As soon as the waitress was gone, Jayla leaned across the table and whispered, “Listen…there is nothing going on between us other than sex.”
“If you say so.” He didn’t even bother to look her way as he stirred his coffee.
“I’m serious, Steph. Once the reunion is over, so are we.”
With a smirk, he brought the mug to his lips before meeting her hard stare. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are when you’re angry?”
She totally ignored his question and replied, “We live too far away. Long distance relationships don’t work.”
“We are only six hours and thirty-two minutes apart. Everything takes work, but anything is possible.”
There was a pregnant pause before Jayla placed her elbows on the table and replied, “Did you ever think that maybe I’m not interested in a relationship?”
“Why the hell not?” he said and suddenly regretted the snippy tone.
“Because they don’t work. Been there, done that. I still got the battle scars to prove it,” she retorted with a defiant tilt of her chin.
Something finally clicked. So that’s what it is. Someone had hurt her, and as a result Jayla was taking it out on any decent man who showed her the slightest bit of attention.
Reaching over, he placed his hand over hers and felt her fingers trembling. “Querida, there are no guarantees with any relationship, but if two people work together and are committed to each other…the sky’s the limit.”
She snatched her hand away. “I’m not your, querida.”
“You will be before the reunion is over,” he assured her, then reached for his cup and took a long sip of his coffee.
Jayla looked seconds away from tossing hot coffee on him, but thankfully, she thought better of it. “That’s where you are wrong. I came here for some fun, nothing else.”
Stefano smiled. He loved how easy it was to get her all riled up. Jayla was definitely sexy when she was mad. “Then why are you getting so upset?”
“I’m not upset.” She grounded through her teeth.
Stefano pointed a finger at her. “Yes, you are. I see the way your gorgeous lips are quivering. Makes me want to come around there and ravish you in public.”
“Don’t even think about it,” she warned.
“Then smile for me,” he challenged her.
Her eyes widened. “What?”
“You heard me. I want to see that pretty smile of yours again.”
He winked and then waited. Finally she rolled her eyes and muttered, “You’re impossible.” The lines creased at her forehead and she was drinking her coffee, dark and bitter, just like her mood.
“I can’t understand how a woman who’s a tigress in bed can be so against love.”
“Love?”
Damn, where did that word come from? “What I mean is having someone special in your life. Is that really a bad thing? Everyone needs someone.”
“I had a few bad experiences.”
“Wanna talk about them?”
She gave a rude snort. “No, not really. But it was enough to make me leery of men and their promises. I’m sure you’ve broken many hearts over the years.”
Stefano gave an innocent shrug. “Never intentional.”
That comment caused her eyes to roll in her head.
“What?”
A stony expression had entered her eyes. “Like you said, it was never intentional.”
He could tell something had her upset. “Jae, talk to me.”
“Remember back when I was tutoring you in math?”
He nodded. “Sure I remember.”
“I liked you back then…I liked you a lot.”
She had? His eyes searched hers. “I had no idea.”
“Well Tamara knew.”
He cringed at the mention of his former girlfriend. Tamara was truly a piece of work who almost cost him his track scholarship.
“You were supposed to come to the house one evening. My mom was out of town and dad was working late so I planned this romantic dinner. I know it was silly and childish, but I had decided to put on one of my mother’s negligees. When I opened the door, I was expecting you and instead Tamara was there. She told me the two of you were engaged and to get the fantasy out my head.”
He was still thinking about her in a negligee when something in his mind finally clicked. “Is that why you stopped tutoring me?”
Jayla shrugged, and didn’t bother looking up from her mug as she replied, “It was for the best.”
“So last night had been a way of getting back at me?” he asked with a sweep of the hand.
Jayla finally met his gaze. “Sort of.”
“I see.” He reached over for the morning paper that was sitting on the table beside them and then pretended to read. He was well aware Jayla was staring at him, but instead he ignored her. He knew he was now being childish, but it served her right. The waitress arrived with their food. He thanked her, reached for his fork and began eating.
“Hmm, these eggs are really good.”
Stefano glanced up from his plate and noticed Jayla had given him her first real smile. “Si, they are muy bien,” he replied, then went back to reading the paper as he ate.
“Are you angry with me?” she finally asked, guilt was visibly weighing her down.
“Angry?” he repeated with false innocence. “No, I thought you were angry with me.”
She dropped her eyes to her plate. He loved the way she blushed. “No, I’m not angry…I mean I’m not anymore.” Her voice was a small apologetic voice.
Chuckling, Stefano bit into a slice of bacon and she laughed softly. He waited until she started eating her omelet again and then leaned in close and whispered, “Tell me something … were you faking?”
“Faking?” her eyes widened when she realized what he was referring to. “No, not at all.”
“So when you were moaning and calling out my name you were enjoying it?” He met her alarmed expression and chuckled inward.
“You’re a nasty man,” she said.
“And you like it,” he said and stared at her, daring her to say otherwise. Instead, she shrugged and tried to fight a smile.
