[Moreno Brothers 01.0] Forever Mine

by Elizabeth Reyes

  Angel hung on her every word. His heart broke as she bravely sucked it up, refusing to let herself fall apart.

  “Then I started asking for things,” her voice was full of disgust, “things she couldn’t afford: expensive running shoes, and clothes, and an iPod. I was selfish. She kept up with everything I asked for, and I didn’t ask how. Deep inside I knew we couldn’t afford it all, but I didn’t care.” She paused to take a deep breath and wipe her nose.

  “Then one day, she sat me down and cried. She told me she’d been bad. I still don’t understand the whole thing, but she took money from her boss. She’d been doing it for years. Embezzlement is what they called it at the trial. Now she’s doing three years, and it’s entirely my fault.”

  She collapsed on his chest and cried softly. Angel held her tight, feeling an invisible hand squeeze his windpipe.

  “It’s not your fault,” he whispered frantically in her ear as he kissed her again and again. He walked her over to the bench where they could sit and sat her on his lap.

  She sat up straight, composing herself, and looked at him. “She’s in a minimum security correctional facility in Flagstaff.” She held up her fingers to emphasize the quote sarcastically.

  Angel stared at her helplessly, taking her hand back in his and squeezing it.

  “She doesn’t want me to visit,” she continued, “said she didn’t want me to see her like that ever. But there’s no way I can go three years without seeing her. I plan on visiting her, no matter what she says.”

  “Can she call you?”

  Sarah nodded. “Yeah, she calls every week, and we write all the time, but it’s not enough.”

  “Sarah.” He tried to sound optimistic. “People rarely serve their full term, especially when the crime wasn’t a violent one. She’ll probably be out before the three years.”

  “That’s what her attorney told her. But she just went in, so she’s still looking at, at least a year and a half if she’s lucky.”

  Angel cradled her, kissing her forehead. She leaned on his shoulder. “The thing is, Angel, growing up we moved constantly. I don’t know why, but most of the jobs she got would rarely last. Each time she got a new one, it was time to move. Sometimes she knew it was going to be a short stay ahead of time, and we wouldn’t even get an apartment. We’d stay in a hotel for a few months at a time.

  “Up until I was nine years old, we moved so much I’d been to more than a dozen different schools, sometimes moving twice in the same year. I’d given up making friends or even unpacking. It was almost a year after we’d moved to Flagstaff before I finally allowed myself to completely unpack.”

  “And that’s where you met Sydney?” Angel felt her tense a little and straighten up again.

  “Yeah,” she said quickly. “But most importantly, we stayed there for eight years. It may not mean a lot to anyone else, but to me it was everything. I was finally home. And then just before I could finish school, this happens. Packing up all my things brought back all the painful memories of when I was a little girl. Thank God for Valerie. I don’t know how I would’ve survived starting a new school all over again.”

  Her expression turned affectionate. “It’s not that it’s so bad here, Angel. It’s just that it took so long for me to feel like I belonged somewhere. I just feel like I have to go back. I need to. It’s my home.”

  Angel kissed her gently. “Sarah, you don’t owe me any explanations. I had no right questioning you to begin with.”

  He was repulsed with himself. After everything she’d been through, she was sitting here trying to make him understand. She could go back to Arizona if she wanted to—she should. As much as he disliked the thought of her being so far, she deserved to be happy. Hell, he’d drive out there every weekend if he had to.

  ***

  It was almost unbelievable to Sarah what an incredible mix of emotions this weekend had been. The roller coaster ride was over, and yet her stomach was still feeling the effects.

  She’d kept Sydney updated all weekend on everything that was happening. When she told him about what had happened today, he was pissed at first, but she’d defended Angel ardently. He’d laughed, teasing that if he didn’t know better, he’d say she was in love.

