CHAPTER ELEVEN

 

Rose

 

Having lost an entire month and with Vincent putting extra time in at the restaurant to save up for a car, summer was flying by. Rose was already busy with soccer training for her college team, so they weren’t spending as much time together in the restaurant as they’d originally thought they would. Vincent had already talked to Sal and his uncle about being able to stay out here even after the summer was over.

Unlike Rose who’d accepted a soccer scholarship to the University of San Diego, Vincent would be attending community college. But he was excited about it, and that excited Rose. He’d even looked into getting certified in firearms training and had already gone down to the college to find out what classes were needed and how long it might take.

His fascination with guns made Rose nervous, but at least he was looking to do something good with it: make a career out of it. He told Rose that once he got certified, he could look into getting into training at the local firing range. A lot of the trainers at the firing range he frequented so often back home did private training on the side, and they weren’t cheap. He said he could make a business out of it. Vincent played it down, but Rose could see how excited it made him that Sal had agreed it wasn’t a bad idea.

“I thought he might shoot it down. You know a lot of people have this thing about guns, but he said with as much passion as I have about firearms, I’d be sure to be successful. He said the most successful people in the world were the ones doing what they loved for a living. He even said he’d be willing to help me get the business going once I got there.”

“Really? He said that?”

Vincent beamed, nodding. “Sal puts up a pretty good hard-ass act, but my dad’s right. He just means well. Family is everything to him and his brothers.” The gleam in Vincent’s eyes was one Rose only saw when he spoke of how much she meant to him. It was full of pride, and there was no hiding the sincerity in those eyes. “He said he’s proud of me, Rose, and he said he’s always believed in me.” Vincent laughed. “It shocked the hell out of me; let me tell you.” Vince went serious suddenly. “You know I always had the feeling he looked down on not just me but my family for not being,” he shrugged and looked away for a moment then looked back at her, “I don’t know, as refined as him and his family I guess…maybe even resented having people like us in his family. But since I’ve gotten closer to him and all of my cousins, I realize I couldn’t have been more wrong.”

The beautiful smile was back again, and Rose couldn’t help smiling with him. “Okay,” he laughed, “so Sal is a little more type A than your average type-A person.” Rose nodded with a laugh, agreeing wholeheartedly. “But he’s a good guy. I’ve seen the way he talks to all his brothers and his sister, even Romero. He’s just looking out for those he cares about. And family is who he cares about most. He even said he always knew I’d come around and straighten my shit out.”

Rose saw not only the pride he was feeling at that moment but the excitement he felt about his future—their future. She was excited too not just because he was excited about this future he spoke so eagerly about but because Sal was also agreeing to let him stay here and continue to work for him. Things couldn’t be working out more perfectly.

Then later one evening, he brought up something that took Rose by surprise.

“I wanna us to get our own place.”

Silenced by this out of nowhere announcement, Rose wasn’t sure she’d even heard him right. “What?”

“Well, not until after I get certified and get a job. I wanna make sure that I can handle paying rent and all the bills, but wouldn’t that be cool? If I’m gonna be living in La Jolla full time and seeing you every day, why not go home together every night?”

A little surprised by how excited the very thought made her, Rose brought her hands to her mouth to try and hide the huge smile. “That would be incredibly cool.”

She immediately regretted how fast she jumped for joy because she saw the look of fear in eyes. “Rose, I’m talking later—way later.”

She snuffed the smile, feeling embarrassed. “I know. I didn’t think you meant—”

He slipped his hand in hers and squeezed. “It’s not that I wouldn’t want to now. It’s just that we can’t afford to yet. I don’t wanna have to ask anyone for help once it’s done. I wanna be absolutely sure it’s something I can handle all on my own.”

Nodding and hoping to reassure him that she wasn’t having visions of them moving in together any time soon, she squeezed his hand back. “However long it takes, it’ll be worth the wait.

Of course Rose wasn’t about to freak Grace out by letting her in on how exciting the idea of moving in with Vincent made her seventeen-year-old sister. So she kept that jaw-dropping conversation to herself. This would probably still be a few years away, so why stir the waters now?

