“Thank you.” Her cheeks burned impossibly hot at the unexpected compliment.
“I feel terrible about the night we met. I can’t believe you worked on my car in the parking lot.” He shook his head. “I was too embarrassed to call and follow up.” His eyes dipped to her legs again.
Ronnie shifted from one foot to the other. He was obviously checking her out, and while she was flattered, the attention did surprise her. During their initial meeting, she never got the impression that he was very interested. Perhaps the shirt-dress didn’t impress him much, but he clearly liked the shorts.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“So…are you seeing anyone?” he asked tentatively.
“Um…” Again, she didn’t quite know what to say. “Sort of. The guy I mentioned, Diego.”
His mouth downturned. “Guess I missed my shot, huh?”
“I…um…”
Edgar smiled. “Don’t answer. Come on, let’s see if we can find Diego.” He placed a hand between her shoulder blades, and she tried not to read too much into the fact that he was touching her yet again.
As they walked side by side, Ronnie searched the grounds. Her eyes bounced from person to person until she spotted Diego during another glance at the porch “I see him now.”
Edgar followed her line of vision. “Where?”
She pointed. “In the green T-shirt.”
“Oh.”
She understood the subdued response. Diego looked particularly scrumptious in a green, fitted T-shirt with white letters and jeans that fit snugly but not tightly over his lean hips. He looked downright potent and dripping with confidence. Two woven bracelets, one made of leather and the other of yarn, circled his right wrist, and a chocolate fedora rested in a casual position the back of his head.
He bounced his head to “Danza Kuduro,” smiling as he talked. He had a two-day growth of hair on his face because he’d become lazy over the long weekend and refused to shave. Not that she minded. She quite enjoyed the sweet burn of facial hair against her inner thigh when they made love.
He finally saw her and she waved at him and smiled.
“Now that you’ve found your guy, I’ll leave you alone,” Edgar said. Regret in his eyes, he squeezed her arm, his hand lingering a little too long by dragging across her skin, before he walked away.
When Ronnie looked at the porch again, Diego’s eyes followed Edgar’s progress across the yard, a smile no longer on his face. Ronnie approached the stairs and right away recognized the two men with Diego as the ones at Dilligan’s the night he beat her in pool.
Based on an earlier conversation, she guessed the tallest one was Tomas. He had an arm wrapped around a petite, dark-skinned woman standing in front of him, who moved her hips ever so slightly to the music. She must be Talia.
A wide grin spread across Diego’s face, and he nudged Tomas. All eyes turned to Ronnie as she ascended the stairs.
“You finally made it. I was beginning to worry,” Diego said, slipping a hand around her waist and puller her close to his side.
“I texted you.”
Frowning, he took out the phone and saw the text. “My little cousin Manuel was playing with the phone earlier. I didn’t receive an alert. He must have changed the settings.”
Diego tugged a loose string on her jeans. “These are short,” he said in a low voice, so no one else could hear.
Heat suffused her cheeks. “I cut off an old pair of jeans. Anika showed me how to make them distressed using sandpaper.”
Her happiness changed to bewilderment when she noted the hard set to his jaw. The comment wasn’t so much a compliment as an observation.
He made the introductions, introducing Ryan, Talia, and Tomas, and introducing her as Veronica.
“But you can call me Ronnie,” she added.
While they spoke, Ryan’s wife, Shawna, a woman with russet skin and her long hair in a neat ponytail, came from inside the house with a chubby baby boy in her arms.
“How old is he?” Ronnie asked. She touched his hand, and his little fist closed around her finger. She wagged her hand and the boy rewarded her with a bright smile.
“Eight months.” Shawna beamed.
“He’s adorable,” Ronnie cooed.
“Are you hungry?” Talia asked.
Ronnie dragged her attention away from the baby. “I could definitely eat.” She’d barely eaten all day, saving her appetite after Diego told her about all the food Tomas and Talia prepared and bought for the annual event.
