by Angela Blake
“Um, Daniel?”
“Yeah?”
“What are you doing here?”
“Christina sent me over.” Daniel shrugged as he began to apply sunscreen all over his body.
“Christina?” Esmeralda echoed, confusion lacing her tone. She took a peek at Christina who gave her a thumbs up and made a shooing gesture.
“What exactly did she tell you?”
Daniel sighed as he met her gaze. “She made some very valid albeit forceful points. I know that she’s right, that we can’t keep doing this little dance of ours, not so long as my decision remains the same. The truth is my life might be easier without having to put in effort to maintain a relationship, but is by no means happier, and I know you deserve so much better than me.”
“But?” She tasted bile in throat as she realized that she didn’t want to relive their breakup all over again, but realizing that she might have no choice.
“But nothing…”
Daniel paused as he tore his gaze away from hers. “Esmeralda, the truth is, I wasn’t entirely truthful. The reason I broke up with you is because I knew I wouldn’t have enough time for you, that part was true, but there’s something else I didn’t say.”
He took a deep breath. “The truth is I discovered I have a daughter right after New Year’s, and that’s why I started acting weird. I didn’t know how to handle it, and I didn’t want to put you through that mess while I sorted through everything.”
Esmeralda began to chew on her bottom lip as she went through everything in her head. Backtracking as she wondered how she could’ve possibly missed the signs. She decided to sit on the ground as she processed knowing that Daniel had actually made what he thought was the right decision at the time, but he should’ve trusted her more than that.
“I don’t know what the right choice is here, but I do know that right here, with you, there’s no place I’d rather be, so how about we spend the day together, and take it day by day? I know it’s a lot to take in, and maybe way more than you signed up for, so I’ll understand if you no longer want to be with me, but I should’ve realized that you wouldn’t walk away from me for that.”
“Yeah, you should’ve,” she said weakly as she tried to picture Daniel as a father.
“How old is she?” Esmeralda finally asked.
“She’s sixteen,” he replied quietly.
“Wow,” Esmeralda breathed. The age difference between her and his daughter wasn’t that huge.
“Okay,” she said finally.
Daniel’s eyes widened in surprise. “Really?”
“Really. I’m not sure if I know how to deal with you having a daughter, Daniel. This isn’t what I thought you were hiding, but I want to be with you, more than anything else. I think in time, I’ll even learn to get used to it.”
Daniel gave her a wide smile before he leaned in and kissed her. “You’ve just made me the happiest man alive.”
“Great, so um, yeah, do you want me to put sunscreen on your back?” he asked, a devilish grin on his face.
Esmeralda chuckled. “Any excuse you can get to touch me, eh?”
“Always,” he responded as he helped her lather her back. He began to stroke her back muscles as he if he was plucking guitar strings, and it was sending her nerves into overload.
She bit down on her bottom lip hard. “I think we’d better stop now, or else these people are going to have a front row seat to a show they don’t particularly want to see.”
Daniel leaned in to whisper in her ear. “I’m just getting started.” He stood up and held out his hand to Esmeralda who took it without hesitating.
They ran towards the water and stopped at the edge. Daniel waddled in first, and when Esmeralda took too long to follow, he began to splash her with water.
She screeched as the cold water made contact with her body. After Daniel made multiple attempts to get her into the water, it was the threat of him coming out to hug her while he was dripping wet that got her to jump right in.
She sucked in a huge gulp of air as she kicked for the surface a few minutes later. The water was warmer than she had originally imagined, and she gave Daniel a sly smile as she splashed him.
He wiped the water out of his eyes as he shook his hair.
“It’s on Dunbey.”
“Bring it, Austin.”
They began chasing each other around the water, each trying to dunk the other person until it was well past the afternoon.
They finally got out a while later, their skin like prunes as they giggled like love-struck teenagers. They headed to their respective tents after a quick hug and a promise to meet for lunch later.
After lunch, they got into their hiking gear and prepared to climb Saint Catherine, so they could see the sunset from the top.
Daniel kept a close eye on her the entire time to make sure she was okay, and once they made their way to the top, they watched as the sun bathed the world in its eerie effervescent glow. Their hands interlocked as Esmeralda leaned her head on his shoulder, and Daniel wrapped his arm around her waist.
As they made their way down later, Daniel pulled her in and buried his face in her hair. “Come by my tent later?”
Esmeralda nodded shyly as she pulled back and made her way to the tent. She began to feel the butterflies flutter in her stomach as she rummaged around her bag for something sexy to water.
Christina stepped into the tent a while later and smirked. “I’m glad to see you two lovebirds have figured things out.”
“We’re trying, at least. Chris,” Esmeralda sighed in frustration. “I have nothing sexy to wear. I wish I had packed some lingerie or something, but I mean it’s not like I thought this was going to happen.”
Christina sat down. “Luckily for you. I had the foresight to intervene just a little. Check the front pocket of your bag.”
