With a bounce in my step from feeling utterly and completely sexually satisfied, I led Mia up the riverbank. Reaching over, I grabbed her hand in mine and swung it back and forth. “So what’s on tap for tonight?” Mia asked.
“Oh, shit gets crazy here when the sun goes down.”
“Seriously?” she asked.
I nodded. “Hell yeah. I mean, we all gather around the bonfire and roast marshmallows and s’mores. It may get so off the hook that we go tip one of Jake’s grandfather’s cows.”
When I winked at her, she grinned. “Very funny.”
“So do you like G-rated parties?”
“Sure I do.” She elbowed me playfully. “Especially if it means getting to spend time with you. And your friends.”
The familiar ache raged in my chest at Mia’s words—the one that felt like intense heartburn after a beer binge. I hadn’t felt this way about a girl in a long, long time. Even though I’d thought I’d felt something for Kylie, it was nothing like what I was feeling for Mia—even though we’d barely been together two weeks. I squeezed her hand in mind and replied, “I like that.”
When we got back to the four-wheeler, Mia’s hand dug into one of my short pockets. I shuddered at the contact so close to my dick. “Damn babe, you already wantin’ another round? You’re practically insatiable,” I drawled, with a pleased grin on my face.
She giggled. “Not quite, sweet cheeks. I wanna drive the four-wheeler back to Jake’s.”
I jerked away just as her fingers grasped the keys. “Uh-uh. Nobody drives my baby but me.”
Cocking her head, Mia shot me an exasperated look. “Seriously? Your ‘baby’?’
I swept my hands up and crossed them firmly over my chest before I bobbed my head. “You should know by now how seriously I take anything that has an engine.”
Mia’s disgusted expression slowly evaporated. Instead, her face took on a pleading look. She even resorted to poking out that succulent lower lip of hers. “But I haven’t driven one since I was a teenager, and I would really, really love to drive your baby.” She leaned in, pressing her enticing rack against me. “Come on, AJ. It would make me really happy, and I promise to show you how thankful I am later.”
Oh fuck. This was totally a lost cause considering I was incapable of telling alluring females, especially this one, no. But I figured I might as well make her work a little harder for it. “How about this? Whoever makes it back to my baby first, gets to drive.”
Mia’s dark eyes flashed triumphantly. “Deal.”
“Ready?”
“Oh yeah.”
“Then go.”
Just as I started to sprint away, Mia jerked her hand out of my pocket. She momentarily flashed the keys in front of my face and winked. “See ya, sucker.”
I didn’t even have time to recover before she started hauling ass across the gravel, literally and figuratively leaving me in her dust. “Shit!”
Peering through the cloudy air, I tried making out Mia’s retreating figure. I then pushed my legs as hard as they would go. Considering I had a few inches on Mia, I was able to catch up to her fairly quickly. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a rolling patch of soft grass. Reaching out, I grasped her by the waist and jerked her off the road, tackling her to the ground.
“Oomph,” she muttered, when we finally came to a stop after a few rolls and tumbles. Her chest heaved as those sexy black eyes of hers glared up at me, causing my dick to twitch in my pants. “What the hell were you thinking, AJ?” she huffed.
I smirked down at her. “What I’m always thinking—how to get you flat on your back underneath me.” Leaning over, I brought my mouth to hers. I nibbled and sucked at her bottom lip. Her resolve began to momentarily waver. I shifted to pin her arms over her head. It put us in a position we hadn’t been in before—I was straddling her.
With my thighs on each side of her hips, my weight kept her firmly underneath me. Seizing the opportunity I snatched the keys from her hand. “Ha, gotcha.”
“Let me up, you ass.”
“Nope. Not until I hear you say ‘AJ, you are the master of the universe’.” I quirked my brows before looming over her—my face mere inches from hers. “On second thought, you need to say, ‘AJ, you are the master of my universe and my master orgasm donor.’”