  She got the feeling Sydney was happy that she had finally confided in someone else about her mom. She felt guilty now about the amount of crap she’d unloaded on him, and yet he’d always been there so ready to help her through it all. She hadn’t told him yet that Angel assumed he was a girl. She didn’t know why, but somehow she thought he might be insulted, betrayed that she was denying their friendship.

  She glanced at the clock. It was 10:30 p.m. She was almost out of the room, on her way to brush her teeth, when she heard her phone ring. Her face lit up when she saw it was Angel. She answered it with a smile.

  “Hi, Angel.”

  “Hey.” His voice was low. “Sorry I’m calling so late. I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I still feel like an ass about today.”

  “No, you shouldn’t.” She clutched the phone. “Actually, I feel a lot better now that I told you.”

  “Good,” he said. “’Cause I want you to know you can tell me anything.”

  Sarah’s heart sank. She knew she should’ve told him about Sydney already, but truth was she was beginning to wonder if he really needed to know. Valerie had been right, she decided, about guys being territorial, and clearly Angel was no exception. She was certain now, especially after hearing his take on guys and girls being friends, that he wouldn’t understand her relationship with Sydney.

  She reasoned with herself that he probably would never get the chance to meet Syd anyway. She’d already decided to keep the subject of Syd to a minimum. Still, she couldn’t help feeling deceitful.

  She pushed Sydney to the back of her mind. There were other things she needed to get clear with him. “Listen, Angel.” She sat down on her bed. “I’m glad you called. With all the talk about my mom today, I completely forgot to talk to you about tomorrow.”

  “What about tomorrow?”

  “Well, I know we have an understanding now, but I don’t want that to change things at school.”

  He was silent for a moment, but she heard the unmistakable change in his tone when he spoke again. “You don’t want anyone at school to know you’re seeing someone?”

  “No.” She was surprised that he would even think that. “I just don’t want you to change anything you normally do, for me. I know how close you are with your friends. I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time to spend together after school and on weekends. There’s no need for me to cut in on your time with your friends at school.”

  She really hoped he’d understand. The last thing she wanted to do was suffocate him. After all, this was his school—his friends—she was the outsider.

  The truth was she wasn’t entirely sure she was going be able to handle this. It was well known the way the girls, especially Dana, acted around Angel. Just the thought of watching another girl throw herself all over him now made her cringe.

  “Hey,” he said. “I don’t have a problem with everything staying the same as far as you hanging out with your friends and me with mine. But in case there’s any doubt, I wasn’t planning on keeping this understanding a secret.”

  Sarah felt her heartbeat speed up. For the first time, the reality of it was sinking in. This was really happening and with none other than Angel Moreno.

  “Oh, I know that,” she said. “That’s not what I meant at all. I just don’t want to smother you, Angel. I want you to still have your space.”

  “You have it all wrong, Sarah,” he said. “If anyone is gonna have to watch the smothering, it’s gonna be me. In case you haven’t noticed, I just can’t get enough of you.”

  His words sent shivers up and down her spine. She felt the exact same way, yet Angel didn’t seem scared. She, on the other hand, was terrified. This kind of happiness was uncommon in her world. She wasn
’t used to it and in some ways almost felt guilty about feeling so happy.

  “You have to stop saying things like that.”

  “Why?” He sounded very serious. “I say what I feel, and I want you to do the same. Don’t ever hold anything back.”

  “Okay.” She loved the way he made her feel so uninhibited. “Can I tell you what I’m feeling right now?”

  “Of course.”

  She bit her bottom lip. “I’d like to crawl right through the phone right now, and kiss you all over.”

  She heard him groan. “That’s not fair. Okay, let’s get one thing straight: things like that you can only say when I have you right in front of me. Damn, how am I supposed to fall asleep now?”

  Sarah giggled. “Sweet dreams, Angel.”

  “Yeah, you know what I’ll be dreaming of.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said, still giggling. “I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”

  He groaned again. “Sarah, baby, I know you mean well, but that’s not helping my situation over here.”