Vincent walked into the restaurant’s kitchen, and Rose picked up on his change in mood. They’d been closing things down at the restaurant when he got a call from his dad, and he’d gone out back to take it.

“What’s wrong?”

Vincent shook his head, but his jaw was already working. “Enzo got in another fight.”

This was the third time his dad called Vincent about his brother getting into trouble this summer. The worst part was the last time his dad called a few weeks ago; Vincent told her these were only the incidents his dad knew about. He was sure there were more. Lorenzo was as hot tempered as Vincent, only at least Vince had matured some—seen the error of his ways. He said he was trying to get his brother to see it, too. Blowing up like that got you nothing but trouble.

“Thing is, Rose, you were a huge incentive for me to stay straight and out of trouble. Honest to God, the only reason I felt any kind of remorse for beating Randy’s ass was because of what it cost me. Otherwise I’d do it again in a heartbeat.” He leaned against the counter. “Same goes for going to Alfonso’s party the week before I came down here. Compared to all the trouble I’ve been in the past, I really didn’t do shit. But once you reminded my dumb-ass of what might’ve happened if I’d had gotten in trouble, I did regret it. I regretted it a lot. That’s when change comes—when you start feeling some remorse for the wrongs that you do. Enzo,” he shook his head again frowning and looking away, “he has no incentive, so he doesn’t care. And he’s stubborn as shit.” Vince let out a sarcastic chuckle. “Once you get to know him, you’ll know what I mean. Sometimes I think his fuse is shorter than mine because once he’s lit and his mind is made up, there’s no reasoning with him. He just doesn’t give a shit or think about consequences. At that moment he just doesn’t care. The only time he shows any remorse is when I get pissed at him.”

Rose reached for his hand, and he looked up at her. Now she saw just how troubled he really was. Instinctively her heart sped up. “What is it?”

“My dad’s asking me to hold off moving down here until next summer at least until Enzo gets through his senior year.”

Rose tried not to react, but the news was a huge blow. The only thing that had made up for their summer together being cut so short was that he’d be staying. She fidgeted with her fingers almost afraid to ask, but she had to know. “Are you going to?”

“I think I have to.”

She spun around and started to walk out the kitchen.

“Rosie, please don’t be mad!”

She froze, feeling like the worst girlfriend ever, but she couldn’t help being crushed. Not wanting to turn and let him see the tears already spilling out of her eyes, she spoke without moving. “You should. You really should.”

His arms were around her waist, and in the next instant, his face was against hers. “I’m sorry,” he said kissing the side of her face. “I promise I’ll come as often as I can—every weekend, maybe more; it’s only until next summer. I just…I need to be there.”

She turned around, and his expression fell when he saw the tears, so she brushed them away swiftly. Then she ran her fingers through his hair like she loved doing so much. “You do, and this is why I love you so much. Your devotion to the people you love is admirable.”

“And I love you, too, but—”

“But nothing, Vincent.” She shook her head. “You don’t have to explain. I understand, okay? You need to be there for your brother. I’ll still be here. I’ll miss you like crazy, but I’ll live.”

“And I’ll be down here a lot. I swear to you.” He kissed her, reminding Rose that Sal was still in the office closing things down. “I can’t stand being away from you, Rosie. You know that, right?”

“Yes, I do. I’m sorry about how I reacted. I hate being away from you, too, but I really do understand.” She smiled, her heart still aching, but she fought to hide it. “It’s gonna be okay. We’ll get through this.”

Pushing aside the ridiculous notion that he’d picked his brother over her, she hugged him hard. There was no choice. It was a given. She would’ve done the same thing had she been in his place.

“I love you, Rosie,” he whispered.

She looked up at him and smiled as genuinely as she could. “And I love you.” She kissed him, then glancing around quickly, she announced, “We’re done here. Let’s go enjoy what’s left of this summer.”

They drove back to Sal’s house as they often did after work these past couple of weeks. With the heat wave they were having, it had been hot enough to go night swimming all week. Even though Vincent had said he didn’t want to ever chance what they had in Sal’s house again, and they hadn’t there since that first time, they had done some pretty naughty things in that pool.