“There are hotdogs, burgers, chicken—plenty to eat,” Diego said.
Talia pointed at Ryan and Diego. “You two need to help Tomas bring out more chairs and move the picnic tables under the trees.”
“And bring out more ice and drinks,” Shawna added.
“So you need the men to handle the heavy lifting?” Ryan asked, flexing his muscles.
Shawna giggled and shoved her husband. “Just go. We’ll take care of Ronnie.”
“You don’t have to babysit me. Just point me in the right direction and I can fix my own plate.”
There was plenty of food outside, but Ronnie followed Ryan and Diego into the house where there was more food and she could wash her hands. They passed a living room filled with large, traditional furniture in dark hues. Ten men crowded around the television watching a White Sox and Cleveland Indians baseball game and yelling at the screen.
The large eat-in kitchen contained high-end Viking appliances, and it was obvious the hosts replenished the food outside from in here, where covered dishes lined almost every surface. Diego and Ryan left with the additional drinks and ice, and Ronnie reviewed her choices from the mouth-watering spread. She placed an extra char-grilled hotdog on the plate and added ribs, potato salad, and baked beans.
“This should get me started,” she said to herself. She grabbed a cold beer and made her way toward the front, but loud cheering made her pause in the doorway of the living room.
Through instant replay, she saw one of the players slide into home plate.
Ronnie eased into the room. Diego was busy, so she could hang out for a minute and eat and watch the game.
She walked over to the leather sofa where a heavyset black male sat sipping a beer. “Mind if I sit?”
“Not at all. Have a seat.”
“What’s the score?” she asked, settling down.
“Four to two, in favor of the Indians,” came the reply.
“I see you got the same idea I did,” a familiar voice said to her right.
Ronnie looked up to see Edgar standing beside the couch.
“Mind if I join you?”
“There’s plenty of room.” She and the other man scooted over and Edgar joined them.
Ronnie bit into a rib and settled down to watch the game.
Chapter 19
Almost an hour later, Diego went in search of Ronnie. Helping Tomas straighten up around the property kept him busy for some time. Then one of the guests tried to leave while intoxicated. His wife came running and begged Tomas and Diego to intervene. After extensive talking didn’t work, they wrestled him to the ground and took away the keys.
Diego thought Ronnie was in good hands with the other women, but neither Talia nor Shawna had seen her, and he felt a twinge of guilt for leaving her alone for so long.
Except she wasn’t alone. He found her in the living room, the only female among the men. Right at home between two black guys on the leather couch. The wiry one rested an arm along the back of the chair, behind her head. Earlier, when he saw the same guy with Ronnie, something in his face, his demeanor, suggested a more than friendly interest.
An unnatural feeling crawled up the back of Diego’s neck to his scalp. Ronnie spent a lot of time in the company of the opposite sex. At Taylor Automotive. At the sports bar. But seeing her here, surrounded by all these men, struck a nerve. To date, the only woman he’d ever heard her talk about was her cousin, Anika.
Doesn’t she know any women?
The crawling sensation tightened his shoulders.
The room erupted, the men hollering at the TV screen when a ball player was pronounced safe on a run. Ronnie leaped from the chair, lifted a hand in the air, and crowed victoriously.
“Did you see that?” she yelled in the face of the man to her left.
She didn’t see Diego at the door, nor did she notice how the gaze of the man to her right lingered on her ass in his face.
Diego gritted his teeth. Those shorts were too damn short. One more inch and he’d see the underside of her bottom.
Her admirer jumped to his feet and yelled, “Yes!” Then he grabbed Ronnie around the waist and lifted her off the floor.
Diego saw red. He marched into the room, and by then the man had put Ronnie down, but his hand remained on her shoulder as they watched the instant replay, as if he couldn’t resist touching her. Tension tightened in Diego’s shoulders as the irritation turned into full-on pain and he faced the other man.