  She forced herself to stop giggling, reminding herself not to make promises she couldn’t keep. She’d already seen firsthand how hard, almost painful, it was for him to restrain himself. Not that she had any doubts he would, but it was cruel to tease him like that.

  She stared at the phone for a while after they’d hung up and wondered how she, herself, would get any sleep tonight.

  Chapter 8

  True to his word, Angel didn’t keep their relationship a secret. As soon as he saw her on Monday morning at her locker, he was on her. He slipped up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and kissed her neck.

  The rest of the day was pretty much the same. Anytime she was near, he was wrapped around her, unable to keep limbs or lips off of her.

  She’d introduced him to a few of her girlfriends, and he’d also met one of her guy friends, Freddie, the guy that had his locker right below hers. But walking up while she’d been laughing with Freddie had Angel seeing red. He mentioned how his own locker was closer to her homeroom, but she didn’t bite.

  They were undeniably a couple. There were quite a few sneers and barefaced gawking from some of the girls Angel knew, but if Sarah had noticed, she hadn’t said a word. He half expected her to be tense or apprehensive, given what she’d said to him at the beach about being afraid of getting hurt. But her brazen resolve throughout the day had surprised and impressed him, making him even more fascinated with her.

  Although Angel’s friends seemed surprised, they hadn’t said much. Eric had just smiled knowingly but hadn’t said a word. He knew better. Romero didn’t remember much about Friday’s party, so, he was at a total loss. After seeing Angel all over Sarah a few times though, he finally spoke up.

  “Damn, that good, huh?” he’d said. “Let me know when you’re done, so I can get me some.”

  Eric had choked back a laugh and waited for the fireworks. But Angel knew his friend could have no idea. So he let him off with a stern warning. “It’s not like that, dude. So don’t even think about it.” And that was that.

  By the end of the day, it was out there for everyone to see. And Angel was quite pleased.

  ***

  Sarah took Sofia up on her offer to come out and run with the track team that week. Instead of running by herself after school that Wednesday, she met Sofia in the locker room and walked out with her to where the team was practicing.

  Angel gave her the same warning he’d given Sofia about the coach. “Do not get caught alone with the pervert.”

  Sarah was surprised at how young the coach really was. If he hadn’t been wearing the shirt that said coach, she would’ve easily mistaken him for one of the bigger guys in school.

  He had a baby face, and while she didn’t agree with Sofia about him being fine, she could understand why the girls would be attracted to him. He did have that muscular body you’d expect on a young coach. Sarah didn’t notice anything perverted about him, only that his wit was appealing and the girls did a lot of giggling around him—something he seemed to take pleasure in. Given how protective Angel was about his sister, it didn’t surprise Sarah that he’d be so apprehensive about the coach.

  Practice went well. The team seemed impressed, and Sarah felt good about the workout. She and Sofia were on their way back to the locker room when the coach caught up to her. “So, was the team good enough for you?” he teased.

  Sarah felt flattered. She was still winded from her last run and took a moment to catch her breath.

  “Say yes. Say yes.” Sofia held her hands to her mouth as if she were praying.

  “I can’t.”

  She saw the disappointment in the coach’s face. “Why?”

  “I won’t be here next semester. I’m going back to Arizona.”

  The coach scratched his eyebrow and made a face. “Damn, that’s too bad. We could really use you in the relay. You’re here all this semester though, right?”

  Sarah nodded and was startled when she felt strong arms around her waist. Angel kissed her temple and held her against him. “What’s going on?”

  Eric and Romero were on either side of Sofia, staring at the coach. The coach smiled. “We’ll see you here after school every day.” He reached his hand out. “Welcome to the team.”

  Sarah reached out and shook his hand. He excused himself and walked away. Angel whispered in her ear, “He just had to touch you.”

  Sarah laughed. “You’re so silly.”

  She turned around, but he kept his arms around her. The expression on Angel’s face was a stern one. “You’re not serious, are you?”

