Page 108 of This Could Be Us

“I like them.”

I slip a finger under her chin, turning her face up to me. I’ve been good, but good is gone when she looks at me with the same desire I’ve tried to ignore since the last time she was here. I lower my head for a kiss. It doesn’t occur to me to ease in or start slow. I tug her jaw open and dive in, licking inside and tasting the raw reply of her hunger. She grips my shoulders, tugging me to step into the V of her thighs. I shove the dress up so I can get closer, baring the firm lengths of her legs and stepping between. She strains up, stretching to wrap her arms around my neck. I break contact with her mouth to dust kisses along her hairline and across her cheeks, but pause when my lips encounter wetness.

I pull back, peering down at her face. “Sol, are you crying?”

She clenches her eyes shut and shakes her head, tears slipping from beneath her long lashes. “No.”

“Hey.” I gently scrub my thumbs under her eyes, swiping at the tears. “Tell me what’s up.”

“Way to shatter the mood, Sol,” she says, rolling her eyes and dropping her arms from around my neck. “I’m sorry. I thought I could… forget for a while, but it’s not working.”

“Forget what?”

“Edward.”

His name drops into the conversation like an icicle. I step back and shove my hands into my pockets, leaning against the counter and fixing my gaze on the hardwood floor of my kitchen. When she’s in my arms, in my house, with me, for her to be crying over that piece of shit? It lights a new fire in me, one I’m not sure I’ve experienced before. There is a bright blue flame at its center, and I think this must be what jealousy feels like.

“That came out wrong,” Soledad says when I don’t respond but stand stiff and taut. “I wasn’t thinking of him when we… I mean, I was, but not—”

“If you could just say what you mean because this is making me… I don’t like feeling this way, Sol.”

“What way?”

“Like punching a hole through a wall because you’re kissing me and thinking about him,” I admit through gritted teeth.

She gets off the stool and walks over to stand in front of me, linking her fingers with mine.

“We went to see Edward in prison today,” she says, her voice subdued but her eyes connecting with mine, hiding nothing. “The girls asked if they could.”

“Shit. I’m sorry.” I rest my palm flat against the base of her spine and draw her closer, surrendering to her heat and the enticing scent of jasmine.

“The visit itself was fine, I guess.” She shrugs, bites her lip, and tucks a wavy lock of hair behind her ear.

“What happened?”

“When we were leaving…” She closes her eyes and releases a stilted breath. “I saw Amber.”

“She was visiting Edward too?” I ask, my brows going sky high at this plot-thickening detail.

“She had a baby, Judah.” She blinks wet lashes up at me. “Edward’s baby.”

“The fuck?” I mutter, completely nonplussed. “Are you sure?”

“I confronted her about it, and she admitted it, so yeah. I’m sure.” She drops her head to my chest, muffling her next words with my shirt. “But I would’ve known. The baby has Lupe’s eyes. Edward’s eyes.”

My muscles tense with rage on her behalf. “I’m sorry. Did your daughters see?”

“No. I’ll have to tell them eventually, of course, but I spotted her in the parking lot when we were getting in the car. A secret baby with his secretary? What a fucking cliché.”

“If he hadn’t gotten caught, there’s no telling how long he would have maintained the lie.”

“Oh, I think at least part of it would have collapsed.” She laughs humorlessly, her gaze trained on her ankle boots. “He would have eventually left me.”

“Why would you think that? Because of Amber?” I shake my head. “He had to recognize what he had in you, Sol. He was a fool, but he was always bragging about his beautiful wife and how she was such an asset. Threw the best parties, hosted clients better than anyone. He wasn’t trading that for a side piece.”

“But he had a shinier, newer model.” She bites her lip. “Eventually he would have left. I’m just glad I saw him for what he was.”

“So what did she say when you confronted her?”

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