“¿Qué pasa, pendejo?” Possessive anger coursed through his veins. Not only had this man been ogling her, he’d put his damn hands on her, and Diego didn’t doubt for a minute the guy knew he and Ronnie were together.
Her admirer dropped his hand from her shoulder, and the smile vanished from Ronnie’s face. They may not know that he called the man an asshole, but the hostility in his face made his displeasure clear.
“Diego, hi,” Ronnie said in an overly cheery voice. “This is Edgar. Edgar, this is Diego.”
“Nice to meet you,” Edgar said.
Neither man extended a hand.
“You should keep your hands to yourself, Edgar,” Diego said, steel in his voice.
Ronnie’s eyes widened. “Diego.” She laughed shakily, clearly embarrassed.
Edgar lifted his hands in surrender. “I understand.”
“Do you?”
Edgar swallowed. “I got a little carried away.”
The room had fallen into an awkward silence, the only sound the announcers covering the baseball game. Diego flexed the fingers of his hand.
“Can we go, please?” Ronnie asked, gaze jerking around the room at their audience.
Diego didn’t move.
“Diego, please.”
His gaze shot to her, and her pleading expression finally got through to him. He took her by the wrist and pulled her out of the room and down the hall, into the kitchen where they could talk alone.
She yanked her arm away and whirled on him right away. “What the hell!”
“Is that what you’ve been doing for the past hour?” He was being an asshole but couldn’t stop himself. He clenched and unclenched his hands, itching to smash something.
“I was watching the game. I only planned to sit down for a few minutes while you worked. I lost track of time.” A perfectly reasonable response that did nothing to assuage his anger.
“Do you really think it’s a good idea for you to sit between all these men, dressed like that?” he asked in a vicious whisper.
Her wide eyes stretched wider. “Dressed like…” Ronnie glanced down at her clothes. “What’s wrong with the way I’m dressed?”
“The shorts. The tank top. Come on.”
Technically, there was nothing wrong with her clothes. Half the women at the picnic wore some variation of the same outfit, but what bothered him were the subtle changes he saw.
She used to wear loose-fitting clothes and didn’t care much about her appearance. Now she wore booty shorts and a shirt that showed off her toned arms and was so tight on her breasts he damn near saw the capillaries in her nipples.
“The way I dress bothers you? This?”
“Whose attention are you trying to get?” Diego demanded.
He didn’t get jealous. Ever. After Loisa cheated, he adopted a new perspective on relationships. If a woman wanted to step out on him while they were in a committed relationship, he’d show her the door. Why waste time with someone who didn’t want to be with him and him alone?
So he couldn’t comprehend the irrational monster that reared its hideous head where Ronnie was concerned. Why did it bother him so much that within the past week she’d started smelling different? She continued to use vanilla in her hair, but no more hibiscus-scented soap. A light, flowery fragrance perfumed her skin. And she put her slender figure on display more and more, in revealing clothes that at first he thought she only wore for him, but now he questioned if she was interested in snagging the attention of men like Edgar, who obviously had the hots for her.
Ronnie placed her hands on her hips. “I can’t believe you asked me whose attention I’m trying to get. But since you did, I’m not trying to get anyone’s attention.”
“No?” Diego edged nearer. Watching her closely. “Tell the truth. You don’t get a little thrill from having men check you out? From knowing that Edgar and at least half the men in there like looking at your pretty legs? Your perfect breasts?”
He was getting hard just thinking about her body in those terms.
She blinked and swallowed. “Everyone likes to be noticed by the opposite sex. It’s only natural.”
“So you admit it.”
“I’m not admitting anything.” She heaved a loud sigh. “Look, I’m not used to this type of reaction.”
“Well, get used to it,” Diego snarled. “I’m not going to sit still and let another man put his fucking hands all over my woman. He’s lucky I didn’t punch him in his goddamn face with that slick-ass move.”
Her eyes widened. “Lower your voice.”
“I will not lower my fucking voice!”
A lanky teenaged boy pulled up short at the entrance to the kitchen. “Um…Talia sent me in here to get a tray of chicken.”