They ate their breakfast, talked about the people they had seen and the people they still couldn’t wait to run into. No one else from their graduating class mattered except for the woman sitting across from him, and the sooner he could get her back in his arms, the better.
“I’ll see you in the lobby in an hour. And if you’re not on time, I’m coming to get you.” Stefano rose, dropped a tip on the table, then walked away, whistling.
* * *
They had been out at the beach for almost an hour. She was sitting on one of the lounge chairs that Stefano had rented with a large umbrella overhead. Bordering the Chesapeake Bay, the sandy beach was a nice alternative to Virginia Beach, which during the summer was overrun by tourists, and weekend travelers.
Jayla generously rubbed suntan lotion across her arms and legs.
“Chick, when did you get here?”
She looked up and smiled as Kat slipped over and lowered onto the lounge chair, wearing a two-piece, royal-blue bikini that left very little of her curves to the imagination.
“Hey cuz, we’ve been here for quite a while.”
“I’ve been dying to call you all morning to ask you about last night. So tell me, was it worth the wait?”
Grinning, Jayla peered over her sunglasses at Stefano who was standing out near the water. There was nothing better than the sight of a gorgeous man in swimming trunks, especially Stefano. He looked sexy, and strong with a lean, muscular physique. And then there was his flat belly framed by a tapered waist. He was truly a sight for sore eyes, and based on all the women who were gawking at him, he was more humble than she had thought. It seemed the more time she spent with him, the more it was becoming clear, he wasn’t anything like she had thought him to be. And that meant she was in a world of trouble.
“Steph, is definitely somethi
ng else,” she finally murmured in a far-off voice. “And how was your evening?” Jayla asked curiously. There was a roll of the eyes that made her laugh. “It was that bad?” she asked incredulously.
Kat shook her head. “Nothing happened.”
Jayla sat back on the beach chair. “What do you mean, nothing happened?” she asked, then looked around to make sure Marquis wasn’t anywhere in sight. Jayla shaded her eyes against the rays of sun bouncing off the water and spotted Marquis striding toward the shore, in red swim trunks, over to where Stefano and a few others were standing around. They were a loud bunch. Seeing all of those yummy specimens were enough to make even a prude drool.
“Check this out…Marquis said he’s gonna make me fall in love with him without ever touching me.”
Jayla yanked her eyes away from the water, with her brow raised. “He said that?”
Kat nodded. “Yes, and he’s so damn cocky he really believes it.”
“What do you think?”
A sly grin crept to her lips. “I think…bring it on.”
With laughter, Jayla gave her cousin a high-five. “I’ve never had a relationship that didn’t involve sex, so this I gotta see.”
“I see a total flop. Sorry, but you know I believe in sampling the milk before buying the cow.”
Nodding, Jayla agreed.
“Speaking of milk…because in Stefano’s case it definitely does the body good, I want to hear about your night of living wild and reckless.”
“Amazing.” Jayla dug her feet in the sand and frowned. “But not going to be as easy to just walk away like I had planned.”
Kat gave her a look as if to say I told you so. “That’s because you ain’t about that life.”
“True.” She was right. She had always worn her heart on her sleeve. Which was why she kept getting her heart broken.
“But…” she began. “Who’s to say it’s just a fling?”
Jayla scrunched up her nose. “Long distance relationships don’t work.”
“They do if the man is worth it. And for someone that fine, who has you smiling after a night in his bed, I would be willing to hitchhike five-hundred miles to be with him.”
“You are so goofy,” Jayla said with a fit of hearty laughter.
“I’m serious! You can’t just give up on relationships, because it hasn’t gone quite the way it should. Eventually you’ll get it right.”
That was easy for her to say. “You don’t mind starting over but it’s gotten really old for me. My parents have been together since high school, and maybe it hasn’t been all good, but at least they love each other enough to stick it out and make it work all these years.”
“Well, it seems it’s not too late for you to hook up with your high school crush. Don’t look now, but here he comes.”
Jayla followed her eyes and there he was, heading in her direction. Stefano. A magnificent piece of art. There was no doubt in her mind, especially by the way her body was reacting, she was sexually attracted to him. And that was only the beginning. The other things she was feeling, she refused to explore.
“Maybe I need to join the Air Force,” Kat cooed.
Playfully, Jayla swatted her on the arm. “Behave. That one is mine.”
Kat’s head whipped around with an arched look before she had a chance to realize what she had said. “So you’re claiming him now?” she probed.
Me and my big mouth, Jayla groaned. “You know what I mean.” She downplayed it as if her heart wasn’t pounding like crazy beneath her breasts. The closer he got, the harder the thumping. Stefano was gorgeous! There was his physical strength and power that amazed her.
“Hola, Kat.”
“Hola to you too, Papi,” she cooed
Jayla reached over while Stefano wasn’t looking, nudged her in the arm and mouthed, “Behave.”
“What’s Marquis doing?”