Even though my tone was completely lighthearted, Mia’s expression transformed into one of panic. Instead of squirming playfully beneath me like before, she began to thrash back and forth. Her eyes took on a wild gleam, like that of a trapped animal. And then something within her snapped. “Get off. Get off. GET OFF!” she screamed, pounding her fists against my chest so hard that she knocked the air from my lungs.
Wheezing, I stared frozen in disbelief at her erratic behavior. I remained unblinking and unmoving until she sent a stinging slap so hard across my cheek that my jaw popped. Out of my stupor, I finally rolled off her. The instant she realized she was free she leapt to her feet and began sprinting away from me. “Fuck,” I groaned as I hauled up out of the grass to take after her. “Mia!”
She bypassed the four-wheeler, and instead, continued barreling down the overgrown path. “Mia, wait!” When I finally caught up with her, I reached out and grabbed her arm, causing us both to skid to a stop. I realized a second too late that it was the wrong fucking thing to do when she lunged at me, clawing and slapping my face, shoulders, and chest.
Defensively blocking her hits, I then grabbed her shoulders. “Mia, it’s me, AJ.” Her frenzied gaze darted around the clearing. “Look at me,” I commanded. “You’re safe here with me. Nothing or no one is going to hurt you. I swear.”
When her eyes finally locked on mine, the sheer panic in them caused my chest to ache. But slowly that look receded. It was the pain, coupled with embarrassment, shining bright in her eyes that followed that made my stomach muscles clench like I’d taken a physical kick to the gut, rather than an emotional one.
A shaky hand went to cover her mouth as tears streaked down her cheeks. Her head shook so wildly back and forth I feared she might get whiplash. “Oh God…Oh AJ, I…”
“Look, it’s—“
“I’m s-sorry. I’m s-so, so sorry,” she replied, her voice choking off with her sobs.
“Baby, you have nothing to apologize about.” Tentatively, I reached out to cup her cheek. When she flinched, I dropped my hand. Feeling a fucking mess of confusion and helplessness, I kicked at a few stray pebbles and waited for her to give me some sign as to what the hell I should do.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” she kept mumbling absently.
“Mia, please don’t say that.”
“It’s just you had me pinned down like he…” A chill ran through her body, causing her to shudder so hard that her teeth chattered.
Closing the distance between us, I ached to wrap her trembling body in my arms. “Amorcito mio, please talk to me. Tell me what I can do to help you,” I begged.
Her only response was to swipe the back of her hand across her running nose while making these pitiful hiccupping sighs. I started tapping my hands nervously against my short pockets when she became still as a statue. It seemed like she stared dead ahead of us for a small eternity before she finally whispered, “I never wanted you to have to see this side of me.”
This time when I reached out for her, she didn’t cower away from me. Trying to take it slow, I swept a strand of hair out of her face and smiled. “Mia, there isn’t a single side of you I don’t want to see. I want to know every inch of you—inside and out.”
Her lip trembled like she was about to burst out crying. “Trust me, you don’t want to know this.” Her expression then turned sour, like she had a bad taste in her mouth. Her emotions were ricocheting so fast I could barely keep up. “Dammit, we were just supposed to have that night together—then you wouldn’t have had to see me like this. It wasn’t supposed to turn into me being inadequate for yet another guy!”
My sympathy quickly turned over to frustration, and I threw my hands up in exasperation. “Would you stop lumping me with all these assholes you’ve had the misfortune of knowing? That’s not me, Mia. Do you see me bailing or shrinking away like some pussy? Fuck no! I’m right here, right now, wanting to know what the hell just happened so I can help you—to comfort you emotionally and physically.”
She cut her eyes over at me, pinning me with a hard stare. “Yeah, I see right through your little ‘knight in shining armor’ routine. You think I’m broken, and by giving me a few moments of your precious time, you might be able to fix me. But trust me, you can’t do shit, AJ! I’m not broken—I’m fucking shattered into a thousand jagged pieces. Pieces that will slice a perfect, pretty boy like you in two.”