“Over there.” Diego jabbed a finger at the containers sitting on the stove.
The young man rushed over and lifted the aluminum foil on the first container, confirming that it was the chicken. He then picked up the meat and hurried out.
Diego paced the floor, dragging large quantities of air into his lungs with deep, heavy inhalations. His insides burned with jealous anger.
Ronnie stood in front of the window, resting her back against the sink and staring at the floor. “So I’m your woman?”
Diego stopped moving at the quietly asked question.
She lifted her gaze to him, the question repeated in her eyes.
He ambled over to stand directly in front of her. “Yes, you’re my woman.” It was time he made that clear. No more ambiguity.
“If I’m your woman, you should trust me.”
“I trust you. It’s them I don’t trust.” He pointed at the door.
“No one is paying attention to me like you think they are.”
“You simply don’t notice.”
It was laughable, really, her lack of guile when it came to men. Even women noticed her. Shawna had commented on her toned body and “fierce” haircut.
What she mistook for lack of attention from men was actually intimidation. They’d learned she’d cut them down with harsh words or a well-placed glare, and while he teased her about her “resting bitch face,” the expression kept most men from approaching.
She might not be the kind of woman who stopped traffic, but in a room full of men, unless they were all blind, she definitely did not go unnoticed. Especially with her beautiful brown legs on display and a tank top that hugged her torso so well it showed off her pert breasts and left nothing to the imagination.
Diego placed a hand on either side of her and gazed into her eyes. He could get lost in those warm brown pools. “What if I tell you I’m jealous?” he asked. His gut clenched. He felt vulnerable, baring his soul.
“I would say you have nothing to be jealous about,” Ronnie replied, her voice whisper soft. “I’d be a liar if I said I wasn’t flattered when another man pays attention to me, but I only want your attention. I only care about what you think.” She lifted the hat off his head and placed it on hers at a jaunty angle. “You alw
ays talk about how nice my legs are. I wore these shorts for you.”
Diego grimaced. Maybe he was an asshole.
“Do you trust me?” Ronnie sifted her fingers through his hair. The light touch further calmed his raging temper.
He rested his forehead against hers. His failed relationship with Loisa affected him more than he realized. The changes he saw in Ronnie were signs he ignored in his ex during his periods of insobriety. Only later did he recognize that the shift in her behavior had been caused by another man.
A man who bought her lace panties, perfume, and jewelry. Which she proudly wore with confidence. Right under Diego’s nose. And he never had a clue.
“I trust you,” he said, throat tight.
“Good.”
He looked deeply into her eyes and saw nothing but sweetness and affection.
“But you’re still coming outside with me. You’re not going back into that room.”
“Diego.”
He touched his mouth to hers. Gently, softly, he kissed her, swirling his tongue between her lips. One hand moved under her shirt and found soft skin. He grasped her waist and pulled her closer. Nudging her mouth wider, he casually swept from one end to the next, tasting the sweet-as-honey flavor.
“Let’s go before I take you right here in my cousin’s kitchen.” She giggled softly and he took her by the hand. “Am I going to get my hat back?”
She pressed the fedora flatter on her head. “Nope. It’s mine for the rest of the evening. That’s your punishment for making me miss the rest of the game.”
They joined the festivities outside, and as darkness fell, he watched her playing with the children and joking around with his friends and family.
He’d learn to accept the camaraderie she shared with men another day. He knew that without a doubt. Those relationships were part of who she was, and in all honesty he didn’t want her to change. But right now, he wanted to keep her close. Because as much as she fit in comfortably with the men, there was no denying that Ronnie Taylor was all woman.
Chapter 20
Ronnie couldn’t believe it. Her father was finally taking Miss Loretta on a date. Ever since the neighbor escorted him to the doctor for his cataract surgery, the two had become very close. They went to church together and even carpooled to the grocery store on Saturdays.
One of the Guys Page 11