Page 63 of A Dish Best Served Hot

He did and after a few moments his body relaxed. She prayed what she said next wouldn’t cause him to panic again, but it needed to be said. “Saint, did you know that anxiety is more likely to be hereditary the younger someone is when they start to display symptoms?”

“Do you think her mo—Oh. You’re suggesting I have anxiety.”

She tightened her arms. “Please don’t be mad, but yes, I am.”

“I’m not mad,” Saint assured her, returning her squeeze. “Most people can’t live through what I’ve lived through, done the things I’ve done, and not be messed up.”

Lola was certain he’d had symptoms of anxiety before he joined the army, but she didn’t say so. She was just happy that he wasn’t mad at her for essentially sticking her nose where it didn’t belong.

“I know I need to talk to someone. There’s just so much to do that I push it off. I’ll get to it when there’s time.”

“Make time,” she told him. “It will help you, which will also help Rosie.”

“You’re right. I already found her a therapist who specializes in selective mutism. I’ll see if that clinic has someone who can see me or if they can refer me to someone.”

“I think that’s an excellent idea.”

“It would probably help her feel more comfortable with the process if she knows that I’m doing it too.”

Lola smiled at him. “I’m so proud of you,” she told him.

He gave her a look of disbelief.

She doubled down. “I am. You’re strong, selfless, kind, hardworking, and you’ve never been led around by your ego. You’re not one of those people who has to flaunt what you do. If anything you’d prefer it if no one noticed, but I notice, Saint. I see you and the amazing person you are.”

He began to shake his head in denial, but Lola didn’t let him. She put her hands on both sides of his face and pulled his mouth to hers. My god she loved kissing this man. His lips were soft and luxuriant, his tongue sweet. He backed them up against a door and she felt all the hard planes of his body against hers. “Did I mention sexy as hell?” She slid a hand down his back and grabbed a handful of taut ass cheek.

He paid her back in kind. “Lola,” he whispered. “Canela.” He groaned and dove back into her mouth.

She used her free hand to clutch at his hair and raised her leg to hook it on his hip.

He used his grip on her ass to lift her up. Her toes barely brushed the floor, but it didn’t matter because Saint anchored her with his hips and Lola whimpered at the feel of him between her thighs, hot and hard. She was just about to open the door behind her and drag him into the room when she heard someone exclaim.

“Oh shit!”

She and Saint sprang away from each other. They turned in unison.

Leo Vega stood in the doorway holding Rosie’s hand with one hand and covering her eyes with the other. He wore an expression of extreme shock, but it didn’t last long. His lips curled into a wry smile causing his eyes to crinkle just the tiniest bit at the corners. He raised one single eyebrow.

Objectively, Leo was probably the most handsome of the Vega brothers. He looked like he’d walked right off the set of a telenovela and had the kind of presence that demanded attention. He oozed charisma and sex appeal. The problem was that he clearly knew it and thus, he was obnoxious. Especially when he opened his mouth.

“Damn, bro. I didn’t know you had it in you. You animal.”

“Language, Leo,” Saint barked.

“Really? She just saw you with your tongue in her teacher’s mouth and her hand on your ass in the middle of the hallway at an old folks home, but my language is too much?”

“Leo,” he growled.

Leo removed his hand from Rosie’s eyes, bent down, and scooped her into his arms. “Rosie, mama, have you heard of the birds and the bees? It might be time for you to learn where babies come from.”

Saint growled again and Leo smirked, obviously enjoying pushing his brother’s buttons.

Alright. Enough was enough. “Rosie already knows that babies come from the bodies of their mother if they’re a mammal. Otherwise they come from eggs that the mother laid. We talked about that in science. Guess what, Leo, preschoolers handled the topic with more maturity than you, a grown man. How sad is that?”

Leo stayed quiet for a moment, eyeing Lola. Then a huge smile appeared on his face, a genuine smile devoid of snark. “I like you, Lola León. I give you full permission to make out with my brother in dark corridors. Maybe it will help him lighten up.” He began to walk toward them. “Now, if you’ll excuse us. This little girl who knows where babies come from has to go tinkle in the potty. Her incredibly mature words not mine.”

Lola barked out a laugh. “Fair enough.”

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