Although it probably wasn’t the best way to handle the situation, I stepped toe to toe with her and got right in her face. “Why don’t you let me be the judge of what I can or can’t handle, okay?”
Crossing her arms over her chest, she scoffed at me. “Fine, you want the truth? Here it is, big boy. That freak-out I just had was because I spent almost two years with an asshole who used to beat the shit out of me.”
Her words had the same effect as if she had slapped me, and I jolted back. “What?”
With a contemptuous snort, she turned away from me. “You heard me just fine, AJ.”
“Jesus, Mia, I’m sorry. I had no idea.” When she didn’t respond, I asked, “How old were you?”
“Young and stupid,” she spat.
“Just how young?”
“Twenty-one.”
We fell into an uncomfortable silence. Reaching out, I gently trailed my hand down her arm. I was surprised when she didn’t jerk away. I drew in a deep breath. “I know it might seem like I have the perfect life. And yeah, I’m blessed to not have any real skeletons in my past. But when someone I care about is hurting, I’m there for them. So if you want to talk about what happened, I’d like to hear it.”
Her incredulous gaze snapped back to mine. “Seriously?”
I gave a quick nod of my head. “I really mean it, Mia.”
She exhaled a long, agonized sigh, like one who held the weight of the world on her shoulders. Chewing her bottom lip, I could tell at any minute she was either going to come clean with me or bolt again. I extended my hand. “Come on. You can tell me about it down by the river.”
Almost skittishly, Mia reached out for my hand, grasping it like it was an anchor holding her sanity together. We started making our way through the high grass back down to the riverbank. When we reached the edge, I still didn’t press her for more information. Instead, I remained uncharacteristically silent, waiting for her to take the lead.
After what felt like a small eternity, she turned to me. “Even all these years later and with time spent in therapy, I still can’t understand why I ever stayed with him. I wasn’t the girl so desperate for her father’s attention that she’d let a man abuse her. No man was, or is, a better father than Duke Martinelli.” Mia shook her head. “And even though my mother bailed, I was raised by one of the strongest women I’ve ever known—one who taught me not to take any shit from men.” A smile tugged at Mia’s lips. “Trust me, when you’re surrounded by Italian men, that’s no easy feat.”
“I think they’re kinda as pig headed as Hispanic men, right?”
“You could say that,” she replied. She stooped down to gather up a few pebbles along the bank. “Regardless of those two factors, there has to be some reason I completely lost my mind for eighteen months, right?”
I shrugged. “I don’t think you need to blame yourself. Shit happens.”
“I wish it was as easy as that.” Mia chucked one of the pebbles into the stream, sending ripples along the surface. “His name is Jason. He was the second real boyfriend I ever had—the first guy I really loved….or thought I did. At first, I thought him being possessive was sweet, even sexy. He called me constantly during the day to see what I was doing, he referred to me as his, and he wanted to spend every waking minute with me.”
Mia threw another rock into the creek, casting greater waves across the water. “But then as the months went by and we got even more serious, things changed. At first, the abuse was just emotional. All the bullshit I have about my body—that all came from him. He was able to make me feel that because of my thicker body, I was totally undesirable to any other man and that I was lucky he stayed with me at all.” Mia shook her head. “But then when guys would give me attention, I was too fucking stupid to realize it or that I could have someone else—someone better. Then the guys’ attention would piss Jason off. If one dared so much as looked in my direction, he would freak out and threaten to kick his ass. Then he’d accuse me of flirting or dressing like a slut. Whenever I argued with him or tried to defend myself, that’s when he got violent.”
As she bent over to pick up a few more pebbles, I swallowed hard, my fists clenching at my side. My heartbeat drummed in my ears at the thought of any man laying a hand on Mia. I shifted uncomfortably back and forth on my feet, desperately wanting an outlet for the rising anger I felt thrumming in my blood. “What kinda shit did he pull?” I asked in a hoarse voice.
A sigh wheezed from her chest. “At first, he would cuff the back of my head hard or shove me into walls or furniture. After a few months when I still didn’t break to his commands, he resorted to backhanding me.”