  “I told you I don’t trust the guy, Sarah. You shouldn’t either.”

  Sarah couldn’t help smiling. She’d never met someone so vehement. But his expression softened quickly. He kissed her, and they turned and followed Sofia and the guys who were already headed to the locker room.

  “He seems nice enough,” Sarah said.

  Angel squeezed her hand and groaned. “Can you trust me on this? I’ve heard too many stories.”

  “Okay, okay.” Sarah leaned into him.

  Sarah was beginning to understand what Valerie meant about Angel and his brothers being so intense. But she liked it. Her whole life it had been just her and her mother. There had been too many times when having a man there to protect them would’ve come in handy. So having Angel fret over her safety didn’t bother her. On the contrary, she embraced it.

  ***

  After a few weeks, they’d pretty much slipped into a comfortable routine. Sarah would practice with the team after school while Angel was at football practice. They’d meet afterwards and go grab something to eat then park at what had become their spot, over the cliffs where he’d taken her on their first night together. They’d spend about an hour there and then go home.

  Everything was going well, except for a couple of incidents with Dana. She’d made it a point to pull Angel aside as often as she got the chance. Sarah had seen some of it, and though she hadn’t said anything yet, Angel worried it might become a problem.

  Fridays were different. It was game day. Instead of meeting up after practice, Sarah would go straight home with Valerie and get ready for the game.

  This week was an away game, so the stands would be less crowded, and Angel would have a perfect view of Sarah.

  He was having a good game. They were up by fourteen at the half, but when they came back out after halftime, the cheerleaders had changed their tops into jerseys—real jerseys from the players on the team. They tied them in a knot in the front just under their chests to make them fit more snugly. To Angel’s dismay, Dana wore his. He’d forgotten about the jersey she borrowed last year. He glanced up at the stands and saw Sarah sitting with Valerie and a few other girls. If Sarah got upset about this, he was going to be so pissed at Dana.

  They’d agreed to meet at the after party back by their school. Sarah left the game with Valerie and had arrived there before him, so when he got there, he wasn
’t sure what to expect. He walked into the party with Romero and Eric, looking around for her. He spotted Valerie first, and then he saw Sarah. A few guys were talking to them, and he tensed up. He walked straight to her and took her hand immediately. Pulling her back away from everyone, he kissed her. To his delight, she wasn’t mad. She kissed him readily.

  “You had a great game.” She smiled.

  He stared at her, holding her tighter. “You’re beautiful, Sarah.”

  “Thank you.” She tilted her head sideways. “You really want to be here?”

  Was she for real? He could almost feel the hair on the back of his neck stand as he looked around and found Eric. He walked over and tugged Eric’s shirt.

  “I’m outta here.”

  Eric smirked. “Already?”

  “Bye.” Angel grinned.

  They’d barely made it to Angel’s car, and he was already kissing her neck. Every time they’d made out, things got heavier and heavier. The last time they made out, she’d let him under her bra. He made the most of it, leaving quite a few red spots all over her breasts, confident no one would see them and she wouldn’t get in trouble. He was dying to know how far she’d let him go tonight. He could hardly contain himself running his hands up and down her back.

  When they got to their special place, they pushed their seats back all the way, and his lips were immediately on hers. His hands explored every inch of her. But anything below the waist he touched only over her clothes, and even that nearly pushed him over the edge. He kissed her hard, suckling her tongue and lips. She moaned softly, making him even more insane. Unbuttoning her blouse, he took her breast in his mouth.

  His hand made its way slowly down her body, caressing her stomach then down between her legs.

  Angel’s heart hammered away wildly as he passionately kissed her and brought his hand up slowly, just above her waist and in her pants. When he felt her hot flesh against his hand, he almost lost it. He pulled his mouth away from hers to catch his breath, burying his face in her neck.

  “You’re driving me crazy,” he groaned as he inhaled her arousing scent.