Esmeralda found a sexy pair of black underwear with red lace on the top, and a pink and black lacy bra. She gave Christina a big hug as she changed into them before throwing on a hoodie, her parka and a pair of sweats. She shoved her legs into a pair of boots and tossed a quick ‘Thank you’.
Christina laughed. “You’re welcome.”
Esmeralda practically sprinted to Daniel’s tent where she stood for a moment, unsure of whether she should just walk right in. Before she could decide, Daniel had zipped the tent open and smiled at her.
“Hey,” he said quietly.
“Hey, yourself.”
He stepped aside to let her in. She slowly stepped in, and as soon the zipper went up, they both threw themselves into each other’s arms and began to kiss each other with an unparalleled frenzy.
Daniel groaned in the back of his throat as he pushed Esmeralda backwards. When her back hit the back of the tent, they both slowly moved to the floor, never once removing their lips.
The sound of their labored breathing intermingled with their sighs as their hands explored every inch of available skin.
Esmeralda arched her back as she dug her nails into Daniel’s back. He moaned against her lips as his hands traveled down her sweater. They rested on top of her bra where he lightly pressed his fingertips until Esmeralda began to moan in impatience.
Her hands began to move down until they snuck underneath the hem of his hoodie. She tore her lips away from his and eagerly helped him out of his hoodie as he eagerly helped her out of hers.
Their lips collided once more as Esmeralda wrapped her legs around Daniel’s waist. He pressed himself into her core, and they both whimpered at the contact. Their hips began to gyrate against each other until they were both frantic with desire.
Daniel kicked off his hoodie, and he impatiently helped Esmeralda out of hers. His fingers began to trail lightly over her stomach until they found their way to her panties. Her breath hitched in her throat as his fingers dipped inside and found her bundle of nerves. She dug her teeth into his shoulder as he began to push in and out of her, building a temp until she cried out in pleasure.
Com
ing off of her high, Esmeralda leaned between them and cupped Daniel. She bit down on his lips, and she took advantage of his momentary distraction to slip his boxers off, so that his erection sprang free.
Daniel froze as he pulled back and stared at her. “Esmeralda,” he said her name softly, “before we continue, I need you to know something.” He met her gaze squarely. “I don’t ever want to lose you again. You have to know that I won’t ever leave you again. I will fight for you, no matter what happens because you are worth it. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted.”
Esmeralda pressed her lips to his for a soft kiss. “You’ll always have me,” she said simply as he lowered himself into her. He reached behind her back to undo her clasp, and as soon as her breasts swung free, he took one nipple into his mouth and began to suck and bite until Esmeralda was writhing in pleasure. He began to fondle the other breast then he switched his attention.
Esmeralda began to wriggle her hips in impatience until Daniel smiled against her breasts and thrust into her. They both moaned at the contact as Daniel pulled out of her then thrust into her again. It was slow at first, building up a steady pace until the tempo increased, and they both came together in Earth shattering clarity.
When they were done, they both curled up towards each other as Daniel reached over and wrapped a huge blanket over the both of them, and they drifted off in each other’s arms.
THE END
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Chapter 1
Lucas Ramirez groaned as he realized that the coach was going to make them run another mile, probably just for kicks. At twenty-three, Lucas knew that the odds were stacked against him as the youngest player on the team. Most people don’t get picked up fresh out of college, but he lucked out. But that wasn’t the only reason the odds were stacked against him. Lucas was also half Spanish, and he knew that it set him at a bit of a disadvantage because although most people would be horrified if you mentioned race within the NBA, he knew it was very much a thing. It wasn’t obvious, but he noticed the way some of his teammates snickered at the way he pronounced certain letters, and how they elbowed each other when they caught a glimpse of his Spanish flag tattoo. Maybe it was a bit cheesy, but he liked that tattoo. He hadn’t been to his country in five years, and he missed it terribly, but he knew that he was where he needed to be to make his dreams come true.
At 5’7’’ he was taller than most of the guys on the team which earned him respect, and with his jet black hair, chocolate brown eyes and fit physique most women would glance his way when he walked past.
He had a reputation for being the ladies’ man, and he enjoyed it.
It didn’t hurt too that once he threw in a word or two in Spanish, women would practically drool over him. It definitely didn’t hurt to be a Spaniard in America.
Lucas panted as his breathing began to turn a little ragged due to the fact that the coach had been over working them lately in preparation for the big game on Friday. He knew that the coach was doing what he thought needed to be done, but running the team ragged before the big game was only going to make them exhausted by the time the actual game would roll around.
He took in a huge gulp of air as he finally made it past the first mile, and he threw himself onto the wet grass and breathed deeply.
“Good job, Ramirez,” The Coach practically tossed at him as he jotted something down on his clipboard. With side burns, a patch of receding blonde hair and a physique of someone who used to be in shape, Coach Carter looked like he was tough as nails on the outside, and for the most part he was, but only those on his team knew that he was a big softie on the inside. He was like a surrogate father to most of them, and they loved him even more for it.