The world tilted and spun around me at the image that formed in my head. At the same time, I fought to catch my breath as her words had the same effect as if someone were wrenching my beating heart from my chest. “Motherfucker,” I hissed.
Mia threw her head back and met my gaze. “I never, ever dreamed I’d become one of those women—the cowering beaten and bruised creatures I’d see on TV or in movies. And it goes without saying with Italian tempers, there were a few in my extended family who were always so damn klutzy by running into walls or falling down the stairs.” Gritting her teeth, Mia threw the next stone so hard it hit the rocks across the bank. “But that became me.”
“What did Duke say?”
“He didn’t know,” she murmured softly.
“But how?”
“The more violent Jason became, the more I started to retreat from my family. I was finishing up nursing school then, busy with my clinicals, so it was easy to lie.” With her hands empty of stones, Mia crossed her arms over her chest, hugging herself. “But then it all fell apart around the time my cousin, Nicki, was getting married. She was like a sister to me, and as the maid of honor, I was spending a lot of time with her, which pissed Jason off. I wasn’t supposed to be with anyone but him. One day we were out shopping together for wedding stuff before I had to go into work. Jason kept calling me constantly, and I could tell it was pissing Nicki off. She’s the kind of girl who would answer my phone and tell Jason to go fuck himself.”
“Sounds like my kind of girl.”
Mia gave me a small smile. “Finally, I just turned my phone off. I was working nights, so I had to go by the house to change for my shift. Jason was waiting for me when I got home.” Mia shivered violently, and I fought the urge to wrap my arms around her. “In the foyer, we had this giant, round mirror. I’d barely gotten through the front door when he came at me. I’d never seen him so enraged. Of course, he reeked of alcohol, so I don’t know why I was so surprised. The next thing I knew he had grabbed the nape of my neck and shoved me with all his might into the mirror.” Mia turned to me and pulled back some of her hair on the right side of her face. I’d never noticed it before, but in her hairline, there was a faint scar running from her temple, down to her ear. “My head crashed against the mirror so hard, it cracked the glass. Jason kept ramming me into it until shards fell to the floor.” As she relived the horrific memories, her chest began to rise and fall with her heaving breaths.
Tentatively, I reached out to touch her shoulder. “You don’t have to do this.”
“No, I need to—not just for me, but for you. When it’s all said and done, you need to know everything—to understand why I am the way I am with men.” Tears pooled in her eyes. “More than anything, I trust you enough to be honest with you, AJ.”
My heart ached for her. “I’m here, amorcito mio.”
She drew in a ragged breath. “Do you remember that night when you asked me about the tattoo?”
I bobbed my head.
“You asked if I’d gotten it to cover the scars left by an accident. Well, that’s partly true.”
“What do you mean?”
Mia closed her eyes, letting tears trickle down her cheeks. “After the mirror shattered, Jason picked up one of the broken shards. He first brought it to my neck—told me if I ever didn’t call him again, he would kill me. Then he said he wanted to leave me something physical to remind me of my mistake. It was summer, and I was wearing a tank top with spaghetti straps, which he said made me look like a whore.” Opening her eyes, Mia stared out at the water. “He said he was going to cut me for every time he called me, and I ignored him.” She glanced over at me. “That’s where the five lines came from.”
Rage burned through me, causing me to shudder from head to toe. My fists clenched involuntarily. “Give me his name. That’s all I need. Not an address or a phone number. Just his name,” I demanded.
“AJ,” Mia protested.
“I mean it. I don’t think I can rest until I track down that low-life piece of shit and take a piece out of his worthless hide for every time he hurt you.”
“You don’t need to do that.”
“Yes, I—”
Mia held her up hand. “AJ, trust me when I say this. Jason got what was coming to him.”
“What do you mean?”
She gave me a tight smile. “I’m Sicilian, remember? After my dad calmed down enough to speak and think somewhat coherently, he called some of his buddies from his old neighborhood back in Jersey.”
