

  A couple of days later when Carmella had called out sick and Beverly asked if she would please take care of La Isla Bonita, she had frozen in her tracks. She hadn’t been on the job all that long and was worried she would screw something up. That’d be her luck—she’d mess up the bedsheets or something and get herself fired. Making sure to double and triple check everything in the bathroom before moving on to change the sheets, she was caught off guard when he walked back into the bungalow while she was still working. Stretching herself as far as she could to tuck the fitted sheet around the king-sized mattress, she’d been completely bent over the bed, ass in the air when he walked in.

  “Here, let me help you with that,” a deep voice with that incredible British accent came from behind her.

  “Oh, no, I got it,” she said, startled, blushing a bit. But he took the sheet from her, regardless of her protest, and tucked it in. He did the other top corner as well, before making his way down the bed. He smiled his big, megawatt smile and her knees went weak, and she felt the heat return to her cheeks.

  They finished making the bed together in companionable silence, each one sneaking glances at the other from time to time. When he’d finally introduced himself, as if she didn’t already know who the great Cullen Cruz was, it had taken some serious effort on her end to find her own name to return the introduction. She’d left the bungalow walking on cloud nine that day. The rest of the week had been filled with flirtatious smiles and winks, him using her name every time he saw her. She was so taken in by his charm, she hadn’t even considered the age difference between them. If only she had known that he was just using that charm to get what he had wanted and that, in the end, she’d see his true colors.

  Drea was exactly where Leona had hoped she would be—sitting on her little porch on the backside of her cottage, looking out over Big House Beach. Some of their best memories were made on that beach, from the time they were teenagers simply sunning themselves while gossiping about boys, to being adults and sitting out there sharing a bottle of wine. Kyle had moved into the small cottage with Drea a couple of months back, but the place remained relatively unchanged.

  Plopping down in one of the lounge chairs that lived on the patio, Leona looked over at Drea and just stared until Drea put down her book. When she finally put the bookmark in place and closed the paperback, Leona could see a little bit of a smirk forming on her face. They sat in silence for a moment, each one waiting for the other to start. Leona finally gave in.

  “You are never going to believe what that asshat asked me,” she gritted out.

  “Try me,” Drea answered, like she already knew what it was.

  “If Josef was his.”

  “What?!” Drea exclaimed, sitting up, letting her book fall to the ground. “Not at all where I thought you were going with this. ‘Splain, now!”

  “Where did you think this was going?” Leona questioned, looking confused.

  “Doesn’t matter! How does he even know about Josef? Start talking!” Drea said.

  “So you know Cruz is doing that camp thing while he’s here, right?” Drea nodded in response. “Well, Josef’s coach applied for a scholarship so Josef could attend and he got it, so he’s spending this week at camp with Cruz.”

  “That’s awesome! He is so athletic, especially for how little he is,” Drea commented.

  “He is! I’m so proud of him too,” Leona said. “And of course, he’s over the moon about this camp. As much as I can’t stand the man, even I can admit that Cruz is one of the best players in the world and for Josef to get the chance to play with him, that’s massive.”

  “You just hate it.”

  “I do. Because I know the real Cruz. But, I can’t tell Jo-bro that,” she sighed. “Anyway, I go to pick him up from camp today and Cruz sees us. He comes over and goes, ‘He’s yours?’ So, I think he’s just trying to make sure no one gets kidnapped on his watch, you know, like a normal person would ask.”

  Drea’s eyes got wide as Leona said all this, hanging on each word. Leona was glad she had her, knowing that at least someone was on her side here.

  “So I told
him yes, and then he goes, ‘Is he mine?’ Just like that. No clarification of if he was my kid, or brother or cousin, nothing. Just assumes that because we hooked up once that obviously it resulted in him knocking me up and I’ve been keeping it a secret for ten years!”

  “But…” Drea paused, trying to find her words. “Doesn’t he know that Josef’s thirteen? That it’s mathematically not possible?”

  “Apparently not something he took the time to think about.”

  “And I thought you said you used protection that night. I mean, I know you’ve been on the pill forever, but didn’t he like, magically produce a condom out of nowhere? Or am I not remembering this right?”

  “We did. He did!” Leona said, getting up from the chair and pacing. “He must just think he has Superman sperm or something.”

  “Wow. I mean…wow. What did you say?”

  “I let him have it. I told him he was my brother and reminded him that he used a fucking condom and that I know his life is just a blur of meaningless hookups, but still. It took everything I had not to hit him again.”

  “Again? You’ve hit him before?” Drea slid forward so she was sitting on the edge of the seat.

  “Yeah, remember ten years ago, right before he left?”

  “That mark he had next to his eye? The one he told my uncles he got when he slipped in the shower the night before, drunk?”

  “Yeah, that might not have exactly been the way it went down,” Leona admitted.

  Drea picked up her phone, glancing at the time. “Girl, I’ve got an hour before I have to meet the family to place bets. So sit back down and start spilling.”

  There had been plenty of moments in his thirty-eight years on this planet where Cullen had made an ass out of himself. A few of those were even caught on camera and shared in the media. However, none of the previous occasions left him feeling like he did right now. Like he was a complete and utter piece of shit.