Grace was wearing a slinky black dress and heels when they got to Sal’s house, and it dawned on Rose that she’d agreed to watch the baby so that Grace and Sal could go out for drinks with her friends, Joey and Taylor.

Vincent’s unexpected news had made her completely forget about it. Relieved that she hadn’t suggested Vincent make a sudden change in route, Rose exhaled. She’d been tempted to have Vincent head to the beach instead where they could have fun on a quilt in a private little cave they’d recently discovered.

“I almost forgot about babysitting tonight.” Rose turned to Vincent with a pout. “There goes our swimming.”

Grace turned to them as she put on an earring. “No, you can still go swimming. I just put him down. He should be out at least until we get home.”

Rose smiled, glancing back at Vincent but didn’t miss the look Grace gave her: that yes, you can go swimming, but be good look. It was no secret anymore that she and Vincent were very much a couple now, but after Grace had walked in on them making out pretty heavily one evening, she’d sat Rose down for a talk. Grace had been so upset that Vince had left immediately, worried that his time in La Jolla would be over now.

To Rose’s surprise Sal had been the one who stuck his neck out for Vincent. He reminded Grace this was typical for a couple their age and assured her that even though Vincent had gone through some rough patches, he was a good kid and was proving to be much more responsible now. That seemed to calm Grace enough to give Rose the courage to speak freely once Sal had left the room.

Having always been close and keeping little from Grace ever, she fessed up about her and Vince being intimate now. Grace had, as expected, been surprised and worried. Rose knew she would be, but she’d also known Grace would want her to share something so personal and important with her. Of course Grace immediately brought up birth control. Since it was something Rose had been thinking about anyway, she decided and promised her worrying sister she’d get on it as soon as possible.

Grace promised to keep this from Sal because when Rose mentioned to Vincent that she’d most likely be talking to Grace about it, she thought he might pass out. Vincent was convinced that if Sal found out, he’d be fired on the spot, and after getting pummeled, he’d be banned from La Jolla for life. But Rose assured him Grace wouldn’t share this with Sal. She did, however, accompany her the day she went in to get on birth control. Rose had gotten her first shot a month ago and would be getting another one every three months.

After Sal arrived to pick up Grace, Rose checked the baby one last time before taking the monitor out with her and Vincent into the back yard. The view from Sal’s backyard was amazing. They couldn’t be in a more romantic setting.

They’d only been in the pool for a few minutes, and already Rose had her legs and arms wrapped around Vincent. “I talked to Enzo while you were changing.”

Rose pulled her face away to look at Vince, tilting her head. She loosened her legs from around his waist and let them fall, so she was standing in front of him instead. Secretly she prayed Lorenzo had maybe promised he’d be good and stay out of trouble so that Vince could stay: a wish she certainly wouldn’t be sharing with Vincent.

“He explained about this last fight. Of course it was stupid. He wasn’t even the one doing the fighting; it was his two drunk-ass friends.” Vince frowned shaking his head. “They were arguing in the car over some chick that blew them both off at the party they were coming home from. When they stopped to drop one of them off, they both got out and started swinging. Enzo got out to separate them.” Vince finally eased up and chuckled. “He said he was even laughing because it was so stupid, but then his friend’s mom came out and made a huge deal of it. First, because of them fighting, then when she realized how drunk her son was, she got even crazier.”

The humor left Vincent’s face as he explained how the guy’s mom called his dad. By the time his dad got down there to pick up Lorenzo, the cops had been called. Not by the guy’s mom, but probably one of the neighbors since they’d been so loud. All for a girl who’d walked out of the party with another guy!

Luckily no one was taken in or even ticketed, but it was enough to alarm his dad into thinking Lorenzo was beginning to get out of control. On top of it all his brother was supposed to have been home hours earlier. Unfortunately Lorenzo thought the whole thing was funny. He did insist Vincent didn’t need to come home after the summer, but from the looks of it, this only confirmed that Lorenzo’s lack of remorse or even concern over his behavior meant Vincent should go home.