“You’re telling me that they made Jason an offer he couldn’t refuse?”
“To the tune of beating him so badly he was hospitalized in a full body cast.”
“Good for your dad. Of course, I would have preferred they render him dickless as well.”
Mia chuckled. “Don’t think Daddy didn’t contemplate having his associates take care of that.”
“Hell, I admired him before, but now I admire him even more.”
“Yeah, well, nobody hurts his little girl.”
“I’ll remember to never piss off your dad, because I sure as hell don’t want to end up sleeping with the fishes.”
Mia’s expression lightened, and I could tell she was fighting hard not to smile. “For you, being dickless would be a fate worse than death.”
Wincing, I cupped my crotch. “I gotta agree with you on that one.”
This time she did smile, and I was so fucking glad to see her smiling again. It was timid—one I had never seen on her face before. Normally, she is so confident, strong. I closed the gap between us. “I’m so sorry you had to go through all that shit.”
“Thank you. But I’m the one who should be sorry.”
“Why?” I demanded.
“Because my past keeps fucking things up for us. I mean, I just had a major freak-out back there when you were only teasing me. As hard as I try, I can’t seem to put what happened with Jason or Dev to rest.” She gave me a sad smile. “You’re too good for all my bullshit, AJ.”
It took me a second to process her words. Why in the hell did she think I was too good for her? If anyone wasn’t good enough, it was me—the goofy drummer who had never had to go through any harsh shit. “Don’t apologize for shit you can’t help. And you’re wrong, about not being good enough. You and me…? We’re good for each other.” Cupping her face in my hands, I leaned in and kissed her gently. “I think you’re so fucking brave to have lived through what you did.”
Her brows shot up in surprise. “You really think I’m brave?”
“Hell yes, I do. I mean, you finally left that fucker.”
“Yeah, but even after that awful night, it took someone who I respect very much for me to finally see the light.”
“Who was it?”
“Pesh—the doctor who I did my clinical placements under. He’d suspected I was being abused for a while, kept trying to get me to talk to my family or leave Jason, but I wouldn’t. That night, I was a mess when I went into work—physically and emotionally. He was the one who stitched me up. Then, he called someone to cover for us. Even though I begged and pleaded for him not to do it, he drove me straight to the restaurant. He stood beside me and held my hand while I told my dad everything from start to finish. I moved in with my dad until Jason was taken care of. I’ve never heard or seen him since.” She shook her head. “Besides the support of my family, Pesh was there through it all. He even threatened to flunk my evaluations if I even thought of ever going back to Jason.”
“Sounds like a stand-up guy to me.”
A dreamy expression filled her face. “He really is.”
An uneasy feeling came over at me at the way she was talking about this doctor. I couldn’t help the jealousy that pinged over me that she might still be hot for this dude or worse she was somehow in love for him. Shifting on my feet, I asked the question I really didn’t want to. “So were you and this Pesh guy together or something?”
Mia’s eyes widened. “Oh, God no. Besides the fact he was married, we didn’t feel that way about each other. I mean, I love him—as a mentor and a friend, but not in a romantic way.”
My relief whooshed out of me in a long, exaggerated sigh. “I see.”
“Of course I can’t say the same for his brother.” When I furrowed my brows in confusion, Mia replied, “It was two years after I left Jason that Pesh introduced me to his younger brother, Dev, my ex-fiancé.”
I growled. “There’s another asshole I’d like to rip apart.”
Mia laughed. “Trust me, most of the men in my life would like to do that—including Dee. Even though Pesh is a peacemaker, I think he’d probably join in too. He was pretty livid at what his brother did, especially after what I’d been through with Jason.”
We fell into an awkward silence then. The atmosphere around us felt laden down with the admission of Mia’s abuse. I could tell she was still reeling—both pain and embarrassment radiated in her eyes, even though she tried to hide it. But I felt utterly and completely helpless at what to do to help her.
Finally, Mia cleared her throat. “I guess we better get back before they send out a search party, huh?”