Stefano pointed his head toward the shore. “They’re about to get the grill going.”
“About time, I’m starved,” Jayla said.
Stefano mopped a beach towel across his head and then she watched as he reached for a bottle of water and took a long swallow. Oh my, that bottle was lucky to have those lips wrapped around it.
“Come and walk with me.” Stefano held out a hand and as soon as she took it, he brought Jayla to her feet.
“Get it girl,” Kat said under her breath.
They headed down toward the shore. She noticed the other classmates, looking with jealousy and envy. How did I get to be so lucky? In fact, with each step across the hot sand, Jayla felt beautiful and sexy. Stefano had a way of making her feel that way, she thought with a sigh. He led her down toward the shore and she stopped, slipped off her flip-flops and carried them in one hand while Stefano held the other. As they drew closer to the water, the sand became cool and wet and felt good beneath her toes. She followed his lead along the shore.
“I forgot how much I love the ocean,” Jayla commented and brushed her shoulder against his arm.
“I was just thinking the same thing. I try to go down to L.A. whenever I can just to walk along the coast.”
She sighed. “I really need to start getting out and taking more time for myself. I spend so much time working that when I am off all I want to do is be home, curled on my couch.”
“Sounds like you’re a homebody,” he commented, with a teasing smile.
She tilted her head and nodded. “I’ve always been a homebody. I just recently decided I needed to get out of my shell and live a little and stop being such a disappointment to my parents.”
Dragging her close, Stefano draped an arm across her chest as he said, “You think you’re a disappointment? I never got that impression from your parents.”
She rolled her eyes. “I was never pretty enough or outgoing enough, like my dear old mother,” she began and heard the bitterness in her voice. “Mama used to try and teach me about makeup and fashion, but I was so not interested back then in anything but books. Plus, I was going through that ugly duckling stage and the least attention, the better.”
“I never thought of you as an ugly duckling, but you are truly a swan now.”
She smirked and silently thanked him for being nice. “Once I got rid of the braces and endured my mother’s makeup 101 course. I still never feel comfortable, but,”—she paused and shrugged—“it’s called being a woman.”
“And you are definitely all woman.” The way he said that caused her body to tingle with excitement. Stefano was so gorgeous she didn’t know how she got to be so lucky to be spending time with him. She just wasn’t going to make more of it than it was. She was caught up in the moment, and it had to be the same for him.
“How’s your sister doing?”
A smile curled Stefano’s lips at the question. “Tianna’s doing good. She just signed a contract with Cover Girl.”
“Really? That’s wonderful.”
Every time he thought about Tianna, a smile warmed his heart knowing she had gone on to do something great with her life despite all the obstacles they had faced.
As a result of their parents’ bitter divorce, his mother was granted full custody of his sister and then moved back to Mexico. Marie Ortiz wanted to be as far away as she could from her husband and her son, who looked too much like his father for her to be able to stomach looking at him each and every day.
Instead Stefano had been raised by a bitter drunk who often took his anger out on him with his fist. And that hadn’t been the worst of it. Often he had gone without food or was intentionally locked out the house for days after his father put him out for no reason at all. Stefano drew a deep breath as the pain and humiliation came rushing back. Very few knew how dysfunctional his life had been, except for the woman who lived directly across the street. Often she had allowed him to sleep on her covered front porch, and when times became more frequent, she allowed him to take one of the empty bedrooms, since her children had all left for college or had families of their own. Stefano shook his
head, as he remembered it had taken his father weeks to realize his son was gone. But, by the time he had already turned eighteen, there wasn’t much he could have done. Besides, Ms. Phyllis protected him and eventually Manuel Ortiz left him alone.
“She is living in California now, so she’s close, but I still worry about her.”
“Keeping a close eye, huh? I’m sure all of the boys are sniffing around,” she teased.
A frown marred his face. “Don’t remind me. She’s always running off for the weekend with some guy. I wish she’d just settle down and have some babies.”
Jayla stopped walking and stared at him, eyes wide. “You can’t be serious! Maybe she isn’t ready to give up her modeling career.”
“Then settle down with one guy. I don’t know what’s up with you women,” he said and got the right response from her.
“You women?” she drew back. “Is there something wrong with being independent?”
He winked, loving to see her get all fired up. “It is when you forget there are men out here who love catering to their woman. Trata como una reina.”
“What’s that?” she asked.
“I treat my woman like a queen,” Stefano said softly, then brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. Jayla’s eyes widened and desire burned in their depths and then it was gone as if the blinds had been drawn.
“Why do you keep trying to act like you don’t like me?”
“Who said I like you?” she spoke in a clipped tone.
“You like me,” he replied confidently. “In fact, you like me a lot. You just don’t want to admit it to yourself. Instead you act like it would be showing a sign of weakness.” He took her hand and stopped her from retreating. Turning, Jayla looked at him, her face blank from expression.
“And is that necessarily a bad thing?” Jayla countered and then her eyes searched his, waiting for an answer.
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