Unable to do much, Ramirez simply grunted and gave his Coach a thumbs up as he waited for his lungs to stop feeling like they were on fire. The blood stopped pounding in his ears, and his lungs finally felt functional a few minutes later, and he raised his head a millimeter as he watched the rest of his teammates slowly cross the first mile and collapse much like he did.
“That was some fast running, Spanish,” one of his teammates, Keith threw at him as he grabbed a bottle of water. He screwed the cap open before he dumped the water all over his hair and shook it off.
Some of the other teammates yelled out insults at him as some of the droplets of water landed on their bodies, but most of them were too tired to actually do anything about it.
Lucas watched him carefully wondering if this was another one of their pranks, or if he generally meant it.
“Thanks, dude,” he offered cautiously as he threw himself back on the ground to gaze at the sun. He and Keith had been teammates for months now, but this was the first time he had spoken to Keith directly. He knew all about him of course, half English, half American with a legendary reputation with the ladies much like himself until he found out he had a kid.
That seemed to be the case with two other members as well, Blake and Mark.
He wondered how the hell they had managed to get themselves into this situation, and he thanked his lucky stars that he was fortunate enough to have avoided that scenario.
Although he never forgot the fact that he almost ended up in that very same position.
Her name was Lorena De la Vega.
She was a fiery brunette who had lived just across the street from him in Madrid, and her liquid grey eyes somehow managed to entice him. At the tender age of seventeen, he was convinced that he was in love. But, what he confused for love was probably nothing but lust and teenage hormones.
Lucas pulled the brakes on that train of thought as he slowly began to backtrack to whatever he was thinking about before that.
He tuned in just in time to hear his teammates talk about getting together later for a game of pool at this pub off Lincoln Boulevard.
“Can you play, Spanish?” Keith asked casually as he watched him.
Lucas froze as he realized for the first time that Keith was actually having a conversation with him that didn’t involve barking out tactics during a group huddle. The rest of the teammates seemed unaffected by the conversation, but he could tell by the way they tried to seem too nonchalant that they were actually listening.
Keith was offering him an olive branch, and for the life of him, Lucas couldn’t figure out why. He didn’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth, but he wondered at this sudden change of heart.
“I’m alright,” he said finally. In reality, he had probably only played pool once or twice in his entire life, but he supposed he could remember enough to get him through a game with the guys. Especially if it meant finally bonding with them.
“Join us tonight then, seven o’clock?”
“I’ll be there,” Lucas confirmed as he hoisted himself off the grass and headed towards the ice box with the water bottles.
Keith smiled at him and titled his water bottle in salute, and Lucas did the same as he wondered if Keith was up to something.
***
Lucas pulled up to the address that Keith had texted him three hours ago after having gone home, showered and had a bite to eat.
He frowned at the exterior with its bright neon light and the motorcycles parked out front. He usually avoided places like this because he knew that a lot of the people who hung out here were pure blooded Americans, and if they caught even a whiff of foreigner between them, they’d pounce like hellhounds.
He scratched the back of his head and wondered if it was really worth bonding with the guys. He supposed he could try to make a conscious effort to fit in, and that way he wouldn’t have to turn around and leave especially because he wouldn’t have a good excuse as to why he didn’t show up.
He already said he’d be here, and it was bad form to ditch them on the first time they had asked him to hang. He was sure if he did that, there wouldn’t be a second one.
Lucas squared his shoulders and figured if worst
came to worst, he’d just walk away. It’s not like he couldn’t control his temper, he knew exactly when to back off and when to fight back, and he hoped it would be enough.
He reached out to open the set of double doors when a group of men came barreling through laughing and yelling at each other.
He stepped back as he waited for them to pass shaking his head at the silly things they were saying.
“Hey, you!” a voice slurred behind him. Lucas didn’t know who he was talking to until the man seemed to make a conscious effort of talking, Spanish.
Lucas took a deep breath, a practiced smile in place. “Yes?”
“Yes?” he mimicked in that deep baritone most Spanish men seemed to have.
Lucas kept the smile in place. “Can I help you?”
“Help me? By what? Stealing my job?”
Lucas raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The man narrowed his eyes into slits as he stumbled forward and pointed a finger accusingly at Lucas. Lucas gazed down at the man, who was very small compared to him. He had on a shirt that supported some baseball team Lucas knew nothing about, a pair of oversized jeans, and his hair carelessly stuck out at all ends. When he leaned in close to Lucas, he could smell the alcohol on his breath, and it wasn’t a pleasant smell, so he involuntarily took a step backwards.
“That’s right, cower in fear, Spaniard,” the man puffed out his chest and sneaked a glance at his friends at the back who hung behind awkwardly, unwilling to help him out, but riveted by the train wreck in front of them.
“I’m not afraid.”
The man glared at him. “Yes, you are. Who do you think you are anyway? Cristiano Ronaldo?”
The man’s friends snickered as Lucas rolled his eyes and laughed. “Cristiano Ronaldo is from Portugal not Spain.”
His friends laughed even harder at that, and the man began to grow red with anger and shame. “I knew that. I just wanted to be sure you knew.”