Seeing the opportunity to lighten the mood, I grinned. “I’m pretty sure they know what we’re doing out here—or what we were doing.”
She made a face. “Fabulous.”
“Come on,” I said, holding out my hand. We made our way up the riverbank in silence. Although I wasn’t saying anything, my mind was whirling with what I thought I should say or do to ease Mia’s pain. When we got to the four-wheeler, I handed her back the keys. “You drive.”
“I don’t want this out of pity, AJ,” she countered.
Damn, just when I thought she couldn’t get any more stubborn, she did. “Oh Christ, that’s not it at all. Okay?”
She eyed me, and the keys, for a few seconds before she snatched them out of my hand. After she sat on the seat, I slid in behind her. She cranked up as I wrapped my arms around her waist. Peeking at me over her shoulder, she grinned. “Watch it with the happy hands.”
“You mean like this?” I asked, as I reached up to cup her breast with one hand while the other slipped between her legs. She squealed and slapped at my hands. I chuckled and then brought them behind me to rest on the back bar. “Better?”
She grinned. “Yes. But if it gets bumpy, I’d rather you hold on to me than fall off.”
“I’d rather hold on to you, period.”
“Then behave and you can.”
“Yes ma’am,” I replied, bringing my hands back to wrap around her waist. I nestled my head into the crook of her neck, inhaling the sweet scent of her damp hair. As we started jostling over the bumpy road, I tightened my grip around her. When we got back to the stables, loud voices and laughter echoed back to us from the fire. In the twilight, I reached out to run my fingers over her tattoo. She sucked in a deep breath. “It’s in Italian, right?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“What does it say?”
“The first line says ‘Ciò che non ci uccide, ci rende più forte’—‘What does not kill us makes us stronger’.”
I rubbed my finger along the next line. “And this?”
“‘Dal buio verso la luce’—‘Out of the darkness and into the light’.”
When I moved to the third, she said, “’La mia famigla e il mio Dio sono il mio rifugio e la mia forza’ —‘My family and my God are my refuge and strength’.” I slid my finger down to rub on the fourth line.
“‘Essere sinceri con se stessi’—‘To thine own self be true’.” Peering over her shoulder, she smiled. “I minored in English, and I kinda have a thing for Shakespeare.”
I returned her smiled. “You and Jake will get along great. He’s obsessed.”
“The next one is Shakespeare, too. ‘Non è scritto nelle stelle per tenere il nostro destino, ma in noi stessi’—‘It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves’. You know, we Italian’s take the stars and destiny pretty seriously.”
Leaning over, I kissed along the dark lines. “It’s beautiful, amorcito mio—the design itself, down to every last word.”
“Thank you.”
After a few seconds of silence, I got off the four-wheeler and helped Mia off. “You ready for some s’mores now?”
Mia nibbled on her lip. “Can you give me a few minutes to freshen up?” At what I imagined was my confused expression, she said, “I don’t want to show up all red-faced from crying.”
“Oh,” I murmured with a nod. “Sure. Come on.” Placing my hand in the small of her back, I led her up the hill to the barn. Grabbing my keys, I unlocked the front door and held it open for her.
Mia stepped inside and gasped. She turned around several times—her expression one of awe. “Wow, the girls weren’t kidding about this place. It’s amazing.”
I gazed around the massive open room. “Yeah, it is. Jake’s contractors did a pretty amazing job transforming it.”
“Can you get my bag from the car?”
“Yeah.” I motioned over to the ladder. “The master bedroom and bath is upstairs. Go on up there, and I’ll bring our stuff.”
“Thanks, AJ,” she replied, before leaning over and pecking me on the cheek.
I hustled down to the car and back for our bags. I was out of breath by the time I got back to the barn. After I lugged her suitcase up the ladder, I found her sitting on the edge of the bed with her head in her hands.
“Mia?”
She jerked up her head up and gave me an apologetic look. “Sorry.” She rose up from the bed and grabbed her bag. “I’ll hurry.”