“My dad’s finally getting the extra hours at work he’s been wanting to for so long, and he can’t afford to pass up the overtime. He’ll be gone even more now, and with my mom picking up another elderly lady to be caregiver to, she’s gone most of the day even on the weekends.” Vince traced his wet fingers over Rose’s lips, something he always loved doing when they spoke this close. Even after all this time it still made her shiver. “Enzo promised to stay out of trouble, so my dad won’t ask me to come home before the end of summer, but I gotta go back.”

Rose nodded wanting to show she understood though it irked her that his brother couldn’t just be good on his own. “Yeah, you do.”

Vince leaned in and kissed her softly. “Maybe if I can convince him to straighten his shit out and he stays out of trouble for a while, I can move back down here before next summer.”

Not wanting him to rush anything for her, Rose shook her head. “Stay as long as you need to. As long as you promise to come down often, I can wait. I’ll be busy with school and soccer anyway.”

Done with this downer topic, Rose kissed him, lifting herself onto him again and wrapping her legs around his waist. She did the same with her arms, wrapping them around his neck. Instantly, she felt the rise in his shorts as she kissed him deeply. Since their first time in her room, they’d gotten hotel rooms several times and made the most of their secret love cave at the beach.

Since Rose wasn’t allowed to spend the night with him, they only rented hotel rooms when they both had the entire day off. They’d check in as early as the hotel would allow and be there until curfew. Rose was absolutely mesmerized by some of the things he’d done to her, but she still couldn’t get enough.

Reaching into his shorts, she wrapped her hands around him and stroked. Groaning, Vince pulled away from her mouth. “We can’t here, babe.”

“I want to,” she said, biting his lower lip then sucking it.

God, did she ever. She was so ready for him now. Before he could protest further and because his body language said he was more than ready, too, she reached down, pulling him completely out of his shorts and slid her bikini bottom to the side. When Vincent realized what she was doing, he pulled her behind up higher and spun around so he could pin her against the wall of the pool.

He looked around nervously, but his breathing was so ragged she knew Sal and Grace walking out the back door would be the only thing that would stop this from happening now. One thing he’d let her in on earlier that summer was how much it turned him on to hear her talk dirty. He said it was especially arousing because he knew just how innocent she was. “Fuck me,” she whispered in his ear. “Fuck me right now—right here.”

Without giving it another thought, Vince plunged into her hard. Rose cried out, loving the way he felt in her. She wrapped her arms tighter around his neck. “I own this?” he grunted.

“Yes,” she gasped, barely able to catch her breath.

He kissed her neck then sucked it, making her tremble as he thrust in her again and again, harder and faster with each thrust. “Say it, Rosie.”

“You own me, Vincent. You know that.” Her body began to tremble as everything, his mouth, his body his words aroused her completely.

“Forever?”

“Yes,” she said breathlessly, feeling the beginning of her climax.

She’d only begun to come without him having to use his fingers or tongue the last few times they’d been together. It was so amazing she’d even begun to have naughty dreams where to her surprise she’d actually climaxed.

He squeezed her behind with both hands, pushing her harder against him making him go even deeper into her. “Say it to me, baby. Tell me this is all mine forever.”

His pulling her into his thrust that way made him rub the perfect spot just so, and she could barely get the words out as waves of pleasure exploded throughout her. “Oh my God!” she cried as he continued to pump her, making her climax that much stronger. “You own all of me, Vincent,” she kissed him madly before adding, “forever and ever and ever.”

He pushed into her one last hard time grunting loudly, and she clung to him, feeling his heart pummeling against his chest. They stood there holding onto one another tightly for a few minutes longer as they each caught their breath.

Vince went down, taking her with him underwater. Rose didn’t even realize how hot she’d gotten, until feeling the refreshing water drench her head. They popped back up together still holding each other. “I love hearing you say that.”

Rose smiled, leaning her face against his hard wet chest. “I know you do. I don’t know why you don’t just take my word for it once and for all. I’m yours forever, Vincent Moreno.” She glanced up at him very seriously. “Nothing will ever change that.”

She had to smile, knowing that no matter how satisfied Vincent appeared at that moment, he’d be asking her to say it again. And just like all the other times she’d happily comply. She’d say it until she was blue in the face if it made him happy because if there was anything she was sure of, it was that. Rose couldn’t even imagine feeling for anyone else what she felt for Vincent.