“Take your time. I’m going to get out of these wet clothes.”
When Mia disappeared, I went downstairs to retrieve my bag. I changed into a dry T-shirt and shorts. After I finished, I began pacing around the bedroom, waiting for Mia to come out of the bathroom. Even over the music from down at the bonfire, I heard water running and then the buzzing hum of a hair dryer. After she had been in there a long time, I fought the urge to go check on her. Finally, after what felt like a fucking eternity, she came out. My heart kick started again at the sight of her. She’d totally redone her hair and makeup, and she’d changed into a strapless, red sundress. She looked so fucking beautiful, it made my heart clench. Her dark hair tumbled in waves over her bare shoulders. Her newly applied ruby red lipstick made her plump lips all the more kissable. And needless to say, my cock surged against my zipper.
Framed in the doorway, she stared at me. We stood unmoving and unblinking as the conversations from the guys floated back up to us along with a steady thumping bass. I knew in that instant that what had been discussed down by the river had deepened our relationship, or whatever the fuck it was we had going.
When the song changed over to Bob Marley’s No Woman No Cry, electricity crackled in the air between us. I held out my hand. “Dance with me?”
Her brows rose in surprise. “Now? Here?”
“Yes.”
“Okay,” she whispered. She closed the gap between us and slipped her hand into mine. I pulled her flush against me, resting my other hand on the small of her back. Closing my eyes, I took in the delicious scent of both her shampoo and her perfume. We swayed in silence to the music. When it got to the part in the song about how everything was going to be okay, I pulled away to stare into her eyes. “It really is going to be okay. You know that, right?”
Her bottom lip trembled as tears pooled in her eyes. “Even though I shouldn’t, I believe you.”
“Believe in me, Mia. Believe in us.”
A single tear slipped down her cheek, which I caught with my thumb. “Are we an ‘us’, AJ?”
“I’m down for it if you are.”
She shook her head. “It’s only been two weeks.”
I snorted. “Fuck the amount of time. I know what I’m feeling.”
“But I’m confused as hell. I’ve never fallen this fast,” she admitted.
“Me either. You know, Jake and Abby were in deep after a few days, and look at them. Brayden and Lily knew each other since they were kids, and there’s grew over time. Love is still love—it doesn’t have a time limit.”
Her dark eyes widened at the insinuation of love. “I do think I’m falling in love with you, AJ.”
As pansy as it sounds, my heartbeat accelerated at her admission. I couldn’t believe this amazing woman actually wanted to give me the time of day, least of all be falling in love with me. I’d never met someone who was my match in and out of the bedroom. “Good. Cause I think I’m falling right back.”
The song ended, and Unchained Melody began playing in its place. I could tell Jake must’ve put some of his mom’s old mix CDs on the stereo system.
“You know, you never sang to me in Spanish last night.”
“That’s right. I didn’t.”
“Will you sing to me now?”
“This old song?”
A faint smile danced on her lips. “Please.”
“Lemme see if I can remember the words,” I lied. The last fucking thing I wanted to admit to Mia was that I knew the song by heart. The truth was I’d been forced by my mother and sister to watch the movie Ghost way too many times. If she knew that, she’d probably demand for my man-card to be revoked.
With my lips hovering over her ear, I began to sing. “O mi amor, mi cielo, yo sufro por tu adios. En mi soledad el tiempo se va tan lento si tu no estas aqui.”
Mia tightened her arms around me, almost molding her body flush against mine. Closing my eyes, I focused not only on translating the lyrics, but making sure I was giving enough emotion in delivering them. I knew I was doing a pretty good job when a content little sigh came from Mia. When she braced one hand on my shoulder and used the other to draw lazy circles on my back, it was my turn to sigh. After the song drew to a close, I pulled away to peer down at her. “So how did I do?”
“Amazing,” she murmured. Untangling herself from my arms, Mia started walking backwards to the bed. When her legs bumped against the mattress, she crooked her finger at me. My brows rose in surprise. “Really? Even after you just spent twenty minutes getting ready to be seen again?”
She laughed. “Yes. You proved my theory right about singing about Spanish.”
At the thought of her being wet, my dick surged against the zipper of my shorts. With a groan, I pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it to the floor. “Well, you know I’m never going to argue with a chance to fuck you senseless.”
When I pulled her into my arms, Mia’s expression grew serious as she brought her hand to my heart. Pressing it firmly against my pec, she whispered, “Make love to me, AJ.”
The touch of her fingers on my skin, along with her words, caused the beat of my heart to accelerate beneath her hand. “Anything you want, amorcito mio,” I murmured, before crushing my lips against her hers. There was an urgency to it I hadn’t experienced with her before. It was like we were both trying to figure out how the screwing we had done in the past switched over to lovemaking. As I deepened the kiss, Mia’s hand slipped down my bare chest to the button on my shorts. Although I wanted nothing more than my dick to be freed, I knew if we were lovemaking, it was too fast. I reached between us to grab her hand. “Not yet,” I whispered against her lips.
Her eyes widened, but then she nodded. I brought her hand back to my chest, over my heart. My fingers came to intertwine in the long strands of her dark hair. It felt so silky smooth against my skin. As my tongue tangled against hers, a burning in my chest started to grow.
“Hey AJ!” Jake called from outside the barn.
“Fuck,” I muttered before pulling away from Mia. Fucking cockblocker! This seriously couldn’t be happening—not now. Not in the middle of our big moment. I stalked over to the window, threw it open, and stuck my head out. “What?” I growled.
Jake gave me a shit eating grin. “Get your ass down here. It’s time to do Jude and Melody’s bedtime song.” I opened my mouth to argue, but Jake shook his head. “We always do this, man. You can fuck Mia’s brains out when we’re done.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Fine, douchetard. We’ll be right down. And you better hustle your ass back to the fire because I’m going to punch you for that last comment.”
Jake only chuckled and started shuffling down the hillside. After I slammed the window, I turned back to Mia. “Sorry about Jake being a dick.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s okay. He’s your band-mate and loves to give you shit.”
“Unfortunately, yeah.”
“So this ‘bedtime song’ must be pretty fucking amazing to take you out of my bed right now?”
Although I felt like an absolute pussy, warmth flooded my cheeks. “It’s hokey as shit really.”
Mia’s eyes brightened. “I do declare that you are blushing, AJ Resendiz.”
“No, I’m not.”
She grinned. “Yes, you are.” On her knees, she crawled to the end of the bed and then sat back, waiting expectantly for me to explain the bedtime song.
I exhaled noisily before raking a hand through my already messed up hair. “Fine. Here it is. This one time when we were all up here hanging out, Jude was like six months old or something, and he wouldn’t go to sleep. Bray and Lily were at their wits end, so Rhys, Jake, and I decided we should sing to him—Hey Jude to be exact. He went out like this.” I snapped my fingers. “So whenever we’re all together and not on the road, we sing for him and for Melody before Bray and Lily take them for their baths and shit.”
Mia’s hand hovered over her mouth. I didn’t know whether she was going to bust out laughing or start crying. “Aw, baby, just when I think you couldn’t melt my heart more, you tell me that story.”
I grinned. “So does that mean you’re in for us picking up where we left off when I get back?”
She laughed. “Oh yes. But you’re not going alone.”
“I’m not?”
“Nope, I’ve got to see this ‘bedtime song’ performance for myself.”
Oh fuck. “Seriously?”
“Mmm, hmm.” She hopped off the bed and came over to me. “Why do you look so pale, AJ?”
“You know exactly why.”
She smiled. “And I’m loving every minute of it.”
I rolled my eyes. “Come on. Let’s go before Jake comes back to aggravate the hell out of me.”
“Should I bring my tambourine?” she asked with all seriousness, as we headed out the door.
“Smartass,” I replied, before smacking one globe of her very perfect, round ass.